The pitch-black Black Flame Earth Dragon Python, its body adorned with a few red markings, used its flexibility to coil tightly around the exhausted Black Hell Dragon Bear. The bear's entire skeleton creaked under the pressure.
The Dragon Bear let out an agonized death howl. The very next moment, the Black Flame Earth Dragon Python spat three breaths of searing black flames from its mouth, roasting the Black Flame Dragon Bear alive.
As the Black Flame Dragon Bear's consciousness faded, a purple Soul Ring emerged around its body. The Black Flame Earth Dragon Python showed no intention of releasing its coils from the bear's corpse. Instead, it tightened them further.
Its python head, bearing three small fleshy bumps, had already reached the bear's head.
"Hiss-"
Its scarlet forked tongue flicked out repeatedly, licking the Dragon Bear's head and occasionally leaving traces of white snake saliva on its fur. Long Qianming sighed softly.
Looks like this Black Flame Earth Dragon Python, which barely suffered any injuries, is about to feed. This is a good opportunity.
No sooner had the thought faded than the Black Flame Earth Dragon Python's entire head rapidly expanded, its jawbones naturally spreading outward. In less than two minutes, its mouth had widened enough to fit a bull's head, and it began steadily swallowing the Dragon Bear's corpse from head to tail.
However, just as Long Qianming was about to act, the Black Flame Earth Dragon Python, which was about to swallow the Dragon Bear's corpse completely, shifted its eyes and flicked out its tongue.
It precisely picked up a trace of human scent in the scorching breeze. Swiftly twisting its body, it slowly regurgitated the Dragon Bear's corpse.
"Hiss-"
Its body turned, its eyes glaring fiercely in Long Qianming's direction as it continuously let out low hisses.
"Hiss-"
The Black Flame Earth Dragon Python's hissing suddenly grew especially loud. Abandoning the dead Dragon Bear's corpse, it slithered toward Long Qianming at tremendous speed, like a four-legged beast at full gallop, far beyond what the vast majority of snake-type Soul Beasts could match.
Just as Long Qianming prepared to fight, a deep voice rang out behind him.
"Wretched beast, how could I allow you to run wild?"
Lou Gao did not move, but he had already unleashed the pressure of a Soul Saint. The Black Flame Earth Dragon Python charging toward Long Qianming abruptly stopped, its entire body trembling involuntarily.
It panicked. It had never expected the weak human before it to have brought such a powerful helper.
Realizing the situation was dire, the Black Flame Earth Dragon Python immediately turned its head and fled from the two humans, afraid that even a second's delay would see it killed by the human powerhouse radiating such terrifying might.
Yet the instant it moved, the Soul Power pressure bearing down on it grew heavier. Even its iron-hard scales could not withstand that soul pressure penetrating deep into its marrow.
Its entire body suffered an unprecedented sense of crushing weight and excruciating pain.
"Hurry up and chase it! If that Black Flame Earth Dragon Python gets away, there goes your second Soul Ring."
"Thank you, Senior!"
Long Qianming ran toward the Black Flame Earth Dragon Python, while Lou Gao swiftly withdrew his soul pressure. Seeing this, the Black Flame Earth Dragon Python immediately turned and fled without the slightest hesitation.
"This..."
Long Qianming was dumbfounded. He turned to look at Lou Gao behind him, but before he could speak, Lou Gao revealed a faintly teasing smile.
"That snake has already suffered severe internal injuries. Hurry up and chase it, brat! If you let it escape, you won't have a second Soul Ring!"
At those words, Long Qianming was speechless. Why does this old man hold such a grudge? Didn't I shield him behind me precisely to keep him from helping me and shortening his lifespan?
This old man is clearly doing this on purpose.
Long Qianming felt deeply helpless about it. Holding a needle in his left hand and a spear in his right, he immediately charged forward.
"Xiao Tian, let's go."
"First Soul Skill, Space-Rending Claw!"
A yellow Soul Ring rose beneath Long Qianming's feet and swiftly slipped around Xiao Tian. Xiao Tian's limbs rapidly became ethereal and enlarged, and his running speed increased by 50%.
A tiger claw swiftly swept toward the Earth Dragon Python. The two claw marks formed from Dark Qi seemed ready to tear apart everything ahead.
The fleeing Black Flame Earth Dragon Python flicked its tail, easily neutralizing the two dark claw attacks.
Just as Xiao Tian was about to close in on the Black Flame Earth Dragon Python, a mass of black flames sprayed from its mouth.
In an instant, not a blade of grass survived wherever it passed. The black flames burned everything along its path.
Bolstered by the black fire, the Black Flame Earth Dragon Python slithered even faster, its form almost concealed within the flames.
Yet Xiao Tian continued tracking its direction by scent and pursuing it. The black snake fire seemed to have no effect on him.
Seeing that Xiao Tian was about to catch up, the Black Flame Earth Dragon Python swiftly turned and charged at him, just 30 behind it, opening its bloody maw to bite him.
"Xiao Tian, jump onto its back!"
Following closely behind, Long Qianming hurriedly warned him. Xiao Tian kicked off with both hind legs and leaped up, stepping directly onto the python's head before landing steadily on the Black Flame Earth Dragon Python's back.
"Xiao Tian, attack its wounds."
"First Soul Skill, Space-Rending Claw!"
As the first Soul Skill was unleashed again, Xiao Tian's claw strike hit a wound on the snake's back with extreme precision.
"Hiss-"
The Black Flame Earth Dragon Python hissed in pain. Its entire body swiftly coiled and tightened, seeking to trap Xiao Tian within and let him slowly die in its constricting coils.
Little did it know that once its body had coiled tightly, Xiao Tian had vanished into thin air, sending the Black Flame Earth Dragon Python into a towering rage.
Its eyes glared furiously at Long Qianming far behind it, while Xiao Tian flew out from the side. His ethereal dragon claw directly blinded its left eye.
"Hiss-"
The one-eyed Black Flame Earth Dragon Python kept hissing to vent its displeasure, the Soul Power within its body rapidly gathering.
"Not good, it's trying to self-destruct!"
Long Qianming had already prepared a backup for this. He swiftly took out the Level 3 Soul Guidance Ray and was just about to fire it at the python's head.
A wave of Soul Power pressure descended once more, dispersing the Soul Power the Black Flame Earth Dragon Python had gathered for its self-destruction. The Black Flame Earth Dragon Python continued its final dying struggles.
Bang-
A blue energy ray pierced its head. The Black Flame Earth Dragon Python fell heavily to the ground, and a purple Soul Ring slowly emerged around it.
"Fortunately, my eyes were sharp and my hands were quick. I released my soul pressure in time to stop this Soul Beast from self-destructing. Otherwise, I would have had to stay here for another month or two."
Though Lou Gao felt somewhat reproachful as he walked over slowly, he was still satisfied with the current situation. After all, Long Qianming had successfully killed this Black Flame Earth Dragon Python.
Lou Gao looked at the dead Black Flame Earth Dragon Python, then at Long Qianming, and spoke with lingering concern.
"Brat Long, this Soul Beast is over 1,400 years old. Are you sure you can absorb it? Soul Masters must never reach for heights beyond their grasp, especially when choosing the age of their Soul Rings. The slightest mistake could put you at risk of self-destruction."
"Senior, I'm an external Martial Soul Soul Master. My Martial Soul can help me shoulder the pressure from a Soul Ring to the greatest extent possible, so I definitely won't have any trouble absorbing this Soul Ring."
Long Qianming did not reveal whale rubber's effects. Instead, he attributed his ability to absorb Soul Rings beyond his level entirely to his Martial Soul itself.
His Martial Soul belonged to him, and no one else could take it away. Whale rubber was different, however. Until he possessed great strength, the fewer people who knew the secret of whale fish rubber, the better.