The Snake Granny hesitated for a moment, then said, "Alright."
Led by Ah Rou, Xuan Ming and his group swiftly traversed the forest, no longer staying close to the ground and slowly clearing a path as before. Instead, they remained several meters above the ground, using the tall trees as cover for movement.
Meng Yiran keep up with this speed and could only be carried along by the Snake Granny.
The Snake Granny was somewhat shocked as she watched Ah Rou quickly leading the way ahead.
This fluctuation of Soul Power... this young woman, who looks to be no more than twenty years old, is actually Soul Emperor?
What surprised her even more was Xuan Ming's speed. Despite being just a Soul Ancestor, he could keep up with the speed of Soul Emperor so easily...
No! Soul Bone?
Seeing that Xuan Ming was actually flying in the air, with a strange and imperceptible fluctuation of Soul Power emanating from his legs, the Snake Granny's expression changed again.
This is at least a ten -Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone!
Almost subconsciously, a greedy thought arose in the Snake Granny's mind, but she quickly suppressed it.
Flender and the others all knew that this kid had left with them. If something happened to him, they would be finished. Poison Douluo was not someone the Dragon Snake Family could afford to offend.
Chapter 124 Snake Scorpion Beast
As they ventured deeper into the mixed zone towards the north, the atmosphere grew increasingly oppressive. The trees became taller and denser, their intertwined branches blocking out most of the sunlight, making the ground exceptionally dark and damp. Occasionally, the roars of unknown Soul Beast could be heard, sending chills down one's spine.
"It's around here." Ah Rou stopped in her tracks.
"This is... the Ghost Swamp?" The Snake Granny's expression changed.
How did you bring us here?
"This is where the thousand-year-old snakes gather, so it's easier to find her Soul Ring here," Ah Rou said.
The Snake Granny was about to curse.
Did she not know that there were many snake-like Soul Beast in the Ghost Swamp?
This place is extremely dangerous!
She wasn't afraid of one or two Thousand-Year Soul Beast, but what about dozens or hundreds?!
Although the Ghost Swamp is located in the outer area, even those powerful Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast dare not venture into it rashly!
As for human Soul Master, they need time to absorb the Soul Ring they acquire; Thousand-Year Soul Ring will take at least half an hour, during which time they cannot move.
In this Ghost Swamp, snake-like Soul Beast live in groups and are particularly sensitive to invasions; they will gather as soon as they smell the slightest hint of blood.
Who has the ability to absorb Soul Ring in this snake pit?
Moreover, snake-type Soul Beast are extremely vengeful; even if you escape for dozens of kilometers, you may not be able to shake off their pursuit!
When hunting Soul Beast, you have to consider more than just the target!
"You... you're not kidding, are you?" Even Meng Yiran was a little stunned by Xuan Ming Ming's astonishing choice.
Even if you're capable of killing Soul Hunting for me here, I don't have the ability to absorb them!
"Of course you're not mistaken, I'll catch it for you." Xuan Ming stepped forward, his body radiating a chilling aura that slowly condensed into ice on the ground.
The Snake Granny looked at the spreading ice beneath Xuan Ming's feet, a hint of surprise and apprehension flashing in her eyes.
Such control over ice elements was rare even among the many Soul Grandmaster she had ever seen.
Is this really a Soul Ancestor?
Isn't this kid cultivating Tool Martial Soul?
"You're not thinking of making the snakes hibernate by lowering the temperature, are you?" the Snake Granny said.
"More or less," Xuan Ming said.
Snakes' body temperature changes with the environment. Low temperatures significantly reduce their metabolic rate, leading to decreased activity, sluggish reactions, and even a state similar to "hibernation."
The Star Dou Great Forest is a tropical rainforest, and the snakes living here are more sensitive to low temperatures. He only needs to lower the temperature to drive away the low-level snakes and at the same time lure out the snake Soul Beast that are over a thousand years old, so that they can eliminate him, the intruder.
As the chill continued to spread, the serpentine Soul Beast in the Ghost Swamp began to react.
Some of the weaker snake- Soul Beast, under the influence of the chill, gradually stiffened and slowed down. They flicked their tongues and hissed, seemingly warning their companions.
However, the stronger thousand-year-old snake-type Soul Beast were not easily intimidated by the chill. They twisted their thick bodies and slowly crawled towards the direction from which the chill came.
"Get lost!" Xuan Ming glanced at the thousand-year-old snake beasts that had gathered around him, and the Black Dragon behind him released a slight hostility, which scared the snakes away.
This Snake Granny would definitely not be interested in an ordinary thousand-year-old snake; she would have to find a good one.
"This..." The Snake Granny, who was about to help, froze.
"Still, he's been giving you way too much leeway."
Although their Serpent Cane staff Martial Soul is Tool Martial Soul, it is not entirely so; it is a mutated Tool Martial Soul, leaning somewhat towards Beast Martial Soul.
This mutation gave their bodies snake-like characteristics, but also some of the snake's weaknesses.
Snakes are a subspecies of dragons at their origin. Most dragon-type Soul Beast have a bloodline suppression effect on snakes. Xuan Ming's Black Dragon Martial Soul has extremely high bloodline quality, and those thousand-year-old snakes simply don't dare to fight him!
If Xuan Ming had used his dragon might to intimidate Meng Yiran during their previous encounter, this girl probably wouldn't have even had the strength to fight back!
"Grandma!" Meng Yiran's face turned red.
It's not like she can't see it!
Time passed slowly, and Xuan Ming and his group continued to move deeper into the Ghost Swamp.
With Xuan Ming freezing the ground ahead, there was no need to worry about the dangerous swamp.
Bang!
Suddenly, a dark figure emerged from the swamp, and with a crisp sound, the ice shattered.
Xuan Ming subconsciously activated his domain, conjuring a Colorless Wall in front of him. The black shadow crashed into it and was repelled.
"What... what kind of Soul Beast is this?" Meng Yiran came to her senses and looked at the strange Soul Beast with a snake's head and a scorpion's body in front of her.
This Soul Beast was enormous, its snake head held high, flicking its scarlet tongue and hissing, sending chills down one's spine. Its scorpion body was covered with a hard exoskeleton, gleaming with a cold, eerie light in the dim light, and its tail was raised high, the tip of its venomous stinger flashing with a deadly glint.
"This is Snake Scorpion Beast," Ah Rou said.
"The snake's head is like a python's, its breath is extremely venomous, and wherever it passes, the grass and trees wither. Ordinary Soul Beast die instantly upon contact. The scorpion's shell is hard, impervious to water and fire, and difficult to be harmed by swords and knives. The poisonous stinger at the end of its tail is even more powerful, containing a terrifying toxin that can kill even Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. Once stung, there is almost no chance of survival."
"Once this kind of Soul Beast appears among a group of snakes, it is like a king. All the snake Soul Beast in the vicinity will bow down to it and obey its commands."
"How old is this thing?" Xuan Ming asked.
"It's been over two thousand years," Ah Rou said.
"For every Thousand-Year Soul Beast's cultivation level exceeds a certain point, the energy of its Soul Ring becomes a completely different matter. This girl... can't handle it."
Although Tang San's teacher's theory on the absorption period of Soul Ring was wrong, the approximate range of Soul Ring absorption periods he proposed was not far off.
If it were Tang San, he might be able to give this Snake Scorpion Beast a try. After all, with his strange cultivation techniques, his physical strength and Divine Power are among the best of his Soul Master, so he might be able to withstand the energy of this super-limited Soul Ring.
But this young girl probably doesn't have that ability.
Xuan Ming turned to Meng Yiran, "Do you want some?"
"No, it's too high," said the Snake Granny.
If it were within the last two thousand years, around fifteen hundred years, she would encourage Meng Yiran to give it a try, after all, it would be a good opportunity to improve her strength.
But since this thing is over two thousand years old, that's a different matter. The risks involved are too great, and she doesn't dare let Meng Yiran take that risk.
"Grandma, I want it," Meng Yiran said.
"It's too high, you can't absorb it," the Snake Granny said sternly.
"If the absorption of Soul Ring fails, at best, one's cultivation will regress, rendering all previous efforts futile; at worst, one's Martial Soul will be damaged, rendering one a cripple, or even resulting in instant death, with no chance of survival!"
"It's just a Soul Ring, how can it be more important than your safety?"
"Safety isn't a problem, the over-limit isn't much, I have a way to handle it," Xuan Ming said.
The Snake Granny was taken aback, "You have..."
"I want it!" Meng Yiran said decisively.
"Then let's get ready to run away." After Xuan Ming finished speaking, his figure flashed and he flew out, instantly rushing in front of the Snake Scorpion Beast. The icy aura surged out like a raging tide and pounced directly on the Snake Scorpion Beast.
Before the Snake Scorpion Beast could react, it was enveloped by the icy aura, its breath hitting its face, and it was instantly frozen into a giant icicle.
"What are you standing there for? Let's run!" Xuan Ming shouldered the large popsicle, grabbed Ah Rou, and sped off towards the edge of the swamp.
"Hiss hiss hiss~~~"
Countless snake shadows approached from all directions, completely blocking their path, and several enormous snake shadows surged forward rapidly.
The Snake Granny's expression froze, and she inwardly cried out in alarm. She quickly grabbed Meng Yiran, unleashed her full Soul Power, and rushed towards Xuan Ming's direction.
Looking at the spot where she landed, instantly swallowed up by the swarm of writhing snakes, Meng Yiran's face turned deathly pale.
She was so close; she was almost completely destroyed!
"You said you were planning to run away, and you're still spacing out." Xuan Ming was speechless.
Ah Rou already said that the Snake Scorpion Beast is the king of the snake pack. If you capture their leader, won't you face retaliation from the snake pack?
The Snake Granny was speechless, but she couldn't say anything.
She had no idea that they were already surrounded by snakes deep in the swamp!
I was careless!
Chapter 125 The Mutated Torso Bone
Having escaped the swamp, Xuan Ming turned around. A flash of fire appeared in the eyes of the Black Dragon on his left. It opened its mouth wide, and a torrent of flames surged out and spewed onto the ground.
The clash of ice and fire completely severed all traces, making it impossible for the snake swarm to find them without guidance, no matter how skilled they were.
However, for safety's sake, Xuan Ming quickly moved nearly ten miles further away before finally stopping.
"Let me deal with this thing." Xuan Ming released some of the Ice Seal, squatted down, and stared at the Snake Scorpion Beast. A chilling aura and blazing flames alternated on its body, and at the same time, his domain flickered as it was activated.
The Snake Scorpion Beast thus teetered on the brink of death, unable to live or die.
After nearly an incense stick's time had passed, the Snake Scorpion Beast finally collapsed.
"It should be fine now," Xuan Ming said, standing up.
"Are you... sure?" The Snake Granny was somewhat doubtful; she hadn't even understood what Xuan Ming was doing.
"I've tried it twice before, it should be fine." Xuan Ming looked at Meng Yiran.
"If you're worried about safety..."
"I'm not afraid!" Seemingly too shocked by Xuan Ming's strength, Meng Yiran was unwilling to give up on this rare and powerful Soul Beast. She went forward to deal with the Snake Scorpion Beast and began absorbing the Soul Ring.
Time passed second by second, and a layer of light red mist lingered around Meng Yiran's body. This was not some kind of Soul Power light, but rather blood mist seeping from her body.
Hearing the cracking sounds of bones emanating from within the blood mist, the Snake Granny's expression grew increasingly grim. "She..."
"That's normal; all Limit Soul Ring are like that," Xuan Ming said.
He couldn't even consume enough of the Blood Spear itself, so the blood mist couldn't seep out at all. But under normal circumstances, when absorbing Limit Soul Ring, the scene would be about the same.
This Snake Scorpion Beast had been given special care and was quite cooperative, yet it still oozed blood mist. This was because Meng Yiran's body was rather ordinary and had never experienced physical hardship. Therefore, the impact of the Soul Ring energy would naturally be more severe.
It only looks creepy; there are no safety issues.
If the girl really can't take it anymore, he can help suppress it, it just will take a little longer.
What's going on?
A figure rushed in from afar like Gui Mei; it was none other than Dragon Duke Meng Shu.
He was tall and upright, with white hair and beard but vigorous spirit. His eyes were as sharp as a hawk's. When he saw Meng Yiran absorbing the Soul Ring and the light red blood mist surrounding her, his face instantly turned gloomy.
Snake Granny hurriedly stepped forward and explained the whole story in detail, emphasizing Xuan Ming's help and Meng Yiran's insistence on absorbing the Limit Soul Ring.
After listening, Dragon Duke Meng Shu frowned slightly, his gaze lingering on Xuan Ming for a moment. "Are you sure you're alright?"
"It's alright, we'll just have to wait a little longer," Xuan Ming said.