Chapter 3119: Encountering the Jade Serpent Again

“No, that's not it. I'm looking for a seventh-tier Azure Nether Python. My spirit beast hasn't returned from its outing, and I was hoping you could help me. This is a scale it shed.”

Wang Changsheng produced a blood-stained scale. He had found it at the site where the Azure Nether Python battled the Fiery Falcon.

“A seventh-tier Azure Nether Python? Having its scale simplifies things,” Gongsun Yang readily agreed. He then looked at Wang Changsheng meaningfully and remarked, “It's been many years, Fellow Daoist Wang. You've advanced to the mid-stage Integration Realm, and your divine abilities are even stronger than before. To think a mid-stage Integration ancient giant was injured by you! I used many divine arts and struggled to even graze him, and he even destroyed two of my mid-grade Sky-reaching Spirit Treasures.”

Destroying a seventh-tier demonic beast yields useful resources: its hide can be used for artifact forging and talisman crafting, and its demon core for alchemy. However, killing an ancient giant means its corpse can, at best, be refined into a puppet beast, a process of extremely high difficulty. Moreover, ancient giants possess formidable physical bodies that are incredibly hard to slay. Generally, cultivators are unwilling to fight them to the death unless there are significant benefits.

“You are no less formidable, Fellow Daoist Gongsun, venturing alone into the Barbarian Lands to hunt demonic beasts,” Wang Changsheng replied with a smile.

The ancient giant's petrification ability was indeed very tricky. While Wang Changsheng was confident he could slay the mid-stage Integration ancient giant by fully revealing his trump cards, his certainty would have been even greater had Wang Ruyan been present. However, exposing all his hidden strengths just to eliminate one ancient giant was entirely unnecessary. He was fortunate it wasn't a late-stage Integration ancient giant, or escaping wouldn't have been nearly so easy.

“Let's put that aside for now. We should go find the Azure Nether Python!” Gongsun Yang said, not dwelling on the topic. He gently waved his right hand, and a white light shot out, revealing a slender young woman in a white dress before Wang Changsheng. She was the human manifestation of a sixth-tier Spirit-Seeking Marten, renowned for her keen sense of smell and expertise in locating heavenly materials and earthly treasures. While many spirit beasts and insects in the cultivation world possess acute senses of smell, it's merely a matter of their varying degrees of capability.

Gongsun Yang handed the scale to the young woman in white and instructed, “Yuer, commit this scent to memory and try to locate the scale's owner.”

“Yes, Master,” she replied, taking the scale and sniffing it a few times.

“Fellow Daoist Wang, it would be best if you could lead us to the exact location where this scale was found; that would make the search considerably easier,” Gongsun Yang suggested.

“No problem. I'll take you there, and I hope we succeed in finding it,” Wang Changsheng affirmed. He chanted a magic incantation, and the Azure Phoenix Boat ascended swiftly, carrying them high into the sky before vanishing into the horizon.

Within a dense red forest, a colossal burst of azure lightning shot skyward, causing the ground to tremble slightly. A powerful air current swept countless trees away. Deep inside the forest, in an open clearing, numerous trees lay snapped in half. Two massive azure lions lay sprawled on the ground. One had a gaping bloodied hole in its head, while the other had been cleanly sliced in two by a sharp weapon, utterly devoid of life.

“We finally eliminated them. The destructive power of lightning arts is immense,” a tall, slender young man in a green robe sighed in relief. The young man, with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, possessed an aura slightly stronger than Bo Zhu's. This was Xiao Feng, whose true form was an Azure Wind Owl, a mid-stage Integration Realm cultivator and Bo Zhu's Dao companion.

“This time, we owe much to Brother Yi Yang's assistance; otherwise, just the four of us wouldn't have been able to completely annihilate these two Azure Thunder Lions,” Bo Hao said with a smile. They had initially expected to face only one Azure Thunder Lion, only to discover two upon reaching their destination. Fortunately, they had encountered two other Integration Realm clansmen.

To prevent being completely wiped out by the human race, the remnants of the Lizard Clan had organized themselves into multiple small teams. Some consisted of five or six Integration Realm cultivators, while others had only one or two, each overseeing a group of lower-level cultivators. Communication between Integration Realm cultivators was strictly one-on-one. The Lizard Clan members in the Barbarian Lands were not the core of their power; their most vital members resided overseas, where it was significantly safer.

“There's no need for formalities, Fellow Daoist Bo; we're all family,” said Yi Yang, a ruddy-faced old man in a red robe, speaking with solemnity. He was a mid-stage Integration Realm cultivator. “Speaking of which, we need your help to eliminate a seventh-tier, mid-grade Azure Nether Python.”

“A seventh-tier, mid-grade Azure Nether Python? You and your wife can't deal with it yourselves, Brother Yi Yang?” Bo Hao asked, puzzled.

“That Azure Nether Python possesses the bloodline of a Water Qilin and is proficient in water-elemental divine abilities,” explained Gu Xue, a graceful woman in a white dress. She was an early-stage Integration Realm cultivator. “Sister Bo has only recently overcome her grand heavenly tribulation, so our purpose in coming out this time was to seek your assistance. Our team has three Integration Realm cultivators, but one has just completed his third grand heavenly tribulation and cannot effectively assist us in eliminating the seventh-tier Azure Nether Python. Thus, we had to seek help from other Integration Realm clansmen.”

“An Azure Nether Python with Water Qilin bloodline? That's quite rare,” Bo Hao realized.

Yi Yang nodded. “Indeed! She can already speak human tongue. We hope to absorb her into our ranks to strengthen our forces, but subduing her with just the two of us would be difficult. With your help, it would be much easier.”

“No problem, then let's set off!” Bo Hao readily agreed.

Bo Zhu stepped forward and meticulously cut open the bellies of the two Azure Thunder Lions. Her brows furrowed as she searched. “There's no Thunder Absorbing Pearl! How disappointing,” she muttered with a frown.

“That's not unusual,” Bo Hao dismissed. “The presence of a Thunder Absorbing Pearl in a lightning-attribute demonic beast is merely a matter of probability. We can only say our luck isn't good enough. Come on! Let's go deal with the Azure Nether Python.” They collected the corpses of the Azure Thunder Lions, and the six of them departed the area.

Deep within a secluded underground cavern, the air was dark and damp. In the lower-left corner, a vast pool of water, hundreds of zhang wide, caught dripping water. In the lower-right corner, an enormous python lay coiled, its massive body curled into a tight ball, eyes closed, seemingly lost in slumber. Suddenly, the giant python's eyes snapped open, a cold glint appearing within them.

“Who is sneaking around outside?” the giant python spoke, its voice clear and pleasant. No sooner had it spoken than the underground cavern shook violently. Cracks appeared on the ceiling and rapidly spread, causing the cavern to fracture into pieces as a torrent of rubble plummeted from above. The giant python transformed into a streak of blue light and shot out.

Wang Changsheng and Gongsun Yang stood with solemn expressions above a mountaintop.

“It's you! You've actually advanced to the Integration Realm, and you dare to come seeking me out!” the giant python spat, its voice icy. It was indeed the Azure Nether Python. Had Wang Changsheng not stolen its True Spirit Origin, it could have devoured the remaining True Spirit Soul as it slowly faded, accelerating its advancement. It utterly loathed Wang Changsheng and couldn't believe he had the audacity to seek it out.

Wang Changsheng naturally wasted no words. With a raise of his right hand, three small, golden, shimmering mirrors flew out, hovering high in the air. Their spiritual aura was astonishing, revealing them to be mid-grade Sky-reaching Spiritual Treasures—loot from vanquished foreign tribes. Wang Changsheng performed a hand seal, and the three golden mirrors simultaneously erupted with dazzling golden light, each unleashing a thick bolt of golden lightning directly at the Azure Nether Python.

Gongsun Yang, too, conjured a glittering golden banner. With a gentle shake, a vast expanse of golden flames surged forth. After violently swirling, they coalesced into a colossal golden fire crow, which flapped its wings and swooped towards their opponent.