The black one roared at the sky in despair, and the other black figures reacted and followed suit, surrounding the black serpent and trapping it in place again.
Captain Qing had given them an excellent start. The group did not confront the black serpent head-on, preferring to go ten seconds without attacking rather than letting the black serpent touch them!
As a result, more and more bloodstains appeared on the black serpent, and the footing points beneath the group became fewer and fewer, appearing almost entirely green.
Captain Qing revealed a triumphant smile. From the initial caution to the surprise, and now to the certainty of victory, this series of psychological changes had lowered his usual composure to its lowest.
At this moment, his mind was filled with thoughts of what kind of life he would lead after truly capturing this black serpent.
The underground world was not much better than the surface world. Sometimes, things seemed good only because of the darkness; only through contrast could happiness be truly appreciated.
Although treasures were everywhere in the underground world, take weapons for instance. The weapons carried by even their lowest-ranking subordinates were divine artifacts that people on the outside could only dream of!
But the lives of the black figures were vastly different from those outside!
While they possessed the ability to move freely in the underground world, it was similar to how humans, despite being the dominant species on Earth, did not occupy 100% of it.
The areas they could access were limited, and dangers lurked everywhere. The only truly safe place was that soybean-sized base!
Those among them who were not high-ranking black figures had to strive for cultivation techniques and the base's protection, earning money almost daily with their lives hanging by a thread!
But with the black serpent, it was different. This was a legendary creature!
"Let's shift the battleground a bit and wear down its stamina first!"
Having survived to this level and even become a captain, Captain Qing was naturally intelligent. He had already realized that the black serpent had some reservations and dared not use its full strength against them.
Otherwise, given the situation earlier, the black serpent could have withstood their attacks and annihilated them!
This was precisely the opportunity he had spotted.
The black serpent was waiting, and they were consuming its strength. As long as they could deplete the black serpent's stamina to a certain extent, even if it became desperate, Captain Qing was confident he could deliver a killing blow!
"Alright!"
The remaining few immediately responded. It seemed this was not their first time doing something like this, as they coordinated their offensive movements, much like villagers herding poultry back into a coop.
They drove the black serpent in one direction.
However, to prevent the black serpent from escaping, one black figure was stationed in that direction. This individual did not attack, only intervening if the black serpent attempted to flee.
The black serpent seemed to have no choice, and soon it moved to the right according to their wishes.
Captain Qing also noticed that while the wounds they had inflicted were not truly severe, the continuous flow of green blood was constantly depleting the black serpent's energy.
"The rumors are indeed true; the black serpent's younglings haven't even fully developed immortality! If it were an adult black serpent, these injuries wouldn't have taken so long to deal with!"
Captain Qing grinned, his confidence in his plan growing even stronger.
Not only him, but the other individuals also showed increasing signs of joy. At this moment, the deaths of two companions seemed like an event that had never happened.
However, at this very moment, an unexpected change occurred.
The black figure responsible for controlling the black serpent's direction suddenly felt a chill down his spine – a primal reaction to mortal danger.
The black figure felt his pores instantly stand on end and goosebumps erupt all over his body. But before he could react further, a searing pain shot through his heart.
This time, it was truly piercing. The black figure instinctively looked down and saw an arrowhead protruding from his left chest.
This was, however, the last image he would see in this world.
Time seemed to stand still. The black serpent, Captain Qing, and the others were all stunned.
"Still not running?"
A voice, completely unfamiliar to them, suddenly rang out. Captain Qing then noticed a figure hiding behind a large rock in front of them.
Black figures could recognize non-kin almost instantly. Captain Qing was instantly enraged.
"Human, you are courting death!"
The human he shouted at was naturally Li Chonglou.
Although the anger was directed at him, Captain Qing's soft sword swung towards the great serpent.
Li Chonglou paid him no mind, gently grasping the longbow in his hand, which immediately turned into a liquid and retracted into his hand.
He stared calmly into the eyes of the great serpent. Though he said nothing, his intention was clear.
The black serpent's pair of large, emerald-green eyes clearly blinked in surprise. Then, with a hint of strangeness, it swiftly crawled away in another direction.
"Don't let it escape!"
Captain Qing shouted anxiously, but this was also Li Chonglou's sentiment.
"That's what I'm saying."
However, Li Chonglou did not charge forward. The weakest of the individuals before him were at the peak of the fifth layer, and the leader, the so-called Captain Qing, was at the peak of the sixth layer.
This strength, before his soul was damaged, would have been beneath his notice. With his latent spiritual veins, he generally had no rivals among his peers, but unfortunately, his strength was now greatly diminished.
With the help of Elder An, he could at most exert thirty percent of his strength. If he hadn't used a weapon orb obtained from Wei En earlier, and combined with a surprise attack, it would have been impossible to kill even one so easily!
However, Li Chonglou himself was the only one aware of all this.
The previous strike had completely exceeded Captain Qing's understanding. Not everyone knew about weapon orbs. He subconsciously assumed Li Chonglou had used his strength to kill his subordinate in one blow!
Now, the black serpent was the priority, and Captain Qing and the others could only vent their anger on it.
With no one blocking their path, the black serpent had broken free from the encirclement, its speed instantly increasing, on the verge of escaping their pursuit.
"Don't hold back, use your true skills!"
Captain Qing repeated his tactic. Although they had learned quite a bit, their ultimate, hidden moves were all they had. At this moment, it was natural to use the most powerful move!
The long swords in the hands of the remaining three glowed again. The black serpent seemed to sense the danger from behind, suddenly stopping and turning to open its massive maw towards the three.
It wasn't that it didn't want to continue escaping. The first time, it had been injured despite being prepared. If it continued to blindly flee now,
The saying "hit the snake's seven inches" was not to be taken lightly!
However, this action played right into Li Chonglou's hands. His current strength was insufficient, and he needed to borrow some power to collect residual souls.