Darting away in an instant, Lightning successfully positioned itself behind Zhang Yang. It was keenly aware that the Golden Crown Python was far superior in rank; being a non-strength-type spirit beast, a single casual touch would leave it gravely injured, if not dead.

Fleeing immediately after a surprise attack was its best possible strategy. The Golden Crown Python's massive body began to writhe rapidly.

Having been struck by the three-layered spirit beast Lightning's sneak attack, the python was understandably enraged, its fury escalating. A human at the peak of the fourth layer, two spirit beasts at the early fourth layer, and another at the third layer—to think they could repeatedly injure it—pushed the python close to the brink of losing all reason.

"Squeak squeak!" After two calls, Lightning immediately retreated again behind Zhang Yang. However, Zhang Yang understood its meaning: Lightning was conveying that its poison had successfully invaded the Golden Crown Python's body.

But this Ten-Crown Golden Crown Python was too powerful, and its evolved toxin carried a trace of the Golden Crown Python’s own venom. It was uncertain if it could truly take effect, urging Zhang Yang to be cautious.

At the very least, he shouldn't place too much hope in its poison. "Pfft!" In its rage, the Golden Crown Python did not pursue abnormally this time, but instead lifted its head directly.

A thick mass of dark mist erupted from its maw. Unlike the Five-Crown Golden Crown Python before, this black fog seemed to be under its control, aimed straight at Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang's face showed surprise, but his footwork only quickened as he leaped to the side. The mass of black poison mist struck the ground, then suddenly burst outward, scattering into countless small, fist-sized black clusters.

These scattered smaller black poison clouds moved much faster than the previous larger toxin mass, and their radiation area was vast. Zhang Yang could only hastily wrap his clothing around himself to block them.

However, Zhang Yang overlooked one point this time: these black clusters were not solid entities but pure poison mist, which splashed onto him and rapidly dispersed. Soon, Zhang Yang was completely enveloped by the toxic fog.

In that instant, Zhang Yang felt a suffocating pressure and a wave of dizziness. Besides Zhang Yang, Shadowless was also enveloped by these mist clusters.

It wasn't struck by the black clusters themselves, but rather the scattered black clusters quickly thinned and diluted upon hitting the ground, shrouding it in a faint black haze. "Hoo!" A gaping maw large enough to swallow several Zhang Yangs descended from above, seemingly about to crush the fog-shrouded man.

By this time, Zhang Yang had been struck by the Golden Crown Python's poison. The extent to which this python's mist could spread was completely beyond Zhang Yang’s expectation, and coupled with its incredible speed, he was caught off guard.

Fortunately, he was still a formidable expert at the mid-fourth layer. He used the Heaven and Earth Energy to shield several critical parts of his body, which temporarily kept him safe, unlike Long Feng who had collapsed immediately in a similar situation.

Even so, his consciousness began to blur, and the Ten-Crown Golden Crown Python sensed the opportunity. "Boom!" Just before the giant mouth could connect with Zhang Yang, a white shadow suddenly flashed by, pulling Zhang Yang clear.

The Ten-Crown Golden Crown Python's massive jaws clamped down hard onto the earth. At the crucial moment, Swift Wind utilized its speed to snatch Zhang Yang away from beneath the python's jaws.

Swift Wind had previously encountered the toxin clouds, yet it remained completely unaffected, able to utilize its speed even within the python's poisonous fog to rescue Zhang Yang. "Chirp chirp chirp!" Shadowless also rushed quickly over; it too was unharmed.

But Lightning was in a sorry state. It was running now, but clearly affected.

If Lightning hadn't also been a venomous beast carrying the Golden Crown Python's poison internally, this single exposure might have poisoned it unconscious. Shadowless reached Zhang Yang's side and, without hesitation, bit him.

Swift Wind’s safety was largely thanks to Shadowless. The blackness on Zhang Yang's face gradually receded.

Since the python had just bitten into mud, the Ten-Crown Golden Crown Python did not press the attack, which allowed Zhang Yang, while recovering from the fright, to feel immense relief. If Shadowless hadn't been able to counter the Ten-Crown Golden Crown Python's poison, they would truly have been done for this time.

This incident thoroughly eradicated the pride he had developed from fighting the Great Perfection experts and even personally slaying an injured one earlier. No matter how formidable one became, complete focus was required against any enemy.

Not just against the late fourth layer powerhouse, the Ten-Crown Golden Crown Python, but even against ordinary mid-fourth layer experts, or those in the early fourth layer, there should never be any room for complacency. Even if their strength was inferior, they might possess other hidden methods that could lead to his demise—just as he had used such tactics to defeat the stronger Chu Yuntian previously.

Today, he himself had let arrogance stemming from his earlier success—and the fact he had wounded the python early on—lead to contempt. That slight arrogance cost him dearly; without Shadowless and Swift Wind, he would have surely perished.

After biting Zhang Yang, Shadowless ran over and bit Lightning once too. The blackness on Lightning also vanished quickly, and it soon returned to normal.

"Treasure-Seeking Rat? Are Treasure-Seeking Rats still in this world?" The two parrots, standing there, had their eyes widen slightly.

Both of their attentions were now fixed entirely on Shadowless. "Indeed.

To think that besides Lord Illusionary Mouse, the Spirit Mouse lineage still exists in this world!" "It’s a pity Master and Lord Sacred Dragon have departed. If Lord Sacred Dragon were here and saw this Treasure-Seeking Rat, he would surely be very happy!" "Exactly.

I wonder when Master will return. I've truly had enough of the Savage Mountain!" The two parrots conversed quietly amongst themselves; their voices were very low, and Zhang Yang and the others did not hear them.

Under normal circumstances, if Zhang Yang listened closely, he could have heard them, given his currently abnormal level of hearing. However, at this moment, having just recovered from poisoning and needing to remain vigilant against the Golden Crown Python's attacks, he had no mental capacity to eavesdrop.

This caused Zhang Yang to miss an opportunity to learn a secret. "Whoosh whoosh!" A sudden gust of wind swept in—this was not natural air movement, but the result of the Golden Crown Python's tail sweeping past at high speed.

Failing to kill Zhang Yang earlier had fueled its immense anger, and its subsequent attacks became far more fierce. Zhang Yang and Swift Wind both leaped up, while Lightning and Shadowless had already positioned themselves to the side.

Both small creatures had mediocre defenses; staying close now would only increase the danger. They could only offer support from a distance.

As he jumped, Zhang Yang's Cold Spring Sword trembled three times in mid-air. Three silver-white energy sword-lights simultaneously materialized around the blade, flying toward the Golden Crown Python in three different directions.

This time, Zhang Yang’s assault was much calmer and more calculated. He had factored in every possible avenue the python might use to dodge, ensuring that no matter where it moved, at least one sword-light would connect.

The Golden Crown Python certainly intended to dodge. The speed of the sword-lights was not particularly fast; the energy Zhang Yang condensed was still too mixed, lacking the instantaneous flash of energy truly emitted by a peak fifth-layer expert.

After dodging once, the Ten-Crown Golden Crown Python was horrified to discover that while it had avoided two of the sword-lights, the third one was still going to strike. At this point, it was too late to fully evade.

It could only forcefully twist its body, flipping mid-air to minimize the impact on its vital areas. "Tear!" The silver-white sword-light sheared off a patch of the Golden Crown Python's scales, penetrating deep into the flesh.

"Aoo!" The sharp pain caused the python to emit an even louder cry. It slammed its body heavily onto the ground, shaking the earth several times as if an earthquake had struck.

This single energy sword-light inflicted considerable damage upon it. No wonder late fourth-layer experts seemed like children facing the Great Perfection realm; once they could harness the Heaven and Earth Energy, they were terrifyingly superior to ordinary late fourth-layer beings.

Although the energy Zhang Yang could currently command wasn't as much as a true Great Perfection expert possessed, its quality was superior. This type of energy attack was already comparable to that of a Great Perfection master.

This was precisely why he could inflict such heavy damage on the late fourth-layer Ten-Crown Golden Crown Python. Following the three sword-lights, Zhang Yang did not pause.

He circulated the Heaven-Shattering Sword Art again, and a larger ball of energy began to surge at his sword tip. This energy was no longer silver-white but had turned yellow.

The yellow color appeared warm, yet this sphere of energy contained a terror-inducing power. Swift Wind, Shadowless, and Lightning stared blankly at Zhang Yang.

Especially Swift Wind; among the three spirit beasts, it had always been the most outstanding in combat prowess. While Zhang Yang had been powerful before, Swift Wind had begun to believe it could catch up, after all, it was a spirit beast.

But now, seeing the energy sphere Zhang Yang was condensing, it realized the immense gap between them remained significant; Zhang Yang was truly far more powerful. This realization only increased its submission to Zhang Yang.

Spirit beasts worship strength and yield to those demonstrably more powerful than themselves. As Zhang Yang gathered this energy, the System suddenly alerted him that Swift Wind's loyalty had increased by another point.

He hadn't expected loyalty to grow even during a life-or-death battle. "Energy Burst?" The two parrots exchanged glances, their eyes filled with shock.

Even as creatures of vast knowledge who had served fifth-layer experts, they were stunned by Zhang Yang's move. The Energy Burst was indeed a means of utilizing Heaven and Earth Energy, but it was not the rudimentary technique of pure energy projection.

This was a mid-level technique. Fourth-layer experts could use Heaven and Earth Energy and even materialize it, but no fourth-layer expert had ever managed to condense energy into an Energy Burst.

This technique did not belong to the fourth layer; it was genuinely an attack method reserved for true fifth-layer experts. "No, this Energy Burst isn't pure!" "It's impure, but it is still an Energy Burst.

Ah Hua, shall we retreat further?" The two small parrots spoke again, then nodded simultaneously and quickly flew to a more distant peak with fluttering wings. The power of an Energy Burst was immense, reputed to be capable of overturning mountains and seas.

They worried about being caught in the blast radius. They weren't the only ones.

Swift Wind, Lightning, and Shadowless, upon receiving the mental message from Zhang Yang, also bolted rapidly into the distance. The wounded Ten-Crown Golden Crown Python had completely straightened its body, watching Zhang Yang with intense vigilance tinged with fear.