Chapter 68: The Might of the Serpent Eyes
“Hiss—”
This time, Inkband did not dodge. Under Zhou Ming’s command, it sprayed venom directly toward the Lion-Tiger Beast’s eyes.
It was Inkband’s first time using such an ability in the Beast Arena. Shi Lei immediately urged his own beast to exert its power mid-air, showing its ability to hover and evade the serpent’s venom.
Shi Lei didn’t know what species of serpent Inkband was, nor could he distinguish the type of venom it used. If it happened to be a corrosive toxin and entered his beast’s eyes, his beast would be completely ruined.
However, during that half-breath gap created by the dodge, Inkband, under Zhou Ming’s control, did not retreat but advanced instead—darting straight beneath the airborne Lion-Tiger Beast.
“Bang!”
Its tail struck directly at the Lion-Tiger Beast’s reproductive organ.
“Woo… woo…”
The Lion-Tiger Beast seemed to lose all strength instantly, collapsing onto the ground. Its hind legs clamped tightly together as it let out a low, whimpering groan.
Before anyone could react, Inkband, like a flash of black lightning, bit into the Lion-Tiger Beast, injecting a large amount of paralyzing venom into its body.
When the crowd finally came to their senses, Inkband had already returned to Zhou Ming’s side, while the Lion-Tiger Beast could no longer even whimper.
“Xiao Jin!”
Shi Lei of Xin Hui Construction Group rushed to his fallen beast’s side. Seeing the lifeless Lion-Tiger Beast, he turned angrily toward Zhou Ming and shouted,
“What did your beast do?!”
“Ah—!”
Before he could say more, the Lion-Tiger Beast’s vitality completely faded. Its Beast Tamer, Shi Lei, suffered a severe mental backlash, collapsing to his knees while clutching his head in agony.
“Nice! That’s too damn satisfying!”
Seeing the result in the arena, Wang Yan was so excited he nearly jumped to the ceiling.
Zhou Ming turned back and flashed a victorious gesture toward Wang Yan, then shouted toward the other side of the Beast Arena,
“I am Zhou Ming. Today, I intend to win three rounds in a row. I wonder if Xin Hui Construction Group is willing to accept?”
With that, he looked across the arena toward the elevated platform where the Xin Hui Construction Group’s members sat.
At that moment, Hu Peng’s once relaxed face turned completely dark.
When he saw the Ironhand Gang members carrying back Shi Lei and his beast’s corpses, his expression was so gloomy it could drip water.
“Boss, let me take the next match.”
A short man standing behind Hu Peng stepped forward and volunteered.
“Boss, let me do it! I’ll avenge Lei!”
Another man, his eyes fierce and full of rage—clearly close to Shi Lei—shouted.
“Shut up.”
Hu Peng put down his silk scarf and golden-rimmed glasses, then stood up and removed his suit jacket.
“I’ll handle this match myself.”
Having witnessed Zhou Ming’s control over his beast, Hu Peng knew this was no ordinary Beast Tamer.
The aura emanating from Zhou Ming was something only those who had survived the wilderness possessed.
Losing this round had already brought disgrace upon Xin Hui Construction Group.
He needed to reclaim everything in one decisive strike, or he wouldn’t be able to answer to his superiors.
“To think Wang Tiezhu actually found such a talented young man… You don’t need to win three rounds. Defeat me, and today’s arena match will be yours.”
Hu Peng slowly stepped into the arena and said calmly to Zhou Ming.
“A manager of a major group stepping in personally? Aren’t you afraid of damaging your reputation?”
“Haha, this is a special courtesy reserved for a genius.”
Hu Peng, born and raised in the wilderness, didn’t care in the slightest about appearances or status.
He immediately summoned his own beast—a five-meter-long golden cobra, thick as a man’s thigh.
“Golden Cobra!”
The moment Hu Peng summoned it, Wang Yan, standing on the platform, cried out in shock.
The Golden Cobra, like the Viperhorn Venom Python, was originally a native species of Blue Star.
After the appearance of the Dimensional Rifts, they mutated into Ferocious Beasts.
Though only a small portion of the species successfully evolved, each Golden Cobra was among the strongest of low-tier Ferocious Beasts.
Its terrifying neurotoxin combined with lightning-like speed made the Golden Cobra and the Viperhorn Venom Python the twin stars of Blue Star’s low-tier serpent-type Ferocious Beasts.
If the ranking of low-tier Ferocious Beast overlords extended from ten to twenty, the Golden Cobra would surely be on the list.
“Zhou Ming, come back!”
This was not an opponent Zhou Ming’s beast could handle.
Wang Yan immediately shouted for him to retreat.
In response, Zhou Ming simply waved a hand, signaling him to relax.
“A serpent-type Ferocious Beast? Seems my luck’s with me today.”
As he spoke, he removed his colored contact lenses.
A pair of dark-golden eyes resembling serpent pupils was revealed, giving his entire aura a sinister, bewitching quality.
After taming over five hundred Ironthread Snakes, Zhou Ming’s eyes had gradually transformed to resemble those of a serpent, forcing him to wear lenses to conceal them.
“The match begins.”
As the witness, Lin Feibao saw that Hu Peng had summoned his beast and immediately announced the start of the arena battle.
“What kind of ability is that? A secret art?”
Sensing the panic coming from his own beast, Hu Peng’s expression darkened as he stared into Zhou Ming’s eyes.
Due to the distance, only he could see those eerie dark-golden serpent pupils.
“That’s not something you need to know.”
Zhou Ming shook his head slightly, not answering Hu Peng’s question.
However, he already had some speculation about why the Serpent Eyes had appeared.
Beast Tamers received feedback from their Ferocious Beasts, but such effects were not immediate—it took time for them to strengthen the Tamer’s physique.
Because of his Spiritual Seed, Zhou Ming had tamed an enormous number of Ironthread Snakes.
Combined with the influence of the Serpent Saliva Fruit, the feedback most strengthened not his toxin resistance, flexibility, or agility—but rather his serpent-like eyes.
He had removed his contact lenses because he discovered his eyes could exert a spiritual pressure that intimidated serpent-type beasts.
When combined with his Spiritual Power, the effect reached an entirely new level.
“Trying to act mysterious?”
Hu Peng was no stranger to battle and knew that raw strength was what mattered most. He immediately commanded his beast to strike.
The Golden Cobra lived up to its reputation for lightning speed.
Its fangs, each as long as a finger, glinted as it lunged straight at Zhou Ming’s face, clearly intending to bite him directly.
Yet Zhou Ming did not dodge. He knew it would be pointless.
Instead, he activated the Spiritual Seed and the serpent cluster within his Spiritual Sea, spinning them like a glowing nebula, radiating brilliant light.
In the physical world, the Golden Cobra—just as it reached him—suddenly froze.
A terrifying pressure emanated from Zhou Ming’s eyes, an overwhelming dominance akin to the will of a Serpent God, rendering the cobra completely motionless.
That brief instant of paralysis was all Inkband needed.
It leapt from Zhou Ming’s shoulder, its tail like a mighty axe cleaving the air, striking the Golden Cobra squarely on the head.
The serpent’s open jaws snapped shut instantly, its raised upper body slamming onto the alloy-plated floor.
“Bang!”
Its skull cracked.
Before the Golden Cobra could recover from the paralysis, Inkband injected most of its paralyzing venom directly into the creature’s body.
As Inkband returned to Zhou Ming’s shoulder, Zhou Ming quickly retreated a few steps, distancing himself from the dying Golden Cobra—cautious of a final, desperate strike.
After all, the Golden Cobra’s resistance to poison was formidable.
Even severely wounded, it could not be underestimated.