Refining the True from the False: Becoming a God Starting with Devouring a True Dragon

Chapter 70 The Allure of Power: Winter Hunt Outside the City! A First Display of Power! (5.4k)

Wang Qi immediately ran to the water vat.

He plunged in headfirst.

He slowly opened his eyes and looked at the water that filled the surroundings.

Originally a landlubber, he actually felt a strange fear whenever he came into contact with water.

Even during the period when he was most afraid in his past life, he didn't dare to wash his hair with his head down, because every breath he took while washing his hair with his head down would precisely inhale the water flowing down from above into his nostrils, and then he would choke on it.

And that is why,

When Wang Qi first went to Heihekou, even though he had acquired the skill of swimming, he only dared to sit on Liang Baitou's boat.

However, as his martial arts skills continued to improve...

He found that he had also become bolder.

Call ~

Wang Qi took a deep breath in the water.

The water flowed in through my nose and continued to flow into my body.

Then a burning sensation came from my lungs.

And then,

Wang Qi spat out a mouthful of water.

Everything was so natural.

"It really worked!"

Wang Qi was overjoyed.

However, this short breathing pattern clearly increases the burden on the lungs, which explains why it cannot be sustained for long.

But this attempt,

This also greatly boosted Wang Qi's confidence.

Most importantly, he discovered that he was no longer afraid of water!

Not afraid of water, and by combining one's swimming skills and ability to adapt to water, one can traverse waterways.

[“Prestige” increased by 1%!]

[[Prestige stat increased by 1%!]]

[The "Hatchling Dragon - Dragon Power" stat has been increased by 0.1%!]

[The "Hatchling Dragon - Dragon Power" stat has been increased by 0.1%!]

Wang Qi began to eat voraciously.

After eating several kilograms, Wang Qi stopped.

Because the improvement speed of snake demon meat of this quality is too slow.

Aside from acquiring the "Like a Fish in Water" skill, the improvement it can bring to Wang Qi is too small. If he wants to push all the way to three thousand jin, four thousand jin, or even upgrade the True Dragon Bloodline to the second level, who knows when he will be able to wait.

He doesn't lack money now.

What's lacking is high-quality demon meat and a large enough appetite.

His daily food intake of over 20 kilograms is the limit to which he can improve in a day of cultivation.

This is the main reason why his entry into the country is restricted.

Therefore, Wang Qi had to allocate each pound of rice carefully, saying, "I need to buy some more blackwater scale snake meat."

Wang Qi went out again.

On the streets, many people have already begun carrying their packs and weapons wrapped in cloth as they head out of the city.

These people are the pioneers of winter hunting.

"Go early to eat meat, go late to gnaw on bones!"

Some people went in groups and even made up rhymes.

However, Wang Qi also noticed that most of those who were enthusiastic were young people.

roadside,

There were quite a few elderly people watching coldly, muttering to themselves, "You can't reason with those damned devils. These kids have no idea how ferocious the demons outside the city are."

"That's right, they think that practicing in the city or going hungry for two days is the hardest thing in the world."

"Once they leave the city and witness the terror of the demons, they'll realize that staying within the city is the safest place."

Wang Qi listened to and watched these two polarized groups of people.

My curiosity about the scenery outside the city grew stronger.

Actually, he could have followed Sun Li's example and taken the lead.

The jewelry from the sewer alley will probably not be settled in the short term.

Neither the [Water Poison Soul] nor the second level of the Dragon Elephant Secret Martial Arts - Great Demon Force, nor archery skills, can be completed in just a few days.

"What I can do now is to find demon flesh that can both advance my main cultivation technique and allow me to gain some special abilities through food cultivation."

This can save you weight, improve your training efficiency, and enhance your combat power.

no way,

Spiritual practice cannot be rushed; one cannot become fat overnight.

Unique snake demon meat, tiger cat demon meat —

Wang Qi has identified these two types of demon flesh.

The fat man at the meat market is a good place to buy snake demon meat.

But tiger demon meat is a bit difficult to obtain.

The reason why Shi Hu's martial arts school declined was because the tiger demon was difficult to kill and tiger demon meat was hard to find.

The tiger is the king of beasts.

They are among the most powerful beings of their rank in the demon race.

High-grade tiger demon meat is even harder to find.

Fortunately,

Wang Qi has the ability to see through this.

Being able to upgrade ordinary tiger demon meat by one level can greatly reduce the difficulty.

But where can one find ordinary tiger demon meat?

Perhaps there is some in the yamen's storeroom—

"Let's go check the warehouse first."

Wang Qi turned around and ran towards the county government's warehouse.

This warehouse was managed by the Household Affairs Office, one of the three departments and six offices, because it controlled land, household registration, and most importantly, tax revenue. The officials in the Household Affairs Office were usually the magistrate's confidants.

They were also among the wealthiest people in the government office.

The Lifang (吏房), second only to the Lifang (吏房), which manages promotions, is on par with the Bingfang (兵房), which controls weapons and city defenses.

As soon as he arrived at the door, Wang Qi saw a familiar face chatting with an official from the household registration office.

It was Liu Fang, a butcher and a fast-moving taxi driver.

"Hey, Chief Wang!"

Liu Fang also noticed Wang Qi and quickly greeted him with a smile.

Upon hearing the name "Wang Ban Tou" and seeing Wang Qi's face, the clerk in charge of the household affairs immediately recognized Wang Qi's identity.

"You must be the one who became a squad leader at the age of sixteen, the Great Python King Qi! I've admired you for a long time."

The man immediately grabbed Wang Qi's hand, showering him with compliments and a broad smile.

"The deputy, the deputy."

Wang Qi corrected him.

"Look at what you're saying. Removing the 'deputy' title is just a matter of time, isn't it?"

The official fawned over him, saying, "You've come here to—."

"I'd like to ask if we have any tiger demon meat in our warehouse."

Wang Qi spoke.

"Yes!" Liu Fang answered him.

The official laughed and said, "If someone else came to claim it, I would definitely say that I don't have it—after all, tiger demon meat is a rare commodity."

"With a little manipulation, it can be sold for an astronomical price."

"But since it was you, Chief Wang, who spoke up, then it must be true."

The officials made no attempt to conceal their shady dealings with Wang Qi.

Such things are already commonplace in Class 3, Room 6.

This is the benefit of power and fame.

Wang Qi sighed with emotion.

"Then Wang Qi thanks you very much!"

Wang Qi was also sensible and took out five taels of silver from his pocket and handed it to the official.

"Oh dear, you're too kind, Chief Wang!"

The official verbally declined, but without the slightest hesitation, he stuffed the five taels of silver into his sleeve.

How much would you like to take?

The officials inquired.

"Give me 100 jin first."

Wang Qi began to calculate the size of his sac.

Three hundred catties.

It can fill half of the stream bag.

Wang Qi planned to first obtain 100 jin of tiger demon meat, and then process the remaining 200 jin into black water scale snake demon meat.

After all, enhancing "prestige" and "dragon power" is the priority in the short term.

Especially since I'm about to leave the city.

The remaining half is for your own equipment and any possible loot.

"Okay! Please wait here a moment."

After making a quick record, the official immediately ran towards the warehouse.

He then looked at Liu Fang, "Is Officer Liu very familiar with the people in the household registration office?"

Liu Fang laughed and said, "Does Lord Wang think that being a butcher is so easy?"

"To put it bluntly, I helped with 30% of the demon meat in this warehouse," Liu Fang said, patting her chest.

Wang Qi felt a surge of respect; this was indeed a capable person. Not long after...

Wang Qi then turned and left, carrying the three hundred catties of tiger demon meat.

Behind him, several more constables appeared before the official.

"One hundred catties of green-eyed cat demon meat."

"no."

"How could there not be? I clearly saw a batch of green-eyed cat demon meat being delivered to the warehouse yesterday."

"No means no."

The sounds of bickering gradually faded into the distance.

As Wang Qi listened to those conversations, he became increasingly aware of the convenience of power.

Did I use my power as the deputy leader?

It didn't work, but it also seemed to work.

As long as you hold this title.

It seems that if we do things that are supposed to be taken for granted, then everything will be as it should be.

"Buy a good bow and arrows, then leave the city early and start the winter hunt!"

Wang Qi made up his mind.

He went to the meat market, only to find that the fat man's business was so good that he had already closed up shop.

Wang Qi secretly regretted it.

Fortunately, he found a stall selling blackwater scale snake meat. Just as the fat man had said, this snake was indeed relatively unremarkable.

They bought another 200 jin of snake demon meat.

Wang Qi then left the meat market satisfied.

A certain residence.

The fat man sat on the bed, eating while looking at the intelligence report in his hand.

"Several promising young talents have indeed emerged."

"Wang Qi, a martial artist who trained from the outside to the inside in just over a month."

"And then there's Sun Li, the 'Silver Fairy,' who only picks the cheapest food and will eat anything."

"Oh—what's this kid from Kushuijing Village? Wasn't that village occupied by the demon race five years ago? How did you gather this information?"

The fat man frowned, looking at the person in the shadows.

The man spoke up, "As far as I know, this person was the only surviving child in that village, and he was only ten years old at the time."

"At the age of ten, I lived alone in the desolate wilderness near the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain, where demons often appeared."

"The cultivation method was given to me by an old scout from the Black River Army before he died."

"Where did this intelligence come from?" the fat man asked.

"Some border scouts, as well as some elders from various villages, have heard about him. Quite a few people have seen him when he was eleven or twelve years old."

The voice continued to answer.

"That's fine too!"

"A ten-year-old hunting demons alone! Excellent!"

The fat man took the information on the three men and compared them one by one.

"If you ask me, Wang Qi is the best," the person in the shadows said.

"He possesses the greatest talent and a certain aura. His strength is also extremely formidable—"

The fat man looked at the other person and said, "Can you tell what kind of aura he's cultivating?"

The person in the shadows shook their head.

"It's very likely to be a dragon or snake," the fat man said, his words tinged with regret.

"what?"

The person in the shadows was startled. "This...no way."

They are the Divine Eagle Cult, whose motto is to devour all dragons and other creatures in the world.

If the aura that Wang Qi cultivated belonged to the category of dragons and snakes.

The Divine Eagle Sect and he were destined to be apart.

Let's take another look—

The fat man remained silent.

dark night.

It is located 20 li outside Heihe County.

Without the protection of city walls and buildings, the howling cold wind, mixed with ice and snow, arrogantly swept across the land.

It can stir up frost and unleash a storm anywhere at any time.

Wang Qi stepped into the snow.

The entire leg suddenly disappeared.

He carried a large bow bought for thirty taels of silver, a quiver containing twenty arrows, and held a scabbard of ruthless knives. He walked silently through the snow.

In mid-air,

A red dot hovers high in the sky as a warning.

That would naturally be ten taels.

Not far from Wang Qi, there was a small black snake lurking beneath the snow, its location only detectable by the slightest collapse of the upper layer.

He left the city in the morning.

He said goodbye to Ge Daniu and the others in advance, and also went to the Zhang residence to say goodbye to his master.

His master also thoughtfully gave him a rough map of the area outside the city.

The map shows the locations of these eighteen villages and towns, as well as two roads leading to the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain.

Then Wang Qi rushed out of the city.

Based on the information Sun Li had given him, Wang Qi wanted to find the tiger demon guarding the pool.

However, the snowstorm outside the city was more terrifying than he had imagined.

As far as I can see,

It was all a vast expanse of white.

The snow was exceptionally deep; if one were buried in the snow, it would be extremely difficult to spot the enemy.

Therefore, Wang Qi was extremely careful as he walked.

He followed a tributary of the Heihe River, and could see the frozen ice surface just five steps away.

Legend has it that the tiger demon's lair is located by following this tributary.

As for how far the destination is, and how to choose between tributaries if we encounter more tributaries, I have no idea.

I walked a few more steps.

Wang Qi suddenly stopped.

ear,

A clear sound of flowing water could be heard.

He looked towards the ice.

Sure enough, there seemed to be a hole in the ice.

"Little Black!"

Wang Qi was suddenly startled. He glanced at the two large moons in the sky and drew a circle around himself with his sword.

In an instant, he swept away all the snow.

A vacuum was revealed.

boom!

Xiao Hei emerged from the 'snow wall' diagonally in front of Wang Qi, its eyes gleaming with excitement.

"They're here!"

It suddenly rushed out.

At the same time, another monster emerged from the snow wall and charged straight at Wang Qi.

Awe-inspiring!

A golden light flashed in Wang Qi's eyes.

next moment,

That fierce figure instantly sprawled on the ground.

This is a snake demon that is entirely white.

And it should be a water snake.

"Little Black, have a question."

Wang Qiyan's words were concise.

Next,

It was just Xiao Hei conducting the interrogation unilaterally.

The white snake howled in pain as it was beaten by the black snake, constantly flicking its tongue.

The two communicated in snake language.

A moment later,

Wang Qi then obtained the information he wanted.

"It said it didn't know anything about tiger demons; it came from a snake town up ahead in search of food," Little Black replied.

"Snake Town?" Wang Qi raised an eyebrow. "What kind of place is that?"

He took out the map his master had given him and searched for the corresponding location.

The closest place to where he is now is indeed a town.

However, it's called Shuijing Town.

Little Black replied from the side, "It's a name given by the demon race."

"There are probably forty or fifty snakes inside. They have trapped the dozens of people in the town and are using them as food."

"There was also a caravan from out of town, along with two doctors and bodyguards."

"Forty or fifty snakes."

Excitement immediately shone in Wang Qi's eyes.

How much silver would that cost?

Little Black, standing to the side, was clearly more excited.

"Is this outside the city?"

Wang Qi looked at Xiao Hei and asked in surprise, "You've never left Heihe County?"

"I am a native snake demon from Heihe County. All the information I have about the outside world comes from my fellow snake demons."

Xiao Hei said.

No wonder.

Wang Qi suddenly realized that if that were the case, it would somewhat explain why Xiao Hei could speak.

Besides its inherent intelligence, its intelligence is also related to the fact that it has lived in Heihe County since childhood.

"I feel like I can transform myself by eating them!"

Xiao Hei spoke with absolute certainty.

"What's the highest rank of the snake demons in Snake Town?"

Wang Qi asked again.

"Second order".

Xiao Hei replied, "Half of them are Tier 2."

"They are a race, some kind of white water snake demon."

"The second-tier creatures enjoy themselves in town, while the first-tier creatures are responsible for foraging for food."

"You really know how to enjoy life."

Xiao Hei looked on with envy, but his eyes also held a hint of disdain.

"Then lead the way."

Wang Qi spoke.

This time,

He emerged from the deep snow and stepped onto the ice.

It's too dangerous in the snow.

It's better to walk on ice, at least the view on both sides is open, and if an accident happens, you'll have time to react.

He began his sprint, charging towards Shuijing Town.

Shuijing Town.

It was originally a small village with only a few dozen households; you could see the whole thing at a glance.

But now,

However, dozens of large snake-like demons were entrenched in the town.

Inside the town, the unarmed people trembled as the giant python, thicker than their waists, crawled past them.

Although they were not bound hand and foot, they were already too frightened to move by these great demons.

Among the escorts from before, there was a martial artist who, confident in his strength, wanted to resist.

The result was that his spine was broken by a giant python with such a thick tail, and he was then swallowed alive and skinned by several snake demons.

sand..-..

A giant black python crawled toward a little girl.

It slowly opened its blood-red maw, and its throat, as black as a hole, emitted an astonishing stench.

The little girl was so frightened by the sight of the snake's mouth so close that she burst into tears.

And this cry

The black python seemed even more excited!

The surrounding snake demons seemed to be echoing this sentiment, their hissing and flicking of their tongues becoming even more intense.

In the corner,

Liang Nan clenched his fists tightly; he was one of only two strong martial artists among the escorts on this trip.

When he entered the town, he thought it was a town of the dead.

I was thinking of staying here for the night.

never thought,

I just entered the house and haven't gone to sleep yet.

They discovered that the area was already completely surrounded by a dense swarm of snake demons.

that moment,

His heart sank.

When he saw that there were as many as twenty second-tier snake demons, his heart sank to the bottom of the lake.

There is a certain difference in strength between a martial artist and a snake demon who are in the same realm.

The opponent still has an absolute numerical advantage.

They are simply invincible.

At first, he wanted to resist.

But when he saw the first strong warrior being bound hand and foot by three second-tier snake demons and strangled to death, he gave up the idea.

Liang Nan decided to settle for second best and wait for the right opportunity to escape.

but·-

But these snake demons are truly despicable!

They're being completely toyed with!

More than a dozen people had already died right before his eyes, their bodies devoured by snakes.

Their bones and organs were crushed alive before they were eaten.

The scene was so horrific that he couldn't bear to imagine it anymore.

right now,

He couldn't take it anymore.

He also realized that these snake demons were extremely intelligent.

Even their weapons were disarmed by these snake demons the moment they surrendered.

I probably don't have much of a chance to escape alive.

Since that's the case—.—

Then I might as well risk my life and vent my anger!

At least, at least we can't die behind this little girl.

boom!

He stood up instantly.

"ah!!!

"Snake demons, I'll fight you to the death!"

He glared angrily, using a finger as a sword to charge at the second-tier black python.

Finger gun!

This was a move he learned when he was young, and he once considered it his signature move.

It's long outdated now.

but now,

He picked it up again, treating it as a last-ditch effort.

Even if there's only a one in ten thousand chance!

Upon seeing this, the black python's eyes gleamed with a gleam of triumphant, almost human-like, cunning light.

Its gaping maw instantly turned, roaring as it lunged at Liang Nan.

It seems like they had planned this all along.

Its speed was several times faster than Liang Nan's!

It arrived first despite being behind, and pounced on Liang Nan.

Then--

Liang Nan stared in disbelief as his finger gun pierced the black python's chin and then its skull.

"It actually...it actually worked?"

boom!

Directly behind the black python, another snake demon collapsed to the ground with a thud.

"Oh My God!"

Liang Nan's pupils dilated in shock as he stared at the scene before him in disbelief.

"Could it be that I, in the face of life and death, have elevated the Finger Pistol technique to a higher level? And comprehended an incredible move?!"

Finger gun from a distance!

"Hahaha—I did it?!"