A Mandala Snake Soul Beast's body grew one centimeter longer with each passing year.
When Luo Sanpao's attack had sent it flying, Grandmaster had seen that this Mandala Snake was already nearly four meters long!
That meant the Mandala Snake was almost four hundred years old!
Against a four-hundred-year-old Mandala Snake, Grandmaster, a Soul Grandmaster of only rank twenty-nine, was naturally no match. What was more, he had the two children, Xiao Yan and Tang San, with him.
So, as soon as Grandmaster realized how old the Mandala Snake was, he took Xiao Yan and Tang San and fled.
"Hiss, hiss~"
Unfortunately, Luo Sanpao's attack had barely harmed the Mandala Snake. The snake was exceptionally fast to begin with, and it was steadily closing in on them.
"Fart like a cloud of smoke, hypnotize and send them to sleep, Luo Sanpao!"
Watching the Mandala Snake draw closer behind them, Grandmaster immediately used his second Soul Skill.
Its name made it clear that the move's main purpose was to control and hypnotize.
"Pfft!"
Luo Sanpao let out a stinking fart at the Mandala Snake. Yellow mist enveloped it, making its movements somewhat stiff.
But before Grandmaster could get excited, the Mandala Snake shook its head. Its triangular head locked onto Grandmaster and the others once more, and it attacked again.
"Too late. The Mandala Snake is venomous itself, so Sanpao's hypnosis barely worked."
A trace of ashen despair appeared on Grandmaster's face as he looked at the two children beside him, the disciples he had only just taken in. Were they going to perish on their very first trip to hunt for Soul Rings...?
"Swish!"
As the Mandala Snake was about to reach them, Xiao Yan had already circulated the Soul Power in his body to his palms, preparing to unleash a Dou Technique with all his might.
Suddenly, a sound of something slicing through the air came from the side. Grandmaster and Xiao Yan looked toward it.
Tang San took white radishes out of the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges one after another and quickly hurled them at the Mandala Snake behind them. Every throw struck its eyes with pinpoint accuracy.
Watching Tang San's practiced technique, Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes slightly. Grandmaster was also astonished.
Still, with Tang San's white radishes holding the Mandala Snake back, it took a few hits every time it tried to get close. That bought them quite a bit of time.
"No, the Mandala Snake is extremely fast. If we keep running blindly like this, once the white radishes run out, we'll be in far more danger than safety."
Although this was Xiao Yan's first time hunting a Soul Beast, perhaps because of his fusion with the Soul Division Martial Soul, his mind was exceptionally clear.
"Hiss, hiss~"
Sure enough, once the white radishes ran out, nothing stood in the Mandala Snake's way. It swiftly reached the three of them from behind, and they could even smell the foul stench coming from its mouth.
"Sanpao!"
As the Mandala Snake was about to bite down, Luo Sanpao leaped high and slammed into its head, knocking it aside. But the Mandala Snake bit him on the hind leg.
In midair, Luo Sanpao turned into streams of purple light and entered Grandmaster's body. Grandmaster's face grew a few shades paler.
The Mandala Snake's relentless attacks left Grandmaster feeling desperate.
"Alas! I'm the one who brought this upon you."
Grandmaster spoke to Xiao Yan and Tang San, his voice filled with remorse.
"Regret won't help now. Since we can't get away, we can only kill it!"
Xiao Yan watched the Mandala Snake's movements and spoke in a grave voice. Beside him, Grandmaster fell silent for a moment, the remorse in his heart growing stronger.
What two wonderful children... Yu Xiaogang, you really are a good-for-nothing!
On Grandmaster's other side, Tang San stared fixedly at the Mandala Snake, his eyes tinged with purple. As the last white radish was used up, he glanced at Xiao Yan and Grandmaster, whose attention was fixed entirely on the snake, and raised his hand.
"Snap!"
A sharp snap burst from Tang San's wrist, but with the sound of the white radish striking the Mandala Snake, Grandmaster did not notice it.
Xiao Yan, however, could sense it with exceptional clarity, thanks to his Soul Division Martial Soul!
A streak of black light shot through the night and plunged straight into the Mandala Snake's eye.
"Hiss~"
A hiss of pain rang out. Xiao Yan's and Tang San's eyes lit up, and they ran toward the Mandala Snake at the same time.
Xiao Yan activated Swift Step and reached the Mandala Snake in a few flashes.
Tang San did the same. Using Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, he and Xiao Yan landed on opposite sides of the Mandala Snake.
Using the short trees beside the Mandala Snake as footholds, the two leaped high and launched fierce attacks at it.
"Stone Shattering Palm!"
This time, Xiao Yan held nothing back. Soul Power surged out of his body, and under its enhancement, his hands shone with a faint light. Facing the enormous snake head, Xiao Yan brought his palm down on it.
"Bang!"
On the other side, a small dagger appeared in Tang San's hand. He seized the moment when the Mandala Snake opened its mouth in pain from Xiao Yan's blow.
He gathered his strength and hurled the short blade into the Mandala Snake's mouth, plunging it straight into its head.
The crucial blow that allowed their attacks to succeed was Tang San's initial strike, when his Silent Sleeve Arrow pierced the Mandala Snake's eye.
Writhing in pain, the Mandala Snake twisted ceaselessly in midair, forcing Xiao Yan and Tang San to retreat.
In midair, Tang San looked at Xiao Yan and Grandmaster beside him. A flicker of hesitation crossed his eyes.
The Tang Sect Hidden Weapons were his trump card, a secret he absolutely could not expose. Tang San glanced at the two of them, and a trace of ruthlessness rose in his heart.
Elsewhere, Xiao Yan was shocked to sense Tang San's killing intent again. Although it had only flashed for an instant, Xiao Yan still could not understand it.
They had just joined forces to defeat the Mandala Snake, so why had killing intent risen in Tang San's heart instead?
Was it because of that Hidden Weapon?
Xiao Yan could not imagine what sort of environment could have given Tang San, who was only six years old, such strong killing intent.
"Little Yan! Little San!"
Behind them, Grandmaster cried out in alarm and ran toward them, his voice thick with worry.
"Are you all right?"
As thoughts passed through Xiao Yan's and Tang San's minds, Grandmaster first helped Tang San up and examined him carefully.
"Little San, are you all right?"
"Teacher, I'm fine. I was so scared just now. Luckily, I had the dagger you gave me earlier, and thanks to senior brother, the dagger seems to have successfully pierced the Mandala Snake's head..."
Tang San ultimately suppressed the thought in his heart. On one hand, Xiao Yan still had his full fighting strength; on the other, Tang San also cherished the feeling of "home" he got from Grandmaster.
He kept telling himself:
The night was dark, and my Silent Sleeve Arrow was very well concealed. With the white radish to cover it, Teacher and senior brother probably didn't notice.
"It's good that you're all right..."
Grandmaster examined Tang San and, seeing that he was not seriously hurt, checked Xiao Yan next. "Little Yan, that Mandala Snake was nearly four hundred years old. How could you be so foolish?"
Grandmaster felt relieved that the two children were unharmed.
Then he looked at the Mandala Snake in the distance, which was gradually ceasing to struggle. His eyes suddenly shone brightly, and he said to Tang San:
"Little San! We've found your Soul Ring!!!"
"What?"
"This Mandala Snake should be nearly four hundred years old, just reaching the theoretical upper limit for a First Soul Ring. If you can absorb it, it will absolutely increase your strength enormously."
Tang San was startled. "But isn't my Blue Silver Grass a Plant-type Martial Soul? Can it absorb the Mandala Snake's Soul Ring?"
"There is no definitive evidence that the two cannot be fused." Grandmaster was a little excited and continued:
"Besides, according to my research, though Blue Silver Grass is weak, it has an extremely strong capacity for symbiosis. So absorbing the Mandala Snake won't cause you any problems."