Datura Snake, Tang San's Death Battle

"Don't move."

Yu Xiaogang stretched out an arm to stop Tang San, though the back of his hand was trembling. "A Datura Snake. Its cultivation isn't low."

Tang San stared at those icy yellow snake eyes, his right hand already gripping his dagger. "Teacher, is this the spirit beast we were looking for?"

"Yes."

Yu Xiaogang swallowed, his eyes fixed on the patterns along the snake's body. "But this one exceeds expectations. At least four hundred years."

Tang San did not retreat. "Teacher, the limit for a first spirit ring is four hundred and twenty-three years."

"That's the theoretical limit."

Yu Xiaogang turned to him. "Don't think about that right now. Survive first."

The Datura Snake gave them no chance to keep discussing.

Its tail swept across the ground, sending dead branches and broken stones flying into the campfire. Sparks scattered, and the campsite instantly descended into chaos.

Yu Xiaogang immediately shouted, "Sanpao, attack its eyes!"

Luo Sanpao puffed out his belly and charged forward.

"Fart like thunder—Heaven-Shattering Earth-Rending Luo Sanpao!"

A yellow blast surged toward the snake's head.

The Datura Snake tilted its head, and the poisonous gas scraped past its scales. Its tail then swept sideways, striking Luo Sanpao directly.

Luo Sanpao flew into a tree trunk. Yu Xiaogang groaned as well, his expression turning ugly.

Tang San rushed over to support him. "Teacher!"

Yu Xiaogang shoved him away. "Don't worry about me—the snake venom!"

The Datura Snake opened its mouth and spewed out a cloud of poisonous mist. Blades of grass blackened rapidly upon contact.

Tang San grabbed Yu Xiaogang and dragged him backward while firing sleeve arrows in rapid succession.

With several clinks, the sleeve arrows struck the snake's scales, leaving only faint marks.

Yu Xiaogang clutched his arm, the skin already turning purple. "Aim for the eyes, seven inches below the head, or inside its mouth. Its outer scales are too hard!"

Tang San nodded. Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track unfolded beneath his feet as he shifted positions around the tree trunks.

The Datura Snake followed his movements, its massive body crushing through the campfire and pressing blackened charcoal into the mud.

Ji Yuan, hidden in the sole of a shoe, kept his senses firmly locked onto the snake's vital energy.

Four hundred years.

Its venom, resilience, and vitality were all rich enough.

But he did not make a move.

Tang San had not reached his limit yet.

As Tang San dodged, he threw Bone-Piercing Needles at the snake's eyes.

Forced back, the Datura Snake raised its head, its tongue flickering as its attacks grew more frantic.

Leaning against a tree, Yu Xiaogang gritted his teeth and shouted, "Tang San, don't let it pin you down! A Datura Snake has greater endurance than you!"

Tang San replied, "Teacher, can a dagger pierce its mouth?"

"It can, but getting close to its mouth is suicide!"

Tang San did not answer. He spun around the tree trunk, Blue Silver Grass shooting from his palm to wrap around a branch beside the snake's head.

Using it for leverage, he leaped into the air and dodged the sweep of its tail. Hidden weapons fired repeatedly from his sleeve, forcing the Datura Snake to open its mouth and bite at him.

Ji Yuan watched coldly.

Not bad.

This blood bag truly deserved to be called the child of destiny. He did not even have his first spirit ring, yet he had managed to contend with a four-hundred-year spirit beast for this long.

The stronger, the better.

Tang San's foot slipped as he landed. The mud churned up by the wolf pack earlier threw him off balance, and the Datura Snake seized the opening, its head skimming close to the ground as it shot toward him.

Tang San held his dagger across his chest, but the snake's head sent him flying. His back slammed into a tree trunk, and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

Yu Xiaogang anxiously tried to stand, but the venom weakened his legs and he fell back down.

"Tang San, retreat! Retreat to my side!"

Tang San braced himself against the tree and stood up. "Teacher, you've been poisoned. You can't retreat."

Yu Xiaogang snapped, "I told you to retreat, not play the hero!"

Tang San wiped the blood from his mouth, his eyes growing even more resolute. "If we can't retreat, then we kill it."

Ji Yuan sneered from inside the sole.

Easy to say.

You needed the strength to kill it before you had the right to say that.

The Datura Snake spat poison again. Tang San held his breath and retreated, but the toxic mist slipped in along his collar. His movements began to slow, and even the short blade in his hand grew unsteady.

The Mysterious Heaven Skill surged wildly through his body, trying to suppress the poison.

Ji Yuan took the opportunity to siphon off a small amount of his inner strength, making Tang San's stamina drain even faster.

If he squeezed him dry, there would be nothing left to extract.

Tang San's face went pale, and a heavy sensation spread through his left palm.

The phantom of the Clear Sky Hammer stirred restlessly within his sleeve.

He gritted his teeth and pressed down on his left hand. "I can't use it."

Seeing his movement, Yu Xiaogang cried anxiously, "Don't touch the martial soul in your left hand!"

Tang San panted. "I know."

The Datura Snake ignored them. It coiled its body, gathered strength, then lunged straight at Tang San.

Tang San used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to evade the frontal attack, but the snake's tail grazed his calf, sending him sprawling to one side.

The short blade flew from his hand and skidded across the mud.

The color drained from Yu Xiaogang's face. "The knife—get the knife first!"

By the time Tang San scrambled up, the Datura Snake had already positioned itself between him and the short blade.

Its icy yellow eyes stared at him. Black-green venom dripped from its fangs, corroding small pits into the soil.

Tang San pulled out a spare dagger from his belt.

This dagger was much shorter than the short blade, making it even harder to stab into the snake's vital point.

Yu Xiaogang coughed up black blood. "Tang San, don't fight it head-on. Circle around the trees and wait for it to expose its belly!"

"It won't give me the chance," Tang San replied.

"Then create one!"

Bracing himself against a tree trunk, Yu Xiaogang forcibly summoned Luo Sanpao back.

Luo Sanpao swayed as it rose to its feet, its belly swelling a little more.

Tang San understood immediately. "Teacher, can you still make Sanpao attack?"

Yu Xiaogang's face had turned bluish-green. "He can only help you block one attack."

Tang San looked at him. "That's enough."

The Datura Snake lunged again.

Yu Xiaogang gritted his teeth and barked, "Sanpao!"

Luo Sanpao charged at the snake's head, but before it could fully release its soul skill, the Datura Snake bit into its back and flung it away.

Yu Xiaogang spat out blood on the spot, his body collapsing to one side.

The emotion in Tang San's eyes darkened. Taking advantage of the instant the Datura Snake shook its head, he rushed to the side of its body and drove his dagger toward its vital point.

The dagger slipped into a gap between the scales, but failed to penetrate deeply.

In pain, the Datura Snake twisted its body. Its tail coiled around Tang San's waist and abdomen, then hurled him into a tree trunk.

Tang San slammed into the trunk, the air crushed from his lungs. The dagger fell from his hand as well.

Ji Yuan sensed Tang San's condition.

His inner strength was nearly depleted.

The poison was spreading.

His bones were unbroken, and his heart meridians could still hold on.

He could push him a little further.

Tang San knelt in the mud, one hand braced against the ground as he spat out blood tinged with black.

The Datura Snake opened its mouth, and toxic mist mixed with a foul stench rushed toward him.

Yu Xiaogang lay not far away, no longer able to form complete words. He could only raise a hand and point toward the snake's mouth.

Tang San understood.

Inside the snake's mouth.

That was its final weak point.

He reached for his belt and pulled out the short blade, but his fingers had already gone numb, and the hilt nearly slipped from his grasp.

Ji Yuan clung to the sole of his shoe against his foot, calculating coldly.

If he didn't take over now, this blood bag would rot in the snake's belly.

Tang San forced himself to stand, his steps unsteady, his gaze fixed on the snake's mouth.

When the Datura Snake lunged, he did not retreat. Instead, he charged straight into its open jaws.

He raised the short blade, channeling the remaining inner strength of the Mysterious Heaven Skill into his arm.

Yu Xiaogang struggled and shouted, "Tang San!"

Tang San heard him, but he did not look back.

He wagered all his strength on this strike.

But the Datura Snake was faster. Its venomous fangs were already before him, and its rancid, scorching breath made his vision go dark.

Ji Yuan finally moved.

The spores lodged at the edge of Tang San's mind tightened at once, pain stabbing through his nerves and deep into his consciousness.

Tang San's knife-wielding hand suddenly stopped feeling like his own.

He tried to cry out in shock and fury, but he could not even control his lips.

Ji Yuan gave him no room to struggle. The brief deprivation of consciousness fully unfolded.

Tang San's eyes lost focus, yet his body did not fall.

The next moment, he raised his head again. Nothing remained in his eyes but greed and brutality.