Next, he pulled two ropes from his belt. With practiced movements, he folded and bound his thigh and calf, hoping to cut off the circulation.
Yu Xiaogang had given him the belt on their way here. It was a Storage Soul Tool called Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges.
That still wasn't enough. Tang San raised the sword in his hand, gritted his teeth, and drove it hard into the bite on his calf.
A gush of dark, murky blood, visibly mixed with countless black threads, spurted out. When it splashed onto the grass around them, the blades were instantly eaten through, and their stems snapped.
Even the ground hissed, bubbling up in countless frothy blisters.
Tang San's heart jolted at the sight. The poison was far more potent than even the most dangerous poison he'd anticipated. It could already be called a poison that killed at the slightest touch.
Pain scattered his pupils, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead. Yet his arms didn't tremble, and he didn't pull his calf away. He kept his muscles relaxed, forcing himself not to tense up.
With two consecutive slashes, he cut a cross-shaped wound deep enough to expose the bone, making the opening as wide as possible.
He clasped both hands around his calf and squeezed downward from the knee, trying to force out all the poisoned blood.
But even after three attempts, the blood still hadn't turned completely red.
Just then, Big Shit's voice rang out, filled with shock and terror.
"Oh, heavens! It's a Silver Shuttle Snake! How could such a terrifying creature appear in a beginner Soul Hunting Forest? And in the outer ten-year zone, no less?"
The moment he saw the Silver Shuttle Snake, the man collapsed onto the ground on his backside.
His heart nearly stopped, and his face turned deathly pale in an instant.
But fear left him no time to hesitate.
His arm trembling, he hurriedly pulled a large glass bottle from the Soul Tool on his wrist and began frantically scattering the Snake Repellent Powder inside as if it cost nothing.
A moment later, he saw that the snake seemed to have been intimidated by the powder and was staying put. His disciple had also finished treating his wound.
Only then did he force himself to keep showing off:
"Silver Shuttle Snakes are predators among Soul Beasts. They're incredibly fast and have a terrifyingly poisonous blood toxin.
"It causes horrific damage to Soul Power, muscles, bones, and all the internal organs, especially the liver and kidneys.
"They prefer hunting large Soul Beasts or ones with especially tenacious life force. After poisoning their prey, they slither through its blood vessels to the heart and suck out its blood."
Tang San had no interest in hearing this lecture just then. He hurriedly cut him off:
"Teacher, do you know how to treat its poison?"
Yu Xiaogang's face stiffened, and his voice dropped several notches.
"There are detoxification pills in the Soul Tool. Take two. They should help a little."
Tang San's face darkened.
"What do you mean, 'they should help a little'?"
"Explain to me what you mean by 'should'!"
"If they 'should' work, then they don't work, do they?"
"These are general-purpose detoxification pills. They can only neutralize the most common toxins, such as those from eating poisonous mushrooms by mistake or drinking dirty water. They can also give your body a little resistance.
"But Silver Shuttle Snake venom is a special toxin. You need an antidote made specifically for it, or a detoxification Soul Skill from a support-type Soul Master."
Tang San's spirits sank, turning icy cold.
He'd reacted fast enough and precisely enough. He'd done everything he was supposed to, and acted ruthlessly, yet still hadn't stopped the poison from spreading.
In such a short time, his entire calf had gone completely numb, as if it didn't exist.
And in a place like this, there wasn't another soul in sight. Where was he supposed to find a support-type Soul Master?
A specialized antidote was even less likely. There were all kinds of poisonous creatures in the forest. Who would come prepared for just one kind?
Staring blankly at the sky as it gradually darkened, Sanzi felt a bitter ache in his heart.
Could my life really end like this?
No. I still have to make the Tang Sect and Hidden Weapons thrive.
Should I just cut off my whole leg?
Yu Xiaogang was also racking his brain.
After pondering for a few seconds, he suddenly said:
"Wait. Maybe there's another way?"
"Teacher, tell me quickly."
"You could absorb the Silver Shuttle Snake's Soul Ring.
"Once you absorb its Soul Ring, you'll gain some resistance to its venom. Your Blue Silver Grass will also carry the Silver Shuttle Snake's venom, allowing you to use your Martial Soul to draw the poison out of your body.
"The only problem is that the Silver Shuttle Snake is over a meter long. It should be more than five hundred years old."
Gangzi had meant to say that he couldn't possibly defeat a five-hundred-year Soul Beast. But before he could finish, Tang San, overjoyed, slammed his head heavily onto the ground and interrupted him.
"Teacher, I know that according to your theory, the maximum limit for the First Soul Ring is only four hundred and twenty-three years.
"But if I don't absorb it now, I'll die. And I'm different from everyone else. Maybe I can withstand it.
"Please hunt it for me, Teacher. As long as I survive, from now on I'll respect and care for you like my own father.
"No, you are my real father. My dad does nothing but drink himself into a stupor and sleep. I even have to cook all the meals. It's you who's given me a father's care. I'd rather not have him."
Gangzi was completely stunned, his eyes wide as saucers.
"Kid, do you even know who your father is? How can you say such things so carelessly?"
Still, Sanzi's words reminded Yu Xiaogang that if anything happened to Tang San, the Clear Sky Douluo would never forgive him.
He had already seen his disciple's Second Martial Soul, the Clear Sky Hammer, and had also heard the name Tang Hao from him. He was certain.
He swallowed the rest of what he'd been about to say and nodded stiffly.
"All right, then."
Yu Xiaogang carefully rose to his feet. He unconsciously swallowed, and before he'd even moved, his legs were shaking like sieves.
His heart pounded like a war drum, and his breathing grew quick and heavy.
He'd wanted to act calm and collected, to uphold the dignity of a teacher. But his body was telling the truth.
If it were a three-hundred- or two-hundred-year Soul Beast, he might have had a chance of fighting it. But five hundred years was completely beyond his abilities.
Soul Beasts underwent a minor transformation at four hundred and seven hundred years. A five-hundred-year beast was on a completely different level from a three-hundred-year one.
And it was a speed-type, which thoroughly countered Luo Sanpao.
He was just about to step forward when he suddenly paused. He took two masks from his Soul Tool, put one on, and tossed the other to his disciple.
"Xiao San, put this on. My Soul Skill is a little unusual."
Seeing this, Tang San felt a vague sense of foreboding.
Why does Teacher look like he has no combat experience at all?
Still, he urged him on:
"Teacher, hurry. I can't hold on much longer."
"All right."
Death was death either way. Facing the Silver Shuttle Snake was still better than facing the Clear Sky Douluo.
Grinding his teeth, Gangzi set off with Luo Sanpao. He held the glass bottle of Snake Repellent Powder in his left hand and a gleaming, cold-edged sword in his right.
As the enemy approached, the Silver Shuttle Snake remained completely still. Instead, it tilted its head, a distinctly human look of confusion in its eyes.
What does this human want?
Before you continue