The Cold Yin charm was a high-ranked magic charm. The three-headed python had attacked it with full force. The blue ice tentacles trembled a little, but remained stable. They didn’t show the slightest sign of giving-up.

　　A trace of happiness flashed across Shi Mu’s eyes. Then, his figure flickered a few times, and appeared on the top of a giant tree near the open space.

　　His entire body was covered in a layer of faint-golden light.

　　It was the Golden Armor magic charm.

　　He looked at the three-headed python. It was struggling in front of him. He then jumped down without any hesitation.

　　After that, he raised his arm, and shot out a fist-sized cloth-bag. This cloth-bag went flying towards the head of three-headed python.

　　Suddenly, the three-headed python stood-up. It then raised one of its heads, and looked towards Shi Mu in a vicious manner. After that, it opened its mouth, and shot out a burst of black light.

　　However, Shi Mu’s movement was faster than the python’s action. He shot out a fireball – like a meteor. This attack hit the cloth-bag, while Shi Mu pushed himself backwards with the help of the fireball’s retraction force. After that, he turned over and fell down.

　　‘Bang!’ a stuffy sound echoed.

　　The cloth-bag got shattered into small pieces, and a yellow dust sprinkled in the surrounding area. It emitted an intense odor of sulfur. The three-headed beast got enveloped in it.

　　This yellow dust was a special kind of a powder that he had deployed in order to control the three-headed python before he had stepped foot into this Portal of the Brave Warrior.

　　The three-headed python’s body started to transmit a ‘chi… chi…’ sound as the yellow powder came in contact with it. Then, several scales on its head started to disappear. The python had raised its left head. So, the left head had been affected the most. In fact, most of the scales on its left head melted down.

　　The python raised its heads towards the sky, and issued a painful scream since it had received an enormous injury. The black Qi on its body looked as if ice had caught fire. Most of it had gotten dissipated as a result.

　　Shi Mu felt a sense of exultation. Suddenly, he hit his foot on the ground, and leapt several feet high. He then turned his hand, and took out the black blade from his back.

　　The magic power surged-up violently in his body, and got poured into the black blade.

　　‘Bang!’ a loud sound was heard.

　　Raging flames got ignited and wrapped themselves around the blade. Then, the black blade got transformed into a huge flaming blade.

　　“AAH!”

　　Shi Mu shouted loudly. The flaming blade then got transformed into a scarlet thunder. Suddenly, it struck down.

　　The three-headed python was startled; it couldn’t move. It moved its head to-and-fro since it wanted to dodge the attack. But, its body was bound in the yellow light beam and the tentacles made from the Cold Yin charm. So, there was limited space for its movement. Therefore, it couldn’t dodge the attack.

　　The flaming blade struck the neck of the left head of the python as it had already lost its protective scales. A stream of blood gushed out as the gigantic head of the python got severed from its body; it seemed as if a huge rock had been sent out flying.

　　Blood spurted out and splashed from the severed neck of the three-headed python – like a fountain.

　　Shi Mu was close to the python. Dark-red blood was dripping from its head in a continuous manner. So, Shi Mu’s entire body got covered in its blood.

　　Shi Mu wiped-off the blood from his face. The radiance on the flaming blade in his hand got brighter. He then shook his wrist, and the flaming blade got transformed into thirteen blade shadows. Then, a fire-cloud rose-up, and rolled-up towards the remaining two heads of the python.

　　The python was startled. Its other two heads didn’t react until the shadows of the flaming blade had arrived really close to them. Then, the python finally reacted.

　　‘Roar!’

　　The remaining two heads of the python issued a loud shout – like the cry of a dragon. Blood-red lights flashed in the eyes of the middle head of the python. The body of the python became blood-red. It then opened its mouth, and bit one of the blade shadows.

　　The blade shadow turned out to be the real one. It had been firmly bitten by the three-headed python without any fear of the flames.

　　The other twelve blade lights disappeared in a flash.

　　‘Kacha!’ a gentle sound was emitted out of the blade.

　　Colors of fright flashed through Shi Mu’s eyes. He tried to pull his blade back with all his might, but failed. He had always been very proud of his inhuman strength. But, his strength seemed to be trivial in front of this Xian Tian middle-stage python; it felt as if an ant was trying to shake a tree.

　　Blood lights flashed in the eyes of the right head of the three-headed python. It then turned to bite Shi Mu, but was stopped by the blue tentacles.

　　Suddenly, the middle head rose to throw Shi Mu and the black blade into a distant place.

　　Its entire body had changed into blood-red color by now. The scales that had been destroyed by the effect of the yellow dust started to sprout out at a very fast speed; so much so that it could be seen with naked eyes. Then, several rays of light started to curl-up on the surface of its head. Moreover, the black Qi that the python’s body had been releasing got transformed into a blood fog.

　　The three-headed python issued a bellowing sound. It then opened its mouth and drew in a long breath. Suddenly, its body swelled-up. The ice-blue tentacles that had bound its body cracked, and broke open with a loud bang.

　　The vicious python swung its thick tail, and whipped the yellow web around it.

　　The yellow web that was made-up of the circular lights broke down with a ‘kacha’ sound. It then changed into yellow fireflies, and disappeared without a trace.

　　Shi Mu struggled to climb-up to his feet more than hundred feet away. His complexion became deathly pale as he saw this. A sad look flashed across his face even though he was a determined person.

　　The python was seriously injured. But, Shi Mu was still no match for it since it had been freed of its bounds. He wanted to flee, but it wasn’t easy.

　　The python turned its head, and looked towards Shi Mu. Its eyes shot an ominous glint. Then, its huge body turned, and came over flying at a great speed along with a gust of wind.

　　Shi Mu shivered in his heart. He hit his foot on the ground, and his body was shot out.

　　A blue ray flashed in his hand at the same time; it produced a thumb-sized bead. It was the clam bead that Xiang Zhu had gifted him. Three blue light dots were suspended inside it; it was emitting faint rays of light.

　　Shi Mu had already examined these blue light dots with the help of his spirit power. Three Water Attribute Methods had been sealed inside it by Xiang Zhu.

　　Shi Mu raised his hand, and released the blue ray. Then, three blue light-balls flew out from the body of the pearl. They whirled in the air, and changed into a wide blue light. Three ice walls got condensed in front of his body; each of them was several feet high, and a foot thick.

　　Shi Mu then turned around, and fled into the distance.

　　The python had broken through the shackles by now. So, Shi Mu had no other choice but to retreat.

　　‘Bang! Bang! Bang!’

　　The three ice walls broke down as a thick snake-tail struck them. They got transformed into icicles, and scattered.

　　The three ice walls had proved to be useless in stopping the three-headed python.

　　Shi Mu’s complexion changed. A thick shadow came whistling before he could turn around; they had brought a gale of fishy smell along. The tail of the three-headed python struck him the next moment.

　　Blood started to spurt out of Shi Mu’s mouth. His body flew like a broken sack, and got knocked into the jungle. He hit against several big trees, and was thrown onto the ground.

　　He spurted out a mouthful of blood as he lay on the ground. His left arm appeared to be bent in a strange angle. It wasn’t known how many other bones of his body had been broken.

　　His condition wouldn’t have been better than that of an ordinary human being if he hadn’t practiced the Art of Breeding Heavenly Elephants and the Art of Breeding a Strong Evil Ape. Moreover, his body would’ve been torn into pieces and his bones would’ve been crushed if he hadn’t made those three ice walls.

　　Shi Mu didn’t feel much pain. His entire body had almost been paralyzed, and the life force was passing away from his body.

　　“After all… I couldn’t fulfill my promise… ” Shi Mu thought as he laughed at himself.

　　‘Bang!’ a loud sound echoed.

　　A gust of wind swept away from the forest around him. The three-headed python had chased after him. It saw Shi Mu lying on the ground in a nearly dead state. There was an ominous glint in its eyes; without the slightest of feelings.

　　It opened its big mouth. Thick bundles of red light beams came out of it, and rushed towards Shi Mu.

　　Shi Mu couldn’t even move a finger. He helplessly looked on as the red light beams advanced towards him.

　　Suddenly, a shadow appeared in front of Shi Mu’s body. It turned out to be Yan Luo.

　　Mild-green soul flame flickered in Yan Luo’s eyes. It confronted the red light beam, and emitted a bright light without any intention of going back on its stance.

　　It raised its head and issued a quiet shout. A faint layer of white light appeared on its right arm as it issued a punch.

　　‘Bang!’ a stuffy sound echoed.

　　The red light beam hit Yan Luo’s body; as a sledgehammer hits a beat. It was sent out flying. Half of the skeleton was split open, and broke down into several pieces while still in midair. The remaining half of its body fell inside the jungle in a reckless manner.

　　Most of the red light beam had been blocked by Yan Luo. Only a little of it had bombarded Shi Mu’s body.

　　Shi Mu’s body had flown, and fell in an open space inside the jungle.

　　His entire body was drenched in blood. The expressions in his eyes had almost disappeared.

　　Shi Mu had nearly lost his consciousness, but he was aware of his state. Everything around him seemed to moving at a fast speed.

　　However, the passage of time felt very slow to him. The three-headed python seemed to be extremely far away. It was coming over to him with the speed of a snail; its vicious sound felt faintly discerning.

　　He saw from the corner of his eye that the moon was covered with black clouds. The clouds gradually seemed to turn around.

　　After a quarter-of-an-hour…

　　The bright moon sprinkled down a faint-silver white sheen, and shone on Shi Mu’s body.

　　‘Bang!’ a despairing sound was heard in Shi Mu’s mind. Suddenly, several broad bean-sized crystal grains broke open, and transformed into a luminous full moon.

　　A portion of the formidable and pure energy bubbled-up and entered into Shi Mu’s body. Suddenly, Shi Mu’s hazy consciousness sobered up.

　　He realized that he had no control over his own body.

　　‘Buzz!’

　　An unusual wave emitted out of Shi Mu’s body. Then, countless light dots appeared in the silver moonlight in front of his eyes.

　　After that, the countless light dots arose from the sky, and came down together as a rain of silver light. They merged inside Shi Mu’s body; it seemed that a star from the galaxy had fallen into the ocean.

　　This situation looked the same to the situation that he witnessed while he had practiced the Moon Swallowing Art in his dreams. But, he had never absorbed such a huge essence of moonlight when he had practiced the Moon Swallowing Art.

　　Countless moonlight essence merged into Shi Mu’s body. Then, numerous wounds on his body began to heal at a lightning speed. Even his fractured bones started to fuse on their own.

　　Suddenly, a kind of heat started to flow into the depth of Shi Mu’s blood vessels. It rapidly started to circulate in the veins of his entire body.

　　An acute pain flowed in his body along with the heat. He felt as if countless knives were cutting at his veins.

　　‘Ka! Ka! …’

　　A layer of silver light emerged from the surface of Shi Mu’s body. Several sounds of the cracking of joints rose from countless parts of his body. Then, his body started to swell at a lightning speed – it seemed as if it had been inflated. It swelled-up to the height of seventy to eighty meters in the blink of an eye.

　　Several thick and strong lumps of muscles bulged out from his chest, abdomen and limbs. Countless thick and long silver hair started to sprout on the skin of his entire body; including his face. Sharp and thick white teeth sprouted out of his mouth, and sharp and long claws sprouted out from his fingers.

　　Shi Mu had transformed into a gigantic white ape within a few breaths’ time. He then beat his chest with his arms, and issued a long whistle into the sky.