Two Snakes Both Wanted to Eat Xu Zhou; Tang San Took a Soul Ring First

All the exits were locked at once.

The sound of the iron gates dropping echoed through the abandoned Captive-Breeding Ground.

The Four-Century Mandrake Snake raised its head, its forked tongue flicking constantly as it stared straight at Xu Zhou.

Across the river, the Millennium Mandrake Snake slowly crawled over as well.

Its body was a full size thicker than the Four-Century one. Its scales were dark purple, and when its fleshy crest spread open, it nearly covered half its face.

As for Luo Sanpao—

He was still lying in Yu Xiaogang's arms, foaming at the mouth.

"This is trouble."

Yu Xiaogang lowered his head and stroked Luo Sanpao's head.

"Luo luo..."

Luo Sanpao barely opened his eyes, his wings giving a faint tremble.

"Can he be saved?" Tang San asked.

"Yes."

Yu Xiaogang answered quickly.

"But we need to leave this place."

"The doors outside are locked."

"Then we get out first."

Yu Xiaogang had a point.

The question was how.

The Four-Century Mandrake Snake had already lunged at them.

Its target was obvious.

Xu Zhou.

"To the right!"

The moment Xu Zhou spoke, Tang San had already pulled him aside.

The snake's jaws snapped shut just past Xu Zhou's clothes, its fangs leaving two deep holes in the ground.

Xu Zhou glanced down.

If that had bitten him, he probably would not even have had time for last words.

Tang San raised his hand and flung three pebbles at the snake's eyes, fleshy crest, and lower jaw.

The first two were blocked by its scales. The last grazed its mouth and failed to harm it.

This Mandrake Snake's defense was far stronger than that of an ordinary Four-Hundred-Year Soul Beast.

Tang San did not attack again.

He was waiting for an opening.

"Why is it only chasing Xu Zhou?"

Yu Xiaogang retreated with Luo Sanpao.

"Because of the Soul Power resonance left on me."

Xu Zhou looked down at his palm.

After touching Luo Sanpao earlier, the Soul Power within him had formed a connection with the two Mandrake Snakes.

At least the Black Ancient Book's prompt had not lied to him.

The two snakes had locked onto him not because he was the weakest.

It was because the aura of Soul Power on him had become the most obvious bait.

"Then lure that Soul Power aura somewhere else," Tang San said.

"How?"

"I'll get close to it."

Before Xu Zhou could speak, Tang San had already rushed out.

Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track.

This time, no one stopped him from using it.

Tang San circled around the Mandrake Snake's front. Blue Silver Grass grew along the ground from his hand, winding toward the snake's tail.

The Four-Century Mandrake Snake swung its tail, snapping the Blue Silver Grass apart on the spot.

Tang San seized that instant, skidding low across the ground and grabbing a shard of broken porcelain stained with Snake-Luring Potion.

"Give it to me!"

Xu Zhou reached out and took the shard.

Tang San immediately retreated.

The Mandrake Snake's head followed Xu Zhou's movements, and it indeed abandoned Tang San for the moment.

Xu Zhou stuffed the shard into the empty bottle that had held the potion, wrapped Blue Silver Grass around its mouth, then turned and ran toward the other side of the iron cage.

He had no Soul Power.

He was not fast, either.

The Four-Century Mandrake Snake chased after him, its thick body crushing across the ground and making even the iron cages shake.

"Xu Zhou, head for the feeding hatch!" Yu Xiaogang shouted.

"I know."

The problem was that the feeding hatch was behind the snake.

To get there, he had to get around it.

Xu Zhou looked at the ground.

There were three drainage ditches in the center of the Captive-Breeding Ground, their covers already broken. After the potion had shattered earlier, most of it had flowed into the ditch on the far right.

The Black Ancient Book suddenly flipped open.

[Proofreading discovered an obvious contradiction.]

[Old Captive-Breeding Ground records: The drainage ditches lead to the river.]

[Maintenance records: The drainage ditches were blocked five years ago.]

[Actual water flow direction: Toward the area beneath the feeding hatch.]

Xu Zhou looked at the ground and immediately stopped.

He lifted his foot and kicked aside a piece of rubble.

The potion in the ditch was seeping through the cracks toward the area beneath the feeding hatch.

"Tang San, bind the snake's tail with Blue Silver Grass."

"Alright."

"Yu Xiaogang, put Luo Sanpao near the feeding hatch."

"He hasn't recovered yet."

"I know."

Yu Xiaogang did not ask further. Carrying Luo Sanpao, he charged forward.

The Four-Century Mandrake Snake had already caught up to Xu Zhou, its jaws opening again.

Tang San flung out Blue Silver Grass, wrapping it around the snake's tail.

The instant the Blue Silver Grass tightened, the snake's tail began exerting force.

Tang San's feet carved two tracks into the ground as his body was dragged forward.

"I can't hold it!"

"Hold on for three more breaths!"

Xu Zhou turned and ran toward the feeding hatch.

Iron-spiked bars blocked the way. He grabbed them and used them for leverage to vault over the waist-high fence.

The moment he landed, Yu Xiaogang stuffed Luo Sanpao into a wooden crate beside him.

"Will this work?"

"Open the crate."

"Luo Sanpao will fall in."

Luo Sanpao rolled inside.

"Luo luo!"

He let out a cry.

The Four-Century Mandrake Snake immediately turned its head.

Though the Soul Power in his body was weak, Luo Sanpao still carried the aura of a Soul Beast.

Seizing the chance, Xu Zhou threw the bottle containing the potion-soaked shard into the feeding hatch.

Smash!

The bottle landed beneath the feeding hatch.

A fishy-sweet odor spread through the air.

The Mandrake Snake finally released Tang San and charged toward the feeding hatch.

Tang San fell to the ground, a large patch of skin scraped off his arm.

Xu Zhou did not stop.

"Now!"

Yu Xiaogang raised his hand and summoned Luo Sanpao.

Luo Sanpao did not fly up.

He lay in the wooden crate, barely opening his mouth.

A third stream of air burst out.

Boom!

Mist streaked with flames shot directly into the feeding hatch.

The mechanism gears inside the iron gate gave a crisp series of cracks.

The flames did not burn the Mandrake Snake, but they loosened the latch above the feeding hatch.

Yu Xiaogang immediately rushed over and lifted the iron gate with both hands.

"Tang San!"

Tang San was already on his feet. Blue Silver Grass wrapped around the edge of the iron gate, and he pulled upward with all his strength.

The gap beneath the gate widened bit by bit.

Xu Zhou crawled out.

"Quick!"

Yu Xiaogang picked up Luo Sanpao and rolled out beneath the gap.

Tang San followed close behind and vaulted out.

The instant the four of them left the Captive-Breeding Ground, the Millennium Mandrake Snake finally arrived.

It did not attack Xu Zhou.

Because the Four-Century Mandrake Snake had already charged out through the feeding hatch.

The two snakes collided outside the Captive-Breeding Ground.

The purple snake's body pressed down on the black-green one. Their fleshy crests slammed together, and poisonous mist spread along the ground.

The people outside the iron net began shouting.

"Close the feeding hatch!"

"Don't let them get out!"

"Save the groundskeeper first!"

The man holding the loudspeaker Soul Tool turned and ran.

He had only taken a few steps when Blue Silver Grass burst from the ground and wrapped around his ankle, making him crash to the ground with a thud.

Tang San withdrew the Blue Silver Grass.

"Where's the exit?"

"The main gate is over there."

Xu Zhou pointed beyond the fence.

But over a dozen guards stood before the main gate.

They were not there to let anyone out.

A teacher in an academy uniform stood at the front, still holding an official order in his hand.

"No one is allowed to leave."

"Whose order is this?" Yu Xiaogang asked.

"The academy's."

"The academy told you to lock Soul Masters and students inside a Soul Beast enclosure?"

"It is to ensure Tang San completes his first Soul Ring."

The teacher looked at Tang San.

"In the original story, he will kill the Mandrake Snake here and obtain his first Soul Ring. Since you have already entered the correct scene, you must see the plot through to the end."

Xu Zhou looked at the teachers outside, then at the two snakes tearing into each other inside the Captive-Breeding Ground.

Someone had already gone mad trying to restore the original story.

"What if we don't?" Tang San asked.

"Then wait."

"Wait until the two snakes determine a winner."

"Wait until you absorb the Soul Ring."

Xu Zhou suddenly smiled.

"Did you forget something?"

The teacher frowned.

"What?"

"You're standing outside right now."

"Of course we're outside."

"But the controls for this Captive-Breeding Ground are inside."

Xu Zhou pointed at the feeding hatch Luo Sanpao had already blown apart.

The Black Ancient Book opened.

[Proofreading detected an obvious contradiction.]

[Gatekeeper records: The main gate key is held by the person in charge on site.]

[On-site registration: The persons in charge are three gray-robed merchants.]

[Current status of the persons in charge: One is bound by Blue Silver Grass, while two are fleeing.]

The key was not in the academy teachers' hands.

Nor was it in the guards' hands.

They were merely putting on an orderly appearance outside the gate.

Xu Zhou picked up the key dropped by the owner of the grounds and walked to the main gate.

"Open the gate."

"How dare you!"

"Why wouldn't I?"

Xu Zhou inserted the key into the lock.

"You even wrote me into the betting pool."

"Surely you're not going to make even the timing of when I open the gate follow your script?"

The key turned.

The iron gate opened a crack.

At that moment, a tremendous crash came from inside the Captive-Breeding Ground.

The Millennium Mandrake Snake smashed through the iron cage.

The Four-Century Mandrake Snake was pinned beneath it, its fleshy crest split open as venomous blood flowed down its scales.

Tang San looked at the Four-Century Mandrake Snake, his fingers slowly tightening.

It was already severely injured.

A Soul Ring was emerging from its body.

A yellow ring of light slowly rose above the snake.

Four hundred and twenty-three years.

Exactly the age from the original novel.

Outside the iron gate, those original-novel fans shouted at the same time.

"Tang San, absorb it now!"

"This is your first Soul Ring!"

"The plot is back!"

Xu Zhou looked at the yellow Soul Ring, then at the Soul Beast pinned beneath the Millennium Mandrake Snake.

The Black Ancient Book revealed its final lines.

[Public Script: Burden of the Soul Hunting Forest.]

[Completion condition: Lead the entire team out alive.]

[Current progress: Incomplete.]

[Reason: The Millennium Soul Beast has not yet left.]

Tang San walked over to Xu Zhou's side.

"I'll absorb it."

"Wait."

Xu Zhou stared at the Millennium Mandrake Snake.

The snake was raising its head.

It did not continue attacking the Four-Hundred-Year Soul Beast.

Nor did it pursue them.

It was merely looking at Xu Zhou.

More precisely, it was looking at the Black Ancient Book in Xu Zhou's hand.

The Millennium Soul Beast suddenly opened its mouth and spat out a severed piece of Blue Silver Grass.

A note was wrapped around the blade of grass.

There was only one sentence.

"Don't let Tang San absorb it. It isn't four hundred and twenty-three years old."