Chapter 179: Chapter 159: Dancing on a Knife’s Edge, Frantic Development

Considering that Nether Fire Crocodiles were at least War General Level creatures, venturing so deep underground in search of them was an extremely unwise decision.

So, Han Ning decided to hunt underground for a while first, helping Yin Yi’s strength reach the War General Level before they continued deeper.

He glanced at the map in his hand, got his bearings, then pointed to an irregular cave opening to the northwest and said to Egg Pancake, "That way."

"CHITTER!"

Egg Pancake’s four claws clung firmly to the stone wall, which was inclined at a nearly thirty-degree angle. It then scurried down the cliff face as if it were level ground.

Activating Mimicry, the figures of the man and his two beasts vanished bit by bit.

After Egg Pancake had run for several kilometers to the northwest, a massive, eyeless snake slowly crawling along the rock walls entered Han Ning’s field of vision.

This creature was called a Rock Python, and its temperament was similar to that of a Blood Demon: irascible and bloodthirsty.

He chose this type of Soul Beast partly because he felt no guilt in killing it.

Although survival of the fittest was the law of nature, Han Ning still subconsciously chose to hunt bloodthirsty Soul Beasts.

Yin Yi and Egg Pancake didn’t even need to make a move; the five Insect Puppets hidden around the cave instantly swarmed forward.

The purplish-red glow of Spiritual Energy struck the unsuspecting Rock Python, causing its entire body to twist and tremble.

Regardless of their original Attributes in life, the insects simulated by the All-Encompassing Spiritual Silkworm released Soul Techniques that took the form of a purplish-red Spiritual Energy glow. It was a peculiar kind of energy, almost like a combination of Blood Qi and Dark Type Spiritual Energy.

"Kill it. Dissect the flesh."

Egg Pancake shot out its long tongue, reeled in the Rock Python, and after a few punches—BAM! BAM!—the Rock Python was sent to the great beyond.

Next, the proficient Bun Master extended its sharp claws. With the skill of a master butcher, it sliced open the Rock Python’s corpse, carving out the Crystal Stone and flesh.

A few minutes later, Egg Pancake placed the bloody carcass of the Rock Python in an open area.

It and Han Ning hid behind a rock pillar over ten meters away, quietly waiting for other Soul Beasts to arrive.

Before long, five hideous Rock Pythons, drawn by the scent of blood, slithered over.

’One Extraordinary, four Awakened...’

Han Ning judged, based on their sizes.

Orbs of purplish-red electricity shot out, paralyzing two of the Awakened Level Rock Pythons.

Then, a blast of frosty white Ice Crystals bombarded the five Rock Pythons’ position.

The four Awakened Level Rock Pythons were instantly frozen into ice sculptures.

"HISS!"

Struck by the blow, the Extraordinary Level Rock Python retreated several meters. Its scales were shattered, and a large amount of blood gushed out.

It flickered its ochre forked tongue, letting out a furious hiss. It "looked" toward Egg Pancake’s position as a faint yellow light enveloped its body. Then, it burrowed down, vanishing into the cave floor.

’Interesting. A Dark Type Stealth Soul Technique?’

A glint appeared in Han Ning’s eyes. He activated his Spiritual Power and immediately pinpointed the Rock Python’s true location.

’This sneaky thing... It’s actually trying to escape...’

He was a bit speechless. ’Didn’t the Yinsaike Race’s bestiary say Rock Pythons were bloodthirsty and furious? This one seems pretty smart.’

"One o’clock. Fire the Cyan Wood Radiance low, grazing the ground. Don’t let it escape."

Generally speaking, although Beast Masters were physically fragile, their Spiritual Power far surpassed that of Soul Beasts. When a Soul Beast was unable to perceive certain environmental information, the Beast Master could use their powerful Spiritual Power to act as a second pair of eyes and assist in battle.

With not the slightest delay, his Spiritual Power shot into Yin Yi’s Spiritual World.

「At the same time.」

WHOOSH!

A beam of cyan radiance as thick as a human head shot out, grazing the ground as it went.

BANG!

The beam struck an empty spot. Bathed in the ensuing green light, the air began to ripple. The nearly fifteen-meter-long Rock Python materialized, knocked out of its concealment.

BOOM! BOOM!

Two more blasts of Cyan Wood Radiance followed in quick succession.

The Rock Python collapsed. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Meanwhile, the four weaker Rock Pythons were ganged up on and killed by the five Puppet Insects, their bodies tossed a short distance in front of Han Ning.

Han Ning had Egg Pancake dig the Crystal Stones out of the five Rock Pythons’ bodies. He didn’t deal with the corpses yet, which were still oozing large amounts of blood.

[Energy +322]

The massive corpses of the Rock Pythons were piled in a heap.

The thick scent of blood drifted on a faint breeze, wafting down the different tunnels.

Within minutes, the shadowy forms of more than a dozen large black rats of varying sizes emerged from the dark, irregular underground tunnels.

"Corpse-Eating Rats? Yin Yi, the usual. Clear them out."

The Corpse-Eating Rat was an E Talent Soul Beast with a growth limit of the Extraordinary Level. They were roughly the size of a common adult dog and tended to move in packs.

The five Puppet Insects drew their aggro while Yin Yi waved a limb. A blast of Cyan Wood Radiance instantly killed a large number of them. Clearly, there were no Extraordinary Level Corpse-Eating Rats among them.

’Every little bit helps,’ Han Ning thought. The Energy was minimal, but the sheer number of them made it worthwhile. He took the Earth Attribute Crystal Stones that Egg Pancake had collected, absorbed the Energy from each, and then tossed the empty husks to it to eat.

Most of the Soul Beasts in the underground were of the Earth Attribute, with some being Darkness or Fire Type.

[Energy +147]

Time passed quietly.

Han Ning, Yin Yi, and Egg Pancake continued to lie in wait, hunting Soul Beasts for three hours.

The pile of Soul Beast corpses before them grew into a small mountain.

In a single morning, he had gained a total of 754 points of Energy, which could be considered a bountiful harvest.

Most of these Soul Beasts were at the Entry Level or Awakened Level; only two were at the Extraordinary Level.

THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!

Several more Awakened Level subterranean centipedes had their brains pierced by Egg Pancake’s long tongue.

As usual, Han Ning collected the Energy from their Crystal Stones.

But just then, his Spiritual Power stirred. He sensed a faint, dangerous aura coming from a pitch-black cave opening to his front right.