Was that actually allowed? Tang San nearly laughed, but catching the trace of bitterness in his teacher's eyes, he didn't dare let it out. He could imagine how embarrassing it must be for a Soul Master to possess a Martial Soul whose primary mode of attack was passing gas. And the Great Master's personality was a proud one — how could he not feel wretched about it.
"Lolo, lolo, lolo..." A sudden burst of urgent cries rang out, and the bitterness in the Great Master's eyes was instantly replaced by a sharp glint of cold light. He grabbed Tang San's hand and pulled him close.
The surroundings suddenly fell silent. A faint rustling sound reached Tang San's ears with perfect clarity. Faintly, the air seemed to carry a trace of something fishy — not strong, even tinged with a subtle sweetness and the fragrance of tea.
Tang San's nose twitched, and he blurted out instinctively, "There's something venomous."
The Great Master waved his right hand rapidly. This time, he placed both of the Soul Rings on his body onto Luo Sanpao, and warily scanned the direction from which the rustling sound had come. "So this night is not destined to be peaceful after all."
The rustling stopped. Tang San circulated his Mysterious Heaven Skill and pushed his Purple Extreme Demon Eye to its limit, peering in that direction. Faintly, he seemed to make out a dark-green, triangular snake head rising from among the undergrowth. A pair of small eyes, like red rubies, were fixed on their position. Perhaps deterred by the realgar powder, it did not advance any closer.
"Teacher, it's over there." Tang San pointed toward where the snake head had appeared. By now, the Great Master had no time to wonder how Tang San could see a spot that was invisible to him. He swiftly pulled a fire striker from the Soul Guide on his wrist and hurled it in that direction.
The fire striker ignited the moment it caught the wind, illuminating the area as it tumbled through the air. This time, the Great Master saw the snake head too. He drew a sharp breath. "It's a Mandala Snake. How did such a vicious creature end up on the outskirts of the Hunting Soul Forest? I hope it's only ten years old."
Si si, si si. As if enraged by the fire striker, the snake head rose slowly, hissing toward Luo Sanpao. But the deterrent power of the realgar powder still held, and it did not advance.
The Great Master spoke in a low, grave tone. "The Mandala Snake's venom is extremely potent. It carries a paralytic effect and inflicts severe damage to the body's nervous system. It is one of the most terrifying poison-type Soul Beasts in existence. Its body is extraordinarily resilient — ordinary blades can hardly scratch it. Only the mouth and the eyes are weak points. But the Mandala Snake has always been very well-protected in both those areas, and its speed is absolutely terrifying. Most fearsome of all is its aggression. It will almost always attack upon encountering a human. The realgar powder may not be able to restrain it for long. It's waiting for its chance."
Tang San did not feel frightened by the Great Master's explanation. In his previous life at the Tang Sect in Bashu, there had been an enormous variety of snakes. There had been no Mandala Snake among them, but Tang San was far from lacking in experience dealing with serpents. The pointed head of this snake spoke of deadly venom, and the thickness of its neck indicated that its weakness was not at the typical striking point. The only question was how a Soul Beast serpent with actual Soul Power would attack.
The Great Master pulled Tang San behind him. "Little San, let me teach you a principle now: many rings, many bones — use your skills and Soul Power in a single devastating wave. Few rings, few bones — turn tail and run. 'Rings' here means Soul Rings, and 'bones' means Soul Bones. I'll explain Soul Bones to you later. In other words, when your Soul Rings and Soul Bones significantly outnumber your opponent's, you must commit fully with your Soul Skills and Soul Power to crush the enemy. But when your Soul Rings and Soul Bones are clearly fewer than your opponent's, then don't hesitate — run immediately. Preserving your life is always the most important thing. Pride is never worth more than your life. If this Mandala Snake is a ten-year Soul Beast, we might be able to fight it. If it's a hundred-year one, we flee immediately."
"Passing gas like thunder, splitting heaven and earth — Luo Sanpao!" Having delivered those words, the Great Master immediately commanded Luo Sanpao to attack.
The yellow Soul Ring flared brightly once more as Luo Sanpao sprang into the air after a massive intake of breath. He had eaten the white radish, but the attack he had expended earlier against the Nether Wolf had not yet recovered. Right now, he was only capable of two strikes.
Amid a rumble like a peal of thunder, Luo Sanpao's signature Thunder Shock Blast erupted forth in full force. Although the Mandala Snake was blindingly fast, Luo Sanpao's attack was an area-of-effect assault — there was no way for it to dodge.
A massive serpent body was blasted up from the ground, flung a considerable distance away.
"Run!" The Great Master took one look at the launched Mandala Snake and lost all thought of fighting. A Mandala Snake's cultivation years were directly tied to its body size. Before evolving into a thousand-year Soul Beast, each additional year of cultivation added one centimeter to its body length. The section of the Mandala Snake that had been blown away was absolutely over three meters long — approaching four meters, in fact — which meant its cultivation was close to four hundred years. The Great Master harbored no illusion that he could take on such a creature with his own strength as a twenty-nine-level Great Soul Master, especially since his own Martial Soul was hardly formidable.
Gwa gwa — shrill cries rang out. Tang San was being pulled forward by the Great Master, but he glanced back and saw that the Mandala Snake, which had been blasted away by Luo Sanpao, was completely unscathed. The moment its body touched the ground, it coiled and launched itself toward them with startling speed. Like a whip, each time its body struck the earth, it sprang back like a compressed spring, hurtling closer and closer to them with frightening velocity.
Luo Sanpao was no slow runner either, scurrying right alongside the Great Master and Tang San, his big eyes now wide with terror.
"Passing gas like smoke, hypnotic slumber — Luo Sanpao!" The Great Master unleashed his other skill. Luo Sanpao wheeled through the air, and with a soft puff, a cloud of yellow gas burst from his plump hindquarters, spreading through the air.
The Great Master's two Soul Rings granted Luo Sanpao two distinct effects — Thunder Shock and Hypnotic Slumber. Both had now been brought into play.
(End of Chapter)