Chapter 16

Just as they approached the corpse of the giant flower python, the Spirit-Devouring Purple Monkey leaped onto the python’s head, swiped with its claws, and tore open a bloody hole, retrieving a small, earth-yellow bead.

Seeing this earth-yellow bead, Huang Xiaolong’s eyes widened. A demon core?!

Generally, the probability of a mid-level demon beast forming a demon core was only one in ten thousand. Only high-level demon beasts of seventh grade and above had a hundred percent chance of forming a demon cores. This fourth-grade giant flower python actually had one inside its body!

A fourth-grade demon core, if sold on the market, would be worth at least two to three hundred gold coins.

At this moment, the Spirit-Devouring Purple Monkey came to the python’s belly, swiped with its claws again, and dug out two thumb-sized, somewhat nauseating green objects.

Snake gallbladder! Huang Xiaolong’s eyes lit up. The snake gallbladder of a fourth-grade demon beast like the giant flower python was a great tonic. After consuming it, one could not only enhance their battle qi but also strengthen their physical body!

The Spirit-Devouring Purple Monkey dug out the snake gallbladder and handed it to Huang Xiaolong. Then, it chirped and smiled, swallowing the fourth-grade demon core in one gulp.

“Swallowed?!” Huang Xiaolong was surprised.

A demon beast’s demon core condensed the demon beast’s demonic essence, but this demonic essence was not pure. It could only be consumed after being refined with other spiritual medicines into a pill. If a cultivator swallowed it directly, the chaotic demonic essence would cause a violent explosion, leading to death.

However, this little Spirit-Devouring Purple Monkey could actually swallow the demon core directly without any issues!

Huang Xiaolong was speechless. After a while, he turned his head to look at the giant flower python’s several-hundred-pound corpse on the ground. After some thought, he decided not to deal with it and returned to the Huang Family Manor with the Spirit-Devouring Purple Monkey.

After returning to the Huang Family Manor, Huang Xiaolong had the guards buy some wine. He then broke open the snake gallbladder, mixed it with the wine, and drank it.

Initially, it felt icy cold, but soon a warm current began to surge.

Huang Xiaolong quickly circulated the Asura Sutra to refine the medicinal power of the snake gallbladder.

The night passed.

When Huang Xiaolong woke up, his eyes lit up with joy. After this night of cultivation, his battle qi had improved significantly. One snake gallbladder was equivalent to half a month of hard cultivation.

Huang Xiaolong had a feeling that breaking through to the fourth stage was just a matter of days! The barrier to the fourth stage was becoming thinner, and he could break through at any time. He got off the cold jade bed and was about to put it back into the Asura Ring when he heard his sister Huang Min’s voice from outside the small courtyard: “Big Brother, Big Brother!”

Huang Xiaolong was somewhat surprised. It was just dawn, and this little girl had already come to find him. He didn’t know what was going on and walked out of the room.

“Big Brother, Father and Mother want you to go to the main hall,” Huang Min said as she entered.

“Go to the main hall!” Huang Xiaolong was puzzled. The main hall was only used for important family matters.

Leaving the small courtyard, Huang Xiaolong arrived at the main hall and saw his parents already there. Besides his parents, his uncle Huang Ming, Huang Wei, and the family elders were also present.

When Huang Xiaolong entered, everyone in the main hall looked at him with various expressions. Huang Wei looked at Huang Xiaolong with venomous eyes.

“Father, Mother,” Huang Xiaolong greeted Huang Peng and Su Yan, then sat down.

Huang Peng and Su Yan looked at their son, nodding with smiles.

At this moment, Huang Qide and Li Mu entered the hall, with Li Mu’s granddaughter, Li Lu, following beside him. Seeing Li Mu and Li Lu, Huang Xiaolong vaguely guessed what this was about.

Sure enough, after Grandfather Huang Qide sat down, he scanned the hall and said with a smile, “I called everyone here today to announce something. From now on, our Huang Family Manor and the Li Family will become in-laws.”

“Become in-laws.” There was a small commotion in the hall, but it wasn’t very surprising, as this news had already spread.

Huang Wei’s face lit up at this. Then, Huang Qide continued with a smile, “That’s right, it’s the engagement between our Huang Family Manor’s Huang Wei and the Li Family’s Li Lu.”

The elders in the hall all stood up, “Congratulations, Old Manor Lord!”

“No, I disagree!” Suddenly, a voice rang out, startling everyone. They looked over to see that the speaker was Li Lu, who was sitting beside Li Mu.

“Lu-er, you!” Li Mu was about to scold her, but Li Lu interrupted, “No, Grandfather, I don’t like Huang Wei!” She then suddenly turned and pointed at Huang Xiaolong, “I like him. If we’re getting engaged, I want to be engaged to him!”

The hall fell into a dead silence.

Everyone’s expressions became varied.

Huang Ming and Huang Wei, who had been smiling, now had their smiles frozen, their faces turning as ugly as possible. Huang Wei’s face turned purple with anger, and he looked at Huang Xiaolong with a gaze that seemed to want to devour him alive.

Huang Xiaolong was also stunned, looking at the little girl Li Lu who was pointing at him.

“Nonsense!” Li Mu, after a moment of shock, shouted angrily.

Li Lu pouted, her eyes determined, “Grandfather, I’m not being silly. I’m serious. I like him!” She looked at Huang Xiaolong, “He looks very cool when he beats people up!”

Huang Xiaolong and everyone else couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time. Just because Huang Xiaolong looked cool when he beat up Huang Wei at the New Year’s gathering, Li Lu “liked” Huang Xiaolong and refused to marry anyone else?!

Li Mu was also at a loss, but no matter how he scolded her, Li Lu insisted on choosing Huang Xiaolong over Huang Wei.

“Brother Qide, this!” In the end, Li Mu looked at Huang Qide helplessly. Originally, they had already decided on this matter, and now they were just informing everyone. But now!

Huang Qide pondered for a moment and then smiled, “Let’s wait two years and see.”

Li Mu nodded, agreeing that this was the only solution.

Seeing that the matter had been “ruined” by Huang Xiaolong, Huang Wei looked at him with even more venomous eyes. Huang Xiaolong, sitting there, remained indifferent. He was well aware of Huang Wei’s hatred but didn’t take it to heart.

After a while, everyone dispersed.

Huang Xiaolong left the main hall, parted ways with his parents, and returned to his small courtyard to continue his cultivation. He was eagerly looking forward to what soul skill his martial soul would gain after the first transformation upon breaking through to the fourth stage.

Five days passed quickly.

That night, Huang Xiaolong sat on the cold jade bed, circulating the Asura Sutra. The Netherworld Yin Qi surged down from the void, and the dual-headed snake martial soul behind him devoured it voraciously. The Netherworld Battle Qi surged and roared through his meridians, repeatedly impacting the barrier to the fourth stage.

Just like when he broke through to the second and third stages, under Huang Xiaolong’s persistent circulation of battle qi, the barrier to the fourth stage finally cracked, and the crack widened.

Breaking through to the fourth stage!

However, just as Huang Xiaolong broke through to the fourth stage, the dual-headed snake martial soul behind him suddenly emitted a bright light. Blue and black rays shot up into the sky, and a strange howl, not quite a dragon’s roar, echoed. The dual heads of the snake martial soul split apart, transforming into a blue snake and a black snake!

No, to be precise, they were not just blue and black snakes. After splitting, both snakes grew four claws under their bellies, and their scales transformed into scales resembling dragon scales!