Clang!
Ji Min felt a level of force slightly more significant than the one behind his punch slam into him.
He skidded across the ground like a surfer riding a powerful wave as the chain he wrapped around his arms clattered like they had been tied to a rampaging beast; with each rattle, he felt his bones vibrate to the extent that it felt like they might shatter if they faced another impact of such level.
Upon looking at the figure that just attacked him, Ji Min realized that it was the Abyss Medusa, and oddly, there was familiar about its appearance as well.
[Just like the Lizard, it definitely grew stronger now that it had shrunk in size.]
Ji Min confirmed Sensei's deduction as he gazed at the serpent that was now half its original size and looking even more menacing that the Lizard.
[Oh crap! the lizard!]
Ji Min cursed as he rolled out the chain in his hands and wrapped it around his upper body before bracing for another impact;
Clang!
Once again, he was sent skidding a few meters away as his back ached like a massive boulder had just been forcefully thrown at it.
'Fuck my luck; that hurt!' Ji Min cursed himself for briefly taking his mind off the lizard.
[The Lizard seems to have reached the Bridge of the Lord Stage whilst that serpent seems to have crossed into the second level of the Lord Stage.] Sensei deduced.
Normally, Ji Min could have blamed Sensei for not warning him about the incoming attack, but then again, Sensei had made it clear to him earlier that this was 'His training' and Ji Min knew having someone to warn him about every danger would defeat the purpose of his adaptability training, hence the reason why he cursed himself instead of blaming Sensei.
Thus, he steeled his mind, and in a bid to deal with the pain, Ji Min pointed at both beasts and growled;
"You shall plead for mercy!" He promised as he once again balled his chained hand into a fist.
Bang!
With a solid stomp, Ji Min decided to dash toward the serpent, and the moment he made his move, the Lizard reacted, as it appeared at its flanks with its mouth agape brewing with red hot flames.
"Hmph!"
With a loud snort, Ji Min struck with the extended chain, wrapping it around the Lizard's snout as the chain responded to their cultivation level, combining them together and then amplifying its weight.
This action slowed Ji Min by a significant margin as the serpent took advantage of the opening to lash out with all its might.
Bang!
The trio collided together and scattered in opposite directions.
Rattle! Rattle! Rattle!
Ji Min's chain rattled as the Lizard that was tied to its end writhed in agony; apparently, and just in the nick of time, Ji Min had tugged the chain earlier and swung the Lizard directly into the path of the serpent's attack, and hence, the lizard was the one who had suffered the blow.
The Lizard continued to writhe and trash around, after all, it had just received a blow equivalent to the strength of a 2 Star Lord Stage physical beast.
Though its strength was only about two stages lower than the serpent, the difference between the Commander or Bridge-Lord Stage and the Lord Stage was equivalent to the difference between the 1-Star and 9-Star Commander Stage.
Furthermore, the fact that its snout had been tied shut meant that the lizard couldn't vent its pain with a roar and thus it could only writhe like an earthworm that had been thrown into a bucket of salt.
Ji Min gazed at the Lizard and its sorry state pleased him to the bone, and upon turning his gaze to the serpent, he could see a mixture of shock and fury in its eyes.
"You can't beat the intelligence of the human mind."
He said without caring if they both understood him or not as he approached the Lizard with a killing intent spilling out of his eyes, and the moment, the Lizard saw those unsympathetic eyes, its body trembled as all its scales stood in terror.
It quickly turned a pleading expression towards the part of the forest where the serpent had camouflaged itself, hoping for a rescue, but then realized that they were now within the scorched area of the forest where it had transformed earlier.
The nearest cover was several meters away because Ji Min had borrowed the momentum of their previous clash to throw himself into the middle of the scorched area so as to avoid another sneak attack from the serpent.
The lizard also realized this and could only lower its head in regret, cursing itself for unknowingly giving Ji Min such an advantage.
Ji Min then slowly approached the lizard who knew it was getting closer to visiting its ancestors with every step its opponent took.
It began to thrash around violently in a bid to free itself from its confinement, but no matter how much it struggled, the amplified weight of the chain which was now equivalent to about 500 Kg in weight ensured that the lizard could do nothing but only wait for its miserable end.
Ji Min then arrived and stood over the lizard that had already shut its eyes in anticipation of the rain of pain it was about to experience; but after a few seconds, the only thing it felt was more chain length wrapping around its body, and by the time it opened its eyes, it realized that it had been completely tied up.
"Time to die!" Ji Min growled without caring if the beasts understood him or not.
But surprisingly, the serpent's instincts reacted to the killing intent pouring out of his body; knowing that the lizard's death would put it at a disadvantage, the serpent, being reluctant to face Ji Min on its own was forced to make a rescue attempt.
With its venom proven to have no effect on its enemy, the serpent once again opted for close combat as it vanished from Ji Min's sight with a whooshing sound.
'Shit, it's even faster than I am.'
Ji Min thought to himself when he realized the serpent had just moved with a 2 Star Lord Stage speed.
Such level of speed, coupled with its perfect camouflage made the serpent invisible to Ji Min, but despite that, he was still able to rely on the sound of the rustling leaves around him to pinpoint its path.
Traa!
The tree behind Ji Min suddenly rustled as the serpent darted out of its foliage with the speed of a locked-on missile; then the moment it got within range; it gathered all its strength towards the tip of its tail and before using the momentum of its advance to viciously lash out at Ji Min.