Chapter 77

Meanwhile.

In the depths of the Shiyantown Du Family’s compound.

In a pitch-black room.

Two people stood facing each other.

One of them was an old man in his seventies, wearing a white robe, with eagle-like eyebrows. His aura was oppressive, indicating he was at least in the late stage of the Fifth Circulation of Qi, possibly even at the peak.

The other was a middle-aged man in blue, carrying a large black saber on his back.

Although his aura was slightly weaker, it wasn’t by much. He was also at the Fifth Circulation of Qi, possibly even in the middle stage.

The old man with the eagle-like eyebrows had a blank expression and slowly asked, "Do you have news?"

The middle-aged man in blue respectfully replied, "Ancestor, we do. According to reports, that boy has entered the depths of the Ancient Python Mountains and hasn’t come out for over a month."

"Very good."

The old man with the eagle-like eyebrows gave a cold smile, extended his hand, and a long, black jade bottle appeared in his palm, emitting a strange, icy cold aura.

He pushed the bottle forward, "Keep it well. This is the Heavenly King Poison. It can make that boy’s Qi cultivation regress by at least three levels. Although it won’t be obvious, I guarantee he won’t return from the Supreme Autumn Wind Pavilion trial in a few months."

The middle-aged man in blue took the bottle, hesitating, "But Ancestor, didn’t you have an agreement with the Wu Academy’s president?"

"An agreement?"

The old man with the eagle-like eyebrows sneered, "Tian’ao, although you are the Grand Elder of our Du Family, your vision is too narrow."

The middle-aged man in blue dared not show any dissatisfaction, standing respectfully with his hands hanging down, "Please instruct, Ancestor!"

The old man with the eagle-like eyebrows said coldly, "I have an agreement with him, but that doesn’t mean the Du Family has an agreement with him. I can’t act, but that doesn’t mean you can’t."

"Moreover..."

At this point, he gave a cold laugh, his lips curling slightly.

"I didn’t ask you to directly kill him. If you did, it would indeed be hard to explain to Old Sikuong. I just want you to poison him, ensuring he fails the Supreme Autumn Wind Pavilion trial."

"As long as he fails the trial, he will have no value to the Qiudao Wu Academy. At that time, when I kill him, Old Sikuong won’t have anything to say, because I won’t have broken the agreement."

The middle-aged man in blue understood immediately, overjoyed, and said with admiration, "Ancestor is wise. Tian’ao will take care of it."

With that, he bowed, put away the bottle, and left the room, quickly heading towards the Ancient Python Mountains.

In the blink of an eye, he was gone.

Seeing his back, the old man with the eagle-like eyebrows gave a sinister smile, feeling confident, "Old Sikuong, this doesn’t count as breaking the agreement. I did say I wouldn’t kill him before the Supreme Autumn Wind Pavilion trial in August, but I didn’t say I couldn’t set a trap for him before then!"

With that, the old man let out a harsh, eerie laugh that echoed through the room, adding a sinister atmosphere to the place.

...

Ancient Python Mountains.

Inside a beast cave.

Tanggu put away the crimson ancient wood, barely containing his joy at breaking through to the Fifth Circulation of Qi. He flashed out of the cave.

He didn’t look back but ran deeper into the mountains to test his current strength and find a demon soul needed for breaking through to the Fourth Circulation of Soul.

A day later.

At the base of a pen-shaped mountain peak, Tanggu suddenly stopped under an ancient tree and then moved to the back of the tree.

Under the black, decaying leaves, there were specks of crimson, with a faint, crystalline light shimmering.

Tanggu reached down and dug. After a moment, he pulled out a two-inch-long plant with crimson sides and a translucent white center, with a silver-like fluid flowing through it, glowing with a red aura.

Tanggu felt a slight joy.

"A peak Second Rank Postnatal medicinal herb, the Mystic Heart Crimson Jade Root. This is an excellent medicinal herb for refining the body. If I can find a few more top-grade body-refining herbs to complement it, I can complete the first level of the Heavenly Dragon Elephant Technique in no time."

He looked around but found no other medicinal herbs. Tanggu sighed regretfully, didn’t linger, and moved again, transforming into a pale white light, heading deeper into the Ancient Python Mountains.

Three days later.

In a strange, concave valley deep in the Ancient Python Mountains.

Tanggu was fighting a Fourth Circulation initial stage demon beast, the Green-Haired Hound. He moved swiftly, his figure ghostly and fast, far more powerful than before.

The Green-Haired Hound, which would have given him a headache in the past, was now struggling to breathe under his attacks, clearly no match for him.

After a moment, Tanggu saw an opportunity, feinted with his right palm, and a green light shot out from his sleeve, blindingly bright.

With a "thud," the green light pierced the Green-Haired Hound’s hard abdomen, and blood flowed out.

The Green-Haired Hound let out two不甘的嚎叫, smashing a few old trees, and finally died.

A small, furry demon soul floated out of its body, much cuter and prettier than its adult form.

However, Tanggu hesitated for a moment but didn’t absorb the demon soul, letting it slowly dissipate into the air, eventually turning back into pale white elemental energy and vanishing into the void.

With his current strength, he had no interest in ordinary Fourth Circulation demon souls. He wanted to find rare Fourth Circulation peak demon souls like the Illusory Flame Copper Eagle, Silver Soul Demon Sparrow, and Five-Flame Python.

Only those demon souls could make his soul technique more powerful in the future. Of course, such demon beasts weren’t easy to find, as the word "rare" implies.

A faint golden light flashed in his palm, and a small knife appeared. Tanggu quickly cut into the Green-Haired Hound’s body, extracting a blackish-brown, swollen gallbladder, which he put into his backpack and quickly left.

Half a month passed.

Tanggu still hadn’t found the rare Fourth Circulation demon beast he was looking for, but he had killed many ordinary demon beasts and obtained a lot of valuable materials. He believed that when he returned to Shiyantown, he could sell them for a good price, improving his financial situation.

During this time, Tanggu found a few more body-refining medicinal herbs, though none as high-grade as the Mystic Heart Crimson Jade Root, which disappointed him.

However, after consuming these body-refining medicinal herbs, Tanggu’s physical strength continued to grow slowly: 12,500 pounds, 12,600 pounds, 12,700 pounds... 13,000 pounds...

Except for the Mystic Heart Crimson Jade Root, which he kept, he consumed all the others. His physical strength reached around 13,500 pounds, getting closer to the 20,000-pound mark.

He believed he was not far from being able to lift the purple bow.

Having been out for over two months, Tanggu began to feel anxious. He decided that if he didn’t find the rare demon soul he wanted within five days, he would leave and look for another opportunity later.

Four days passed quickly.

It was now the last day.

Tanggu was completely lost in the Ancient Python Mountains, only knowing that the demon beasts around him were getting stronger, all at least Fourth Circulation or higher. He had seen many Fifth Circulation demon beasts, which he had to avoid even with his current strength.

Fortunately, he was cautious, carefully avoiding strong enemies and killing weaker ones. Despite several intense battles, he managed to stay safe.

As dusk approached, Tanggu was about to turn back when he heard a slight, out-of-place sound.

It was the sound of a sword slicing through the air and the low growl of a demon beast.

Why would there be sword sounds here?

Tanggu’s heart raced, and he quickly turned, running towards the source of the sound. Soon, he reached the top of a red-yellow canyon and looked inside.

A familiar, slender figure in white was engaged in a fierce battle with a powerful eight-legged red spider king. In her hand, a sword moved up and down, emitting a faint silver glow.

Tanggu took a quick glance and almost cried out in surprise.

"A Sixth Circulation demon beast, the Silver-Blade Blood Spider?"

"Who is she? Her back looks so familiar. How can she have such powerful strength?"

"To be able to fight a Sixth Circulation demon beast and not be at a disadvantage, this is the strength of someone at least Sixth Circulation of Qi!"

"In the entire Shiyantown area, there is only one person who is so young, a woman, and has around Sixth Circulation of Qi strength."

"That is Ning Qingjun, the mysterious and never-seen inner court first person of the Qiudao Wu Academy!"

"She has actually broken through, really advancing to the Sixth Circulation!"

At this moment, Tanggu felt a mix of envy and admiration, unable to express his feelings. This level of strength was comparable to that of the top elders, and she had achieved it at such a young age.

PS: Second update. Desperately need votes and subscriptions. The lack of votes and subscriptions is making my heart cold. Please support if you can.

Tears streaming, I’m going to sleep. Happy New Year, everyone! I’ll continue writing tomorrow. (To be continued. Search for Piaotian Literature for better and faster updates!)

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