Professional Kill Stealing

The surroundings suddenly fell silent, and a faint rustling sound clearly reached Tang San's ears.

Vaguely, there seemed to be a bit more of a fishy smell in the air, though it wasn't strong.

It even carried a faint sweetness and the scent of tea.

Tang San's nose twitched, and he blurted out without thinking, "Poison."

Though the fart smell was strong, these scents were even more penetrating.

Ye Ying didn't smell a thing, his mask firmly in place.

The rustling sound reached the ears of all three.

They looked in the same direction at once.

From the bushes, a triangular snake head slowly rose.

A pair of ruby-like little eyes stared their way.

Perhaps intimidated by the realgar powder scattered earlier, it didn't come closer.

Tang San pulled a fire starter from his pocket and quickly tossed it over.

The bushes lit up under the flame.

"Mandala Snake!"

Yu Xiaogang's pupils instantly contracted.

"The Mandala Snake's venom is extremely potent. It not only has a paralyzing effect but also heavily damages the nerves."

"It's one of the most terrifying poison-type spirit beasts. Its body is incredibly tough, hard to wound with ordinary blades; only its mouth and eyes are weak points."

"But the Mandala Snake always protects those two spots well, and its speed is astonishingly fast."

"The most frightening thing is its aggression. It almost always attacks humans on sight. The fact that it's not attacking now means it's waiting for an opportunity."

"Such a vicious creature—how did it end up on the outskirts?"

"Hopefully it's a ten-year one."

"If it's a hundred-year, then we can only run."

As he watched the Mandala Snake's segmented body emerge, the panic in his heart grew.

A hundred-year—and not just a hundred!

"Fart like thunder, rend the sky and split the earth, Luo Sanpao!"

Yu Xiaogang quickly commanded. Luo Sanpao's body swelled up, and with a bang, a fart blasted toward the Mandala Snake.

"Run!"

He shouted, grabbing Tang San and Ye Ying as they fled backward.

The Mandala Snake was blown away by Luo Sanpao's blast but suffered no damage at all.

Croak, croak—a harsh cry rang out.

The Mandala Snake closed in on the three again at lightning speed, reaching them in the blink of an eye.

"Fart like smoke, lull to sleep, Luo Sanpao!"

Yu Xiaogang's second soul ring flashed, and Luo Sanpao opened his mouth to inhale deeply again.

The hypnotic fart was released, but it was utterly useless. The Mandala Snake's venom was far, far more potent than this hypnotic poison.

The Mandala Snake approached swiftly and lunged at Yu Xiaogang.

"Sanpao, block it for a moment!"

At Yu Xiaogang's command, Luo Sanpao's plump body flipped over and charged at the Mandala Snake.

Meatball 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.

It swayed, dodging Luo Sanpao's impact.

And bit him in the process.

"Luo!"

Luo Sanpao let out a miserable cry, turning into a streak of purple light that returned to Yu Xiaogang's body.

Yu Xiaogang's heart was now filled with despair.

His entire life's experiences echoed through his mind.

What had he done wrong?

In his whole life, he'd only made a few small mistakes.

Could it be because he deceived Bibi Dong's feelings?

Or was it because he stole theories from Martial Soul Hall, or because he abandoned others over a dozen times during adventures to buy himself time to escape? Surely it couldn't be about fleeing on his wedding day because he was afraid to face his second uncle.

As for dating a six-year-old girl, Yu Xiaogang simply ignored that.

In his view, that wasn't even a mistake.

The Mandala Snake approached again.

In the original story, Tang San could still fight back with a white radish, but now the white radish was in Yu Xiaogang's hands.

Not even the Silent Sleeve Darts were available. After being locked in the Holy Soul Village pigsty for three months, forget making Hidden Weapons—even blacksmithing was impossible.

At this moment, all Tang San had left was a single short sword.

She suddenly let go of Yu Xiaogang's hand, and used all her strength to execute Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon, twisting the lunging Mandala Snake's angle.

The Mandala Snake felt a sudden pull from the side of its head, its serpentine head turning uncontrollably.

It had originally been about to bite Yu Xiaogang, its mouth wide open, about to snap shut.

A flash of blue light appeared as if from nowhere, waiting silently.

The moment the Mandala Snake's head turned, just before its jaws closed, the nearly four-meter-long body stiffened for an instant.

The foot-and-a-half short sword was fully embedded in its mouth. The next moment, the Mandala Snake thrashed violently.

Sand and stones flew across the ground. Wherever its hard body swept, whether bushes or small trees, they seemed to have been hit by a tornado—branches and leaves shattered, scattering everywhere.

Seeing this, Ye Ying also let go of Yu Xiaogang's hand, casually conjured an ice cream cone, and tossed it onto the Mandala Snake, dealing 0.001 damage.

Then he quickly retreated.

Stealing the kill!

He wasn't a good person, and he did it on purpose.

And he was very professional—whoever landed the final blow became the Soul Ring's owner.

This was a perfect chance to absorb a Soul Ring. The type didn't matter, and neither did the age.

Both could be modified.

Besides, the story from here on was about leaving—it was safe.

Continuing to search for other soul beasts would greatly increase the danger. If he ran into trouble, he'd have to use Points to modify things, and he wanted to use them as sparingly as possible.

After running a long way, Yu Xiaogang finally snapped out of it.

Where's Xiao San?

Where's Ye Ying?

Both were gone!

Hopefully, they'd fill the Mandala Snake's belly.

He was still alive?

Just as Yu Xiaogang was about to speed up and flee, Ye Ying ran over.

One came back?

If it ate one less, would it not be full?

Then Tang San ran over too.

Great, it didn't get a single bite—definitely not full.

Run!

He was the first to speak, using accusatory words.

"Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?"

"How could you two let go?"

He was the classic villain filing the first complaint.

If he had held on tightly, how could Tang San and Ye Ying have had a chance to let go?

How strong could two kids' grip be?

"Hurry up and run!"

Yu Xiaogang shouted, grabbing one person with each hand as he prepared to keep running.

Tang San quickly said at that moment, "Xiaogang, it seems that Mandala Snake isn't chasing us."

"When I was flailing around with the dagger you gave me, I think I stabbed it."

Yu Xiaogang's heart suddenly leaped with joy.

That must have been a hit to a vital spot—otherwise, given the Mandala Snake's temperament, it would have already pounced.

But he still had to maintain his image as a theoretical Grandmaster, "Don't go over there yet. Wait and see. Snake-type soul beasts have extremely tenacious vitality."

"They're not so easy to kill."