Huang Yulang was still deep in his cultivation, completely unaware that a massive Black-Spotted Python had appeared in the valley and spotted him.
It flicked its tongue, slowly and silently drawing near.
The Black-Spotted Python instinctively sensed that the aura here was different.
Its black eyes constantly scanned its surroundings, but it was just a large python with some spiritual awareness.
It had no way of knowing that a pool of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi had gathered here.
Instinct drove it.
The aura was incredibly appealing to the python, so it decided to eat the prey before it, then settle in for a nice, long sleep.
Flicking its tongue, the Black-Spotted Python slowly slithered closer and closer to Huang Yulang.
With its prey right before it, the python lunged without hesitation, opening its gaping maw to bite directly at Huang Yulang’s neck.
Although Huang Yulang was cultivating, and despite his considerable Combat Power, he would never let his guard down in the untamed wilderness.
Huang Yulang’s Blood Qi was now flourishing, his body strong, his senses sharp.
He had detected the faint rustling sound not long after the python entered the valley.
Huang Yulang was naturally wary of such a massive python.
Seeing that it intended to ambush him, he smiled.
‘I’ll just turn its own trick against it and launch a surprise attack of my own.’
As the python launched its attack, the meditating Huang Yulang’s eyes snapped open.
He unhesitatingly drew the Spirit Wood Sword from his back and slashed directly at the python’s head.
If the blow landed, the python’s skull would likely shatter, killing it on the spot.
But to Huang Yulang’s utter astonishment, the Black-Spotted Python reacted with incredible speed.
Just as the sword was about to strike its head, the python instantly jerked its skull aside, twisting its neck to bite at Huang Yulang’s waist.
Greatly alarmed, Huang Yulang leaped into the air, narrowly evading the python’s strike.
Its strike having missed, the python instantly pulled its head back and spewed a great gout of venom in a wide arc.
Huang Yulang’s face paled.
He was still in mid-air, a wide-open target with nowhere to dodge.
He could only watch helplessly as the venom splattered across his body.
He only had time to shield his face with his hands.
The next moment, he felt a sticky substance covering them.
Once he steadied himself, he saw that not only were his hands coated in venom, but his hair and clothes were also splattered with the bluish-purple liquid.
To his horror, he could feel a faint burning sensation on his hands and scalp.
“Damn it.” Huang Yulang’s expression soured.
He wanted to break through and escape, but the Black-Spotted Python wasn’t about to let its prey get away.
It blocked his path and lunged again, maw wide open.
Terrified of being poisoned, Huang Yulang knew he couldn’t afford to get entangled with the beast.
He continuously thrust his sword, aiming for the Black-Spotted Python’s eyes and other vital points.
But the damned python was incredibly fast, and a dozen or so thrusts all missed their mark.
Huang Yulang felt the burning on his venom-splattered skin intensify, and it seemed to be on the verge of festering.
Fear gripped Huang Yulang’s heart.
‘If this venom takes hold, I might just die here today.’
Not daring to waste another second, Huang Yulang went on a desperate offensive, swinging his Spirit Wood Sword in a wild frenzy.
The python was quite intelligent; it constantly retreated to dodge his attacks but remained firmly planted in the middle of the valley, refusing to let its prey escape.
Huang Yulang knew that a prolonged fight was not in his favor.
A plan suddenly occurred to him, and he turned and ran deeper into the valley.
The Black-Spotted Python frantically writhed its body in pursuit.
The valley wasn’t large, ending in a towering, uneven rock wall.
Huang Yulang took a great leap, as if to climb it.
The Black-Spotted Python grew frantic and lunged after him.
As the python began to scale the rock wall, Huang Yulang leaped down, vaulting over the beast to land behind it.
HISS HISS HISS–
The Black-Spotted Python seemed to realize it had been tricked.
It spun around and lunged at him again.
Huang Yulang gritted his teeth and cursed.
“You beast!
You just wait!
I’ll be back, and I’ll mince you!” Huang Yulang didn’t dare linger.
He charged out of the valley, plunged into the mountain forests, and quickly vanished from sight.
The Black-Spotted Python chased to the valley’s entrance and watched its prey flee.
Its dark eyes seemed to hold a look of frustration.
It flicked its tongue, then turned and returned to the valley.
It slithered to the spot where Huang Yulang had been meditating, coiled its massive body, and contentedly closed its eyes.
Huang Yulang ran nonstop for dozens of miles until he reached a waterfall.
By then, his body was staggering and he was dizzy.
His venom-soaked hands had turned black, and the skin had already begun to fester.
Finally unable to go on, Huang Yulang plunged headfirst into the pool at the base of the waterfall.
He managed to wedge his body into a crevice between two rocks before he could hold on no longer and lost consciousness.
When Huang Yulang groggily awoke, it was already noon the next day.
His body was still tightly wedged in the crevice, not having been swept away by the current.
The roar of the nearby waterfall was deafening.
Huang Yulang’s head still felt groggy.
Forcing himself to focus, he surveyed his surroundings and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
‘It’s a good thing I knew about this waterfall and came here to take refuge after being poisoned.
If I’d passed out somewhere random in the forest, the consequences would have been unthinkable.’
The thought of how he had nearly fallen to that beast made Huang Yulang grit his teeth in anger.
He glanced down at his hands.
Though they had been soaking in the water, they were now a blackish-brown.
The top layer of skin was almost completely rotten, a shocking sight, like something covered in venomous boils.
The slightest movement sent a searing pain through them.
He then happened to see his reflection in the water.
His long, dark hair had almost completely fallen out, and his scalp was the same ghastly color as his hands.
The sight made Huang Yulang gasp.
“Damn you, beast!
I’ll tear you to shreds!” Seeing his miserable state, Huang Yulang was filled with rage.
His only small comfort was that his handsome face was unharmed.
‘If I hadn’t shielded my face, I probably would never be able to show it in public again.’
And this was just the result of the venom’s corrosive effects.
If the Black-Spotted Python had actually bitten him, injecting its toxins directly into his body…
the consequences were too horrifying to imagine.
Huang Yulang laboriously climbed out of the pool, found a secluded spot to hide, and sat down cross-legged.
He began to circulate the One Qi Primordial Skill to heal his injuries.
He wasn’t sure if it was due to the unique properties of his Cultivation Technique or his own robust constitution, but as time went on, Huang Yulang’s condition gradually improved.
Even the festering on his hands began to subside.
Huang Yulang felt a bit more at ease.
He didn’t plan on leaving until his injuries were fully healed.
Three full days passed.
The dizziness was completely gone, and aside from some lingering soreness on his scalp and hands, he was mostly fine.
However, having not eaten for three days, he was so hungry his stomach felt like it was stuck to his spine.
Huang Yulang finally left his hiding spot, glanced in the direction of the valley, and let out a cold snort.
‘Once I’ve filled my stomach, I’ll figure out a way to deal with you, you beast.’ Huang Yulang sprinted off, once again vanishing into the vast mountain forest.
An hour later, the shriek of a wild wolf sent startled birds scattering in all directions.
Huang Yulang’s eyes gleamed as he gazed at the nearly seven-foot-long wolf.
The Jade Pendant on his chest once again bloomed with crimson light that surged into his body.
To Huang Yulang’s surprise, however, this crimson light didn’t increase his strength.
Instead, it flowed toward his hands and scalp.
The ghastly, sore-like injuries began to heal at a rate visible to the naked eye.
The pain gradually faded, replaced once more by a tingling itch.
“Hehe, what a relief.
I never thought that abundant Blood Qi could also purge poison and heal injuries.
This is fantastic!”
The Mysterious Jade Pendant devoured the Essence of Blood and Qi—or, to be more precise, the Essence of Life.
As long as an injured part of the body was supplied with sufficient Essence of Life, any severe injury or toxin could be healed.
This was the same principle behind powerful beings whose physical bodies were impervious to all weapons and immune to all poisons.
The current Huang Yulang was still a long way from achieving such a physical transformation, but with the aid of the Mysterious Jade Pendant, that day would come sooner or later.
Huang Yulang dragged the wolf’s carcass back to the waterfall.
He cleaned it, started a fire, and roasted the meat.
After a hearty meal, he set out to hunt once more.
For the next few days, the roars of various beasts echoed through this stretch of forest.
Small animals fled in terror, while other large predators were drawn by the scent of blood, yet none of them managed to escape.
Huang Yulang gazed at the dozens of large beasts of various kinds lying on the ground and gave a faint smile.
Huang Yulang’s injuries had completely healed.
His lost hair, however, would not be growing back anytime soon.
But he didn’t care.
His gaze turned fierce as he looked toward the small valley.
It was time for revenge.
However, just to be safe, Huang Yulang draped himself in a thick bearskin.
He wrapped his hands in Beast Hide and even wound a sheepskin around his head, tying it in place with vines, leaving only his eyes exposed.
The beast’s venom was too potent; Huang Yulang had absolutely no desire to experience the agony of its corrosive touch a second time.
Before long, a fully armed Huang Yulang arrived at the small valley once more.
He charged in, Spirit Wood Sword in hand, only to see the python occupying his meditation spot.
Fury erupted within him.
“You beast!
Die!”
The Black-Spotted Python saw the heavily armored monster appear and immediately grew wary.
HISSING, it flicked its tongue, poised to strike.
Throwing caution to the wind, Huang Yulang relied on his armor and charged, swinging his Spirit Wood Sword in a wild flurry at the python.
The Black-Spotted Python dodged and attacked relentlessly, even spitting venom multiple times.
Fortunately, the Beast Hide blocked every drop.
With his fears allayed, Huang Yulang charged forward recklessly, becoming locked in a furious battle with the python.
His wooden sword, while powerful, was unedged.
Even when he landed a solid hit, the python’s body was so pliable it was like striking something without bones; a few heavy blows failed to cause any serious injury.
The python’s reflexes were also incredibly sharp and its attack range was considerable.
Huang Yulang didn’t dare get too close.
If he were bitten or, even worse, caught in a death coil, it would be no laughing matter.
This left Huang Yulang with the frustrating feeling of having immense power but no way to apply it.
They fought for over a hundred rounds, but he still couldn’t defeat the python.
Huang Yulang tried to lure the beast away, but it refused to leave the area of his Spirit Gathering Array, much to his frustration.
Huang Yulang backed away.
‘This isn’t working,’ he thought.
‘I can’t just keep this war of attrition going forever.’
It was true that with his flourishing Blood Qi, he was confident he could eventually wear the beast down and kill it, but it would be an enormous waste of time.
Huang Yulang pondered for a moment, and his eyes suddenly lit up.
He then let out a hearty laugh and sprinted away.