47: Copper skin can shake demons, but the human heart is even more poisonous.
Northwest of Southern Commandery, eight hundred miles of wasteland.
The further west one traveled, the sparser the vegetation became. The ground took on a bizarre purple-black hue, as if soaked in the venom of billions of poisonous snakes.
The air was thick with a nauseating, fishy stench. Occasionally, the wind blew, kicking up not dust, but fine fragments of snake scales.
Ten Thousand Snakes Valley.
This was a famous perilous land in the Southern Commandery, and a paradise for Poison Cultivators and snake catchers.
Countless rare poisonous herbs grew within the valley, and tens of thousands of species of venomous snakes lurked there. A single moment of carelessness would leave one without even a corpse.
"Sss—"
From the withered grass, a "Seven-Step Fall" snake, as thick as an arm and brilliantly colored, suddenly lunged out. Its fangs glinted with a ghostly blue light as it aimed straight for the passerby's ankle.
Thump!
A foot wearing a black cloth boot came down casually, stepping on it like an ant without even a glance.
The venomous snake, capable of killing a strong man, didn't even have time to hiss in pain before its head was crushed into a pulp.
"The ninth one."
Lin Que, dressed in green robes with a plain iron sword (transformed from the thousand changes multi-treasure pearl) on his back, walked across the rocky beach with a calm expression.
After three days of trekking, he finally arrived at the outskirts of Ten Thousand Snakes Valley.
During these three days, he hadn't been in a hurry to travel, but instead focused on adapting to his surging power.
His Late Stage Kaiyuan Realm true essence, combined with the Bronze Skin and Iron Bones of his Great Perfection Iron Skin Technique, made his current Physical Body as heavy as mercury. With every step, he left half-inch deep footprints in the hard rock.
"Chirp chirp!"
The Little Snow Ferret poked its head out from his bosom and let out urgent, excited cries toward a valley entrance shrouded in gray mist ahead.
"Are we here..."
Lin Que stopped and looked through the thin mist at the valley entrance, which was shaped like a giant snake's open maw.
A heart-palpitating Demonic Qi was emanating from there.
Guided by the tattered scroll of fallen treasures, the mysterious red dot was deep within Ten Thousand Snakes Valley.
"However, before going in, I need to clean up some tails."
The corners of Lin Que's mouth curled slightly. Without looking back, he simply patted his cuff:
"Hongyi, protect your heart vessels. Don't let the poisonous gas knock you out."
"Yes, Master." Hongyi obediently shrank back into the Talisman.
Lin Que took a deep breath, no longer concealing his presence, and strode toward the valley entrance.
Just as he was about to step into the shadows of the valley entrance.
Rumble!
The ground suddenly shook violently!
A hideous snake head the size of a millstone burst out of the ground without warning!
It was a Rock Python, thirty feet long, covered in rock-like grayish-brown scales. Its aura was powerful—it was a second-rank Late Stage Vicious Beast, comparable to Kaiyuan Realm Perfection!
Having lurked for a long time, it opened its bloody maw and lunged at Lin Que with a suffocating, fishy wind!
"Perfect timing!"
Facing the giant mouth capable of swallowing an ox, Lin Que didn't dodge; instead, a sharp light burst from his eyes.
He stomped his right foot hard on the ground.
Boom!
The rock beneath his feet instantly shattered. Using the recoil, he charged forward instead of retreating, hurling himself like a cannonball straight into the Rock Python's mouth!
He didn't draw his sword.
Nor did he use any true essence techniques.
He simply clenched his right fist. The muscles on his arm bulged instantly, and his skin took on a dark golden metallic luster.
Iron Skin Technique — Gold-Shattering Punch!
Clang—!!
A loud, bell-like boom echoed through the valley!
That seemingly tiny fist slammed heavily into the Rock Python's toughest upper fangs.
There was no flesh and blood flying, only sparks scattering!
Those fangs, sharper than daggers, were actually snapped off by the punch!
"Roar!!"
The Rock Python roared in pain, its massive body twisting wildly. Its thick tail swept across with a whistling wind, attempting to crush the human into pulp.
"Too slow."
Lin Que's figure flickered, appearing like a ghost at the Rock Python's vitals.
He changed his fist into a claw, his five fingers like hooks, gripping the Rock Python's iron-hard scales.
"Rise!"
He gave a low shout.
Ten thousand catties of Divine Power exploded!
Under the terrified gaze of several pairs of eyes spying from the shadows, the giant python weighing thousands of catties was actually swung up by the seemingly frail youth with one hand!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Like swinging a whip, Lin Que slammed the giant python wildly against the rock walls on both sides.
Rocks flew and the earth trembled.
The second-rank Vicious Beast that had been so formidable just a moment ago was now like a ragdoll, its scales flying and bones breaking, completely powerless to resist.
This was the dominance of Bronze Skin and Iron Bones!
Pure physical suppression!
"Sss—!!"
The Rock Python finally realized it had met a tough opponent. In its death throes, it opened its mouth wide and spewed a thick, dark green poisonous mist, instantly enveloping Lin Que.
This was its innate core poison, Corrosive Rock Poison Mist! It could even corrode solid rock into mud!
"Watch out!"
In the distance, someone in the grass subconsciously cried out in surprise.
However.
The poisonous mist dispersed.
The youth still stood in place, his clothes not even torn. He took a deep breath of the green poisonous gas, and a hint of... enjoyment appeared on his face?
[Strong corrosive poisonous mist detected!]
[Drawback assessment: Respiratory tract ulceration, skin dissolution, and full-body suppuration!]
[Target locked: Ambushers in the grass behind (five people).]
[Malice: 85% (Murder and robbery).]
[Transfer activated! Multiplier: Full coverage!]
True essence circulated within Lin Que's body. The poisonous gas was refined as soon as it entered, turning into nutrients to nourish his Physical Body.
As for the side effects... "Ugh..."
A hundred paces away, in the thick withered grass, several suppressed groans suddenly rang out.
Five burly men dressed in animal skins and holding snake-catching tools had been planning to scavenge after the "mutual destruction." Suddenly, they felt as if sulfuric acid had been poured down their throats!
"Cough, cough... My throat..."
"My face... My face is melting!!"
They clutched their faces in terror as plumes of white smoke rose from their skin. The intense pain made them unable to even hold their weapons, and they rolled out of the grass.
"Come out, you lot."
Lin Que casually tossed the dead Rock Python aside, brushed the dust off his hands, and turned to look at the "orioles" rolling on the ground.
"Since you've watched the show for so long, you should pay for the tickets, shouldn't you?"
The five snake catchers were now scared out of their wits.
They were Robber Cultivators who frequently lingered on the outskirts of Ten Thousand Snakes Valley, specifically targeting lone Cultivators. They had thought the youth would be heavily injured and poisoned after fighting the Rock Python, but who knew he was a total monster!
Not only could his Physical Body withstand the Rock Python, but he could even "eat" its innate core poison!
"Se... Senior, spare us!!"
The leader, a one-eyed man, endured the agonizing pain and kowtowed frantically on the ground:
"We were blind! We were just passing by... just passing by!"
"Passing by?"
Lin Que walked up to them, his cool eyes devoid of any pity.
"When you were 'passing by,' were those Bone-Piercing Nails and Soul-Confusing Smoke already gripped in your hands?"
He pointed to a blue-tinted poisonous nail that had slipped from the one-eyed man's sleeve.
"Since you love playing with poison so much, stay here and be snacks for the snakes and insects."
A black light flashed in Lin Que's hand.
[thousand changes multi-treasure pearl] — Cross-Blade Form.
Swish!
A pitch-black blade light flashed past.
Five heads fell neatly to the ground, their screams cut off in unison.
Lin Que skillfully waved his sleeve, and the five Storage Pouches instantly vanished.
"Poor bastards."
With a sweep of his Divine Sense, Lin Que curled his lip. These Robber Cultivators only had about a hundred Spirit Stones combined, not even worth a fraction of that Rock Python.
He turned back to the Rock Python's corpse.
He cut open its belly and retrieved the core.
A fist-sized, earthy yellow demon core fell into his hand. A second-rank Late Stage earth-attribute demon core was worth at least three hundred Spirit Stones on the market.
"Chirp chirp!"
The Little Snow Ferret excitedly scurried over, trying to gnaw on the demon core.
"You can't eat this; we're keeping it to sell for money."
Lin Que held down the wasteful little creature, put the demon core into his Storage Pouch, and then looked up at the deep, mysterious depths of the valley.
The battle just now was merely a warm-up.
And a display of power.
He could sense that many of the prying eyes in the valley's shadows had quietly retreated after witnessing this scene.
This was exactly the effect he wanted.
He wasn't afraid of trouble, but he hated endless flies.
"Let's go."
Lin Que slung the iron sword back onto his back, stood as straight as a pine, and strode into the mists of Ten Thousand Snakes Valley.
"Hongyi, stay sharp."
"I've heard that besides snakes, there are quite a few... Ancient Ruins hidden in this Ten Thousand Snakes Valley."
As his figure vanished into the thick fog, the headless corpses and the massive python carcass were soon covered by countless snakes emerging from the surroundings, becoming the most insignificant fertilizer in this perilous land.