Chapter 75

After collecting the demon soul, Tang Gu's eyes flickered and he focused on the demon python's head, which was several dozen feet away.

With a flick of his finger, a pale golden dagger appeared in his palm. Tang Gu leaped forward and soon reached the demon python's head.

He bent down and began digging quickly at the python's head. His fingers moved deftly, slicing through the flesh silently and skillfully.

In no time, he extracted five jade-red, shimmering horns and a pair of thumb-sized, crystal-clear, purple snake eyes, which he carefully cleaned of blood and placed into a pair of jade boxes.

Tang Gu let out a sigh of relief.

These "Flame Python Red Horns" grow only one every thirty years. The five horns on this demon python's head indicated that it was at least 150 years old, yet it ultimately met its tragic end at Tang Gu's hands.

The "Spiritual Purple Eyes" were worth at least 3,000 stone coins each, and a pair would fetch a minimum of 7,000 coins. Together with the five "Flame Python Red Horns," this was a considerable fortune.

The python's body also contained two other valuable items, though not as valuable as the red horns and snake eyes, they were still worth a lot, and Tang Gu did not overlook them.

Finally, from the python's body, Tang Gu extracted a dark green python tendon, as thick as a finger and about seven or eight feet long. With a casual wave, the tendon transformed into a dark green light and struck the ground, leaving a several-inch-deep groove.

The stones it struck were reduced to powder, showing its incredible hardness and elasticity. Tang Gu was delighted.

This python tendon was quite valuable, suitable for use as a special rope or as a bowstring for a precious bow. Tang Gu stored it in his backpack.

The other item was the python's skin, which, though colorful and unattractive, was extremely tough and durable. If sewn into clothing, it could withstand significant attacks, making it a valuable treasure.

Ancient pythons were truly a treasure trove, just as the ancients had said.

Tang Gu smiled slightly, stood up, and looked toward the triangular cave entrance.

With the demon python dead, the next step was to find the object he was looking for. Although this Five-Flame Python alone was already quite valuable, from the perspective of the silver snow weasel, a mere Five-Flame Python was not considered a treasure and would be avoided at all costs.

There must be something else here.

With a flash of thought, Tang Gu no longer hesitated. He leaped forward, holding the silver snow weasel, and arrived at the triangular stone cave entrance.

The silver snow weasel became extremely excited upon reaching this spot, making low sounds and nudging Tang Gu's elbow, its small head constantly peering into the cave, seemingly more eager than Tang Gu himself.

Worried about potential dangers, Tang Gu held it firmly and covered his palm with a layer of primordial energy, ready to wield the Dark Cloud Iron Sword, cautiously peering into the cave.

Although the demon python was dead, it did not mean there were no other dangers. Tang Gu preferred to be cautious.

However, even after he fully lowered his head, he saw no signs of danger. He relaxed, his eyes gleaming, and the dark, dim cave was fully revealed before him.

Tang Gu was momentarily stunned.

The cave was empty and smooth, seemingly unable to hide anything, and there were no treasures in sight.

But at this moment, the silver snow weasel's calls became even more excited and urgent. Tang Gu's heart stirred, and he let it go. It immediately darted into the cave, disappearing in a flash.

After a while, faint calls from the depths of the cave could be heard.

Tang Gu's eyes gleamed, and he extended his left hand, controlling the Dark Cloud Iron Sword to dig fiercely. Dust flew, and after a moment, the dust settled, and the cave entrance had widened to the size of a person.

Tang Gu stood up and entered.

The cave sloped downward, and unlike ordinary caves, it became larger the deeper he went. Finally, Tang Gu arrived at a strange lava cave.

A foul, snake-like smell filled the air, clearly indicating that the strange python usually resided here.

The silver snow weasel was calling urgently from a corner of the lava cave, waiting for his arrival. Upon seeing him, it immediately began pushing its head into the ground.

When Tang Gu arrived, he was startled.

The cave was covered with snake eggs, each as large as a millstone, glowing green with purple patterns.

The most peculiar thing, however, was a palm-sized ancient tree buried in the black-brown soil among the snake eggs.

This ancient tree was entirely red, shining like red jade, seemingly cut from some ancient exotic wood. It was only about four inches tall but was surrounded by a mist of purple vapor, emitting a faint, unusual fragrance.

This fragrance masked the stench of the snake eggs, indicating its extraordinary nature.

At the center of the tree, there were seven thumb-sized, uniquely shaped holes, resembling human orifices, continuously exhaling.

Strands of purple mist floated out, and with just one breath, Tang Gu's primordial energy began to boil, subtly growing stronger, equivalent to several days of cultivation.

The originally white primordial energy now faintly carried a hint of purple.

"What is this?"

Tang Gu was instantly startled. Even without the silver weasel's guidance, he knew this ancient tree was no ordinary object.

With a wave of his hand, the ancient tree flew out of the soil, shaking off the dirt, and transformed into a red glow, landing in Tang Gu's hand.

With the dirt gone, the ancient tree's shape appeared even more mysterious, resembling not wood but jade, with red light and purple mist intertwining, and the seven holes trembling slightly, emitting a life-like aura.

Tang Gu's mind raced as he thought about all the spiritual objects he knew, but he found no information about this seven-holed ancient tree.

At that moment, the strange snake eggs on the ground began to emit faint "puff, puff" sounds. Then, Tang Gu was surprised to see all the snake eggs lose their green glow, becoming dull, shrinking, and breaking open, releasing a pale blue liquid, and dying instantly.

The entire cave was left without a single snake egg.

"This..."

Tang Gu's hand trembled, almost dropping the ancient tree, but he managed to suppress his shock, carefully placing it in a wooden box and putting it in his pocket.

He glanced around the lava cave, which, apart from the strange tree, seemed to contain nothing else. The snake eggs, though not ordinary, were likely left by the "Five-Flame Python." If he could have extracted them all, they would have fetched a high price.

But now that they were all dead, they were worthless.

Tang Gu did not want to stay any longer and was eager to return to the town to investigate the origin of the strange ancient tree. He picked up the silver snow weasel, leaped out of the cave, and soon returned to his small thatched hut on the Moon Blade Peak.

Leaving the silver snow weasel behind, he hugged the ancient tree and hurried back to Stone Rock Town. He then went to the True Treasure Pavilion, spent a few stone coins to buy a "Compendium of Rare Treasures," and returned to the top of Moon Blade Peak.

He then set aside all thoughts and began to carefully examine the compendium, searching for any information about the exquisite ancient tree.

Finally, after a full hour, Tang Gu's eyes fell on the last few pages of the "Compendium of Rare Treasures," where there was a black wooden carving that closely resembled the ancient tree in his possession, though slightly different.

Next to it, nine black characters stood out prominently.

"Rare Treasure of the World, Seven-Orifice Lustrous Wood!"

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PS: Second update. Also, announcement for going VIP: I received a notice from the editor that after midnight, the book will officially go VIP and enter the VIP sales phase. At that time, the first VIP chapter will be updated.

For over forty days, the book has been in the public domain, and I had hoped to delay the VIP transition a bit longer, but unfortunately, it coincides with the New Year's Day double-vote period... so I have no choice but to compete.

The importance of the new book vote rankings doesn't need to be emphasized. Next month, there will be many powerful authors, and I have no confidence in the book's performance. In the past month, writing has felt like writing in a vacuum, with no feedback from readers or the pressure of recommendation votes, so I've lacked motivation. But now it's finally going VIP...

Out of four books, I've never seriously competed for the new book vote, so this time, I can't afford not to! Starting tomorrow, I will strive to update more frequently, and there will be additional updates due to various reasons, pushing myself to the limit.

From the beginning, I've had no backlog, writing and posting as I go, and my speed is as slow as a snail, but no matter what, as long as there are votes, I will compete!

So, I hope everyone can, in the last few hours, check if your Qidian V account has generated next month's votes, and after midnight, support the additional updates!

1. Monthly Vote Bonus: During the double-vote period, for every 100 votes, I will add one chapter, which is equivalent to 50 votes normally.

2. Donation Bonus: For the first month, a Master will add one chapter, and a Grandmaster will add two chapters.

3. First Subscription Bonus: The most important metric for a book is undoubtedly the subscription. Starting from 1,000 subscriptions, for every additional 500, I will add one chapter!

(First subscription: The total number of subscriptions for the first VIP chapter within 24 hours of the book going VIP. I hope everyone will support the first VIP chapter, as it is crucial. It costs only a few cents, but it is very important.)

All bonuses will be cumulative. If I exceed my daily writing limit, I will make up for it the next day, but I will not reduce the number of updates!

Regardless of whether there are these bonuses or not, starting tomorrow, I will strive to update at least two chapters daily. If I fail to update on time due to special reasons, I will make up for it, and I will repay all the chapters I owe in January, though it will take more than one day to complete.

So, let's burn with passion in January, New Year's Day! Also, I wish everyone a happy New Year, and I look forward to the arrival of midnight!

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