Flood Dragon Snake

The temperature inside the canyon was noticeably different from outside, a difference of at least ten-plus degrees.

The ground was damp, and besides moss and low shrubs, there were small patches of forest and pools of water of various sizes.

This environment was ideal for Black Scale Pythons to thrive.

After the group entered, they could clearly see many bones along the way—some from beasts, some from humans—piled up into small mounds, adding an extra layer of gloom to the canyon.

After traveling about two li, the Dust Floating Old Man suddenly spoke:

"Careful."

Following his gaze, everyone saw a python about five or six meters long lying by a pool, basking in the sun.

Its entire body was covered in black scales, like ink jade, gleaming brilliantly under the sunlight, comparable to an anaconda.

"It's a growing Black Scale Python."

Everyone's breathing quickened, and their eyes began to burn with eagerness.

At that moment, the Black Scale Python seemed to sense a hint of danger. It lifted its head slightly, stared fixedly at the group, and kept flicking its deep purple forked tongue, letting out a hissing sound.

The Dust Floating Old Man struck instantly, lightning-fast, hurling a chain-hooked blade from his waist that pierced the Black Scale Python's vital spot in one blow.

"Roar~!"

The Black Scale Python let out a low growl, its body thrashing violently, whipping against the ground like a long lash, cracking the stones beneath the moss.

Lu Wangchuan narrowed his eyes slightly. This was only a growing Black Scale Python, yet it had such strength; the blood qi in its flesh must be considerable.

This trip was truly worthwhile.

"Why aren't you moving?"

The Dust Floating Old Man tugged the chain, using his Source Opening Realm power to forcibly drag the python over. The Mandarin Duck Blades couple immediately stepped forward, slashing wildly. Sparks flew from the python's scales, but a growing Black Scale Python's scale hardness was limited; after a few strikes, its defense broke, and its body was severed, killing it.

The Dust Floating Old Man sighed in relief, quickly stepped forward, and used a dagger to cut a piece of Black Scale Python meat, eating it raw with a satisfied expression.

"As expected of a Black Scale Python—one piece of meat is worth the nutrition of several cattle!"

The group stepped forward to share the meat. Lu Wangchuan also took a piece. A spiritual creature like the Black Scale Python wasn't an ordinary snake; there were no parasites in its body.

After eating, Lu Wangchuan was pleasantly surprised.

The Black Scale Python meat was delicious, easy to chew, and swallowing it felt like downing several bowls of Spirit Elixir at once, releasing immense energy inside his body that required internal breathing to fully digest.

He calculated that a palm-sized piece of meat had increased his blood qi by six points. As a Dantian Realm cultivator, digesting one piece took at most half a stick of incense, about fifteen minutes.

And this was only a growing Black Scale Python—what about an adult one?

Although the canyon couldn't be filled with Black Scale Pythons for him to endlessly increase his blood qi, it was still faster than cultivating with his internal technique and Spirit Elixir.

So from then on, Lu Wangchuan put more effort into hunting Black Scale Pythons.

He was the strongest in the team; any Black Scale Python he spotted couldn't escape.

But he didn't hoard them all for himself. After all, the others had brought him here to find them. Lu Wangchuan's principle was: you help me, I help you; you harm me, I will kill you.

Since these people hadn't shown him any malice, he wouldn't be an ungrateful person.

To better find Black Scale Pythons, the Dust Floating Old Man brought out his specially made Blood Qi Powder.

The powder was made from the flesh and blood of other spiritual creatures, rich in blood qi. The bloody scent it released into the air would attract other Black Scale Pythons, saving a lot of searching time.

Thus, time flew by, and a month passed.

During this period, the group caught dozens of Black Scale Pythons, and Lu Wangchuan's blood qi had greatly increased, breaking through three thousand points!

In the past, it would have taken him at least two months to cultivate that much blood qi.

He used this blood qi to add points to the Dao Embryo Breathing Method. Adding a point to the first layer required eight hundred blood qi. He had already added two layers before, spending sixteen hundred points to reach the ninth layer, after which he could no longer add more.

It seemed the Dao Embryo Breathing Method only had nine layers at most, which couldn't be helped—it hadn't even reached the Transcendent Tier; it was just the most basic breathing technique.

He would have to wait until he went to the Divine Water Sect in the future to see if he could find a higher-level health-preserving technique. For now, the nine-layer Dao Embryo Breathing Method was sufficient; with a casual circulation, the absorbed spiritual energy quickly replenished his consumption.

After all, given his current age and cultivation time, it would normally be impossible to have trained the Dao Embryo Breathing Method to this level. At most, he would have reached the fifth layer under normal circumstances. But the power of adding points was too strong, allowing him to push the technique to the ninth layer—great perfection—far ahead of schedule!

Compared to the fifth layer, the ninth layer circulated faster in his body, naturally speeding up the absorption of spiritual energy and the increase of blood qi.

As for the remaining blood qi, he added it to the Limitless Sword Dao, raising it from the fifth layer to the sixth.

One day, after hunting Black Scale Pythons, the Dust Floating Old Man gathered everyone together and said with a smile:

"Thank you all for accompanying me on this hunt for Black Scale Pythons. If I had come alone, I really couldn't have handled them. I've now accumulated enough Black Scale Python meat to boost my blood qi. I think it's time we left the canyon."

Everyone nodded.

Over the past month, they had all gained a lot. Unlike Lu Wangchuan, who had the nine-layer Dao Embryo Breathing Method, they digested the meat slowly, and now each person's Storage Bag was packed full.

Lu Wangchuan thought about staying in the valley for a while after they left. This place was very beneficial for increasing his blood qi, and his solo hunting speed was even faster than the group's, so he didn't need to worry about safety.

But just then, he suddenly felt something was off and swept his gaze toward the depths of the canyon.

"What's wrong, Brother Jing Chuan?"

Blade Breaking Swordsman Deng Sanxi asked, but Lu Wangchuan just shook his head.

"Nothing."

He glanced at the others, finding that not a single one sensed this peculiarity—likely because their strength was far inferior to his own.

"Well then, this trip to the gorge wasn't a loss for you, was it?"

Deng Sanxi laughed, and Lu Wangchuan simply nodded.

"If something like this comes up again, you can call on me."

"No problem."

The words had barely fallen when the earth suddenly trembled violently.

"What's going on?"

Before the group could react, the ground split open, and a massive figure burst forth from beneath, directly clamping its jaws around half of Vajra Fist Ao Hu's body.

"Ah—ahhhh!"

A single scream rang out as Ao Hu was bitten clean in two, dying on the spot!

Only then did everyone get a clear look at their foe—a colossal python, twenty to thirty meters long, larger than any Black Scale Python they had captured, with two small bumps already faintly bulging on its head.

As the saying goes, a snake grows into a python, a python into a serpent, a serpent into a dragon—this was a Black Scale Python on the verge of transforming into a flood dragon!

"It's the Mother Snake! It must be the Mother Snake! Judging by its age, it's likely over two or three hundred years old! Its strength is probably comparable to a peak Physical Body Realm expert at the Dantian Realm! We're no match for it—run!"

Thanks to reader Riguang Xilan for the tip-off, much appreciated.