20demayo Chapter 12: Hunting the Iron Beast
Chapter 12: Hunting the Iron Beast
The Mandragora Snake wasn't slow, and it was determined to escape. Since the team didn't have a single agility-type Soul Master, chasing it would be quite difficult. Besides, the purpose of this trip was to hunt the Iron Beast, so there was no need to waste energy. Therefore, Elder Qi and the others didn't chase after it.
The datura snake's scales are hard and difficult to damage with knives and axes. Master Qi didn't initially intend to kill it; he only instructed Teacher Liu to use a blunt weapon to suppress it. As for attacking the datura snake's mouth, nose, and eyes right away? That's a joke; it's not that easy to hit.
It's like the "Mozambique shooting method," a close-range shooting technique from Ning Yuanshan's previous life. This technique requires the shooter to first fire two quick shots at the target's torso, and then quickly fire a shot upwards at the target's head.
The purpose of firing the first two shots is to hit the target faster and more accurately. Compared to hitting a small head, the larger torso is naturally easier to hit, making the target unable to resist for a short time and giving the shooter a chance to continue firing. The final third shot is the real killing blow.
While ensuring their own safety, Liu Qingfeng and the others slowly engaged the Mandragora Serpent. This type of spirit beast lacked patience; if too much time passed, it would either become agitated and lose its composure, exposing its weaknesses, or it would simply give up and leave, too impatient to tackle the tough challenge.
The most troublesome and troublesome thing about the Datura snake is its venom. In the original story, Tang San might have just gotten lucky and tried to stab the Datura snake in the mouth with his sword, but the snake didn't spray venom? It seems that Qi Lao's throwing and catching of hidden weapons is not very skillful. When attacking the vital point of the Datura snake's mouth, he only threw it from a distance.
The master's original words were: "The venom of the datura snake has a paralyzing effect on the human body and can also damage the nerves..."
Mandala, clearly a prominent figure among poison-attribute soul beasts, didn't release any poison during the entire fight with Tang San and the others, except for biting Luo Sanpao and poisoning Yu Xiaogang.
One of the most venomous snakes in the Douluo world, it's impossible for it to inject venom by biting flesh alone. Otherwise, wouldn't those soul beasts with thick scales easily defeat the Mandragora Snake as long as their armor isn't bitten through?
When the Mandragora Snake first appeared, Tang San could still smell its pungent, fishy odor, which even carried a faint sweetness and tea fragrance. Was this smell actually the Mandragora Snake's natural scent, harmless to humans? The Mandragora Snake can spray venom, and neither Soul Masters nor Soul Beasts can fight it without breathing or making contact, attacking it from a vacuum.
Why not just call it the protagonist's halo?
Watching the Mandragora Snake disappear into the distance, Ning Yuanshan and the others gradually lowered their guard. "Now, I wonder which spirit beast Tang San will ultimately choose as his first spirit ring," Ning Yuanshan mused to himself.
Old Qi was also gazing thoughtfully in the direction the Mandragora Snake had fled: "It's a pity it got away, otherwise the Mandragora Snake might have been a soul ring for Tang San."
"A Mandragora snake with a cultivation level of less than a thousand years will grow one centimeter in length for every year it lives. The Mandragora snake we just saw was over three meters long, almost four meters. With Teacher Su Manxue's assistance, if Tang San has a strong will, he has a real chance of absorbing its spirit ring..."
Teacher Qi didn't understand Tang San. He only thought Tang San was a Blue Silver Grass spirit master. While Tang San's innate full spirit power was certainly impressive, his thin, weak, and malnourished appearance was worrying. Therefore, Teacher Qi couldn't guarantee that Tang San could absorb the spirit ring of the nearly four-hundred-year-old animal spirit beast, the Mandragora Serpent.
This requires a test of soul power and physical constitution, just like the test that Teacher Qi conducted on Ning Yuanshan before entering the Soul Hunting Forest...
After saying that, Old Qi shook his head inwardly, "Who knows what kind of good soul ring Yu Xiaogang has arranged for his precious disciple? This Mandala Snake, he might not even be interested in it..."
"Are there any better options than the Datura snake?" Ning Yuanshan asked, stepping forward to chat after the danger had passed.
Old Qi turned to Ning Yuanshan and said, "Do you remember the point I told you? The closer a spirit beast is to your own spirit, the better the spirit ring you obtain after hunting it. Instead of hunting this Mandragora Serpent, it's better to choose the Mandragora Vine. Plant spirit beasts are undoubtedly more suitable for Blue Silver Grass and Tang San. The Mandragora Vine, a spirit beast that is extremely similar to the Mandragora Serpent, has comparable toughness and toxicity. Moreover, plant spirit beasts are easier to hunt because their movement range is limited..."
There really is a "Mandala Vine" spirit beast? Ning Yuanshan had been thinking about it before...
"Whether or not a Soul Master happens to encounter a Mandragora Vine is not something they can decide, but they can certainly hunt down other poisonous plant-type Soul Beasts..."
While explaining and teaching Ning Yuanshan, Elder Qi was also thinking to himself: "If Yu Xiaogang really values the development of his disciple's martial soul, how could he possibly come out alone to hunt soul beasts? If he had encountered the Mandragora Snake just now, he wouldn't even know how he died..."
The group had just fought the Mandala Serpent, and their soul power had been somewhat depleted. Therefore, apart from Elder Qi teaching Ning Yuanshan about soul beasts, the others remained silent and meditated to recover their soul power.
After a short rest, the four of them set off again on their journey to hunt for soul rings. It wasn't difficult to find soul beasts that were hundreds or thousands of years old. As they ventured deeper into the Soul Hunting Forest, they soon found their target: the Golden Iron Beast, which had been cultivating for four hundred years.
Along the way, they traveled through the forest and encountered tigers, leopards, wolves, or other low-level soul beasts. In order to hone their combat skills and improve their courage, Ning Yuanshan single-handedly drove away or killed these soul beasts.
He shrunk the Martial Soul Box to the size of a brick, just like a thug in his previous life wielding a brick in a street brawl, and used the edge of the box to strike the soul beast's head, neck, and other vital areas.
At first, Ning Yuanshan was a little nervous. But as he kept fighting, he gradually got used to it and even became a little excited. After all, his previous life was a society governed by the rule of law, and there would never have been such an opportunity to beat up and bruise enemies without restraint.
"Martial Soul Possession!" Seeing the Golden Iron Beast appear in his field of vision, Liu Qingfeng took the lead, darting out like an arrow. With a low shout, his body was instantly enveloped in a faint golden light. Liu Qingfeng clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking, as if boundless power surged within him.
The Golden Iron Beast was covered in thick metallic scales, as if it were wearing a natural armor. Its claws were sharp and gleamed coldly, clearly capable of easily disemboweling a person. However, for a Soul Master like Liu Qingfeng, the Golden Iron Beast was easier to hunt than the agile Mandragora Serpent.
"Bang!" Liu Qingfeng's first punch slammed into the Golden Iron Beast's shoulder, producing a dull thud. The Golden Iron Beast's massive body swayed slightly, letting out a mournful howl. Clearly, the punch had caused it pain.
However, Liu Qingfeng's attack did not stop there. His punches became faster and faster, and every punch he threw landed precisely on Jin Tieshou.
The Golden Iron Beast tried to fight back, but Liu Qingfeng's attacks were relentless and fierce, leaving it no chance to retaliate. Its copper skin and iron bones seemed to have lost their effectiveness under Liu Qingfeng's fists.