An Chen couldn't recognize what kind of Yao Beast it was, but he could distinguish its Rank.
This was a Rank 1 Yao Beast.
Yao Beasts are divided into nine Ranks, from weakest to strongest.
Ranks 1 to 3 roughly correspond to Qi Refinement Stage Fourth, Eighth, and Peak, respectively, and then each major Realm of human Cultivator corresponds to two Ranks of Yao Beasts.
A Rank 9 Great Yao is roughly at the level of the Reversion to Void Peak.
As for the Dao Integration, no Yao Beast has yet reached that point; at least, An Chen hasn't heard of it, nor have his two Senior Brothers.
Of course, these are all just general correspondences; there are also some differences in strength among different Yao Beasts of the same Rank, and it cannot be generalized, but their strength will fluctuate somewhat, though it will not exceed the Realm's Peak.
The Python of unknown species in front of him was slowly crawling out from between the rock crevices, its eyes crimson like blood, which was its most prominent feature.
It was crawling very slowly now, but An Chen felt that this was definitely not its true speed; many wild beasts like to use some methods to confuse their prey, and feigning weakness is one of the most effective.
This is what is called pretend to be a pig to eat the tiger.
This Python might burst out with extreme speed the moment it launches an attack.
So An Chen slowly pulled away.
He had been resting at the foot of the giant rock, which had many crevices, and probably a lot of space inside; this giant Python likely resided within these rock crevices.
An Chen swallowed, took out his short knife from his qiankun bag, held it in a reverse grip, and hunched his body, retreating but still maintaining a forward-leaning posture, as if he could spring out and attack at any moment.
If An Chen were to retreat directly now, this Python would most likely not pursue him; the distance between them was too great, and An Chen's speed was fast enough that this Python certainly couldn't catch him if he wanted to run.
But An Chen didn't plan to run.
As the Python moved forward a bit, he retreated a bit, simultaneously moving sideways, waiting for the Python's entire body to emerge from the rock crevices so he could judge its length.
At the same time, his movement always stayed within the relatively open, sparsely vegetated areas around the giant rock.
If he went into a dense forest with thick bushes, it would be inconvenient for him to move and fight.
This Python also began to move sideways, not moving towards An Chen.
An Chen had heard that Pythons would circle their prey, then coil around them, constricting them tightly, and then swallow them whole.
This Python probably intended to do just that.
The Python's head remained directly facing An Chen, its two blood-red eyes fixed on him, causing a wave of panic in An Chen's heart.
However, An Chen merely took a deep breath, and his heart rate returned to normal, his body temperature even dropping by half a degree.
Pythons do not have good eyesight, but they possess heat-sensing organs; An Chen had read about this in books before.
Therefore, he tried his best to lower his body temperature to confuse the Python's perception.
An Chen didn't know if it worked, but the Python's coiling around him continued.
This Python was using its body to form a circle with An Chen as the center and a radius of about two meters.
Its body length was probably nine to ten meters, enough to completely encircle him.
However, An Chen wouldn't just obediently wait for it to wrap him up like a dumpling.
An Chen darted forward, aiming for the Python's seven-inch position, which is where its heart is; once damaged, the snake is sure to die.
Even if one were to grasp it there with hands, the snake would find it difficult to escape.
Of course, the Python at hand was as thick as a thigh, so it couldn't be grasped with two hands.
Sensing An Chen's movement, the snake no longer moved slowly; its body suddenly extended by a section, as if a compressed spring had sprung out, shooting towards An Chen like an arrow.
It opened its gaping maw, and two sharp fangs plunged towards him like daggers.
An Chen was well-prepared; his footwork changed, and as he lowered his body, he moved sideways, narrowly dodging the Python's attack, then slid two steps along the ground, approaching the snake's "seven-inch" position from the lower side.
An Chen fiercely swung his knife at this position, but felt immense resistance.
He had chopped at the Python's heart-protecting scale.
It is said that heart-protecting scales are unique to Dragons, but in fact, snake-type Yao Beasts more or less carry a tiny bit of Dragon Bloodline, so it is normal for them to have some similar characteristics.
This heart-protecting scale is like human ribs, protecting the internal organs within the chest cavity, especially the most important heart.
This heart-protecting scale similarly protected the Python's heart.
With An Chen's strike, only one heart-protecting scale was shattered; the blade only penetrated about five centimeters beneath the skin before getting stuck due to insufficient kinetic energy, failing to injure the heart.
An Chen quickly withdrew his knife, then dodged and jumped up.
The instant this movement finished, the Python turned its head and bit at the spot where he had just been.
When wild beasts absorb Spiritual Qi and evolve into Yao Beasts, their abilities are enhanced by more than just a little; even though An Chen's speed was already very fast, the Python's reaction was still incredibly quick.
An Chen landed from the air without the slightest hesitation, stepping on the Python's body, then activating Qingyun Step, flying to widen the distance.
By the time the Python regained its senses, there was already a distance of more than ten meters between them.
An Chen didn't stop, continuing to use Qingyun Step, moving rapidly.
The Python thought An Chen was going to run, so it began to chase, but just as it realized An Chen was too fast and was about to give up, An Chen actually turned back.
It let An Chen go, but An Chen didn't let it go!
Seeing An Chen rush back at high speed, the Python suddenly coiled up, adopting a defensive posture, leaving only its head free to move, while the rest of its body coiled up into what was almost a barrel.
But An Chen stopped.
An Chen realized that this Yao Beast wanted to repeat its trick; now, coiling its body was like compressing a spring, just waiting for him to approach before extending its body to quickly close in on him.
Moreover, it had already coiled its body like this, protecting all its vital points; even if he could break through ordinary scales, he wouldn't be able to injure its vital points.
An Chen suddenly had an idea and took out a Talisman from his qiankun bag, holding it in his hand.
It was a Vajra Talisman given by Su Xiaojiu, and its Rank was quite good; it was definitely enough to deal with this Yao Beast.
An Chen was about to light the Talisman, but he hesitated.
This thing was a bit too wasteful to use against a Rank 1 Yao Beast; it should be saved for more useful situations.
So, An Chen silently put away this Talisman, then took out a new Talisman from his qiankun bag.
This Talisman was surprisingly the Rotation Talisman that Jiang Shixiong had given as a bonus.
He just didn't know if this thing would be as effective on Yao Beasts as it was on people...
In any case... trust Senior Brother Jiang!