The long serpent missed its bite and seemed momentarily stunned.
It hadn't expected the tiny Zi Linling to evade its attack.
A good opportunity!
Seizing the moment the serpent was dazed, Zi Linling flung the embroidery needle she had been holding, aiming for the serpent's eye.
The killing intent emanating from the needle jolted the serpent awake.
It cast a dismissive glance at Zi Linling, then its body writhed, and its head turned aside. The embroidery needle scraped past its scales, sending out a shower of sparks.
Though the needle missed the serpent's eye, Zi Linling's action undeniably ignited the serpent's ferocity.
Its body moved with great speed, lunging to bite Zi Linling again.
Zi Linling furrowed her brows. Despite its extreme length, the serpent was remarkably agile, and its entire body was covered in tough scales, making it a formidable opponent.
As the serpent's attack arrived, Zi Linling had no choice but to employ the "Roving Dragon Steps," moving towards the serpent's belly.
Her intention was to see if the serpent's belly, its most vulnerable area, was also covered in scales.
Because of this, the serpent's second attack also missed.
However, it quickly discerned Zi Linling's aim. It pressed its belly firmly to the ground, turning its head to bite at Zi Linling once more.
Zi Linling was at a loss. Unable to reach its belly, she couldn't attack its softest part. She could only dodge the serpent's bites while circling its body at high speed.
The human and serpent struggled on the ground, wreaking havoc on the surrounding trees, grass, and other vegetation.
Zi Linling herself caused little destruction, apart from the impact of attacks that were deflected by the serpent onto the ground.
But the serpent was different. Its body was long and massive; a casual turn would flatten entire swathes of trees and grass.
Half an hour passed, and neither the serpent nor Zi Linling could gain an advantage.
The serpent, inherently violent, grew impatient after such a prolonged, fruitless battle, its attacks becoming more ferocious.
Although Zi Linling's internal energy and spiritual power were not significantly depleted, the constant movement had severely exhausted her stamina.
This couldn't continue. Not only were there pursuers behind her, but if they discovered her, another fierce battle would ensue. Even just continuing this stalemate with the serpent would exhaust her to death. What should she do?
Though the serpent had consistently protected its belly well, Zi Linling had managed to find opportunities a few times, but even so, it hadn't sustained much damage.
It seemed the serpent's fatal weakness wasn't its belly. Where else could it be?
Zi Linling's mind raced, her gaze meticulously scanning every inch of the serpent's skin.
After careful observation, she finally noticed a slight bulge where the serpent's neck joined its torso.
And although the serpent had been diligently protecting its belly, whenever Zi Linling attacked that bulging spot, the serpent would abandon its defense of its belly and shift to protect that area.
"Strike the serpent's seven inches!"
Zi Linling estimated the distance; that spot was exactly seven inches from the serpent's head.
It appeared that, despite being a fierce beast, this serpent, like a common snake, had its vital point at the seven-inch mark where its heart lay.
With this discovery, a spark of brilliance flashed in Zi Linling's eyes.
"It seems I need to find a way to get close to it!"
With a clear target, Zi Linling's spirits lifted.
She retrieved a scalpel as thin as a cicada's wing from her Nine Spirit Ring, concealing it in her hand.
Then, with a thought, a fire spirit energy ball instantly formed and exploded towards the serpent's belly.
Having done this dozens of times before, the serpent was accustomed to Zi Linling's trick.
It swallowed the fire spirit energy ball whole, disrupting Zi Linling's soul power.
It then cast a triumphant glance at Zi Linling, as if to say, "What can you do to me?"
Zi Linling's lips curved slightly. A "Wood Vine" entangled the serpent's neck. Then, with a light tap of her toes, concentrating both spiritual and internal energy in her legs, she grasped the vine and leaped, propelling herself into the air.
The serpent froze, unsure of Zi Linling's intentions in flying into the air.
However, upon seeing the long sword formed of gold spirit energy in front of Zi Linling, it sensed danger and understood her true objective.
But its neck was still ensnared by the "Wood Vine," its flexibility greatly reduced. As the "Gold Sword" rapidly approached its seven-inch mark, a flicker of desperation crossed its eyes.
"Thump! Clang!"
The serpent shrieked to the sky, its head twisting with great force. It broke free from the vine in Zi Linling's hand, coiled itself rapidly, and protected its seven-inch point with its tail.
At that moment, Zi Linling's "Gold Sword" descended with immense force, colliding with the serpent's hard scales and creating a massive energy storm.
The serpent's tail was caught in the energy storm, being pulled aside.
Now!
Zi Linling's eyes narrowed. The scalpel in her hand, imbued with profound internal energy, shot towards the serpent's seven-inch mark.
Just as the serpent shook off the energy storm, it felt a pang of dread. Simultaneously, the scalpel pierced its seven-inch point unimpeded.
"Thump! Clang!"
The serpent emitted a mournful cry, and blood gushed from its seven-inch point, creating a spectacular crimson fountain.
With its heart sliced open by the scalpel, and its nerves still alive within its body, the serpent writhed on the ground in agony.
Its massive body crushed rows of trees and grass, startling smaller fierce beasts in the vicinity into fleeing in all directions.
Zi Linling knelt on the ground, gasping for air.
Generally, even powerful fierce beasts were equivalent to human Body Tempering Ninth-level spiritual practitioners. Coupled with the beast race's superior physique, fierce beasts were usually two to three levels stronger than spiritual practitioners of the same rank.
However, this long serpent was an outstanding specimen among fierce beasts, inherently stronger than its peers.
And this serpent, while still within the category of fierce beasts, possessed a trace of sentience, meaning it was on the cusp of becoming a demonic beast.
Therefore, although Zi Linling had slain the serpent, it had not been an easy feat for her.
While she still had over half her spiritual power, her stamina was severely depleted. Furthermore, that final blow was a near all-out effort, leaving her legs trembling.
After writhing on the ground for a while, the serpent's breath grew weaker and weaker.
About the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, its eyes finally closed, its breathing shallow.
Zi Linling smiled faintly and, with effort, stood up.
She retrieved a knife from her Nine Spirit Ring, sat on the serpent's head, and slowly began to saw open its seven-inch point.