Big and Small, Both Caught

At that moment, the Big Touch Dragon King's softest underbelly was finally exposed.

The purple Soul Ring beneath Bei Bei's feet flared brightly at the same instant.

"Thunder Fury!"

With Bei Bei's low roar, he seemed like a thunder god descending upon the world. Lightning crackled over his body, thunder snakes writhed around him, and even his eyes were stained with a pale white radiance.

His arm, already enlarged by Dragonification, swelled another size. Lightning surged over his dragon claws, electricity churned violently, and terrifying forks of lightning even appeared in the nearby air.

Enhanced by the Third Soul Skill, Thunder Fury, Bei Bei's lightning attribute and Soul Power had risen so greatly that the lightning around him now faintly possessed the power to pierce through the air.

The Big Touch Dragon King also sensed the danger. It abruptly opened its gaping maw, exposing its chaotic teeth as it hissed incessantly.

Tang Ya's Blue Silver Grass had also reached its limit and began snapping strand by strand.

"Stay down!"

Chen Ping had already pulled out his Willow Staff. Gripping it tightly with both hands, he jabbed it into the Big Touch Dragon King's midsection like Runtu Spearing a Hedgehog, preventing it from exerting any force.

Though Chen Ping and Tang Ya's strength was still far from enough to contend with the Big Touch Dragon King, Bei Bei only needed them to hold it back for a single breath.

"Boom!"

The next instant, the Thunder Dragon Claw, enhanced by both Dragonification and Thunder Fury, crashed down and exploded heavily against the Touch Dragon King's abdomen.

For a moment, hundreds upon thousands of densely packed tiny thunder snakes ran rampant through the Touch Dragon King's body. The violent force directly blasted through every layer of defense possessed by the Big Touch Dragon King before them.

The dozen or so Hundred Year Level Touch Dragons that had been chasing after Bei Bei scattered at once upon seeing this, fleeing in terror in every direction.

The Big Touch Dragon King finally broke free from Tang Ya's Blue Silver Grass again, as well as the Willow Staff Chen Ping had pinned against its body. Its six scythe-like wings began flapping wildly.

"Careful, it wants to release smoke and escape."

Seeing this, Chen Ping immediately understood what the Big Touch Dragon King intended to do.

The system's analysis report on this Big Touch Dragon King had made it very clear. This creature had quite a few tricks up its sleeve.

Sure enough, just as Chen Ping finished speaking, large quantities of ink-black, viscous mist sprayed from the tips of the Big Touch Dragon King's three pairs of steel-blade-like wings.

How viscous was the mist?

It was so thick that Chen Ping found it difficult even to walk through it. Even when he waved his hand, he could feel the resistance of having to push the mist aside.

The surrounding sounds also began to fade. The dense black mist blocked almost everything, and even sound could barely travel through it.

As for visibility, that was simply out of the question.

Chen Ping instinctively wanted to retreat first. In such an unfavorable environment, if the Big Touch Dragon King made one final desperate counterattack and bit him, it would be no joke. Wherever it bit would definitely be torn off.

Yet streaks of lightning pierced through the black mist, stubbornly refracting into Chen Ping's field of vision. Though they already looked like a blurry mass of white, they immediately put his mind at ease.

"Run? Where do you think you're running?"

Even through the thick fog, Chen Ping could vaguely hear Bei Bei's words, along with the crackling of electricity and the roasted insect scent of electric current scorching the creature's body.

Several minutes later, as the black mist gradually dispersed, Chen Ping saw Bei Bei half crouched over the Touch Dragon King's body. One dragon claw was thrust into its abdominal cavity, continuously discharging electricity, while one foot was planted on its neck.

If the thing even had a neck.

Seeing that the Touch Dragon King was nearly unresponsive, Bei Bei hurriedly pulled out his right hand, which had been continuously using the Second Soul Skill, Thunderous Might.

"Quick, quick, quick! Xiao Ya, hurry and finish it off! This Touch Dragon King looks like it can't hold on much longer!"

Only after Tang Ya frantically took out a Short Spear half an adult's arm in length and thrust it through the Touch Dragon King's abdominal cavity, piercing its head, did Bei Bei finally let out a long breath as a pale purple Soul Ring floated out.

"Whew... that nearly killed me."

Bei Bei collapsed onto the ground, too exhausted to even stand.

Tang Ya was not much better. She did not even have the strength to pull the Short Spear out of the Touch Dragon King's body. She sat down as well and wiped the insect blood from herself.

Chen Ping first looked around warily. Only after confirming that the Touch Dragons had truly all fled did he squat down and recover his strength alongside Bei Bei and Tang Ya.

If any Soul Beast they could not handle came along, he would definitely be the first one to leap up and run.

The three of them stared at one another and panted for at least the time it took to burn half an incense stick before they barely recovered some vitality.

"Brother, are you a First Year junior who's about to advance to Second Year?"

Bei Bei looked at Chen Ping, who was covered in insect blood, with a Little Touch Dragon King wrapped around him and an unabsorbed Century Soul Ring hovering over his head.

He thought for a long while but could not remember anyone like this at Shrek Academy.

Chen Ping smiled awkwardly. "More or less."

As he spoke, Chen Ping untied the Little Touch Dragon King's corpse from his body, and the golden yellow Soul Ring fell to the ground with it.

"I'm not a First Year student about to advance to Second Year. I'm a First Year student who hasn't enrolled yet."

Chen Ping's words truly shocked Bei Bei and Tang Ya.

After carefully sensing the faint Soul Power Fluctuation on Chen Ping's body—a level that did not even qualify him as a Soul Master—their eyes nearly popped out of their heads.

"Y-you, you don't even have a Soul Ring, and you dared to sneak in and deal with a Little Touch Dragon King with several hundred years of cultivation while Xiao Ya and I were fighting that Big Touch Dragon King?"

Bei Bei's voice rose several octaves, while Tang Ya wore the same horrified expression.

"I thought this was the Second Soul Ring you had prepared for yourself!"

Tang Ya's mouth fell open in shock. Where had such a ruthless character come from?

Tang Ya put herself in Chen Ping's position and thought it over. The more she considered it, the more lingering fear she felt.

Leaving everything else aside, if Chen Ping had been even a little slower, then even if he had managed to kill that Little Touch Dragon King through various means without any Soul Skills, he would inevitably have been blocked by the Big Touch Dragon King returning to its nest.

In response, Chen Ping merely gave a slightly awkward smile.

The Touch Dragon King's speed in returning to its nest had indeed exceeded Chen Ping's expectations. But even if the Big Touch Dragon King had returned early, it would actually have been difficult for it to trap him.

After all, from the moment he entered Centipede Cave, Chen Ping had been certain from the airflow within the cave that it had more than one exit.

Naturally, Chen Ping would not say any of that aloud.

With a grateful expression, Chen Ping struggled to his feet and cupped his fists deeply toward the two of them before half-squatting, half-sitting back down.

"That's why I have to thank Senior and Senior Sister for stepping in so righteously. Whether it was accidentally drawing away the Big Touch Dragon King at the start or anything else, without your help, I would have been like a clever woman trying to cook without rice."