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Chapter 76: Chapter 76: Spirit Tree
"Roar—"
The Thunder Horn Python King raised its upper body, its slit eyes cold and bloodthirsty, as the thick horn on his head suddenly released a dazzling bolt of lightning.
Boom!
Thunderlight spread across the sky in grandeur, striking through the Wind Spirit Snake Binding Array and creating a small breach.
"Peach Cloud Barrier, out!"
Yun Yangzi swept his robe, releasing a peach-hued barrier that withstood the scattering lightning with a fragrant breeze. 𝔫𝖔𝖛𝖕𝖚𝔟.𝖈𝖔𝔪
"Everyone, regroup and re-establish the Array—we must slay this evil beast!"
As he spoke, four more Thunder Horn Pythons charged out following the Python King, breaching the Array amid a violent tempest.
"Cousin, give me the Array Flags, and you go search for the snake eggs and hatchlings in the nest!"
Li Quanshu always knew Li Quanqing’s preferences, speaking out just in time with understanding.
Li Quanqing quickly scanned the battlefield, handed out several stacks of life-saving talismans to them, and quietly left the scene.
Heading straight for the Snake Nest!
...
As soon as he entered the snake nest, a pungent, nauseating stench hit his nose, dizzying and blurring his vision.
"How long have these Thunder Horn Pythons gone without a bath, probably handling all their eating, drinking, and excreting inside this cave!"
The young man sighed slightly, held his breath, and circulated his mana throughout his meridians, absorbing spiritual energy through his pores for internal respiration.
He heard that the Green Jade Armor had its own air circulation system that could filter out various toxic airs, something he planned to acquire someday!
Li Quanqing activated his Copper Bone Body, his bones swelling and transforming him into a miniature giant wrapped in the Copper Armor Talisman, with several layers of the Golden Light Shield added for good measure.
Only then did the young man feel at ease and stepped further into the cave.
Li Quanqing moved swiftly, blasting apart rocks and other obstructions with brute and tyrannical punches.
Unfortunately, the snake nest was vast with numerous circular tunnels interlocked in complexity, including parts that led underground, like a vast labyrinth.
He wandered for a long time without any clear clues, finding it difficult to locate the core nest.
Boom!
Just as Li Quanqing growing impatient, about to retrieve the Water Dragon Pendant to blast everything to smithereens,
Thunderous booms once again sounded, seeping into his ears from some unknown direction, causing even the pebbles on the ground to tremble slightly.
"The Thunder Horn Python must devour thunder when advancing to the late stage of Qi Refining."
"There’s lightning striking down in that direction from time to time, even if I don’t find the snake eggs, there should be treasures."
Li Quanqing made up his mind and started making his way toward the source of the thunder, his steps firm.
As it turned out, his choice was not wrong.
"Sssss!"
As he turned a corner, a Thunder Horn Python suddenly fell from above with its mouth wide open, its fangs sharp as daggers, and the horn on its forehead emitting threads of electricity.
Li Quanqing was expressionless as he watched the python bite onto the Golden Light Shield before him, producing a dull thud.
The golden light shimmered, and one of the Thunder Horn Python’s fangs shattered, its forehead swelling into a lump, wailing in pain with tears streaming.
"Hey, just a juvenile snake, it seems I’m on the right track."
Li Quanqing looked at the snake’s body, less than nine yards long, grabbed the python’s tail with a big hand, and viciously swung it.
Crack!
Accompanied by the grating sound of breaking bones, the whole snake went limp as a noodle, inhaling more air than it could exhale.
"There, now it doesn’t hurt anymore, does it~"
Li Quanqing stepped over the dead snake on the ground and moved forward as another bolt of lightning descended, thunder booming loudly.
This thunderous sound was nearby, almost deafening.
A glint of somewhat dazzling lightning flickered in the distance, intermittently visible, guiding his direction.
Li Quanqing strode forward, after passing through a thick patch of dark stone paths, the view suddenly opened up before his eyes.
An open-air cave appeared in his field of vision, allowing a clear view of the island above, covered by a gloomy cloud-filled sky.
A silver-white Thunder Peach Tree stood in the center, its bark cracked like scales, and its twisted roots rooted in the soil, its leaves rustling, emitting flickers of electric light.
This was a Spiritual Medicine, and it seemed to be of not a low grade.
Li Quanqing, however, didn’t care much, his gaze fixed intently beneath the Thunder Peach Tree, on the snake nest constructed from thick branches.
Could the Thunder Horn Python hatchlings he had been yearning for be inside?
Li Quanqing quickly approached and immediately heard the immature hissing of snakes, urgent and sharp, with a hint of warning.
Four young snakes, each more than half a meter long, were coiled there, defensively curled up, their scales seemingly about to explode, their pupils filled with wariness.
Li Quanqing frowned, not expecting that these snake whelps already had a sense of friend and foe, and raising them would probably be a hassle.
Just as he was preparing to pick up the snake whelps, another young Thunder Horn Python, over two Zhang (about 7 meters) long, silently dropped from the canopy, its gaze bloodthirsty and ferocious.
The Thunder Horn Python had just opened its mouth wide when suddenly a green light streaked across the sky, nailing the triangular snake head to the trunk with a "thud."
After the green light dissipated, it could be seen that it was actually a leaf-shaped Magic Artifact, with a gentle breeze swirling around it, its edges extremely sharp.
Li Quanqing turned to the newcomer, who turned out to be the Qi Refining Ninth Layer cultivator "Tree Elder," an associate of Wang Gujian.
"Fellow Daoist, they say fortune shared is fortune doubled, how about we split it equally?"
Tree Elder spoke with a smile, a glint of greed flashing deep in his eyes.
These were Thunder Horn Python hatchlings. Adults that matured automatically entered the Qi Refining Late Stage, a Spiritual Beast many people dreamed of.
Li Quanqing snorted, about to refuse, when out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of the snake corpse nailed to the tree trunk, and suddenly a sharp gleam flickered across his eyes.
"You want the whelps? Fine, the snake whelps are yours, but this Thunder Peach Tree must be mine."
Li Quanqing nonchalantly distanced himself from the Spirit Tree, drawing the old man’s gaze onto the snake whelps in his hands.
Tree Elder frowned: "After all, these are the spoils of war from many fellow Daoists; it’s not up to me to decide."
"Yun Yangzi defeated the Thunder Horn Python King, the loot is already sufficient. In time, our three families will act together, having enough strength to claim more."
Tree Elder pondered for a moment and finally nodded in agreement.
"These Thunder Horn Python hatchlings, I’ll give you one for now, keeping the rest with me, to avoid you changing your mind later, convincing the Yun Family to speak out."
Li Quanqing tossed over a young snake, as a sign of sincerity.
Tree Elder carefully caught it, sighed in relief, and left contentedly.
Casually stuffing the remaining three hatchlings into a sack, Li Quanqing made sure there were no outsiders around.
He leaped onto the Thunder Peach Tree in just a couple of steps, his face revealing a hint of surprise.
Between the lush branches, several snake eggs shone brightly, absorbing the flashes of lightning released by the Thunder Peach Tree, flickering on and off as if breathing.
Li Quanqing counted, a total of seven snake eggs, more than he expected.
"These few hatchlings, having witnessed their kin slain, will surely carry resentment, which is not conducive to being raised as War Pets."
"Unborn snake eggs are more suitable for me, their nature like a blank slate, and even more amenable with people."
Li Quanqing took out the prepared Spiritual Beast Bag, stuffed all the eggs inside, the deal now sealed, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
"I can’t let this Thunder Peach Tree go either. It looks like the snake eggs need its assistance to hatch."
"Moreover, Thunderstruck Wood is rare, and definitely a high-grade material for Artifact Refining. The Third Elder is bound to like it."
Li Quanqing thought of the Supreme Elder of the Li Family, also known as "Li Kunlun," his elder brother.
This awe-inspiring character was a High-Grade Thunder Spirit Root.
Perhaps, he could even curry favor with a Foundation Establishment Cultivator with significant influence.
Since the Thunder Peach Tree was immense and couldn’t be moved for the time being, Li Quanqing stuffed the corpses of the two young Thunder Horn Pythons into the Storage Bag.
Only then did he, satisfied, walk out of the Snake Nest, carrying the sack.
