The sight of Ye Chen shattering the skull of the Striped Patterned Leopard with a single punch shocked everyone present. Although Ye Chen had repelled the Flood Dragon before, that was when he activated his superhuman state; they had no idea he still possessed such terrifying strength in his normal state!

Ye Chen waved at the group, and everyone quickly scurried over. Ye Chen commanded, "Haul the leopard carcass away. Don't bother cleaning up the bloodstains." Everyone froze for a moment. Su Xiaochang, the bearded man, and others stared at Ye Chen with suspicion. Normally, after killing a monster, unless they were immediately leaving the area, they would wipe away the blood and spray cleansing liquids to mask the pervasive blood mist, preventing stronger monsters from being drawn in.

Even though they planned to leave after the kill, there were still teams coming later to clear out the common zombies and insect monsters...

Seeing their hesitation and suppressed questions, Ye Chen didn't say more. He directly reached into his pocket, opened his rune space, and pulled out a clump of hair from beneath the Overlord Lion's armpit. Emitting a foul, pungent stench, he tossed it onto the bloodstains on the ground, where it quickly stuck.

"What is this?" the bearded man asked, staring intently at the clump of hair before questioning him again.

Ye Chen replied calmly, "With this here, other powerful monsters won't dare approach." A monster's nose is sometimes many times more sensitive than a human's. This hair carries the Overlord Lion's unique odor, signaling to monsters like Blood-Toothed Tigers or Gale Leopards that this area belongs to the Overlord Lion's territory, making them reluctant to intrude.

Territory among monsters is just like with dogs. When a dog urinates on a corner, it’s not because it ate too much; it’s a declaration that this space falls under its jurisdiction. If another dog trespasses, a fight will ensue, and the loser must leave—that’s the law of territorial occupation in the animal world. Lions are the same; if a stronger lion appears within a pride, it will challenge the existing Lion King. After defeating the opponent, it becomes the new King, but regardless of who loses, they must withdraw from the pride.

No one present was stupid. Once prompted, they instantly understood, but this brought even more confusion: why not leave the Flood Dragon’s scales? Why leave the bloodstains?

Ye Chen didn't explain, and they didn't feel comfortable pressing further.

People are inherently proud; only the truly dense would ask others instead of thinking for themselves. They all considered themselves smart, so they pondered deeply in their minds.

The truth was, Ye Chen left the bloodstains for a simple reason: a single monster passes through many locations, and even a stray hair might carry its scent. If that were the case, wouldn't everywhere become its territory? But having the Striped Patterned Leopard’s blood changed things. A powerful animal smelling it would immediately know the blood belonged to a specific type of monster. If two monsters were present in one spot, and one was bleeding, it was clear that the area belonged to the uninjured one. Powerful monsters were not unintelligent; they could analyze such matters.

The Flood Dragon scales weren't used because serpentine creatures are inherently silent assassins; their scent is faint and wouldn't carry far.

"Let's go!" Ye Chen glanced over the group and turned to lead the way. The others quickly followed, their reverence for Ye Chen growing deeper. A guild leader with immense martial power was worthy of their respect; a leader who cared for his subordinates was moving; and a leader possessing wisdom showed them hope...

The group traveled seven or eight li when they encountered four or five powerful monsters, the weakest being Level 200, the strongest reaching Level 400! With the progress speed of the bearded man and the others, they would have had to detour and avoid these creatures. But under Ye Chen’s guidance, they slew every single one.

Slaying a monster required more than just raw force; it also needed poisoning, trapping, or ganging up on them... The bearded man and the others left markers along the way, accompanied by written notes detailing precautions for the clean-up crews following behind.

"There's a Level 300 python ahead, Guild Leader. Should we kill it?" A young man spotted a coiled monster in the distance through his binoculars. He showed no fear; instead, he turned back, looking excitedly toward Ye Chen. The others’ eyes lit up, all anxiously watching Ye Chen, anticipating another ingenious tactic.

After killing so many monsters previously, their nerves had become somewhat numbed. Sometimes, just seeing Ye Chen employ a minor trick to effortlessly dispatch a Level 300 or 400 monster was as staggering as watching him crush a divine dragon with his bare hands. Their fear of high-level monsters had significantly diminished.

"Of course, we kill it," Ye Chen replied without hesitation.

The group cheered. The bearded man licked his lips, trembling slightly with excitement. This was a Level 300 monster; its blood was incredibly valuable, and they could also skin it to make armor, shields, and weapons. In the past, seeing such a monster, they wouldn't have dared to confront it; they would only detour. Even with the superhuman mode, in this treacherous wilderness, what if they encountered another monster after the mode wore off?

"Guild Master, how should we kill this python? Poison or digging a pit? Just give the order, and I'll do it immediately!" A middle-aged man stepped forward, slapping his chest toward Ye Chen. He was brimming with confidence; Ye Chen had handled far more vicious monsters before, so a mere python was nothing.

"Me too, Guild Master. Just give the word, and we’ll follow," the others chimed in, eager to try and learn Ye Chen's techniques so they could also defeat higher-level monsters on their own next time.

Ye Chen waved his hand and said flatly, "This is simple. Only one person is needed, but they must be extremely brave—not afraid to die." Everyone was taken aback. They were all brave, but they didn't know how great Ye Chen's definition of "brave" truly was.

"Guild Master, I dare to sleep next to a live zombie. Is that enough courage?" A black-clad youth stepped forward. A chilling aura radiated from him; the battle saber on his back was stained with blood, making him look like a blood-soaked Asura. His eyes were bright and piercing, and he regarded Ye Chen with deep respect.

Ye Chen looked him over, paused slightly, and said, "Tuck your knife against your body and let yourself be run over by the roadside. We will lure the python over. When it sees you, it will certainly swallow you. Once inside its belly, you can kill it directly!"

Everyone gasped. They hadn't expected Ye Chen’s plan to be so audacious. This wasn't just "not afraid to die"—this was courting death! If the youth flinched from fear while being swallowed, the python would sense it immediately, and escape would be impossible!

The black-clad youth’s face paled slightly, then he gritted his teeth and hesitated, "Guild Master, what if this python crushes me first before swallowing?"

"That's a gamble," Ye Chen said, his expression unchanged and calm. "Pythons have no teeth, only two fangs. Pythons usually swallow their prey whole without chewing, unless they discover the prey is alive, in which case they'll usually paralyze it with venom before swallowing."

When a gamble requires staking one's own life, how many people dare to place the bet?

The black-clad youth looked hesitant, his expression complicated, unable to make up his mind.

Ye Chen stated plainly, "If you are going, it’s best to drink a few mouthfuls of strong liquor first. Snakes dislike alcohol, so it won't chew you meticulously."

The black-clad youth gritted his teeth and said, "Alright!" Then, he turned to the bearded man, "Brother Sen, lend me some liquor." The bearded man chuckled softly, "What's borrowing among brothers? It’s just liquor, I have plenty!" He pulled a bottle of Erguotou from his backpack and handed it to the youth, cautioning, "You need to think this through; this isn't a joke."

The black-clad youth forced a smile, took the bottle, and downed three large gulps. His face instantly flushed red. Under everyone's gaze, a surge of boldness overtook him. "I’m going! Watch me take down that beast!"

The others looked worried and stopped themselves from speaking, but ultimately, no one tried to stop him. If the youth succeeded in killing the python, he would receive the majority of the meat and scales, and everyone else would get a small share—this was the team's method of distributing the spoils. Why wouldn't they benefit without contributing anything?

When one's own self-interest is on the line, the value of life suddenly becomes quite trivial...

"Wait." Ye Chen suddenly spoke. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a black-gold headscarf, handing it to the youth. "Protect your forehead. Don't let its teeth scrape you."

The group was already accustomed to Ye Chen’s miraculous pocket, which seemed like a treasury, so they didn't comment much. The black-clad youth gave Ye Chen a grateful look, took the scarf, and put it on, then stepped forward.

The youth stealthily approached within a few dozen zhang of the python and lay motionless on the ground. Seeing he was ready, Ye Chen picked up a stone, tossed it lightly, and then hurled it toward the sky.

Whoosh~~~ Thud!

The stone flew halfway, curved, and struck the python’s head with unnerving accuracy.

The air grew silent!

If this python had temporal muscles, they would surely bulge. It raised its head, looked around, but saw no "culprit," so it looked upward. The sky was clear blue, with only white clouds.

Judging by the stone's trajectory, it slithered toward Ye Chen's side, where it immediately spotted the youth lying on the ground pretending to be dead. Its oily green eyes stared at him for a moment before it lowered its massive head, opening its gaping maw.

The black-clad youth felt he was about to suffocate. Although his eyes were closed, he could imagine the scene based on the thick scent of blood. He swore he had never done anything this insane in his life, and he never would again, even if tortured! He controlled every pore, holding his breath, suppressing his heartbeat, almost stopping the flow of blood throughout his body. Then, he felt his body lifted by a suction force; his upper body was engulfed by something wet and sticky, his face covered in mucus. Thankfully, he held his breath, or the stench in the python’s mouth would have choked him to death.

He felt time stop flowing; one second seemed like ten thousand years. His heart completely ceased beating, his mind a blank slate. Suddenly, a sharp pain grazed his lips, as if a razor-sharp knife had sliced off a piece of flesh...