A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 158 A helping hand

Nanling Prefecture, Yunmeng Marsh

Yin Zhong looked at the calm lake in front of him and sensed it carefully for a moment. Suddenly, he felt a powerful aura approaching. Its target was none other than the unicorn crocodiles.

Looking at Gu Xu, Yin Zhong sighed inwardly. He had been concentrating on sensing for a moment before he noticed something was wrong, but he hadn't expected that Daoist Gu Xu had noticed it so early. The difference in their cultivation levels was truly like heaven and earth.

Yin Zhong gestured, and the guards behind him immediately understood. They focused their attention, held their weapons, and stood on high alert.

After a while, Yin Zhong felt a chilling aura gathering. Not far away, the unicorns that were resting seemed to sense that something was wrong and became restless. Several clever ones quickly dived into the water and disappeared after a few splashes.

Seeing this, the other crocodiles followed suit, scrambling to escape. However, this inevitably caused chaos, stirring up the lake water and making it murky, which actually made things easier for the predators. Suddenly, a dark shadow leaped up and swallowed a small crocodile whole.

"Blood python!"

Upon seeing the dark figure appear, Yin Zhong was overjoyed. Although the blood python was young, it was still over two zhang long, and its scales were the color of blood jade, crystal clear, reflecting a mesmerizing color under the sunlight.

"The younger the blood python is, the more vibrant its scales are. As it matures, the color of its scales darkens and they become extremely tough, impervious even to divine weapons. Its weakness lies hidden within."

Upon hearing Gu Xu's words, Yin Zhong nodded. Apart from knowing what the blood python looked like, he knew about its other characteristics and habits from the divine doctor, but that was only for reference and he couldn't believe it completely.

"Fortunately, we met Master Gu Xu. With his guidance, we are sure to succeed in this battle."

In the lake, taking advantage of the chaos caused by the crocodiles, the blood python devoured more than ten crocodiles in succession, most of which were juveniles. Their meat was tender and their resistance was very limited.

Half an hour later, the blood python finally finished eating and was about to find a place to digest when it suddenly slithered away. It sensed a powerful aura on the opposite bank. It had been so focused on eating that it had overlooked the enemy lurking nearby.

Seeing the blood python about to escape, Yin Zhong immediately leaped into the air and ran ahead of it. He reached out and pressed down, and a palm wind descended from the sky. The lake water was pressed down by the palm wind, and ripples immediately appeared. The blood python, which was hidden at the bottom of the water, was pressed down by the water force and its body was momentarily stunned, but it quickly recovered, coiled its body, and swam backward.

However, in just a moment, Yin Zhong gained the upper hand. He reached out and drew his longsword. With a flash of sword light, an extremely sharp sword light slashed downwards, silently splitting the lake water in two and revealing the figure of the blood python.

The sword light continued its momentum, striking the blood python directly. The python's scales were insufficient for defense and could not withstand the force, leaving a deep sword mark on its body.

"sizzle"

The blood python, severely wounded by a sword, became ferocious. Ignoring its bleeding body, it suddenly leaped out of the water, straightened its body, and stared at Yin Zhong with its huge snake head. Its scarlet eyes revealed a cruel look, and it opened its mouth and spat out a thick jet of blood, determined to kill its enemy.

"Master Yin, this is the 'Blood Fiend Ten Thousand Poisons' technique, refined by the Blood Python after devouring countless venomous creatures. It is specifically designed to break through protective qi. Although this Blood Python is young, it is still not to be underestimated. However, after using this technique, it will weaken for three breaths."

Upon hearing Gu Xu's message, Yin Zhong's eyes lit up. Seeing the venom flying towards him, he swung his longsword, unleashing streaks of sword light. White light streamed down like stars as he met the poison.

This "Blood Demon Ten Thousand Poisons" truly lives up to its reputation as the Blood Python's deadly ultimate move. The sword beams and star streams condensed from true energy instantly turned into a wisp of black smoke upon touching it, but the sword light was inexhaustible, which Yin Zhong was able to withstand and just keep at it. However, the Blood Python might not be so lucky.

Sure enough, after holding out for a while, the blood python could no longer use this move, and its energy and spirit immediately declined. Yin Zhong, who was keenly aware of the aura, had a flash of light in his eyes and immediately summoned his magic weapon. As soon as the "Blood Net Heavenly Instrument" appeared, a cloud of blood light enveloped the blood python. No matter how it struggled, it could not break free from the blood thread.

When Gu Xu saw the magical artifact that Yin Zhong took out, his eyes narrowed immediately. The aura of this thing was similar to that of the Crimson Blood Demon Lord. With a thought, he shifted his gaze to the trapped blood python.

At this moment, the blood python was on its last legs due to the erosion of the magic weapon. Seeing that it was about to die, the blood python seemed to be sentient and nodded repeatedly at Yin Zhong, with two tears flowing from its eyes.

"Master Yin, please put away the magical artifact for now. This little thing is quite intelligent; it would be a pity to kill it. I have my own way to make it submit."

Upon hearing this, Yin Zhong immediately reached out and grabbed the blood python, which was then trapped by clumps of blood threads. He threw it onto the shore, retrieved his magical artifact, and went to Gu Xu's side.

"Taoist Master, please."

Originally, Yin Zhong had no intention of killing the blood python. Only by extracting its blood while it was still alive could he ensure that its vital energy would not dissipate; otherwise, it would be a waste of effort. Since Daoist Gu Xu had pleaded for its life, he naturally had to give it face.

Gu Xu nodded to Yin Zhong, then reached out and made a cut, causing the blood lines to break off on their own, revealing a blood python covered in wounds. As soon as it was freed, the blood python tried to escape, but as soon as it got up, it felt a wall of energy blocking its way. When it crashed into it, it was immediately in excruciating pain and its body convulsed.

Seeing Gu Xu's casual movements, Yin Zhong's eyes narrowed. The toughness of this bloodline was even stronger than that of a divine weapon, yet Gu Xu managed to resolve it with a mere flick of his wrist. His cultivation was truly unfathomable.

Gu Xu reached out and grabbed, and the scales on the blood python immediately bristled as if in anger. Wisps of blood energy gathered in mid-air, and after a moment, a drop of bright red blood floated in front of Yin Zhong.

"Master Yin, you can store this in a jade bottle to prevent the blood from dissipating."

"Thank you, Taoist priest."

Upon seeing this, Yin Zhong immediately took out a jade bottle and put the blood droplets inside.

Looking at the blood python that showed no reaction, Yin Zhong was full of praise. Although he also had the skill of extracting heart blood, the blood python would not survive afterward. Just looking at Gu Xu's wonderful and exquisite technique, Yin Zhong admitted that he was not as good as him.

"Master Yin, I have a request, and I hope you will grant it."

After collecting the heart's blood, Gu Xu looked at the unconscious blood python and turned to Yin Zhong, saying...

"I wonder what your orders are, sir? I will do my utmost to assist you in any matter that is within my power."

Yin Zhong made up his mind that no matter what it was, as long as it didn't cross the line, he would do anything for Gu Xu. He was a fool to get such a huge favor for nothing.

"Just now, I noticed that the magical artifact used by Master Yin seemed to originate from the previous Crimson Blood Demon Lord. This thing is rather strange."

Yin Zhong was startled upon hearing this. He didn't know the origin of this thing, only that it was very useful. After hearing Gu Xu say this, he realized that this thing actually belonged to the Crimson Blood Demon Lord. Wasn't the Crimson Blood Demon Lord the one that Daoist Gu Xu had eliminated before?

"Master, this thing..."

Yin Zhong took out the "Blood Luo Heavenly Instrument" and looked at it with a solemn expression.

Seeing Yin Zhong's somewhat somber expression, Gu Xu smiled faintly and said, "This item was originally bestowed upon Protector Ji Ming by the Crimson Blood Demon Lord, but it fell into the hands of Manor Lord Yin by chance. Although it is extremely powerful, it also has some hidden dangers."

As he spoke, Gu Xu reached out and grabbed the "Blood Luo Heavenly Instrument," which floated in front of the two of them. Gu Xu infused it with pure Yang true energy, and the magic weapon hummed and trembled, its color fading until it finally became a transparent prism, crystal clear. Only at the center point, a cluster of condensed red spots was very conspicuous, and there seemed to be a human figure inside.

Yin Zhong's eyes sharpened as he looked at the strange phenomenon in the magic artifact. He had had this thing for many years without noticing anything. If it had escaped, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Thinking of this, Yin Zhong couldn't help but feel lucky that he had met Master Gu Xu, otherwise he would still be kept in the dark.

Seeing the bloodstains inside, Gu Xu didn't want to destroy the magic artifact like that. After a moment's thought, he summoned the "Purifying Soul and Heart Mirror". A hazy light spread out, and the bloodstains in the "Blood Net Celestial Instrument" seemed to have encountered their nemesis and fled inside the magic artifact.

However, since the magical artifact was already transparent, it could not hide from any direction it darted to. Finally, the treasure mirror trembled, and a suction force grabbed the blood spot. After a few pulls, the blood spot was immediately drawn into it, and the originally transparent magical artifact returned to its original state, falling into Yin Zhong's hands.

The moment Yin Zhong caught the magical artifact, he felt that he had a better grasp of it. He had previously thought that it was because of insufficient blood energy that he was unable to fully control it, but now it seemed that it was because of the blood spot that had absorbed most of the artifact's vital energy.

"Master, could this bloodstain be..."

Gu Xu nodded upon hearing this and said, "That's right, this bloodstain is a fragment of the Crimson Blood Demon Lord's divine soul. If it can absorb enough blood energy, it can condense into a physical form."

Gu Xu learned that the Demon Lord had cultivated a divine ability called "Blood True Essence Transformation" after the Treasure Mirror refined the Demon Lord. It involves entrusting a wisp of one's soul to a magical artifact. In this way, even if the physical body perishes, as long as the soul remains, it can return. However, this requires a considerable amount of time and effort.

"Thank you so much, Daoist Master, for resolving my ailment. I am deeply grateful and have no way to repay such a great favor. If you ever need my help in the future, I will do my utmost."

"Master Yin, there's no need for such formalities. Although this blood python is still young, it has immense potential for growth. If we can subdue it, it will surely be a great asset in the future. Very well, it's fate that we met Master Yin today, so let me add another gift for you."

Considering the great calamity to come, and that Yin Zhong was an indispensable figure in the future, Gu Xu decided to help him. He reached out and grabbed, and saw a flash of red light at the seven-inch mark of the blood python, from which a drop of blood floated out. With a thought, Gu Xu used the treasure mirror to sprinkle down strands of clear light, constantly removing impurities. The color became purer and purer, and after a while, it was as clear as glass, looking brilliant and dazzling.

"Master Yin, may I borrow your essence blood?"

Upon hearing Gu Xu's words, Yin Zhong did not hesitate. He opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood. His face immediately turned pale, and his body went limp. He was supported by the Iron Guard.

Gu Xu continuously poured his blood essence into the blood python's blood essence, which immediately darkened the originally azure-colored blood essence. Then, under the catalysis of the treasure mirror, it returned to its original state. After this happened three times, the azure-colored blood essence slowly sank into the blood python's seven-inch area.

Just as the blood essence sank into the blood python's body, Yin Zhong's originally pale face suddenly turned rosy.

"With this oath of blood, the Blood Python will obey your direct descendants for life, and may even be able to lend you a helping hand in the future."

Upon hearing this, Yin Zhong immediately bowed deeply and said, "Thank you, Daoist Master."

Gu Xu waved his hand, retrieved the treasure mirror, took out the Blood Ruyi, and waved it at the blood python. The python's wounds instantly disappeared, and its eyes slowly opened. Looking at Gu Xu and Yin Zhong, it was still fierce, but dared not act rashly. "Master Yin, it's a long journey ahead. May we meet again someday."

After saying that, Gu Xu's body flashed with light, and his figure disappeared instantly.

Watching Gu Xu leave, Yin Zhong sighed inwardly. Looking at the blood python that had crawled over to fawn over him, Yin Zhong said to the guards beside him, "Prepare to go back. Find a large cart; we can't let anyone see this blood python."

Touching the blood python's enormous head, Yin Zhong pondered where to place it. Finally, a flash of inspiration struck him: the underground city in the manor would be just right.

Come home with me.

Upon hearing this, the blood python nodded, flicked its tongue, and was very pleased.

Tianhua Prefecture, Anle City

A month later, the carriage of the Chen family from Yuannan appeared outside the Dragon King Temple again. This time, the procession was even more spectacular, but very few people could see it. Only a few people of high status in the city were able to see it.

He Fang and Zhou Chen, who were spying from the shadows, only saw a person being carried off the carriage, covered up tightly, and led into the temple by a Taoist priest.

"This person's identity must be extraordinary. Let's inform the chief about this first."

The two dared not enter the temple rashly, exchanged a glance, and left together.

Meanwhile, in an exquisite room in the inner courtyard of the temple, Fu Daoren frowned as he looked at the young man who was wrapped tightly in white cloth with only his head showing.

"Master, please take a look."

Chen Cong gave a wink to the person next to him, and the servants unwrapped the white cloth one by one, revealing a back with a ghostly face. Wisps of black energy kept moving through the meridians, making it look very eerie. Moreover, Fu Daoren also felt that the ghostly face seemed to have glanced at him.

"It really is the 'Body-Stealing' poison. Judging by the size of this ghost face, the young master must have been poisoned for several months."

"Master, your eyes are truly discerning! It has been four months. It started as small as a soybean, but now it has grown to this size. Master, please save it! If you can remove this poison, my Chen family will repay you with all our might."

After saying this, Chen Cong bowed deeply, willing to pay any price for his nephew's life.

Master Fu quickly helped him up, saying, "Layman Chen, there's no need for such formality. Now that the young master is here, I naturally have a way to resolve this ailment. You need not worry."

Just as the two were talking, the young man lying on the bed suddenly trembled, the ghost face on his back began to twist and shake, and wisps of black energy emanated from his body, attacking everyone present.

Upon seeing this, Chen Cong's expression changed drastically, but he remained calm. As a scion of a prominent family, he had long since cultivated a heart that remained unmoved by honor or disgrace. Moreover, being in the Dragon King Temple, with a highly accomplished Taoist master like Master Fu around, he was not afraid of any demons or monsters.

Even the servants and guards remained unmoved, displaying the refined demeanor of a noble family.

"You ignorant fool, how dare you cause trouble here?"

Seeing this, Fu Daoren snorted coldly, flicked his whisk, and a cloud of red rolled forward. The black wisps of energy were completely enveloped by the red cloud and were soon refined into nothingness.

Under Fu Daoren's urging, Hongyun quickly arrived above the ghost face. Seemingly sensing that Hongyun posed a threat to him, the ghost face rapidly shrank to the size of a bowl and slowly moved towards the young man's heart.

Sensing the ghost face's intentions, Fu Daoren's eyes turned slightly cold. He flicked his whisk, and red ribbons hung down from the red clouds, protecting the young man's heart and sea of ​​consciousness. Seeing that its purpose had been exposed, the ghost face slowly spread out, attempting to forcibly seize his body.

Fu Daoren remained calm and picked up the yellow gourd on the table. He walked to the young man's side, pulled out the stopper, turned it upside down with the bottom facing up and the opening facing down. A flash of yellow light appeared, and a suction force came out from inside.

The ghost face on the youth's back was contorted by the red clouds and yellow light, and suddenly the youth's body began to shake violently. It turned out that the ghost face had begun to manipulate the youth's limbs, trying to control his movements.

However, in Fu Daoren's view, this was nothing more than a desperate struggle. He had deliberately prevented the incense and red clouds from locking the young man's limbs in order to leave a trap for the ghost face, and as expected, it obediently fell into it.

Seeing the young man get up from his unconscious state and walk towards the door, Chen Cong immediately ordered someone to tie him up with ropes.

"May the Dragon King bestow blessings."

Just then, a majestic voice rang in everyone's ears. Fu Daoren bowed towards the main hall. As Chen Cong was secretly astonished, a red light landed squarely on his nephew's head, and circles of red light patterns continued to fall.

As the light patterns fell, the young man who had been struggling violently suddenly became quiet. Fu Daoren watched with excitement, and then the suction power of the gourd in his hand reappeared, and he aimed it at the ghost face.

Chen Cong stared intently and saw a thick, dark, murky mass of gas being drawn into the gourd bit by bit. It took a full half hour for the sinister and terrifying ghost face to disappear.

Master Fu put away the gourd, and the remaining red light slowly dissipated.

Looking at his nephew's smooth back, Chen Cong was overjoyed. After months of suffering, the illness was finally cured. After the doctor examined his pulse, the doctor nodded to Chen Cong, who immediately bowed to Fu Daoren.

"Master Daoist, you possess great supernatural powers and have saved my nephew. Please accept Chen Cong's bow."

"Please rise, Layman Chen. It was not I who saved your nephew, but the Dragon King. If you wish to pay your respects, please go to the main hall and offer incense to the Dragon King."

Upon hearing this, Chen Cong immediately replied, "That's only right. However, the Daoist Master has also made great contributions. I am just an ordinary mortal with only a few gold and silver items. Please don't look down on them; consider it as my contribution to the Dragon King in creating this golden statue."

He instructed the servants to take his unconscious nephew away, then clapped his hands lightly. Several tall guards carried in six golden nanmu wood chests.

Seeing this, Fu Daoren did not stop him. Chen Cong was overjoyed and ordered his men to open the boxes. There were six wooden boxes filled with gold and silver treasures. The room was filled with golden light, which made Fu Daoren almost unable to open his eyes. He shielded his eyes slightly with his hand and looked at so much wealth through his fingers. He was shocked.

But he had developed a calm and composed demeanor. With a flick of his whisk, all the wooden boxes closed their lids. With a sweep of his sleeve, the six boxes were neatly arranged to one side.

Seeing this, Chen Cong was even more impressed; this casual skill was far superior to that of the clan's retainers.

"Mr. Chen, let's leave these things aside; it would be more practical to light an incense stick."

Master Fu spoke calmly, and Chen Cong immediately nodded, "What you say is very true, Master."

Afterwards, Chen Cong took his leave and, guided by the Taoist priest, arrived at the main hall.

Upon seeing the golden statue of the Dragon King in the hall, Chen Cong immediately held incense in his hand, knelt down and kowtowed, and the people behind him followed suit.

As Chen Cong knelt in sincere worship, the incense flames gathered into a stream and flowed into the golden statue. The red python looked at the high-quality incense flames, narrowed its eyes slightly, and swallowed them with great enjoyment. Its entire body immediately became radiant, and two bulges appeared on its head, a sign that it was about to reveal its horns.

After Chen Cong finished his greetings, he placed the incense sticks into the incense burner. At that moment, he suddenly felt a jolt, as if a warm current was flowing through his body, making him feel very comfortable. His previous fatigue was swept away, and he seemed to have become several years younger.

Knowing that he had received a blessing from the Dragon King, Chen Cong bowed again without making a sound before leaving the main hall and going to the backyard.

The capital of Qi, the residence of the garrison commander.
"General Chu, I wonder what your considerations are? Would you be willing to introduce me to your king?"

Wei Feng put down his teacup and looked at the middle-aged general above him.

This man was Chu Fan, one of the two great palace guards of the Qi Kingdom. He was highly skilled in martial arts, especially in battle formations, and could fight against a hundred men single-handedly.

Upon hearing this, Chu Fan said calmly, "I, Chu, have been protecting the King's safety and recruiting extraordinary individuals. I am still unsure whether you gentlemen possess true abilities. Why not let me see for myself? This way, I can have some confidence in front of the King."

Upon hearing this, Wei Feng pondered for a moment and said, "Then, General, what topic do you intend to present?"

Chu Fan's eyes flashed, and he said in a deep voice, "I was fortunate enough to obtain an item on the battlefield, but it is extremely strange and has already claimed dozens of lives. If Daoist Wei can resolve this problem, I will immediately recommend you all to the King."

"A word is settled"

"A word is settled"

Chu Fan clapped his hands, and guards carried in something covered with a black cloth.

At Chu Fan's signal, Wei Feng untied the black cloth, revealing a black, round object on the stone shelf. It was shiny black but also had streaks of red, making it look very eerie.

"Soldier's Soul Stone"

(End of this chapter)