Chapter 18

As soon as Tu Shanxi finished speaking, the spell keeping her aloft abruptly failed. She had no time to react and nearly half her body slipped into the water below. Fortunately, Qingyuan was quick to catch her, preventing her from falling in entirely.

After conjuring a protective shield around Tu Shanxi, Qingyuan let out a breath of relief and said, “This water may not look deep, but if one falls in without being skilled at swimming or possessing a water spirit root, it would surely mean death.”

Tu Shanxi, still shaken, nodded in agreement. “It seems the giant python has already sensed our intrusion. This must be its final warning.”

At her words, Qingyuan's lips curled in a cold smile. “I had intended to let this creature be, but since it's dared to harm you, Senior Sister, it cannot be left alive.”

Had he been the one to fall, Qingyuan would not have been so enraged, but the creature’s lack of discernment had led it to offend someone it should not. Now, it had chosen its own path to destruction; no one could save it.

Tu Shanxi nodded. “In that case, Qingyuan, let’s begin.”

As she spoke, the massive sword that had been floating behind Qingyuan suddenly shot forward, plunging straight into the center of the lake with a resonant clang. The blade embedded itself in the water, motionless as a stake.

Moments later, the lake’s surface beneath them fractured in a web of cracks, which spread and deepened layer by layer. By the fifth, a jet-black python of enormous size burst forth from beneath the great sword, its colossal body blotting out all light from before the pair.

The python’s emerald eyes fixed unblinkingly on them, as if assessing their identities. One radiated the aura of the Immortal rank, the other the peak of the Divine rank—a sword cultivator. Yet if it fought with all its might, victory might not be impossible. This Savage Tooth Mountain mattered more to it than anything. Without it, its cultivation would never have advanced so swiftly.

Even so, perhaps it could still persuade them to leave. The threshold of tribulation lay just ahead; best not to act rashly.

With that, it opened its mouth and declared, “You petty intruders, trespassing upon my sacred mountain, I have shown you mercy. If it is food you seek, I have already offered you spirit fish.

But you go too far, forcing your way into my forbidden ground and shattering my wards. However—” its tone changed, “if you depart at once, I shall not hold it against you. But take one more step and do not blame me for strangling you where you stand.”

The two showed no fear at its threat. Tu Shanxi even laughed lightly. “So, you possess a trace of Candle Dragon blood—no wonder you know such secrets.”

“If the Candle Dragon clan knew they had a descendant so crooked, so unambitious, they’d likely rage through the night, break the cycle of reincarnation, and come here to kill you themselves,” Qingyuan remarked without the slightest restraint.

The python’s mouth twitched with anger at their mockery, but it forced itself to remain calm. “So, you are determined not to leave. In that case, do not blame me for what happens next.”

No sooner had it spoken than the previously tranquil lake erupted, waves towering several meters high.

Qingyuan remained as calm as ever. He opened his right hand, and with a thunderous boom, the massive sword shot up from the lake and hurtled straight at the python.

Instinctively, the python turned, only to realize too late that another sword light pierced its abdomen from behind, skewering its chest. Then, from unknown directions, four more sword lights struck in quick succession, pinning it inescapably.

“H-how can this be?”

It stared in disbelief at the unmoving pair, blood surging from its mouth. “Impossible…”

He was only at the peak of the Divine rank. It was impossible for him to defeat it in a single move—unless he had been concealing his true strength all along!

But why would he suppress his power? Was he here to kill it from the very start?

The python could not fathom it. As its blood poured out, its survival instinct surged. With a furious roar, it forced the great sword from its body with a burst of spiritual power. “Ignorant mortals! I am one with the spirit of this mountain and my golden core. If you kill me, the mountain will instantly lose all vitality and become a wasteland.

Should that happen, you will be the ones who extinguished the lives of countless divine beings here. Heaven’s wrath will be upon you!”

Tu Shanxi was at a loss for words. “With a hide as thick as yours, are you sure it’s not stuck to your face? It is you who drained the life from Savage Tooth Mountain, not us.

Besides, who said your golden core would be destroyed?”

As she finished, a sword light spun at the python’s abdomen, drilling deeper and deeper. Gradually, a golden glow appeared before them.

“You—stop, stop! I am a descendant of the Candle Dragon clan; you cannot kill me! If you do, our ancestors will never let you go!”

Qingyuan let out a scornful laugh. “Even if I brought your so-called ancestor here to watch me deal with you, do you think he’d dare utter a word?”

His tone was icy, but his arrogance was boundless.

“No, you cannot kill me! You can’t! Aaah!”

As its life ebbed away, the python grew desperate, its body writhing in agony, trying in vain to break free from the swords pinning its upper half. No matter how it thrashed its tail, it could not escape.

Tu Shanxi watched as its vitality faded, blood dripping from its tail into the lake below. The water, once blackened, turned blue again wherever the blood touched it.

Seeing this, she quickly produced an icy bottle from her spatial treasure and, with a surge of spiritual power, floated it toward the python’s tail.

Qingyuan cooperated, increasing the force of the six swords until more and more blood flowed into the bottle.

“You might as well kill me outright,” the python groaned.

To torment it and harvest its blood—were they planning to drain it dry?

“We will kill you, of course,” Tu Shanxi replied mildly, “but why let you go so easily? We must find a suitable puppet to restore Savage Tooth Mountain’s vitality, after all.”

“Ugh…”

After about half a stick of incense’s time, the python finally expired, its golden core dimming with its death.

But Tu Shanxi immediately produced a human-shaped puppet and, combining the freshly collected blood with Qingyuan’s spiritual power, slowly infused it into the golden core.

In less than half a bottle, the golden core regained its brilliance. “It’s done. Now, we just need to place the golden core inside the puppet and set your restrictions. Savage Tooth Mountain will no longer be a wasteland. Perhaps, in time, it will become an excellent retreat.”

Qingyuan, who was fitting the core into the puppet, nodded in agreement. “You are right, Senior Sister.”

She glanced at him. “You always agree with me. If I were ever to do something wrong in the future, would you still say that I am right?”

“Of course. Whatever you do is right,” Qingyuan replied with utmost seriousness. “Besides, I believe you would never do anything to harm the world.”

Tu Shanxi smiled gently. “You trust me that much?”

“If I cannot trust you completely, Senior Sister, then there is no one in this world worth trusting at all.”