Shang's heartrate sped up as he made the reckless decision to attack.
A beast in the General Stage.
He hadn't fought one before.
However, in comparison to all the other General Stage beasts Shang had met on his journey, this one felt like the weakest. Shang guessed that the other beasts had all been in the Middle or Late General Stage, while this one was most likely in the Initial General Stage.
Additionally, this was an ambush predator, and ambush predators generally weren't very good at direct combat. If their ambush failed, they would most likely flee.
And most important of all, the green bird had injured the Vanishing Snake.
Usually, Shang wouldn't try fighting against a General Beast because of his weak weapon. The body of a General Stage beast was very powerful, and Shang would have huge difficulties getting through their defenses.