Chapter 127: Millennium Corpse Poison

The three-month training course passed in the blink of an eye.

The mercenary group known as "Soul Extinguisher" had gradually made a name for itself in the White Mist Forest. Most teams that frequently ventured into the White Mist Mountains were now familiar with this student-led squad from the Qingyun Empire.

With cultivation levels ranging from the early to mid-five-star stages, they regularly patrolled the mountains, focusing their hunts on six-star magical beasts and five-star pack-dwelling beasts. Their combat effectiveness was in no way inferior to typical mercenary squads comprised of six-star warriors. However, what drew the most attention were the two remarkable victories "Soul Extinguisher" had secured within the White Mist Mountains.

"Bang!"

A golden signal flare bloomed brilliantly in the sky above the White Mist Mountains, clearly visible for ten miles in every direction.

The twenty-one members of the Soul Extinguisher mercenary group looked up simultaneously, their expressions a mix of surprise and contemplation.

"Three months are already up? That was fast."

"It's not fast... it's exactly ninety days, not a day more or less." Silver Moon Proud Dragon did a quick mental calculation and looked toward He Chen. "Mr. Lant has sent the signal. Captain, should we head over immediately?"

"No rush."

He Chen shook his head and asked Bai Xi, "How far are we from that beast?"

The group perked up, turning their gazes toward Silver Moon Proud Dragon and Bai Xi.

The latter stood up from the ground, pointing to a trail left by a snake-like magical beast about a meter wide not far away. "The scales of the 'Double-Headed Silver Python' were shed nearby. It doesn't look like it's been long. If we follow the trail, Feng Xie will be useful soon."

"That settles it!" He Chen exclaimed, punching his palms together. "It made us look so pathetic last time; this time, we have to finish it off before we head back. Besides, Mr. Lant can wait three days. Let's go! Lead the way!"

The group followed behind Bai Xi, moving quickly as they tracked the creature.

Xu Wen brought up the rear. Beneath him, "Little Tiger" moved at a leisurely, controlled pace. Over the past few months, the little guy had grown far beyond its original size. Since advancing to the four-star level, it seemed to have entered a rapid growth phase. Standing over two meters tall and over six meters long, its three-meter-long tail was like forged steel, whipping through the air with a whistling sound. At full strength, it could knock aside the heavily armored "White Rhino." Now, carrying Xu Wen, it looked majestic and fierce, like a true giant beast. The thin slit on its forehead had also become much more distinct, giving it an extraordinarily spirited appearance.

Xu Wen now had to restrain Little Tiger's speed to keep up with the group; otherwise, if the playful creature were to start trotting, it would leave the others far behind in an instant.

"Vice-Captain Xu."

Someone called out softly from ahead.

He looked up to see the priest, "Little Nuo," the shy girl.

Little Tiger gave a low growl, sensing Xu Wen's urge to speed up, and cooperated by taking a step forward to come alongside Little Nuo.

"Vice-Captain Xu, um..."

Little Nuo's face was flushed. Under the urging and teasing of two girls nearby, she mumbled, not daring to look up at him. "I just wanted to ask, later... when we encounter the Double-Headed Silver Python, what... what should I do?"

"Oh my, Little Nuo's voice is so soft, how could Vice-Captain Xu possibly hear you? Why don't you just hop on his back and you two can have a good chat?"

"Yeah, exactly."

The two girls beside her, the water mage "Jia Yin" and the wind mage "Bonnie," chimed in with a laugh. Ever since Little Nuo had acquired her contract beast and, under Xu Wen's guidance, helped the little one grow to the three-star level, it had become clear that the introverted and timid Little Nuo seemed to have taken a liking to Xu Wen.

Xu Wen's expression remained unchanged as he replied:

"Just do what you usually do; there's no need to be too nervous. The reason it was so miserable last time was because our strength was too low and we didn't have enough time to prepare. That won't happen again this time."

The "Double-Headed Silver Python" was quite famous in the White Mist Mountains. Although it was a six-star magical beast, it was a rare existence even among the peak six-star tier. Not only did it possess the strength and speed comparable to a seven-star early-stage beast, but its hide was tougher than gold or iron, making it extremely difficult to deal with.

If not for the fact that the Double-Headed Silver Python had a voracious appetite and frequently roamed the activity zones of five- and six-star beasts—preying on adventurers and large magical beasts to satisfy its hunger—Soul Extinguisher would never have crossed paths with it.

It was precisely that battle that had made the name of the Soul Extinguisher mercenary group so prominent. To hold a stalemate with a Double-Headed Silver Python for half an hour without any six-star mercenaries, until other mercenary teams arrived and scared it off, all without losing a single member—this was something many teams with six-star mercenaries could not achieve.

This time, their target for revenge was this very scourge that patrolled the high-level beast zones. They knew that they might not have another chance to come to the White Mist Mountains, and even if they did, they might not encounter it again, as the Double-Headed Silver Python never crossed paths with seven-star powerhouses.

Seeing Little Nuo nod, Xu Wen shifted his gaze to Jia Yin and Bonnie. "There is a time and place for jokes." With that, he urged Little Tiger to move to the front of the group.

The two girls stuck out their tongues in secret and said no more.

In their eyes, it was clear that Xu Wen didn't think much of Little Nuo. Only Irene, who saw everything but kept silent, knew clearly that for the current Xu Wen, aside from cultivation and avenging Dean Harman, there was no room for anything else.

...Less than half an hour after the group set out, Silver Moon Proud Dragon suddenly stopped.

"Found it!"

"So fast! It's coming toward us!"

"Set the traps!"

"Prepare for battle!"

With the battle imminent, every second counted. He Chen's commands no longer contained any wasted words; this was something they had learned over the past three months.

The others likewise moved without a single superfluous gesture, taking their positions. The mages began their chants, and the others focused their full attention on the direction identified by the tracking ape. Bai Xi moved back and forth through a dozen spots in the woods ahead, scattering white powder, before returning to the group as if his backside were on fire.

Upon his return, a flaming bird the size of a meter appeared beside Xu Wen. Like an elf, it flapped wings made of flames, hovering in mid-air, vivid and incredibly agile. Three "Rings of Blazing Fire" circled its body, flowing smoothly; the only thing that seemed slightly disharmonious was the black flame rising from its right shoulder, thin and snake-like, twisting and expanding while radiating scorching heat.

"Get back up where you fell!"

"Over the past month, the Double-Headed Silver Python is the only six-star beast that has made us eat humble pie. So, before we leave, we must take it down! Otherwise, it will be a lifelong regret for all of us, and I believe everyone feels the same." During this time, He Chen had increasingly developed the aura of a "Captain." His speech, commands, and decision-making had become more decisive and convincing, and he felt no discouragement despite his cultivation being lower than that of Lei E and Xu Wen.

On the contrary... ever since Xu Wen surpassed him, He Chen had begun to pursue his own cultivation even more desperately, frequently discussing methods for rapid advancement with Xu Wen. It was precisely under this atmosphere that everyone was giving their all; otherwise, they wouldn't have dared to come looking for trouble with the Double-Headed Silver Python so soon.

A breeze blew by, carrying a faint, nauseating, fishy stench. Soon, a clear "rustling" sound echoed through the woods, as if something were being dragged rapidly across the ground!

As the silver-grey battle aura flared from Lei E, the other six warriors of the Soul Extinguisher mercenary group simultaneously unleashed their own battle auras. Lights of various colors formed a line, shielding the mages behind them. In the back, Bai Xi gripped a small black bow, silently drawing a pitch-black arrow coated with a green liquid. He pointed the tip downward, his eyes like a hawk's, fixed on the direction from which the sound and the stench originated.

Seemingly sensing the intense, sword-drawn atmosphere, the rustling paused in the distance for a moment before erupting suddenly. Several large trees crashed to the ground, and a thick, silver-white giant snake slithered out from the deep woods in an 'S' pattern, its speed astonishing!

What was terrifying was that the giant snake's front split into two heads, covered in dense, hard scales, flicking its tongues—a sight that chilled the bone.

The speed of a six-star magical beast was something the members of the Soul Extinguisher had experienced far too many times, and they had long since forged hearts of exceptional calm.

"Sand Vortex!"

The earth mage "Daniel" grasped the timing with extreme precision. He identified the first landing point of the Double-Headed Silver Python as it entered the attack range and completed the spell.

The Double-Headed Silver Python was halfway through its slither when the ground beneath it suddenly turned soft. Alert, it flared its silver radiance to protect its body!

However... battle aura had no effect on the vast expanse of quicksand that had suddenly appeared beneath it. This was not an attack spell, but an auxiliary spell that acted upon the terrain!

Its body, over twenty meters long and weighing more than a dozen tons, immediately sank into the Sand Vortex!

The area of the soil turned into quicksand grew larger and larger! At the same time, the center sank and rotated continuously,攪 (churning) the Double-Headed Silver Python so it couldn't steady itself. Its silver-white belly twisted and rolled, but it could never break free.

However, this spell consumed a massive amount of mental energy. Daniel, having only recently advanced to five stars, couldn't maintain it for long. After expanding the "Sand Vortex" to its maximum limit and seeing the surrounding trees being pulled in, shattered, and disappearing without a trace, he finally sighed in relief. He silently continued to channel his mental energy to maintain the spell, glancing at his brothers.

Xu Wen remained sitting on the tiger's back, watching the powders that had been swept into the vortex along with the trees. He smiled slightly, and the flaming bird flapped its wings, diving forward like an arrow released from a bowstring.

BOOM!!!

A fire cloud twenty meters in diameter suddenly rose from within the Sand Vortex. The grandeur of it caused even the members of Soul Extinguisher who had set the trap to stare in astonishment.

That's right.

The powder Bai Xi had scattered in that direction earlier was fire-phosphorus powder. Because it was in powder form, it wasn't easily swallowed by the quicksand, and a portion remained floating above the vortex. When the flaming bird flew in, it was like plunging into a gunpowder magazine!

Immediately following, a barrage of five-star spells rained down from the sky, scrambling to land on the Double-Headed Silver Python in the "Sand Vortex"—including Xu Wen and He Chen's "Dancing Golden Snakes" and "Golden Flame Fire Wheels."

After several rounds of attacks!

The battle aura radiating from the Double-Headed Silver Python was visibly much dimmer.

Lei E and Bai Xi exchanged glances and nodded simultaneously. The former rapidly chanted an earth-type spell... while the latter raised his small black bow, aiming the metal arrow coated in green liquid at the top of the Sand Vortex.

BOOM!

Dozens of sharp stone spikes emerged fiercely and densely from the Sand Vortex!

The Double-Headed Silver Python's body was instantly pierced a dozen times. Its battle aura vanished completely, and it let out a painful hiss as it was lifted high out of the vortex.

WHOOSH!

A sound of piercing through the air rang out simultaneously!

The small green arrow buried itself directly into the Double-Headed Silver Python's body.

Seeing this, the corners of Xu Wen's mouth curled into a slight smile: The blood of a thousand-year-old corpse king was not something to be trifled with.

Festering and corrosion began to appear at the site of the Double-Headed Silver Python's wounds at a speed visible to the naked eye, spreading over a large area...

(To be continued)