My martial arts have no bottlenecks.

Chapter 60 Killing the Python

Liang Cheng followed Elder Huang out of the west gate of the martial arts academy. Elder Huang was still wearing his yellowish-brown, stained robe and carrying a medicine basket half his height, but his steps were surprisingly light. The two walked in silence, heading straight into the depths of the western mountains.

The further west you go, the denser the forest becomes, and a faint gray mist begins to permeate the air, carrying a sweet, rotten smell, as you enter the Thousand Miasma Valley area.

Old Huang stopped, poured out a bright red miasma-avoiding pill, and put it in his mouth. "Hold the miasma-avoiding pill under your tongue, don't swallow it."

Liang Cheng immediately complied. A cool and bitter medicinal power spread from the back of his tongue, along his throat, and the sweet and fishy smell in his breath indeed faded a lot.

"Stay close to me, or you'll get lost and won't be able to get out."

After saying that, he stepped into the gray fog first, with Liang Cheng following closely behind.

Upon entering the valley, visibility was obstructed by a thick, hazy fog; beyond three zhang (approximately 10 meters), only indistinct outlines could be seen. Old Huang and his old horse knew the way and moved freely through the fog.

The deeper he went, the darker the color of the poisonous barrier became, turning from light green to dark green. The medicinal power of the miasma-avoiding pill he had taken in his mouth was also being rapidly depleted, and Liang Cheng could feel the pill under his tongue getting smaller and smaller.

Two hours later, the view ahead suddenly opened up, and Liang Cheng quickly swallowed another obstacle-avoiding pill, leaving only one pill in the jade bottle.

At this moment, a pitch-black pool, several tens of feet in circumference, appeared before them.

The pool water was as thick as ink, with purplish-black bubbles constantly rising to the surface. When the bubbles burst, they emitted a fishy stench that even miasma-avoiding pills could not completely block.

In the heart of the pool, a lotus flower, entirely blue, blooms quietly. Its seven petals are like crystal carvings, while the central stamen is dark red, resembling congealed blood.

Rotten lotus.

"The Azure Scaled Serpent is hiding at the bottom of the pool. Be careful and try not to disturb it. When picking lotus, remember to use a jade knife, as the Corrupting Heart Lotus will rot if it touches metal."

As he spoke, he tossed Liang Cheng a jade knife about the length of a palm.

Liang Cheng took the jade knife, glanced at the black pool, gripped it tightly, took a deep breath, put the second miasma-avoiding pill in his mouth, and leaped towards a protruding black reef in the center of the pool.

The moment my feet touched the rocks, the pool water suddenly burst open.

"boom!"

A giant python, as thick as a water bucket, burst out of the water. Its scales were a dark green, its head was ferocious, and its vertical pupils were scarlet. It opened its mouth and spat out a stream of dark green venom, which shot towards Liang Cheng like a rain of arrows.

Liang Cheng was prepared and jumped forward to dodge. The venom splattered on his clothes and landed on the rocks, corroding them into honeycomb-like holes.

Liang Cheng exerted force with his feet, his body retreating three zhang in a flash to temporarily avoid the sharp edge, but his eyes were locked on the Corrupted Heart Lotus. The Azure Scaled Poisonous Python was enraged and its giant tail swept across like a steel whip.

Liang Cheng used his left arm to protect himself and withstood the python's horizontal tail strike.

"Bang!"

The reef shattered, and Liang Cheng was sent flying backwards for three zhang. A burning pain shot through his left arm. Looking down, he saw fine white marks appearing on the dark skin of his arm.

Such powerful force.

As expected of a peak fifth-tier demon beast.

But Liang Cheng showed no fear in his eyes; on the contrary, his fighting spirit intensified.

"Kid, can you still fight?" Old Huang shouted from the pool, holding something behind his back, which Liang Cheng didn't see.

"able!"

Liang Cheng exhaled a breath of stale air, and stomped his right foot on the reef behind him. This time, he did not rush straight for the Corrupted Heart Lotus, but instead circled around to the right side of the Poisonous Python.

The Azure Scaled Serpent locked onto Liang Cheng with its crimson vertical pupils, and its giant tail swept across again, bringing with it a howling, foul wind. However, Liang Cheng suddenly twisted his body in mid-air, displaying the Great Perfection Gale Blade Technique. Like a raging storm, his longsword struck directly on the serpent's scales.

"clang!"

Sparks flew everywhere, leaving only a white mark on the scales.

Sure enough, they're tough and thick-skinned!

In pain, the Azure-Scaled Serpent suddenly turned its head, opened its blood-red maw, and spat out another stream of dark green venom!

Liang Cheng lightly touched a piece of driftwood on the surface of the pool with his toes, then quickly retreated. The venom missed its target and splashed into the pool, making a hissing sound as the black water boiled.

It's now!

In the brief moment between the python's venomous breaths, Liang Cheng's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and the Broken Wave Technique within his body circulated wildly, his blood and qi surging like waves.

He surged forward again, instantly closing in on the venomous python's vital spot, raising his longsword high, the blade revealing nine layers of wave patterns.

Gale Blade Technique - Wave-Severing Slash.

One strike, three layers of force.

"cut!"

The blade flashed like a bolt of lightning, layer upon layer of powerful energy, striking the same scale on the venomous python's neck.

The first strike caused the scales to tremble violently!

The second force caused the cracks to spread!

The third force shattered the scales!

The blade pierced three inches into the flesh, causing dark green blood to gush out. The venomous python writhed wildly, its massive tail lashing out, and the water in the pool splattered several meters high.

Liang Cheng immediately drew his sword and retreated, but was still struck in the chest by the residual force of the python's tail. He groaned and flew backward several feet before finally stopping on the reef.

However, he stared intently at the python's wound, where the scales had broken, revealing the tender, bright red flesh beneath. The python, in pain, went completely berserk, ignoring its wound, and lashed out at Liang Cheng with its tail like a giant whip.

Liang Cheng dodged and weaved among the rocks. After the python's tail swept away three times, he spotted an opening and charged at the python's body again. Just as he was about to collide with the venomous python, he suddenly ducked down and thrust out his long knife, piercing the wound from before with perfect accuracy!

"Pfft!"

The blade was completely submerged in the venomous python's body. Liang Cheng roared, gripped the blade with both hands, and activated the Broken Wave Technique at full power, stirring it with force.

"roar!!!"

The venomous python let out a mournful howl, its body thrashing wildly, turning the pool water a dark green. Liang Cheng gripped the hilt of his knife tightly; the more it thrashed, the larger the wound tore open, and blood gushed out like a fountain.

Ten breaths later, the python's movements gradually slowed down. Twenty breaths later, it collapsed in the pool, with only its tail twitching unconsciously.

Liang Cheng, panting heavily, pulled out his long sword, blood flowing down the hilt.

He looked down at his chest; his clothes were all torn, and there was a purplish-black bruise on his chest. His ribs ached slightly.

My movement technique was too slow; if I hadn't mastered the Iron Armor Technique, I really wouldn't have been able to withstand it.

But thankfully, he won in the end.

At this moment, he took out the Crimson Blood Sand given to him by Master Huang. He applied it evenly to his chest, and it felt cool and refreshing, making the blood stasis dissipate even faster.

Old Huang walked over, a hint of surprise in his eyes. "I didn't expect you to solve the problem so quickly."

Liang Cheng replied modestly, "Just lucky."

"Lucky my foot!" Old Huang scoffed. "It seems I underestimated your skills. Why don't you help me test the medicine?"

Liang Cheng's expression changed, and he dared not reply. Old Huang found it boring and said no more.

He walked to the body of the venomous python, took out a dagger, deftly cut open the python's belly, took out a fist-sized, emerald-green demon core, and then cut off a bulging venom sac.

"Leave the demon core and poison sac to me, and I'll give you two thousand contribution points in return."

"Can."

Liang Cheng didn't hesitate at all, which made Old Huang even more satisfied. "The venomous python is dead. Hurry up and pick the lotus flowers. Let's go back as soon as possible."

Liang Cheng nodded and leaped toward the Corrupted Lotus.

This time, there were no obstacles. With a light swing of the jade knife, the lotus stem snapped in two, and he then handed the Corrupted Heart Lotus to Elder Huang.

After carefully inspecting the medicine, Old Huang put it at the bottom of the medicine basket with satisfaction. "Let's go, out of the valley."

The two did not linger and returned the way they came.

This time, traveling at full speed, they broke through the gray fog area an hour later. The moment Liang Cheng stepped out of the Thousand Miasma Valley, he took a deep breath of fresh air and felt a sense of relaxation throughout his body.

"Here, I'll transfer two thousand contribution points to you. As for the mission reward, you can collect it at the Foreign Affairs Hall. As usual, come to the Pill Room in three days to pick up the Jade Bone Pill. Let's see how lucky you are."

"Thank you, Elder Huang."

Liang Cheng returned to the Foreign Affairs Hall and entered the inner hall to hand over the mission, and his Jade Token Contribution Points surged again.

4,170 points.

A sudden windfall.

He exchanged some of the medicinal resources, leaving him with 3,000 points, and then left directly, returning to his secluded courtyard.

On the other side, Zhao Ming remained silent, secretly taking notes, his fist clenched in his sleeve.