The Strongest All-Round Support in Douluo Continent

After advancing another forty meters or so, there were small holes of varying sizes at the bottom of the canyon walls on both sides. The largest was as big as a basketball, and the smallest was as big as a male adult's fist. There were more than a hundred of these small holes.

In fact, Death Valley has existed for so many years that the soul beasts within it have gradually formed their own territories.

From these small openings, pairs of slightly dark red eyes were watching Duan Yufan and his companions. Then, one pair of dark red eyes appeared from each of the openings, and soon they quickly left the cave.

"Be careful, there are too many of these small holes, something's not right. There might be something inside." Duan Yufan warned, noticing the increasing number of small holes.

Before Duan Yufan could give a warning, many dark red eyes appeared nearby and quickly surrounded Duan Yufan and his companions from all sides.

squeak...

Everyone could see clearly that they looked like rats, but several sizes larger, about the size of a soccer ball, with dark purple fur and each one with the same dark red eyes.

"These are Soul-Eating Rats! They've been extinct outside for many years. They can devour the soul power of Soul Masters, and even some Soul Skills released by Soul Masters. It can be said to be one of the types of Martial Souls awakened by Evil Soul Masters. I didn't expect there to be so many Soul-Eating Rats in Death Valley." Xie Yue exclaimed in surprise after seeing them clearly.

"Hurry up and leave. Don't get entangled with the Soul-Eating Rats. There are too many of them," Xie Yue immediately ordered.

"No! We're going to be surrounded!" Yan cried out.

"Don't panic, Yan. Use the least amount of soul power to release your third soul skill forward to clear a path. I think these Soul-Eating Rats will be afraid of fire. Hu Liena, release your third soul skill behind you to buy time." Duan Yufan made the best plan at the moment.

"Third Soul Skill, Hellfire." Upon hearing Duan Yufan's instructions, Yan immediately did as he was told, releasing a flame area several meters wide in front of him. Sure enough, the Soul-Eating Rats that had surrounded him all gave way.

"Third Soul Skill, Pink Mist." Hu Liena released the mist behind her.

"Third Soul Skill, Holy Light Protection, let's go." Duan Yufan released four protective shields. Because there were still Soul-Eating Rats coming from the side, they bounced away as soon as they touched them, but some Soul-Eating Rats immediately opened their mouths and bit into the protective shields.

The protective shield formed by soul power energy was bitten open by the Soul-Eating Rat, but the shield's properties immediately filled the gap. However, the shield was a bit weak, and its defensive power was reduced.

Yan unleashed his third soul skill and, together with Xie Yue, protected the flank. Yan then took out a long dagger and, together with Xie Yue, killed the Soul-Eating Rat that had approached.

"So this is the Soul-Eating Rat? It can even bite my protective shield." Duan Yufan exclaimed in surprise.

However, a gap appeared ahead due to Yan's flame area.

"Let's get out of here now!" Duan Yufan shouted as soon as he saw a gap in the path.

uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu...

Move quickly through Yan's fiery area and run forward.

Squeak... The Soul-Eating Rat relentlessly pursued them, bypassing the flames to continue chasing Duan Yufan and his companions.

"What should I do? This won't do. It's dangerous to keep running like this! I can't shake them off," Hu Liena said as she ran.

At that moment, a huge snake appeared, and its tail swept towards the four of them.

"Watch out!" But he couldn't dodge in time and was still struck hard by the snake's tail.

"Pfft." All four were simultaneously knocked back and slammed into the canyon wall.

The Soul-Eating Rats that were chasing the four were swept away and eaten by the giant snake. The remaining Soul-Eating Rats quickly retreated upon seeing this.

Fifty-six Demonic Horned Viper Sand Pythons

Seeing that the Soul-Eating Rat had been frightened away, the giant snake moved its massive body and then looked at its prey, Duan Yufan and his companions.

However, regardless of the type of soul beast, rats and snakes are always natural enemies. Although there are many Soul-Eating Rats, they are still afraid of this giant snake.

"First Soul Skill, Healing Prayer." Duan Yufan paused and immediately began healing himself and Hu Liena's injuries.

"Are you alright?" Duan Yufan helped Hu Liena up beside him.

"It's alright, I feel much better thanks to your treatment." Hu Liena quickly adjusted her position.

The giant snake saw Duan Yufan and his companions and immediately attacked them with its head.

"Soul Possession, First Soul Skill, Charm." Hu Liena released her soul skill into the giant snake's eyes, attempting to control its movements.

But the giant snake only paused slightly before continuing its attack on the group.

"It's no use. The soul beasts here only act on instinct and have only a trace of intelligence. My charm can't be controlled for long." Hu Liena was shocked to see this. The lack of intelligence meant that Hu Liena's charm effect was greatly weakened.

"Soul Bone Skill: Holy Light Cross." Seeing the giant snake's attack was about to arrive, Duan Yufan immediately controlled his soul power to transform into a huge cross about five meters long and slammed it down on the giant snake's head.

The ground shook violently as the giant snake's head slammed heavily onto the ground, and the impact sent shockwaves through Duan Yufan's feet.

Only then did everyone get a clear look at the giant snake's size. It was over twenty meters long, as thick as a basketball, and had two small horns on its head. The snake's body was black, yellow, and brown, and its eyes were also a pair of huge, dark red pupils.

"This is a Horned Viper Sand Python. It has immense strength, thick scales, and high defense. Judging from its size, it's equivalent to a spirit beast that's over 30,000 years old." Xie Yue began explaining the name of this giant snake again, truly showing his extensive knowledge.

The horned viper, dazed and confused, began to raise its head again, instinctively hissing in pain.

"A great battle is inevitable. Second Soul Skill, Blessing of Courage; Third Soul Skill, Holy Light Protection." Duan Yufan immediately applied the buffs. Duan Yufan's Holy Light Cross Strike had reached the level of a high-level Soul King, but it only made the Horned Viper Sand Python momentarily dazed.

"Fourth Soul Skill, Strong; First Soul Skill, Slash." Xie Yue dared not be careless and immediately upgraded to his strongest attack state.

With a clang, Xie Yue's attack only left a shallow cut on the snake's body, but it was insignificant to the giant snake.

"Damn it! Why is its defense even higher than what's described in the book? I don't believe it!" Xie Yue exclaimed in surprise, then continued attacking the Horned Viper Sand Python.

Duan Yufan was also taken aback by the Horned Viper Sand Python's defense. He knew that Xie Yue's attack was enhanced by his own power and Xie Yue's fourth soul skill, yet it only resulted in a single blade mark.

"The first soul skill, Hellfire Lava Rush, caused the Horned Viper Sand Python's defense to be so high, which may be related to the special aura of Death Valley. It may have mutated." Yan answered Xie Yue's question while attacking.

"Second Soul Skill, Fox Tail Assault." Hu Liena also joined the battle.

The Horned Viper Sand Python didn't stand still and let Duan Yufan and his group of four attack it. It found an opportunity and swept its tail across Xie Yue, Yan, and Hu Liena. Duan Yufan's third soul skill, Holy Light Guardian Shield, was shattered by the Horned Viper Sand Python.

"Fourth Soul Skill, Healing Holy Light." Duan Yufan used his long-lost black ten-thousand-year soul ring. His main body's martial soul, the cross, transformed into a two-meter-long cross that landed in front of Hu Liena and the other two, instantly healing them and also boosting their attributes.

"This won't do! It's just a useless waste of soul power," Duan Yufan said while healing.

"Nana! One last move!" Xie Yue shouted.

“Okay!” Hu Liena replied.

Then, Xie Yue and Hu Liena's martial souls merged together, and the two of them became a person with long flowing hair, whose gender was indistinguishable.

"Soul Fusion Skill: Enchantress." Duan Yufan and Yan naturally knew about their Soul Fusion Skill.

The spirit fusion skill used by Hu Liena and Xie Yue, Yao Mei's strength is the sum of the two people's spirit power levels, which is currently around the level of a mid-level spirit emperor. It can be said that she has both control and output. However, using the spirit fusion skill will rapidly consume spirit power, which is the price for temporarily increasing strength.

The demonic figure swiftly approached the horned viper's head, rapidly wielding the Evil Moon Blade martial spirit to attack the thinnest and most defensive part of the snake's neck.

The Moon Blade attack worked, leaving a deep gash on the snake's neck. With Duan Yufan's assistance, it had reached the level of a Soul Saint.

The horned viper, in pain, tried to ram its head into the demon, but the demon quickly dodged and seized the opportunity to continue attacking the knife mark on the snake's neck.

One strike, two strikes, until the sixth strike, when the demonic viper delivered a powerful blow that separated the head and body of the horned viper from its body.

The snake's body continued to writhe unconsciously on the ground until it gradually stopped moving completely.

When Yao Mei severed the head of the Horned Viper Sand Python, she also released the state of Yao Mei, the martial soul fusion skill.

Landing on the ground, panting heavily, Duan Yufan quickly came over and used his first soul skill to restore a significant amount of soul power to Xie Yue and Hu Liena.

"Xiao Fan, stop. You need to conserve some of your soul power." Hu Liena stopped Duan Yu Fan, who wanted to continue unleashing his soul skills.

“That’s right, it’s ready.” Xie Yue also stopped him.

“Alright then! But we shouldn’t stay here any longer. Let’s find where this horned viper sand python is hiding and recover our soul power first. We don’t know what dangers await us ahead, and we can’t continue forward rashly in our current state,” Duan Yufan immediately suggested.

Duan Yufan only has 50% of his soul power left, Hu Liena and Xie Yue probably only have 20% of their soul power left, and Yan's soul power is estimated to be a little more.

"Let's go! It should be nearby."

After walking for four or five minutes, Duan Yufan and his companions found a cave. This cave was large enough to accommodate the body of the horned viper, and the marks around the entrance confirmed that this was the horned viper's hiding place.

"This should be it, the horned viper's den. It should be safe here for now," Duan Yufan said, looking at the cave.

I went into the cave and found a relatively flat spot to sit down.

"I didn't expect to encounter such a powerful soul beast so soon after we entered. Just one Horned Viper Sand Python has made us so miserable," Xie Yue sighed.

"Although it wasn't exactly a life-or-death situation, I did experience firsthand the danger of Death Valley," Hu Liena added.

"Let's not talk about that now. The most important thing is to recover your soul power quickly. Yan, you haven't consumed much energy, so you can keep an eye on things for us, right?" Duan Yufan said to Yan.

“No problem! You can meditate as you like. I still have about 80% of my soul power left,” Yan assured him, before observing the surroundings at the cave entrance.

Duan Yufan, Xie Yue, and Hu Liena can meditate to recover their soul power, but they encountered the problem of extremely slow soul power recovery.

Duan Yufan guessed that the speed of soul power recovery in Death Valley was slower than outside, and it would take at least three days to recover to a state of saturated soul power.

But there was nothing they could do. They had encountered two crises as soon as they entered: the threat of the Soul-Eating Rat and the Horned Viper Sand Python. Nobody knew what kind of beasts lay ahead.

Duan Yufan felt that it would be more appropriate to call the soul beasts here "wild beasts". It was understandable that the Soul Devouring Rat did not have a soul ring, but the Horned Viper Sand Python was so strong and had such a huge body, yet it did not have a soul ring either, only the physical strength of the Horned Viper Sand Python itself.

Fifty-seven Black-backed Golden-clawed Scorpions

During Duan Yufan's meditation, almost a day passed. The flesh and blood of the Horned Viper Sand Python and the Soul-Eating Rat that had been killed turned into dark red energy and rose into the dark red mist, leaving only a pile of white bones.

Of course, Duan Yufan and the others, who were meditating, did not notice this strange phenomenon.

It took Duan Yufan and the other two four days to wake up. Yan had slowly recovered nine-tenths of his soul power in those four days, while Duan Yufan woke up a day ago.

"How long have we been meditating?" Xie Yue asked Yan after waking up.

“Four days, and my soul power recovered less, so I woke up a day earlier than you,” Duan Yufan replied.

"I didn't expect it to be so slow. We've only been here a short while and a single horned viper has forced us to use all our trump cards," Xie Yue said solemnly.

"Alas! I underestimated the danger of Death Valley," Hu Liena said heavily.

"Don't even mention you, we also seriously underestimated Death Canyon," Duan Yufan replied to the two in a deep voice.

"Let's go, let's keep going. I've been keeping an eye on the brightness of the sky and I've noticed it's midday outside," Yan said, seizing the opportunity to interject.

"We really should move on. We've only made about two hundred meters in the four days since we came in."

After Duan Yufan finished speaking, the four of them continued to explore deeper into the area. Perhaps this place still belonged to the territory of the horned viper and sand python. The four of them carefully walked for nearly a hundred meters without encountering any wild beasts.

"Do the beasts in Death Valley also have territories?" Yan asked, puzzled.

"Maybe! Perhaps this is good news. If we encounter other wild beasts in the future, it means we'll have a short period of rest after killing them," Duan Yufan guessed.

“That makes sense. We’ll have to try encountering another wild beast.”

After exchanging a few words, the group continued their exploration, walking for about half an hour and advancing at least two hundred meters.