Lu Wuming's words immediately brought back to Liu Buli's mind the young man's unrestrained nature. The feeling of soreness and pain surged back, causing Liu Buli's sword-holding hand to tremble. He even felt a desire to leave the battlefield entirely to Lu Wuming.
Of course, this wasn't to say Liu Buli feared the monster. On the contrary, after fighting for a while, he had a general idea. The monster's main attacks were its chaotic tentacles and the mucus clinging to them.
As long as these were avoided, dealing with it wouldn't be difficult.
The novel depicted it as terrifying because the male protagonist, at this stage, hadn't fully grown.
But he and Lu Wuming were different.
They had been prepared to face the world from the very beginning. Therefore, they had seized every opportunity to improve themselves.
Furthermore, they had obtained the dual cultivation manual, which the male protagonist only acquired in the later stages, right from the start. This saved them many detours, and their cultivation was naturally much higher than the male protagonist's in the novel at this point.
Considering all this, Liu Buli could confidently conclude that even Lu Wuming alone could handle the monster effectively.
As he thought, Lu Wuming clearly felt the same. He glanced around, flexed his claws, and then smiled back at Liu Buli. "Master, why don't you wait for me on the side? The monster's aura is too disgusting, and its mucus is filthy and repulsive. You value cleanliness so much, Master, and you can't stand this sort of thing. It's best not to get too close, so it doesn't bother you."
The implication was that he would handle the monster alone. Liu Buli could rest on the side without affecting the battle.
Hearing this and looking at the monster, Liu Buli pondered for a moment. Assured that Lu Wuming could handle it alone, he nodded with relief, took a step back with his sword, and added, "I'll watch from the side. If anything comes up, call me immediately. But it's fine, I'll be watching, and you won't be in any danger."
With that said, Lu Wuming felt even more at ease. He smiled at Liu Buli, nodded, and then charged at the monster again.
To be honest, Lu Wuming's fighting style was not elegant. Especially against a strong opponent with no one else around, he would unhesitatingly reveal all his claws and grapple with the other party. He looked less like a human and more like a beast driven by instinct.
As Lu Wuming moved, more and more green mucus splattered from the monster. Liu Buli couldn't help but retreat a couple more steps. Lu Wuming was right; this thing was truly disgusting.
To prevent the mucus from dripping on him, Liu Buli retreated further. Having moved completely away from the battlefield, he looked up again and saw Lu Wuming cleaving through the monster's tentacles once more. His sharp claws were covered in mucus, yet despite the terrifying scene, Lu Wuming seemed to have accomplished something that brought him joy, his face filled with a happy and delighted smile.
At times like these, Liu Buli would once again clearly realize that his Wuming was not an ordinary human.
He looked even more terrifying than ordinary ghosts.
Perhaps it was a case of lovers seeing their beloved through rose-tinted glasses, but looking at Lu Wuming like this, Liu Buli pondered and couldn't muster any fear.
For a moment, he even seriously considered that Lu Wuming being this way might not be so bad.
At least he was direct and straightforward, much easier to understand than ordinary humans.
While Liu Buli was contemplating these thoughts, the monster was being struck down repeatedly. Its massive tentacles fell, only to regrow. It seemed like nothing had changed, but anyone observing the battle closely could see that the monster's regeneration speed was indeed slowing down with each severing blow.
At this pace, Lu Wuming would likely defeat the monster completely before long.
Liu Buli thought to himself, his gaze fixed on the monster.
But at that moment, half of the monster's eyes suddenly turned towards him.
Liu Buli wasn't particularly guarded. The instant their eyes met, he felt a wave of dizziness, a searing pain in his head as if it were about to explode, and his vision blurred.
Taking a few deep breaths and using his spiritual energy to protect his soul, Liu Buli retreated a few steps, his hand finding the rocks behind him. He slowly leaned back and sat down.
He worried that Lu Wuming might notice his condition and become concerned, giving the monster an opening. Therefore, he dared not show how unwell he was, gritting his teeth and silently enduring the intensifying pain, while desperately searching his memory for similar plot points in the novel.
He vaguely recalled that Shen Muzhi in the novel had encountered a similar situation. However, Yun Xiang had been by his side then, and her racial advantages allowed her to quickly resolve Shen Muzhi's condition, so Shen Muzhi hadn't been significantly affected.
So, what was this? Was it an illusion?
The thought was immediately dismissed by Liu Buli himself. It was different from the illusions he had encountered before, and Yun Xiang's racial advantages seemed to have little effect on illusions.
Liu Buli gritted his teeth.
The eye contact was just a feint. While it had a considerable effect, its primary purpose was likely to guide. In reality, the greater damage came from the aura carried by the mucus.
So, his condition...
Liu Buli looked down at his fingers, which were already beginning to show a faint bluish-purple hue, and he had a pretty good idea.
He had clearly been poisoned.