After a long while, everything returned to calm. Qing Lin slowly exhaled a breath of foul air and opened her eyes. Her delicate face was still somewhat pale, but she looked much better than before.
"Brother Xiao Heng, you can let it go now." Qing Lin rose to her feet, looked at the giant snake, and spoke.
Xiao Heng nodded slightly. With a thought, the restraints were released, and the vine pulled itself out of the giant snake's body. The scraping sounds and the flesh it dragged out were enough to make one's skin crawl.
The moment the restraints were released, the giant snake tried to flee backward. However, before Xiao Heng could act, Qing Lin let out a sharp shout.
"Stop! Don't move!"
As her shout fell, the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils on Qing Lin's forehead flashed once more, and the rune on the giant snake's brow lit up in response.
A complex struggle continuously flickered in the giant snake's eyes, but it was ultimately suppressed beneath the rune's radiance.
Jade-green light spread from Qing Lin's brow, enveloping the giant snake and drawing it back into her special space.
"Are you all right?" Xiao Heng asked softly as he looked at Qing Lin's pale face.
Qing Lin shook her head, then gave a radiant smile. "That giant snake was even stronger than I expected. It probably has the strength of a mid-stage Two-star Dou Sheng."
"Mm." Xiao Heng nodded. Whether it was an early-stage or late-stage Two-star Dou Sheng made no difference to him.
"It took quite a bit of effort to subdue it. If Brother Xiao Heng hadn't severely wounded it and helped suppress its soul, I probably would have had a hard time subduing it. Thank you, Brother Xiao Heng." Qing Lin smiled. Having subdued a