"Roar~"
Before Yang Hong could begin his plan, a beastly roar signaled the snakes' attack.
"Damn it! Earth Spikes! Earth Spikes!"
Seeing the snake swarm initiate their assault, Yang Hong dared not linger on perfecting his plan and immediately began casting.
[Earth Spikes], a Tier 3 common spell, cost only 9 Qi to unleash spikes dealing 18 damage.
Under Yang Hong's full exertion, the earth spikes, which should have been fist-thick, became as large as washbasins.
These could no longer be called spikes; they were more like pillars of earth.
Upon witnessing the effect of the Earth Spikes, Yang Hong's eyes lit up. His plan had just become much easier.
"Heh heh~ Just roasted some small snakes, now it's time to roast some big ones."
"Earth Spikes... Rumble..."
Yang Hong unleashed the Earth Spikes, channeling his True Essence into the spell. The spikes shot up over twenty zhang, reaching the roof of the snake den.
"Hahaha~ Now I can really let loose."
Seeing the effectiveness of the new Earth Spikes, Yang Hong was completely reassured.
"Come at me, little snakes, feel the might of your grandpa's fists!"
"Bang~"
Yang Hong swatted away a viper that flew towards him with his left fist, then slapped away another sneaking up from his side with a backhand.
His right hand continued to weave hand seals, True Essence surging within him.
Earth Spikes rose continuously behind him.
Gradually, no new vipers attacked from behind; they were all blocked by Yang Hong's wall of Earth Spikes.
The vipers, seemingly lacking in intellect, began to bypass the Earth Spike wall after repeatedly failing to break through.
"Hahaha~ These silly snakes are so cooperative."
Seeing the entire snake swarm converging from the front, Yang Hong felt no fear, only a hint of amusement.
This arrangement made him even safer.
However, he still added several more layers of Earth Spike walls behind him before turning to face the serpentine horde in front.
"560 zhang, that's enough!
Fireball, Fire Snake, Gale Force!"
Still the same trio of roasting spells; cliché, but effective.
Though the Scarlet-Feathered Vipers possessed some fire affinity, it was minimal. Under Yang Hong's scorching fire spells, they still perished!
However, Yang Hong's True Qi was also being depleted rapidly.
After all, these were large, mobile, and evasive snakes.
Even with their low intelligence, they possessed the basic survival instinct to avoid harm.
This slowed down Yang Hong's snake-roasting speed.
"Damn it, are these snakes trying to force me to burn down the entire den?"
"But my True Qi isn't enough, and my spells' power is insufficient. If only I had a powerful secret art, I could just ignite the whole den with one fire."
Yang Hong looked at the continuously surging snake swarm with dissatisfaction,
Dissatisfied with his own strength.
Yet, in reality, Yang Hong was incredibly powerful!
The Scarlet-Feathered Vipers he casually swatted away were Tier 3 demonic beasts, equivalent to human cultivators in the Fusion Realm.
These Tier 3 demonic beasts possessed bodies stronger than human cultivators in the Fusion Realm.
"Bang~ Bang~"
Yang Hong continued to use his left hand to swat away the charging vipers while his right hand ceaselessly wove seals, casting the "roasting" trio of spells.
"Hmm~ Is this the smell of roasted snake meat? Why does it smell so foul?"
Suddenly, Yang Hong twitched his nose, his expression changing.
"Ugh~ Aren't these Scarlet-Feathered Vipers said to be delicious? Why do they smell so pungent and fishy when I roast them?"
Yang Hong almost vomited. The information he had gathered earlier contained numerous praises for the deliciousness of Scarlet-Feathered Vipers, which was why he had decided on a fire-based approach.
He never expected the snakes to emit such a nauseatingly foul and fishy odor when burned.
Even with the concealing spell to reduce his breathing, Yang Hong could still smell the revolting stench.
"No, I need to find another place to fight.
Otherwise, I'll be suffocated to death before being bitten."
After enduring for another quarter of an hour, as the stench in the cave grew more unbearable, Yang Hong decided he couldn't wait any longer.
"Stone Armor!"
Yang Hong cast a Tier 2 common spell on himself, a defensive enchantment, and then put on his twin gauntlets.
"Roar~ Sparta~!"
Yang Hong roared with adolescent fervor, psyching himself up.
Then...
"Thump thump~ Bang bang~ Bang bang~"
Yang Hong spun his fists like a windmill, directly sending all the vipers in his path flying, his feet never stopping as he charged rapidly towards the cave entrance.
"Roar~ Roar~"
Seeing Yang Hong attempting to escape, the unseen leader of the snake swarm began to roar impatiently.
The snake swarm quickly shifted its formation, attempting to intercept him.
"Ah~ I am invincible! Ah~ Savage Ox Fist!"
Feeling the pressure of the snake swarm's interception, Yang Hong not only did not falter but instead felt his courage and fearlessness ignited.
"Moo~~"
A resounding moo echoed as a phantom of a colossal savage ox, ten zhang long and five zhang tall, surged forth from Yang Hong's hand.
"Crack~ Crack~ Crack..."
A series of explosions erupted. Where the savage ox passed, all the Scarlet-Feathered Vipers were instantly vaporized into bloody mist.
True to the saying, to be touched was to die!
"Am I this strong?"
Yang Hong himself was stunned, startled by his own punch.
Moo~
Another bovine cry sounded, and the phantom ox, which had traveled sixty zhang, dissipated.
After all, it was merely an energy construct, not a real ox.
However, if it were a real ox charging so recklessly, it would have certainly died long ago.
"Savage Ox Fist~"
Yang Hong knew this was no time for dallying. He recalled the feeling from before and continuously unleashed Savage Ox Fist.
With the second punch, the phantom ox only advanced ten zhang, the length of one body, before vanishing.
"Savage Ox Fist~ Savage Ox Fist~"
Yang Hong constantly adjusted his stance, repeatedly unleashing the fist technique. However, the punches he threw could only travel about ten zhang.
"Does it have something to do with my mood? Is this a kind of artistic conception?"
With a guess forming in his mind, Yang Hong began to adjust his mindset and emotions.
He eventually discovered that the Savage Ox Fist's effect was best when his heart was filled with courage, particularly an unwavering, forward-charging courage.
In his best attempt, he managed to produce a phantom ox that traveled ninety zhang.
If his heart harbored any intention of retreat, the Savage Ox Fist's effect would be at its worst.
Although it could still travel ten zhang, it could no longer kill the vipers.
With these discoveries, Yang Hong confirmed that he had grasped an artistic conception related to courage,
Fist Intent!
"Huh~ I'm out?"
Just as Yang Hong was continuously adjusting his mindset and fist stances, his vision suddenly brightened; he had burst out of the snake den.
"Roar~ Roar~"
The beast-like roars continued to resound.
The Scarlet-Feathered Vipers had not given up their pursuit. More and more vipers emerged from the den,
Some even emerged from smaller openings, initiating a new round of encirclement.
"Heh heh~ Now it's my turn to hunt you."
Having grasped Fist Intent, Yang Hong was brimming with excitement. Without a second thought, he turned around and blocked the entrance to the snake den, continuously punching.
Vipers died in waves.
"Tiger Subduing Fist, Six Harmonies Fist, Thunder Fist, Heartbreak Fist..."
Gradually, Yang Hong no longer confined himself to the Savage Ox Fist. Maintaining an attitude of brave fearlessness, he unleashed all the fist techniques he knew in various ways.
As long as the artistic conception of the fist technique did not conflict with courage, Yang Hong could manifest various phantoms that directly killed enemies.
Although the fist techniques varied in grade, as long as Yang Hong's courage did not wane, he could unleash phantom effects of similar potency.
"This is a kind of courage artistic conception."
As he fought on, Yang Hong began to pull out various weapons from his storage bag, switching to different martial skills.
Yang Hong, holding his ground at the mouth of the snake den, was slaughtering indiscriminately. He even ignored the pungent odor emanating from the vipers.
As he fought, he once again entered a state akin to enlightenment.
The power of the various martial skills he unleashed began to rapidly increase.