Poisonous Miasma Fierce Python (Part 1)

Five minutes earlier.

"Hiss..."

Bang! Bang!

Within the swamp shrouded in purple mist, a dark-purple snake tail suddenly lashed out, sending Xie Yue and Yan flying from the bank. Each crashed into a small tree.

Immediately after, a massive serpent with purple scales and a golden-yellow underbelly shot out of the swamp. It shook off the somewhat heated mud on its body and glared furiously at the two humans who had dared provoke it.

"Yan... you idiot! I told you to wake it up, not piss it off!"

Rubbing his aching back, Xie Yue got to his feet and ran away, with Yan following close behind.

"How was I supposed to know what you meant? I figured the way to wake it up was with a hot bath!"

"But you couldn't just throw a lump of magma in there, could you?!"

The serpent let out another piercing screech, swinging its enormous five-meter-long, half-meter-wide body as it pounced on them. It was determined to give these two humans, who had disturbed its nap without knowing their place, a very physical lesson!

"Yan, watch out!" The serpent's fangs were about to pierce Yan's body. With no other choice, he stopped, and magma suddenly enveloped his entire body. The serpent's fangs failed to bite through, but its powerful jaws still sent Yan flying dozens of meters away.

"Demonic Fox's Calamitous Heart!"

"Hiss..." A faint purple flickered through the serpent's pupils. Its pursuit slowed for a moment, and by the time it came to its senses, the two humans had gained another companion and were fleeing again.

"Roar—!"

Seemingly thoroughly enraged, the serpent's speed abruptly surged. It caught up to the three of them in two or three seconds, its massive body directly cutting off their retreat as venom seeped from its fangs.

"Nana... Yan and I will hold it here. Go find someone for help!" Xie Yue gritted his teeth. Two Hundred-Year Spirit Rings appeared as he tightly gripped his twin crescent blades, preparing for a desperate last stand.

"Brother, what did you and Yan do to provoke such a huge monster?! The three of us only have four spirit rings combined. What can we possibly use to fight this serpent?!"

"We'll hold it off as long as we can. Nana, go!" Yan forced himself to calm down as well. A Hundred-Year Spirit Ring appeared, and the three-meter-tall phantom of the Flame Lord emerged behind him as he faced the enemy like a formidable foe.

"...All right. You two better not die!" Hu Liena's eyes struggled fiercely for a moment, but she finally gritted her teeth and agreed, fleeing backward without looking back.

As Hu Liena gradually disappeared from sight, Xie Yue and Yan looked at each other again. Both saw the unease and faint regret in the other's eyes.

"I hope Nana understands us."

"Maybe."

"A serpent in the swamp?!" Qian Yuxi's mouth twitched before his expression returned to indifference. "Why should I help you? Don't forget what the instructor said. Even if I killed you right now, no one would know."

"I... I can give you our reward. Just name your price!"

"Is that so..." Qian Yuxi lowered his head, seemingly weighing the pros and cons. The more he did so, the more anxious Hu Liena became.

"Just say it already! Please, lives are at stake!"

Whoosh, whoosh...

A strange smell spread through the air. Qian Yuxi sniffed it, and his gaze immediately sharpened. It was poisonous gas!

Hu Liena was clearly even more anxious. "Just say it already! Please, lives are at stake!"

Qian Yuxi extended his spiritual senses a hundred meters and indeed detected signs of battle. He then chuckled and raised five fingers, waving them back and forth. "Then ten Yellow Soul Tickets."

"Ah... all right, all right!" Hu Liena was obviously stunned for a moment, but remembering that her beloved brother was still in mortal danger, she could only agree first. Still, she secretly cursed Qian Yuxi for taking advantage of the situation.

The three of them had to save for a month to earn one Yellow Soul Ticket. Ten tickets... they would probably lose more than half of the savings they had accumulated last year.

As he traveled behind Hu Liena, Qian Yuxi kept a safe distance of about fifty meters from her. His feelings were somewhat complicated as well.

Was he afraid she might suddenly stab him in the back? Not necessarily. At worst, he could use the Annihilation Sky Halberd and dispose of the body afterward.

It was just that, for this little girl who would repeatedly cause Spirit Hall's downfall in the future without ever paying the price, should he eliminate her now to prevent future trouble?

But on second thought, Hu Liena was only nine years old now and had not yet become that way. If he could set her straight, that would naturally be best. Spirit Hall had always cherished talent, and since he had already promised to save them, attacking her now would leave him feeling somewhat guilty.

About three minutes later, Hu Liena led Qian Yuxi to the woods not far from the Purple Swamp. However, Xie Yue and Yan were already on the verge of collapse.

After glancing at the huge serpent, Qian Yuxi tilted his head, his eyes widening. "It really is... a Poisonous Miasma Fierce Python?!"

Heavens, were these three insane? They actually dared provoke this thing!

The fourth page of the Spirit Beast Encyclopedia recorded: the Poisonous Miasma Fierce Python possessed venom second only to that of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor among snake-type spirit beasts. Once it reached a thousand years of cultivation, it would grow to five meters long, and afterward, it would grow one meter every hundred years. This one was exactly five meters long, meaning its cultivation was precisely one thousand years!

Qian Yuxi admitted that he did not have absolute confidence in taking down a thousand-year Poisonous Miasma Fierce Python at full strength. If it had been a Dark Golden Dreadclaw Bear, he could have kited it using his ability to fly. But in terms of speed, this thing left the Dark Golden Dreadclaw Bear in the dust. A single leap from the ground could send it more than ten meters into the air.

Combined with those venomous fangs, if it bit someone or its venom touched them, anyone below a high-level Soul Ancestor could basically start preparing their own funeral within half a day.

"Poisonous Miasma Fierce Python?! Is this spirit beast really that powerful?" Seeing Qian Yuxi's ghostly expression, Hu Liena could not help asking out of curiosity.

"...This is a little beyond my capabilities. We'll have to discuss additional payment later." Qian Yuxi still summoned the Aurora Sacred Feather Bow. His second spirit ring flashed as he drew the bowstring and aimed at the Poisonous Miasma Fierce Python.

Hu Liena's gaze moved back and forth between the Poisonous Miasma Fierce Python, Xie Yue, and Yan. "Are you confident?"

"A little," Qian Yuxi answered uncertainly.

"Then I'll help you!" With that, Hu Liena activated Martial Soul Possession and used her first spirit skill again. The Poisonous Miasma Fierce Python's attention was entirely focused on Xie Yue and Yan, so it was caught off guard once more.

"Brother, get out of the way!"

Hearing their sister's call, the two immediately trusted her and darted more than ten meters away. The next second, seven golden arrows flew through the air, tearing through the wind and leaving seven afterimages as they shot toward the Poisonous Miasma Fierce Python.

The Poisonous Miasma Fierce Python had not expected that the female human had brought reinforcements. Breaking free of the mental control at once, it swept its gaze over the seven arrows in the air and opened its mouth, spraying out a large sheet of dark-green venom!

The instant the arrows touched the venom, they were corroded and dissolved in midair, leaving Qian Yuxi dumbfounded.

This creature's venom was far too terrifying!

A trace of solemnity appeared on Qian Yuxi's face. It seemed that he absolutely could not handle this alone. If he had known, he would never have waded into this mess.

"Qian Yuxi, what do we do?!" Hu Liena panicked as well.

Only now did she understand what kind of monster her beloved brother and his good brother had provoked. A single mouthful of venom could even dissolve a Soul Elder's attack. How were they supposed to fight that?

Qian Yuxi gritted his teeth. "You three work with me. Although the Poisonous Miasma Fierce Python's venom is powerful, it is not without weaknesses. Find an opportunity to sever its tail. Once it loses its sense of direction, we'll be able to escape!"

"All right." The three answered in unison, no longer holding anything back as they went all out.

"Hell, Magma Charge!"

"Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Demonic Charm!"

"Third Spirit Skill, Sacred Radiance Twin Wings!"