As the wounds on its body continued to multiply, the Black-Scaled Python had now fallen completely to a disadvantage.
Barely any of the scales covering its body were still intact.
The flowers, grass, and shrubs within a ten-meter radius had been devastated beyond recognition by the Black-Scaled Python's tail. Blood splattered everywhere, and a thick, bloody smell filled the air.
Blood kept gushing from its wounds, and the Black-Scaled Python gradually lost its ability to resist.
As one waned and the other waxed, the Black-Horned Mountain Boar, whose cultivation exceeded three hundred years, continued frantically driving the enormous horn on its forehead into the python's body.
Only when the Black-Scaled Python lost all signs of life and a dim Yellow Soul Ring slowly emerged over its corpse did it stop.
Judging by the color of this Soul Ring, the Black-Scaled Python had at most only just passed the hundred-year mark. No wonder it was no match for the Black-Horned Mountain Boar.
Unfortunately, the Black-Horned Mountain Boar still could not escape its fate of being hunted down.
"Move!"
The instant the battle between these Soul Beasts was decided, Tian Chen, who had been hiding nearby, shouted to the two beside him.
He had already activated Martial Soul Possession and charged forward in an instant, his right leg emitting strange Soul Power fluctuations.
Then golden light suddenly blazed, and Tian Chen stamped his right foot down hard.
Not far away, the Black-Horned Mountain Boar had just fought a fierce battle, severely depleting its stamina and Soul Power. It wanted to dodge, but its strength failed its will.
Moreover, this skill from Tian Chen's Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone was not so simple. He only needed to lock on with his spiritual power to unleash it instantly.
In other words, it could only take Tian Chen's Soul Skill head-on. It worked along similar lines to Shui Bing'er's Ice Seal in the original story, though its power was, of course, far greater.
After all, Tian Chen's Soul Skill was not a control skill, but a powerful offensive Soul Skill.
All around the Black-Horned Mountain Boar, stone spikes gleaming with a metallic sheen kept erupting from the ground.
Accompanied by a piercing howl, the thick-skinned Black-Horned Mountain Boar was skewered into a hedgehog.
Like a whole roast pig, its body was pinned by the stone spikes and suspended in the air, its thick, short legs struggling incessantly.
This was one of the skills of Tian Chen's Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone-Earth Array Thrust.
It was somewhat similar to Tang San's Blue Silver Thrust Array, but more than a notch stronger in power.
And this was with Tian Chen's current Soul Power being too low to fully unleash the Soul Skill's might.
Feeling the emptiness inside his body, Tian Chen was somewhat helpless.
He had not expected activating this single Soul Skill to consume nearly ninety percent of his Soul Power.
Smelling the thick scent of blood around them, Tian Chen did not dare hesitate and instructed the two dumbstruck companions.
"Li Kai, hurry and kill that Black-Horned Mountain Boar, then take its corpse somewhere safe to absorb the Soul Ring. Zhang Ping, use the medicine Li Kai used earlier to cover up the smell of blood nearby."
"Young Master Tian, was that a Soul Bone skill you just used?"
Hearing this, Li Kai did not dare delay. As he excitedly plunged his dagger into the skull of the Black-Horned Mountain Boar, which had already lost its ability to resist, he turned his head to ask Tian Chen.
"All right, hurry and take its corpse away from here."
Tian Chen nodded in tacit acknowledgment. He had no need to hide it from Li Kai.
At the top of a towering tree not far from the three, Li Yuan, dressed in black, gave Tian Chen a long look, surprise in his eyes.
Then he chuckled softly, lightly tapped his toes, and vanished once more.
The three ran for a full hour before stopping, having confirmed that they had reached a safe distance.
Besides, a Soul Ring would dissipate within two hours of a Soul Beast's death, so the three did not intend to keep running.
Otherwise, if the Soul Ring dissipated, all their efforts really would have been wasted.
"All right, let's do it here."
After finding a relatively secluded spot, Tian Chen steadied his breathing and spoke to Li Kai and Zhang Ping beside him.
Having his Soul Power drained dry felt awful, and on top of that, he had relied on his physical stamina to run at full speed for an entire hour.