Originally, Zhang Yang's plan was to play dead. Now things were even better — the other side had practically paved the road for him. In that case, there was no need to be coy; just follow along with their script and be done with it.
But actually letting himself get poisoned? That was definitely not an option.
Zhang Yang first took an antidote potion.
A product from the System — top quality, as expected. The antidote worked wonders; it cured poison on contact.
But that wasn't the end of it. Right after taking the antidote, Zhang Yang immediately downed a Berserk Potion.
He wasn't planning to go all out and fight desperately. He just wanted to make use of the side effects that came after the berserk state ended.
The Python King wasn't stupid — in fact, it was quite clever. Since it was openly putting on an act and pretending, there was no way it would easily believe Zhang Yang was truly poisoned. To make the performance convincing, Zhang Yang had no choice but to drink the Berserk Potion.
This was also the most dangerous part of the entire plan.
The Python King watched Zhang Yang very cautiously, afraid that he would notice its little movements.
At that moment, the blood energy inside Zhang Yang suddenly surged violently. The Python King's entire body spasmed once — it thought excitedly that Zhang Yang had discovered something.
Just as the Python King was about to launch an attack, Zhang Yang suddenly crouched down.
What is he doing?
The Python King felt puzzled.
This wasn't an attacking stance. Was this little wolf planning to pull some trick?
The Python King didn't attack immediately.
It was waiting to see what move Zhang Yang would make.
Unfortunately, Zhang Yang had no intention of doing anything fancy at all.
Time passed second by second. Three minutes went by quickly. As soon as the Berserk Potion's effect ended, the overwhelming sense of weakness crashed down on him.
This weakness was something Zhang Yang couldn't resist — his overall blood energy level dropped several tiers in an instant.
"This feeling… really sucks."
Muttering to himself, Zhang Yang lay down on the ground. He could clearly feel that the strength he could use now was only about one-tenth of his peak condition. Utterly pathetic.
The Python King also sensed Zhang Yang's current state.
It was stunned.
What the hell?
Had my snake venom become this powerful?
With such a small amount, it actually knocked this little wolf out completely?
The Python King started to seriously doubt itself.
The other pythons saw Zhang Yang collapse and immediately became excited and lively.
But the Python King didn't dare lower its guard. It still didn't approach, and continued releasing its poisonous gas.
Just in case this little wolf still had the strength to stand up again — what then?
Since the poison gas was working, why not keep poisoning him for a while longer?
Let him enjoy it properly.
Only then could the Python King feel truly at ease.
Lying on the ground, Zhang Yang was silently praying to every god and Buddha in the heavens.
He didn't know which deity actually answered, but his guess turned out to be correct.
Actually, there were no gods at all — everything was going according to Zhang Yang's calculations.
The Python King possessed intelligence, and intelligent beings tended to be suspicious. When he suddenly collapsed, it was only natural for the Python King to suspect it was a trick. That was normal thinking.
What Zhang Yang had bet on was exactly this: that during his period of weakness, the Python King would gradually relax its vigilance until it became completely careless.
That was when his chance would come.
Everything he did was for the sake of that one opportunity.
The side-effect duration of the Berserk Potion lasted ten minutes — much longer than the berserk state itself. The wait felt agonizing.
Fortunately, the Python King was very cooperative. It didn't rashly move forward.
It just kept releasing poison.
By the time the side effects were almost over, the Python King still hadn't budged. It was still diligently pumping out toxic gas, seemingly determined to poison Zhang Yang to death right there.
It hadn't even considered coming closer before he was fully dead.
Zhang Yang mentally counted down the seconds. The Python King's poison gas had zero effect on him.
The description of the Primary Antidote Potion sounded modest, but its actual effect was incredibly strong. At the very least, the venom this Python King was releasing couldn't harm Zhang Yang in the slightest.
When the ten-minute side-effect window finally ended, his full strength returned in a rush.
"System, max out Strength and Agility."
"Ding! This reinforcement requires 20,000 Evolution Points. Confirm?"
"Yes!"
"Ding! Reinforcement successful."
The Evolution Points vanished. Zhang Yang's Strength and Agility both jumped to 30 points.
There was no time to get used to the sudden surge in power and speed.
The moment the reinforcement finished, Zhang Yang made a small movement — pretending to crawl toward that plant. The motion wasn't big.
But for the already highly tense Python King, it was more than enough.
It thought Zhang Yang had realized he was about to die and was making one last desperate struggle, trying to take the plant down with him in mutual destruction.
The Python King absolutely could not allow that to happen. It couldn't let him succeed.
So with a whoosh, it shot forward.
It didn't go for Zhang Yang.
Its goal was to protect that plant and prevent anything from harming it.
And that was exactly the reaction Zhang Yang had been waiting for.
The instant the Python King lunged toward the plant, Zhang Yang — who had been lying flat — suddenly sprang up and pounced straight at it.
All four legs launched like springs — immense power, terrifying speed.
He had already locked onto the Python King's seven-inch spot (the vital weak point of a snake). He didn't expect to bite clean through, but at least he could inflict serious injury.
The Python King sensed Zhang Yang's attack.
But it still didn't change its strategy.
So this little wolf really was faking everything. He's still this strong — completely unaffected by the poison. What a cunning bastard.
While mentally cursing Zhang Yang, the Python King coiled its body tightly, using itself as a shield to protect the plant.
Meanwhile, Zhang Yang landed perfectly on the Python King's body. His bite was extremely precise — clamping straight onto the seven-inch weak spot.
Flesh tore open.
Although he could no longer use "Heaven-Defying Strike," his current strength was still far from weak. 30 points of Strength equated to roughly 300 jin (about 150 kg) of base force. With a fourfold multiplier from his previous state, that became 1,500 jin of biting power — only 500 jin less than when he used Heaven-Defying Strike at 20 Strength.
The key difference? This 1,500 jin was now his normal attack. After one bite, he could immediately go for a second.
Not only that — to maximize damage, his hind claws dug deep into the snake's flesh, anchoring him in place. While his jaws tore and ripped, his front paws frantically clawed with full strength.
You could compare it to the frantic digging posture of a dog scratching the ground.
Zhang Yang knew his current pose looked ridiculous and undignified, but that didn't matter anymore. Survival came before pride.
The Python King writhed in pain, body trembling violently. The seven-inch spot was a fatal weakness for any snake — just like the waist was a wolf's vulnerable point.
But even though it hurt like hell, the Python King still didn't dare move recklessly. It was terrified of damaging the plant it was protecting.
This made Zhang Yang ecstatic.
You won't move? Then I'll move.
If you've got the guts, just keep enduring.
Zhang Yang got fired up. His original plan had been to land one heavy blow and then run. If the injured Python King slowed down, it might not be able to catch him.
But now? The Python King hadn't even mounted a proper counterattack.
In this situation, Zhang Yang had no intention of running right away.
Might as well bite a few more times while he had the chance.