Chapter 124: Fire Python Energy

　　On the previous occasion, Qi Ying had obtained the Blood Moon Plasma from Xue Yuesha, which allowed him to gain an ability similar to that of the latter’s Battle Spirit.

　　On that occasion, Qi Ying obtained something of a similar nature from Huo Da’s body.

　　Furthermore, the energy imbued within it was even more powerful than that of the Blood Moon Plasma!

　　‘Let’s see what it does.’

　　Qi Ying extracted a small drop of that fiery red substance, before fusing it into his bloodstream.

　　Whoosh!

　　Qi Ying could instantly sense that an extremely turbulent energy had appeared in his body.

　　“Roar!”

　　A fire python several dozens of feet in length erupted from Qi Ying’s right hand amid the sound of a thunderous roar. It crashed into the wall of the cave, laying waste to countless eggs, and blasting a hole into the wall that was ten feet in diameter and several dozens of feet deep.

　　Clatter!

　　Shard of rocks rained down as shrapnel flew in all directions.

　　‘That’s really powerful!’

　　Qi Ying’s breathing faltered upon seeing the effects of his attack.

　　He had only drawn upon a tiny portion of that liquid, and the power he unleashed was still more than twice as potent as that of the Scorching Sun Fist.

　　‘What if I use this with a battle technique?’

　　Qi Ying extracted a wisp of that fiery red substance again before merging it with his blood. When that burst of burning energy appeared in his body again, he unleashed it in conjunction with his Scorching Sun Fist.

　　“Roar!”

　　A python projection short forth again, but on that occasion, dazzling purple and golden energy was revolving around its body.

　　Furthermore, its size and power had both been drastically enhanced.

　　Boom!

　　The purple and golden fire python crashed into the wall of the cave.

　　Crack!

　　A burst of violent tremors rocked the entire cave, while a massive hole appeared in the wall that had just been struck, and the roof began to fall piece by piece.

　　‘Crap! The entire cave is about to collapse!’

　　Qi Ying didn’t have time to celebrate the attainment of his new power; he had to get out of the ant’s nest as quickly as possible!

　　He had only just made it out of the cave, when a particularly loud rumble erupted behind him before everything fell silent.

　　‘That ant queen is dead, and the new Ice Fire Ants had not even hatched yet. Looks like their nest is completely uninhabitable now.’

　　Qi Ying heaved an internal sigh. On his way out, he had encountered many Ice Fire Ants, but none of them attacked. Instead, they began to scurry around the collapsing cave in a blind panic. Without their queen, they didn’t even possess the most basic level of intelligence, so they could only await their death in their destroyed nest.

　　…

　　‘There should still be six people left!’

　　Qi Ying quickly arrived at the forest again and began to search for the six remaining Jade Class disciples. Soon, he found the bodies of the two pursuers he had killed earlier, but both of them had already been severely ravaged by the nearby beasts, and were completely unrecognizable.

　　As expected, the Beast Valley really was a good place to kill someone.

　　The bodies would be consumed by the carnivorous beasts, so there was no need to even dispose of the evidence. Even if people from the academy came across those bodies, they would only be able to determine that the victims had been killed by beasts.

　　That was most likely why those Jade Class disciples were able to hunt him with such reckless abandon in the Beast Valley.

　　‘I have to find those six people, and make them tell me who’s trying to kill me!’

　　Qi Ying climbed onto a tree that was over a hundred feet tall, and he cast his gaze far and wide to search for his pursuers.

　　It didn’t take him long to catch sight of six indistinct white-robed figures gathered in the distance.

　　“They’re still outside the forest so they must be waiting for the other nine people.” Qi Ying speculated as his eyes narrowed, “Unfortunately for them, their companions are never coming back!”

　　…

　　Li San’s true name wasn’t actually Li San. Instead, it was Li Rulong, and Li San was only his nickname in the group. As a warrior who had come from a small rural city, his aptitude was mediocre in all five aspects. However, he was able to stay in the Jade Class and earn himself a spot in a group filled with local disciples from the capital, and the reason for that was his utmost obedience to the leader of the group.

　　He completed any tasks delegated to him unconditionally, and that was his only redeeming trait.

　　No one disliked an obedient subordinate.

　　After being told to hunt down that Green Class disciple, Li Rulong didn’t ask why. When Huo Da commanded him to diverge from the group to cut off their prey, he did so without any hesitation. He was told to wait outside the forest, and even though he hadn’t received any further instructions for close to an hour, he still persevered with his five companions.

　　He would rather miss an opportunity than go against his orders.

　　That was his mantra. His companions were already beginning to complain, “Let’s go in and have a look, Brother San. Huo Da is a pretty dodgy guy; who knows if he’ll try and steal our rewards? Maybe he’s already taken advantage of this opportunity, and left with Qi Ying’s head!”

　　“Exactly!”

　　“Let’s go and search in the forest. Maybe some sort of mishap occurred…”

　　All of his companions were getting very impatient and didn’t want to wait any longer.

　　“No!” Li Rulong turned them down in a firm voice, “We’ll keep waiting. If we follow instructions, we don’t stand to lose anything, but if we act of our own accord, we could get punished.”

　　He followed his own set of rules for many years, and he was unwilling to change.

　　Further, how could any mishaps possibly strike Huo Da and the others? If they wanted to steal their rewards, then he would just have to concede. If he were to get into an altercation with them over such a small matter, there was a good chance that Huo Da would pick on him in the future.

　　Li Rulong was well aware of his place in the pecking order. He was an outsider so he was completely dispensable.

　　In his situation, it was always better to be safe than sorry.

　　“Sigh…”

　　The other five people heaved a collective sigh in dejection, but they clearly weren’t going to be able to convince Li Rulong, so they could only wait with him.

　　At that moment.

　　“Argh…”

　　A howl of pain erupted from within the forest.

　　Excitement abruptly appeared on the faces of the five warriors. One of them sprang to his feet and was about to rush into the forest.

　　“Wait!” Li Rulong laid a hand on that disciple’s shoulder, “Our instructions were to stay here! We’re not going anywhere unless Qi Ying comes out!”

　　“But if they kill Qi Ying without us, then all of the rewards really will go to them!”

　　“So what? Our objective is to put on a faultless performance, not an exceptional one!” Li Rulong’s said in a cold voice, “Do you really think there’s any point in going in now? You’ll only irk Huo Da and the others! If Qi Ying can escape, we’ll be able to cut him off and kill him. In that case, Huo Da and the others can’t say anything, and all of the benefits will be ours! So stand down and wait!”

　　“Alright then…”

　　Thus, they began to wait outside the forest again. However, as opposed to their bored lackadaisical demeanor from earlier, they were completely focused and switched on, as they waited to see if Qi Ying would emerge.

　　All of a sudden.

　　“Argh!”

　　Another bloodcurdling cry erupted from much closer to them on that occasion. Immediately afterward, a bloodstained figure with extremely disheveled hair rushed out from the forest.

　　Li Rulong’s face finally lit up with excitement. “Go!”