The surroundings suddenly fell silent, and a faint rustling sound clearly reached Tang San's ears.
Vaguely, the air seemed to carry a little more of a fishy smell. It was not strong,
and even carried a faint sweetness and the scent of tea.
Tang San's nose twitched, and she blurted out, "Poisonous creature."
Though the fart stench was strong, these scents were even more penetrating.
Ye Ying had not smelled a thing. His mask was sealed on tightly.
The rustling reached all three of their ears.
The three of them looked in the same direction at once.
A triangular snake head slowly rose from the bushes.
A pair of tiny ruby-like eyes stared in their direction.
Perhaps intimidated by the realgar powder scattered earlier, it did not continue approaching.
Tang San pulled out a tinderbox from her pocket and swiftly threw it over.
The bushes were illuminated by the tinderbox.
"Mandala Snake!"
Yu Xiaogang's pupils instantly contracted.
"The Mandala Snake's venom is extremely potent. Not only does it paralyze, it also severely damages the body's nerves."
"It is one of the most terrifying poison-type soul beasts. Its body is exceptionally tough, and ordinary blades cannot harm it. Only its mouth and eyes are weak points."
"However, the Mandala Snake has always protected those two areas well, and it is incredibly fast."
"Most frightening of all is its aggressiveness. It will almost always attack humans. It is not attacking now because it is waiting for an opportunity."
"Such a vicious creature—how could it appear in the outskirts?"
"Let's hope it is only ten years old."
"If it is a hundred years old, then all we can do is run."
As more and more of the Mandala Snake's segmented body emerged, the panic in his heart grew stronger.
A hundred years—and more than a hundred at that!
"Farts roar like thunder, shaking heaven and splitting earth, Luo Sanpao!"
Yu Xiaogang swiftly gave the order. Luo Sanpao's body rapidly swelled, and with a bang, a fart exploded toward the Mandala Snake.
"Run!"
He shouted, grabbed Tang San and Ye Ying, and quickly fled backward.
The Mandala Snake was blasted away by Luo Sanpao's attack, but it had not suffered the slightest injury.
"Ribbit, ribbit!" A shrill cry rang out.
The Mandala Snake rapidly closed in on the three of them again. In the blink of an eye, it was already upon them.
"Farts spread like mist, hypnotic slumber, Luo Sanpao!"
Yu Xiaogang's second Soul Ring flashed, and Luo Sanpao immediately opened his mouth and took another deep breath.
The hypnotic fart was released, but it was utterly useless. The Mandala Snake's venom was far, far more potent than the hypnotic poison.
The Mandala Snake swiftly approached and bit toward Yu Xiaogang.
"Sanpao, block it for a moment."
At Yu Xiaogang's command, Luo Sanpao flipped over and charged toward the Mandala Snake with his chubby body.
Meat-Egg Charge!
He tried to use his body to stop its advance.
But this Mandala Snake was not only incredibly fast,
its reactions were also exceptionally sharp.
With a flick of its body, it dodged Luo Sanpao's charge
and bit him at the same time.
"Luo!"
Luo Sanpao screamed miserably, transforming into a streak of purple light that returned to Yu Xiaogang's body.
Yu Xiaogang's heart was filled with despair.
Memories from his life continuously replayed through his mind.
What exactly had he done wrong?
He had only made a few small mistakes in his life.
Could it have been because he had deceived Bibi Dong's feelings?
Or because he had stolen theories from Spirit Hall?
Or perhaps because, during adventures, he had abandoned others more than a dozen times to buy himself time to survive? It could not possibly be because he had fled from his wedding out of fear of facing his second uncle, could it?
As for dating a six-year-old girl, Yu Xiaogang simply ignored that.
In his view, that did not count as wrong.
The Mandala Snake approached again.
In the original storyline, Tang San could still use a white radish to counterattack.
But now, the white radish was in Yu Xiaogang's hands.
She did not even have the Silent Sleeve Darts. After being locked in the pigsty in Holy Soul Village for three months, making Hidden Weapons was out of the question—she could not even forge iron.
At this moment, the only thing Tang San had was that remaining Short Sword.
She suddenly released Yu Xiaogang's hand.
Using all her strength, she employed Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon to shift the angle of the Mandala Snake's incoming bite.
The Mandala Snake only felt a sudden pulling force from the side of its head, and its snake head turned uncontrollably.
Its original bite had been aimed at Yu Xiaogang.
Its jaws were wide open, just about to close.
A blue gleam seemed to appear out of nowhere, quietly waiting there.
The instant the Mandala Snake's head turned, just before its jaws closed—
Its nearly four-meter-long body stiffened almost instantly.
That one-foot-two-inch Short Sword had completely plunged into its mouth. The next moment, the Mandala Snake's body began thrashing violently.
For a time, sand and stones flew across the ground. Wherever its hard body swept past, whether bushes or small trees,
they looked as though they had been ravaged by a tornado, their branches and leaves shattered and scattered in every direction.
Seeing this, Ye Ying also released Yu Xiaogang's hand. He casually conjured an ice cream cone and threw it at the Mandala Snake,
dealing 0.001 damage.
Then he swiftly retreated.
Kill steal!
He was not a good person. He had done it on purpose.
And he was extremely professional—the person who dealt the final blow would own the Soul Ring.
This was the perfect chance to absorb a Soul Ring. The species did not matter, nor did its age.
Both could be modified.
Besides, the next part of the storyline was about leaving, and it was safe.
Continuing to search for other soul beasts would greatly lower their safety. If they encountered danger, they would need to use Points to modify things. The less they used, the better.
After running a long way, Yu Xiaogang finally came to his senses.
Where was Xiao San?
Where was Ye Ying?
Both of them were gone!
Hopefully, the Mandala Snake would be full after eating them.
He had survived?
Just as Yu Xiaogang was preparing to speed up and flee—
Ye Ying came running over.
One had returned?
Would it still be hungry after eating one less?
Tang San ran over right after him.
Fine, it had not gotten a single bite. It was definitely still hungry.
Run!
He was the first to question them reproachfully.
"Do you know how dangerous that was just now?"
"Why did you two let go?"
He was the sort to accuse others first.
If he had held on tightly, how would Tang San and Ye Ying have had the chance to let go?
How strong could two children possibly be?
"Why aren't you running yet?!"
Yu Xiaogang shouted, grabbed one of them in each hand, and prepared to keep running.
Tang San hurriedly said,
"Xiao Gang, it seems that Mandala Snake did not chase after us."
"I waved the Short Sword you gave me around wildly just now. I think I stabbed that snake."
Yu Xiaogang was immediately delighted.
It had definitely struck a vital point. Otherwise, with the Mandala Snake's temperament, it would have pounced on them long ago.
Still, he needed to preserve the image of a theoretical Grandmaster.
"Do not go over there. Wait and see. Snake-type soul beasts have extremely tenacious vitality."
"They are not so easy to kill."
Before you continue