Although the giant crab was enormous, its sideways movement was surprisingly swift. In just a few moments, it had closed the distance to within seven or eight zhang of Han Li, almost within striking range of its massive pincers with just one more lunge.
A fierce glint flashed in Han Li’s eyes as his lower abdomen slightly bulged, and his lips twitched as if he were about to spit something out.
But at that moment, a sharp whistling sound pierced the air, followed by a streak of silver light shooting from afar and embedding itself into the crab’s massive body.
The crab’s pale blue spiked carapace, seemingly impenetrable, emitted a dull thud as the silver light struck, forcibly piercing through the armor and lodging deep into its shell.
A spray of green blood splattered out.
The silver light turned out to be a silver trident, over a zhang in length, with its upper half deeply embedded in the crab’s back, leaving only the lower half swaying violently.
Wounded, the crab let out an earth-shaking screech, halting its charge toward Han Li and immediately veering toward the valley entrance instead.
The attack had not inflicted severe damage on the colossal creature but had instead enraged it further.
Witnessing this, Han Li was momentarily stunned before hurriedly turning his head to look toward the valley entrance.
There, standing at the mouth of the valley, were over a dozen figures of varying heights.
These figures, both male and female, held gleaming silver weapons—spears, tridents, and other throwing implements. The men had muscular, bare arms, while the women wore tight-fitting, short-sleeved leather garments, all exuding a fierce aura.
When Han Li’s gaze swept over their lower halves, his expression shifted to one of surprise.
From the waist down, these beings did not have legs but rather serpentine bodies of varying thicknesses, adorned with faint, barely visible scales in different colors.
These were non-humans—a race he had never encountered or even heard of before.
Han Li quickly reached this conclusion.
Before he could ponder further, the giant crab had already charged toward the group of serpentine beings.
At a sharp command from a burly man who appeared to be their leader, the figures swiftly rearranged themselves into two orderly rows—six men in front and seven women behind.
With another barked order, the front row hurled their silver spears simultaneously.
Six streaks of silver light shot forth, striking the crab’s massive body. However, the weapons only embedded themselves halfway, failing to inflict critical damage. Instead, the green blood oozing from the wounds only drove the crab into a frenzy. With a furious roar, it spat a foul-smelling white froth toward the group.
The leader’s expression darkened at the sight of the froth, muttering something under his breath in agitation. He reached behind his back and retrieved a flat, grayish-white stone disc, faintly glowing with an unusual light.
Without hesitation, he hurled the disc toward the incoming froth.
The moment it left his hand, the disc transformed into a streak of red light, colliding with the froth and erupting into a deafening explosion.
A raging inferno engulfed the froth, reducing both to nothingness in moments.
Seizing the opportunity, the crab surged forward, closing the distance to within ten zhang of the serpentine beings. But just then, the six men in the front row split into two groups, darting to either side. With a coordinated motion, they yanked backward, and the charging crab abruptly froze in place.
Han Li’s eyes flashed with blue light as he discerned six translucent threads, each as thick as a thumb, connecting the men’s wrists to the crab. Straining with all their might, the men held the threads taut.
These serpentine men possessed extraordinary strength, but what caught Han Li’s attention were the earthen-yellow bracers on their wrists, faintly glowing with spiritual energy—likely low-grade magical artifacts.
With their brute strength and the aid of these bracers, they managed to halt the crab’s charge.
However, the pause lasted only a moment before the crab’s massive pincers snapped forward like lightning.
Two dull *thuds* echoed as the pincers cleanly severed two of the threads, sending the two men who had been straining against them tumbling backward.
A few more swings of the crab’s pincers would have freed it completely.
But at that precise moment, the women in the second row hurled their silver tridents.
A series of muffled impacts later, the crab let out a piercing shriek as seven of its legs buckled, each joint now impaled by a gleaming silver weapon. Only one hind leg remained intact, leaving the creature unable to maintain balance.
With a thunderous crash, the crab collapsed onto the ground, creating a deep crater in the grassy terrain.
The serpentine beings, previously tense, now erupted in cheers, sensing victory within their grasp.
With its mobility crippled, the crab was utterly defenseless.
Men and women alike surged forward, stopping about a zhang away before hurling their weapons at the crab’s vital points.
At such close range and with the crab immobilized, every strike found its mark.
Within moments, the crab’s body was riddled with dozens of spears and tridents, sealing its fate.
Han Li, still lying on the ground, observed the scene calmly, his mind racing.
From their tactics and the weapons they wielded—including low-grade magical artifacts—these beings seemed to have some background. However, given their current capabilities, they posed no threat to him, even in his immobilized state.
Interestingly, despite their agility, none of them exuded spiritual energy, suggesting they were not cultivators but rather akin to human body refiners.
As Han Li pondered this, the serpentine beings swiftly dismantled the crab, expertly separating its edible parts—meat and roe—into neatly arranged portions. Their practiced movements indicated they had hunted such creatures before.
At that moment, a particularly graceful female with an exceptionally supple waist slithered over to the leader and gestured toward Han Li, speaking in a melodious yet incomprehensible tongue that vaguely resembled human speech but remained largely unintelligible.
The leader, whose dark bronze skin and towering stature set him apart from the others, was the only one with a pitch-black serpentine lower body. The rest had pale green or white serpentine forms.
Upon hearing the woman’s words, the leader’s sharp gaze locked onto Han Li, meeting his calm, unwavering eyes.
Seeing Han Li’s composed demeanor, the leader stiffened slightly before glancing at his human legs. His expression abruptly shifted, and after exchanging a few urgent words with the woman, he hurried toward Han Li.
Despite his serpentine lower body, the leader moved with astonishing speed, covering the distance in mere moments.
Han Li silently watched the approaching figure, his expression unreadable. A keen observer might have noticed that his slightly bulging abdomen had yet to return to normal.
Of course, the leader, seeing Han Li for the first time, noticed nothing amiss.
Stopping before Han Li, the leader suddenly bowed deeply, placing an arm across his chest in a respectful gesture, and spoke in a language Han Li could not comprehend.
Han Li’s lips curled into a faint, wry smile.
Despite having studied nearly all known non-human languages during his time in Tianyuan City, this one was entirely unfamiliar to him.
After a brief hesitation, Han Li tried a few phrases in a more widely spoken tongue of the Wind Yuan Continent, but the leader only stared blankly, clearly uncomprehending.
Frowning, Han Li cycled through several other non-human languages, but the leader merely scratched his head in confusion.
With a sigh, Han Li fell silent.
Noticing Han Li’s immobility, the leader turned and called out to the others.
Four of the serpentine women immediately abandoned their tasks and rushed over.
After a few stern commands from the leader, the women regarded Han Li with a mix of awe and reverence before bowing deeply.
They then moved toward the few trees in the valley, swiftly felling several with peculiar silver blades.
With practiced efficiency, they fashioned the wood and some animal hides into a makeshift stretcher-like contraption.
Carrying it between them, they returned to Han Li’s side.
By now, Han Li was certain these “serpent-folk” bore him no ill will, and the tension in his abdomen eased.
The women carefully placed the stretcher before him, two of them stepping forward to speak respectfully, their tone questioning.
Even without understanding their words, Han Li grasped their intent. After a brief pause, he gave a slight nod.
The serpent-folk visibly brightened, their faces lighting up with relief.
The two women bowed again before gently lifting Han Li, carefully positioning him on the stretcher to ensure his comfort.
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