Five Thousand Year Mandala Snake

Just as Tang Liu had barely caught his breath, he received another notification from the system.

"Ding! Host, please prepare for combat. A Mandala Snake with a cultivation of 5,800 years is approaching. Estimated arrival in five seconds. It is recommended that the host immediately use Ethereal Defense and teleport away!"

Tang Liu only had time to curse under his breath before casting Ethereal Defense on himself.

Almost the second the leaves of the Ethereal Blue Silver Emperor curled back, a purple blur shot straight through him, coming to a halt not far away.

Tang Liu watched the Mandala Snake raise its head high, his gaze wary as he focused on the bump atop its head, which resembled an unopened flower bud.

A thousand-year Mandala Snake was dozens of times more formidable in both speed and toxicity than the hundred-year one Tang San had hunted!

Although Tang Liu was now at level 23, it was nearly impossible for him to defeat a Mandala Snake with nearly 6,000 years of cultivation.

A soul beast nearing 6,000 years was incredibly close to a Soul Ancestor in strength; how was he, a mere Soul Grand Master, supposed to compare to a Soul Ancestor? With protagonist plot armor?

That belonged to Tang San, not him!

Besides, Tang Liu's practical combat experience was practically zero!

In that brief moment, the Mandala Snake launched another attack. To Tang Liu, its speed was like lightning, leaving him no time to react.

Fortunately, while under the effects of Ethereal Defense, he didn't need to worry too much about the snake's attacks for the time being, as neither its body nor its toxins could touch him.

"Is there any other way besides teleporting away?" Tang Liu frowned and asked internally.

Seeing that the Mandala Snake couldn't hit him, he wasn't as panicked anymore, and he didn't really want to disrupt the plan they had already agreed upon.

The nearby Mandala Snake, seeing that it couldn't land a hit, ceased its further movements and simply coiled to the side, watching him with predatory intent.

"If the host does not wish to leave, the only option is to fight. It is recommended that the host immediately leave multiple marks in the surrounding area, using the low soul power consumption of teleportation within 100 meters to maneuver around the Mandala Snake. Attempt to leave a mark on the Mandala Snake itself, then teleport it far away. During this time, please remember to maintain Ethereal Defense. After successfully sending the Mandala Snake away using this method, if the host encounters another soul beast attack, you will essentially have no ability to resist, with a mortality rate exceeding 80%. Additionally, Ethereal Defense will expire in 15 seconds; please calculate the time to replenish it."

While reading, Tang Liu prepared to cast Ethereal Defense based on the countdown in his mind.

When only two seconds remained on Ethereal Defense, he frantically began casting it on himself again. This way, after two seconds, he could regain a minute of ethereal status, minimizing the margin for error.

"Can I use the protection of Ethereal Defense to run outside the Soul Hunting Forest?" While communicating with the system, Tang Liu stood up, ready to take action.

The nearby Mandala Snake saw him move and immediately lunged, only to pass right through him again.

Tang Liu switched to his Third Martial Soul, the Haolan Spell, and immediately left a mark on the tree trunk behind him.

Although he had switched to his Third Martial Soul, the effect of Ethereal Defense remained on him; he only needed to switch back to the Ethereal Blue Silver Emperor and release his first soul skill when the time was right.

"It is recommended that the distance between each mark be no less than 25 meters and no more than 105 meters." The system offered advice while answering his question, "The people from Martial Soul Hall have not gone far. If the host rushes out with the Mandala Snake, the probability of being discovered exceeds 70%."

"Alright..."

Tang Liu glanced at the Mandala Snake nearby, calmed his emotions, then utilized the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to dash toward a tree fifty meters away.

Seeing him start to run, the Mandala Snake immediately gave chase. Given the speed difference, it caught up to Tang Liu in the blink of an eye, passing through him once more.

Tang Liu dared not slacken. After leaving a mark on the target tree, he switched back to the Ethereal Blue Silver Emperor and continuously cast his first soul skill on himself. Only after regaining a minute of ethereal status did he begin his journey of marking, acting with extreme caution.

Because the Mandala Snake was a soul beast of great patience that would not easily give up on a chosen prey, it stayed by Tang Liu's side, attacking from time to time, though it never hit him.

While marking the trees, Tang Liu kept chattering away at the Mandala Snake, though the snake offered no response.

"I say, Brother Snake, look, neither of us can hit the other. Why don't we take a step back? You go east, I go west, and we both keep moving forward without looking back. How about we just part ways here?"

"Although I am quite helpless regarding the current situation, I must thank you for your favor, Brother Snake. Thank you for being so persistent with me, but I really have no interest in you, so why must you be so entangled? Why not just let go? It would be better for everyone."

Just like that, by playing it safe, Tang Liu managed to leave marks on almost every tree in the area.

However, he had also consumed over twenty percent of his own soul power.

The Hao-Lan Mark did not consume soul power when placed; the drain he was experiencing was entirely due to Ethereal Defense.

During this time, it wasn't as if Tang Liu hadn't tried to leave a mark on the Mandala Snake, but every time he got slightly close, the snake would immediately dodge and attack, then reappear elsewhere. He couldn't even touch its tail. After several attempts, Tang Liu had to give up for the time being.

Fortunately, he hadn't been without gains after all this time. He could now achieve a seamless transition for Ethereal Defense, so he naturally abandoned the previous, trickier method.

"The host has basically finished marking. You may now begin attempting to teleport. It is recommended that the host teleport to a spot fifty meters behind the Mandala Snake."

Receiving the system's instruction, Tang Liu switched to his Third Martial Soul. His second blue-black soul ring flashed, and almost simultaneously, he vanished in a burst of blue-black light, reappearing in another flash of blue-black light fifty meters away.

A teleportation with zero time gap!

It was as if Tang Liu had been there all along.

Feeling the effect of the teleportation, Tang Liu wore an expression of shock.

"This soul skill... it's so strong!"

On the other side, the Mandala Snake, after a brief moment of shock and confusion, spotted Tang Liu, hissed, and arrived before him like a bolt of lightning.