Elderly Martial Saint: Sixty Times the Cultivation Speed ​​at the Start

Southern region of Bailongze, Black Water Vortex.

The Sanhu Gang's ships sailed through the dense fog of the Great Swamp for more than half an hour before finally reaching their destination and stopping.

Wu Yuanhao, standing at the bow of the ship, was trembling. His right hand gripped the ship's side so tightly that his fingernails dug into the wood. He had returned to this land of death.

The color of the "Black Water Whirlpool" is completely different from other places. The inky black lake water swirls slowly, and there are no waves on the surface. It is very quiet.

"This is it."

Wu Yuanhao's voice was extremely dry, filled with an intense, unforgettable fear as he spoke:

"Chief Chen, we were attacked in this very area of ​​water."

Upon arriving at their destination, Chen Tao stood in the center of the ship's deck, his sinister triangular eyes squinting as he surveyed the vast lake.

The water here was black, the fog was 30% thicker than elsewhere in Bailongze, and the air carried a faint fishy smell, not just fishy, ​​but also the stench of snakes.

Chen Tao took a deep breath, seemingly unaffected by the stench, and smiled excitedly:

"Yes, it's right here."

Upon hearing his leader's words, Qian Yue, who was behind him, had already led twenty-one gang members into formation, each with an airbag and a weapon wrapped in waterproof tarpaulin strapped to their back.

These men were all veterans of the Three Lakes Gang, who had made a living in Bailongze for many years. They were excellent swimmers, but none of them looked well as they stood on the deck.

It wasn't just the strong fishy smell that made me uneasy; the surrounding environment was also unsettling.

"Boss."

Qian Yue leaned closer and whispered, "Judging from Wu Yuanhao's description, this golden-striped black python is probably quite powerful. I'm afraid the men I brought won't be able to withstand it."

Hearing his deputy say that, Chen Tao didn't turn around.

He knew, of course, that his men were unreliable.

The Golden-Striped Black Python is a mythical beast that can dominate the White Dragon Marsh. It can wipe out all the powerful beasts within dozens of miles of its presence, leaving only the beasts it can eat.

Although it is unknown why this strange beast appeared in the southern region of Bailongze, its strength is definitely no less than the third level of inner energy, and may even be stronger.

Moreover, the water is the opponent's home ground.

Qian Yue was only at the first level of Inner Qi perfection, and his remaining subordinates were all martial artists at the Qi and Blood realm.

Send them to fight such strange beasts?

That would just be suicide.

But Chen Tao needs them.

"You don't need to confront that thing head-on."

Chen Tao turned to his men and said calmly, "After you go down there, you only need to do two things. First, help me find the location of the snake's nest. Second, lure it out."

"It was already agreed before that as long as you go into the water, you will be rewarded with a thousand taels of silver. Even if your family members die, the Three Lakes Gang will take good care of them and ensure that they become at least fourth-level Qi and Blood martial artists."

Hearing his boss's promise, Qian Yue asked in a very cooperative manner:

"Boss, what happens after we lure them out?"

"I'll handle the rest."

Everyone on deck heard these words.

The gang leader is going to personally go into the water and fight that snake, which will ensure their safety.

Moreover, the rewards for this operation were quite substantial, so most of the gang members had determined looks in their eyes.

Chen Tao, standing in the center of the deck, raised his hand and unfastened his outer robe, revealing the leather armor underneath.

This item was skinned from a water-type beast deep within the White Dragon Marsh, and then crafted by the best artisans in White Fish City for three thousand taels of silver.

It has the effect of making people move in water as if walking on flat ground, and can also defend against most attacks from those with internal energy cultivation.

It is a rare treasure.

Seeing that everything was ready, Chen Tao clenched his fist, and his knuckles cracked.

eight years.

For eight long years, he was stuck at the critical juncture of perfecting the third level of internal energy, unable to make any further progress.

And now, the opportunity lies right here in this black water.

The heart's blood of the golden-striped black python, combined with the black-scaled fruit from its nest, is the key to his entry into the True Qi Realm.

"Ready to go into the water."

……

At the same time, one hundred feet away.

At a depth of seven feet underwater, Yi Yang's entire body was pressed against a waterweed root as thick as a bowl, remaining completely still.

After breaking through to the True Qi Realm, his perception range expanded by nearly three times.

While the foggy environment of Bailongze might reduce the accuracy of the detection, it's still relatively easy to pinpoint movements within a hundred feet.

From the moment the Three Lakes Gang's ship entered the southern region of White Dragon Marsh, Yi Yang discovered that the target he was looking for had secretly followed it.

After leaving the city this morning, he traveled all the way to Bailongze and spent about half an hour figuring out the surrounding area.

The density of martial artists in the southern region of Bailongze is significantly lower, which matches what Song Liangcheng said in his letter.

Recently, there have been quite a few deaths in this area, making many martial artists from White Fish City more cautious and hesitant to approach this place for the time being.

Therefore, the ships of the Three Lakes Gang, which were swaggering into the depths of the southern region, were very conspicuous.

This allowed Yi Yang to locate the target without much effort.

After breaking through to the True Qi Realm, he used the "Concealing Breath Without Form Technique" to conceal and cover his aura, so even Chen Tao, who was at the third level of perfect internal energy, could not detect his presence.

Even a fellow True Qi Realm expert would likely find it difficult to detect him easily.

Not to mention the group of low-level Qi and Blood Realm minions on the ship.

At this moment, Yi Yang had his eyes closed, and the conversation on the deck reached his ears through the vibrations in the air. Every word spoken by everyone was clear to him. This was the enhancement of his physical body after breaking through to the True Qi Realm.

Golden-striped black python.

Black-scaled fruit.

Taking heart's blood in combination with fruit can help one break through to the True Qi Realm.

Yi Yang went through the information he had obtained in his mind.

He had no interest in that so-called "heart's blood"; he was already at the True Qi Realm and didn't need such things to break through.

But the black-scaled fruit caught his attention.

A precious medicine that can help break through to the True Qi Realm must be of a very high grade.

Such rare and precious natural treasures rarely grow alone. If the nest of the golden-striped black python is nourished year-round, it might contain other valuable items as well.

For example, potent psychiatric medications.

Yi Yang's eyelids twitched as he thought about the snail-paced progress of "The Mind Monkey's Guardian Technique".

If there really are such spiritual creatures in the snake's nest, then this trip won't have been in vain.

As for the clues about the Nine Evils Cult—so many people have gone missing in this area, whether it was the Golden-Striped Black Python that caused it, or whether the Nine Evils Cult is using snakes to eat people to cover something up, we can only make a decision after we see the snake's nest.

Yi Yang made a judgment.

Don't rush to take action yourself.

Let these people from the Three Lakes help them pave the way first.

If Chen Tao wants to be a warrior, then let him be one.

He led about twenty men down; they should be able to test the strength of the Golden-Striped Black Python.

If that snake was at the True Qi Realm, Yi Yang would simply leave and not get involved.

Fighting a True Qi Realm aquatic beast on its territory is like asking for trouble; Yi Yang isn't that arrogant.

But if the snake is only at the third level of perfect internal energy or lower, then it's simple.

Once Chen Tao and the snake are both severely injured, he will go and collect their bodies.

Collect both the human and the snake.

As for Chen Tao himself, his internal energy was at the third level of perfection, but in Yi Yang's eyes, he was no different from someone made of paper.

Although fighting in the water is disadvantageous, the True Qi Realm cultivator completely overwhelms the Inner Qi Realm cultivator, leaving the opponent with no chance of turning the tide.

After finishing his thoughts, Yi Yang suppressed his breathing to a minimum and remained quietly in place, waiting for the other party to make a move.

……

On the ship of the Sanhu Gang, Chen Tao, as the gang leader, was the first to jump into the water.

His entry into the water was clean and swift; the sharkskin armor clung to his body, causing almost no splashes.

With the help of his internal energy, the resistance of the water had little effect on him, and he moved as nimbly as a fish underwater.

Qian Yue followed suit and jumped down, followed by twenty-two elite gang members.

The rest of the crew stayed on the ship to provide support.

The underwater world is more oppressive than what you see on the surface.

The deeper you swim, the dimmer the light becomes.

The inky black color didn't seem to be the color of the water itself, but rather some kind of sediment suspended in the water, completely blocking out the sunlight.

Chen Tao led the way and dived downwards, his eyes still able to see fairly clearly thanks to the protection of his internal energy.

He noticed a detail.

There are very few fish and shrimp underwater.

In such a large swamp, the fish near the shore are so plentiful that they can be scooped up by hand, but within this black eddy, there are almost no living creatures in the water.

It was all eaten.

Or perhaps they are afraid to get close.

It's self-evident what lives in a place where even fish and shrimp dare not approach.

This made Chen Tao's triangular eyes narrow even more, and his heart was racing, but not because of fear.

It's exciting!

Unable to find their target, the group continued their descent.

When we reached a depth of about 15 zhang (approximately 33 meters), the underwater terrain changed.

A huge crack appeared on the originally flat lakebed, extending from south to north, wide enough for three people to pass side by side.

The rock walls on both sides of the crack are covered with dark red algae, which float in the water and look like a blood vessel from a distance.

Deep within the crevice lies a cave.

The cave entrance is two zhang high and three zhang wide.

Scratches remain on the cave walls. The deep and shallow grooves are the result of the repeated rubbing of some enormous body.

Qian Yue swam to Chen Tao's side and gestured: This is probably the place.

Chen Tao nodded.

He gestured to his followers behind him to disperse, and the group split into three groups and approached the cave entrance by hugging the rock walls on both sides.

About fifty feet behind them, Yi Yang was suspended in the water, his figure hidden in the shadow of a clump of dark water plants.

He saw the cave before Chen Tao.

They saw what was inside the cave before Chen Tao did.

With his True Qi Realm perception penetrating the darkness of the cave entrance, Yi Yang detected a massive, slowly undulating life force behind a corner deep within the cave.

That thing was coiled up at the deepest part of the cave.

His body was as thick as a ship's mast; Wu Yuanhao was not lying.

Its jet-black scales gleamed with a dull luster in the water, and each scale was edged with a fine gold line, the gold pattern extending from the top of its head to the tip of its tail.

The snake's head is triangular and flat, larger than a millstone.

With its eyes closed, it coiled up like a small mountain, its abdomen rising and falling with each breath, causing a slight ripple in the surrounding water.

Yi Yang's attention, however, was focused on the area below the snake's body.

The spot where the golden-striped black python was coiled was not an ordinary rocky area.

It was a black fruit about the size of a fist.

A dozen or so were scattered beneath the snake's belly.

The peel is jet black, and you can vaguely see scaly patterns on the surface.

Black-scaled fruit.

Yi Yang's breathing remained unchanged, but he already knew what was going on.

Not just black-scaled fruit.

Deeper into the cave, he sensed several other plants emitting unusual energy. This energy was different from that of precious pills and medicines.

Fifty feet ahead, Chen Tao was leading his men toward the cave entrance.

Yi Yang watched their retreating figures and made an assessment in his mind.

The aura of this golden-striped black python was somewhere between the peak of the third level of internal energy cultivation and the True Qi Realm.

Strictly speaking, this thing hasn't crossed that threshold yet, but it's only one step away from the True Qi Realm.

Chen Tao has achieved the third level of perfect internal energy.

If the giant python were to go toe-to-toe with this snake, even a 50/50 chance would be considered a sign of its strength; more likely, the giant python would be strangled to death at the bottom of the water.

But this has nothing to do with Yi Yang.

He stayed close to the seaweed, suppressing his breathing as much as possible, patiently waiting for things to unfold.