Chapter 610: Taipan

The taipan was a well-known snake species in the Aetacia region and the Great Quiet Desert as a whole. It generally minded its own business, not being territorial or even confrontational, but that wasn’t due to weakness.

According to Rachel’s intel, the taipans were extremely fast and, especially, venomous, far surpassing the toads in that regard. They took the crown among the forbidden zone’s poison-using predators. Actually, they took it almost everywhere they went.

And now, Liam had stumbled upon one such taipan. He had found his last prey, but the role of predator had yet to be decided.

Even with only the forked tongue visible, Liam could start guessing about size, as well as overall power. Instinctively, the creature seemed to be Andrew’s equal, if not more dangerous.

Liam had summoned the greatsword upon reaching the chamber, wielding it with both hands while the fan hovered above him, the low hiss his opponent had released still echoing in his ears.

Cultivators and magical beasts couldn’t really communicate, but they could convey intentions. Their presence alone echoed what ran through their minds.

Still, Liam’s lineage provided a unique advantage against snakes. He obviously couldn’t translate hisses into words. Those creatures didn’t talk in those terms, but he did obtain deeper insights into his opponent’s stance.

The taipan didn’t want to fight. It honestly sounded more inclined to leave if Liam pushed it, which worked for him, but only partially. He wanted the mine the creature was occupying, but he also wanted the creature itself.

And Liam had long since discovered that he wanted it all. Actually, as both the Ancestral Snake and Rachel had said, he could do more than desire. He could just take.

"Make it angry," Liam hissed, activating the fan’s ability.

An earthquake took over the area. Debris fell from the ceiling, clouding the scene, but Liam saw everything perfectly and struggled to believe it.

The fan was incredibly fast, so much so that Liam had yet to face someone who could keep up with it without suffering any kind of injury.

However, the search was over. A thick, over six-meter-long yellowish body had risen from the wet ground, reaching the rocky ceiling, pinning the fan against it.

No scale was dented, let alone pierced. The taipan had somehow reacted to the fan’s sudden assault in time, even defusing it completely, moving at a speed that shouldn’t be possible for such a big creature.

Still, that wasn’t the end.

The earthquake suddenly intensified. Entire boulders fell from the ceiling and nearby surfaces. The ground erupted and created storms, but Liam didn’t catch any of that. He couldn’t.

Liam felt the danger after his body moved. He instinctively turned the greatsword to its flat side before finding himself against a rocky wall, buried in a human-sized hole.

Traces of strain followed. Liam felt his arm tremble, the soreness in his shoulders, and the pain in his back, but even that failed to reach the more conscious side of his brain.

All Liam had remained focused on the impossibly fast figure ahead, which he struggled to follow even after removing any form of distraction.

Liam barely had time to place his forearm against his weapon before another heavy blow arrived. The impact drove him deeper into the wall, but he didn’t dare to move from that defensive stance since another attack was already on him.

A cave-in started as blow after blow landed on Liam. The underground structure collapsed, but attacks kept on coming, burying him in a landslide of debris.

Liam’s arms were growing numb, but he was in no position to do anything else. Certain attacks came in such quick succession they seemed to blend into one, and mere debris wasn’t enough to delay an assault launched by such a powerful magical beast.

Nevertheless, a break in that barrage eventually arrived, and Liam felt it in his head before experiencing it with his body.

As soon as Liam had a second to act, he forcefully swung the greatsword up. The weapon easily cut through the debris in its path, its accumulated momentum exploding when the slash ended.

A patch of soil next to the rocky formation erupted, and Liam jumped through the rising debris to arrive high in the sky, his existence preventing him from falling back down.

The ground soon opened in another spot, this time featuring no violent events. A thin object reached Liam in no time and unfolded at his feet, granting him flight. The fan had returned, red blood dripping from its sharp tips.

’It’s good that I was forced to focus on defense in this period,’ Liam couldn’t help but think as he scoured the area below. The old him would have never blocked that first unbelievably fast attack, but his training was paying off.

It was just about seeing what the taipan would do at that point. The fan had hurt it after Liam had acted as a punching bag, but it could still decide to run.

’Come on,’ Liam urged, storing the greatsword and summoning the Black Bow, a grey arrow already nocked into it. His arms might still be numb, but nothing could make him lose confidence when it came to his main weapon.

Naturally, Liam was also being alert for any underground movement. It was why he had summoned one of the arrows stolen from the Archbishop’s inheritance. An actual piece of metal would have a better chance of digging deep enough.

Nevertheless, those precautions turned out to be unnecessary since the ground erupted once more, a yellowish serpent peeking past the surface to stare at the floating figure in the clear sky.

Liam fired even before his eyes went on the level three creature, but he soon found out that he wasn’t the only one. The taipan’s mouth was open, pale-yellow liquid flowing down its fangs, with drops splitting from it.

Before Liam knew it, an upside-down rain of venomous bullets had filled the sky and was about to drown him.