At the brink of life and death, the Tiger Snake's survival instinct finally kicked in. Even facing an Eagle, it wouldn't be captured without a fight. It immediately straightened its body, hissing a warning.
However, everything the Tiger Snake did was useless. The pair of pitch-black talons was unstoppable. Before the Tiger Snake could even react, they had easily seized it, lifted it up, and prepared for takeoff.
'What do I do? What do I do!'
Tu Xiao'an had escaped disaster, but he didn't feel great about it. This Eagle clearly didn't play by the rules. 'Doesn't it understand the concept of first come, first served?'
He had already set his sights on the Tiger Snake. 'Is it really okay for it to just openly snatch it like this?'
Tu Xiao'an was indignant. He watched as the Tiger Snake's thick body was gripped by the black talons, as if it had been sentenced to death. Its struggles were futile. All it could do was hiss desperately, its gaping maw trying to bite the Eagle, but it lacked the strength to reach.
The Eagle's two talons, one in front of the other, held the Tiger Snake fast, preventing it from struggling in the slightest.
As expected of a snake's mortal enemy, the Eagle's talons were sharp and powerful. That single grab left the Tiger Snake dripping with blood, like a lamb to the slaughter.
Just as the Eagle was about to take flight, its powerful wings began to beat, stirring up fierce gusts of wind.
'Damn it, my money!'
Tu Xiao'an was so angry he could spit blood. He was counting on subduing this Tiger Snake to support his family. How could a Tiger Snake worth at least a hundred thousand yuan be snatched away so easily?
'Insight!'
Just as the Eagle was about to take off, Tu Xiao'an abruptly used Insight on it.
"Ding... This creature's Level is too high. Host's Level is too low. Insight scan cannot be performed."
'What's that supposed to mean? I don't even have the right to know this Eagle's Level, is that it?'
'You can't humiliate this Pi Pi Snake like that.'
In his anger, a strange, dark joke about eagles inexplicably popped into Tu Xiao'an's mind.
It went like this: two eagles were resting in a tree.
The big eagle said, "I haven't had any chicken in a long time. I'm starving."
The little eagle asked, "Why don't you go catch one?"
The big eagle said, "I tried. There weren't any."
The little eagle said, "No way."
The big eagle said, "It's true. Before, chickens were free-range."
"Now, they're all sugar babies."
'Damn it, why don't you go eat some chicken? Why are you fighting me for a snake?' Tu Xiao'an desperately wanted to shout, "Put down the Tiger Snake and let me handle it!"
'I'll let you off the hook since you're a national Class II protected animal.'
Unfortunately, these were just Tu Xiao'an's ridiculous thoughts. The Eagle hadn't attacked him; he should have been at home burning incense to thank his lucky stars.
'Damn it all, I'll take the risk. I can't lose that hundred thousand yuan!'
Tu Xiao'an had eaten all sorts of things since he was a child, but he'd never stomached taking a loss. His snake body coiled and then shot forward like a swimming Dragon, launching itself at the Eagle that was about to take off.
His serpentine mouth opened, revealing a row of fangs glinting in the sun. In the blink of an eye, he struck. The Eagle never would have imagined that the little snake it had spared would not only be ungrateful but would also have the gall to attack it.
'This is like an old man on his birthday eating arsenic—he must think he's lived too long.'
SCREECH...!
The Eagle let out a pained cry. A sharp pain shot through its leg. With a CHOMP, the small snake had bitten it.
'Venom! Inject it like crazy!'
Tu Xiao'an's Venom was lethal to creatures above Level 2, but he couldn't even use Insight on this Eagle. Its Level was clearly much higher than his.
'If I don't inject enough Venom, it probably won't have any effect.'
The Eagle shrieked, a ferocious glint in its sharp eyes. With a flex of its muscles, it flung the small snake latched onto its leg through the air.
THWACK...
Tu Xiao'an slammed hard onto the ground in the distance, his Snake Pupils turning ice-cold.
'Let's see you survive this poison!'
The moment he landed, a pair of sharp eagle eyes fixed on Tu Xiao'an's body. The gaze was chilling to the bone, making him feel like he was treading on thin ice. The eyes of this magnificent bird were terrifying.
THUD...!
The Tiger Snake fell to the ground, dripping with blood.
Tu Xiao'an's suicidal act had successfully drawn the Eagle's Killing Intent. It dropped the Tiger Snake, preparing to attack the little snake instead.
The sharp eagle eyes even held a hint of contempt, unable to comprehend what gave this tiny snake the courage to attack it.
It was a very human-like look of disdain. Tu Xiao'an understood it, and his face darkened. The look made him feel deeply ashamed.
'What's the big deal? You lookin' down on this Pi Pi Snake?'
Of course, Tu Xiao'an shouldn't be worrying about the Eagle's contemptuous gaze right now. He should be thinking about how to save his own skin.
He had successfully drawn the Eagle's ire. As a mere 70-centimeter-long snake, what could he possibly use to fight it?
'C'mon, venom, take effect! C'mon, venom, take effect!'
Tu Xiao'an prayed silently, but watching the Eagle flap its wings, its body hovering just above the ground, it didn't look poisoned at all.
'That shouldn't be right. Even if its Level is much higher than mine, the venom shouldn't be completely ineffective.'
'Looks like it just needs some time. This Eagle's Essence, Qi, and Spirit are flourishing, so the poison probably won't act that quickly.'
'Dominance ability, activate!'
At this critical moment, a kingly aura surged from the suicidal little silver-white snake. The Eagle swept in like a hurricane, but then, it was dumbfounded.
Around the little snake, numerous venomous snakes had instantly appeared, forming a protective barrier around him.
HISS... HISS... HISS...!
In the blink of an eye, no fewer than thirty snakes appeared by Tu Xiao'an's side, encircling him completely. But immediately, all the snakes coiled into balls, trembling with fear.
Because the Eagle's aura was too terrifying, they couldn't help but be overcome with fear.
If these snakes could talk, they would definitely curse Tu Xiao'an for being so shameless, summoning them just to be cannon fodder. 'You can't play dirty like that!'
The Eagle hovered above the mass of snakes, its pitch-black talons hesitating, unsure where to strike. The snakes were coiled together in a tangled ball, making it difficult to distinguish one from another.
'Hee hee, don't you just love catching snakes? Come on, I'll let you catch your fill now.'
This tactic of Tu Xiao'an's—muddying the waters to catch fish—was truly vicious. Not only was he using the other snakes to protect himself, but he was also stalling for time.
Waiting for the venom in the Eagle's body to take effect.
Just then....!
SCREECH....!
It was unclear whether the venom had finally taken effect or if it was so angry it was coughing up blood, but the Eagle's wing-beating body suddenly shuddered violently. The light in its eyes instantly dimmed.
THUMP!
The Eagle crashed to the ground and lay motionless.
'Poisoned to death?'
A sharp glint flashed in Tu Xiao'an's eyes, a playful look crossing his face. 'You want to play with me? I'll play you to death. This Pi Pi Snake has a human soul and intellect, you know.'
'Better be careful. What if it's playing dead?'
The Rat King had played dead before. Moreover, for an Eagle of such a high Level to die just like that... Tu Xiao'an found it a little hard to believe.
He used his dominance ability to make the snakes around him go and investigate, but they were so scared they didn't even know who they were anymore. They didn't dare to slither anywhere near the Eagle.
It seemed the deterrent effect of a single Eagle on these snakes was just too powerful.
Besides, the ones Tu Xiao'an had summoned were all small snakes with Levels at Level 2 and Rank 3. Even a Level 5 Tiger Snake was like a child before the Eagle, completely powerless to resist.