Spiritual Python's Molting Complete

On the other side, Deep within Mount Luojia, by the banks of the Luo River in the Great Wasteland. A dark cave hidden within the mountainside.

The year this cave was formed is unknown, as if it has existed since ancient times.

However, due to its extreme secrecy, few people by the Luo River even knew of its existence. Those who did know of it called it the Blood Dragon Cave.

The reason for this name was that every full moon, when the wind was high and the moon bright, the cave would emit a fierce red light, accompanied by faint roars of a great beast.

Those who knew of its existence believed these to be dragon roars, stating that a primeval Blood Dragon was suppressed deep within the cave.

A thousand years ago, people occasionally explored it, even powerful cultivators. But the cave was complex and contained indescribable, bizarre dangers, and those who explored it often met a grim end.

Over time, no one dared to explore the Blood Dragon Cave again. Several thousand years passed, and information about the Blood Dragon Cave gradually faded into obscurity.

At this moment, Deep within the Blood Dragon Cave, in a vast, hollow space.

Here, Blood-red clouds filled the air, and demonic energy dispersed, a scene of utter corruption.

The Five Turbid Qi between heaven and earth poured into this place ceaselessly, transforming into Evil Qi, condensing into something ominous and bizarre.

Amidst the endless Evil Qi, a giant eyeball, fully a hundred meters in size, slowly emerged.

"Number 25 is dead. Who will go to the Dragon-Raising Temple to see what happened to that trash?"

"Number 7, how about you?"

A sinister voice emanated from the giant eyeball.

As its words fell, another spot of seething Evil Qi churned, and a smaller eye appeared, etched with the number seven.

This seven-eyed entity slowly opened, and a wisp of ethereal light appeared, transforming into a young man.

The man was imposing, dressed in a scholar's robe of white and blue, holding a demon-slaying sword, with a feather fan and a silk scarf, exuding an extraordinary aura.

"Number 1, the Dragon-Raising Temple cultivates Spirit Snake Spiritual Light, which is most effective against the devils of the Giant Rat. Why send me?"

Number 7 frowned and continued, "Besides, the Dragon-Raising Temple has always been your and Number 9 and Number 25's responsibility. Why not send Number 9? He's been coveting the Spirit Snake's flesh and blood for a long time, wanting to devour and refine it to aid his transformation."

However, the giant eyeball's gaze flickered with a hint of blood-red. Within its immense eye, a dark figure seemed to emerge, and the cold voice spoke again: "Number 9 has a more important task. The ruins of Mount Luojia have shown signs of appearing, and Number 9 must locate them. After planning for so many years, there can be no mistakes this time."

"A hundred Devil Zombie blood pills."

"You only need to secretly investigate what happened to Number 25 at the Dragon-Raising Temple. There's no need to clash with the Dragon-Raising Temple."

Number 7's eyes widened slightly, and he frowned, "What is in the Dragon-Raising Temple that makes you, Number 1, so anxious? This is a hundred Devil Zombie blood pills... You're truly willing to pay the price. Could it be that the Dragon-Raising Temple is related to these ruins?"

"But that doesn't make sense either. You started planning for the Dragon-Raising Temple three years ago... What exactly are you plotting?"

Number 7 voiced his confusion, but after waiting for a long time without a reply from Number 1, he pouted and continued, "If you want me to go, it's not impossible. I need a few elemental spirit rats. I know you still have remnants of your forces in the Yanfeng Nation, and you should have some stored. Just one, I only need one elemental spirit rat, and I'll agree to go."

"How about it?"

The giant eyeball stared intently at Number 7. After a period of silence, the evil energy around it condensed, and a comatose red spirit rat appeared before them.

"This is a Fire Rat. You know its value. Regarding Number 25's matter, I hope you can give me a reply as soon as possible."

"Also, from now on, call me Devil Master!"

After saying this, the giant eyeball vanished instantly, leaving the young man, Number 7, standing there motionless for a long time.

Clutching the spirit rat in his hand, Number 7 finally put it into his mouth. After a suffocating chewing sound, a fierce flame erupted from Number 7's body.

"Heh heh... You really think you're the Hundred-Eye Demon Lord!"

"Who will win and who will lose is still unknown!"

Time flew by, and three days had passed since Su Qingqiu's molting.

This molting was far more difficult than he had imagined.

A Spiritual Python should enter a deep sleep to complete its molting, but for Su Qingqiu, he was painfully awakened three times during the process.

The first time was the skin on his snake head. After it completely split open, his entire head felt as if it had been struck by lightning, accompanied by unimaginable burning pain.

This was the Crimson Fire Horn fully integrating into his skull.

Completely becoming his own.

The second time was at the seven-inch mark of the snake. The scales in this area shed one by one and then began to grow backward. Furthermore, the Spirit Veins of each scale were different from ordinary scales.

Harder and deeper, accumulating an unimaginably vast amount of fire-attribute Spiritual Light.

Dragons have reverse scales; touching them incurs their wrath.

After acquiring the Crimson Fire Horn, Su Qingqiu had already begun to show differences from ordinary Spiritual Pythons.

Now, even his reverse scales had grown.

The third time was after the complete molting. The moment it was finished, his entire body felt as if it were in a furnace, his soul on the verge of shattering.

The pain was unbearable.

He didn't know how he endured it.

He slowly woke up, feeling an explosive power surge through his body. Flames blazed, distorting the very air around him.

In the Dragon Bone, where Su Qingqiu coiled, high-temperature white scorch marks were left behind. The intensity of the flames released during his shedding was unimaginable.

Physical Quality: 104.9

Physical Defense: 144.6

Crimson Spiritual Light: 9000

Combat Power Estimate: 1024

His physical attributes had both broken through 100, especially his defense, which was approaching 150.

What did this mean?

It meant ordinary human weapons would struggle to leave a mark on him. Even spells and skills imbued with Magical Power and Daoism Cultivation, for Cultivators at the Qi Refining stage, it would be extremely difficult to break through his defense without divine weapons.

Generally speaking, the Great Xuan Human Race's Ten Nations and Twelve Veins divided cultivation levels into three stages: Qi Refining, Spirit Refining, and God Refining.

Three stages, nine ranks.

Rank one was the highest.

Rank nine was the foundation.

Rank nine involved absorbing spiritual energy and transforming it into the Dao, rank eight saw the Spirit Veins form spontaneously...

The lower three ranks were common, while the middle three ranks were extremely rare. Even the Dragon-Raising Temple didn't have many.

As for the upper three ranks, they only existed in legends.

Therefore, Su Qingqiu, with his current defense alone, could ignore attacks from the lower three ranks, wearing the thickest armor and taking the lightest hits, laying an initial foundation.

Of course, his current specific strength was hard to judge, as the path of a spirit snake transforming into a dragon was completely different from the Human Race's Ten Nations and Twelve Veins.

Human cultivation was varied and unpredictable, relying on the Spiritual Light from heaven and earth. Spirit beasts were mostly brute force, straightforward, relying on their innate Spiritual Power.

Overall, each had its own advantages, and the two systems were not comparable.