Chapter 151: Chapter 150 Ten Python Soul
Facing the defeat of Demon Beast Hong Yuan, the Black Dragon Demon Saint merely felt a twinge of pity and didn’t appear as gloomy as outsiders might expect.
According to the Black Dragon Demon Saint’s perspective, had Li Jianqiu really given Hong Yuan three or four days to develop, there was a genuine possibility that Hong Yuan could have overturned Li Jianqiu, because Hong Yuan’s digestive capability was freakishly abnormal!
"Oh?!" The Black Dragon Demon Saint suddenly chuckled. "Guangqiao has gone to the area where Zhang Fan is located, such Luck Tao..."
"Indeed, it is somewhat strange." Wan Xuerou nodded slightly, also feeling it was quite subtle.
Out of the fourteen junior Demon Saints, Li Jianqiu was undoubtedly the top one, while Zhang Fan was the cultivation genius second only to Li Jianqiu.
Unfortunately for Hong Yuan, he first encountered Li Jianqiu and then had dealings with Zhang Fan soon after.
In one of the mirror images created by the Energy Mirror, a two-meter-long Hong Yuan appeared out of thin air, then fell into the ripples of water with a splash.
The commotion made by Hong Yuan caught the attention of the Aquatic Soul Beasts, and a three-meter-long red-headed lobster was lunging at him, intending to kill Hong Yuan in its infancy.
"Luck Tao tactics are truly bizarre," Hong Yuan mused as he watched the red-headed lobster break through the waves.
After briefly assessing the strengths of both sides, Hong Yuan did not hesitate to turn and run, his attitude extremely decisive.
This move of his formed a stark contrast with other trial participants, prompting laughter.
Every junior Demon Saint capable of entering the Heart-questioning Trial was a genius among geniuses; even the weakest, like Ji Xueqing, could easily defeat Soul Beasts and obtain Soul Grass.
Yet Hong Yuan was fleeing at the mere sight of danger, showing none of the exceptional talent typical of a genius!
"This is just an ordinary Soul Beast, and yet Xuan Guangqiao actually ran away?" The Snow Moon Demon Saint chuckled. "It’s really unexpected that Ji Xueqing isn’t at the bottom."
"With such behavior, Jianqiu is perhaps overthinking things," said the Red Luck Demon Saint, stroking his dragon whiskers and looking down on Hong Yuan.
"It’s likely that little Fan won’t even need to take action; Xuan Guangqiao will just scurry away to another place on its own," the Poison Chapter Demon Saint said as he picked up his teacup and took a light sip, his demeanor extremely composed.
The Black Dragon Demon Saint watched as Hong Yuan fled so familiarly and couldn’t help but sigh.
He didn’t think there was anything wrong with Hong Yuan; it was clear that the giant lobster was not something Hong Yuan could easily defeat at the moment.
Instead of spending a great deal of effort here, it was better to preserve his useful body, grow his soul power, and then come back to deal with the giant lobster later.
It was just that Hong Yuan’s actions were a bit uncharacteristic of a genius.
HUFF... HUFF... Hong Yuan panted heavily, recovering his strength.
After running for over an hour, he had finally shaken off the giant lobster Soul Beast.
A two-meter Soul Body was not the absolute lowest starting point, but if he had failed again just now, Hong Yuan could basically have been said to be trapped in the plight of the weak getting weaker.
Thus, aspiring to quickly catch up to, or even take revenge on Li Jianqiu, was undoubtedly Fool’s Dream Talk.
At this moment, Hong Yuan raised his head and looked around, finding himself having arrived at a reed beach.
He was peeking out from the uneven reed stalks with caution, wary of his surroundings.
As the wind blew, the reeds all obligingly bowed their heads, the reed leaves brushing against Hong Yuan’s python body.
A two-meter body feels unsuitable for the waterway; perhaps it’s better to go ashore, hunt Soul Beasts around the reed beach to strengthen my Soul Body, in hopes of reaching the Ten Python Soul. Hong Yuan mused, his python eyes slightly lowered.
Quickly, he left the reed beach and crawled toward the shore.
Crawling over damp leaves and brushing aside floating branches, Hong Yuan made his way onto land with ease.
Upon reaching the shore, Hong Yuan’s olfactory organs twitched rapidly, gathering information as he moved.
Ahead lay a gloomy and chilly forest. Hong Yuan stood on the yellowing grass, surveyed it for a moment, and then resolutely crawled in, seeking a path for his future.
Destiny’s gift for the brave had arrived.
Hong Yuan encountered a Little Grey Mouse Soul Beast, which was currently hiding in the grass, gnawing on a fruit, completely unaware of Hong Yuan’s arrival.
Eat a mouse? This question surfaced in Hong Yuan’s mind, but he quickly cast it aside and charged towards the little mouse at full speed.
Pythons eat mice and rabbits—that’s quite normal...
A trail appeared on the sandy ground. The little mouse’s ears twitched; it realized Hong Yuan was already in front of it, fangs bared menacingly.
With just one bite, Hong Yuan caught the little mouse and devoured it hungrily.
[Soul Tao +3]
[School: Soul Tao (None 2%)]
These figures boldly displayed on the proficiency panel caused Hong Yuan, who was just about to go hunting, to freeze.
Hong Yuan’s python eyes widened—first in confusion, then doubt, and finally ecstasy.
"Soul Tao! The super mysterious Soul Tao can actually be strengthened through devouring!"
"Incredible, unthinkable."
Hong Yuan was astonished.
He had never imagined that Soul Tao could grow through the act of "eating, eating, eating."
After the emotional turmoil, Hong Yuan’s mood gradually settled, and he looked up at the sky with a fierce gleam in his eyes.
"Li Jianqiu, you would never have expected me to learn Soul Tao, would you? Just wait till I hit you with a heavy one!"
In the following two days, Hong Yuan fully embraced the spirit of Gou Dao, starting with hunting ordinary mice and rabbits, then nibbling on small fish and shrimp, before moving on to wolves, dogs, cheetahs, crocodiles, and sharks.
Hong Yuan basically repeated the route he took when he was in his Mysterious Water Snake form, steadfast and thorough.
Finally, his Soul Body grew to forty-nine meters, reaching the limitations of an ordinary soul.
He was just half a step away from reaching the Ten Python Soul Realm!
Currently, only Zhang Fan, Zhang Daoliu, and Li Jianqiu had stepped into the Tenfold Soul Realm. Even if Li Jianqiu was about to break through to the Hundred-fold Soul, Hong Yuan could still keep up with the first echelon.
The changes in Hong Yuan finally caught the attention of outsiders. They couldn’t understand how, despite having failed once before, he was maturing so rapidly, as if fed a powerful tonic.
"It shouldn’t be, it should not be," muttered the Snow Moon Demon Saint, baffled. "What on earth is this Xuan Guangqiao fellow eating to grow so fast? It’s utterly absurd."
"With such exaggerated talents and Luck Tao, no wonder Jianqiu sees him as a formidable enemy," said the Red Luck Demon Saint, twisting his few dragon whiskers with a grave look.
"Stop wandering around, little Fan. That Guangqiao is about to catch up with you guys," the Poison Chapter Demon Saint said anxiously.
The Poison Chapter Demon Saint was so focused on Hong Yuan’s silhouette that he didn’t even care about his cooling tea, hoping desperately that his descendant could act timely like Li Jianqiu and not give Hong Yuan time to develop.
One could only say that Hong Yuan’s digestive capacity was monstrous.
If an average Demon Cultivator genius absorbed the soul of a Soul Beast to strengthen their own with thirty percent efficiency, then these descendants of the Demon Saints generally could reach fifty percent, with Li Jianqiu at an astonishing seventy percent.
But Hong Yuan was utterly illogical, reaching nearly ninety-nine percent!
At this moment, Hong Yuan dived back into the sea, setting off from the reed beach towards the main battlefield.
"Hm? You dare to appear before me, you lobster?" Hong Yuan’s eyebrows quirked as he gleefully fixed his gaze on the three-meter-long red-headed lobster.
With a surge through the waves, Hong Yuan caught up with the fleeing red-headed lobster, seized it in a single bite, and swallowed it whole.
[Soul Tao +6]
[School: Soul Tao (None 99.99%) → Soul Tao (Ordinary 1%)]
After Hong Yuan’s foundation in Soul Tao broke through to the ordinary level, a hint of bronze lines appeared on his grey-white body.
Ten Python Soul, achieved!