The Two-Headed Serpent King strolled slowly toward Shi Feng's position with two of its underlings in tow, completely unaware of his presence in the underbrush. It swished its tail with relaxed ease, held its proud head high, and surveyed its territory with an air of absolute sovereignty.
The two accompanying Two-Headed Serpents trailed close behind, far less arrogant than their king. Like bodyguards, their cold eyes scanned the surroundings — the instant anything stirred, they would serve as the king's blade, cutting down any enemy that threatened their master.
Shi Feng watched the Serpent King approach, then turn to leave, but he didn't rush in. Instead, he quietly followed, casting Eye of Observation to scout the terrain and wait for the perfect spot.
Two-Headed Serpent King — Rare Elite, Level 10, 4,000 HP.
The two Two-Headed Serpent guards were ordinary monsters, Level 10, 1,400 HP each.
Facing three Level 10 monsters at once — one of them a Rare Elite — even Shi Feng, clad in a full set of Silver Moon equipment, needed to plan carefully. After all, four fists were hard to beat, and serpents moved at terrifying speeds. The king, needless to say, was even faster.
He followed them all the way to an area of sandstone, where several man-sized boulders offered cover. That was when Shi Feng finally made his move.
Fighting all three Two-Headed Serpents simultaneously would be extremely unfavorable — he had to split them up and take out the ordinary ones first.
Shi Feng immediately cast Phantom Kill, sending his double into a ready stance. He took the lead himself, lunging at the nearest serpent guard with Wind Chasing Sword.
The speed bonus and the element of surprise left the serpent guard no time to react. Two strikes landed on its back, dealing -76 and -61 damage. He followed up with a Double Slash for another -103 and -89, adding a bleed effect on top.
A full set of top-tier equipment combined with high-level skills meant massive damage, even against the serpent guard's formidable defense. A Level 5 ordinary player, burdened by level suppression and the guard's high defense, would probably deal three or four points of damage at most.
The wounded serpent guard let out a wail and spun around to attack. The second guard lunged in as well — a pincer assault from both sides.
Shi Feng cracked a faint smile and unleashed Wind Thunder Flash. Three arcs of lightning struck one after another, but the serpent guards were incredibly fast — one head blocked while the other struck back.
All three lightning arcs were deflected, dealing no damage.
Seeing the venomous fangs closing in, Shi Feng activated a parry, popped Wind Walk, blocked a single hit, then spun around and bolted.
The two serpent guards had no intention of letting their provocateur escape. They coiled their bodies and gave chase at full speed. Behind them, the unscathed Serpent King narrowed its icy eyes in fury and whipped its tail to pursue.
But before they had covered more than a few yards, Shi Feng's double dashed in with a Wind Chasing Sword of its own, slashing across the Serpent King's neck for 24 damage. The king roared in rage and snapped at the double with lightning speed.
The double had accomplished its goal. It activated Wind Walk and retreated.
That single move split the king from its guards. Though the two serpent guards were tough and thick-skinned, without the king's support they couldn't withstand Shi Feng's relentless onslaught. Every strike found a vital point — the Silver Moon set was no joke. With Shi Feng's Agility now exceeding 60 points, even when a guard managed to block, the other sword would slip through. Each hit carved away sixty or seventy HP, and the occasional critical hit dealt over a hundred and fifty.
The sword strikes rained down like a gale, pummeling both serpent guards relentlessly. Their health plummeted, and within moments, both Two-Headed Serpent guards dropped dead.
Shi Feng scooped up the loot and charged at the Serpent King.
By now his double was below 30% HP, struggling desperately to keep the Serpent King occupied. The king attacked at blinding speed, periodically spewing toxic mist that blanketed a wide area. The double, operating at only 50% stats, could only keep blocking and retreating — any less and it would have been dead long ago.
But now that the real Shi Feng had arrived, the double no longer needed to hold the line.