Many children, many blessings: Stealing the offspring of powerful figures to cultivate immortality.

A massive shadow loomed over the desolate abyss, completely obscuring even the blood moon.

A foul, putrid stench filled the air.

"hiss--"

A low, guttural hiss, as if from the depths of hell.

Immediately afterwards, the defensive array that cost 30 million spirit stones and was personally set up by the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion Master was like a thin, brittle candy wrapper. With a "crack," it shattered into countless streams of light under the impact of the giant snake head.

At the heart of the formation, Situ Kong's face contorted with grief as he pounded his chest and stamped his feet, crying out, "My formation plate! My spirit stones! Those were top-grade Void Stones! Five million of them are gone in that one collision!"

No one paid any attention to his wailing.

Everyone looked up in horror.

It was a colossal python, thousands of feet long, with each of its jet-black scales the size of a shield, covered in eerie blood-red runes.

It hovered above the desolate abyss, and with just a gentle sweep of its drooping tail, a section of the newly repaired outer city wall melted like tofu, turning into a pool of poisonous water emitting black smoke.

The 50,000 refugees who had just settled down looked at the colossal beast overhead that seemed capable of swallowing the heavens and the earth, and the last glimmer of hope they had felt was instantly extinguished.

Ordinary people knelt on the ground, even losing their instinct to run away.

Faced with absolute power, the struggles of ants seem so pale.

"This is the Mahayana stage..."

At the front of the crowd, only a few small figures remained standing.

The heavy sword "Peace" in Da Bao Jiang Lei's hand hummed, and there was no fear in his purple-gold pupils, only fighting spirit.

He stepped forward and stood in front of the trembling refugee child.

Meanwhile, Erbao Chu Anyan's eyes quickly scanned the giant python.

"The snake skin is 90% intact, enough to make 30,000 sets of top-grade soft armor; two snake fangs, the main material for refining armor-piercing spikes; snake gall... hmm, very nourishing."

The child's voice sounded particularly out of place in the quiet environment: "Big brother, don't break it, it's all money."

"..."

The refugees, who were preparing to fight desperately, were stunned.

Is this the time to settle accounts?!

"roar--!"

The giant python seemed to sense the contempt of these ants, opened its blood-red maw, and a torrent of black venom poured down, heading straight for the city.

"You beast, how dare you!"

A bright, white sword light shot into the sky.

Ji Lingxiao, dressed in pristine white, unleashed a breathtaking slash with his "Severing Thoughts" sword. The sword energy collided with the venom in mid-air, producing a sizzling sound.

But this sword strike, powerful enough to cleave mountains, only left a shallow white mark on the giant python's scales.

"Such thick skin?" Ji Lingxiao frowned slightly.

Before he could change his move, a red figure rushed forward like a cannonball.

"Get out of my way! That snake head belongs to me!"

Demon Lord Ye Wuhen's demonic energy surged, transforming into a gigantic black demonic hand that fiercely grabbed at the giant python's vital spot.

"Bang!"

The giant python twisted nimbly, its thick tail lashing out with a sonic boom.

Although Ye Wuhen's physical body is now strong, his cultivation level has dropped. He was hit solidly by the tail and crashed into the pile of rocks like a meteor, creating a large crater.

"Cough cough..." Ye Wuhen climbed out of the pit, spitting out the mud and sand in his mouth, cursing, "I could crush this worm with one hand!"

The situation instantly became critical.

The four powerful figures, whether injured or suppressed by the laws of the lower realm, were temporarily at a disadvantage against this Mahayana-stage demon beast in its prime.

Enraged, the giant python began to constrict, its massive body attempting to uproot the entire abyss.

Just then.

At the top of the main hall of the city lord's mansion, a figure in red stood against the wind.

Jiang Yining had a blood-red mole between her eyebrows, and her eyes were slightly closed.

Through the sacred tree's vision, the giant python's indestructible scales appeared to her as a transparent energy flow pattern.

"Three inches inside the seven-inch mark, there is a reverse scale, which is where its demon core is located."

The clear, cold voice, transmitted precisely to the minds of the four men through their divine senses.

The men, who had just been fighting amongst themselves and tripping each other up, suddenly stopped moving.

"Tch, who's the coward?" Ye Wuhen wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes turning fierce.

"Chu Jinglan, lock the head!" Jiang Yining's voice rang out again.

Chu Jinglan snapped his folding fan shut, and a surge of righteous energy rose to the heavens, transforming into a golden shackle: "Confucius said: 'Draw a circle on the ground and use it as a prison!'"

Words become law!

The golden light transformed into a massive halo, forcefully enveloping the python's ferocious head and momentarily slowing its movements.

"Bai Ze, attack the eyes!"

"Alright!" The Demon Emperor Bai Ze's figure flickered, transforming into the phantom of his true form, the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox. Two pink beams of light shot from his eyes, piercing straight into the giant python's pupils.

The giant python let out a scream, its vision momentarily blurred.

"Night Without a Trace, Lower Bets!"

"I don't need your teaching!" Ye Wuhen laughed wildly, ignoring his injuries, he unleashed his full demonic energy, tightly gripped the giant python's tail, and plowed two deep furrows in the ground with his feet, using brute force to stop the python from rolling.

"Ji Lingxiao!" Jiang Yining's voice rose, "Slay him!"

Opportunity is fleeting.

Ji Lingxiao did not hesitate at all.

He took a deep breath, compressing his sword intent to the extreme, as if he had transformed into an incomparably sharp divine sword.

"All swords return to their origin—Slay!"

Man and sword become one.

A sword light, as thin as a hair yet so dazzling that it was impossible to look directly at, precisely pierced the sensitive spot that Jiang Yining had pointed out.

"Pfft!"

Blood gushed out like a waterfall.

The sword light pierced through the python's body, directly shattering its demon core.

The giant python, which was thousands of feet long, froze for a moment, then let out a mournful cry of resentment, and its massive body collapsed with a crash.

"Boom!"

The earth trembled, and dust flew everywhere.

The newly built rows of houses were crushed to pieces, but no one cared.

Won?

People peeked through their fingers and saw that the once invincible beast was lifeless, lying like a mountain of flesh outside the city.

The four bigwigs landed on the ground, all looking somewhat disheveled.

Ji Lingxiao clutched his still-bleeding arm, Chu Jinglan's fan had two broken bones, Bai Ze's beautiful white robe had a corner scorched, and Ye Wuhen was covered in mud and snake blood.

They were panting heavily, and subconsciously looked towards the main hall, their eyes filled with a hint of expectant anticipation.

However, the next second.

The woman in red instantly teleported to the side of the snake corpse.

Without even glancing at the four wounded men, she raised her hand and unleashed dozens of tree branches and roots, instantly sealing all the cuts on the snake corpse to prevent the loss of spiritual energy.

"Erbao! Quickly grab your notebook and write this down!"

Jiang Yining's eyes lit up, and she spoke rapidly: "This is a Mahayana stage demon beast! Every part of it is a treasure! We'll skin you to make soft armor, use the snake bones to forge weapons, and cut up the meat to nourish everyone... Oh, and don't waste the snake blood, catch it in a basin!"

The mortals finally realized what was happening and erupted in thunderous cheers.

They rushed out of the city gate with pots and pans in their hands, not to escape for their lives, but to catch the snake blood that was falling from the sky.

The scene instantly transformed from apocalyptic horror to a pig slaughter during the Lunar New Year.

Ji Lingxiao: "..."

Night Without Trace: "..."

Isn't this a bit too realistic?