Bright Moon Forest (V)
Linyin and his group were carrying large and small bags and stepping on the thick dead leaves.
This was the third day since they entered the Bright Moon Forest, and they finally arrived at Area 6.
Tufts of grass sprouted from the cracks between scattered stones by the roadside. Their leaves were slender and soft, covered in dense, downy hairs. Here and there, a few clusters of them had pale blue flowers, signaling the end of their lives.
"Boss, look at those grasses - they look like the snake-mouth water grasses we need for the collection mission!" Crystal had sharp eyes and spotted the target of the mission at a glance. "I'll pick them." She ran over in two steps, carefully moved the stones, took out a small shovel from her bag, and began to dig them up by the roots.
She moved skillfully and soon collected several complete samples.
"Everyone, please be alert. Horned pythons often appear near the snake saliva grass."
While Lin Yin was reminding everyone, Wuji Zhenqi also began to circulate.
The Horned Python, a Xuan-level Exotic Beast. As its name suggests, it possesses a sharp horn on its forehead. A single Horned Python wouldn't be a threat to the Linyin team, but the problem lies in the fact that Horned Pythons are a rare breed among pythons, living in groups. They often live together, eat, drink, defecate, urinate, and sleep, and hunt together. A single encounter would likely involve at least three or five of them.
Less than a hundred meters away, behind a pile of rocks, two people dressed as forest rangers were hiding and spying on the group of young people.
One of them, with a shiny bald head, accidentally stepped on a dead branch and was warned by his companions with a look. He curled his lips in dissatisfaction and muttered, "Old Hans, are you blind? These guys don't look very profitable."
They also had to stay in Area 6 and make elaborate arrangements, so as not to end up not even getting their principal back.
His companion narrowed his eyes, peering slightly over the stone, staring at the teenagers a hundred meters away, swallowing a sneer. The terminal in Shuiyu's hand alone was worth two thousand gold coins in this batch of goods. Anyone wearing a terminal of that price must have other valuables on him.
"Stop talking nonsense and get started."
The harvest was almost finished, and if they let this idiot keep mumbling, they might be exposed soon.
The bald man waved his fist at his companion's back in annoyance, picked up two white eggs, and threw them hard in the direction of the teenagers.
When he threw the second egg, the bald man stumbled and dropped the egg only ten meters away from them.
The moment the egg shattered, a thick black lightning bolt shot out from the woods behind them. The dark blue vertical pupils locked onto the bald head, and the horns on his forehead glowed with a cold metallic luster.
"Useless! Ugly! You can't even do such a simple thing!" His companion was completely mad. "Damn it, this isn't an ordinary horned python, it's a Netherworld Horned Python..."
They suspected a small family of horned pythons lived near the rubble. They bought a few horned python eggs from a hunter, smeared the egg liquid on the paper Old Hans handed to Rin, and sprinkled it with finely ground eggshell powder. Their plan was to use the noise of the eggs breaking to lure out the nearby horned pythons and pin the blame on Rin's team. Then, depending on the situation, they could either intervene to save the situation or take advantage of the chaos to retaliate. Either way, they could achieve their goal.
…but everything was messed up by this idiot!
"This...how could a heavenly-level monster appear here!" the bald man shouted in horror. Feeling the terrifying aura of the Nether Horn Python, his legs trembled.
The companion swallowed hard and pretended to be calm: "Don't panic, just call for help and lure them into the trap!"
So the bald man shouted at the top of his lungs: "Help! Help! There's... there's..." He swallowed the words "heavenly-level monster" at the warning look of his companions, "There's a snake! We can't hold on any longer!" There was a hint of deliberate despair in his voice.
When Linyin heard the cry for help, she was stunned and became alert.
The Bright Moon Forest has a complex demographic: hunters, bandits, and mythical beast warriors are all frequent visitors, often switching between these three identities. Here, strangers simply can't help each other without reservation.
They weren't far away, but even the kitten and the Moon-Shaped Spirit Deer hadn't noticed them. While seasoned hunters usually lay in wait around their prey and possessed unique stealth techniques, they hadn't heard much of the fighting. Would a seasoned hunter really turn to a group of young men for help the moment they encountered danger?
Linyin asked the others to calm down and said, "I'll go over and take a look."
Song Baiyue and Xiaomao followed silently.
At the same time, the Nether Horned Python swam serpentinely, constantly approaching the bald man. Every time it spit out its tongue, the air around it became increasingly cold.
When his companions saw that there were only two people and a cat coming, they winked at the bald man and said, "These two are the toughest. Find a chance to kill them first, and then deal with the rest." In their line of work, eyesight is sometimes more important than strength. The way these two people who came to explore the way walked, it was obvious that they were trained fighters.
The two men quietly took out hidden weapons from their waists, ready to attack when Lin Yin and the other two were fighting with the Nether Horn Python.
When Lin Yin arrived, the Nether Horn Python was just about to wrap around the bald man. He quickly dodged sideways, but was still swept by its thick tail. With a crisp sound of bones breaking, he fell to the ground in dismay.
"Help us!" The bald man's face was distorted with pain, and this time his cry for help was somewhat sincere.
Lin Yin saw the faint black air coming out of the bald man's back after being hit, and saw the horns on the black python's forehead. She gasped and said, "Netherworld Horned Python?"
Are Heaven-level and Earth-level beasts so worthless these days? You can bump into one just by walking a few steps? There's a chance of one Nether Horned Python being born in a million horned pythons, and she even encountered one with that probability?
Seeing that the two people in front of her were both wearing animal furs, standard hunter attire, Linyin turned and left.
Hunters who provoke exotic beasts should take their own risks, not hers. Especially since she was leading a small team. A frenzied Earth-level exotic beast had nearly killed her and Song Baiyue. A Sky-level horned python with intelligence several orders of magnitude higher... the thought of it was terrifying.
"you……"
Her companions hadn't expected Rin's caution. She was just a student, so how could she remain so calm and unmoved? And—the tampered paper was tucked diagonally into the pocket of Rin's training uniform. Why hadn't the snake shifted its hatred? Didn't the horned python hate child-stealers the most?
He clenched the poisoned dagger in his hand, and the cold touch made a hint of ruthlessness flash in his eyes.
This won't work. Just as she was about to take action, the Nether Horn Python seemed to finally notice Rin Yin and the others and slowly moved towards her.
He breathed a sigh of relief, but his eyes widened the next second.
The Nether Horn Python stopped in front of Lin Yin, blocking her way. It nodded slightly with its huge triangular head, then moved to the front of the kitten, lying obediently on the ground and looking up. Its deep vertical pupils met the kitten's and they communicated silently for a while.
The kitten meowed, ran over with its four little paws clacking, and shook its head at Linyin, as if to say, "It's okay."
Lin Yin raised an eyebrow. Before she and Song Baiyue could react, the Nether Horn Python had already turned, its aura suddenly changing. Its black scales shimmered, its horns gleamed coldly, and it rushed towards the two people who were calling for help at the speed of teleportation.
The bald man had multiple fractures and tried to move his body, but the pain made him unable to move even a finger. The horned python was incredibly fast and rushed in front of him in the blink of an eye, its horns stabbing out like sharp blades -
There was a "puff" sound, the sound of flesh tearing apart, and blood flowed to the ground along the limp body.
The Netherhorn Python didn't stop. Dazzling purple arcs of electricity suddenly erupted from its horns, swarming towards the bald man like countless tiny purple snakes. Before the man could react, he was enveloped by the arcs. He struggled, but the arcs held him tightly like chains.
"Help..." His voice was weak and desperate. He stretched out his hands weakly to grab at the air, but he could not catch anything. After a few seconds, his movements came to an abrupt halt. His body fell heavily to the ground, and the last ray of light in his eyes was extinguished.
After doing all this, the horned python opened its mouth and sprayed out two streams of venom. The skin of the two people began to melt from the point of contact with the liquid. In just a few seconds, the two bodies disappeared into thin air, as if they had never existed in this world.
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