Only after kicking and hitting the Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow did Zhong Xiwang realize she was in pain all over.
Not just from being constricted and bitten by the python, but also her feet.
Because this strange creature had suddenly abducted her, she had no shoes on. To escape, she had been walking barefoot on this damp, soft ground.
Although there was plenty of mud and moss, there were still many injuries caused by stones and branches.
Earlier, she had been too busy being scared and angry to notice at all.
Now the pain surged through her entire body.
Soaked to the bone, with her hair and dress clinging to her skin, she glared at the large, quiet creature before her, her chest heaving violently.
Like a pitiful drowned rat, she held no intimidation whatsoever.
Zhong Xiwang looked again at her arm, bitten and drained of blood. Fine droplets of blood continued to seep out one by one from where the python had bitten her.
Although the python had no fangs, its teeth numbered in the hundreds—numerous and densely packed. Being bitten felt like being clamped by a splint full of nails.
Seeing this, Zhong Xiwang had no choice but to tear off a strip of her skirt and wrap it around the wound.
Noticing that the Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow remained motionless, Zhong Xiwang turned away angrily and headed toward the sea.
If she was lucky, she might encounter the Great Orcas again and ask them to take her back, though that possibility seemed slim.
After her earlier outburst, she gradually calmed down. With an expressionless face, she endured the pain in the soles of her feet, walking with unsteady steps.
The Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow watched Zhong Xiwang’s retreating figure, puzzled as to why his little toy had suddenly become so quiet.
Despite his towering size, his footsteps were remarkably light, making Zhong Xiwang unable to resist glancing sideways.
She truly couldn’t understand what this strange creature was thinking.
He had captured her but didn’t eat her, nor did he intend to torture or kill her. He didn’t fight back or retort when attacked, yet he insisted on following her.
What a lunatic.
She cursed under her breath, having been terrified for days for no reason.
As she walked, the Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow suddenly stopped. His hunched body straightened as he gazed into the indistinct distance ahead.
Seeing Zhong Xiwang continuing to walk forward without hesitation, he simply extended his long arm, grabbed her by the waist, and pulled her back.
His palm was exceptionally broad, large enough to encircle Zhong Xiwang’s entire waist with just one hand.
Watching the little toy flail and struggle in mid-air, the Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow remained silent as he held her and prepared to turn away.
Zhong Xiwang’s fiery temper flared up again.
“Are you herding sheep?! If you weren’t going to let me go, you shouldn’t have released me in the first place!”
Zhong Xiwang’s attention was entirely focused on this half-baked dough-headed creature before her.
She completely failed to notice that, not far ahead by the shallow shoreline, the aquatic creature that had been waiting for her heard her voice growing increasingly distant. It then coiled its body and swam ashore from the water.
It wasn’t until the Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow carried her up to a large bird’s nest in a tree and swiftly jumped down to fight the Multi-finned Sea Snake that Zhong Xiwang belatedly realized another monster had also been hauntingly following her.
On the flat ground, the two colossal creatures fought fiercely, locked in a stalemate—a truly awe-inspiring sight.
Although the Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow had the advantage of height and Tentacles, his long limbs were somewhat cumbersome when dealing with a creature like the Multi-finned Sea Snake, which was highly defensive and adept at close combat.
Once the Multi-finned Sea Snake coiled around the Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow, the sharp fins along its sides dug deeply into his body, anchoring itself firmly. Then, its heart-shaped mouth split into four flaps, each densely lined with sharp teeth.
From the ferocious and terrifying maw, a slender tongue resembling that of an anteater extended, like a crimson little snake.
Under the bite of the Multi-finned Sea Snake, dark, thick liquid oozed from the wounds on the Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow.
Zhong Xiwang, watching from above in horror, was utterly stunned.
So those things she saw on him last time were actually his blood.
Could the bite force of this Multi-finned Sea Snake really be so terrifying?
The Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow used his hands and Tentacles to pull at the creature coiled around him. One hand gripped its tail, and with each tug, the hooked limbs embedded in his skin tore out more wounds.
The Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow pulled the Multi-finned Sea Snake’s tail toward the large mouth on his abdomen.
A crisp cracking sound rang out, and a terrifying, eerie roar erupted from the Multi-finned Sea Snake’s split maw, sending shivers down Zhong Xiwang’s spine as she listened from above.
Suddenly, the Multi-finned Sea Snake thrashed its body, the immense force violently hurling the Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow away. He crashed into the nearby tree trunks with a hollow thud.
Then, the Multi-finned Sea Snake swiftly darted toward the Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow again, aiming precisely and tightly coiling around his upper body. It opened its large mouth and lunged for his head.
Another series of skin-crawling friction sounds followed.
While they fought, Zhong Xiwang scanned her surroundings, searching for a place where she could quietly climb down.
Using the thick tree trunk as cover, she found the right angle and, enduring the pain, began to inch her way downward.
Listening to the sounds of impact and gnashing from the battle, Zhong Xiwang’s heart pounded violently in her chest.
The tree trunk blocked their line of sight—and hers as well.
She had no idea how the two had fought their way over to her side.
Another loud crash echoed, and the tree trunk she clung to shook violently. As bones and branches fell from above, Zhong Xiwang felt her hands and feet gradually slipping due to sweat.
“Ah!”
Just as she was about to plummet from a great height, the fighting Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow reached out in time to catch her.
Zhong Xiwang lay in the palm of the Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow, her face drained of color from fright.
But this move also placed the Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow in danger.
Seizing the opportunity, the Multi-finned Sea Snake coiled around his limbs and bit down hard on that arm.
Zhong Xiwang, her entire body stiff, suddenly felt something sticky and cold splatter onto her face.
Turning her head, she saw the Multi-finned Sea Snake biting the Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow’s arm while fixing its six cold, terrifying eyes on her.
Zhong Xiwang’s expression turned to sheer terror. Ignoring the blood splattered on her face, she scrambled up and ran aimlessly.
The Multi-finned Sea Snake abandoned the severely injured Tall and Thin Ghostly Shadow and swiftly slithered after her.
Zhong Xiwang had only just heard a sound from behind when a sharp pain shot through her entire back, and two icy things clamped around her neck.
The Multi-finned Sea Snake raised its body, its front limbs gripping her while the rest of its limbs rapidly carried them away from the area.
Suspended far above the ground, Zhong Xiwang suddenly spread her arms and waved them. If only a ship were added below, the scene would be all too familiar.
The Multi-finned Sea Snake’s head pressed close to her, its two hook-like claws firmly securing her neck. Seeing her movements, its gaze paused only briefly before it focused intently on continuing to slither away.
After it left, Zhong Xiwang’s blood stained the ground.