Chapter 26: Two Against Two Serpents

Qin Ming let out a low shout. The phantom of the Blazing Gray Wolf behind him instantly materialized, its lupine form wreathed in surging flames as it collided with the ten-thousand-year-old Yang Snake.

Tang Xi naturally would not focus solely on her own preservation at a time like this. She extended one hand forward, and silver elements rapidly gathered at her fingertips. Her first soul skill was unleashed instantly, trapping the thousand-year-old Yin Snake—which had been preparing to reinforce the Yang Snake—within the effect. Unable to break free, the snake writhed, spraying ice and fire from its maw like sharp arrows toward the pair.

Tang Xi reacted immediately, but she could not dodge in time. The ice and fire grazed her side, and a layer of frost instantly coated her entire right arm.

"Careful!"

Qin Ming looked back, his concentration momentarily broken as he issued the warning. Before he could catch his breath, the ten-thousand-year-old Yang Snake seized the opening and surged forward, engulfed in ten-thousand-year flames.

Qin Ming quickly pulled Tang Xi behind him and formed seals with his hands. The flames around the Blazing Gray Wolf flared violently, clashing with the fire of the Yang Snake. In an instant, fire soared into the sky and heat waves rolled outward, igniting the surrounding trees and turning them to ash.

Both snakes seemed to have gone mad. The Yang Snake lunged at the pair, opening its blood-stained maw to spew a thick pillar of flame.

The scorching heat forced Tang Xi to retreat repeatedly, but Qin Ming showed no fear. The fiery radiance on his body intensified as he charged directly into the pillar of flame. The phantom of the Blazing Gray Wolf let out a roar, its own flames colliding with those of the Yang Snake, sending fire skyward once more.

Tang Xi finally managed to channel her soul power to thaw the ice on her arm. Looking up, she saw that under the searing heat of the Yang fire, the thousand-year-old Yin Snake—which had previously been mostly submerged in the Silver Swamp—had broken free and crawled to the other side of the battlefield, where it now stared at the teacher and student with cold, malicious eyes.

"Tang Xi, their ice and fire elements are of a higher quality than ordinary ones. My flames cannot suppress them. Fall back."

As Qin Ming finished speaking, he raised his hand and flicked it upward. A beam of fire shot from his sleeve toward the sky, reaching its zenith before bursting into a cluster of dazzling fireworks.

This was the distress signal of the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy. If a Soul Saint instructor were to see the signal and arrive in time, these two little snakes would be no match for them.

The battle resumed. Taking advantage of the dust kicked up by the skirmish, Tang Xi flickered, her feet seemingly leaving phantom trails as she moved like a ghost toward the thousand-year-old Yin Snake.

The Yin Snake shuddered, the ice and fire within its body resonating with a hair-raising hissing sound.

Tang Xi lowered her center of gravity and lightly brushed a pile of stones on the ground. A layer of silver coating immediately appeared on the cold, sharp rocks. Under her mental manipulation, they shot straight toward the Yin Snake's pupils.

The stones flew like arrows. The snake twisted its body desperately on the ground, yet several metal-coated stones still grazed it, leaving behind shallow wounds.

On the other side, due to the quality suppression of the fire attributes, Qin Ming’s battle with the Yang Snake reached a stalemate, making it difficult for him to find an opening to attack.

***

Tang Xi leaped onto a tree branch, her anxiety mounting.

Both sides were using fire as their primary means of attack, but this was a forest. If the battle continued and the fire spread, it would be...

Huh?

Just as this thought crossed her mind, Tang Xi’s gaze fixed on the battlefield, and she found herself momentarily dazed.

The man and the snake had been hurling fireballs at each other, yet in this forest full of shrubbery, the fire had not spread as much as she had expected.

The thousand-year-old Yin Snake spat out another breath of icy energy, but this time, the ice took the shape of flames, merging with the fire previously exhaled by the ten-thousand-year-old Yang Snake, effectively extinguishing it.

Tang Xi’s eyes lit up, and she shouted aloud:

"Teacher Qin, the flames of these two snakes counteract each other!"

Hearing this, Qin Ming landed on the ground nearby and signaled to Tang Xi.

Tang Xi, perched on the branch, whistled downward. The thousand-year-old Yin Snake, sensing the blatant provocation, let out an angry roar and began to climb the trunk of the tree where Tang Xi was stationed.

Tang Xi seized the opportunity. Seeing the Yin Snake open its mouth again, with silver flames surging in its throat, she suddenly pressed one hand against the tree trunk. The silver elements spread from her touch, and the entire trunk instantly turned into a silver sculpture.

Deprived of friction on the trunk, the Yin Snake lost its balance and fell backward. The white flames it hadn't yet released shot out, following the angle of its fall and striking the ground directly!

Qin Ming seized the moment, leaping onto the back of the ten-thousand-year-old Yang Snake. He drove his wolf claws deep into the creature's skull, forcing it to tilt its head back and open its mouth, just in time to receive the white flames spat out by the Yin Snake!

The body of the ten-thousand-year-old Yang Snake was inherently scorching, and the sudden inhalation of the freezing flames caused the powerful ten-thousand-year soul beast to let out a pained shriek.

It worked!

Tang Xi and Qin Ming were overjoyed. But even more unexpectedly, the Yang Snake, in its pain, instinctively lashed out. The Yang fire, carrying its extreme properties, erupted instantly toward the direction of Tang Xi and the Yin Snake!

The range of the flame attack was vast. Tang Xi knew it would be nearly impossible to escape the blast radius. She covered her head with her hands, and in an instant, she was enveloped in a giant cocoon made of silver elements. The cocoon fell from the tree trunk, slamming directly onto the head of the Yin Snake. Both the human and the snake tumbled to the ground, their conditions unknown.

***

Qin Ming did not waste this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He leaped high into the air, condensed a giant wolf head in his hands, and smashed it fiercely into the skull of the ten-thousand-year-old Yang Snake.

With a loud crash, the Yang Snake collapsed, heavily wounded. Yet, it continued to struggle wildly, its massive body sweeping across the ground and slamming into the surrounding trees.

"Second soul skill!"

A soft shout rang out. Qin Ming looked back to see a clear silver mirror flying rapidly toward him. He leaped aside, and the mirror flew past the Yang Snake. In an instant, the ten-thousand-year-old beast was plated in silver.

Not far away, the thousand-year-old Yin Snake lay at its last gasp. Above it, Tang Xi hovered with her second soul ring glowing, panting slightly. Seeing Qin Ming look toward her, she muttered softly:

"If I hadn't caused it such heavy injuries earlier, my mere second soul skill wouldn't have been enough to restrain it."

Qin Ming looked at Tang Xi, who was clearly feeling lucky, and poured a bucket of cold water on her enthusiasm:

"If it had been in its prime, your second soul skill wouldn't just have failed to control it; you would have been backlashed by it. If you encounter a powerful opponent next time, acting like this will only be seeking your own death."

Tang Xi naturally knew how dangerous her actions had been. She turned, stiffly changing the subject:

"Speaking of which, you sent the signal a while ago. Why haven't the Soul Saint instructors from the academy arrived yet?"

"It is indeed suspicious."

At her words, Qin Ming’s expression darkened. He looked at the two dying soul beasts and mused:

"Furthermore, these two snakes had already left. What could have possibly attracted them to return?"