Xu Lang also saw that massive shadow.
His heart tightened instinctively.
Even though he had mentally prepared himself, the shock of seeing such a colossal creature up close was still immense.
At this moment—
The creature had already crawled out of the water and onto the shore.
This stretch of riverbank was filled with mushroom-shaped stalactites.
At a glance, it looked as if countless half-man-high to full-man-high giant mushrooms had grown inside the cave.
Once the creature reached land, Hu Ba Yi, Shirley Yang, and Wang Pangzi finally saw it clearly.
It wasn't a dragon—
But an abnormally huge azure-scaled giant python.
Giant pythons already existed in the southwestern mountains.
Sometimes, they would even come down and take livestock from nearby villages.
Hu Ba Yi had fought in the southern frontier. He had not only heard of giant pythons, but had also seen them before.
But the one in front of them—
Was far larger than anything he had ever seen or heard of.
At least over ten meters long, as thick as a barrel—
Like a dragon without claws.
After coming ashore, it slithered through the mushroom-like rock formations, its massive body knocking some of them over from time to time.
Wherever it passed, there was a constant rumbling sound.
Everyone on the raft held their breath, afraid of attracting the attention of this "Dragon Lord."
However—
The python did not go far.
It flicked its tongue, and in the blink of an eye, it turned back into the water.
This time—
It was heading toward the raft.
Hu Ba Yi, Shirley Yang, and Wang Pangzi all tensed up.
Wang Pangzi raised the Jianwei air rifle again.
Hu Ba Yi instinctively drew his handgun.
Shirley Yang lifted her entrenching tool.
Xu Lang quickly stopped them.
"Don't move. It's not coming for us."
The three of them looked at Xu Lang with doubt.
Xu Lang lowered his voice.
"I specialize in biology. Trust me."
Wang Pangzi forced himself to hold back the urge to fire and whispered,
"Lord Lang, our lives are in your hands. If you're wrong, we're all done for."
Xu Lang nodded.
"Relax."
Right then—
The giant python swam close to the raft.
Instead of attacking—
It opened its massive jaws and began swallowing the drifting corpses of Water Zhi Bees.
So—
It was feeding on those fat insects!
Xu Lang felt a surge of excitement.
Many of those insects had been killed by his Gu Poison.
Their bodies still carried residual toxicity.
Although the amount of poison was small compared to the python's massive size—
It was still enough to affect it.
This—
Was an opportunity.
Killing this azure-scaled giant python would yield a huge amount of energy!
The Golden Silkworm Gu could level up again.
Xu Lang even felt the urge to fuse with the python.
But after checking the system—
He only had one fusion slot, and it was already occupied by the Golden Silkworm Gu.
To unlock another slot, he would need to raid ancient tombs and obtain Qi Luck.
Better to save it for an even stronger Exotic Beast.
Xu Lang quickly made his decision.
At the same time, he released the Golden Silkworm Gu from his arm, letting it hover above the water—ready at any moment.
As the python consumed the Water Zhi Bee corpses, it stirred up waves nearly two feet high.
The raft rocked continuously.
"Lord Lang! Lord Lang! It's getting closer! Should we shoot or not?!" Wang Pangzi's face was covered in sweat.
Hu Ba Yi also looked at Xu Lang.
"Wait for my signal. When I say fire, both of you shoot—aim for its eyes!"
Xu Lang said.
The python's weak point—
Was its eyes.
The python was now only about three meters away from the raft.
Everyone on board could smell the foul odor coming from its gaping mouth.
Just then—
The python, which had been feeding, suddenly stopped.
Its eyes quickly turned red.
Its body began to twist violently in the water.
Its tail slammed against the surface, sending up huge splashes.
Xu Lang immediately realized—
The python had been affected by the Gu Poison!
"Fire!"
At Xu Lang's command—
Bang!
Wang Pangzi fired a heavy steel pellet from the air rifle.
His marksmanship was excellent—even against a moving target at such close range.
The python's left eye immediately burst open.
At the same time—
Hu Ba Yi moved smoothly—safety off, bolt pulled, aim, fire—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
He emptied the magazine in rapid succession.
At long range, the handgun's accuracy and power would have been limited—
But Xu Lang had waited until the python was close enough.
Now—
Hu Ba Yi's shots were effective.
Although the other eye wasn't completely destroyed—
Several bullets struck the python's head and face.
One even hit inside its mouth.
Dark fluid surged out.
Xu Lang seized the moment.
He immediately activated Gu Poison, targeting the wound inside the python's mouth.
A mass of green liquid appeared inside its mouth out of thin air.
The Gu Poison instantly entered the python's bloodstream.
The python reacted violently—
Thrashing wildly in the water.
Waves surged over a meter high.
Shirley Yang desperately used her bamboo pole to stabilize the raft.
After about a minute—
The water gradually calmed down.
The azure-scaled giant python floated on the surface—
Completely motionless.
"Dead?"
"Looks like… it really is."
Hu Ba Yi and Wang Pangzi even used their poles to poke the body floating on the water.
After confirming it was no longer moving—
The two of them almost jumped up on the raft in excitement.
Soon—
They entered a round of mutual praise.
"Fatty, your aim is as sharp as ever."
"Not at all, Old Hu—your shooting just now was smooth as flowing water, still got it!"
Only Shirley Yang glanced curiously at Xu Lang.
She had seen it clearly—
That flick of his fingers toward the python earlier.
Could it be—
That Xu Lang had actually killed the python?
She thought about it, then shook her head slightly.
Impossible.
If that were true—
It would be too unbelievable.
She told herself—
She must have seen it wrong.
At this moment, Xu Lang's expression remained calm.
But inside—
He was extremely excited.
Because at the exact moment the azure-scaled giant python was eliminated—
A system notification had sounded in his mind…