Giant-Mouthed Snake, First Soul Ring!

Chapter 8: Giant-Mouthed Snake, First Soul Ring!

Soul Hunting Forest.

By the time Huo Si brought Chu Youwei and Long Weiguo into the Soul Hunting Forest, the sun was already setting behind the mountains, and evening was approaching.

However, Huo Si was not worried about encountering any trouble in the Soul Hunting Forest.

With the firepower in Chu Youwei and Long Weiguo's hands, they could not only clear a path through the entire forest, but they could also easily find the soul rings they needed without sustaining a single injury.

"Is this the place in the Douluo World where one primarily obtains soul rings to increase their strength?"

Chu Youwei looked at the massive trees surrounding them and the various animals scattering in all directions due to their arrival.

"How cute!"

A Four-Legged Spirit Snake darted past them.

"According to the research institute's studies on soul beasts, that Four-Legged Spirit Snake should only be a common ten-year soul beast with no lethality. It will actively avoid any humans, animals, or soul beasts larger than itself."

Recalling the data on serpentine soul beasts provided by the research institute, Chu Youwei gave her final assessment.

Bang!

Without the slightest hesitation, Long Weiguo raised the pistol in his hand and accurately struck the Four-Legged Spirit Snake just as it was about to escape into its burrow.

"The soul beasts in this world should all have unique properties. Even though it only has ten years of cultivation, it should still have research value."

Seeing the Four-Legged Spirit Snake killed, Long Weiguo watched the white soul ring rise and quickly stepped forward.

Seeing this, the corner of Huo Si's mouth twitched.

"Then why didn't you capture it alive?"

Long Weiguo was stunned. He picked up the palm-sized Four-Legged Spirit Snake and rubbed his head in embarrassment.

"Haha, I forgot."

Huo Si sighed. If you want to capture soul beasts, just go ahead. I'll just have you catch the ones you want to study and send them back once we're deeper in the forest.

"However..."

He looked at the carcass of the Four-Legged Spirit Snake in Long Weiguo's hand.

To be honest, after obtaining the Martial Soul Devouring Evolution Method, Huo Si had wanted to test it out.

He had wanted to try it back when they killed the group of people following them.

Unfortunately, his martial soul was too small; let alone eating them, it could barely swallow a single finger.

This palm-sized Four-Legged Spirit Snake was still a bit large for his martial soul.

But if he cut it into several pieces, perhaps...

His right hand brushed against the storage soul tool hanging at his waist, and Huo Si pulled out a dagger.

He proceeded to cut the Four-Legged Spirit Snake into several pieces.

Without a moment's hesitation, he summoned his martial soul.

"Hiss, hiss, hiss~!!!"

After the little snake appeared, it flicked its tongue repeatedly in Huo Si's hand. Seeing the chunks of meat, its eyes lit up, and it lunged forward, grabbing a large piece in its mouth.

"It really works?"

Huo Si couldn't help but feel a small surge of excitement. Although the Martial Soul Devouring Evolution Method was complete, it was only theoretical; his biggest fear was that his martial soul wouldn't be willing to open its mouth.

Now, it was willing to eat. As long as it was willing to eat and could keep it down, Huo Si could put the Martial Soul Devouring Evolution Method into practice.

The little snake swallowed the meat into its belly with a fierce gulp, its eyes glowing. A moment later, it began to coil its body.

Huo Si hurriedly followed the Martial Soul Devouring Evolution Method and retracted his martial soul.

The next instant, he felt a faint warmth surge within his body, and a subtle flow of soul power moved from his core to his limbs and bones.

"This feeling, this is the feeling!"

The soul power had successfully converted. Although it wasn't much, he could confirm that it was effective.

Huo Si hurriedly summoned his martial soul again, picking up the tail of the Four-Legged Spirit Snake with anticipation and excitement.

Hiss, hiss~!!

The little snake looked at Huo Si, then at the tail in front of it.

It understood Huo Si's intention and opened its mouth to continue devouring.

But soon, the drawback appeared: its body was too small. After eating a large chunk of meat, it couldn't eat any more. The tail was still hanging out, but because its belly was full, it couldn't swallow the rest no matter what.

"The body is too small, and digestion is too slow. At this rate, the conversion speed is too sluggish. It seems it's time to hurry up and find a soul ring to absorb."

Huo Si's eyes flickered.

"Search. Target: Giant-Mouthed Snake!"

Dispelling the white ten-year soul ring of the Four-Legged Spirit Snake, Huo Si led Chu Youwei and Long Weiguo deeper into the Soul Hunting Forest.

Awoo~!!!

In the center of the Soul Hunting Forest.

A piercing wolf howl instantly echoed through the air.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The next moment, a rapid burst of gunfire erupted from the center of the clearing.

The shrill, mournful wail was cut short in an instant.

"Century-level soul beasts are fast, but under absolute firepower, they are just as easily killed as those Great Soul Masters."

At this moment, Long Weiguo wore a specialized helmet, the dual tactical goggles mounted on it already activated.

They were set to night vision and thermal imaging, respectively.

In the face of technology, there was only one outcome for these soul beasts attempting an ambush: having their flesh torn apart by 7.62mm rounds.

Huo Si watched all of this quietly from behind.

He reached his right hand into his storage soul tool, pulled out a dagger, and tossed it directly to Chu Youwei.

"Go, process them. Roast the carcasses of those three century-level Gale Wolves."

"Century-level soul beast meat provides a significant amount of soul power; it will help build a solid foundation for you both."

As she caught the dagger, Chu Youwei's gaze lingered briefly on the small pouch at Huo Si's waist.

"Yes, sir."

Before long, a fire was crackling, and over it, the three century-level Gale Wolves, now perfectly skinned, were roasting.

With barbecue seasoning, pepper, chili, salt, and a layer of oil, the unique, savory aroma of the roast drifted far into the distance.

"It smells so good. Is this what soul beast meat is like? It's even more special than the meat from the world outside."

Long Weiguo used his knife to cut a hind leg for Huo Si, then divided the rest for Chu Youwei before cutting a hind leg for himself.

"Indeed, it's even better than the meat from the grasslands. You can even feel a warmth in your stomach after eating it."

As Chu Youwei ate, her eyes still drifted toward the pouch at Huo Si's waist from time to time.

Huo Si took a bite of the wolf meat, having already noticed Chu Youwei's glances multiple times.

With a sigh, he tossed the pouch directly to her.

"It's a storage soul tool, similar to the storage bags in novels. It has about a meter of space inside."

"It's quite strange, actually. An item that transcends this era shouldn't exist here."

"My theory is that either this world had a brilliant technological civilization in a previous era that was destroyed by a great war, leaving only a few soul tools behind."

"Or, this soul tool comes from... another continent across the sea."

According to Douluo history, soul tools and soul masters were supposed to appear and flourish only ten thousand years later, during the Peerless era, yet they already existed in the first era.

There were only two possibilities: either soul masters had existed in the history of the first era but vanished, or someone had already discovered the other continent and begun smuggling.

"An independent space!"

Chu Youwei took the storage bag and tried to open it, only to find she couldn't open it no matter what she did.

"Is it because I don't have soul power yet?"

"Pioneer, sir, I only want to know now: can our Dragon Kingdom independently manufacture these and produce them in batches?"

An independent space—it was even more powerful than certain nanotechnology. Why bother with nanotech if not for the lack of space?

Once an item with such supernatural power appeared, there would be no need to pursue miniaturization. Bringing this back to the Dragon Kingdom would elevate the nation's technology by a massive margin.

"It's possible. Theoretically, it is, but it requires soul power to sustain. Dismantling the core of a soul tool and mapping the soul patterns and soul threads required for operation is quite troublesome."

Theoretically, soul tools were just technology, but they required soul power to function.

Rustle, rustle!

Just as Huo Si was contemplating whether to have the Dragon Kingdom find a way to sail across the sea to contact the Sun Moon Empire and acquire the methods for crafting soul tools and the training steps for soul masters, the grass began to shake.

Long Weiguo, who had been gnawing on a wolf leg, suddenly dropped it. His left hand slammed against the two specialized goggles on his head, instantly activating night vision and thermal imaging. Without a moment's hesitation, he grabbed his pistol and pulled the trigger.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three bullets shot into the grass, followed by the crisp sound of metal striking metal.

"It's a big one, sir, watch out!"

Hiss!

The massive creature in the grass seemed to be enraged. With a hiss, it lunged out of the brush, heading straight for the wolf carcasses.

When the beast appeared, Huo Si's eyes lit up.

"Finally... you've arrived. It was worth hunting so many soul beasts just to lure you out!"

"This is... a Giant-Mouthed Snake!"

The moment Long Weiguo saw the target, his pupils contracted uncontrollably.

Chu Youwei instantly produced the data provided by the Research Institute.

"Target confirmed, species confirmed, age verification in progress... Visual estimate three point five meters, age five hundred years... Need careful measurement to lock in the precise age."

The physique of the Giant-Mouthed Snake differed from other snakes; for normal snakes, breaking the one-meter mark already indicated a century of age.

However, the Giant-Mouthed Snake relied on consumption, and being an incredibly gluttonous species with fast digestion and rapid soul power conversion, it grew quite quickly. Thus, at the same age, it was about three times larger than other snakes.

"Move!"

Huo Si decisively issued the order to attack.

Upon hearing Huo Si's words, Long Weiguo did not hesitate in the slightest and raised the handgun in his hand once more.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three shots, three shots precisely locked onto the head.

The Giant-Mouthed Snake hissed, its scales emitting a cold, metallic glint. The next instant, to Long Weiguo's shock, it deflected the handgun bullets using nothing but its scales.

Hiss!

The intense pain caused the Giant-Mouthed Snake to let out an angry hiss. The next moment, it shifted its massive body and lunged rapidly toward Long Weiguo.

"Grab the assault rifle! The handgun's caliber is too small!"

Huo Si spoke up hurriedly.

It was clear that this Giant-Mouthed Snake had exceeded five hundred years of age; let alone a handgun, even a Great Soul Master could not handle it easily.

Su Yuntao had not lied at all; a Giant-Mouthed Snake was indeed something one or two Great Soul Masters could not handle.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Following Huo Si's reminder, Long Weiguo did not hesitate and immediately switched to the assault rifle.

The bang-bang-bang of gunfire accompanied a stream of tracer fire. The 7.62mm bullets tore through the scales on the Giant-Mouthed Snake's body, ripping away large chunks of flesh, though its speed was severely hampered as a result.

By the time the magazine was spent, the Giant-Mouthed Snake's entire body had been shredded, and it completely lost the ability to move.

Long Weiguo panted heavily, his scalp tingling slightly as he watched the Giant-Mouthed Snake, which was still eyeing him with a vicious gaze.

"It's too tough, and this vitality is just too strong."

"This is on a completely different level from those packs of century-old Gale Wolves."

Long Weiguo decisively swapped magazines and kept watch on his surroundings.

"What a hearty battle."

Huo Si wore a smile, quickly stepped forward, then felt it was a bit unsafe and retreated to Long Weiguo's side.

"Let me borrow that."

Having said that, Huo Si snatched the assault rifle from Long Weiguo's hands.

Bang, bang, bang!

"Still not dead?"

Looking at the Giant-Mouthed Snake that was completely motionless on the ground, Huo Si decisively held the trigger down.

By the time the magazine was empty, the three-meter-long body of the Giant-Mouthed Snake had been severed into several pieces.

A deep yellow soul ring rose slowly, and only then did Huo Si toss the gun back to Long Weiguo.

"The first soul ring. I wonder if my martial soul can inherit the monstrous vitality of the Giant-Mouthed Snake after absorbing this."

Seeing that Huo Si was about to move toward the yellow soul ring, Chu Youwei could no longer sit still.

"Wait!"

Chu Youwei took a measuring tape from her backpack and looked at the corpse of the Giant-Mouthed Snake, which was now in several pieces, her mouth twitching uncontrollably.

"Elder Ke from the Research Institute said that you, Pioneer, can only absorb a soul ring of about five hundred years. You absolutely cannot exceed this limit, otherwise..."

Huo Si pushed Chu Youwei aside.

"What do you know? I saw it was only three point five meters; it's just five hundred years."

Huo Si would never admit that he had intentionally shredded its body, though naturally, Huo Si had no desire to seek his own death either.

He had observed it; this Giant-Mouthed Snake was indeed at the five-hundred-year mark. As for how many years over five hundred it was, who knew? Five hundred and ninety-nine years was still five hundred, after all.

He had indeed not exceeded the absorption limit set by the Research Institute.

"Ah, this..."

Chu Youwei hesitated. With the corpse shredded, she truly had no way to verify it.

Chu Youwei looked at the deep yellow soul ring and was certain that this Giant-Mouthed Snake was definitely not just five hundred years old as Huo Si claimed.

However, Huo Si held the highest status present, and even if she wanted to cite the Research Institute, the evidence had been destroyed.

"Alright, I know my own importance."

"Now I am going to absorb the soul ring. All you need to do is guard the perimeter and don't let any soul beasts attack me or interfere with my absorption."

Hearing this, Long Weiguo did not hesitate in the slightest, raised his gun, and scanned the surroundings.

"Yes!"

Huo Si looked at the Giant-Mouthed Snake's massive body and the deep yellow spirit ring upon it.

Huo Si hurriedly adjusted his physical condition to its peak and, following the steps for absorbing a spirit ring, slowly released his martial soul.

When the thumb-sized little snake appeared in his hand, it couldn't help but tremble all over upon seeing the Giant-Mouthed Snake's immense size.

"White Snake, White Snake, don't be afraid. One day you will be bigger than it, you will grow into a great terror, and eating it will be like eating a spicy snack."

He sat cross-legged and, utilizing his spirit power, slowly guided the deep yellow spirit ring above the Giant-Mouthed Snake's head.

The moment the Giant-Mouthed Snake's deep yellow spirit ring was pulled by his spirit power and slowly appeared above Huo Si's head:

BANG!

A powerful surge of spirit power erupted instantly.

The White Snake looked at Huo Si, who was absorbing the spirit ring, then at the motionless Giant-Mouthed Snake, and, casting aside all its fear, slowly stepped forward to begin devouring the flesh of the Giant-Mouthed Snake.

Chu Youwei kept her gaze fixed firmly on Huo Si, terrified that some accident might befall him.

Long Weiguo also turned his head to look over from time to time.

The next instant, a scene that shocked both of them appeared.

The White Snake's body was slowly growing larger. From its initial thumb-size, as it devoured the flesh of the Giant-Mouthed Snake and Huo Si absorbed the spirit ring, it gradually grew to two fingers, three fingers, five fingers, the size of a fist, and finally reached the size of an arm.

Its length was also slowly extending. Just as it was about to break through one meter, the White Snake, which had been eating the flesh, stiffened. A flash of confusion crossed its large pupils, and the next instant, dense white cracks appeared all over its body.

"Oh no!!!"