Five-Thousand-Year Mandala Snake

But just then, before Tang Liu had even caught his breath, he received another prompt from the system.

"Ding! Host, prepare for battle. A 5,800-year Mandala Snake is approaching and is expected to arrive in five seconds. It is recommended that the host immediately use Ethereal Defense and Teleportation to leave!"

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

Almost the instant the Blue Silver Emperor grass blades curled back, a purple figure passed straight through him and stopped not far away.

Tang Liu watched as the Mandala Snake raised its head high, his gaze fixed warily on the bud-like bulge atop its head.

A thousand-year Mandala Snake, whether in speed or venom, was dozens of times stronger than the hundred-year Mandala Snake Tang San had hunted!

Although Tang Liu was now level 23, defeating a Mandala Snake with cultivation close to six thousand years was practically impossible.

A Soul Beast nearing six thousand years was already incomparably close to a Soul Ancestor among Soul Masters. What could Tang Liu, a Soul Grandmaster, use to compete with a Soul Ancestor? Plot armor?

That belonged to Tang San, not him!

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

In that brief moment, the Mandala Snake launched another attack at Tang Liu. To him, it was as swift as lightning, leaving him no time to react.

Fortunately, while Ethereal Defense was active, he did not need to worry too much about the Mandala Snake's attacks for the moment. Neither its body nor its venom could touch him.

"Other than Teleportation, is there another way?" Tang Liu frowned and asked inwardly.

Seeing that the Mandala Snake could not attack him for the time being, he was no longer so panicked. Besides, he did not want to disrupt the plan they had discussed earlier.

Seeing that it could not strike Tang Liu, the Mandala Snake made no further moves. It merely coiled nearby, staring at him hungrily.

"If the host does not wish to leave, then battle is the only option. It is recommended that the host immediately leave multiple marks in the surrounding area. Use the low Soul Power consumption of Teleportation within one hundred meters to maneuver around the Mandala Snake, and try to leave a mark on it whenever possible. Then Teleport it far enough away. During this process, please remember to maintain Ethereal Defense. After successfully sending the Mandala Snake away using this method, if the host encounters another Soul Beast attack, the host will basically no longer have the ability to resist. The probability of death will exceed 80%. Additionally, Ethereal Defense has fifteen seconds remaining. Please calculate the timing for renewal."

As he read, Tang Liu prepared to cast Ethereal Defense again by following the countdown in his mind.

When Ethereal Defense had only two seconds remaining, he began frantically casting Ethereal Defense on himself. This way, after those two seconds passed, he could regain one minute of ethereal state and minimize the chance of mistakes.

"Then can I run outside Soul Hunting Forest under the protection of Ethereal Defense?" While speaking with the system in his mind, Tang Liu stood up and prepared to act.

Seeing him move, the Mandala Snake immediately lunged at him, only to pass through his body once more.

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

Although he had switched to his Third Martial Soul, Ethereal Defense still remained in effect. He only needed to switch back to the Ethereal Blue Silver Emperor when the time was right and cast the first Soul Skill again.

"It is recommended that the distance between each mark not be less than twenty-five meters or more than one hundred and five meters." The system offered its advice before answering his question. "The people from Spirit Hall have not gone far. If the host leads the Mandala Snake out, the probability of being discovered will exceed 70%."

"Fine..."

Tang Liu glanced at the Mandala Snake not far away, steadied his emotions, then used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and ran toward a tree fifty meters away.

Seeing him run, the Mandala Snake immediately chased after him. With the gap in their speed, it caught up to Tang Liu in the blink of an eye and passed through him again.

Tang Liu did not dare slack off. After leaving a mark on the target tree, he switched back to the Ethereal Blue Silver Emperor and repeatedly cast the first Soul Skill on himself. Only after gaining another minute of ethereal state did he begin his marking journey. He was being exceptionally cautious.

Because the Mandala Snake was an extremely patient Soul Beast that would not easily give up prey it had set its sights on, it remained beside Tang Liu, occasionally attacking him, though it could not hit him.

As Tang Liu marked the trees, he also kept talking to the Mandala Snake, though it naturally gave no response.

"Brother Snake, neither of us can hit the other. How about we each take a step back? You go east, I go west, and we keep moving without looking back. Let's turn around and part ways here, alright?"

"Although I'm quite helpless about the current situation, I still have to thank you, Brother Snake, for taking such a liking to me. Thank you for being so persistent, but I really have no interest in you. Why keep entangling yourself like this? Let go. It'll be better for everyone."

And so, by playing it safe, Tang Liu eventually left marks on nearly all the trees in this area.

However, he had also consumed more than twenty percent of his Soul Power.

Among that, Hao-Lan Mark did not consume Soul Power when marking. All the Soul Power he had used so far had been spent on Ethereal Defense.

During this time, it was not as though Tang Liu had not tried to leave a mark on the Mandala Snake. But every time he got even slightly closer, the Mandala Snake would immediately dodge away and attack him, then appear elsewhere. He could not even touch its tail. After several attempts, Tang Liu had no choice but to give up for the time being.

Fortunately, he had not gained nothing during this time. Now, he could maintain Ethereal Defense seamlessly, so he naturally abandoned the earlier trick he had used.

"The host has basically completed the marking process and may now begin attempting Teleportation. It is currently recommended that the host Teleport to fifty meters behind the Mandala Snake."

Following the system's instructions, Tang Liu switched to his Third Martial Soul. Then, his second blue-black Soul Ring lit up, and almost simultaneously, he vanished amid a burst of blue-black light before appearing almost at the same instant in another burst of blue-black light fifty meters away.

Teleportation without the slightest gap in time!

It was as though Tang Liu had been standing there from the start.

Tang Liu's face was filled with shock as he experienced the effects of Teleportation.

"This Soul Skill... is so powerful!"

After a brief moment of shock and confusion, the Mandala Snake on the other side discovered Tang Liu. With a hiss, it arrived before him like lightning.