Soul Hunting Forest, Mandala Snake!

Xiao Wu's mouth fell open, and she could no longer find anything to say in rebuttal.

Yesterday, before she had condensed her soul ring, she had indeed attacked Yun Tian's defenses with all her strength. That layer of earth elemental power had covered his entire body, and no matter how she struck, she could not move him.

Although she now had the support of a hundred-year soul ring, she had even used Waist Bow just now, yet he had not moved so much as a foot.

The gap seemed... even wider.

"Alright, alright, get up." Yun Tian extended a hand toward her.

Xiao Wu looked at that hand, hesitated for two seconds, then reluctantly took it.

Yun Tian gave a slight pull and tugged her up from the ground.

After steadying herself, Xiao Wu rubbed the egg-sized bump on the back of her head and sucked in a sharp breath, baring her teeth in pain.

"Just you wait. When I cultivate to level twenty... hmph!"

"By the time you reach level twenty, I'll already be level thirty." Yun Tian mercilessly drove the knife in deeper.

Xiao Wu stomped her foot in anger, but there was nothing she could do.

She could only secretly grit her teeth to herself.

Sooner or later, she would get even!

Sister Xiao Wu could take anything, except a loss!

But... that Earth Tiger Armor just now had been so cool.

Xiao Wu secretly glanced at Yun Tian, who had returned to normal after putting away the Earth Shadow Stone. In her mind, she was still replaying the imposing tiger-headed armor.

The pressure of a beast's bloodline that seeped from deep within the armor made even her hundred-thousand-year soul beast instincts tremble faintly.

Just what was that Earth Tiger?

She had a feeling that the secret hidden within that Earth Shadow Stone was likely far greater than that of herself, a hundred-thousand-year Soft-Boned Rabbit.

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

A thin mist hung over the Soul Hunting Forest in the early morning.

Towering ancient trees blocked out most of the daylight. Only scattered rays of sunlight filtered through the gaps between branches and leaves, casting mottled patches of light across the humus-covered ground.

The air was mixed with the smells of soil, moss, and some kind of beast droppings. Every now and then, one or two low growls from unknown soul beasts sounded from deep within the dense forest, shrouding the entire woodland in a primitive, deadly atmosphere.

Tang San followed behind Yu Xiaogang, his steps light and steady.

This was his first time entering the Soul Hunting Forest, but disciples of the Tang Sect had cultivated in the mountains and wilderness from childhood, so he was no stranger to forest environments.

As he walked, he carefully observed his surroundings, silently committing every plant and every beast track they encountered to memory.

Yu Xiaogang walked ahead, holding a plump little earth-yellow beast in his arms.

It was his martial soul, Luo Sanpao. It had only two yellow hundred-year soul rings and looked completely harmless as it lay dozing on his arm.

"Tang San, the soul beasts on the outskirts of the Soul Hunting Forest are generally between ten and a hundred years old, suitable for beginners like you who have just awakened their martial souls to obtain soul rings."

As Yu Xiaogang walked, he said, "I've picked out a suitable soul beast for you, around two hundred years old. It should allow your Blue Silver Grass to gain a decent soul skill."

Tang San nodded. "I will follow Teacher's arrangements."

The two traveled through the forest for nearly half an hour. Along the way, they encountered several ten-year-old wild rabbits and tree frogs, but Yu Xiaogang did not let Tang San make a move, saying only that those soul beasts were unworthy of his innate full soul power talent.

It was not until they reached a relatively open clearing in the woods that Yu Xiaogang suddenly stopped.

"Wait."

He raised a hand to signal Tang San to halt, his gaze fixed on a dense clump of shrubs ahead.

The leaves of those shrubs were trembling slightly. The movement was small, but its frequency was highly unusual.

It did not seem to be caused by the wind. Rather, it seemed as though something was lurking beneath them, slowly slithering about.

Tang San quietly activated his Purple Demon Eye, a trace of violet flashing deep within his pupils.

Through the gaps in the shrubs, he vaguely saw a section of body covered in dark green scales, as thick as an adult's arm, winding through the grass.

"Teacher, that is..."

Yu Xiaogang's expression changed.

"A Mandala Snake..."

His voice was low, carrying obvious gravity. "Judging by its size, it has at least three hundred years of cultivation. Tang San, fall back. Its venom is extremely potent. One bite can even disperse your soul power."

Before he could finish speaking, the shrubs abruptly exploded apart.

A dark green giant snake nearly four meters long shot out of the grass. Its triangular head rose high, its crimson forked tongue flickering rapidly through the air, while a pair of cold vertical pupils locked tightly onto the two humans before it.

Its entire body was covered in dense scales that glimmered with a ghostly green chill beneath the dim sunlight. Rings of dark yellow markings circled its belly, and with every slither, it left a slick trail of mucus across the ground.

A four-hundred-year Mandala Snake.

Yu Xiaogang's pupils contracted sharply.

He had misjudged it. This snake's cultivation was far beyond three hundred years, having reached at least four hundred.

A soul beast of this level already possessed considerable aggression, and Mandala Snakes were known for their speed. Within a forest environment, they were practically among the most troublesome soul beasts of the same rank.

"Luo Sanpao!"

Yu Xiaogang tossed the little beast in his arms into the air. Luo Sanpao's plump body flipped once in midair, and when it landed, it had already expanded to half a human's size.

Two soul rings rose from beneath its feet, glowing with soul power.

"Fart like thunder—Thunderous Earth-Shattering Luo Sanpao!"

Luo Sanpao turned its rear toward the charging Mandala Snake. A deafening boom erupted from behind it, and a mass of earth-yellow gas carrying a soul power shockwave blasted fiercely toward the snake's head.

The Mandala Snake's body stalled from that fart blast, its head rearing back slightly, but it was only delayed for an instant.

It quickly regained its balance, the ferocity in its vertical pupils intensifying. With a twist of its body, it circled around Luo Sanpao from the front and lunged toward Yu Xiaogang at incredible speed.

Yu Xiaogang's expression tightened as he once again commanded Luo Sanpao to fire a second shot.

But the Mandala Snake was too fast. During the brief gap as Luo Sanpao turned around for the second time, the snake had already darted along the ground to Yu Xiaogang's feet.

It suddenly raised its head and launched itself forward. Its fangs flashed with a ghostly blue chill as they sank viciously into Luo Sanpao's front leg.

"Wuu!!"

Luo Sanpao let out a pained wail. The glow of soul power around its body abruptly dimmed, and its size rapidly shrank as it transformed into a streak of light and burrowed back into Yu Xiaogang's body.

Yu Xiaogang grunted. Luo Sanpao had been injured, and he was affected as well, his face instantly turning pale.

He staggered back two steps and braced himself against a tree trunk. He saw that the Mandala Snake had already turned around and locked onto him once more.

"Tang San, run! This snake isn't something you can handle!" he shouted through gritted teeth.

Tang San did not leave.

He stood where he was, the violet in his eyes growing ever deeper.

The Purple Demon Eye slowed every movement of the Mandala Snake within his field of vision.

The path of its twisting body, the rhythm of its muscles contracting, the timing of its tongue flickering—no detail escaped his eyes.

His hand had already reached toward his waist.