Chapter 24 Tang Chuan Instantly Kills the Datura Serpent
Xiao Wu's toes, imbued with soul power, struck the side of the Datura Serpent's neck with tremendous force, deflecting its vicious attack. The venomous fangs that were originally aimed at Tang Chuan grazed the corner of Tang Chuan's clothes and missed.
"Hiss!"
The Datura Snake felt pain and swept its tail across the air with a strong gust of wind, its scales scraping against the air with a piercing sound.
Xiao Wu reacted extremely quickly. She flipped forward on her toes, avoiding the snake's tail, and reached out to grab the scales below the snake's seven-inch mark, attempting to twist the snake's body off with a gentle technique. But the scales of the Datura Snake were much harder than she had imagined. As soon as she applied force with her fingertips, she was thrown off balance by the snake's violent twisting. The Datura Snake turned around and bit toward Xiao Wu.
"Xiao Wu! Watch out!"
Tang Chuan's heart tightened. Although he felt a surge of warmth from Xiao Wu's unwavering rescue, he did not stop moving at all. Soul power surged in his palm, and the first soul ring shone brightly with purple light.
"A thousand threads reappear, a hundred flavors emerge."
Blue Silver Grass vines intertwined rapidly in front of him, and a large amount of pale yellow powder fell from the fine grass strands, carrying a pungent smell, enveloping the Datura Snake. It was realgar powder that Tang Chuan replicated using Blue Silver Grass.
Knowing that there were Datura Snakes in the Soul Hunter Forest, why didn't Tang Chuan prepare in advance?
As the realgar powder fell, the Datura Snake froze, a clear look of fear flashing in its eyes, and its movements became much smaller. The snake's eyes locked onto Tang Chuan again, emitting an anxious hiss.
Now!
Tang Chuan's footwork shifted, unleashing the Ghost Shadow Step, making his figure elusive as he dodged the lingering force of the snake's tail and charged straight at the Datura Snake. He raised his right hand, his palm covered with a warm, jade-like luster.
"Puff!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Tang Chuan pointed his fingers like knives and swiftly, accurately, and ruthlessly plunged them into the open mouth of the Datura Snake. The sharp fangs scraped against Tang Chuan's hand, making a teeth-grinding squeaking sound, but without leaving even a crack.
"A thousand threads reappear, a hundred flavors emerge."
Immediately afterwards, Tang Chuan's soul power surged in his palm, and the Blue Silver Grass burrowed into the snake's mouth, weaving into more than a dozen iron spears as thick as an arm, with the spear tips pointing inwards, piercing into the snake's cavity.
"Puff puff puff puff!"
The snake cavity was pierced by more than a dozen spears that suddenly appeared. The snake's jaws cracked under the strain, and venom dripped down its mouth, but didn't even touch Tang Chuan's sleeve. Its snake-like eyes bulged out, filled with pain and madness. Taking advantage of the situation, Tang Chuan withdrew his hand, flipped his body backward, and grabbed Xiao Wu's wrist with his left hand, pulling her back away to avoid the dying struggle of the Datura Snake. The whole process was smooth and seamless, happening in the blink of an eye.
"A thousand threads reappear, a hundred flavors emerge."
After using the Ghost Shadow Step to distance himself from the Datura Snake by dozens of meters, Tang Chuan released Xiao Wu, and his first spirit ring shone with purple light once more. Blue Silver Grass intertwined in front of him, weaving a neat row of sleeve arrows.
The hidden arrows were lined up in a row—there were a full thirty. Each sleeve dart had three black iron arrows embedded in its groove, the arrowheads coated with the venom of the Datura Snake that it had just casually devoured and copied with Blue Silver Grass.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"
The hidden arrows were fired in unison, the sound of them piercing the air blending together, as black iron arrows rained down on the Datura Snake. The Datura Snake sensed the danger and tried to twist its body to avoid it, but its movements were blocked by the dozen or so iron spears that had been stuck in its mouth.
"Boom boom boom..."
Arrows pierced its vital points and abdomen in dense array, each one penetrating its scales and embedding itself in its flesh. The struggle of the Datura Snake suddenly stopped, its body pinned firmly to the ground. Dark purple blood gushed out, the Datura Snake twitched twice, and a bright yellow spirit ring slowly condensed and rose from its body.
"Tang Chuan, are you alright?!"
Xiao Wu moved closer to Tang Chuan, grabbed his right hand that had just been inserted into the snake's mouth, and examined it repeatedly. She found that apart from a little bit of snake saliva, there wasn't even a mark left, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
"That scared me to death! Tang... Tang Chuan... you're actually this amazing?"
Xiao Wu patted her chest in fear, her mouth slightly open and her eyes wide. She had always thought that Tang Chuan was a food-type Spirit Master, weak in combat and in need of protection, but his quick, accurate, and ruthless attack just now was more efficient than many spirit beasts she had ever seen!
"I'm fine."
Tang Chuan smiled, feeling Xiao Wu's undisguised concern, and a warm feeling welled up in his heart again. "I can't let you protect me forever. My family taught me some self-defense techniques before. The venom of this Datura Snake is not weak, but its reaction is not very fast, which is just right to restrain it."
Tang Chuan smiled, didn't explain much, and turned to walk towards the corpse of the Datura Snake. Blue Silver Grass gently curled up the snake's body and began to prepare the ingredients. First, use the Blue Silver Grass to dig out the poison sac, keep it separately to consume, and then give it to Tang San so he can use it to poison hidden weapons. Then pull out the remaining fangs and devour them. It's also a decent offensive weapon, and replicating it in combat might have surprising effects. Finally, the biggest harvest comes: snake gallbladders and snake meat. Snake gallbladders can detoxify, and snake meat can be roasted and eaten after being cleaned.
"The 'Ingredients Illustrated Guide' is shining again."
The Blue Silver Grass devoured a small piece of snake meat, and a new page immediately lit up in its mental "Ingredient Encyclopedia":
Ingredient: Datura Snake
[Origin: Shrubland on the outskirts of Soul Hunter Forest]
[Duration: 389 years]
[Characteristics: Snake meat is firm, and snake gall can neutralize various poisons]
[Effects: Replenishes physical strength, nourishes meridians; snake gall tea can enhance soul power and can be used in medicinal cuisine]
The two returned to the campfire, and Tang Chuan used Blue Silver Grass to replicate a grill, skewered the snake meat on iron skewers, and grilled it over the fire. The grease dripped down, sizzling as it fell. Various seasonings, replicated from Blue Silver Grass, were sprinkled on, and a rich aroma of meat quickly filled the air.
After processing, the snake meat lost all its toxicity and instead presented a unique tender texture, which Xiao Wu found incredibly delicious. Xiao Wu munched on the roasted snake meat, mumbling out the question that had been bothering her.
"Tang Chuan, were those iron spears and arrows you just used made with your first soul skill? Aren't you a food-type Spirit Master? How can you still do these things?"
Tang Chuan chewed on the kebab in his hand, his gaze drifting to the night sky illuminated by the fluorite fruit in the distance, his thoughts returning to the blacksmith shop a month ago.
"Because iron is also a type of food."
"Huh? Food?"
Xiao Wu nearly choked on the snake meat. Her pink eyes widened in disbelief as she exclaimed, "How can you eat iron? Your teeth will break!"
Seeing Xiao Wu's reaction, Tang Chuan was somewhat puzzled. As a 100,000-year-old spirit beast in human form, Xiao Wu should be quite aware of this. He then smiled slightly, shook his head, and said, "It's not for human consumption. It's food for spirit beasts. My dad once told me that in the Star Dou Great Forest, there live some spirit beasts that feed on special minerals, such as the Iron-Eating Ant, the Vajra Rhinoceros, and the Crystal Iron Scorpion..."
"That's right!"
Xiao Wu tilted her head, suddenly realizing. "I remember now! There are indeed spirit beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest that eat stones and metal ores, so... your first soul skill is that you can create all kinds of food?"
"Um."
Tang Chuan nodded, his gaze drifting back to the blacksmith shop in Holy Soul Village a month ago.
[end of the chapter]