Sand Tuo Mamba Snake

Seeing everyone else looking at him, Wang Xiaofeng nodded helplessly. "All right, I'll go first and tell you what I found out."

"I got an interesting piece of information from the owner of a clothing shop in the east. She said that all the chickens at the neighboring shoe shop owner's house suddenly disappeared two days ago. She had no idea which thief did it—they didn't even leave behind a single feather."

"Mine's about the same." Oscar picked up the thread. "At a gambling den in the north, I heard the gamblers mocking one of their own. They said he not only had terrible luck, but had also lost his cows at home. He'd lost everything."

"And Big Brother Ye's home happens to be in the south." Wang Xiaofeng dipped his finger in tea and drew a simple map on the table.

"If we follow the order of time and location..."

Wang Xiaofeng circled his right hand counterclockwise and pointed to the west side of the Small Town. "Then tonight, it should be hunting here."

"Looks like all our previous guesses were wrong. Still, at least we've pinned down its hunting grounds."

Wang Xiaofeng clapped his hands. "Then let's prepare its final meal."

The four of them then started playing rock-paper-scissors to choose the luckiest person to buy live poultry.

"Rock, paper, scissors..."

Wang Xiaofeng stared speechlessly at the three rocks across from him and silently lowered his scissor hand.

"I'm never playing rock-paper-scissors again!"

Fuming, Wang Xiaofeng left the teahouse and wandered around the town market to see whether there was anything else they needed.

Time flew by, and the sun soon set.

The town's residents had all received word of the curfew. They shut their doors tight, and the entire Small Town instantly fell silent.

Other than the gentle breeze and the occasional bark of a dog, the deserted streets were utterly quiet.

Amid that eerie atmosphere, Wang Xiaofeng and the others arrived at the west side of the Small Town.

To prevent the battle from damaging any houses, they did not remain in town. Instead, they went into the woods two hundred meters away.

Wang Xiaofeng placed several chickens on the ground, then took a bowl of fresh chicken blood from his Soul Tool and slowly poured it onto the earth.

The chickens cried out in panic, but their legs were tied with ropes, leaving them unable to escape. All they could do was flap their wings wildly.

Seeing that everything was nearly ready, Wang Xiaofeng called everyone into the nearby grass to lie in wait. They sprinkled some Medicinal Powder around themselves to mask their scent and quietly waited for their prey to take the bait.

Half an hour passed without any sign of movement. Ma Hongjun grew impatient and asked, "Xiaofeng, has that snake already left? Why is there no movement at all?"

Wang Xiaofeng found it strange as well, but this was no time to panic. "Let's wait another half hour. Maybe..."

"It's here!" Dai Mubai patted Wang Xiaofeng's shoulder, signaling for him to listen carefully to the sounds around them.

Wang Xiaofeng swallowed the rest of his words and pricked up his ears. Only then did he realize that the surroundings had somehow fallen silent. Even the hens did not dare make a sound, while a faint rustling seemed especially conspicuous in the quiet night.

The rustling stopped ahead and to their right. Wang Xiaofeng looked in that direction and vaguely saw an earthy yellow triangular snake head rise from the bushes. A pair of small eyes like yellow gemstones was fixed on the chickens.

Perhaps out of caution, it did not approach any further.

When Wang Xiaofeng saw the snake, he sucked in a breath.

"This is... a Sand Tuo Mamba Snake!"

"This is the Sand Tuo Mamba Snake said to be as famous as the Mandala Snake?" Dai Mubai asked curiously.

"That's right. It's exactly that."

If the Mandala Snake was known among Soul Masters for its terrifying venom, then the Sand Tuo Mamba Snake was known for its formidable physical defense and incredible speed.

The hard scales covering its body were hailed as an absolute defense that Soul Masters of the same level could not possibly break.

The Sand Tuo Mamba Snake had no obvious weak points. Even its eyes were difficult to pierce with swords or blades. Only its soft mouth could be considered a weakness, but it opened its mouth only when swallowing prey and would not expose that weakness at other times.

"This Sand Tuo Mamba Snake is eight meters long. It doesn't seem to have broken through to the thousand-year level yet, so we still stand a chance."

Wang Xiaofeng told the others about the Sand Tuo Mamba Snake's weakness. "When it starts feeding, Mubai, see if your Second Soul Skill can hit its mouth."

Dai Mubai patted his chest, indicating that it would not be a problem.

"Fatty, you'll be our main attacker. The Sand Tuo Mamba Snake's body is too tough. We'll have to rely on your flames this time."

Ma Hongjun waved a hand, saying it was a trivial matter. It was just a little snake—he would turn it into roasted whole snake.

"Hiss... hiss..."

The Sand Tuo Mamba Snake circled the prey, seemingly discovering no traps. Its head slowly rose, and it opened its bloody maw before lunging at the hens.

"Now!"

Dai Mubai seized the timing perfectly. The instant the Sand Tuo Mamba Snake let down its guard, he completed his martial soul possession. Of the three Soul Rings around him, the second lit up.

"Second Soul Skill, White Tiger Light Wave."

An enormous white light condensed in an instant. Accompanied by Dai Mubai's tiger roar, a milky-white sphere of light shot from his mouth.

The Sand Tuo Mamba Snake had not expected anyone to be hiding beside it. Before it could react, its vulnerable mouth was struck head-on by the White Tiger Light Wave.

"Hiss!"

The Sand Tuo Mamba Snake raised its head. Blood flowed continuously from its tightly shut mouth, and it looked to have suffered no minor injury.

Its golden eyes gradually turned blood-red. Its thick tail lashed out at random, leveling the surrounding area. Every abnormal movement seemed to declare that it was about to go berserk.

"I have a Purple Calabash." "I have a Red Calabash." "I have a Yellow Calabash."

At that moment, Wang Xiaofeng's boosts enveloped Dai Mubai, along with Ma Hongjun, who had been standing by on the sidelines.

Before Dai Mubai could even feel the surge of power within him, the Sand Tuo Mamba Snake's tail sent him flying. He smashed straight through a large tree.

After all, he had perfectly drawn the Sand Tuo Mamba Snake's hatred.

"First Soul Skill, Phoenix Fire Line!"

With Dai Mubai firmly holding the Sand Tuo Mamba Snake's attention, Ma Hongjun hurried to attack from behind.

The intense heat distorted the air. The purple flames did not look particularly fierce, but the Sand Tuo Mamba Snake seemed to sense danger. With a twist of its body, it evaded Ma Hongjun's flames.

However, the Sand Tuo Mamba Snake had clearly forgotten that its enemies were not fighting alone.

"Third Soul Skill, White Tiger Asura Transformation."

The purple Soul Ring around Dai Mubai instantly shone brightly, and powerful blood-red Soul Power erupted from his body.

His strength greatly enhanced by the Soul Skill boosts, Dai Mubai caught the Sand Tuo Mamba Snake by the tail while it was distracted and violently slammed it into the ground. Its massive body crashed down heavily, blasting a deep crater into the earth.

The Sand Tuo Mamba Snake seemed completely unharmed. It twisted its body, trying to crawl out.

Dai Mubai leaped heavily into the air and punched the Sand Tuo Mamba Snake's newly raised head back into the ground.

Ma Hongjun would not miss such a good opportunity. His second Soul Ring lit up.

"Second Soul Skill, Phoenix Bathing in Fire."

With a boom, violent Purple Flame suddenly ignited around his body.

"First Soul Skill, Phoenix Fire Line."

Enhanced by his Second Soul Skill, Ma Hongjun's flames became much stronger. A stream of purplish-red fire burst from his mouth, as though a god of fire had descended.

The Sand Tuo Mamba Snake had just raised its head, intending to counterattack Dai Mubai, when Ma Hongjun's attack arrived.

Fierce flames engulfed the entire Sand Tuo Mamba Snake. The agony caused by the heat constantly assaulted its nerves, yet no matter how it rolled in the dirt, it could not extinguish the fire on its body.

Whenever the Sand Tuo Mamba Snake tried to flee, Dai Mubai would intercept it and engage it first. With Flash Step and all sorts of boosts, the Sand Tuo Mamba Snake was unable to break through Dai Mubai's Lockdown for the time being.

"Hiss!"

The Sand Tuo Mamba Snake's hysterical struggle gradually calmed. Its body continued to writhe across the ground, shattering every tree in its path and exposing the soil beneath.

Wang Xiaofeng and Oscar stood at a distance, carefully observing the Sand Tuo Mamba Snake as it continued to burn.

Dai Mubai remained on guard nearby. He had taken off his fitted outfit after it was accidentally set alight by Ma Hongjun's flames, and he was chewing Oscar's Sausage to replenish his Soul Power.

Ma Hongjun was also eating Oscar's Sausage, staying far away from the Sand Tuo Mamba Snake. Whenever the flames weakened, he would send another Phoenix Fire Line from a distance.

Only when the Sand Tuo Mamba Snake's struggles became weaker and weaker did everyone gradually relax.

They might have dealt with it easily, but that was built on Dai Mubai's successful sneak attack. If they had not caught the Sand Tuo Mamba Snake off guard, they might have been injured this time.

After all, Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun had nearly exhausted their Soul Power.

Flander descended from the sky. Powerful Soul Power burst forth and directly snuffed out the flames that had begun to spread from Ma Hongjun.

"You did well. I'll take the corpse to turn in the mission. Go straight back to the academy."

Flander touched the badly burned corpse of the Sand Tuo Mamba Snake, found no Soul Bone, and stored it away before speaking to the four of them.

Wang Xiaofeng and the others nodded. Aside from Wang Xiaofeng and Oscar, who had done little throughout the fight, Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun were exhausted. After tidying up the area, the four of them ran straight back to the academy.