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

Deep within the cave at the bottom of the lake, the golden-striped black python dwells, its body, over thirty feet long, piled up in the cave like a mountain of flesh.

The golden-striped black python was not asleep at this moment; it was full of energy.

Those vertical pupils, hidden behind half-closed eyelids, looked like two amber beads.

Those pupils reflected the turbulence of the water flowing from the direction of the cave entrance, as well as the bubbles stirred up by the approaching "food."

Just two weeks ago, it capsized a small boat carrying five people.

It ate four of the five people above.

They let one go.

The man with the broken leg struggled to climb onto the driftwood and paddled toward the shore in terror.

The golden-striped black python watched it leave from underwater, not chasing after it to kill it, but rather to satisfy its hunger.

It has lived for sixty-three years, and its wisdom has long surpassed that of ordinary wild beasts and strange creatures.

Its wisdom told it to let the person go, and the person would bring it back more food.

To be precise, it refers to things that have more abundant Qi and blood.

Recently, for some unknown reason, not only is the depths of the swamp restless, but food has also become scarce in the surrounding environment.

The golden-striped black python could feel the layer of restraint within its body loosening.

Each time it devours the flesh and blood of a martial artist, the barrier thins a little more. Perhaps if it consumes a few more of those two creatures with similar auras from outside, it can complete its transformation.

After a long wait of sixty-three years, only the final step remains.

Now, the prey delivered to its door is even plumper than it had expected.

More than twenty auras surged from the cave entrance, one of which was particularly rich and mellow, like a torch burning in water, emitting a flavor that made one's mouth water.

Internal energy reaches its peak in three stages.

The golden-striped black python slowly opened its vertical pupils, which contracted into thin lines in the darkness.

……

Chen Tao lay hidden against the right rock wall of the cave. The black whirlpool's water quality reduced visibility to the limit, with the field of vision no more than five meters away.

This made him somewhat uncomfortable.

On land, relying on the perception range of the perfected three levels of internal energy, everything within a radius of a hundred feet is under control.

But in this pitch-black underwater world, perception was constantly disturbed by the water flow, and its range was reduced by more than half.

If you can't see clearly, it means danger could come from any direction.

Chen Tao gripped the broadsword in his hand tightly.

The sharkskin wrapped around the handle becomes rough in the water, which helps prevent slipping.

He adjusted his breathing rhythm, used his inner energy to protect his mouth and nose, and fixed his gaze on the dark hole in front of him.

Fifteen feet ahead, Qian Yue led the first group of six people, sneaking into the cave along the left side.

They are bait to lure the target out.

Chen Tao's plan was simple: have someone lure the snake out of its lair, and when it was fully exposed, he would launch a surprise attack from the flank to its vital spot.

One fatal blow.

If one cut isn't enough, then two cuts will do.

Qian Yue led the way, his longsword held horizontally in front of his chest, its blade gleaming with a pale blue luster as he channeled his inner energy.

He was at the peak of the first level of internal energy cultivation. Although his ability to fight in the water was somewhat diminished, he was at least not unable to protect himself.

He gestured, and the six members of the Three Lakes Gang followed him into the cave in single file.

The environment inside the cave is much darker than the outside.

Quiet.

It's too quiet.

Apart from the sounds of the Sanhu Gang members stirring the water, there was no other noise in the cave.

This made Qian Yue uneasy, but he didn't stop walking.

He had to obey the gang leader's orders. After swimming another five or six zhang, something suddenly appeared in his line of sight.

It was black and enormous.

He stared intently at it and saw it was a scale.

No, not just one piece.

It is a wall.

Now this entire "wall" is slowly undulating.

Qian Yue's mind went blank upon seeing this.

He realized that what he was seeing was not the cave wall, but the body of a golden-striped black python.

The creature was coiled less than four zhang in front of him, its body as thick as the mast of a multi-story ship, with dark gold patterns emanating from the edges of its black scales.

Big.

too big.

Upon seeing such a massive body, Qian Yue's right hand began to tremble. He wanted to turn and run, but the gang leader's order was still weighing on his mind—to lure it out.

Qian Yue gritted his teeth and took a step back, intending to create distance before using his sword energy to provoke his opponent.

But before he could make a move, the "black wall" in front of the seven people moved.

The golden-striped black python stretches its body at an absurdly fast speed.

A dark shadow shot out from its entrenched position, and the resulting shockwave from the water sent Qian Yue tumbling head over heels.

He tumbled twice in the water, and when he regained his balance and looked back, the giant python had already swept past him.

He wasn't the other party's target.

Those were the two henchmen closest to the golden-striped black python standing in front of him.

Chen Qiang and Zhao Meng, two veterans at the fifth level of Qi and Blood, have been fighting in Bailongze for seven or eight years.

They died before they could even draw their swords.

The golden-striped black python's triangular mouth was wide open, the angle between its upper and lower jaws so large as to be twisted, and its two rows of hook-shaped sharp teeth gleamed coldly in the dim light.

Just one bite.

Chen Qiang was bitten off at the waist, and his upper body rolled several times in the water, spreading out a mist of blood.

The giant python flicked its head and swept its body horizontally.

Zhao Meng didn't even utter a muffled groan before his body was slammed against the cave wall by the snake's over thirty-foot-long body. The muffled sound of bones shattering echoed far and wide in the water. His corpse slowly sank against the rock wall, his eyes still open.

Two lives, in less than three breaths.

Qian Yue's pupils shrank to their maximum size.

He didn't freeze. Having followed the gang leader for twelve years, he had seen all sorts of things, and no matter how scared he was, he wouldn't lose his body's instincts.

The longsword in his hand was drawn.

Qian Yue channeled his inner energy into the sword and aimed his full-force strike at the snout of the golden-patterned black python, which had just turned around.

This is one of the weakest points on a snake's body; the area where the scales meet offers the least protection.

The sword energy struck.

But they couldn't penetrate it at all.

The clanging of metal echoed in the water, and Qian Yue's hand was shattered by the impact, causing his long sword to bounce off.

He discovered that his sword hadn't even left a white mark on his opponent.

What the hell is this thing?

The golden-striped black python became impatient with this sword strike.

With its vertical pupils aligned with Qian Yue's position, the snake's head retracted, and its neck arched into an S-shape—a move in preparation for a thrust.

Upon seeing the other person's appearance, Qian Yue desperately dodged to the side, pushing himself to the position of the cave exit.

Just as the golden-striped black python was about to pounce, a blade of light slashed down from its right side.

Chen Tao made his move.

This is the opportunity he's been waiting for.

When the golden-striped black python's head is aimed at someone, its seven-inch spot is completely exposed to its attack range.

The broadsword was filled with the full power of the third level of internal energy perfection, and the blade cleaved accurately towards the neck of the golden-striped black python.

He practiced the "Mountain-Splitting Blade" for twenty years, and its power increased rather than decreased in water.

This one strike is enough to split a three-inch-thick boulder.

The blade struck the scales.

"clang--!"

The sparks exploded underwater, creating several bright flashes.

Chen Tao's arm trembled violently, and the blade bounced two inches away.

He quickly glanced at the spot where the golden-striped black python had struck him, and saw that only a faint white mark had appeared on the black scales.

The skin wasn't even broken.

The golden-striped black python sensed the true source of the threat.

It abandoned Qian Yue, its head turning sharply ninety degrees, its vertical pupils locking onto Chen Tao. In those amber eyes was not anger, but a greedy look after assessing the value of its prey.

But it did not pounce on Chen Tao.

The giant python whirled around Chen Tao and headed straight for the group of Qi and Blood Realm members who were still trying to form a battle formation. It didn't want to miss a single piece of food.

Chen Tao was taken aback upon seeing this.

This snake knows to eliminate the weak first!

It's avoiding itself and killing all its own people first!

"Get out of here! Everyone, swim to the top!"

Chen Tao's shouts were distorted by the water flow, and by the time they reached the ears of the gang members, they were already indistinct.

But even if you hear it clearly, it's useless.

The golden-striped black python's tail swept across the water, and the force of its more than thirty-foot-long body was no different from that of a small giant wave. The water flow at the bottom of the lake carried shock waves that covered an area of ​​at least ten feet.

Two gang members were hit head-on by the snake's tail, their chests collapsed, and their bodies were bent at an unnatural angle in the water.

Another one was thrown by the shockwave of the water flow, crashed into the rocks at the bottom of the lake, and never moved again.

Three lives.

The golden-striped black python's killing efficiency was absurdly high; it never wasted a single attack from beginning to end.

Qian Yue gritted his teeth and activated his inner energy, pushing the water around him outwards. Just as the snake's tail swept towards him, he turned sharply to the side, narrowly escaping death.

The snake's tail grazed his back, tearing a gash in his sharkskin armor, from which blood seeped out and mingled with the black water.

He survived, but this is his only chance.

Chen Tao gritted his teeth and chased after him.

He swung his broadsword down again, this time choosing a gap where the scales met. All his experience told him that the defense at the seam was always weaker than the front of the scales.

The blade cuts in.

Half an inch.

Just half an inch.

The golden-striped black python, in pain, twisted its body and flung away the blade. Its speed suddenly increased dramatically, and the frequency of its movements in the water noticeably accelerated.

Chen Tao's heart sank.

Can its speed increase after being stimulated?

The giant black shadow darted through the murky water, catching up with a member of the gang who was desperately swimming upstream.

The snake opened its mouth and bit the man's neck from behind. Its teeth clenched, and the sound of bones shattering could be heard far and wide.

After killing the target, the body was thrown aside.

next.

Another serpentine tail swept across. Another muffled thud.

Chen Tao, who was following behind, could not catch up with it.

In the water, he was at least 30% slower than the snake.

Every time he caught up to the target and was about to strike, the golden-striped black python would already be darting towards its next prey.

This golden-striped black python is walking him.

This realization sent a chill down Chen Tao's spine.

At this moment, Qian Yue, the deputy leader of the Sanhu Gang, was on the run. He used his internal energy to push the water flow open, forming a channel, and swam out of the cave with all his might.

But he didn't run more than ten zhang (approximately 33 meters).

A dark shadow leaped up from the bottom of the water, and the head of a golden-striped black python burst out from directly below Qian Yue, its gaping maw engulfing his entire body.

The upper and lower jaws close together.

A dark red mist appeared in the water.

Qian Yue, a master of the first level of internal energy cultivation, is the deputy leader of the Sanhu Gang.

died.

Upon seeing this, Chen Tao stopped in his tracks, a vein bulging on the back of his hand holding the broadsword.

All twenty-two gang members who went into the water are gone.

Including Qian Yue, all the people he brought with him were gone.

After swallowing the last piece of remains, the golden-striped black python turned its head, and its vertical pupils finally landed on Chen Tao.

The snake's tongue emerged from its mouth, extending and retracting in the water, savoring the aroma of this final dish.

……

A hundred feet away.

Yi Yang pressed his face against the roots of the aquatic plants, watching the massacre unfold from beginning to end.

His breathing remained steady, and his heartbeat showed no fluctuation.

"powerful."

Yi Yang gave himself an assessment.

This golden-striped black python was even stronger than he had previously estimated. Its speed, defense, and attack judgment were all at their maximum.

More importantly—it has a brain.

First, eliminate the weak, then deal with the strong. The whole process was clean and efficient, without a single unnecessary movement.

But Yi Yang's lips twitched; at this moment, he wasn't nervous, but excited.

The stronger this thing is, the more precious the medicinal herbs in its lair will be. A place that can raise beasts of this level could never only produce black-scaled fruits.

There might really be some kind of psychiatric elixir.

Yi Yang withdrew his senses and his gaze fell on Chen Tao, who was confronting the golden-striped black python.

The leader of the Three Lakes Gang, whose internal energy had reached the third level of perfection, faced a giant python that had one foot already in the True Qi Realm.

Chen Tao can't escape.

The water is the domain of snakes, and this golden-striped black python is more than 30% faster than him. It can catch up with him swimming upstream and block him from rushing out of the cave.

"Let's see how long this gang leader can hold out."

Yi Yang shrank back half an inch into the depths of the water plants.

His hand had already quietly pressed onto the hilt of the Tiger Roar sword behind him.