Much like a monkey riding a colorful cloud that had appeared out of nowhere, Meng Lei descended from above and frightened everyone.
“Be on guard, everyone! Someone’s trying to seize our prey from the jaws of death!”
Following the shout from a girl with blond wavy locks and wearing a golden magic robe with a golden spell in her hand, all six of them instantly stopped their attacks and directed their gazes at Meng Lei with extreme caution.
“I was wondering who it could be. So it’s just a little brat who hasn’t even grown up!”
The blond girl quietly heaved a sigh of relief. Then, she said, “Leave at once, and we can put this behind us, brat. Otherwise, don’t blame us if we go hard on you!”
“Where did that kid come from? Get lost!”
“How dare you snatch our prey? Do you have a death wish?”
The other five people also straightened their backs as they relaxed their guard. They stared coldly at Meng Lei with contempt in their eyes.
“Your prey?”
Meng Lei’s countenance changed to one of displeasure at once. He pointed at the Uni-Horned Rose Python behind him and said in a deep, low voice, “That’s obviously my mount, yet all of you are actually taking it as your prey?!”
“Your mount?”
The group of six was rather taken aback. They couldn’t help but look at the Uni-Horned Rose Python, only to discover that it was also staring at Meng Lei with abject stupefaction.
I’m his mount?
Why aren’t I aware of that?
Evidently, it didn’t know Meng Lei at all.
The group of six flew into a rage at once.
A muscular man among them shouted, “You little brat, how dare you play us for fools?”
Over two-meter-tall, the man had a horn on his head and a pair of wings on his back. As though a raging bull, he charged right toward Meng Lei.
“Don’t be too heavy-handed and end up killing him, Marcus! Otherwise, you’ll be eliminated!” One of his teammates kindly reminded him. “You can just leave him half-dead instead.”
“Don’t worry. I know what I should do.”
Marcus, the man with the single horn, gave a sinister laugh. Then, he raised the hammer in his right hand high into the air and smashed it down at Meng Lei.
“This place is not for you, kid. Go back to drinking your milk instead!”
One must admit that this strike of Marcus’ contained great might. Even a Ninth-Grade Magical Beast would be smashed into a pulp by it, let alone the skinny Meng Lei who didn’t even reach 1.7-meters-tall.
Judging from their outer appearances alone, there was more than just the average gap in strength between the two of them.
In spite of that, Meng Lei merely grabbed casually at the heavy hammer strike smashing down like a mountain pressing down on him and managed to catch it in his hand.
By applying just a bit of force, he easily punched holes into the hammer with his fingers, and crumbling powder scattered with the wind as they slipped through his fingers.
“What!?”
At the sight of that, Marcus’ eyes almost jumped out of their sockets. One must know that the hammer was crafted from an Ocean Whale’s bones, a Saint Domain Magical Beast. It was incredibly heavy and tough!
Yet he had actually caught it with his hand so casually? And he had even crushed it so casually!
Was he really a goddamn human?
However, before he had the time to be astounded, a severe, heartrending pain suddenly came over his abdomen. Marcus lowered his head—at some point, Meng Lei had already appeared right before him and punched him squarely in the gut.
“You—”
Marcus’ mouth had only just opened when he felt an incoming great force. Then, as though he had been hit by a high-speed rail racing toward him, his entire self was thrown backward.
(⊙o⊙)
The blond girl and the other four were all stunned by the sight. In a daze, they stared blankly at Meng Lei as though they had just seen a ghost.
Marcus wasn’t the strongest among them, but as a Black Dragon Person, his physical strength was the strongest for sure.
Yet someone as strong as Marcus had actually been knocked out instantly. Even the Ocean Whale hammer that he was so proud of had been crushed into pieces.
What kind of physical strength was that? And what kind of combat strength was that?
Saint Domain! The unassuming little brat currently standing in front of them was a Saint Domain for sure. On top of that, he was even an extremely strong one. Otherwise, there was no way he could’ve instantly knocked out Marcus!
The moment they realized that, the five of them were horrified at once.
Meng Lei looked at the blond girl and the others and said, “This is my mount. Do you have any issues with that?”
“...”
A shiver went through the five of them at once.
All of them were half a step away from the Saint Domain realm. Together with the Saint Domain magic devices in their possession, the six of them could kill elementary-level Saint Domain Magical Beasts by working together with some difficulty.
However, when the one they were facing was a fearsome Saint Domain that could instantly knock out Marcus, how could they possibly be a match for him?
“Staying quiet? I’ll ask again.” Meng Lei raised an eyebrow and repeated, “This Uni-Horned Rose Python is my mount. Do you have any issues with that?”
“Sir, it’s all yours!”
The corner of the blond girl’s lips spasmed a couple of times as she spoke. Despite being absolutely reluctant to, she still very wisely gave up on the Uni-Horned Rose Python.
When one was facing an unfathomably strong Saint Domain, being stubborn, having backbone, and fighting head-on to the very end was definitely the stupidest thing one could do.
“Get lost!” Meng Lei waved them off.
“Yes!”
The five of them carried Marcus and left so quickly that it was as though they were fleeing—they were afraid that they might incur Meng Lei’s displeasure if they were too slow.
“It’s just you and me now,” Meng Lei said as he turned around.
As his gaze fell onto the bruised and battered Uni-Horned Rose Python, the corners of his lips couldn’t help but quirk upward.
One must say that the Uni-Horned Rose Python’s outer appearance was indeed rather exquisite. It looked as though it were made out of rose petals. As expected of the creature in charge of the beauty aspect among the snake-type Magical Beasts.
“Hiss, hiss!”
With a look of terror in its eyes, the Uni-Horned Rose Python growled in a low voice, “W-what do you want?”
Upon seeing that the Uni-Horned Rose Python didn’t immediately attack him, Meng Lei couldn’t help but give an approving nod. Even though it hadn’t been that long since he had come to the Lost Continent, he had discovered that all the Magical Beasts there possessed a certain characteristic—they weren’t particularly hostile toward humans.
Perhaps because they had never seen humans before, they ended up also seeing them as fellow Magical Beasts. Therefore, when facing humans stronger than themselves, they behaved just as they would when they faced other strong and powerful Magical Beasts and experienced feelings of fear, reverence, and submission.
Unlike the Magical Beasts on Heaven’s Vault Continent, which would instead view humans with animosity, hold feelings of fury, indignation, and would rather die than submit.
“I’m thinking whether I should braise you, roast you, or freeze you into a popsicle? Or perhaps I should turn you into a snake kebab?”
Meng Lei rubbed his chin as he pondered aloud. “But that’s a little too bloody. How about I try cutting you into snake meat slices instead? That’s right, snake meat slices! I’ve never seen snake meat slices before, after all.
“And those rose scales all over you, too. If I pluck them off and arrange them into a rose, I’m sure it’ll be highly effective in wooing girls, right?”
“Hiss, hiss!”
His words made the Uni-Horned Rose Python shake like a leaf, and fear filled its eyes. It said, “S-sir, p-please don’t kill me! I’m just an inexperienced, naive little python that’s innocent and ignorant. I taste awful, really!”
“Eh? You even know how to beg for mercy?” Meng Lei was greatly surprised. “It makes things easier if you know how to beg for mercy. Let me ask you something. If your answer satisfies me, I’ll consider letting you off.”
“Ask away, sir! I’ll definitely tell you everything I know!” The Uni-Horned Rose Python nodded incessantly as it trembled in its boots.
Meng Lei tossed out the first question. He asked, “Are you familiar with this continent?”
“Yes! Of course I am!” The Uni-Horned Rose Python nodded hastily as it replied, “I’ve lived on this continent since I was young, so I know every nook and cranny of it!”
Meng Lei’s eyes brightened. Delighted, he asked, “In that case, you know where all the Saint Domain Magical Beasts on this continent are?”
“Yes, sir!”
The Uni-Horned Rose Python didn’t quite understand why he was asking that, but it still replied respectfully, “All the Saint Domain Magical Beasts on this continent are my friends. I know all of their dens.”
“Great! Fantastic!” A gratified Meng Lei nodded. Then, he asked, “One last question—do you want to live or die?”
“Live! I’d like to live, sir!”
The Uni-Horned Rose Python was so scared that it was close to tears.
“Since you want to live, then follow me!” Meng Lei broke into a grin as he said, “Bring me to your Saint Domain Magical Beast friends. Remember, every single one of them!”
“What are you looking for them for, sir?” asked the Uni-Horned Rose Python as it blinked.
“Is that something you should be asking?” Meng Lei glared at it. “Can’t I look for them to talk about life?”
“Yes, yes!”
“What are we waiting for? Let’s go!”
Then, with a flash, Meng Lei landed on top of the Uni-Horned Rose Python’s head.
“Yes, sir!”