Super System in the Early Tang Dynasty

Chapter 194 The Battle Between the Snake and the Crane

Its two yellow eyes bulged out, cold and expressionless; its mouth was like a black hole, with a red tongue sticking out, which was quite terrifying!

Just as Li Xingzhi could see what it was, the giant python's mouth was about to reach the neck of a white crane.

A cold star appeared in the black pupils of a crane, and its long, dark beak, gleaming with a deep blue light, shot out like a black lightning bolt, aiming directly at the giant eye of the serpent.

As if it had been prepared, the giant snake gently swayed the half of its body that was not yet above the water, stirring up a whirlpool in the silvery-white turbulent water. The sound of the water was like a thud in one's heart, and the huge snake head that had been extended moved accordingly, just in time to avoid the sharp beak of the crane.

The crane's beak pierced the solid snake's head without making a sound, leaving only a tiny white dot.

Before Li Xingzhi could make any move, the crane's head returned to its original position, as if it had never moved. Only the crane's suddenly bristling feathers and the cold stars in its eyes made people notice something different.

Only then did the white crane, which was near the snake's mouth, react. The crane bent one leg, flapped its wings wildly, and its greenish-yellow beak shot out like a sharp sword, aiming straight for the huge snake's eyes that were right in front of it.

At that moment, another crane turned around, its black beak piercing towards the other snake's eye.

The giant serpent had not anticipated that this was the moment when its new strength had not yet been generated. It vigorously swung its long body, stirring up the rolling silver waves with a deafening roar, hoping to avoid the sharp beak of the crane.

At this moment, the once magnificent torrent could no longer conceal the trembling snake's body. The black, thick snake tail, as large as a giant barrel, slapped against the water's surface from time to time, causing waves to splash! The snake's body, hidden underwater, was of unknown thickness and length. Li Xingzhi was terrified, seeing it as an ancient, primordial beast whose mere presence could frighten even a thousand armies.

Fortunately, the snake avoided the crane's attack, leaving a white spot on its head. However, the crane's sharp beak pierced straight into the snake's eye.

A soft "hiss!" was clearly audible amidst the deafening roar.

Li Xingzhi looked at the giant eyes of the snake's head and saw that the originally bright yellow eyes were now like hard, brittle glass, with several cracks.

The snake's body, which had been churning up waves, suddenly fell silent, and even the silver waves seemed to become deathly still. But at that moment, Li Xingzhi felt an overwhelming, ferocious aura pressing down on him. His true energy stagnated, and he fell unsteadily from the air onto the giant tree.

The snake's eyes were still a bright yellow, but Li Xingzhi, with his usually keen intuition, sensed the giant snake's overwhelming rage—the anger of a superior being humiliated by a subordinate.

The white waves roared, and the giant serpent swung its long tail, its body, tens of feet long, suddenly leaping out of the water like a dragon emerging from the sea. Its dark body gleamed coldly in the warm sunlight. Ignoring the sharp beak of the crane pinning it to the ground, the giant serpent opened its mouth and swallowed the still-unresponsive white crane whole, not even spitting out a single feather.

"boom!"

The white waves were like a shallow stream, allowing the black python to plunge in headfirst. Its massive, dark body, like a monster coiled at the bottom of the water, appeared and disappeared intermittently. Its pair of bright yellow eyes shone brightly in the gradually weakening sunlight.

The two grey cranes let out another mournful cry, and the few remaining white cranes behind them also cried out incessantly.

Li Xingzhi felt even more horrified and chilled.

He thought his cultivation was so high that he was invincible in this era where martial arts were declining, but he never expected to encounter such a ferocious beast here. Judging from the ferocious appearance of the black python, the flock of cranes led by the two cranes were no match for it. Even if they were careless, they would only suffer minor injuries and not be seriously harmed.

The giant python seemed no longer willing to continue the game. Its massive body coiled tightly in the water, as immovable as a boulder. Its huge, dark head, with a cold, metallic sheen, slowly emerged from the water, its long red tongue flicking out, exuding an indescribable ferocity.

A lone crane stood on the giant tree, its feathers bristling and its long wings spread, seemingly ready to fight to the death. Several white cranes beside it, whose wings had been soft, became stiff and trembling, but their beaks pointed forward, showing no sign of weakness.

Several large cranes stretched their necks and cried out, their calls as sharp as metal piercing the air. Their originally graceful figures suddenly took on a majestic air. Their legs, which had been motionless for so long, suddenly sprang up, their wings spread, and they began to circle in the air.

"Wow!"

With a splash of water, the giant snake's head, along with its long body, swayed and moved rhythmically in the air, sensing the movements of the two cranes.

The grey crane let out a sharp cry, and a white crane followed, shrieking twice before slowly circling near the giant snake. With its beak as the tip, it stretched its neck, flapped its wings forcefully, and stabbed down like an awl.

The giant snake seemed to have not expected the white crane's resolute decision, and since they were not far apart, it had no choice but to avoid the vital spot, leaving the not-so-sharp 'needle' still stuck in its body.

A dark shadow emerged from the water, forcefully slapping the unconscious white crane into a pile of minced meat. The white waves washed over it, and not a trace of blood remained.

One of the cranes let out a sharp cry, and this time, no white crane went down—two cranes circled down, flying around the giant python.

Seeing the two cranes descend, the giant python became more cautious, coiling its body even tighter. The muscles behind its head compressed, like a powerful spring, waiting for the moment it would spring out.

A crane circled around to the blind spot on the snake's back, suddenly flapped its wings, and flashed to the top of the snake's head. With a shake of its gray wings, it spread its long, sharp claws, like sharp hooks, and grabbed the snake's two eyes.

"What a brilliant 'White Crane Spreads Wings' move!" Li Xingzhi watched from the side, his eyes shining, and he was about to applaud.

The giant python underestimated the two thousand-year-old cranes. When its claw struck down with its power to shatter metal and stone, the sharp, unpleasant sound of metal scraping against stone pierced the eardrums. By the time the cranes flapped their wings and flew up again, the snake's head had five white marks, faintly revealing some flesh color.

The black python suffered a great loss. Although its vital energy was not completely destroyed, it was in so much pain that it writhed and thrashed in the white waves. Its head was a very sensitive spot, like the ten fingers of a person; if injured, it would be extremely painful.

After this experience, the giant python became even more cautious, preventing the crane from finding another opportunity.

Several cranes circled around, unable to descend.

As dusk settled, the giant python, its neck twisted with impatience, sank back into the water, swimming upstream and churning the water with a loud splash, causing the mountain stream to rise even higher. Not long after, beneath the giant tree that stretched across the stream's narrow passage, another enormous, ferocious, jet-black head emerged.

The giant python stared at the few small red fruits on the tree, its eyes gleaming with greed and longing. Then, it looked at the flying crane in the sky, its gaze inexplicably turning sinister, which, against the gloomy sky, made it even more terrifying.

As for Li Xingzhi, the seemingly harmless little bean sprout by the tree, he was completely ignored by the snake and crane, who were fighting fiercely.

Several cranes circled above the giant tree, gazing at the fiery red fruit hidden among the jade-green leaves, and let out mournful cries.

For the cranes, this thing is more important than their lives.

Li Xingzhi was startled back to his senses by the extremely shrill scream.

I was so engrossed in watching the snake and crane fight that I forgot to consider the lives of the cranes. Luckily, the two cranes were unharmed, otherwise I would have truly regretted it.

He secretly felt a sense of relief.

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