Chapter 50: Trapping the Giant Python

Ao Xin dragged the giant python out of the river and swooped back down toward the ground.

Pressing the python's head down with his dragon claws, he slammed it viciously against the earth.

Opening his mouth, he unleashed a Roaring Thunder attack directly into the serpent's abdomen.

The giant python churned and thrashed, its life force immensely formidable.

However, because its lower jaw was pierced and hooked by the dragon claws, the only move it could effectively execute was constriction.

Yet, with the Azure Dragon holding onto the cloud of flames mid-air, wrapping its massive serpentine body around the dragon's torso proved exceedingly difficult.

Another Roaring Thunder shattered the silence, smashing the python's head into the ground once again.

Ao Xin reverted to his human-beast hybrid form, seized the serpent's head with one hand, and pulled a steel whip from his back with the other, driving it fiercely straight through the gap in the python's lower jaw.

Although the top of the steel whip was rounded, under his titanic strength, it still pierced completely through the python's skull!

The steel whip impaled the head and embedded itself deep into the earth.

Ao Xin grabbed the tail whipped by the giant python with his dragon claws, pulled it straight back with force, and pinned it down ruthlessly with his foot.

In this manner, the giant python's head was pinned to the ground by the steel whip, while its tail was anchored by his foot.

For the time being, it was completely unable to break free.

Taking advantage of this window, Ao Xin entered the God-Given Space and, spending ten thousand points, exchanged for a custom-made weapon!

It was a heavy chain forged from supreme-grade steel.

He threaded the chain through the wound on the giant python's lower jaw and anchored it securely around a massive boulder on the riverbank.

Given the giant python's immense strength, dragging this boulder away was not entirely impossible.

However, doing so would tear at the wound on its jaw, inflicting agonizing pain.

Returning to the serpent's tail, he pierced it with the steel whip and drove it firmly into the ground.

With both head and tail immobilized, no matter how extraordinary its strength might be, it could not exert even a fraction of it.

Dusting off his hands, Ao Xin cancelled his human-beast form.

Subduing this behemoth had certainly been no easy task.

This creature was much like the Sea Kings found in the world of One Piece.

Rivers after all had their limits, but out in the vast ocean, those sea monsters were even more colossal!

Stuffing a zombie corpse into the giant python's mouth, and when it refused to eat, shoving it hard down its throat.

With its throat blocked, the giant python suffered immensely and was forced to swallow the zombie carcass whole.

Its body continued to wriggle frantically, but every movement pulled at the wounds on its head and tail, and the sharp pain forced it to quiet down for a while.

Yet, a pair of reptilian pupils refused to yield.

Those crimson eyes stared fixedly at Ao Xin; the moment it broke free, it would launch an immediate counterattack!

"Using a water monster as a cultivation vessel is truly the optimal strategy."

Ao Xin smiled at it. "Brother Serpent, stay right here for now. There are zombies to eat every day, yo! Once I find someone to salvage the Sea prism stone and build you a Sea prism stone chamber, you won't have to suffer like this anymore. Just rest easy and be my crystal beast!"

The probability of ordinary creatures mutating after consuming zombie flesh was as high as ninety-eight percent.

For certain leaders of biological factions, the success rate was slightly higher, yet still less than fifty percent.

However, for water monsters like this giant python, as long as they were fed zombie meat, the probability of an awakening crystal forming in their minds and turning them into crystal beasts infinitely approached one hundred percent!

Water monsters, however, were exceptionally difficult to capture; even in his previous life, very few people were able to use them as cultivation vessels.

Now that the water monster had been subdued and the presence of Sea prism stone in the vicinity was practically confirmed, Feng Kun and his team of laborers could be called over to get to work.

Even so, although the distance from the west side of the city to the banks of the Yellow River was not particularly far under normal circumstances.

In the apocalypse, it was as impassable as a natural chasm.

Relying on his Tyrannosaurus ability, Feng Kun could manage the journey, but for others, walking all the way here was exceedingly difficult.

After notifying Meng Kui, the latter assured him that he would definitely arrive within a day.

Following that, Ao Xin remained beside the giant python, slaughtering all the zombies that were drawn to the area.

Once the zombies were cleared away, the people hiding in the surroundings finally dared to show themselves.

They had witnessed the battle between the Azure Dragon and the giant python, and had also seen the Azure Dragon transform into a human.

Naturally, they now knew that the formidable powerhouse standing before them was none other than the legendary "Azure Dragon Boss"!

"Big brother, can you take me with you? I'm willing to pay!"

"What time is it now? Is money still of any use?"

"Big brother, I'm willing to pay with supplies. I still have a bit of food left. Can I trade it with you for some points?"

With so many zombies killed, it was unimaginable how many points Ao Xin currently possessed. These people wanted to trade for some, hoping to at least acquire Armament Haki and gain the capital to fight against zombies in the future.

Ao Xin glanced around; the people hiding here were not few in number—a full twenty-plus individuals!

The vast majority were strong, able-bodied men; the elderly, children, and women could hardly survive in such an environment.

"Does anyone know how to operate a sand suction vessel?"

Ao Xin noticed several sand-pumping boats resting on the river surface not far away. Not only could they be used to dredge the Sea prism stone from the riverbed, but Yellow River sand was also useful building material.

Hearing his question, someone immediately answered loudly, "Me! I used to operate a sand suction vessel!"

In truth, sand mining was prohibited across the entire Yellow River, but there were always people willing to engage in such illicit, profit-driven ventures.

"In a couple of days, I'll be starting operations here. Work for me, and I will pay you in points."

Among these people were sand-dredging workers, restaurant owners, local residents, and a few who had fled from the city to hide here.

Yet, having endured until now, their physical fitness was generally quite decent.

"No problem! We will definitely be here!"

They were overjoyed. After fleeing outside the city, although there were fewer zombies, there were no supermarkets or shopping malls, which meant no accessible supplies.

Their provisions were nearly exhausted; without points to sustain their lives, even if they weren't bitten by zombies, they would simply starve to death.

Waving his hand to dismiss the crowd, keeping them lingering right in front of him was simply a nuisance.

Ao Xin left a message for Ao Chen in the God-Given Space, telling her that he would not be returning for the next two days and instructing them not to wait up for him.

The main concern was that the giant python might break free from the chains and escape.

A behemoth of this caliber could not be restrained easily.

With nothing to do, he began practicing the Soru technique of the Six Powers. Drawing on the experience from his previous life, once he obtained the authorization to train, he quickly grasped its core essentials.

As night fell, he simply lay down directly on top of the giant python and drifted off to sleep.

The zombies here had basically been cleared out by him, and any from further away were far more likely to be attracted by the concentrated human presence in the city rather than coming out to the wilderness.

Even if an occasional zombie wandered over, his Observation Haki remained passively active, ensuring he would wake up at the slightest disturbance.

Moreover, with his Iron Bone realm physique, ordinary zombies could not pierce his tough skin.

It was just that the giant python beneath him wasn't very well-behaved, constantly wriggling around, which made his sleep somewhat restless.

It wasn't until the second half of the night, perhaps exhausted from its futile struggle, that the python finally ceased its resistance and drifted off into slumber as well.

At dawn, sunlight spilled across his face.

Ao Xin shook his slightly aching neck; sleeping on the python's slippery body was not particularly comfortable.

Yawning, he spent three points to exchange for a Sanji-style seafood rice and devoured it with great satisfaction.

This meal lacked the stamina-restoring properties of plain water-meat, but the seafood used in it consisted of the smallest Sea Kings from the One Piece world, containing an extremely rich concentration of energy.

Otherwise, given Ao Xin's current physique, he would probably have to consume half a cow just to feel full!

Once he had eaten his fill, he dragged over the zombie carcasses he had killed yesterday and shoved them into the giant python's mouth.

Given the serpent's massive size, achieving complete crystalization would require a substantial amount of zombie meat.