Golden-armored Dragon Lizard

Zhang Fei was knocked backward, sliding two or three meters. His arms went numb and sore, as if they had been struck hard twice by an iron hammer.

But the Iron-backed Tusked Boar did not come out unscathed either.

Its massive body was forcibly stopped mid-charge, its head forced upward by Zhang Fei's braced arms. Its heavy body staggered back several steps.

"Cough..." Zhang Fei shook his numb arms. "Not bad, old pig. You've got some strength."

The Iron-backed Tusked Boar shook its head twice, seeming a little dazed, but its fury only grew greater than before.

It gathered itself again and launched a second charge at Zhang Fei.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Man and beast collided another four or five times.

She Long, standing behind them, could not bear to watch any longer and drawled, "Charging is what an Iron-backed Tusked Boar does best. And what is your greatest advantage? That thick, hard tail of yours—is it just for decoration?"

"...You could've said that earlier, Grandpa."

Zhang Fei turned and rolled his eyes at him.

With virtually no real combat experience, he immediately came up with a plan. Didn't pythons rely on their immense strength to coil around and strangle their prey to death?

At the same time, the Iron-backed Tusked Boar charged at him again with a low growl.

This time, Zhang Fei did not meet it with his arms. He lowered his center of gravity, and his serpent tail suddenly swept sideways, striking the Iron-backed Tusked Boar's front leg with a whistling gust of wind.

His thick, scaled tail came crashing down with tremendous force. With a sharp snap, the Iron-backed Tusked Boar's front leg gave way. Its massive body pitched forward, its charge forcibly interrupted, and its entire body staggered sideways.

But before it could get back up, Zhang Fei's serpent tail had already coiled around it.

The golden-scaled tail wrapped around the Iron-backed Tusked Boar's torso like a giant python, passing beneath its belly before curling back along its spine.

One loop, two loops, three loops. The thick serpent tail bound the Iron-backed Tusked Boar tightly, squeezing harder and harder, the crushing pressure between its scales carrying the terrifying strength bestowed by martial soul possession.

The Iron-backed Tusked Boar let out a piercing, muffled howl, its four hooves thrashing wildly in the air.

But Zhang Fei's serpent tail only tightened further, compressing its chest until a series of cracking bone sounds rang out.

The Iron-backed Tusked Boar's howls became shorter and weaker, and its struggles gradually diminished.

Zhang Fei held his breath as well. Veins bulged on his forehead, and his teeth ground together with a creak.

After a while, the Iron-backed Tusked Boar stopped struggling completely. Its four hooves hung limply, its heavy head drooping onto the fallen leaves, and its chest fell silent.

Then, above the Iron-backed Tusked Boar's corpse, a white soul ring slowly rose.

Only then did Zhang Fei slowly release his serpent tail and withdraw from his martial soul possession state.

The golden scale patterns faded layer by layer from his skin, his slit pupils returned to round ones, and his serpent tail changed back into two legs.

He stood there, panting for quite a while, his chest heaving violently as sweat streamed down his body.

"How does it feel?" She Long walked over and looked him over.

Zhang Fei raised his head and grinned. "Better than I expected. I actually beat a fifty-year-old pig."

(At that moment, a fifty-year-old, twenty-ninth-rank Great Soul Master far away at Nording Junior Academy sneezed.)

She Long raised a hand and smacked the back of his head. "A fifty-year-old pig wore you out like this? Wait until you see real draconic soul beasts that are several hundred years old. Let's see if you can still smile then."

Zhang Fei rubbed the back of his head and chuckled, offering no rebuttal.

She Long glanced at him and said nothing more, merely turning around and continuing onward.

Zhang Fei hurried after him. Suddenly, the forest did not seem quite so nerve-racking anymore, and his steps were much steadier than when he had arrived.

For five days, She Long led Zhang Fei around the outer reaches of Sunset Forest.

They traveled at sunrise and rested at sunset.

Although the forest was fraught with danger, with a Titled Douluo protecting him, Zhang Fei slept soundly every night.

Along the way, they encountered several soul beasts: a three-hundred-year-old Iron-armored Lizard and a five-hundred-plus-year-old Earth Dragon Crocodile. Both were draconic species, but their cultivation was too low.

It was not until the morning of the sixth day, after the two had followed a dried-up stream valley upward for about half an hour, that the view ahead suddenly opened up, revealing a towering cliff face.

At the foot of the cliff lay a huge creature, motionless.

It was an enormous lizard nearly four meters long, entirely covered in dark golden scales, each one the size of a palm.

A serrated bony ridge rose along its back, stretching from the top of its head all the way to the tip of its tail.

Its limbs were short yet exceptionally sturdy. Its claws were deeply embedded in the ground, crushing the loose rocks beneath it to powder. Its strength was clearly astounding.

The Golden-armored Dragon Lizard was an exceptionally vicious draconic soul beast, possessing immense strength and defense.

Even lying there without moving, it exuded a heavy pressure that made Zhang Fei's back tighten.

"It's almost eight hundred years old, just right." She Long crouched beside him and spoke softly. "The Golden-armored Dragon Lizard's defense and strength are extremely formidable. You can't withstand it. I'll subdue it first. Then use your spear to stab it in the eye."

Zhang Fei nodded and took a deep breath. He loosely gripped the air with his right hand, and with a thought, the pitch-black Eight-Foot Serpent Spear slowly formed in his palm.

This was the first time he had summoned this weapon martial soul since awakening it. The moment the spear landed in his hand, its heavy weight forced him to grip it tightly with both hands.

She Long glanced at him, then his figure flickered and vanished from where he stood.

Zhang Fei barely saw how he moved. He only heard a sharp whistle tearing through the air as a bluish-purple streak cut through the dim forest. The tip of She Long's spear precisely struck the side of the Golden-armored Dragon Lizard's neck.

How fierce was a Titled Douluo's strike? The dark golden scales the creature took such pride in shattered beneath the spear tip like paper, and blood sprayed out.

If She Long had not feared using too much force and killing it, the Golden-armored Dragon Lizard would already have been a corpse.

Caught off guard by the blow, the Golden-armored Dragon Lizard released an earth-shaking roar. Its thick limbs exerted force, and its huge body abruptly sprang up.

Its tail swept out fiercely, carrying a powerful gust as it smashed toward She Long.

But She Long merely held his spear horizontally with one hand, the shaft steadily blocking the incoming tail. The recoil sent the Golden-armored Dragon Lizard's tail bouncing back, and its huge body staggered with it.

The Golden-armored Dragon Lizard turned around, opened its bloody maw, and pounced fiercely at She Long.

"Beast, not only do you refuse to submit, you actually dare resist!"

She Long shouted lowly, flipped his wrist, and struck the Golden-armored Dragon Lizard's head with the butt of his spear.

He had held back somewhat in this strike, but the terrifying force still slammed the Golden-armored Dragon Lizard's gaping maw shut.

A flicker of fear passed through the Golden-armored Dragon Lizard's eyes.

It finally realized that the human before it was someone it could not afford to provoke. It pushed hard with all four legs and abruptly retreated, trying to flee back beneath the cliff.

But how could it possibly outrun a Titled Douluo?

She Long flickered again, and the butt of his spear struck its head once more.

He had already gauged the Golden-armored Dragon Lizard's limits. This time, the force was just right.

The Golden-armored Dragon Lizard groaned. Its slit pupils darkened, its massive body swayed, then it crashed to the ground and did not move again.

She Long poked the Golden-armored Dragon Lizard's eyelid with his spear tip. Only after confirming that it had truly been knocked unconscious did he turn back and beckon to Zhang Fei. "Xiao Fei, you can come over now."