The Fire Spirit Grass could be considered an incredibly rare herb, essential in the crafting of high-grade fire attribute pills.
With a smile on his face, Leo headed directly toward the Fire Spirit Grass.
Upon the nearby tall tree, the axe-wielding man and the harpoon guy exchanged a glance, then locked their sights on Leo at the same time.
“Boss, where did this brat come from, eyeing our Fire Spirit Grass?” the axe-wielding man grumbled.
The harpoon guy’s eyes flashed coldly, a wicked smile forming. He murmured, “An ignorant fool. Let’s use him as bait to lure out the monster, then we’ll strike when the sparrow is trapped.”
Leo was swift, reaching the base of the tree. In a flip of his right hand, the Purple Radiance was already in his grasp.
But just as Leo was about to use the Purple Radiance to uproot the Fire Spirit Grass, his expression suddenly changed.
With a muffled sound, the ground trembled abruptly, and from the leaf-covered earth appeared a gaping hole. A massive body emerged from it, aiming directly for Leo’s back.
Master Jennifer had been keeping an eye on Leo. Spotting the danger, she leaped off the Saber-Toothed Tiger’s back, shouting, “Leo, watch your back!”
Without time to turn around, Leo invoked a Diamond Body Talisman.
An ethereal gold light film instantly enveloped him.
“Bang!”
The sharp teeth clashed against the golden film, unable to penetrate it. But the colossal force transmitted through it, hurling Leo into the air.
Leo performed a mid-air somersault to mitigate the impact, landing after retreating five or six steps.
Master Jennifer hurried to Leo’s side, giving him a supporting hand, asking with concern, “Are you okay?”
Leo shook his head and looked towards the attacker.
Before Leo’s eyes was an enormous python covered in fiery red scales, red triangular pupils coldly glowering at Leo and Master Jennifer.
What made it most terrifying was the snake’s venomous fangs exposed outside its gaping maw, seemingly more menacing than the Saber-Toothed Tiger.
“I once read about this thing in an ancient book. It seems to be called an Earthfire Python,” Master Jennifer’s brow furrowed. “The Earthfire Python possesses both fire and earth attributes. Judging by this Earthfire Python’s size, it can undoubtedly be called a monster.”
Wherever there are spirit herbs, there are guardian monsters. Before these monsters achieve intelligence, they rely on consuming spirit herbs to break through or advance.
Some beasts that have slightly gained wisdom directly swallow precious spirit herbs or wait for a crucial moment to consume them.
Until they reach this critical stage, they guard the herbs and keep other creatures away.
This Earthfire Python evidently had some intelligence. After observing the two for a while, it opened its huge mouth and spewed a burst of red flames towards Leo and Master Jennifer.
Both Leo and Master Jennifer leaped to the left and right to dodge the snake’s fiery fire.
The flames landed, igniting the dried branches and leaves on the ground and creating a red poisonous mist.
The toxic mist began to spread around, causing an immediate dizzying effect when inhaled even slightly.
Leo and Master Jennifer had to quickly retreat.
However, the Earthfire Python had no intention of letting them off. With its gaping mouth, it twisted its huge body and lunged directly at Leo.
Leo’s gaze turned cold as he retrieved a hilt and sprung out the Blue Phantom Sword. With a sudden burst of force from his legs, he leaped into the air.
“Clang!”
The Blue Phantom Sword struck the Earthfire Python’s scales. This Earthfire Python’s defense was evidently inferior to that of the Purple Thunder Spirit Alligator, and the scales were instantly shattered by the Blue Phantom Sword, leaving behind a raw, bleeding wound.
The Earthfire Python let out a peculiar cry in pain, then whipped its tail, aiming to strike Leo.
“Qi Blade!” Leo shouted, his hands moving swiftly, and ten sharp Qi blades materialized before him.
These Qi blades sliced through the air like invisible knives, striking back at the Earthfire Python’s tail.
In a matter of moments, the tail of the Earthfire Python bore several bloody gashes, and its strength was drained, failing to land a hit on Leo.
After the confrontation, the Earthfire Python realized Leo’s prowess. The colossal serpent suddenly burrowed underground, swiftly disappearing beneath the surface.
The entire forest fell into silence once more.
Leo knew the Earthfire Python was planning to ambush him. He focused his Spiritual Power on his eyes, then executed a quick turn and thrust his sword backward.
Almost simultaneously with the thrust of the Blue Phantom Sword in Leo’s hand, the Earthfire Python shot out of the ground. It had initially intended to sneak attack Leo’s back, but the outcome was an additional deep wound on the snake’s head.
Injured, the Earthfire Python aimed to return underground. Leo sneered and threw a talisman, which adhered to the snake’s body seven inches from its head.
“Thunderblast Talisman, blast!”
With a loud explosion, the soil flew, and the Earthfire Python’s scales were soaked in blood.
The Earthfire Python spat out crimson venom, and its blood-red eyes gazed at Leo with a murderous glint.
“Roar!”
Right at that moment, the Saber-Toothed Tiger roared loudly and pounced on the scene. It used one claw to pin down the Earthfire Python’s body, then opened its huge jaws and bit down on the snake’s seven-inch spot, where the Thunderblast Talisman had caused injury.
Injured at seven inches and pinned down, the Earthfire Python wildly thrashed, its massive tail occasionally crashing heavily on the ground, shaking the earth and sending yellow leaves and dust into the air.
Undeterred by the snake’s struggle, the Saber-Toothed Tiger’s sharp teeth clamped firmly on its seven-inch spot, causing blood to flow from the tiger’s mouth.
Before long, the Earthfire Python ceased its struggles.
Leo directed the Saber-Toothed Tiger to release its grip, then used the Blue Phantom Sword to cut open the snake’s scales and extract its gallbladder. He placed the snake gallbladder in a small box he took out of his backpack.
Leo also collected some of the Earthfire Python’s blood, storing it in a bottle.
Both the snake gallbladder and the blood were valuable items that could be used in alchemy or making talismans.
After that, Leo used the Purple Radiance to dig up the Fire Spirit Grass.
In the midst of the dense red and yellow leaves, the axe-wielding man and the harpoon guy witnessed everything that had just happened.
“Boss, this kid is pretty tough. Should we make a move?” The axe-wielding man hesitated upon witnessing Leo’s skills.
The harpoon guy pondered for a moment and said, “We’ve been guarding the Fire Spirit Grass for three days. We can’t let this guy take it. We must kill him, not only to reclaim the Fire Spirit Grass but also to take his mount.”
Leo’s senses were incredibly sharp. After packing the Fire Spirit Grass into his backpack, he attacked a tall tree with a side Qi blade.
With a “crack” sound, the Qi blade grazed the harpoon guy’s ear, severing a segment of a thick branch behind him.