Chapter 170: Exploring the Swamp (Fourth update, you owe me 8 chapters)

Regardless of whether the Three-Headed Snake agreed, Li Zhangsheng circulated his Mental Power and cast a Temporary Contract.

The Three-Headed Snake struggled violently, and in the blink of an eye, it broke free from the restraints of the Temporary Contract.

First attempt, failure!

The higher the realm of a wild Spirit Beast, the firmer its will; not only does it consume more Mental Power, but the success rate of the contract also drops significantly.

The Three-Headed Snake still held its heads high, its cold snake eyes fixed on Li Zhangsheng; even when trampled underfoot by Aixi, it did not lower its arrogant head.

"Aixi, bleed it!" Li Zhangsheng did not continue to cast the Temporary Contract; in order to increase the success rate of subjugation, he resolutely ordered Aixi to bleed the Three-Headed Snake.

The Three-Headed Snake had a lot of blood, and its blood regeneration ability far exceeded that of ordinary Spirit Beasts, but there was ultimately a limit; the injuries from the two severed heads and its midsection caused it to lose a great deal of blood.

Aixi did not hesitate, several sharp claws popping out from its paw pads; it naturally would not attack the Three-Headed Snake's remaining head, as that might very well lead to the Three-Headed Snake's immediate death, so it left several deep-to-the-bone wounds on the Three-Headed Snake's midsection instead.

A large amount of fresh blood sprayed out, staining the ground increasingly red, and a rich, bloody scent permeated the air, giving one a nauseating feeling.

Hiss—

The Three-Headed Snake hissed in pain and wanted to struggle with all its might, but it felt increasingly powerless; the loss of blood made it feel ever weaker.

Li Zhangsheng remained expressionless and continued to cast the Temporary Contract.

Second attempt, still a failure!

Due to the Three-Headed Snake's lack of cooperation, both of Li Zhangsheng's contract attempts ended in failure.

"Again!" Without any hesitation, Li Zhangsheng issued the order to attack once more.

As Li Zhangsheng's voice rang out, Aixi added a few more wounds to the Three-Headed Snake's midsection.

Hiss—

The Three-Headed Snake's voice grew weaker, and it looked at Li Zhangsheng listlessly; it was hard to tell if it was an illusion, but its cold eyes had a little less defiance and a little more fear.

Unless one possessed an iron will, anyone tortured like this would inevitably feel fear.

This time, Li Zhangsheng did not immediately cast the contract, but instead signaled Aixi with his eyes.

Roar—

Aixi understood, letting out a low roar and unleashing its Intimidation trait to the fullest in order to lower the Three-Headed Snake's will.

Under Aixi's intimidation, the Three-Headed Snake was clearly affected; its snake pupils constricted, and its heart was filled with terror.

At this moment, Li Zhangsheng said at the opportune time: "Three-Headed Snake, if you don't want to be tortured, then open your mind and establish a Temporary Contract with me!"

Whether it is bleeding, intimidation, or threats, these are all standard operations for a Monster Tamer when contracting a wild Spirit Beast.

Of course, there are negative methods as well as positive ones, such as petting, rescuing, or pampering; these can also lower a wild Spirit Beast's guard.

However, most wild Spirit Beasts are unruly; unless they are those with gentle temperaments, Monster Tamers often adopt methods like the one Li Zhangsheng was using now.

There is no other way; a Monster Tamer's Mental Power is limited, and if these methods are not applied, it is possible to fail to contract it even after one's Mental Power is exhausted.

The next moment, Li Zhangsheng cast the Temporary Contract once again.

Perhaps the Three-Headed Snake was too weak, perhaps Aixi's intimidation effect was astonishing, or perhaps Li Zhangsheng's threats had taken effect; in any case, the Three-Headed Snake's resistance was significantly reduced, and it was finally successfully contracted by Li Zhangsheng.

The Temporary Contract turned into a special mark, finally branded onto the Three-Headed Snake's only remaining head.

Phew!

Li Zhangsheng let out a light breath; the Three-Headed Snake was, after all, a Mid-level 9th Rank Spirit Beast, and the Mental Power consumed by the contract far exceeded that of a Lower Rank Spirit Beast, such that even Li Zhangsheng could not cast it ten times.

After the contract was completed, Li Zhangsheng tried his best to restrain the joy in his heart, remaining calm on the surface, as if this were just a relatively ordinary Three-Headed Snake.

Seeing Li Zhangsheng's expression, Li Runfeng, who had been about to ask about the quality of the Three-Headed Snake, subconsciously assumed it was a Three-Headed Snake of average quality, so he consciously shut his mouth.

Only then did Aixi jump down from the Three-Headed Snake, still feeling unsatisfied.

"Kailan, help restore the Three-Headed Snake's stamina!"

Under Li Zhangsheng's instruction, Kailan began to cast a series of recovery-type skills on the Three-Headed Snake, and coupled with the Three-Headed Snake's powerful regeneration ability, its recovery speed was unimaginably fast; it would not take long before it recovered as before.

Regarding this Superior Quality Three-Headed Snake, Li Zhangsheng had no intention of focusing on cultivating it; for one, his Formal Contract slots were already used up, and for another, his appetite had become increasingly picky—if the Three-Headed Snake were a Commander Species, he might have considered it.

Yes, a Commander Species; Li Zhangsheng's standards had now reached such a level.

There was no helping it; his few Demon Pets were too excellent—Round-and-Round was a top-grade dual Bloodline, Kailan was a Commander Species, Day and Night were symbionts, and both Aixi and the Fire Element bird possessed Top-tier Divine Beast Bloodlines, and they were all Spirit Beasts of the strongest warrior tier.

Rather than wasting energy and resources raising the Three-Headed Snake, it would be better to use it as a Temporary Spirit Pet or exchange it for resources.

With the Three-Headed Snake's excellence, its value was definitely far beyond a Superior Quality Lark; it would take at least four digits of Soul Crystals to secure it.

At this time, Li Runfeng took down the Dark Scroll hanging on a piece of dead wood.

Because the vast majority of snake-type Spirit Beasts were in a fierce battle with Zhao Shuyi and the others, and because the Three-Headed Snake had been subdued by Li Zhangsheng, Li Runfeng's process of taking down the scroll did not encounter a single mishap.

In this way, Li Zhangsheng's group of four had collected three Light and Dark Scrolls; as long as they collected one more set, they would be able to complete their assessment task.

Not long after, the Three-Headed Snake recovered its health, though its spirit was still quite listless, and its two severed heads would still need some time to recover.

It was not a Nine-Headed Snake, after all, and could not regrow its heads in a short time.

"Three-Headed Snake, are there any more of these things near the swamp?"

The Three-Headed Snake hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded; it had a certain impression of this thing, as it seemed to have been placed there by someone specifically.

"Then go get it for me!" Li Zhangsheng did not expect there to be more scrolls near the swamp; this was a completely unexpected joy.

The Three-Headed Snake nodded, burrowed into the ground, and no one knew where it went.

Li Zhangsheng glanced at Zhao Shuyi and the two others not far away; they were still fighting fiercely with a large number of snake-type Spirit Beasts, but the situation was gradually tilting in their favor, and victory was only a matter of time.

"Let's go explore the swamp first!"

With so many snake-type Spirit Beasts living here, plus a variant like the Three-Headed Snake, there would definitely be some extra gains, such as Snake Eggs, ores, associated Spirit Herbs, and so on.

Without needing the Three-Headed Snake to lead them, Li Zhangsheng's group of four soon arrived at the depths of the swamp without any danger; there was a large pit here, and seeing the situation in the pit, they revealed smiles, feeling that the trip had not been in vain.

Ah, you owe me 8 chapters now; it seems I need to slow down, lest you owe too much. Ah, there is truly no better author in the world than me!

Also, don't forget the recommendation votes; the recommendation votes these past few days have been getting fewer and fewer each day, and if this continues, my motivation will get lower and lower.

I will write three chapters tomorrow; if I can't write them, the author is a pig-headed Zhu Eighth-tier, and all readers can stand up to witness it. If this book is abandoned, the author is still a pig, so you can rest assured and subscribe. Currently, there are over seven hundred average subscriptions, which is equivalent to twenty yuan per chapter; I feel like I've dragged the country's feet again, and I am ashamed.

(End of chapter)