Chapter 16: Words of Gold and Jade
Whoosh! A flash of golden light streaked by, and Lu Sheng felt a sharp pain in his finger. His expression changed drastically as he muttered, “Damn it! It’s actually advanced!”
When a human is able to absorb the vital energy of heaven and earth, they are called a Martial Master. When a beast gains this ability, it is known as a Demon Beast. The difference between a demon beast that has advanced and a variant merely possessing demon beast bloodline is as stark as night and day. Possessing such blood does not guarantee advancement, but once it is called advanced, it means it has at least reached the first rank.
Demon beasts are classified into six ranks according to their strength. An ‘advanced’ demon beast generally refers to a first-rank demon beast. The power of such a creature is almost equal to that of a human Martial Master.
Now, Lu Sheng was facing a golden serpent that had already become a first-rank demon beast.
While he used merit to heal his injured finger, Lu Sheng pondered, “No wonder it moves so swiftly through earth and stone—it really has advanced!”
Earlier, upon sensing a creature tracking him, he’d found a circular passage, hoping to circle back and discover what was stalking him. Yet after several loops, he found nothing. Only when he amplified his spiritual sense did he perceive the danger lurking in the soil. That was how he located the golden serpent.
Even though he guessed this serpent might have advanced, Lu Sheng still underestimated it. At their first encounter, his hand was injured.
“If it can’t advance, it’s just a beast. But once it does, a demon beast’s intelligence grows dramatically, sometimes even rivaling that of humans.”
“To deal with them requires special methods!”
As he considered this, Lu Sheng felt a hint of relief. “Fortunately, I’ve already figured out some uses for karma over these days!”
Although his finger was wounded by the golden serpent, with that contact, one hundred points of karma had also entered the serpent’s body, enough to drive this newly advanced demon beast into a frenzy—
This was precisely the use of karma that Lu Sheng had recently discovered. It was for this reason that he no longer spent karma carelessly, but reserved some for key moments. He had also used karma to awaken the hibernating python earlier.
A wild, guttural cry burst out from the golden serpent, far louder than any ordinary snake’s hiss, as the karma took effect. Instead of fleeing at its master’s command, it suddenly went mad and launched itself straight at Lu Sheng.
“Excellent!”
To Lu Sheng’s delight, he faced the serpent head-on. As he blocked the attack, his fingers flicked, revealing a shard of obsidian dagger, which he used to carve a wound into the serpent’s scaly hide—
Obsidian, a hundred times sharper than steel, could injure even third-rank demon beasts. Naturally, this golden serpent, merely first-rank, was wounded. Yet the pain, amplified by the effects of karma, did not bring clarity; it only made the serpent more enraged, driving it to attack even more wildly.
“Beast, after all, remains a beast!”
Now that the golden serpent had lost its wits, even as a demon beast, it could no longer harm Lu Sheng. Seizing an opportunity, Lu Sheng hurled the obsidian shard and severed the serpent’s head.
“The demon beast’s gall bladder must not go to waste!”
He quickly dug out the gall bladder and swallowed it in one gulp. A cool sensation spread from his mouth to his chest and abdomen, leaving none of the usual fishy odor of serpent gall.
“What an intense bitterness!”
“No wonder it’s the gall of a demon serpent. Just one is worth at least ten variant serpent galls!”
“I can feel it—my Eye Acupoint is about to open!”
Feeling the bitterness seep to his very core, Lu Sheng mused. Over these days, he had consumed more than a dozen variant serpent galls. Even without medicinal catalysts to enhance their effect on the eyes, his Eye Acupoint was nearly opened.
He glanced at the golden serpent’s corpse and murmured, “Every part of a demon beast is precious; I can’t let the flesh of this golden serpent go to waste.”
He brushed off the dust and removed inedible parts, then stuffed the entire corpse into his mouth.
“These golden jaws and jade teeth are truly remarkable!”
As he chewed the tough, bone-studded flesh, Lu Sheng couldn’t help but praise. This profound art, which tempered the mouth acupoint, was a perfect fit for someone like him, who had already opened both his mouth and posterior acupoints and refined his digestive organs.
“All right! Someone is bound to come soon. I must go!”
He took out another prepared dose of the Primeval Solution and smeared it over his body, quickly making his escape.
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“What’s happening? I can’t control Little Gold anymore!”
Just as Lu Sheng infused the golden serpent with karma, Wan Gu Xiao, who was commanding his snakes and insects to stall the Ma brothers, suddenly turned pale with shock.
He had never encountered such a situation before. But soon, his surprise turned to horror.
“Little Gold is dead—so soon!”
A first-rank demon beast, even for a great Martial Master like himself, would require considerable effort to slay. Yet in Lu Sheng’s hands, it had been dispatched in the blink of an eye.
“This boy has more secrets than I thought!”
Wan Gu Xiao muttered to himself, recalling how Lu Sheng had also slain the purple serpent so abruptly last time.
Once might be luck, but twice was proof of real strength.
As a veteran great Martial Master who had survived over ten years in the martial world, Wan Gu Xiao would never underestimate any opponent.
Thus, upon realizing Little Gold had gone rogue and died, he immediately stopped trying to use his snakes and insects to stall the Ma brothers. He summoned back his life-bound primeval gu and carefully reviewed what had transpired.
“Little Gold’s sudden strike only caused him a minor injury. It seems this boy is not only highly alert, but his strength is at least on par with a Martial Master!”
If Wan Gu Xiao hadn’t considered the possibility before, he now regarded Lu Sheng as a Martial Master, regardless of whether he had officially advanced.
“Moreover, this boy is a Martial Master with a secret technique that restrains snakes and insects.”
“Otherwise, how did Little Gold suddenly go berserk and get killed so easily?”
“It seems there’s yet another person in this Serpent’s Lair who must be dealt with carefully!”
Recalling the python that had suddenly gone mad and caused such a commotion earlier, Wan Gu Xiao pondered. In this lair, the myriad snakes and insects were his countless arms. If Lu Sheng had a way to restrain them, it was as if he’d lost an arm himself—capturing him would be exceedingly difficult!
“Still, it’s not hopeless.”
“If one won’t do, then several will. My primeval gu has already advanced to the second rank; not only can it control second-rank demon beasts, but it can also control multiple demon beasts below the second rank simultaneously.”
“With these, I refuse to believe I can’t catch that brat!”
“I’ll let you run free for a few more days—once I’ve refined a second-rank demon beast, we’ll see!”
After his primeval gu’s advancement, he could now control second-rank demon beasts. But in his eagerness to catch Lu Sheng, he hadn’t brought any with him; even the variant beast and first-rank demon beast he’d prepared were both killed by Lu Sheng.
“Fortunately, there’s still Little Blue!”
He took out a small blue serpent and spoke to it. Demon beasts were rare, and their advancement rarer still—even he had only managed to keep two on hand.
Now that Little Gold was dead, he could only rely on this blue serpent. The other variant beasts would have to be hunted down in the lair.
“With Little Gold gone, there’s no more competition for advancement. Little Blue should advance even faster!”
“In the meantime, I can use these days to mask the scent of horse dung!”
Although the scent of horse dung had no antidote, it could still be masked with strong odors. He wasn’t keen to douse himself in foul smells, but if necessary, Wan Gu Xiao wouldn’t hesitate!