Chapter 124: The Black Python's Cave Abode!

"How, how is this possible!" Mang Tian blinked rapidly, convinced he was seeing things. How could anyone remain unscathed after being hit head-on by his Python Coil Annihilation? He had tested it against fighting saints before and had managed to inflict serious injuries. How, how could this be?!

Mang Zhen retracted his weapon and retreated. Di Dan remained indifferent, saying flatly, "The first move is over. Let's proceed to the second."

"Tsk, don't look down on me! You won't be able to withstand this one!" Mang Zhen flew upward, spinning his massive blade with one hand, and plummeted toward Di Dan at high speed. "Earth-tier Advanced Skill: Giant Python Swallows the Sky!"

With a thunderous shout, a colossal phantom of a giant python, radiating an inviolable majesty, descended rapidly. The friction from the high-speed pressure only amplified its power. Di Dan watched the massive python shadow, its gaping maw descending to devour him. Oh? Interesting. You want to swallow me? That is all you can do.

ROAR! The giant python let out a deafening roar as it lunged at Di Dan.

BOOM! Another explosion erupted.

"Pathetic, too weak. Next move. And the last one, too." Di Dan dusted off his clothes in disappointment, shaking his head. He had expected something impressive given the arrogance, but alas.

"No, this is impossible!" Mang Zhen began to feel a creeping terror. His three most powerful techniques had not left even a scratch on his opponent. Swallowing hard, he gritted his teeth and said gloomily, "You forced my hand. I didn't want to do this!"

Standing high in the air, Mang Zhen sheathed his weapon and stood with eyes closed. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, glowing red, and his voice took on an echo: "You will pay the price for your stupidity!"

Oh? What is this? Di Dan had never seen such a thing and suddenly grew interested. It seemed this move might be worth his time.

"Sacrifice: Berserk Transformation!"

In an instant, Mang Zhen’s aura surged, leaping from a Nine-Turn Dou Zun directly to a Five-Star Dou Saint!

"What... what kind of cultivation technique is this?" Even Di Dan was unsettled. He hadn't expected his opponent to possess such a monstrous skill.

"Hahaha! Feel the fear, you little brat! Heaven-tier Technique: Demonic Berserk Transformation!" A thick, swirling black demonic aura enveloped Mang Zhen, unsettling to the soul.

"God-Slaying Blade!" Mang Zhen roared, and a massive blade wreathed in demonic energy appeared in his hand. The sheer size of the weapon, combined with the demonic black mist, increased its power to a twisted level.

Di Dan dared not be careless. He hadn't expected this. His cultivation, already at the Half-Step Dou Di level, intensified. He snorted, "No matter what demonic creature you are, you are still just an ant!" Di Dan knew much about demonic entities from his time in the Realm of Samsara.

Just then, Xian Mo’s voice echoed in his mind: "Don't kill him; I have questions." Xian Mo, sitting in the void, was also startled by the technique, noting that it did not belong to the Dou Qi continent. "Curious, there are so many bizarre things," he murmured.

Di Dan nodded slightly. "Heavenly Solid Body!" he thought. Sensing the sinister nature of the attack, he decided to summon his defensive form. This technique was developed by Di Dan within the Sacred Scripture of Samsara. A faint golden glow flickered across his body. Di Dan watched the incoming attack with a smile.

Seeing that indifferent smile, Mang Zhen was incensed. "DIE!" He swung the massive blade, sending countless black energy blades toward Di Dan.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! A series of violent explosions shook the air.

Mang Zhen looked down, exhausted. He thought that since this attack surpassed a Five-Star Dou Saint and was augmented by demonic energy, he must have killed him! He gasped for air; this technique was monstrous, draining his Dou Qi instantly. He struggled to stay upright, sweat dripping from his forehead. With no energy left, the demonic aura vanished, and he collapsed to the ground, panting, leaning on his blade. This thing was too tyrannical!

As the dust settled, Di Dan stood there, completely unruffled. Mang Zhen’s eyes widened, trembling as he whispered, "How... is it possible!" This was his ultimate strike! How could the opponent be completely unharmed?! "Are you... are you a man or a ghost?" Mang Zhen’s voice shook. He felt like dying; fear surged within him.

Di Dan looked down at the slumped Mang Zhen and smirked. "Mang Zhen, right? That move was indeed strong. If I hadn't used my defensive physique, you might have forced me back a step or two."

Upon hearing this, Mang Zhen vomited a mouthful of blood. Already weakened, he fell into darkness and fainted.

Di Dan frowned. "Hey, why did you faint? I haven't had my fun yet!" Damn it, I was just getting into it, and you play dead?! If it weren't for the Hall Master’s orders not to kill you, I would have torn you into nine pieces! "Fine, the Hall Master wants you, so go." Di Dan reached out and threw the unconscious Mang Zhen toward Xian Mo.

With a flick of his finger, Di Dan bound the rest of the unconscious snakes with golden threads.

...

Back where Xian Mo was, the figure flew toward him. Curious about the technique, Xian Mo reached out, and Mang Zhen’s storage ring flew into his hand. A scan revealed pills, spirit stones, and miscellaneous items, but not the technique itself. The two techniques Mang Zhen had used were there, but the Demonic Berserk Transformation was missing.

Xian Mo stored the ring, thinking, "It seems this technique is imprinted directly on the mind." He pulled Mang Zhen’s body toward him and extracted his memories to find the specific segment regarding the Demonic Berserk Transformation.

Xian Mo chuckled. "So, even he didn't know where it came from. It appeared in his ring, and when he tried to learn it, it turned into energy and entered his brain."

Xian Mo transcribed the secrets of the technique onto an ancient piece of sheepskin, stored it away, and looked at the unconscious Mang Zhen. Finding him useless, he tossed him back to Di Dan.

...

Xian Mo only robbed; he didn't kill unless someone was asking for it. He appeared beside Di Dan.

"You go back first. Take this Di Yuan to break through to Dou Di." Xian Mo split a sliver of the essence and gave it to Di Dan. Di Dan’s eyes sparkled.

"Yes, Hall Master!" Di Dan held the essence gingerly. Looking at the beautiful, radiant object, he was awestruck. How could something so beautiful exist in the world? Is this truly Di Yuan? He questioned his own existence—why was his own essence so beautiful? Overjoyed, Di Dan returned to the Realm of Samsara, eager to break through. Dou Di! Here I come!

After Di Dan left, Xian Mo looked down at the unconscious group. They were so weak—why even come out to cause trouble? They were just asking to be robbed.

Xian Mo waved his hand, and the rings on their fingers were forcibly ripped away by a powerful force. He threw them all into his own ring, which had belonged to the original owner, the Medicine Venerable, Yao Chen.

Xian Mo then dispelled the barrier Di Dan had erected.

...

Inside the Python Cave, Mang Tian was eating a Black Python Fruit when he realized something was wrong. Why hadn't Mang Zhen returned yet? Why was there no news? Sensing trouble, he took an elder and went out to check.

Xian Mo shouted toward the cave, "You little snakes, get out here!"

Mang Tian and the elder emerged. Looking at Xian Mo, Mang Tian roared, "You are the one provoking the dignity of my Python Clan?!"

Mang Tian was a Three-Star Dou Saint, and the elder was a Five-Star. Seeing Mang Zhen bound and unconscious, Mang Tian erupted in rage. "You bastard! What did you do to my subordinate?! You dare to humiliate them? You're looking for death! The dignity of the Python Clan cannot be insulted!"

Xian Mo grew impatient, picking his ear. "Are you done talking? I'm just here to rob. I don't kill unless you force me. Hand over your rings, and I won't hurt you."

Mang Tian laughed instead of getting angry. "Rob? You dare think of that? We are the Black Rock Giant Pythons, one of the three strongest demonic beast clans in Central Plains! And a kid like you wants to rob us? Arrogant!"

The elder sneered, "You're dead!"

Xian Mo closed his eyes, annoyed. "Just attack already, you ants!"

"Python Heavenly Palm!" "Python Saint Fist!" The two unleashed a combined attack. The energy was so immense that surrounding trees were snapped like twigs.

Xian Mo stood still, eyes closed, a calm smile on his face as if he were completely unbothered. The attack was strong, but Xian Mo was a Peak Nine-Star Dou Di—the strongest existence in the Dou Qi continent. How could these petty Dou Saints hurt him?

Seeing him remain motionless, the two were furious. "Arrogant! Die!"

BOOM! A massive explosion echoed.

Mang Tian laughed, "Hahaha! An ant is an ant. Weren't you so arrogant before? Talking about robbing and dignity? You're nothing!"

Xian Mo sighed, looking disappointed. "Why are you all so brainless? I just wanted to rob you, not kill you! Why do you talk so much? Why provoke my patience?"

"Do you really think being a Four or Five-Star Dou Saint makes you special?" Xian Mo released his pressure.

Seeing him unscathed, the two froze in horror. "How, how is this possible!"

"I've heard that line too many times," Xian Mo said, raising a finger. A golden beam of light shot out. Sensing the aura of death, Mang Tian turned to flee. "Run? No one can run from me, not even outside this world. Unless someone powerful blocks it for you, but who would be stupid enough to die for you?"

The beam pierced through boulders as if they were made of paper, turning them to dust. Mang Tian realized he couldn't outrun it. He stopped, deciding to face it head-on. "Fine! I'll block it! Python Heavenly Armor!"

He had confidence in his armor, which had once withstood a Six-Star Dou Saint's attack. The elder followed suit, summoning his own armor. "Come on, you ant!"

BOOM! Their hope vanished instantly. The beam pierced through their armor as if it weren't there. A sharp, tearing pain struck their souls.

"AAAAHHH!! It hurts!!" They spat out blood, collapsing to the ground, completely drained of strength.

Xian Mo looked down at them, mocking. "Still have so much to say? Why are you lying there like dead dogs now?"

"Why... why are you so strong?" Mang Tian gasped, fear overwhelming him.

Xian Mo smiled, waving his hand to rip the rings from their fingers. "I told you, I'm just keeping them for you. Isn't that nice?"

"Can... can I get them back?" Mang Tian asked weakly.

"No," Xian Mo shook his head, smiling. "I charge a storage fee. The interest is everything inside the rings, including the rings themselves."

Pfft! The sheer anger caused both of them to vomit more blood before fainting.

"Pathetic," Xian Mo muttered, tossing them onto the pile with the others. After easily breaking their remaining defenses, he found their treasures and smiled. "Not bad, quite a lot of valuable things."

Just then, five more elders emerged from the cave, drawn by the commotion. They were the last line of defense for the Python Clan. Xian Mo scanned them: three Four-Star, one Five-Star, and one Six-Star Dou Saint.

"Hi there!" Xian Mo waved.

The head elder, a Six-Star Dou Saint, glared at him. "Did you do this?"

"Oh, you mean them?" Xian Mo pointed casually.

"Other than you, who else?!" the elder raged.

Xian Mo nodded. "Yes, they offended me, so I punished them a little."

The elder looked at the carnage and fainted subordinates, his eyelid twitching. "You call this a little?!"

Xian Mo sighed. "I'm here to rob, not to chat. You five old men are all men, so let's save the trouble. Hand over your rings for me to keep safe, and we can all go home." He stood with his hands on his hips, looking as arrogant as ever.