Thousand-Year Mandala Snake

"Hiss, hiss, that hurts!"

"Be gentle, you bastard!"

Yu Xiaogang roared in pain at Lin Nuo, who was treating his wounds from behind.

Just moments earlier, the two had successfully found a new hiding place.

To keep Yu Xiaogang's wounds from worsening, Lin Nuo took out a bottle of the Hemostatic Agent commonly used by the Soul Hunting Mercenaries and applied it.

The injured area was pale and tender, but the two bloody, mangled wounds looked particularly jarring.

At the sight of those two symmetrical wounds, Lin Nuo's face turned livid. When Yu Xiaogang started cursing him, his hand unconsciously pressed a little harder as he cleaned them.

Lin Nuo paid no attention to Yu Xiaogang's screams and simply focused on the task at hand. Once he finished, he stood and said coldly, "Stop howling. If you attract a soul beast, don't blame me for running!"

Seeing Lin Nuo's hostile attitude, Yu Xiaogang had no choice but to rein in his temper. He still needed the man's help and absolutely could not afford to offend him.

The sight of Yu Xiaogang's behavior gave Lin Nuo a headache. It was bad enough that he had put up with the man's uselessness before; now he was no different from a cripple, nothing but a burden. If their luck turned sour and they encountered a higher-level soul beast, they would not even be able to escape!

"Ah!"

Lin Nuo sighed. He wished he could leave right then, but for the sake of a ten-thousand-year fifth Soul Ring, he had to keep going.

"Let's go! We're almost there!"

With that, Lin Nuo got up and set off.

Behind him, a rare glimmer lit Yu Xiaogang's eyes. He hurried after him, leaning on a wooden stick he had found on the ground.

The moment Yu Xiaogang exerted himself, the wounds on his buttocks pulled taut. Sharp pain spread through his flesh, and he knitted his brows, baring his teeth as he sucked in a cold breath.

Meanwhile, Li Mingzhu had already identified the soul beasts living around the Thousand-Year Mandala Snake.

Among them, a Wind Wolf Pack led by a five-thousand-year Wind-Chasing Wolf and a seven-thousand-year Fire-Scaled Horse suited Li Mingzhu's plan perfectly.

Not only were these two targets' territories the closest, but their strength was also enough to intimidate Lin Nuo.

Moreover, through testing, Li Mingzhu had discovered that the pressure of his current martial soul domain could cow these soul beasts. Once he lured them over, he would not have to worry about having no way to deal with them. (Neither of the two soul beast species above had a powerful bloodline.)

Although he had a way to handle them, Li Mingzhu did not lower his guard. Intimidation was only intimidation, after all. It would merely frighten them away and weaken their strength. If they were truly driven into a corner, they would still fight back.

Still, Li Mingzhu was not worried. If things followed the script he had laid out, he would not attack any creature other than Yu Xiaogang.

With everything confirmed, Li Mingzhu returned to the vicinity of the Mandala Snake.

Lin Nuo and Yu Xiaogang did not keep Li Mingzhu waiting long. In less than a quarter of an hour, they reached the edge of the Mandala Flower patch.

The two moved lightly and cautiously, doing their utmost to conceal themselves as they crept through the cover of the trees.

"Mandala Flowers?"

Yu Xiaogang's voice was as faint as a drifting thread, so weak that the wind in the woods nearly swallowed it, yet the excitement hidden in his words remained audible.

Lin Nuo nodded. The sight of the Mandala Flowers was enough to confirm that they had entered the Mandala Snake's territory.

Even his sense of danger eased somewhat. A private territory was far safer than a shared area, after all. The only thing he needed to worry about now was a Mandala Snake just over a thousand years old.

Passing through the blooming Mandala Flowers, the two ventured deeper into the flower patch and finally spotted their target.

Apparently, the Mandala Snake had already eaten. It lay lazily among the petals, its dark green scales concealed in the sea of flowers, only flicking out its tongue now and then.

Upon spotting their target, the two exchanged no words, merely sharing a glance. Before it was alerted, a sneak attack was a good option.

They crept a little closer. Although this was hardly an ideal spot for an ambush, Lin Nuo could only choose to strike here to stay on the safe side.

Before attacking, Lin Nuo gave Yu Xiaogang no instructions. He merely looked at him in silence, then activated Martial Soul Possession.

That look conveyed a great deal, but its bluntest and most important message to Yu Xiaogang was: "Keep your head down!"

Once he was certain everything was ready, Lin Nuo gathered his strength to strike.

First Soul Skill: Rock Bear's Wrath

Second Soul Skill: Rock Bear's Will

The boosts from the two soul skills brought Lin Nuo's vitality and spirit to their peak, sending him charging toward the Thousand-Year Mandala Snake at tremendous speed.

Once he drew a little closer, Lin Nuo used his Third Soul Skill: Rock Bear Claw without hesitation!

The enhanced Rock Bear Claw possessed astonishing power. The earthen-yellow soul power swirling around his claws carried not only the weight of the earth attribute, but also a trace of the metal attribute's sharpness.

Lin Nuo's attack was so fast that the Thousand-Year Mandala Snake had no chance to react and took the blow squarely.

As the saying went, strike a snake seven inches down. With its vital spot wounded, the Mandala Snake thrashed violently, letting out a shrill, piercing hiss as intense pain made its scales tremble.

Seeing that his attack had worked, Lin Nuo did not linger and quickly retreated.

After all, once a Mandala Snake reached a thousand years of age, it could spit poisonous mist. Lin Nuo had no desire to experience that.

Just as Lin Nuo expected, he had barely retreated any distance before the enraged Thousand-Year Mandala Snake spat poisonous mist toward his previous position.

The flowers, grass, and trees touched by the poisonous mist instantly withered and rotted, sending a shiver through Lin Nuo.

Yu Xiaogang, on the other hand, grew increasingly excited. He congratulated himself on his choice. If this became his third Soul Ring, would he not be able to combine it with his first and second soul skills?

However, although it was called mist, the poisonous cloud settled onto the ground within minutes. Besides, releasing it required a buildup of energy, so it could not be used continuously.

Thus, Lin Nuo adopted hit-and-run tactics, striking and then fleeing!

Watching from a distance, Yu Xiaogang felt as though he had swallowed a pill to settle his nerves. This Soul Ring was as good as his.

As for Li Mingzhu, hidden in the shadows, he saw that Lin Nuo was close to winning and immediately began the final stage of his plan, rushing toward the two beasts' habitats he had located earlier.

A quarter of an hour later, worn down by Lin Nuo's repeated baiting and retreating, the Thousand-Year Mandala Snake finally collapsed helplessly.

Seeing this, Yu Xiaogang hurried forward.

Lin Nuo reached out to stop the attention-seeking fool and said stiffly, "Don't go over. It isn't dead yet!"

Yu Xiaogang stopped at his words and watched quietly, wanting to see what Lin Nuo intended to do next.

Lin Nuo raised his hand, swept up the huge rocks nearby, and smashed them down on the snake one after another.

Once.

Twice.

After the repeated bombardment, Lin Nuo saw that it remained motionless. Only then did he lead Yu Xiaogang slowly forward.

To guard against a surprise attack, Lin Nuo still used his fourth soul skill, covering his entire body in Rock Armor.

Fortunately, no surprise attack came. This Thousand-Year Mandala Snake truly was on its last breath.

"You can finish it off now!" Lin Nuo turned and told the excited Yu Xiaogang.

At those words, Yu Xiaogang grinned so widely that his mouth almost reached the back of his head. Breathing rapidly, he drew a long saber.

The slight trembling of the blade in his hand revealed the excitement he could no longer contain.

Just as Yu Xiaogang's saber was about to fall, a muffled rumbling came from deep in the woods!