Chapter 436: The Golden-Winged Roc, the Serpent God, and the Alchemy Furnace!

“This mountain feels more like a demonic beast’s lair,” Zhang Wei commented. “It’s as if some ancient ferocious creature once slumbered here for ages, and layers of dust settled upon its body to form this peak.”

Zhang

‘Walking Encyclopedia of Blissful Lands’

Wei lived up to his title.

When it came to this Daoist senior who had supposedly been cultivating in seclusion for centuries, Zhang Wei spared no detail and held nothing back.

Along the way, the two conversed at length, and Li Yanchu gradually came to understand many hidden truths and ancient secrets, gaining a new perspective on the mysteries of the Mount Taoyuan Blissful Land.

According to Zhang Wei, there were five forbidden regions within the Mount Taoyuan's Blissful Land. And the Primordial Yang Fruit was said to help cultivators condense pure yang qi, greatly increasing their chances of breaking through to the Yang Spirit Realm.

At first, Zhang Wei had claimed he needed the Primordial Yang Fruit merely to replenish his own depleted yang qi, but had concealed the fact that it could aid a cultivator in advancing to the third realm.

As the two continued their conversation, the sky suddenly began to darken.

“Wait, why is it getting dark all of a sudden in broad daylight...?” Zhang Wei was about to complain about this strange place, but when he looked up, his words froze in his throat.

A colossal bird was soaring toward them from afar with its wings spread wide, vast enough to cover an entire mountain range. Even from such a great distance, its savage and ferocious aura sent chills down their spines.

The great bird’s talons gleamed with dazzling golden light, razor-sharp and unstoppable, as it swooped down toward the mountain range.

But that “mountain range” suddenly began to move; it was, in fact, a giant white python, twisting its colossal body in panic. As it writhed, enormous boulders tumbled down, and the earth split open into deep, yawning chasms.

Zhang Wei had been right, this mountain truly

was

a ferocious beast in disguise.

Squelch!

The giant bird’s talons pierced straight through the massive python’s body. Its scales, hard as iron, were stronger than many powerful defensive artifacts, yet they were as fragile as paper beneath those golden claws.

Violet blood splattered across the sky and earth. The bird spread its wings, unleashing a violent gust of wind. It lifted the white python, which was hundreds of zhang long, high into the air, then hurled it far into the distance.

When the serpent’s body struck the ground, the earth quaked and the mountains roared, and the entire Blissful Land trembled violently. It was no less terrifying than the earlier battle between the Fire Virtue Star Lord and the ancient forbidden being.

Moments later, the savage white python was completely torn to pieces. Only then did the enormous bird seem satisfied. It let out a sharp cry, spread its wings once more, and flew away into the distant sky.

Seeing this, Li Yanchu and Zhang Wei were both speechless.

Li Yanchu was merely astonished, but Zhang Wei was utterly petrified. His eyes went wide, as his body trembled uncontrollably, and his face drained of all color. The sheer terror of the scene had left him shaking from head to toe, barely able to form words.

Too much! It was

too much.

Two such horrifying sights in a single day... his heart could hardly take it!

Though Zhang Wei came from a hidden cultivation family and considered himself well-traveled, even he stammered as he said, “If... if I’m not mistaken, that vicious bird should be the Golden-Winged Roc recorded in Buddhist scriptures, and that white python... should be what the Buddhists call a

dragon

.”

Strictly speaking, he added, such a “dragon” in Buddhist lore was known as a Serpent God.

He spoke cautiously, eyes still wide, not daring even to breathe too loudly.

Perhaps to a creature the size of that Golden-Winged Roc, they were far too insignificant to notice, and that alone was what spared their lives.

“But why would a Golden-Winged Roc and a Serpent God from Buddhist myth appear within a Daoist Blissful Land?” Li Yanchu frowned deeply as curiosity stirred within him.

Just what had happened in this Mount Taoyuan Blissful Land long ago? Where had this Golden-Winged Roc come from? Could it be that a powerful Buddhist cultivator had once fallen here?

Was that truly the real Golden-Winged Roc or merely the Dharma manifestation of some Buddhist master’s primordial spirit?

Li Yanchu’s brow furrowed even tighter. An ordinary Yin Spirit cultivator’s manifestation could never possess such terrifying power. But if it belonged to someone of the third realm...?

He had thought he already understood this Blissful Land well, but now it was clear that many mysteries from that ancient era still lay buried, unresolved.

The two men exchanged a glance, then hurried toward the place where the Serpent God had fallen. By then, that colossal, primeval creature had already been torn to shreds by the Golden-Winged Roc, yet its corpse still remained. And that corpse... was a treasure trove in itself.

Its scales, blood, and bones, perhaps even a demon core or inner core, any one of these would be an incredible boon to whoever obtained it. Where there was great danger, there lay great fortune.

The Mount Taoyuan Blissful Land had existed for who knew how many countless years; for such immensely powerful beasts to dwell here was not strange at all. And the more perilous and mysterious it became, the stronger the cultivators’ desire to explore it grew.

After witnessing a celestial god of the Celestial Court battle an ancient forbidden being, and then seeing the Golden-Winged Roc slay the Serpent God, the cultivators within the Blissful Land were filled with both fear and excitement.

Human nature was such; everyone believed

they

would be the one to seize the final heavenly opportunity, that

they

were the destined exception. Especially this time, many of those who entered the Blissful Land were peerless geniuses.

Among them was that mysterious young monk from Great Xiangguo Temple, whose Buddhist cultivation was deep and unfathomable.

When he saw the legendary beings from Buddhist myth, the Golden-Winged Roc and the Serpent God, his eyes shone brightly. He immediately used the Buddhist divine art Divine Foot Arts, taking a single step that spanned dozens of zhang, his speed astonishingly fast.

By the time Li Yanchu and Zhang Wei arrived, a large crowd had already gathered.

The Serpent God’s corpse was nowhere to be seen; it had been drawn, right before everyone’s eyes, into an ancient, massive alchemy furnace. That furnace had originally been sitting inside a dilapidated thatched hut, but now it hovered high in the air, its bronze surface glowing faintly red from heat.

Beside it stood a disheveled Daoist, his hair in wild tangles, but his lower body had been completely torn apart by something terrifying, leaving him a mangled, bloody ruin.

All around, cultivators stared at the floating furnace with burning, feverish eyes.

“What’s going on here? Why is it so crowded?” Li Yanchu frowned slightly. “Don’t tell me... most of the cultivators in this realm have gathered here?”

With a thought, he activated the Sun Veil, masking his own aura and reducing his presence until he seemed to vanish into the crowd.

Those who could venture deep into the Mount Taoyuan Blissful Land, and even after witnessing so many terrifying battles between divine powers, still dared to stay and seek treasure, were by no means ordinary people.

In truth, when this Blissful Land opened, its entry threshold had already been raised sharply. Everyone present was either an ancient powerhouse of a great sect whose lifespan was nearing its end, an old monster with cultivation too profound to fathom, or a young prodigy from a hidden cultivation clan, blessed with immense fortune. Not a single one of them was a simple character.

The gigantic Serpent God’s body had already been absorbed and refined by the alchemy furnace, and now a thick, fragrant medicinal aroma was spreading through the air, invigorating the spirit and banishing all fatigue. This alchemy furnace was nothing short of miraculous!

If someone could obtain a Blood-Qi Pill refined from such a fearsome beast, who could even imagine how terrifyingly strong their physical body would become?

Just then, two elderly men slowly stepped forward.

One wore a bright red robe, the other a green one. Both had childlike faces and snow-white hair, looking almost identical; in fact, their appearances were exactly the same.

“Everyone here seems hesitant because of that dead Daoist,” the red-robed old man said with a cheerful laugh. “In that case, my brother and I will make the first move.”

He reached to untie the hemp rope around his waist, then took a single step forward. His aura surged as he charged fiercely toward the half-destroyed Daoist’s body!

The green-robed old man followed immediately half a step behind, but their movements were perfectly synchronized, not differing by even a hair’s breadth!