Chapter 55

Thank you to Bai Ze and Bai Fen for their generous support as Gold Alliance members, and to the new Alliance member Bian Huang Zui Ke, as well as Feng Junzi, Huabao, and Baboon, Niuniu, Fei Xu, Wei Lan, Da Shua, and all the other brothers who have long supported Gengsu with their generous patronage. There are only four days left this month, let's charge together for the top spot on the monthly ticket chart! I will update four times today, and the chapters I owe, brothers, please remember, I will pay them back gradually next month!

The Yulong Mountain villagers had several uprisings, the first two being led by the villagers inside Yulong Mountain, but they were all suppressed by local military forces, with thousands of villagers either killed or captured.

Now, a new Yulong Camp has been established, and a large number of prisoners have been sent to Huanglong Abyss to serve as laborers, many of whom were the captured Yulong Mountain villagers.

Zhou Jun and Zhou Jingyuan questioned many of these prisoners, identifying several possible locations where spiritual springs might be hidden, and they had already conducted preliminary investigations at these sites.

Some of these locations were hundreds of miles away from Huanglong Abyss; some were on the southern slopes of Yulong Mountain, outside the defensive perimeter of Yulong Camp; some were extremely rugged and difficult to access. Finally, they discovered a valley about seventy miles from Huanglong Abyss that might contain a spiritual spring.

"Villagers have long rumored that a giant python haunts that area, devouring those who enter the mountains to gather firewood or hunt. We went to check, and found a dry stone pond deep in the valley, with scattered remains of humans and animals. The lush vegetation nearby and the occasional sightings of low-level spiritual herbs and vines like black sheath grass and ironheart vine suggest that a spiritual spring is hidden deep in the valley, but it has dried up due to the recent drought," Zhou Jun explained the situation he and Zhou Jingyuan had investigated.

"The valley is densely forested, with deep caves emitting a pungent odor. Jingyuan and I didn't dare enter. According to local legends, this demonic python has been active in the area for one or two hundred years, devouring people and animals. It must have some cultivation, and we couldn't defeat it alone, so we didn't conduct further investigations..."

The western regions of the river are densely populated, and demonic beasts are rarely seen, except in remote, deep forests. Since Zhou Jun and Zhou Jingyuan smelled the pungent odor in the valley, it indicates that the demonic python is still hiding in the cave. However, the python did not attack them, not because it was weak, but likely because it has gained wisdom and knows that Yulong Mountain is no longer a place where a few demonic beasts can dominate. Even if it could kill Zhou Jun and Zhou Jingyuan, it would only attract more powerful experts to slay it.

From the villagers' descriptions, Chen Hai knew that the demonic python had a black-scaled body, was nearly twenty meters long, and as thick as a water bucket. It was likely a demonic beast that had opened its spiritual sea. Zhou Jun and Zhou Jingyuan were right to be cautious.

However, if Chen Hai wanted to monopolize the spiritual valley, he couldn't seek help from the Dao Academy or Li Xianghai. Otherwise, such a valuable spiritual valley near Huanglong Abyss would be coveted by the Li and Chai families.

Chen Hai kept Zhou Jun and Zhou Jingyuan in the village for a night, made some necessary preparations, and the next morning, after taking leave from the chief officer and Li Hu, he left Zhao Shan in the village to continue training the troops. Chen Hai, along with Shen Kun, Zhou Jun, Zhou Jingyuan, and a group of elite soldiers, set out on a dangerous mountain path toward the valley where the spiritual spring was hidden.

Wu Meng didn't ask what they were going to do, but he carried his Spirit Pattern Sword and rode a blue-scaled horse, accompanying them into the deep forest east of Huanglong Abyss.

***

There were several treacherous areas, and ordinary mounts couldn't pass through, so they left a few people to watch the horses and proceeded on foot. By mid-afternoon, they finally reached the destination, a valley shrouded in mist where snow couldn't even enter, with a dense forest covering hundreds of acres.

The prolonged drought had withered most of the forests in Yulong Mountain, and many had been burned in wildfires. Seeing this dense forest of towering trees, Chen Hai couldn't believe there wasn't a hidden spiritual spring deep in the valley.

"This deep valley harbors a demonic python with some cultivation. We are here to slay the demon and improve our brothers' diet..." Chen Hai explained their purpose to Wu Meng, but he didn't mention their plan to occupy the area and rebuild the Medicine Garden.

"I am responsible for your safety as ordered by the family head. I won't interfere with other matters," Wu Meng said coldly.

Chen Hai chuckled. They had entered the mountains to hunt several times since they occupied Nantianmen Village, and Wu Meng had always stood by, never participating.

The prolonged drought and civil unrest had depleted the region's resources. The Grand Protector's Mansion had to provide disaster relief and form a new army, consuming vast amounts of supplies. The provisions for the three hundred soldiers and over a thousand laborers in Nantianmen Village were only basic rations.

While they still received some pay, in the deep forest, money could only be used to purchase necessary cultivation resources from the Dao Academy. Chen Hai and his men relied on elixirs for cultivation, but ordinary soldiers needed large amounts of meat to improve their physical strength and endurance.

Over the past few months, they had hunted almost all the wild boars, deer, tigers, and leopards within a hundred miles, and even captured some young animals to raise in the village for meat.

During this process, they encountered some fierce beasts, but the ordinary wild beasts in Yulong Mountain were no match for Chen Hai and his men.

Ordinary beasts posed no threat to Chen Hai's safety, and Wu Meng had always stood by, never participating. However, this time, he noticed that Chen Hai and his men were preparing more thoroughly.

Before approaching the snake's lair, they buried sharp iron stakes made of cold-patterned iron in the mud. Thirty elite soldiers were divided into four teams, hiding in the dense forest on both sides of the snake's cave, each holding a large net woven from iron vine.

During this time, Chen Hai had created many strange devices in Nantianmen Village: sharp iron stakes made of precious cold-patterned iron, large nets woven from iron vine and red marrow copper wire, grappling hooks and iron picks for climbing, and giant crossbows with multiple layers of bows and a winch for drawing the string.

Even the common tripwires were made by wrapping iron vine around red marrow copper wire...

Seeing Chen Hai and Zhou Jun bind the tripwires intricately in the forest, Wu Meng was curious about the strength of the demonic python they were hunting. However, from his perspective, where cultivation was paramount, Chen Hai's ingenious devices seemed futile.

Zhou Jingyuan, being slightly weaker, had already hidden in the forest with the ordinary soldiers, but Ge Tong and Shen Kun had cultivated four spirit meridians and were working on their fifth main qi meridian. Zhou Jun, a disciple of the Dao Army, had cultivated six spirit meridians and was as strong as an ordinary inner disciple. Wu Meng knew that Chen Hai, Zhou Jun, and the others would be the main force in luring and killing the demonic python.

Chen Hai, with the Golden Edge Spirit Ring and Azure Cloud Spirit Armor given by the family head Chen Lie, was no weaker than Zhou Jun.

With these few people and over thirty elite soldiers, they were being so cautious. The demonic python deep in the valley must have the strength of a mid-stage Spirit Sea cultivator.

Wu Meng thought that if the python had some cultivation and wisdom, it would likely hide deep in the cave to avoid being hunted by human experts. How would Chen Hai and his men deal with it? He decided to watch the show and wouldn't offer any help.

The mystery didn't last long. Wu Meng saw Chen Hai and his men fully prepared, and the soldiers practiced their formations twice in the valley. Chen Hai then carried a leather bag and sneaked to the deepest part of the valley, where the snake's lair was.

When Chen Hai opened the leather bag, Wu Meng smelled a strong scent of realgar. He watched as Chen Hai threw the entire bag of realgar powder into the sloping stone cave and then tossed a Fire Spirit Talisman inside.

The stone cave, as tall as a person, was immediately engulfed in flames. Wu Meng's sharp eyes saw the realgar powder being pushed by the flames into the depths of the cave...

"Roar!"

A deep, rumbling roar came from the depths of the cave, causing the air to vibrate.

Wu Meng, standing behind Chen Hai, felt the shockwave from the python's roar hit his eardrums, causing a sharp pain. He was startled, realizing this was no ordinary demonic python. A normal person standing at the cave entrance would either be killed instantly or lose their fighting ability; the cave entrance was almost collapsing.

Though he claimed to stand by, Wu Meng thought he needed to protect Chen Hai's safety. With a powerful demonic python about to emerge, he drew his Spirit Pattern Sword and reached out to grab Chen Hai's armor collar, intending to drag him to safety.

But Chen Hai, who had planned for a long time, wouldn't let Wu Meng interfere. He stepped back, avoiding Wu Meng's lightning-fast hand, and coldly shouted, "If you won't help me kill the snake, then stand back and watch!"

Wu Meng was surprised that Chen Hai could avoid him. He was a proud man, and though he was unwilling to protect Chen Hai, he wouldn't tolerate such a tone.

Wu Meng activated his true essence, and a gust of wind lifted him to the top of a giant tree. He crossed his arms behind his back, holding the Spirit Pattern Sword, and coldly watched to see how Chen Hai would deal with the demonic python.

The ground shook violently, and large rocks rolled down the hill above the cave entrance, smashing trees and grass.

Chen Hai held his twin halberds in front of him and quickly retreated, ignoring Wu Meng. With Wu Meng's mid-stage Spirit Sea cultivation, he could fly short distances, so he wouldn't be slower than Chen Hai.

Before Chen Hai had run ten meters, Wu Meng saw a black, lightning-fast shadow surge out of the cave, moving incredibly fast. The python opened its bloody mouth and lunged at Chen Hai.

Half of the python's tail was still in the cave, but the part that had emerged was nearly twenty meters long. Its blood-red eyes glowed like lanterns in the dim valley, and its fierce mouth revealed two dagger-like fangs. Most terrifying of all was the black horn on its forehead.

This was no ordinary demonic python, but a black-horned viper, a rare and powerful species.

Wu Meng was startled. Though he was angry at Chen Hai's rudeness, he couldn't ignore his safety. Just as he was about to strike the python's head with his Spirit Pattern Sword, he saw Chen Hai leap into the air, narrowly avoiding the python's bite, and thrust his halberd at the python's blood-red eyes.

Wu Meng hadn't released his Spirit Pattern Sword before the python emerged, intending to teach Chen Hai a lesson. He thought the Azure Cloud Spirit Armor would protect Chen Hai from a fatal blow, and he could save him later, preventing Chen Hai from becoming too arrogant. But he was surprised to see Chen Hai dodge so quickly, almost brushing past the python's fangs at the last moment...

How was this possible?

Chen Hai was only at the early stage of the Mystic Realm, yet his agility far exceeded the limits of a Mystic Realm martial artist.