Chapter 0555: Skyfire Python

Chapter 0555: Inferno Python

"Is that a Celestial Beast?" Ke Mingjiang immediately grew excited.

The roar was unfamiliar to Qin Yun too.

"Ling Yuner, what kind of beast's roar is that?" Qin Yun quickly asked the fairy.

Ling Yuner was flitting about on her wings, flying through the flower fields in Qin Yun's illusory space.

Hearing Qin Yun's question, she frowned and said, "Could it be a Qilin? I'm not certain!"

Ke Mingjiang also hurriedly led the team toward the direction of the beast's roar.

Upon hearing it might be a Qilin, Qin Yun felt a pang of worry—it was also a powerful Celestial Beast.

Yet Ke Mingjiang rushed forward eagerly. Though he had many Celestial Beast bones, he still wanted to face off against a living one.

Qin Yun could only follow.

Not only Ke Mingjiang's team, but many other squad leaders also led their squads toward the source of the roar.

Everyone wanted to hunt a powerful Celestial Beast.

The direction of the roar was a good distance away.

The group traveled through the night, arriving at a place heavy with the Celestial Beast's presence only by dawn.

The area was devastated—originally covered with trees, it had been flattened by blazing energy.

"After it!"

Ke Mingjiang was the first to arrive. Catching a whiff of its presence, he immediately charged after it.

Qin Yun followed closely behind, remaining highly vigilant.

Ke Mingjiang showed no fear of powerful Celestial Beasts.

In fact, sensing the beast's aura only fired him up more.

"Could Captain Ke have a Dao Artifact?" Qin Yun wondered to himself.

During the chase, Qin Yun sent a voice transmission to Jian Mang: "Brother Jian Mang, have my back out there—that Celestial Beast might be very strong!"

"Qin Yun, I really don’t know how you managed to sneak in!" Jian Mang replied via transmission.

"I make things work!" Qin Yun chuckled. "Once we enter the Immortal Armament City, we’ll be brothers-in-arms. We can look out for each other then!"

"Your strength isn’t weaker than mine. You don’t need my protection," Jian Mang transmitted back.

"I’m just worried about the unexpected… You’re a swordsman—you're quicker on the draw!" Qin Yun laughed.

They hadn’t chased for long before spotting a wall of fire ahead.

"It’s a fire-attribute Celestial Beast—perfect!" Ke Mingjiang lit up with excitement and immediately charged into the inferno.

Several Spirit Martial warriors followed closely behind, charging into the inferno.

"Move in! Protect Ke Mingjiang—if he dies, the Celestial Beast bones we stored with him will be gone for good!" Jian Mang transmitted to Qin Yun.

Qin Yun nodded and then entered the fiery expanse as well.

Once inside, they saw a colossal fire python with a body several meters wide!

The enormous fire python had fiery red scales, constantly belching flames that scorched through the forest.

"It's a Skyfire Python! Perfect! It can't be fully grown yet—its flames aren’t true celestial fire!" Ke Mingjiang seemed very knowledgeable, shouting, "Everyone, be careful of those flames!"

"Captain, a Skyfire Python shouldn’t be able to make that kind of roar, right?" Qin Yun quickly called out.

Ling Yuner had told Qin Yun that the roar might have come from a Qilin.

Qin Yun and Jian Mang hovered midair, tracking the Skyfire Python’s hulking form as they flew forward.

They wanted to check the python’s head region, where a powerful beast was locked in fierce combat with it.

As they approached, they saw a Qilin covered in purple-gold scales charging at the Skyfire Python.

Just as Ling Yuner had said, it was indeed a Qilin.

The Skyfire Python’s body suddenly whipped around with surprising agility, releasing waves of flames that ensnared the PurpleGold Qilin.

Ke Mingjiang also hovered midair, gaping at the spectacle.

"The Skyfire Python is about to overpower the PurpleGold Qilin!" Ke Mingjiang exclaimed, suddenly drawing a broadsword and diving down to stab at the python’s eye.

The Skyfire Python roared furiously, its throat emitting a rasping growl.

Because Ke Mingjiang was small and extremely agile, the python couldn't land a solid blow, resorting to spewing terrifying flames instead.

Seizing the opportunity, the PurpleGold Qilin launched a purple-gold orb, slamming into the python’s maw.

Boom!

With a deafening explosion, the Skyfire Python’s mouth was torn open, gushing molten blood like molten lava.

Spooked by their approach, the PurpleGold Qilin quickly fled.

Seeing the Skyfire Python severely injured, Ke Mingjiang produced an enormous hoop and cinched its mangled maw closed.

"Is that a beast-binding ring? And of an extremely high grade—could it be a Dao Artifact?" Qin Yun was astonished.

Sure enough, once Ke Mingjiang succeeded, he summoned a miniature golden pagoda.

With a command, the pagoda expanded!

As it grew, a powerful suction force emerged, sucking the colossal python inside.

"He has all kinds of means to tame Celestial Beasts—and they’re all Dao Artifacts!"

Qin Yun was even more amazed, realizing that Ke Mingjiang must be well-connected in the Immortal Arms City.

"There’s still the Qilin—that’s the most formidable Celestial Beast. We must capture it!" Ke Mingjiang took off in pursuit.

Mind reeling, Qin Yun and Jian Mang swiftly flew after him.

Soon, night fell, and the PurpleGold Qilin’s trail grew colder.

"Let’s split up and search! If we get separated, wait for me at the entrance!" Ke Mingjiang said gravely. "Once you find the PurpleGold Qilin, make some noise—buy as much time as possible until I arrive!"

"And don’t forget—watch out for disciples from other sects!"

With that, Ke Mingjiang bolted off in one direction.

The twenty-plus disciples quickly split into small teams of two or three, scattering to search for the PurpleGold Qilin.

Qin Yun and Jian Mang stuck together and were the last to set out.

"That PurpleGold Qilin is tough and wicked smart!" Jian Mang said. "If we run into that thing, we’re toast!"

"Yeah, but Ke Mingjiang’s got top-tier beast-hunting Dao Artifacts," Qin Yun nodded, agreeing with the sentiment.

"You know his dad’s a Martial King in the Immortal Arms Palace, right?" Jian Mang remarked. "And his grandpa’s an elder with serious clout!"

"Hey, Mang, why don’t we just half-ass the search?" Qin Yun suggested.

"Exactly what I was thinking!" Jian Mang smiled and nodded.

With that settled, the two meandered through the jungle, killing time.

Dawn came without a single disturbance.

Qin Yun and Jian Mang weren’t planning on hunting down the PurpleGold Qilin—they knew it was far too strong. That thing’s a Celestial Beast—way out of a Spirit Martial Realm warrior’s league.

You’d need a full beast-hunting arsenal—mystical weapons or Dao Artifacts—to take it down.

Even for guys like Qin Yun and Jian Mang, tangling with the PurpleGold Qilin was suicide.

Why gamble their lives for nothing? If they got mauled by the Qilin and then ambushed by rival sect disciples? No thanks.

Out here, trusting the wrong person could get you killed.

Qin Yun and Jian Mang weren’t buddies, but they had each other’s backs—both had their own code.

Just after dawn, a series of beastly roars ripped through the calm.

"Did Ke find it?" Qin Yun frowned. "Wanna check it out?"

"We’d better! If Ke’s in deep, we gotta bail him out—he’s got all our Celestial Beast bones!" Jian Mang took off toward the noise without another word.

Qin Yun had his own stash—tons of Celestial Beast bones for smithing and potions. He’d have snatched his bones back from Ke if he could, but the sect demanded every last one.

More roars rang out, drawing nearby teams like moths to a flame.

A blistering wave of heat hit them as they got closer.

The PurpleGold Qilin’s flames were no joke—searing hot and relentless.

They pushed through the fire and stumbled into a charred wasteland.

Ke Mingjiang stood there, battered and bleeding.

What shocked Qin Yun most was the shattered remains of a giant beast collar on the ground.

The Beast-Trapping Ring, specially designed for capturing powerful beasts, is also specially crafted to be extremely sturdy and difficult to destroy.

But now, that Beast-Trapping Ring has been destroyed.

"Captain Ke, fall back!" Jian Mang suddenly barked, summoning his bonded sword and lunging forward.

At the same time, a spear shot from afar, stabbing toward Ke Mingjiang!

Jian Mang swung his sword and severed the spear!

Boom!

The spear exploded, releasing a surge of inscribed power. Faint golden patterns spread like a net, enveloping Ke Mingjiang and Jian Mang.

"It's a sigil-engraved weapon!" Qin Yun exclaimed in alarm, swiftly releasing several flying daggers to slash the patterned net into pieces.

Otherwise, Ke Mingjiang and Jian Mang would have had mystical markings seared into their skin.

Ke Mingjiang roared furiously, "Which coward attacked me? Don’t let me find out who you are! Fall back!"

With that, Jian Mang swiftly carried him away.

"You go first, I’ll see who’s ambushing us!" Qin Yun sent a mental message to Jian Mang and Ke Mingjiang.

Jian Mang had no choice but to take Ke Mingjiang and leave first.

Qin Yun used a cloaking pearl to conceal himself, hovering in the air as he observed the blazing inferno below.

Before long, a group of people appeared.

It was none other than the disciples of the Canghuo Immortal Mountain!

Qin Yun recognized them—they had harassed him earlier at the mansion’s entrance.

"This team from Canghuo Immortal Mountain must be here for the same reason as Captain Ke—to hunt powerful Celestial Beasts, right?"

He couldn’t help but recall that Ke Mingjiang’s *Dao Artifact* for beast capture was also specially forged.

The captain of the Canghuo Immortal Mountain team was as strong as Ke Mingjiang and Liu Chongsheng—a peak early-stage Spirit Martial warrior. Upon arriving and seeing the shattered fragments on the ground, he snorted coldly, "Ke Mingjiang slipped away!"

"Someone must have rescued him just now, otherwise he’d be dead for sure!" another team member hissed.