Ch13 Copper Bell

The talisman around my neck activates the instant I feel the life-threatening beast’s cold mouth wrap around me.

A hot layer of qi bursts out from my necklace, and the manifestation of a 3-meter-tall and wide copper bell grows outward to surround my entire body.

The serpent bounces off, as a force of equal strength thrusts it back.

[Automatic Inspect Function Activated…]
[Nameless Black Serpent] [Age: 35]
[3rd Level Qi Refiner]
[Water, Metal, and Earth Spiritual Roots][7th Grade]
[No Innate Physique]
[Has nurtured a spiritual plum with its life essence for the last 2 years in solitude, hoping to use this to break through its bottleneck at the perfected stage of the 3rd level into the 4th level of qi refinement.]

Information flashes before my eyes, as the serpent’s data is read aloud.

Beside it, a countdown from 15 ticks away, as the copper bell talisman only stays active for a finite amount of time.

A ferocious serpent lunges back my way, now even more mad that its last attack failed.

The loud bell rings through the forest again, and it’s thrust backward.

This time, smashing into a nearby tree and cracking its base.

When the serpent slithers my way again, half of the tree slowly falls to the ground with a thud.

It’s paired with a loud bell’s ring, repeating over and over as the serpent relentlessly attacks me from every side, and it’s thrust backward every time. It is an impressive shield, but the copper bell is locked in place. I can only move within it, limiting my options of escape until the 15 seconds are up as well…

[7…]
[6…]
[5…]

Over a dozen full-force attacks have been blocked, but the monster is not harmed badly.

This artifact only defends. The backlash from each strike is only as powerful as the serpent’s, allowing it to attack almost indefinitely.

[4…]
[3…]
[2…]

Even if I activate this talisman two more times, all it will do is preserve my life another half a minute.

I watch the serpent’s desperate attacks over and over again and pull out the rusty knife I took off Tang Min’s body.

This snake is far too agile and sensitive to qi to fall to an arrow. The fact that it dodged, and is now attacking so vigorously, means that arrow could have killed it if I managed to land the shot. If these upgrade cards truly do as they say, a perfected tier 1 weapon should be able to slice through a level 3 qi refiner with ease. I just need to create the opportunity to land the hit.

I pull out a bronze card and select the knife in my grasp.

A flash of white light covers my hands.

[1…]

I twist my body and lunge at an awkward angle, watching the serpent charge my way for the twentieth time.

Its neck is already recoiling, as it believes it will be sent flying backward as it has every time before.

Yet, I feel the copper bell deactivating about half a second before the visuals in the outside world fully fade.

This is all the extra time I need.

The serpent’s open mouth lunges forward where my head was moments ago, and a long shimmering white and silver dagger thrusts upward, slicing deep beneath its bottom jaw.

The serpent’s scales are cut through like butter, and so is the soft meat at its neck connecting to its stomach.

I follow all the way through, digging deep into the serpent up to the dagger’s hilt.

The momentum of its lunge forward doesn’t stop, and the sharpness of this perfected 1st tier weapon is so unreasonable that there is no resistance at all as it slices itself open.

Before it realizes its guts are falling out onto the forest floor, there is already a 6-meter-long gash along its underside.

A murderous screech combined with a hiss echoes with agony as the serpent turns its body to try and figure out what has happened.

Yet, shredded organs and serpent blood gush out onto the forest floor. It only gets worse the more it moves.

I run away in the opposite direction, back toward its cave.

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The sound of brush being trampled and fallen trees being moved aside trails away behind me.

The more this serpent moves, the faster it is gutted alive.

By the time I make it to its cave and turn back around, the lifeless eyes of the angry black serpent stare at me in disbelief.

My heart is beating out of my chest as I dig through the dirt mound it’s made and grab the fist-sized orange plum, holding it up in front of my eyes.

All of my senses go wild, and saliva even builds up in my mouth.

My natural instincts are urging me to eat it, but I stow it away in my storage instead.

I feel the eyes of other animals still on me. This is not a safe place to stay and consume it.