The abuse his pets were enduring was too much for Su Ran to bear; he couldn’t bring himself to look, instead fixing his gaze on the enormous python, his emotions unrested for a long time.

The outcome was not hard to guess; the Corpse Bone Centipede and Plague Mud Monster followed in the footsteps of the Sand Puppet, being brutally killed on the spot. And Su Ran’s avatar, the Dark Bone Lion, though it hadn’t joined the battlefield, couldn’t escape its fate, either—it was swallowed whole by the giant python, killed instantly without even a chance to struggle.

"Run!"

When Su Ran’s focus returned to his own body, his face was deathly pale, nowhere near brave enough to challenge the python’s patience anymore. He immediately fled forward.

"Overturning Water, slow down, wait for me!"

Xue Wuqing was startled by Su Ran’s behavior, also taking flight, not slowing down until she was nearly thirty meters away. She then asked in confusion, "Are you really going to abandon your group of pets like this?"

"What else can I do when not one is left—they’re all gone."

After Su Ran escaped from the danger zone, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t dare to keep running blindly forward; if another trap were to spring, it would really cost him his life!

"That ancient jar summoned an ancient python, too powerful for my pets to last even a minute against. This BOSS is simply not something the two of us can handle!"

Su Ran even doubted that if an entire guild came, they would be able to deal with the python. Its ferocious and fearsome appearance completely deterred him from even entertaining the thought of battling it!

"Python?!"

Wu Qing’s face instantly changed. As a girl, she had a natural fear of such reptiles. She instinctively turned to glance behind her and, upon seeing that the python wasn’t in pursuit, was able to relax. She then turned to Su Ran and asked, "By the way, did you see that ancient jar?"

"I saw it, on the center of the python’s forehead, turned into the shape of an ancient jar. The python’s body was very fluid, probably transformed by the water from the pool. With such an abundance of water, you can imagine how large the python must be."

Su Ran summoned the Shield War Skeleton again, instructing it to lead the way to prevent any further incidents, "It seems we’ve created a super BOSS. I hope the players who come after us won’t fall into the same trap..."

"If only I knew it would turn out like this, I would have sealed the mouth of the jar—that would have been great!"

Wu Qing appeared greatly annoyed, a sense of regret starting to grow in her heart, "Let’s not worry about the others. Who knows what trouble this BOSS might cause us. If some irreversible consequence occurs, we might as well find a block of tofu to dash our heads against!"

"Really? We’ve already escaped the python’s attack range, and as long as we’re not locked by its hatred, we should be fine."

Su Ran carefully observed the surroundings, noticing that the cold air spreading over the glacier was becoming more intense. The vast whiteness obstructed his vision, so he had to slow his pace.

However, Su Ran had the protection of the Ice Orb, and Wu Qing herself possessed an ice-cold physique, highly resistant to cold. Hence, the harsh conditions of the glacial terrain didn’t cause much trouble for them. But his Shield War Skeleton wasn’t so lucky. As the icy breath eroded it, its health gradually decreased, and a thin layer of light blue ice even formed on its skeleton.

"Overturning Water, why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

Wu Qing’s expression turned frantic, her heartbeat accelerating as she urgently asked Su Ran, "Did you hear the rumbling sounds coming from underground?"

"What?!"

Su Ran had been focusing on the summoned skeleton ahead of him. After Wu Qing’s reminder, he listened carefully and indeed heard dull thumping sounds coming from beneath his feet. Even more alarming, the sounds were getting louder, and the ground was beginning to tremble slightly.

"Oh no, it looks like the python is chasing us, run!"

Su Ran could no longer care about potential traps ahead, and he dashed forward with Wu Qing following close behind. The white cold air pummeled his face, causing a layer of ice crystals to form even over his mask.

"Didn’t you say we would be fine if we escaped its range of hatred? Why would the BOSS chase after us?"

Xue Wuqing was being chased by a BOSS for the very first time, feeling an incredible rush along with the tension, a hint of excitement flashing in her eyes. She even had the leisure to start chatting amidst this chase.

"It must be because this BOSS has such high intelligence that it can split its aggression toward pets and thus came after us," she said.

After glancing behind her to confirm they were temporarily safe, Su Ran continued, "That’s the only explanation that makes sense."

"Huff, huff, no wonder."

Running so fiercely had thrown Xue Wuqing’s breathing into disarray and even her speaking tone was off-key, her face flushing with embarrassment, "Overturning Water, I can’t run anymore..."

"Clench your teeth and keep going; if that python catches up, we’re definitely done for!"

As soon as Su Ran finished speaking, he realized something was off and looked at Xue Wuqing with a strange expression. "Wu Qing, if I may be so bold to ask, the python is chasing me, what are you running for?"

"You! Damn it!"

In that instant, Xue Wuqing felt like she was going to explode with anger.

"Hahaha, you stay here; I’ll draw the BOSS away and then come back for you!"

Su Ran burst into laughter, his raspy voice even adding a touch of heroic grandeur, along with a powerful self-confidence.

"You might as well die out there!"

Xue Wuqing simply stopped in her tracks, fuming as she glared at Su Ran. If looks could kill, Su Ran would have been slashed a thousand times over by now.

"Rumble rumble..."

The rumbling from beneath the ground grew louder as it neared, then slowly faded away. The heart that Xue Wuqing had been holding in her throat finally settled back in her stomach. Watching the retreating figure dashing into the distance, worry showed in her eyes as she muttered to herself, "Overturning Water, you must come back alive!"

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"Damn it, why won’t this accursed python stop chasing me? It’s been so long, how has the aggro not reset yet?"

While running at full speed, Su Ran cursed the python chasing him, going so far as to insult its ancestors, but nothing stopped the rumbling that was getting louder and closer.

What frustrated Su Ran even more was that there was only one path ahead, and the luxury of a side path was unattainable. Fate seemed to have a script already written, leading him toward unknown dangers.

"To hell with it all, I just can’t run anymore!"

Having run for too long, Su Ran’s bones creaked ominously. He worried that if he continued like this, he would fall apart. With no other choice left, Su Ran stopped this blind flight and summoned a small zombie, ready to make a final stand.

If the zombie’s Soul Bewilderment ability worked, that would be perfect!

But to Su Ran’s utter surprise, the rumbling beneath his feet didn’t stop just because he did. It surpassed him and gradually receded until it disappeared.

Su Ran was dumbfounded.

So, all that running had been for nothing?

At this moment, Su Ran had a curse on the tip of his tongue, unsure whether to express it or not.