Huang Rong from The Return of the Condor Heroes: Brother Jing, let's get a divorce.

The snake king's vertical pupils were filled with resentment.

It first glanced warily at the proud and upright Divine Eagle, then stared intently at the Xuan Tie Heavy Sword in Yang Guo's hand.

Its abdomen had a huge wound, with the skin and flesh rolled up, and dark red blood gushing out like it was free.

The giant snake twisted its heavy head and plunged into the depths of the pool.

Several large waves surged on the water's surface, leaving only a large patch of dark red blood, which drifted downstream with the swift current.

Yang Guo let out a long breath and loosened his grip.

The heavy iron sword clattered onto the stone slab.

His legs went weak, and he lay flat on his back amidst the rubble.

His chest heaved violently as he gasped for breath.

Lu Wushuang ran over, pulling on the large outer robe.

She scrambled to Yang Guo's side, her hands groping all over his chest and waist.

"My lord, where are you injured? Why are you covered in blood?"

Lu Wushuang's voice was clearly choked with sobs, and her hands trembled uncontrollably.

Yang Guo grabbed her wrist, stopping her movement.

"Don't touch it. If it catches fire, are you going to put it out? This is all the blood of that snake. I've already vomited up all my own blood."

Lu Wushuang was relieved to hear that he could still tease her.

Her eyes were slightly red, and she glared at him angrily.

"You're crazy! That snake opened its mouth wide, its teeth were thicker than my thigh. If it had bitten you, you'd be snake dung by now!"

Yang Guo grinned.

"Then it will definitely have indigestion. And this beast doesn't brush its teeth, its bad breath is so strong, it makes me dizzy."

Cheng Ying, wrapped in the half-dried old animal hide, slowly walked to the two of them.

She first glanced at the fading blush in the pool, then turned her gaze back to Yang Guo lying on the ground.

"Brother Yang, you must take care of yourself. You can't even squeeze out a trace of true energy from your dantian now."

"If that beast hadn't retreated and had bitten you with its life, all three of us would have died under this waterfall today."

Cheng Ying's tone was reproachful, but even more so, it was filled with the lingering fear of surviving a disaster.

"You've done a great job this time."

Yang Guo struggled to sit up straight, but did not refute her words.

"If you hadn't spotted the bulge on its belly, I probably would have been done for today."

Upon hearing the praise, Cheng Ying turned her head away somewhat awkwardly, avoiding Yang Guo's gaze.

"I just noticed that it always seems to be protecting that area when it rolls around, and I'm not sure if I can really break through its defenses with a single sword strike."

Yang Guo reached out and wiped the blood from his chin, looking thoughtfully at Cheng Ying.

"What do you think that bulge is? When snakes swallow their prey, it usually gets stuck near their stomach."

"But that spot is too low, almost seven inches down. And the scales there are a completely different color from the rest of the area."

Cheng Ying thought about it carefully, following his train of thought.

"Viperines devour their prey and digest it extremely quickly. Given its enormous size, its daily food intake must be astonishing."

"Ordinary exotic beasts would turn into nutrients within a few days after being ingested. That bulge had been on its body for a long time, so it was definitely not a regular internal organ."

Yang Guo's eyes lit up, and he uttered two words in a deep voice.

"Inner alchemy."

Lu Wushuang stood there, stunned, blinking blankly.

"My lord, are you referring to the inner cores of monsters described in those tales of the strange and supernatural?"

"Pretty much the same."

Yang Guo braced himself against the ground and shifted into a more comfortable position.

"The Bodhi Serpent in this Sword Tomb Valley is inherently evil. This serpent king has lived here for countless years, devouring those strange serpents day and night."

"If the medicinal properties inside its body can't be digested, it's normal for it to form a big lump. This stuff is a very good tonic, definitely more effective than eating snake gallbladders alone."

Lu Wushuang suddenly stood up, drew the willow-leaf dagger from his waist, and pointed the blade directly at the pool.

"My lord, let's go down and cut this serpent open right now! We'll take out its inner core to nourish your body!"

Yang Guo rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Are you going to feed it to your teeth? My hands are shaking so badly I don't even have the strength to pinch your thigh, do you expect me to bite it with my teeth?"

Lu Wushuang looked down at the slender willow-leaf dagger in her hand, then at the bottomless pool of water.

She obediently shrank her neck and sheathed the knife.

Yang Guo gritted his teeth and grabbed the Xuan Tie Heavy Sword beside him.

He managed to stand up with the help of the sword, but his feet slipped and he stumbled.

Seeing him sway, Cheng Ying instinctively reached out her hands to help him.

As she reached halfway out, the image of Yang Guo tightly holding her waist in the pool suddenly flashed into her mind.

The heat from the Qiankun Technique mark hadn't completely subsided, and her hand stiffened, forcibly pulling it back.

Lu Wushuang, on the other hand, did not have so many concerns.

She took a few steps forward, took Yang Guo's arm, and placed it firmly on her shoulder.

"Husband, lean on me. You healed my leg, and now I'm full of strength. I can even carry you back."

"Brother, you don't need to carry it. It's uncomfortable."

Yang Guo leaned most of his weight on Lu Wushuang, then turned to look at the Condor Heroes.

"Idiot, clear the way, let's go home!"

The divine eagle let out a long cry and strode ahead, leading the way.

The three people and the eagle slowly walked down the rocky slope toward the cave.

Back in the cave, Lu Wushuang lit a fire at the entrance.

All three of them were soaked.

Cheng Ying and Lu Wushuang hid in the corner of the stone wall and changed back into their half-dried undergarments.

The soaked outer robe was placed next to the fire to slowly dry.

Yang Guo sat cross-legged on a pile of dry hay, closed his eyes, and began to regulate his breathing.

The meridians, which were originally empty, finally produced a faint warmth with each breath.

Some of the medicinal effects from the twenty-five snake gallbladders swallowed earlier have accumulated deep within the gaps in the muscles and meridians.

The life-or-death battle with the snake king at the bottom of the waterfall just now completely extracted all the hidden medicinal power.

Pure energy circulated in his blood, constantly repairing the injured bones and torn flesh.

The foundation of the Nine Yin True Qi is extremely long. After circulating through the Ren and Du meridians for one full cycle, a warm power re-accumulated in the dantian.

Yang Guo was now staring intently at the red and black primordial energy bead in the center of his dantian.

The bead is now operating extremely smoothly.

The third line is solidly engraved on the surface of the bead, without any hint of superficiality.

The barrier at the edge of the mid-stage of the Innate Realm has been completely broken through by this force.

With just a thought, he could directly advance to the mid-stage of the Innate Realm.

But he steadied himself and abruptly stopped his progress towards breaking through to the next level.

The animal skin left behind by Dugu Qiubai clearly states: "The heavy sword has no edge; it is entirely driven by internal force."

His mastery of this heavy iron sword had only just begun; he had only grasped how to swing the sword along with the water flow.

If he were to force a breakthrough now, the surge of true energy would disrupt his swordplay rhythm.

If the foundation is not solid, the height will surely collapse. He doesn't want to be just a pretty face with high aspirations but no practical experience.

Yang Guo exhaled a long breath and opened his eyes.

Cheng Ying was sitting opposite the campfire at this moment.

Seeing that Yang Guo had finished his practice, she asked softly.

"Has the internal energy been properly regulated?"

"That's about it."

Yang Guo stretched his shoulders, and his joints made two crisp cracking sounds.

"Not only have things been sorted out, but now I can slap you a few more times."

Cheng Ying blushed and turned her head away, muttering to herself.

"I didn't do anything to you, why did you hit me?"

Lu Wushuang poked around in the fire with a wooden stick.

"Husband, what if that snake king runs far away? Wouldn't we have let its inner core escape for nothing?"

Yang Guo looked at the flickering flames and shook his head with a resolute tone.

"That snake won't go far."

Why is that?

Lu Wushuang looked completely puzzled.

Yang Guo patiently explained to her.

"The beasts are gluttonous; it's in their very nature."

"It ignored both of you today and focused solely on biting me. Do you think it's after my face?"

"It's the pure Yang energy emanating from Brother Greed. That energy is more tempting to him than a hundred or eighty strange snakes."

Upon hearing the words "pure yang true qi," Cheng Ying felt a sudden heat rise to her body for no apparent reason.

The mark within her body was temporarily calmed down thanks to this true energy.

Yang Guo, oblivious to Cheng Ying's unusual behavior, continued speaking.

"It took a sword to the stomach and was seriously injured. Given the vengeful nature of snakes, it will surely come back for revenge once its wound has healed a little."

"It wants to eat me to replenish its strength, but I'm also eyeing its inner core. In the end, it's hard to say who will die."

Lu Wushuang nodded emphatically.

"My husband is right. Next time we go, you take the Xuan Tie Heavy Sword and hold it in front, and I'll take the knife and stab it in the seven-inch spot from behind."

"Let's chop it into several pieces and see if it doesn't die!"

Yang Guo was overjoyed to hear this.

"You're quite ruthless, girl. Not bad, you've inherited my skills perfectly."

He leaned back comfortably against the stone wall, his legs stretched out straight.

"Alright, I did a lot of physical labor today, my bones are about to fall apart."

Yang Guo patted the empty seat next to him.

"Lu Wushuang, come here and give me a shoulder massage. You've taken so many benefits from me, it's time for you to show off."

Lu Wushuang dropped the wooden stick and ran over happily.

She obediently knelt behind Yang Guo, her small hands diligently pressing on his shoulders.

Yang Guo felt completely relaxed after being pinched, and then turned to look at Cheng Ying sitting by the fire.

"Butler Cheng, don't just stand around. You were the one who ordered me to poke the snake. I've been exhausted because of you. Come here and massage my legs."

Cheng Ying subconsciously clenched the dry grass in her hand.

"I am a descendant of Peach Blossom Island, not your servant girl."

"What's wrong with being a successor of Peach Blossom Island? Can a successor of Peach Blossom Island just stand by and watch his benefactor's legs ache and do nothing?"

Yang Guo raised an eyebrow.

"You said you were doing it for my own good, and I risked my life for you. You won't even massage my leg, is this how you repay a debt of gratitude?"

Cheng Ying was rendered speechless by his words.

She hesitated for a moment, then finally stood up.

She moved to sit down beside Yang Guo, her delicate hands forming fists, and gently tapped Yang Guo's calves.

Yang Guo closed his eyes, enjoying the service from the two stunningly beautiful women.

He silently planned his sword practice schedule for tomorrow.

Once the heavy sword is mastered, reaching the mid-stage of the Innate Realm will be a natural progression. At that time, we can then kill the snake king and extract its inner core.

He wanted to squeeze every last drop of opportunity out of this valley.