Save Me

Tang San knew full well what the consequences would be if he got entangled by such a massive spirit beast, one that possessed strength, speed, and venom in equal measure.

He could no longer afford to hide his strength in front of Qian Bing. His eyes turned completely purple as he activated the Purple Demon Eyes with all his might.

With the effects of the Purple Demon Eyes, he could clearly see every movement the Mandala Snake made.

Suddenly, he leaped into the air. With a flick of his left hand, a streak of black light shot out soundlessly.

The sleeve arrow hidden within his sleeve was finally revealed before Qian Bing for the first time.

The Mandala Snake reacted even faster than either of them had expected. Tang San's sleeve arrow had originally been aimed at its left eye.

Having seen the incoming projectile, it naturally would not sit still and await death. Its body suddenly sprang up and twisted rapidly in midair. Lowering its head, it actually avoided the vital spot.

Fortunately, the sleeve arrow was incredibly fast. It still struck the Mandala Snake with a clang.

A string of sparks flew from its hard scales, and the intense pain made it let out another strange hissing cry.

Qian Bing inwardly lamented the missed opportunity. He knew that sleeve arrows relied on a mechanism to fire, so their speed and power were not a problem. But they lacked finesse and could only attack an opponent in a straight line.

Even Tang San's superb hidden weapon techniques could not make up for that flaw.

Because it lacked even the slightest bit of flexibility, the sleeve arrow had failed to inflict severe damage on the Mandala Snake.

After that strike, the Mandala Snake swiftly slithered up before Tang San.

In that flash of lightning, the scales all over its body lit up, its dark green scales covered in a faint yellow glow.

Its already rapid movement speed suddenly increased by several degrees, and it pounced on Tang San almost in the blink of an eye.

Even though Qian Bing had complete confidence in him, his heart still raced at the sight.

At this point, Qian Bing was completely unable to intervene. Fortunately, Pidgeotto had already flown close, and he could only shout, "Pidgeotto, use Quick Attack and knock it away!"

At such a critical moment, Tang San remained exceptionally calm. The Mysterious Heaven Skill circulated throughout his body, and this authentic Daoist inner art brought him into a state of still water.

Tang San watched as the Mandala Snake opened its maw wide, without the slightest trace of panic.

With a turn of his right hand, the Short Sword Qian Bing had given him earlier slid from his long sleeve into his palm.

Whether in speed or strength, the Mandala Snake was beyond what Tang San could contend with at present.

Thus, the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Step moved at high speed beneath his feet. His body swayed slightly, and he had already shifted sideways by three feet.

Tang San knew that he had only one chance to strike. If he failed, the Mandala Snake would never fall for it again.

At this crucial moment, Tang San showed considerable resolve, channeling all of his Mysterious Heaven Skill power into both hands.

Blue light flickered over the Short Sword in his palm. His left hand pulled and pushed, while his body rose into the air under the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Step and changed positions once again.

The Mandala Snake only felt a sudden pulling force coming from beside its head, and its snake head involuntarily turned toward the source of that force.

At that moment, its jaws were wide open from lunging at Tang San.

A dim glint seemed to appear from nowhere. Just before its jaws could close, it shot into its belly with a whoosh.

The nearly four-meter-long snake body stiffened almost instantly. The next second, its body, still in midair, began to writhe violently.

The Mandala Snake was, after all, a bloodthirsty and frenzied spirit beast. Even though it had been grievously wounded and was on the verge of death, it did not forget to launch a counterattack against Tang San.

Pfft!

A pellet-sized mass of pitch-black venom suddenly sprayed from its mouth and shot toward Tang San, whose body was still in the air.

Tang San, who had kept his Purple Demon Eyes active, could clearly see the venom's path toward him. But with nowhere to brace himself, it was plainly impossible for him to shift away and evade it.

At the brink of danger, Tang San's pupils contracted to their limit, and cold sweat broke out across his forehead. Countless thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant.

What should I do?

After all that planning, I was still one step short. I never expected the Mandala Snake to bite back even as it died!

Spirit beasts really are different from the poisonous creatures I knew in my previous life!

As the venom came within a dozen centimeters of his chest, a thread of despair rose in Tang San's heart.

Suddenly, he felt an immense force strike hard against his right side, sending him flying.

The venom, only a hair's breadth from Tang San, was luckily avoided as a result.

The force was so great that it sent Tang San flying two or three meters. When he landed, he rolled sideways, then spun forward several more times before stabilizing himself.

Tang San immediately got up. Before he had time to rejoice, he heard a muffled groan, followed by another tremendous crash.

Following the sound, he saw Pidgeotto, diving down from above, send the Mandala Snake flying a considerable distance with a powerful Quick Attack.

The instant the Mandala Snake hit the ground, its body lashed about like a mad whip. Sand and stones flew everywhere, and dust filled the air.

Wherever its hard body swept through, shrubs and small trees alike seemed to have been ravaged by a tornado, their branches and leaves shattered and scattered in every direction.

Chirp! Chirp chirp!

For some reason, Pidgeotto suddenly let out a long, mournful cry. Then it rushed forward, repeatedly attacking the Mandala Snake with its long beak and huge claws.

Seeing this, Tang San knew that the Mandala Snake's defeat was certain. Just as he was about to step forward to help and look for a chance to deliver the final blow—

Suddenly, a shadow flickered beside him. When he turned his head again, he found Qian Bing standing where he himself had just been attacked, collapsing limply toward the ground.

"Boss!"

Tang San immediately guessed what had happened. With a cry, he lunged toward Qian Bing, his body and shadow moving as one.

Qian Bing lay on his back, his face deathly pale and his pupils slightly dilated. His consciousness was already fading.

Tang San had never expected that Qian Bing would take the Mandala Snake's final attack for his sake, leaving himself critically poisoned and on the verge of death.

"Boss, hold on. Don't fall asleep!"

Tang San slapped Qian Bing's face hard, and the anxiety on his face was no longer false in the slightest.

Seeing that Qian Bing no longer had the strength to answer him, he stopped wasting time and began treating his injuries.

In his previous life, Tang San had often dealt with poisonous creatures. He knew better than anyone that time was life at a moment like this, and not a single second could be wasted.

He reached out and tore off Qian Bing's left sleeve, exposing most of his arm.

Then, using the torn-off sleeve, he tightly bound the area just below Qian Bing's left shoulder, preventing the venom from rapidly spreading through his blood to the rest of his body.

Only after doing this did Tang San take a tinderbox from his bag and light it. He then pulled a Small Flying Knife over an inch long from his sleeve and held it over the flame.

Once the blade glowed faintly red, he decisively swung it down and carved away a large patch of tender flesh on Qian Bing's left arm that had been corroded by the venom!