Chapter 100: Chapter 100: Slaying the Tier Two Demon Snake

He didn’t rush to continue exploring the underground area.

Li Ping and Daoist Ji used the Array to return to the surface of Little Plum Mountain from underground.

Li Ping thought that Daoist Ji’s mischievous, bird-nest-robbing grandson, who had accidentally stumbled upon the Underground Spirit Vein, must be blessed with great fortune.

After asking Daoist Ji, he learned that this grandson was also a Cultivator with a Spiritual Root—in fact, he had Four Spirit Roots, just like Ji Shu Xuan.

Originally, given the boy’s restless nature, Daoist Ji had wanted to send him to the Immortal City to travel and cultivate under Li Ping, while the mild-mannered Ji Shu Xuan would have stayed to cultivate within the family.

But because the boy had discovered the Underground Spirit Vein, Daoist Ji no longer dared to let him leave the house.

After all, children are naive. If he accidentally let it slip and an outsider learned of the matter, it would bring utter destruction upon the Ji family.

So now, his grandson could only stay obediently at home, kept under the strict watch of his grandfather, father, and uncle—three Middle-stage Qi Refining Cultivators.

Li Ping nodded slightly. "Daoist Ji, in other words, besides me, only the four of you know about the Underground Spirit Vein, correct?"

Li Ping strongly approved of Daoist Ji’s handling of the situation.

When it came to secrets, the fewer people who knew, the better.

Someone like Ji Shuwen, who had been sent to the Crimson Flame Sect to cultivate, was too young and in an unfamiliar environment. It would be hard to say if she could keep such a secret.

Daoist Ji sighed. "How could I dare to speak of such a secret to anyone?"

"Good." Li Ping nodded with a smile. "Then in a little while, I’ll go down and kill that Demon Snake. I’ll have to ask you to stand guard for me, Daoist Ji!"

"Alright!"

...

About half a day later, Li Ping and Daoist Ji were advancing slowly through the underground passage, having walked for nearly two miles.

Li Ping’s nostrils twitched as he caught a foul, stenchy odor from up ahead.

Daoist Ji sent a low-voiced transmission to remind him, "Be careful, Brother Li. That Demon Snake is coiled up not far ahead."

Li Ping didn’t dare to be careless. He gave a solemn nod and then said, "Daoist Ji, you should rest here for now. I’ll go ahead alone and take a look."

Once Li Ping began fighting the Demon Snake, he might not be able to look out for him. Daoist Ji only had a Middle-stage Qi Refining cultivation and couldn’t be of much help. In fact, he could easily be injured by the aftershocks of their battle.

So, it was best for him to stay here and not advance any further.

Worry filled Daoist Ji’s eyes as he urged, "Alright. You be careful too, Brother Li. If things look bad, retreat immediately!"

Li Ping nodded and then darted forward.

Generally speaking, because they lacked intelligence, Demon Beasts of a certain tier were usually not as powerful as Cultivators of the same tier.

Li Ping possessed two Tier Two Upper Grade Dharma Artifacts—one for offense and one for defense—and also had many Tier Two Middle Grade Spirit Talismans. His combat power far exceeded that of his peers, so he naturally had no fear of a Demon Snake of the same tier.

SWISH!

A streak of fire shot from Li Ping’s hand and affixed itself to the ceiling of the underground passage, illuminating the tunnel as brightly as day.

Not far away, a ferocious-looking Demon Snake, fifty to sixty feet long and as thick as a water barrel, appeared in Li Ping’s field of vision.

His Divine Sense enveloped the Demon Snake, and Li Ping immediately recognized it. It was a Tier Two Middle Grade Flower-Scaled Python.

The flare of light also startled the coiled, resting python. Sensing Li Ping’s approach, it flicked its forked tongue and hissed a warning, trying to drive him away, but it didn’t move from its spot to attack.

’Strange, is this Demon Snake guarding something?’ Li Ping wondered.

All things in the world possessed spirit, and Demon Beasts were no exception. Although they lacked intelligence, they knew that natural Spiritual Objects were greatly beneficial to them.

For example, the Spiritual Objects growing in the Cloud Mist Mountain Range were usually guarded by Demon Beasts, which would devour them once they matured.

If humans wanted to harvest these Spiritual Objects, they had to either drive the Demon Beasts away or kill them outright.

The thought flashed through his mind, and without hesitation, Li Ping slapped his Storage Bag. A crimson light and a purple light flew out.

The crimson light spun and transformed into a shield as tall as a man, hovering before him. The purple light instantly became a two-foot-long Flying Sword that shot viciously toward the Flower-Scaled Python.

"HISS~"

As the Flying Sword closed in, the Flower-Scaled Python sensed the danger and let out a sharp hiss, spitting a jet of green light toward the Purple Shadow sword.

Unsure of what it was, Li Ping didn’t dare let his Flying Sword be hit. He quickly used his Divine Sense to maneuver the sword out of the way. The green light missed the sword and struck the gray rock wall instead.

Instantly—

"SIZZLE~"

A large chunk of the rock was instantly corroded away, and a dizzying, foul stench began to fill the air.

Only then did Li Ping see clearly that the green light the Flower-Scaled Python had spat out was actually a glob of venom!

Just then, he also smelled the foul odor and immediately felt a wave of nausea.

Clearly, he had been poisoned.

Li Ping frowned slightly. With a mere circulation of the Nourishing Life Skill Power within him, the poison was purged from his body.

Then, he unhesitatingly continued to control the Flying Sword, sending it slashing toward the Flower-Scaled Python.

BANG!

It seemed that spitting venom took a considerable toll. The Flower-Scaled Python didn’t spit more venom to block the Flying Sword. Instead, it whipped its tail, lashing out at the sword with incredible speed.

But Li Ping’s Flying Sword was of Tier Two Upper Grade quality; how could it be so easily blocked?

The python’s tail collided with the Flying Sword. The sword was knocked away, but the python’s tail was left a bloody mess.

"HISS~"

Injured, the Flower-Scaled Python’s eyes flashed with a hateful green light. It stared fiercely in Li Ping’s direction, then suddenly opened its fanged maw and charged at him.

A RUMBLE echoed through the air as it moved.

Li Ping hurriedly maneuvered his Red Armor Shield to block it. As he injected Magical Power, a layer of red mist appeared on the shield’s surface.

BANG!

The Demon Snake slammed headfirst into the Red Armor Shield. The tremendous impact instantly shattered the layer of red mist, but the shield itself didn’t budge, completely blocking the snake’s attack.

The Demon Snake, on the other hand, was momentarily stunned by the collision.

’A perfect chance!’ Li Ping would certainly not miss this opportunity. He reflexively formed a Sword Technique with his hands.

The Purple Shadow Flying Sword whistled through the air, slashing at the Demon Snake’s neck. If this strike landed true, it would undoubtedly decapitate the snake, killing it instantly.

However, the Demon Snake was, after all, a Tier Two Mid-stage beast. Sensing the biting chill from the Purple Shadow sword, it violently twisted its body, avoiding a fatal blow to its neck. The purple light streaked across its midsection, tearing open a massive gash!

Instantly, blood gushed out like a waterfall, staining the tunnel walls crimson.

The foul stench in the air grew even more intense. Apparently, the Demon Snake’s blood was also highly toxic!

But with the protection of his Nourishing Life Skill Power, Li Ping naturally had no fear of the snake’s venom.

He continued to command the Flying Sword to slash at the Demon Snake, hacking its body to a bloody pulp. The blood flowing from the snake also corroded the tunnel walls, leaving them pitted and pockmarked.

At this moment, feeling its life force draining away, the Demon Snake finally realized the gap in strength between itself and Li Ping. It knew that continuing to fight meant certain death. A flicker of fear appeared in its eyes as it twisted its body and retreated, attempting to flee.

But at this point, how could Li Ping possibly let it escape?

With a soft shout, he stepped directly onto the blood-soaked ground and strode in pursuit. Forming a hand seal, he sent the Purple Shadow sword whistling after the Demon Snake. The cold light circled once, and in an instant, the snake’s neck was severed.

THUD!

Decapitated, the Demon Snake’s lifeless body crashed to the ground.

Its ferocious head flew through the air, tumbling end over end, slammed against the tunnel wall, and bounced a few more times before falling silent.

And with that, the Tier Two Mid-stage Flower-Scaled Python was dead at Li Ping’s hands.

...

Seeing the Demon Snake decapitated, Li Ping couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Back when he was adventuring in the Immortal City, he had killed many Tier One Demon Beasts, but this was the first time he had killed a Tier Two Demon Beast.

In truth, this Flower-Scaled Python wasn’t weak. Its entire body was saturated with a potent poison, strong enough to affect even a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. If another Foundation Establishment Cultivator had come, they would have had to retreat in defeat when faced with such a toxic environment, unless they possessed an antidote-type Treasure.

But Li Ping was different. He was protected by his Nourishing Life Skill Power, making him virtually immune to all poisons.

So, in reality, he was its natural counter. The Flower-Scaled Python’s greatest weapon—its poison—had no effect on him, leaving it with only one possible fate: to be slain by him!

After resting for a moment, Li Ping frowned at the corroded, pockmarked tunnel around him. In such a toxic environment, never mind Daoist Ji, even a Foundation Establishment Cultivator would likely be affected.

SWOOSH!

With a wave of his hand, a Fireball shot out. The rising flames instantly burned away the blood and venom on the tunnel walls, and the air filled with a scorched, acrid smell.

Only after the flames had burned away all the toxins in the air did Li Ping use his Divine Sense to inform Daoist Ji that it was safe to come over.

The fifty-to-sixty-foot-long snake’s body lay limp on the ground, while its ferocious, barrel-sized head rested several yards away. Only a figure in green robes stood proudly amidst the scene.

This was the scene that greeted Daoist Ji when he arrived.

He spoke in disbelief, "This Tier Two Demon Snake is... just dead? Brother Li, are you alright?!"

Li Ping smiled and waved his hand. "It was just a mere Demon Snake. How could anything happen to me? By the way, Daoist Ji, let’s harvest the materials from this Demon Snake together."

The Flower-Scaled Python’s flesh and blood were highly toxic, so Daoist Ji was extremely careful as he began to harvest it.

Li Ping, however, wasn’t concerned about the poison. With swift movements of his knife, he stripped off the Flower-Scaled Python’s skin and Scale Armor—both excellent materials for refining Dharma Artifacts.

Besides the skin and armor, the Flower-Scaled Python’s Snake Gallbladder could be used to refine Cultivation Elixirs, making it a precious Spiritual Object as well.

But the most valuable parts of the entire Flower-Scaled Python were actually its pair of fangs.

Li Ping had already witnessed the lethality of this Demon Snake’s venom during the battle. When he was gathering materials, he certainly wasn’t going to pass up its fangs.

In fact, the fangs were what he cared about the most.

He took the pair of fangs for himself.

As for the other materials like the skin, Scale Armor, and Snake Gallbladder, he didn’t care for them at all and gave them directly to Daoist Ji.

Li Ping planned to refine the fangs into a set of Flying Needle Dharma Artifacts. Flying Needles were already known for being insidious and difficult to defend against. If a potent poison was added, they would become the ultimate weapon for sneak attacks.

Aside from the most valuable fangs, the Flower-Scaled Python’s skin and armor could be used to refine Tier One Upper Grade Dharma Artifacts.

Hearing that Li Ping intended to give all these materials to him, Daoist Ji repeatedly refused.

But under Li Ping’s insistence, he ultimately had no choice but to accept them.

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