Douluo Continent: Starting from Killing Arou with a Single Sword.

Chapter 17 Star Dou Great Forest

three days later

Starry Sky Forest

A dozen or so people sat sparsely on an open space. They were muscular, dressed in tight-fitting clothes, and looked somewhat menacing. The only oddity was a splash of blue.

"Mu Ning, do you want something to eat?" Bai Qi picked up a piece of meat, sprinkled it with seasoning, and said, "My grilled meat is really delicious."

"Okay." Ning Mumu smiled and took the grilled meat.

She spent a day traveling to the Star Dou Great Forest, and along the way joined a Soul Hunting Team to help a noble young master who had reached level 30 hunt soul beasts. Today they have found their target: a 1,500-year-old Mandragora Serpent.

"If you ask me, let's go and deal with that damn snake today. The environment here is just too damn uncomfortable!" The speaker was a level 47 Soul Master who loved to mock Ning Mumu.

It's summer now, and snakes, insects, and rodents are everywhere. Ning Mumu only stayed in the team because of a bottle of highly effective insect repellent; otherwise, who would want a blind, seemingly delicate girl in the team?

Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, Wang Ye started calling Ning Mumu, "Hey, Mumu, how come a little girl like you, who hasn't even grown up yet, came to the Star Dou Great Forest all by herself?"

"If you ask me, Mu Ning doesn't seem like someone who's short of money. She's probably just blind and that's why her family abandoned her."

Hahahaha

Laughter erupted from seven or eight burly men. They were commoner Soul Masters, often oppressed by nobles. Seeing Ning Mumu dressed in fine silks and satins, they naturally harbored some resentment.

"Enough! Mu Ning is just a girl, don't you think it's going too far to joke like this?" Bai Qi, who had just switched shifts with others, was furious when he heard this. "If you laugh again, you'll be on night watch."

Despite Bai Qi's thin and frail appearance, he is actually a level 53 Soul King and the captain of this Soul Hunting Squad. His words carry weight, and sure enough, no one laughed at Ning Mumu anymore.

Ning Mumu didn't care about the ridicule at all. She joined the team simply because someone could cook; she was too lazy to cook herself. As for Bai Qi, he seemed like a decent person with some talent. A commoner Soul Master who reached the Soul King realm before the age of 35—he was a promising talent.

"It's alright, I know no one means any harm," Ning Mumu said nonchalantly. "I'm not a runaway noble lady, my family just has some money."

Ning Mumu didn't mind explaining, after all, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School hadn't joined the royal family, and its relationship with the royal family members wasn't close. After Xuefeng led people to ambush Ning Mumu that year, the relationship between the royal family and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School became even more distant.

Therefore, Ning Mumu really has nothing to do with nobility; her bloodline isn't noble at all. Moreover, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School is world-renowned for its wealth, which isn't a lie.

Seeing that Ning Mumu had tactfully explained, no one had any objections. Everyone went about their duties, planning to take a break and continue hunting mandrakes the next day.

Late night

The Starry Sky Forest was exceptionally quiet; even the wind couldn't make a sound. Ning Mumu smiled in the darkness. She had arrived.

"Hiss—" In the quiet environment, the sound of the soul beast rubbing against the ground was particularly clear.

"Bai Qi, did you hear anything?" Ning Mumu came out of the tent and asked Bai Qi, who was on night watch. "I heard it."

"Let me listen carefully." Bai Qi listened carefully but didn't find anything wrong. He thought that maybe Mu Mu's ears were more sensitive than theirs.

"Mu Ning, you might have misheard—"

"Alert! Everyone get up! There's a soul beast!" As a Soul King, Bai Qi's abilities were beyond question. He immediately sensed something was wrong; the soul beast had indeed arrived.

Bai Qi glanced gratefully at Ning Mumu. If she hadn't reminded him, he probably wouldn't have noticed the attack of the soul beast.

The dense forest was eerily dark. The group huddled together, their expressions tense, as if they were about to be sucked into the endless darkness.

As for why they didn't run away, it was because they were confident enough. This team was strong enough to take down a ten-thousand-year-old soul beast. Besides, they had their own escape plan.

"Green Ivy Python!" Bai Qi exclaimed.

The others were stunned. They were only familiar with certain spirit beasts, and this was the first time they had heard of the Green Vine Python. Seeing this, Ning Mumu spoke up, "The Green Vine Python prefers to act alone at night. It is enormous; a ten-thousand-year-old Green Vine Python can reach ten meters in length. Generally, the green stripes on its body can determine its age, with one stripe representing a thousand years."

"This is a 20,000-year-old green python!" someone exclaimed.

"However, the Green Ivy Python is relatively docile by nature. As long as humans don't attack it first, it won't attack humans," Ning Mumu continued. "However, the Green Ivy Python's venom is incredibly potent, and its strength is among the best of all snake-type soul beasts. A single drop of venom from this 20,000-year-old Green Ivy Python can kill a Soul Venerable in two minutes, and those venomized are almost certainly beyond saving. Of course, its strength can also easily strangle a Soul Venerable."

"Among them, even the Soul King would find it difficult to escape if he was poisoned and entangled by the Green Ivy Python."

"Hiss—" Ning Mumu's calm narration stunned everyone present. Even Bai Qi was not spared. Just a minute ago, they were unaware of the Green Viper's abilities; now, they were already planning their escape.

"Captain, what about us?" Wang Ye made a running motion.

Bai Qi shook his head. "Not now. We can't move around recklessly, otherwise the green python will mistake it for an attacker, and then it won't be easy to leave." After a pause, Bai Qi continued, "We'll talk after it leaves."

A flawless version after careful inspection!

Everyone held their breath, not daring to move, watching the green python crawl.

"Ah—" Wang Ye shouted loudly, attracting the attention of the Green Python. "Captain, there's a soul beast behind me!" After saying that, Wang Ye collapsed to the ground.

Everyone was shocked. How could there be a green python? And a 30,000-year-old one at that!

"Damn it," Bai Qi thought. He could handle a 20,000-year-old Green Vine Python, but he couldn't take down a 30,000-year-old one. Running was his first thought, but the Green Vine Python's venom was faster than theirs; he would be poisoned before he could even escape.

They may perish here.

"I'm sorry." Bai Qi was a little dejected, but he still rallied himself. "I'm the squad leader. I'll cover your escape in a bit. You guys run quickly."

"Mu Ning, you too."

In the darkness, Ning Mumu chuckled softly, "Okay."

Wang Ye was beyond saving. The others bypassed him and fled in all directions, while Bai Qi stayed behind and single-handedly blocked two green pythons.

"First Soul Skill, Eagle Blade!" Bai Qi's martial soul is the Sky-Hunting Eagle, which is of decent quality. His first soul skill unleashed thousands of hunting blades, instantly blocking the two green pythons.

At the same time, his second soul skill, "Netherworld Eagle Strike," was activated. The Green Python roared, already bearing wounds.

Looking around and confirming that his teammates had left, Bai Qi smiled. Thankfully, they were all gone. Now that he had angered the Green Python, there was no way he could escape.

"Mu Ning, why didn't you leave?!"

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(End of this chapter)