Chapter 818: Giant Python Ancient Beast

Lu Weiying stopped his incantation and pointed a finger at the ritual flag.

The flag trembled, its surface suddenly unfurled, emitting a dazzling, blinding light.

Gusts of hurricane-force winds, identical to the previous ones, surged from the flag, transforming into over a dozen white wind dragons that aggressively swept towards the distant gray mist.

The golden giant sword also shot out from its original position with a humming sound, flying above the gray mist and beginning to circle.

It seemed Marquis Nanlong was waiting for the gray mist to fully dissipate and the monster to appear, ready to unleash a lightning-fast strike.

Han Li silently flicked his large sleeve, and a shimmering silver bell flew out, immediately transforming into a ball of silver light and flying into the distance.

The dozen-plus wind dragons went first, plunging into the thick mist. The gray mist churned, and large swathes of it were lifted high by the hurricanes and then ripped to shreds.

The gray sea of mist was gradually weakened by the hurricanes.

However, this situation lasted only for a moment before a strange, soft "hissing" sound suddenly emanated from the mist.

A gigantic snake tail, as thick as a water vat, suddenly lashed out from the mist, striking one of the wind dragons. The hurricane immediately vanished.

The snake tail mercilessly struck twice more, easily dispersing two more wind dragons.

Seeing this, Lu Weiying's expression changed.

But he immediately formed a strange hand seal with both hands and uttered the word "Explode!"

The remaining dozen-plus hurricanes flashed with white light and exploded simultaneously.

The exploding winds raged through the sea of mist. The strong winds blowing in all directions shattered most of the gray mist, and the entire sea of mist finally dissipated. The monster's figure also vaguely revealed itself.

Extremely massive, a dark, mountain-like body was coiled there.

The golden giant sword, which had been circling above the gray mist for a long time, seized this opportunity to drop down, silently striking at the giant python that had just revealed itself.

Han Li activated a spell, causing the small bell to emit a brilliant silver light and suddenly expand enormously, reaching over ten feet in size.

A clear ringing sound emanated from the bell, and a wave of silver light surged from the giant glowing mass, sweeping directly towards the giant python opposite, thus forming a joint attack with the golden giant sword.

The giant python seemed somewhat sluggish. Facing the attacks from the silver wave and the golden sword, it remained coiled in a ball, without moving.

Marquis Nanlong was naturally overjoyed. He quickly poured more spiritual energy into the sword, causing it to grow even larger.

But before the golden light could land a solid blow, a spiritual light flashed on the giant python's body without any warning, and a layer of green radiant mist suddenly appeared over it.

With a loud "rumble," golden and green lights intertwined, then the green radiant mist flared brilliantly, deflecting the golden giant sword.

At this, all three cultivators were secretly startled.

The silver wave that followed also struck the radiant mist, dispersing without effect.

After these two strikes, the giant python seemed to finally awaken somewhat.

It slowly withdrew its massive head, which had been buried within its body, swayed it a few times, before looking at Han Li and the others.

By this time, the gray mist had completely dissipated, and the giant python's appearance clearly came into the sight of the three.

The python was entirely black like iron, over fifty to sixty feet long, and incredibly thick. Its body was covered in dark, palm-sized scales. A pair of eerie green snake eyes emitted a cold, sinister glow.

Han Li's heart tensed. Just as he was about to cast a spell to recall the silver bell, the giant python seemed to move.

A long, illusory shadow flickered, and the silver bell, over thirty feet away from it, suddenly vanished.

Han Li was startled. Before he could understand what had happened, Marquis Nanlong's golden giant sword also met the same fate.

After the illusory shadow flickered, the golden giant sword in the sky suddenly disappeared.

But this time, Han Li, having been prepared, clearly saw everything.

In an instant, the giant python's body strangely elongated and thinned. It swallowed both treasures into its belly with lightning speed. The movement was so fast that Han Li and the others initially couldn't react.

This giant python's body was so massive, yet its movements were so incredibly swift.

Han Li's expression instantly turned serious.

Marquis Nanlong, standing nearby, seeing his flying sword swallowed, was first startled, then delighted.

His golden flying sword was a Natal Magic Treasure he had spent over a hundred years cultivating. Originally, the giant python's scales were incredibly hard, making it impossible to harm it from the outside. But now that it had actively swallowed the sword, wasn't the python seeking its own demise?!

Thinking of this, Marquis Nanlong said nothing. He hurriedly urged the golden flying sword with his divine sense, preparing for it to unleash its full power within the giant python's belly, bursting directly out from the monster's body and ending its life.

But the next moment, Marquis Nanlong's expression froze.

Although he could still sense his Natal Magic Treasure, it seemed to be confined by something within the giant python's belly, completely unable to move even an inch. At this, he couldn't help but grow nervous.

After all, if his Natal Magic Treasure were to be damaged, he, whose mind was linked to it, would certainly suffer a severe blow.

"Fellow cultivators, my flying sword is trapped," he said. "This giant python is indeed not an ordinary demon beast; we must be extra careful."

As soon as he finished his warning, Marquis Nanlong took a deep breath, his expression grim. With a raise of his hand, a jade-green ring slipped from his finger and flew out, floating before him.

The ring's surface flickered between dim and bright, with various runes faintly visible, constantly shimmering. It seemed to be no ordinary treasure.

On the other side, Lu Weiying was startled to see Han Li's and the other's treasures lost, and quickly recalled his ritual flag.

Then, with a wave of his hand, several talismans floated out, immediately followed by a burst of white light. Dozens of intensely white, dazzling, strange fireballs appeared in front of Lu Weiying. Han Li glanced at these white fireballs in surprise, vaguely feeling as if he had heard of such fireballs somewhere before. But now was not the time to ponder this. He turned back, slapped his storage pouch at his waist, and four beams of white light shot out from it, landing on the ground.

Three white wolves, two red oxen, and a green python appeared. These were the six ancient puppet beasts he had obtained from True Person Tianjing during the trade fair.

After acquiring these puppets, Han Li hadn't truly used them yet. Now, facing the ancient giant python, it was a good opportunity to test their power.

Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying saw Han Li's puppet beasts. They showed a slight hint of surprise, but their expressions quickly returned to normal.

All three were experienced in combat. After exchanging solemn glances, they were about to activate their respective divine abilities and launch a joint attack.

But the giant python stared at the three, its eyes glowing with a fierce light. It even raised its head first and forcefully exhaled a breath.

Instantly, a nauseating stench assailed Han Li and the other two.

Han Li and the others were startled. They hastily flared their protective spiritual light and held their breath. But the next moment, they realized that although the stench was unpleasant, it wasn't harmful.

The three couldn't help but hesitate in bewilderment.

But in that brief moment of delay, the giant python's cavernous maw opened wide. Its snake belly flattened, and it suddenly inhaled.

In an instant, the loose rocks and dirt in front of the giant python bounced up from the ground and surged wildly towards its mouth. Unprepared, the three felt as if they were being pushed from behind by an immense force. Their footing loosened, and their bodies instantly became unable to move an inch. They floated in mid-air, about to be forcibly drawn into the giant python's mouth.

Han Li's four puppets were even more directly sucked over without any resistance, instantly reaching the edge of the python's mouth.

Han Li's face showed a trace of horror, but he felt no panic. A flash of green light around his body, and his figure immediately became incredibly heavy, plummeting downwards. At the same time, with a thought of his divine sense, the six puppet beasts that had just reached the giant python's mouth suddenly launched an attack.

The four horns of the two red oxen flashed with red light, suddenly shot out, transforming into four crimson streaks that shot towards the giant python's maw.

The giant python was fully focused on pulling Han Li and the others into its belly. As a result, the crimson streaks effortlessly struck the python's exposed tongue.

After a flash of red light, "thump-thump" sounds emanated.

The giant python let out a low groan of pain, and its massive tongue immediately retracted. Although it was impossible to see how badly it was injured, its furious suction momentarily paused.

In that brief moment of relaxation, the three white wolves, regaining control of their bodies, flared with white light. Their four wolf claws extended several inches of sharp light, and sharp, blade-like fangs protruded from their mouths. Their figures flickered, transforming into three white rainbows that charged directly at the giant python's head.

A "hissing" sound, like metal scraping, emanated from the giant python's head. For some unknown reason, the previous green radiant mist did not appear this time. However, neither the claw light nor the long fangs could leave more than a faint white mark on the giant python's black scales, failing to harm it in the slightest.

But two of the white wolves immediately changed their forms, shooting towards either side and directly pouncing on the giant python's two snake eyes. Its eyeballs were exposed, without snake scales for protection.

Swiftly, with a blur, two dull "thud" sounds emerged.

As the two white wolves flew halfway, the giant python, with a lightning-fast flick of its tongue from side to side, immediately struck them heavily, sending them flying askew.

The house-sized python tilted its head slightly and bit one of the flung-back white wolf puppets into its massive mouth. When it tried to do the same to the other puppet, the green python puppet suddenly expanded to over ten feet in size and fiercely lunged forward. The two red oxen also shot their horns out again.

The ancient giant python was completely enraged by the puppets' attacks. It let out a low roar, and after a rapid shake of its head, a stream of black gas erupted from its nostrils, instantly enveloping its entire head.

The remaining two white wolves seized this opportunity to retreat.

But from within the black gas, two black shadows flashed out, biting both white wolves at once. They were two identical, but smaller, snakes.

All of this took a long time to describe, but in reality, it happened in an instant.

At this point, the black gas quickly receded, revealing the giant python's true form.

Han Li and the others, who had just regained their freedom, immediately let out exclamations of surprise.

"This is..."

"A Three-Headed Black Serpent!"

"How is that possible!"

Their words were filled with disbelief.

Opposite them, a strange python with three heads stared furiously at them. The middle head repeatedly flicked its tongue, while the heads on the left and right sides simultaneously bit down with force, intent on crushing the puppet beasts in their mouths.

But just then, a cold "Explode!" was uttered from the opposite side.

With two loud "booms," the two puppet beasts in the snake's mouths exploded, successively turning into two dazzling, blindingly brilliant white lights.