A Pleasant Surprise! Three-Eyed Spirit Monkey Xiao Hui and the Giant Snake

Hearing the faint cry that had suddenly reached them, a flicker of surprise and suspicion crossed Su Han's eyes.

Tian Ling'er, however, seemed not to have heard the faint cry. She kept her head lowered and continued walking briskly ahead.

After a brief moment of thought, Su Han stopped and listened carefully.

The sound came again, faint and intermittent, carrying a trace of panic.

Once he confirmed that there truly was a cry, Su Han could not help tightening his grip around the hilt of the Inverse Scale Sword, delight flashing through his eyes.

Could it be... two good things at once?!

With that thought, Su Han quickly called out to Tian Ling'er, "Ling'er, wait a moment."

Tian Ling'er stopped at his words and turned around. A blush still lingered on her face, and she kept her head lowered, not daring to look at Su Han.

She asked somewhat awkwardly, "W-What is it?"

Su Han raised a hand and pointed in the direction of the sound. "There seems to be something going on over there."

"Something?"

Hearing Su Han's words, Tian Ling'er tilted her head in confusion and listened carefully.

Before long, Tian Ling'er's brows furrowed slightly. "Now that you mention it, it does sound like something is crying out."

Receiving Tian Ling'er's confirmation, Su Han reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder.

Tian Ling'er instantly recoiled as if shocked by electricity, taking several quick steps back on her short legs. "Su Han, you... what are you doing?"

Su Han smiled at Tian Ling'er, who looked like a kitten whose tail had been stepped on. "What are you thinking?"

"I want to go see what happened over there, so I need you to take me."

"Oh."

Hearing Su Han's words, Tian Ling'er let out a long breath. Then, with a wave of her hand, Hong Ling appeared once more.

Su Han naturally stepped onto Hong Ling and, with practiced ease, grasped Tian Ling'er's shoulder.

Feeling the warmth of his large hand on her arm, Tian Ling'er pressed her lips together.

Then she formed a hand seal, and Hong Ling shot into the sky.

Not long after, the two arrived at the place where the cries had come from.

In the Bamboo Forest not far away,

a gray young monkey was fiercely battling a massive blue-green python.

The python's body was as thick as the trunk of a great tree, its scales glinting with an icy sheen beneath the sunlight filtering through the leaves.

It constantly twisted its body, opening its bloody maw as it lunged at the little monkey.

The little monkey was nimble, leaping and scrambling about to evade the python's attacks while clutching a bamboo stick to strike back.

But the difference in size between them was simply too great. One was merely young, while the other was fully grown.

As a result, the little monkey remained at a disadvantage.

Its fur was somewhat disheveled, and its eyes revealed both anxiety and defiance.

Tian Ling'er's eyes widened as she stared at the scene in astonishment. "There's actually such a huge python in the Back Mountain?"

After saying that,

she looked again at the little monkey with its messy fur.

"Su Han, that little monkey is so pitiful." Her voice was filled with concern. "Should we help it?"

Yet Su Han seemed not to hear Tian Ling'er at all. Delight flashed through his eyes.

"It really is you... Little Gray!"

Su Han had never expected that the Three-Eyed Spirit Monkey Xiao Hui, whom he had been longing for ever since arriving at Great Bamboo Peak, would suddenly appear before him in such a manner.

"Today's luck is truly excellent!"

As long as I tame Little Gray, this trip to Great Bamboo Peak can be considered utterly perfect...

With that thought in mind, Su Han smiled.

Then he turned to Tian Ling'er, who was worried and preparing to intervene, and shook his head. "Don't worry. I'll help it."

"But now isn't the time to act yet."

"Oh."

Tian Ling'er nodded at Su Han's words and stopped forming her hand seals.

She did not ask what he meant by saying it was not yet time to act. She trusted Su Han.

And while the two were speaking,

the giant python launched another attack.

Its enormous body, like a moving mountain, radiated crushing pressure.

Its cold snake eyes fixed firmly on Little Gray as it continually twisted its body, opened its bloody maw, and revealed its sharp venomous fangs.

The next moment,

just as Little Gray thought the python would attack with its fangs, the python suddenly lashed out with its tail, whipping it toward Little Gray like a bolt of lightning.

At once, Little Gray panicked and hurriedly leaped aside.

Yet the gale stirred up by the python's tail still threw Little Gray off balance.

The python pressed its advantage, swiftly slithering forward and opening its mouth in an attempt to swallow Little Gray whole.

Little Gray nimbly darted through the gaps in the python's attacks, but gradually began to feel his strength failing.

His fur was soaked with sweat, and his breathing became increasingly ragged.

The python attacked again, this time faster and more powerful.

Little Gray dodged desperately, but the python's tail still struck him. His body flew away like a kite with its string cut.

Little Gray crashed heavily onto the ground, coughing up a mouthful of blood.

He struggled to rise, but his body would not obey him.

As he watched the python draw closer and closer, despair appeared in Little Gray's eyes.

Seeing this, Su Han knew the timing was about right.

If I act now, I'll definitely gain Little Gray's favor. With the Beast Taming Mastery talent as well, I won't need to worry about him refusing to acknowledge me as his master!

With that thought in mind,

Su Han suddenly drew the Inverse Scale Sword from its sheath.

Whoosh—!

A sharp tearing sound rang through the air.

Su Han was clearly standing in place without taking a single step forward, yet the blade of the Inverse Scale Sword, wrapped in blood-red lightning, abruptly shattered into countless fragments and extended forward.

The fragments stretched dozens of meters before viciously severing the giant python's head in the distance, only then ceasing their advance.

Seeing the giant python's head suddenly fall before him, Little Gray's eyes flashed with surprise and suspicion. Then he turned toward Su Han.

Upon seeing that Su Han had saved him, he immediately let out several chirps toward him, as though thanking him.

At that moment, Tian Ling'er, standing beside Su Han, was filled with astonishment as she stared incredulously at the Inverse Scale Sword in his hand.

"Su... Su Han, what kind of weapon is that?"

"Where did it come from?"

"I clearly remember that before you came up the mountain, you carried an ordinary refined steel sword. How did it become this black sword now?"

"And how can this sword be so strange?"

"The blade clearly shattered, yet it can still attack people?"

At her words, Su Han lightly waved the sword hilt in his hand.

The next moment, the fragments that formed the Inverse Scale Sword flew back and once again became an ink-black longsword, which Su Han returned to the sheath at his waist.

Only then did he smile at the curious and astonished Tian Ling'er. "This is what I obtained down in the gorge earlier."

After saying that,

Su Han jumped down from Hong Ling and walked before Little Gray, looking at the vertical line between his brows that resembled a strand of black fur.

Then he smiled and said, "Little fellow, the Back Mountain of Great Bamboo Peak is so dangerous. If it weren't for me, you might have been eaten just now."

"Since that's the case, how about following me from now on?"

As he spoke, Su Han silently said to the system, System, inspect Little Gray's traits.

The Spirit Lord Water Qilin of the Qingyun Sect possessed incomparably powerful traits. It had more Gold Word Traits than any being Su Han had ever seen, without exception.

Thus, Su Han was extremely curious about Little Gray's traits.

Little Gray may still be young, but his innate talent should already exist, right?

The next moment, a pale-blue virtual panel visible only to Su Han appeared before him.

"Gasp! As expected of an ancient spirit beast, the Three-Eyed Spirit Monkey!"

Looking at Little Gray's traits, Su Han's pupils suddenly contracted, his eyes filled with shock.