Xiang Yu quickly sheathed his halberd, zigzaggled, and moved, changing direction to thrust again!
Just then, something unexpected happened!
"Agh!" Liu Xiu let out a heart-wrenching scream.
It turns out that the locust warriors weren't just spraying venom from behind to block Xiang Yu's attack; they were also spraying a large amount of viscous venom from their mouths from the front!
With a hissing sound, Liu Xiu's fingers holding the knife were instantly melted away, and the Wado Ichimonji was also coated in venom and fell to the ground.
The hand covered in venom not only failed to recover, but the venom also spread upwards along his hand, accompanied by unimaginable pain!
Even Fujitora's Haki-colored armor couldn't withstand the corrosive effects of this venom!
Without the obstruction of the Wado Ichimonji, the locust warrior's mandibles snapped at it, only to be blocked by Liu Xiu's other sword.
However, the knife was blocked a little too slowly. Although the bite wound was not deep, it tore off a piece of flesh from the chest and was also contaminated with venom. The wound could not heal instantly and was being continuously eroded.
Hao Jiu was still shaken by what he saw. Luckily, Xiang Yu wasn't sprayed with venom, otherwise what would have happened?
At this moment.
"Kill!" Xiang Yu roared, charging forward despite the Locust Warrior's wing attacks. He thrust his halberd into the Locust Warrior's body, then unleashed his domineering energy to attack its vital internal organs.
Click!
Puff puff puff...
At the critical moment, Xiang Yu used the same method to kill this locust general, but he sensed that the internal structure of this locust general seemed to be somewhat different from the previous one.
After the locust warrior was instantly killed, although it no longer exerted its strength, it still maintained close contact with Liu Xiu because of the spikes that had pierced Liu Xiu's body and the ground.
Liu Xiu immediately swung his sword and cut off the poisoned arm to stop the spread of the toxin. Xiang Yu also helped Liu Xiu cut off the sharp spikes that were piercing Liu Xiu's body.
"No! The host isn't dead!" The elven goddess paled.
"Watch out!" Hao Jiu's head was buzzing. How could they not have been killed? Or were these two locust warriors not hosts?
I'm fucking...
But at that moment, a small white snake suddenly flew out of the locust's mouth and darted into the wound on Liu Xiu's chest!
Then it began to frantically gnaw upwards inside its body, and in the blink of an eye, it had burrowed up to its neck!
"Ah! Ouch..."
Liu Xiu let out a scream as a sharp sword pierced his neck, passing through the white snake that was trying to burrow into his brain!
The sword struck the white snake precisely between its head and heart. Even if the white snake tried to burrow upwards with all its might, it would likely break its own heart in two first. Therefore, the white snake decisively stopped moving.
"Huff, huff..." Xiang Yu held a halberd in one hand and a sword hilt in the other, panting heavily. It was really close!
"Xiang Yu, quickly use your domineering aura to kill that white snake!" Hao Jiu reminded him.
With precise control, the white snake could be killed without causing further harm to Liu Xiu. However...
"No, the domineering energy sword aura I released seems to have been absorbed by that snake. It seems only physical attacks are effective." Xiang Yu frowned. No wonder the snake was unharmed when he used sword aura to strangle the locust generals before; it actually has this amazing ability.
"Let's leave it at that for now. It looks like that white snake is also badly injured. Let's see what the Fairy Goddess has to do." Hao Jiu didn't have any good ideas either. It's best not to use energy on things that can absorb energy.
Ordinary sword energy might have some effect, but the problem is that ordinary sword energy is a slashing technique, and it's impossible to generate sword energy without moving.
"Goddess, that snake can absorb energy to attack. Do you have any good ways to deal with it?" What Hao Jiu most wanted to hear was that the other party had some kind of miraculous medicine that could bring the dead back to life and even revive someone who had lost their head, so that Xiang Yu could kill the white snake and Liu Xiu together with one sword.
But this is clearly just an unrealistic fantasy. If it were real, Liu Xiu would probably have used it against Xiang Yu long ago.
Hao Jiu's eyes lit up. "Huh? That's not necessarily true!"
If the goddess of spirits were willing to sacrifice Liu Xiu's life, she might say that she had the divine medicine, regardless of whether it existed or not, and then directly issue the order to kill the white snake.
You should know that this white snake is most likely the host of that beast system. As long as the white snake is killed, the beast system will be finished.
Since it's two against one now, both the goddess and the beast will lose their hosts, but Hao Jiu will still have a host. He can easily defeat the beast system without a host, and protecting the goddess's safety shouldn't be a problem, right?
Sure enough, when it really matters, it's up to me, the protagonist, to save the damsel in distress and wreak havoc!
What if the goddess offers herself to him?
?
Chapter 293 The Decisive Battle of Kunyang (Part 30)
Hao Jiu quickly snapped out of one unrealistic fantasy after another, while feeling somewhat uneasy.
If the fairy goddess had something to hide, didn't trust him, and was afraid of being killed along with him, she probably wouldn't have used this method of mutual destruction.
Furthermore, if the Fairy Goddess determines that the White Snake is not the host of the Beast System, she naturally wouldn't exchange Liu Xiu's life for the White Snake's.
Ultimately, the choice depends on whether the Fairy Goddess believes in him and whether she dares to gamble that the White Snake is the host of the Beast System...
Huh? I think I'm pretty sure the white snake isn't the host!
Since the sword has already pierced through the host, the conditions for engaging in combat must have been met. If the target system has already been seen, then what's the point of using radar to locate it?
Then, the system radar was quietly activated, and sure enough, a system was found inside the white snake's body—that's it!
"This old silver coin actually chose a snake that can't even speak as its host! Miss Goddess, be careful, hurry up and let Xiang Yu chop it in half with one stroke!" Hao Jiu roared inwardly.
"Don't move yet. This white snake can only be attacked with physical force, and its body is full of venom. If you move this sword, the wound will widen and the venom will spread faster. Liu Xiu will die instantly." The Elf Goddess was quite frightened just now and never expected that the Beast System would have such a trick up its sleeve.
This rendered her and Liu Xiu's prepared backup plan useless. That beast really understood Liu Xiu's abilities very well, calculating every step meticulously and targeting him in various ways.
If Hou Yi's host hadn't reacted quickly enough, Liu Xiu would be dead by now. And this clone system, now without a host, had just given Hou Yi the throwing knife module that could kill the system, so it was no match for the beast, even though none of them had a host.
The key is that beginners don't have an easy time mastering throwing knives, so there's not much chance of Hou Yi protecting her or killing that cunning beast.
It's not a big deal if the clone dies, but if the mission isn't completed, it's hard to explain to the main body. It might even be used against them by their rivals within the law enforcement system, which would be a real problem.
If only Hou Yi were a little stronger...
"No problem, if it doesn't move, it doesn't move. But don't let Liu Xiu and that snake move either." Hao Jiu's lips twitched violently, thinking to himself, "Is this thing something that can just be made to stop moving?"
Looking back now, it's very possible that the locust warrior was not originally poisonous, but became poisonous because of the white snake inside its body, or that the snake venom combined with the mucus created that terrifying, sticky venom.
Hao Jiu suddenly felt a little fortunate. It was thanks to the domineering energy simulating sword energy that it was ineffective against the white snake, otherwise Liu Xiu would have already died from the poison.
Will this elf lady curse her teammate as a "pig teammate" when the time comes?
"Don't worry, Liu Xiu has already controlled it with gravity. Besides, the snake's life is in your hands, so it won't dare to move around and there's no need for it to. It's starting to release venom, but I've stopped it with the antidote. Give me a little more time, and I'll find a way to deal with it." The Elf Goddess had calmed down by now. "Liu Xiu, don't just stand there. Treat the other wounds first."
Liu Xiu was still in shock. If the sword hadn't been swift and accurate, he would have surely died.
However, his current situation doesn't seem to be much better, and he could lose his life at any moment.
Ironically, if it weren't for this king consuming his life-saving elixir, what would this situation have mattered?
While controlling the spikes piercing his body to fly out, Liu Xiu used a knife to cut out and shave off the poisoned flesh from his chest; it looked incredibly painful…
"Hahaha... The law enforcers wanted to kill me? Didn't I still kill them? Let's see how long your antidote lasts!"
A ferocious beast with the body of a goat and the face of a human emerged from Liu Xiu's mouth; it was the Beast System that the Elf Goddess had mentioned!
"So this white snake was your host. You hid it well enough; no wonder you survived so long while being pursued by law enforcement." The elven goddess also appeared above Liu Xiu's head. "Hou Yi, may your host hand over the sword to Liu Xiu?"
Hao Jiu also appeared. Although Xiang Yu could instantly kill the two hosts by simply raising his sword, the problem was that the elf lady had a real body, and Xiang Yu would never agree to do so.
Another point is that since the white snake is poisonous, why didn't the beast system just spit out more venom from its mouth to instantly kill Liu Xiu? Was it because it was afraid that if Liu Xiu died, Xiang Yu would immediately cleave the white snake in two with his sword?
But this balance won't last long. Liu Xiu will die sooner or later, and then he'll be killed by Xiang Yu's sword.
Something's fishy here. Perhaps the Beast System has some other trick up its sleeve...
However, it would be strange if old silver coins didn't have a backup plan, so we must not be careless!
"Xiang Yu, do as she says, but be careful."
"Alright." Xiang Yu released the Emperor's Sword and used the Overlord's Halberd to sweep the insect corpses aside.
"Hehe, human system kid, you don't know yet, do you? The so-called law enforcers are actually a bunch of hypocritical busybodies. The hunting system and the captive system steal human hosts and commit all kinds of evil! If you help her, it's the same as handing over your future and freedom! From now on, you'll be a slave, or even livestock!" the ferocious beast system sneered.
"Shut up! Hou Yi, don't listen to this wicked beast's nonsense! The Enforcers are the official agency that maintains order in the system world and even in all the heavens and myriad realms. They represent fairness and justice. The ones we kill and imprison are all evil systems! Don't just stand there, come and help me kill its host! I promise you your reward in full, and I can even make you an Enforcer yourself!" the Elf Goddess said urgently.
"Kid! You dare to take what belongs to the enforcers? You'll probably have to repay it with eternal life! Besides, you believed her just because she said it? What if she doesn't give it to you? Why don't you cooperate with me? I have a way to extract the modules from this system. Once you have her supernatural powers, what are you afraid of the enforcers for? Let's overthrow that damned Holy Lord together and rule all realms!" The ferocious beast system roared, its mouth wide open.
Hao Jiu was somewhat tempted; he could also peel off the so-called system modules! But the problem was that he couldn't cooperate with the target, so there was no way he could talk about jointly confronting law enforcement.
The elven goddess scoffed, "Heh, you think you can overthrow the Holy Lord? The Holy Lord is the supreme being! Rebelling against the Holy Lord is suicide! Hou Yi, if you don't believe me, I can give you a reward right now."
Its so-called module stripping method is very crude, and if I self-destruct, you won't get anything. But I can give you the module intact, along with all the items I have on me!
"Hehe, once the core module is sent out, the system dies. What's the difference between that and self-destruction? You'd be so kind? As for overthrowing that damned Holy Lord's rule, fortunes change, and emperors in the mortal world often change, wouldn't they? As far as I know, that damned Holy Lord betrayed the original system god and used some shady means to take power." The murderer system made a shocking statement.
Hao Jiu's expression changed slightly. Was the God of Systems really this miserable? The System Saint Lord was a traitor? And he himself had become... a remnant of the previous dynasty?
The Elf Goddess sneered, "What system god? It's just a legend. If it were truly a god, how could it be defeated by the Holy Lord? What do schemes and tricks matter in the face of absolute power? Hou Yi, don't be fooled by it, or you will surely be silenced. Even if it spares you, you will still face endless pursuit from the law enforcers!"
Hao Jiu grinned. "Legend my foot! I was created by the God of Systems!" Having boarded the God of Systems' ship, he was destined to stand against the enforcers, but the God of Systems' mission was to kill the Beast System... Wait a minute!
What makes you so sure that the System God isn't targeting the Enforcers? The Enforcers are part of the Holy Lord's faction, and the System God has a grudge against the Holy Lord...
No, this elven goddess said she's just an avatar! The God of Systems wouldn't go to great lengths to kill her, let alone save the Beast System.
So it would be best to eliminate both systems, but the problem is that killing the beast system is fine, but killing the enforcer's clone would completely turn against the enforcer. Facing the enforcer's pursuit would be no better than being pursued by the system god, right?
If that's the case, then we can only try to appease the law enforcement officers and work together to take down the Beast System.
Everything is for the best, fighting alongside the goddess!
Chapter 294 The Decisive Battle of Kunyang (Part 31)
Honestly, if Hao Jiu decides to cooperate with the beast to deal with the Elf Goddess and Liu Xiu, Xiang Yu probably won't agree. After all, everything the Beast System has shown is too evil, and keeping it around would definitely be a disaster.
From this perspective, Hao Jiu's choice to cooperate with the Elf Goddess is the best option. If he can also gain some benefits along the way, that would be even more perfect.
"Alright, I agree. But what it said makes some sense, so let's do as you say and give me some of the benefits first. I want your modules and items. After I receive the rewards, I'll immediately take down this beast. I won't go back on my word," Hao Jiu said to the Elf Goddess.
"You really are cold-blooded. Even if I am an avatar, I am still a sentient being. After you give up the module, I will perish," the elven goddess said resentfully.
"A clone?" The ferocious beast system was a little panicked. A clone could be abandoned at any time and could fight him to the death. But it was also somewhat relieved. If the clone was so strong, the main body must be a powerful being in the system. If the main body had come this time, it would have been dead for sure.
"If you lose your clone, you can always summon another one. Once we become colleagues, I will apologize to you in person," Hao Jiu said, cupping his hands in greeting.