White-Robed Chief

This was a rare type of flying snake, and eating its gallbladder was way more effective than any torso tuning technique.

A moment later, when he had regained control of his body after the pain had subsided, he was filled with a great sense of power. It felt as if he was taller than the clouds and greater than the mountains, and that he could easily move mountains and cross oceans. If he stretched up his hand, he could even poke a hole through the sky.

He felt as light as a feather, but the Omniscient Mirror revealed to him that this was all an illusion and that he still had the same old body, which had, in fact, became somewhat heavier since having denser bones would lead to an increased body weight.

The two Spirit Cranes were standing two meters away from him and were almost leaning into him as they watched him with bright, curious eyes.

What had happened to Chu Li earlier made them very curious. They did not feel much of a difference after eating the snake gallbladders, so they felt that it was very strange for Chu Li to experience such a reaction.

Chu Li went forward to pat their necks, grinning. They had been considerably helpful to him.

He lowered his gaze to their legs and noticed the faint fang-marks, but there did not seem to be any sign of poisoning in them.

Then he stooped down to pick up the four flying snakes, which felt cold and smooth to his touch and were unusually heavy as though they had been made of iron. After a moment of consideration, he gave the two Spirit Cranes a meaningful look.

The Spirit Cranes nodded in comprehension.

Chu Li disappeared from where he stood and reappeared in Qing Yun Town.

Xiao Shi was sitting by the stone table, reading a book. When he appeared, she quickly took the book and fanned her face with it, shooting him a look of disgust. He was covered in sweat and dirt and smelled as if he had just come out of a stinking drain.

Chu Li laughed. “I’m going to take a bath. Let’s cook these so that we can have some snake-meat stew.”

“They’re so smelly. Why should we eat these?!” asked Xiao Shi. “It’s those Spirit Snakes again. Can they give you an inner cuirass?”

Chu Li nodded. “These should be better than the ones we found before.”

These four flying snakes were much harder to deal with compared to the ones he had encountered, so they should contain even more spiritual energy.

“Alright then. Let’s give it a try,” Xiao Shi said, shaking her head. “We’ll have to use your sword.”

Chu Li handed the Modesty Sword to Yang Xu. Meanwhile, Menglan had already gone to prepare some hot water.

Although these two courtyards had a simple design, they had everything they needed. The women had kept a pot of water at a constant boil so that it would be ready for use at any time.

Chu Li came out of his bath feeling light and refreshed. By then, a wonderful fragrance was already permeating the courtyard, lingering about, and before he knew it, he had started to salivate.

Xiao Shi was standing in the courtyard examining the Modesty Sword, intrigued by the dusky yet sharp blade. She also found the patterns on the blade very interesting.

Chu Li was terrified to see this and did not dare to make any sudden noises that would startle her, out of fear that she might accidentally hurt herself.

The sharpness of the Modesty Sword was unlike any other treasure sword. Given its ability to cut clean through iron as though it were mud, its blade could cut through flesh easier than tofu.

“I didn’t expect it to smell so good.” Chu Li slowly walked over to the stone table to take a seat, using the sound of his footsteps to attract her attention before speaking.

“Yes, this is a different kind of snake.” Xiao Shi passed the Modesty Sword to him. “Despite their horrid appearance, they smelled pretty good while being cooked and did not stink at all.”

Chu Li let out a long sigh of relief. His Cloud Slashing Power was already flowing through his body as he could not wait to test it and see how much stronger his body had become.

“Do you what kind of snake this is?” Xiao Shi asked.

Chu Li smiled. “Does My Lady know?”

Xiao Shi replied, “When I got a whiff of its fragrance while it was being cooked, only then I realized that it was a Dark Yang Snake.”

“Dark Yang Snake?” Chu Li repeated with a smile. “Is there anything special about it?”

“The gallbladder of a Dark Yang Snake can strengthen one’s physique and nourish one’s renal energy. I heard it’s the best tonic for men,” Xiao Shi said, shaking her head, showing no sign of embarrassment. “Basically, it helps increase your strength, and is very effective in doing so.”

Chu Li nodded. He had experienced it himself and knew that his strength had indeed been immensely increased.

Xiao Shi continued speaking, “The meat of a Dark Yang Snake can nourish your health, and extend your life vitality, although I’m not sure how true that is.”

“Life vitality? Extending it by how much?” Chu Li was astonished.

Xiao Shi answered, “That depends on how long the snake has lived. Extending it by a few years is certainly possible.”

“This seems to be an extraordinary creature indeed, especially for older people,” Chu Li remarked.

A few extra years might not seem like a lot to a young person, but a senior would know their true value.

“It’s no doubt extraordinary, but it’s very hard to come by,” Xiao Shi said. “I believe there aren’t that many of them left in the world. Since you guys have killed four of them this time, there should be even fewer of them now.”

“Thank Heaven and Earth,” Chu Li said. “If they had left the Hundred-Thousand Hills, who would be able to handle them then?”

Without the Spirit Cranes’ help, he would not have been able to deal with these four flying snakes. Since no swords could harm them, not even their seven-inch spot, it was bone-chilling to imagine how it would be if they had started killing humans. It probably would not take them very long to wipe out an entire town’s populace.

Whenever the Hundred-Thousand Hills entered his mind, he would feel distinctly aware of his own insignificance and the frailty of humanity.

The snake meat was slowly cooked until evening came, and was finally served as the sun was setting.

Chu Li called Yang Baoshu over to bring two bowls of stew home.

Then, they tucked into the stew and finished the entire meal very quickly. The fragrance had overcome their fear of snakes, so they could not hold themselves back and feasted happily.

“Feels so warm and cozy.” Xiao Shi laughed.

While speaking, she used the Breathing Technique of the Spirit Cranes to quickly absorb the warmth into her body, thus attaining far more benefits from it than Yang Xu and Menglan.

At present, she did not know any martial arts and had no inner energy, but her body underwent a gradual change as her physique became tougher while her strength increased.

After talking to her for a little while, Chu Li returned to King An’s Imperial Residence once again, waiting for Fang Qingyang to show up.

Sure enough, Fang Qingyang did come.

As midnight approached, Fang Qingyang appeared like a blazing sun, rushing over at the speed of light.

Chu Li wore his white robe as he stood in the center of the courtyard, sizing him up calmly. “Is the Priest not afraid of being placed under siege by the martial arts masters of the Ji Dynasty?”

“Unless your Emperor takes action, what is there to fear?” Fang Qingyang answered. “Can you all keep up with my speed?”

“That might not be the case.” Chu Li shook his head. “Do you think no one from the Tempest Temple can defeat you?”

Fang Qingyang replied, “Even if I can’t fight them, I can still escape… Anyway, killing you won’t cause your Emperor to take any action either. You’re not qualified for that yet.”

“Never mind. Let’s just settle this once and for all!” Chu Li shook his head and leaped in front of him, thrusting out his palm.

Fang Qingyang scoffed and threw out a Divine Light Fist.

“Bang!” Their fist and palm collided with one another, and they each took a step back.

Fang Qingyang frowned as he stared at his opponent.

Only a day had passed, but Chu Li seemed like a whole new person. The depth and purity of his inner energy now exceeded his own, abruptly causing him to lose his advantage over Chu Li.

Fang Qingyang asked flatly, “What fortuitous discovery have you encountered?”

Chu Li smiled. “I came to a sudden comprehension after fighting you, so I’ve advanced a level in my cultivation. Thank you very much!”

Fang Qingyang studied him closely. “Very well then. I’ll be back again!”

Upon finishing his sentence, he dashed away in a flash, disappearing from Chu Li’s sight in the blink of an eye, leaving the observational range of the Omniscient Mirror.

Chu Li broke into laughter, not expecting Fang Qingyang to leave just like that. How satisfying.

He breathed a long sigh of relief. This issue could be considered to have been resolved. The Holy Church of Light would probably not be returning to seek revenge for some time after this.

Soon after, he knitted his brows together and sighed. What would they do then?

They would certainly find a way to kill him. If not, there was no way to tell how many more disciples of the Holy Church of Light would die at his hands. Furthermore, given that he had already killed quite a number of their disciples, they would never abandon the idea of seeking revenge.

Since they could not use martial arts to defeat him, they would definitely resort to other means like how they had been dealing with King Ping.

They would start with the people around him!

He pondered over it with a frown, and eventually shook his head in resignation. It seemed like it was time to go on the offensive now. He should not wait for them to bring the fight to him and then forcing him to drive them off one by one. It was time for the White Shroud Shendao to pay a visit to the Li Dynasty!

In the early morning of the next day, he cultivated the Manifestation of Nature Restoration. He hoped to break Xiao Qi’s inner state as soon as possible, so he was planning to go into isolated cultivation for a period of time to focus on his self-cultivation.

Then, he heard Chief Zhu’s voice from outside, saying that Qin Jin and the other men were asking to see him.

Chu Li went to the main hall of the Imperial Residence to meet the four men. They had already recovered from their earlier injuries and had come to bring him the news that the Mei Yi Courtyard seemed to be intending to investigate the Ji Public House.