Drive Snakes to Devour Eggs

The game had no navigation system. Players could only analyze the map.

Finding the wrong quest location was one of the most common things for players of Battle Through the Heavens.

But Yang Shan was quite familiar with the Magical Beast Mountain Range east of Cloud Frost City.

After all, in his previous life, Yang Shan had spent some time making a living in Cloud Frost City.

So Yang Shan quickly approached the Green Bamboo Snakes' habitat.

First-Order Magical Beasts possessed combat power comparable to Fighters.

The game further classified Magical Beasts of the same rank by their overall combat strength into titles such as ordinary, elite, King of Beasts, Thousand Beast King, and so on.

There was a very standard comparison.

The Sixth-Order Magical Beast, the "Amethyst Winged Lion" described in the original novel, was classified as a "Thousand Beast King" in the game. Even when facing a Dou Emperor powerhouse like Yun Yun, the Misty Cloud Sect's leader, who possessed profound inheritances and tremendous actual combat power, it could still hold its own!

A Green Bamboo Snake's combat power was roughly comparable to that of a low-star Fighter who had cultivated a technique and wore ordinary equipment.

In other words, if a player left the Novice Realm with an ordinary weapon bought using their starting funds and picked a fight with a Green Bamboo Snake, the odds of winning were only fifty-fifty.

As for the Clear Wind Bird in the golden quest.

Don't be fooled by the fact that it was a bird. It wouldn't give a damn about a One-Star Fighter like Yang Shan! A Second-Order King of Beasts was absolutely not something players could tackle on the first day after launch.

In the original novel, even Xiao Yan at the Fighter level had been chased into a panicked flight by Mu She, the two-star Dou Master commander of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group!

But there was always a catch.

The golden quest did not require killing the Clear Wind Bird.

It required the Clear Wind Bird's egg! There were countless Magical Beast species, and quite a few of them liked eating eggs.

For example, the Snake Tribe and the Fox Tribe.

The Green Bamboo Snake in the purple quest just happened to eat bird eggs!

The Green Bamboo Snakes' location was also very close to the Clear Wind Bird.

That left plenty of room to work with.

Yang Shan's plan was simple: drive snakes to devour eggs!

To that end, Yang Shan had specifically bought some little items from the general store.

He had spent nearly all his Spirit Stones!

Up ahead, he could already see quite a few Green Bamboo Snakes, three to four feet long, slithering about.

Yang Shan crept a few steps closer.

Snakes used their tongues to detect scents.

He could not get too close.

Yang Shan took a bottle of "Rat Stench Powder" from his backpack.

This medicine released an extremely strong odor of rat flesh and rat blood.

Mercenaries and hunters often used it to lure low-rank Magical Beasts that fed on rats.

It cost five Spirit Stones!

After confirming the distance, Yang Shan sprinkled down a small pinch of Rat Stench Powder, then turned and ran!

Before long, rustling sounds rose through the forest.

Four-foot-long Green Bamboo Snakes gathered toward where the Rat Stench Powder had fallen.

After that, Yang Shan sprinkled Rat Stench Powder at regular intervals.

And each time, he used more than before.

This was the hunting experience a "veteran hunter" ought to have.

By controlling the spread of the scent, he made the prey believe that it was getting closer and closer to "food."

And at the end of that "food" trail—

Was naturally the Clear Wind Bird's habitat!

Yang Shan's plan was a success.

A huge swarm of Green Bamboo Snakes had arrived.

But it was not enough!

Yang Shan used the last bit of time to tie more than ten round balls to the surrounding trees.

These round balls were called "Explosive Pellets."

They could explode.

Their destructive power was not high.

But Explosive Pellets could be filled with medicinal powder.

They were commonly used as the most basic poison-launching concealed weapons.

The poison Yang Shan loaded into the Explosive Pellets was called "Raging Qi Powder."

This stuff was a First-Grade Medicine produced by an Alchemist.

It could affect a Magical Beast's mind and drive it into a frenzied state.

It had cost Yang Shan a full thirty Spirit Stones!

Of course, a First-Grade Medicine like this had limited effect on a Second-Order King of Beasts.

But against First-Order Magical Beasts, its effects could absolutely be brought into full play!

It could even make First-Order Green Bamboo Snakes no longer fear the pressure of a Second-Order King of Beasts! The explosions from the Explosive Pellets finally startled the Clear Wind Bird resting atop a century-old tree.

Seeing the tide-like swarm of Green Bamboo Snakes rushing in from below, the Clear Wind Bird instinctively let out a piercing cry, attempting to scare them away.

But the cry only made the Green Bamboo Snakes more excited.

Snakes ate birds too! The Raging Qi Powder had already taken effect. There were only two things left in these Green Bamboo Snakes' minds:

Kill!

Eat! If they simmered for a little longer, these Green Bamboo Snakes might even devour their own kind out of excessive hunger.

But with a better target before them, the Green Bamboo Snakes remained united in their actions.

The Clear Wind Bird, seeing this, could not help but grow furious.

Mere First-Order Magical Beasts actually dared to offend a Second-Order King of Beasts!

The Clear Wind Bird chose to strike first.

Clear Wind Birds were not social creatures. Although it was a King of Beasts, it was unlike a wolf king, with a large pack of its own kind to command.

It had to do everything itself.

The Clear Wind Bird beat its wings and swooped toward the ground like lightning.

As a Wind Attribute Magical Beast, if nothing else, the Clear Wind Bird was damn fast.

Yang Shan had no intention of killing the Clear Wind Bird.

Without the ability to fly, fighting a flying Magical Beast would be asking for trouble.

Besides, with his current character attributes, he probably could not even withstand a single strike from the Clear Wind Bird! The Clear Wind Bird charged into the swarm of Green Bamboo Snakes and used its sharp beak to stab wildly, like a woodpecker drilling into a tree.

In a single round of attacks, it directly pierced at least seven or eight Green Bamboo Snakes full of holes.

Yang Shan, hiding in the shadows, grimaced. "Be careful not to puncture the gallbladders!"

Fortunately, there were quite a few Green Bamboo Snakes drawn here this time—conservatively estimated, five or six hundred.

A spectacular scene of the Clear Wind Bird slaughtering Green Bamboo Snakes played out in the forest.

Yang Shan seemed to have become a spectator. Like a large stone, he hid motionlessly in the bushes.

The Clear Wind Bird's slaughter continued.

It was far too fast. The Green Bamboo Snakes could barely touch it.

After several back-and-forth charges, at least fifty Green Bamboo Snakes had been killed by the Clear Wind Bird.

Yet instead of stopping, the Clear Wind Bird kept beating its wings and chirping loudly, as if flaunting its own strength.

Yang Shan could now confirm that the Clear Wind Bird had finally been affected by the Raging Qi Powder as well.

Limited effect did not mean no effect.

During its slaughter, the Clear Wind Bird had become increasingly irritable and took ever greater pleasure in killing. That was the Raging Qi Powder's influence.

Just as Yang Shan was about to make his move and climb the century-old tree to steal the eggs, the Green Bamboo Snake swarm suddenly stirred.

"Hisss, hisss, hisss."

A giant snake, clearly twice as thick and five times as long as an ordinary Green Bamboo Snake, raised its head and flicked its tongue at the Clear Wind Bird.

First-Order King of Beasts:

Green Bamboo Python! As expected, most Magical Beasts were foodies.

The scent of Rat Stench Powder had actually drawn out the boss of the Green Bamboo Snakes' habitat!

Although there was a rank advantage, the Green Bamboo Python's defense was no joke.

The Clear Wind Bird specialized in speed, and its frontal attacking power was relatively weak among those of its rank.

The Clear Wind Bird would have to expend considerable effort to break through the Green Bamboo Python's dark green scales.

Yang Shan smiled.

"Nice luck. Fight! Fight hard!"

With the Raging Qi Powder disrupting their minds and the Green Bamboo Python drawing attention, Yang Shan was completely confident he could steal the bird egg!

Yang Shan looked no different from a monkey as he flipped up into the tree.

That was thanks to him putting quite a few attribute points into Agility.

After several climbs and leaps, he arrived before the millstone-sized bird's nest.

There was only one fist-sized egg inside.

Without another word, Yang Shan took the entire nest along with the egg.

This bird's nest would be crucial to obtaining the snake gallbladder later!

Even if it was a hassle, he had to take it with him.

Mission accomplished. Time to run! At this very moment, the Clear Wind Bird, caught up in its killing frenzy, had yet to notice that the egg it had painstakingly laid—at the cost of even tearing its asshole—had already vanished.

The Green Bamboo Python's body was covered in densely packed, bleeding wounds.

A First-Order Magical Beast was ultimately no match for a Second-Order Magical Beast.

Not everyone was called "Xiao Yan."

The intense pain and fear of death finally pulled the Green Bamboo Python free of the Raging Qi Powder's effects.

Without the slightest hesitation, and without even caring about its fellow snakes, it wildly swung its body and shot off into the distance.

But the other Green Bamboo Snakes were not so fortunate.

They were still under the influence of the Raging Qi Powder.

Fearlessly, they launched suicidal charges at the Clear Wind Bird.

Meanwhile, Yang Shan was already hugging the bird's nest as he chased after the fleeing Green Bamboo Python.

Seriously injured, with no underlings by its side.

If he let this opportunity slip away, Yang Shan would feel like he had wronged himself!

The Green Bamboo Python's injuries were truly severe.

Yang Shan had also checked its data while tracking it.

Players could obtain a basic attribute list for Magical Beasts of the same rank.

But if they inspected a target of a higher rank, the displayed information would be reduced accordingly.

The Green Bamboo Python had originally possessed 4,800 Qi and Blood!

The Clear Wind Bird had pecked it down to just 270!

Yang Shan planned to trail it all the way and deliver a fatal blow once the Green Bamboo Python let its guard down! The Green Bamboo Python slowed.

After fleeing madly and losing too much Qi and Blood, what it needed now was rest.

Relying on its powerful Constitution, it would slowly recover. Once its injuries had stabilized for the time being, it could continue moving.

Now!

Yang Shan had just risen to his feet, ready to launch a surprise attack and take down the Green Bamboo Python.

But damned if a burly man did not crawl out from the bushes in front of where the Green Bamboo Python had stopped.

Judging by the newbie outfit he wore, he was clearly a Player!

The burly man jumped in fright at the sight of the Green Bamboo Python. "WTF! What a huge snake!"

Yang Shan's heart skipped a beat when he saw the man. Oh? Chao Bafang had already made it to the Magical Beast Mountain Range this quickly?

Chao Bafang, the renowned "Overlord Spear" of the game in Yang Shan's previous life.

Though he was not as dazzling as the Three Sects and Twelve Emperors, he was absolutely among the ranks of top-tier Players.

And in his previous life, he had always been a lone wolf.

Many top guilds had offered him high salaries, but he was proud and arrogant. He insisted on going solo and carved out a place for himself.

At the start of the game, everyone's clothes looked more or less the same. If it were any other expert, Yang Shan might not have recognized them.

But Chao Bafang was far too famous. He stood six feet tall, broad-shouldered and powerfully built.

Moreover, Yang Shan and Chao Bafang had exchanged blows at various tournaments in their previous lives.

Yang Shan was first-rate. Chao Bafang was super first-rate.

So whenever the two fought, Yang Shan was basically the one getting crushed.

Chao Bafang noticed Yang Shan as well.

There were not many Players in Cloud Frost City yet, and even among those who were here, no one had the ability to venture deep into the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

Chao Bafang himself had come here because of the purple quest, "White Leaf Return," following the map.

Earlier, he had happened to discover a medicinal herb in the bushes that seemed to be White Leaf Return and had been working hard to gather it. He had not expected the Green Bamboo Python to plant a kiss right on his ass!

Still shaken, Chao Bafang rubbed his butt. In just a few seconds, countless thoughts flashed through his mind before he finally said:

"Bro, this Green Bamboo Python seems to be coming after me!"

In virtual online games, neutral resources like "bosses" did not belong to anyone.

So stealing bosses was completely normal in online games.

Some overbearing Players would probably already be yelling at Yang Shan to get lost.

Chao Bafang was being fairly polite.

After all, if they were going by first come, first served, then from Chao Bafang's perspective, the Green Bamboo Python had indeed attacked him first.

Although Yang Shan had appeared at just the right moment, he was still some distance away from the Green Bamboo Python.

Chao Bafang's meaning was clear.

This boss was his! But the Green Bamboo Python had been reduced to this half-dead state through Yang Shan's methods.

Let alone Chao Bafang—even if Xiao Aotian, one of the "Three Sects" from his previous life, had shown up, Yang Shan would not have given him any face! Chao Bafang had already prepared himself for a fight with Yang Shan.

But to Chao Bafang's great surprise, Yang Shan was unexpectedly generous about ownership of the boss, waving his hand. "It's fine. Rules of the martial world—first come, first served. Go ahead and fight it. If you can't beat it, then I won't be stealing the boss."

"I can't beat it?"

Chao Bafang's stubborn temper flared up at once. "WTF, who are you looking down on? Back in the Novice Realm, even the elders praised me for having the makings of a great emperor. You think I can't handle one lousy snake?"

While Chao Bafang was speaking, the Green Bamboo Python, which had been lying motionless on the ground, suddenly sprang up and opened its gaping maw.

With a crunch, it bit Chao Bafang's head clean off.

Yang Shan could only shake his head. "Even a top-tier expert is just a Newbie in the early stages. It's still a King of Beasts—did you really think it had no fighting power just because it was low on health?"