Dozens of people were shouting, their voices blending into an unintelligible cacophony, causing the corners of Zhang Yang's brows to furrow unnaturally.

He wasn't worried about their safety; with Long Feng accompanying them, they would surely be fine. What troubled him was what could cause such widespread panic. There shouldn't be anything particularly remarkable out here. //Fastest chapter update at Shumi Lou

“Zhang Yang, are—are they going to be alright?”

Yang Ling’s face instantly turned ashen. She was, after all, just a young woman.

Girls tended to be more timid, and here they were, deep in the old mountain woods where anything could happen.

Even Mayor Wang, who stood nearby, hurried over, looking at Zhang Yang with palpable anxiety.

They had left their walkie-talkies behind; only Zhang Yang and Su Zhantao had them. But everyone had heard the sound—it was like something out of a nightmare, instantly inspiring worry.

“Let’s go, we’ll check it out!”

Zhang Yang gave a slight nod, clutching Lightning, and took the lead.

Lightning hadn’t woken up since consuming the Golden-Crowned Python’s toxic gall bladder that evening. Wuying, the little one, was also fast asleep, though he should be waking soon.

Their group was moving the slowest. The villagers carrying the malu (deer/elk) were naturally slow, and Mayor Wang was older, also not quick on his feet. Yang Ling lagged behind as well, leaving Long Cheng a considerable distance ahead.

After walking for several minutes, they finally spotted figures ahead. The static on the walkie-talkie persisted, and everyone was standing still, staring straight ahead.

Seeing that they were unharmed, Su Zhantao and Yang Ling breathed a sigh of relief, and Mayor Wang’s taut heart eased somewhat.

When they finally caught up and witnessed the scene before them, Su Zhantao and Yang Ling froze, utterly astonished. Even Mayor Wang, who frequented the mountains, stood rooted to the spot, staring disbelievingly at the spectacle.

Not far ahead, a pack of roughly a dozen wild wolves were tearing into something massive. It was a wolf pack.

Long Cheng’s hunting dogs stood faithfully by his side, and a few men held their shotguns, yet none dared to fire. All were staring in disbelief at what lay before them.

What held their gaze wasn't the wolves, but what the wolves were devouring.

It was an enormous piece of flesh, easily two or three meters long. A dozen wolves clustered around it, yet it didn't look crowded as they gnawed away. None of them had ever seen a piece of meat this large.

But that wasn't the primary source of their shock. Such a massive chunk of meat was clearly not a whole entity; it had been separated from something larger. If this piece was incomplete, what was the original creature? And how large must it have been? No one could fathom or calculate it.

This was why everyone stood motionless, struck dumb with astonishment and gasps.

Zhang Yang recognized what the meat was instantly. He glanced toward Long Feng.

Long Feng offered him a wry, helpless smile.

Yesterday, they had cleared the battlefield, taking back anything useful. But the Golden-Crowned Python’s carcass was simply too immense to transport, so they had abandoned it on the spot.

The large piece of meat the wolves were feasting on was a section of the Golden-Crowned Python’s body. Zhang Yang and Long Feng, having peeled the hide, recognized it immediately.

Once the skin was removed, only the flesh remained. Even if the Golden-Crowned Python was a Spiritual Beast, its meat offered no inherent defense; it was like any other animal’s flesh.

“Wooooooh!”

A wolf mid-bite suddenly howled towards the sky. Its body began to tremble unnaturally, and shortly after, it collapsed to the ground, foam gathering at its mouth, twitching violently.

That was just the first. Soon, a second wolf mirrored the first, convulsing briefly on the ground before falling still. Then, one by one, every wolf succumbed to the same fate. In mere minutes, all were lying still, seemingly dead.

“This thing is poisonous!”

Long Cheng cried out in shock. Many others nodded involuntarily. The wolves’ condition was clearly indicative of poisoning—a rapid, potent poison that took them from onset to death in almost no time.

Zhang Yang’s brow furrowed deeper, but then he nodded to himself almost immediately.

The Golden-Crowned Python’s flesh itself wasn't inherently poisonous; its venom was concentrated in its mouth and its gall bladder.

However, Lightning possessed venom, and the Python had absorbed much of the poison Zhang Yang had prepared—all highly toxic substances. Had the Python not been massive and naturally venomous itself, it might not have withstood such an assault.

The toxins were mostly in the blood, but some had permeated the muscle tissue. The meat carried a lesser concentration, but it was still toxic. The wolves suffered no initial ill effects while eating, but once the cumulative poison reached a critical threshold, it became lethal.

Zhang Yang’s speculation was essentially correct. These wolves had, indirectly, been killed by Lightning and him. In a way, he shared the responsibility.

“You all wait here, I’m going to take a look!”

Long Cheng’s expression grew intensely serious. Mayor Wang watched the scene nervously. Everything happening now was growing increasingly bizarre, filling him with a vague sense of dread.

In his entire life, he had never witnessed anything like this.

Long Cheng moved quickly. Neither Zhang Yang nor Long Feng stopped him.

The Python’s toxins had already significantly dissipated. If these wolves hadn't been so greedy, they might not all have died from the poison. A quick inspection wouldn't cause trouble, unlike the wild boar killed by Lightning earlier, which could still transmit residual toxins on contact.

After Long Cheng walked off, Chang Feng hesitated before following, then Huang Hai, Li Ya, and the others trailed behind. They gathered near the slab of meat, murmuring quietly.

Long Cheng first observed the dead wolves carefully. Once he confirmed they were deceased, he cautiously sliced off a piece of the meat with his knife. The flesh was very pungent, and Long Cheng dared not lean too close, extending his arm fully to examine the cut piece closely.

“Snake meat?”

After observing for a moment, Long Cheng suddenly exclaimed, and his face immediately changed hue.

No matter how large or fearsome the Golden-Crowned Python was, it remained a serpent, and its flesh would carry all the characteristics of snake meat. Long Cheng hunted often and was familiar with it.

Wu Zhiguo hurried forward and examined it closely as well.

After a while, he nodded heavily and stated, “Yes, it’s snake meat. Such a huge snake…”

He couldn't continue. A look of pure terror washed over his face. The fainthearted Yang Ling was visibly trembling now, clinging tightly to Su Zhantao.

The sheer scale of such a snake was enough to make one dizzy; no one present had ever encountered anything like it.

Even Mayor Wang, who had lived by the mountains his whole life, had never heard rumors of a serpent this size in the area.

“Let’s move further up to investigate!”

Long Cheng turned, glancing at everyone before speaking loudly. His gaze ultimately rested on Zhang Yang.

He was intensely curious and eager to proceed, but he needed to gauge Zhang Yang’s opinion first.

With a snake this massive reduced to chunks of meat, the potential danger was obvious. He wouldn't dare venture further alone.

However, having Zhang Yang and Long Feng accompanying them changed everything. He was well aware of their prowess; if they were willing to go, the margin of safety would increase dramatically.

Zhang Yang wore an expression of slight vexation. He had deliberately led the group away from the site of yesterday’s battle with the Python, thinking nothing would be discovered, but despite all his planning, he’d forgotten the irresistible attraction the Python’s carcass held for the local beasts.

The Golden-Crowned Python was a Spiritual Beast. Even if its meat held no special benefits, it would taste infinitely better than ordinary food. Once the beasts detected the cessation of the Python’s dominating aura, they returned from the deep woods. Animals rely heavily on scent, and inevitably, they discovered the skinless Python carcass.

To them, the dead Python presented a fatal lure.

The beasts had all engaged in the scramble, with the less powerful ones lurking at a distance, hoping to snatch a scrap. This particular wolf was strong enough to seize a large piece, dragging it away to consume in private.

The wolves were so consumed by their meal that they didn't even notice Long Cheng’s party approaching. The result was fatal overindulgence. Zhang Yang could dimly piece together parts of this chain of events, but Long Cheng and the others were ignorant, their curiosity gnawing at them, a desperate urge to see the source of the mystery immediately.

“Boss Long, perhaps you should all wait here. I’ll go take a look myself!”

Mayor Wang suddenly stepped forward, positioning himself in front of the group.

The events of this day were even stranger to him. It wasn't curiosity that drove him, but necessity—he had to understand what was happening. If danger loomed, he needed to warn the townsfolk ahead of time.

“No, if we go, we go together. We can’t split up!”

Long Cheng immediately shook his head. This time, he didn't look to Zhang Yang. Even if Zhang Yang disagreed, he was determined to investigate. He was simply too curious; leaving now would guarantee sleepless nights, not just tonight, but for the foreseeable future.

“Woof!”

Long Cheng’s two hunting dogs suddenly barked again toward the front. Everyone looked ahead and were surprised to see the wild boar they had been chasing earlier had returned.

The boar had a large chunk of meat in its mouth, identical to the meat the wolves had been tearing at.

The boar caught sight of them, immediately changed direction, and vanished within moments. This time, no one pursued it.

Recalling the condition of the wolves, they instantly understood: that boar was likely doomed as well, consuming something poisonous only to end up killing itself.

“Then let’s all go together,” Zhang Yang sighed suddenly. At this point, even if he tried to stop them, it would be futile. Even if this group stayed put, Mayor Wang and the others would certainly investigate eventually. The Python's corpse would be exposed sooner or later.

Since that was the case, they might as well go together. Zhang Yang, too, now needed to know the full extent of the situation.

Seeing Zhang Yang assent, Long Cheng paused briefly before becoming animated with excitement.

With Zhang Yang’s agreement, his confidence in their safety soared. He said no more, grabbing his shotgun and leading the way with the hunting dogs.

The two hunting dogs tried to move toward the wolf-torn snake meat, but Long Cheng yanked them back.

They had clearly witnessed the fate of the wolves. If the dogs went after the food, it would only lead to their deaths.

Mayor Wang cast a surprised glance at Zhang Yang. With his many years of experience, he easily recognized that Long Cheng had been waiting for Zhang Yang’s approval before committing—a realization that greatly surprised him.

Sixth update!