Elder Yu didn't get the elixir he wanted, but he wasn't angry. He laughed and said, "Alright, alright, now that you have a disciple, you've forgotten about your fellow Daoist. What are you planning to go find?"

But Zhang Jingmo didn't answer, only shaking his head with a smile.

Elder Yu sighed and said, "If you won't say, then forget it. You won't even come drink with me..."

Zhang Jingmo laughed. "When I return, I'll come find you for a drink." Having said that, he bid farewell to Elder Yu and flew out of the mountain gate.

Zhang Jingmo and Elder Yu had a good relationship, practically close friends. However, Zhang Jingmo had been single-mindedly pursuing the Dao, completely neglecting those around him. As a result, in his many rebirths, his relationship with Elder Yu had grown more and more distant.

But this time, Zhang Jingmo didn't plan to personally take action. That Demon Ancestor whom he had failed to kill countless times - he might as well leave it to that monstrous talent Lu Guijiu. As for himself... it was better to focus on alchemy.

If traveling by horse and carriage from Lingxu Sect to Fengjue Valley, it would probably take around a month to reach the destination. But Zhang Jingmo rode the wind, needing only half an hour to arrive at the mouth of Fengjue Valley.

He stopped at the valley entrance but didn't directly enter, instead waiting a bit.

Sure enough, after just a few breaths, the clamor of people talking could be heard outside the valley. Zhang Jingmo saw from afar several disciples wearing Lingxu Sect attire walking this way. When those people approached and discovered Zhang Jingmo standing at the valley mouth, they all revealed surprised expressions.

"Elder Zhang, may I ask why you've come here?" After saluting Zhang Jingmo, the lead disciple respectfully inquired.

Within Lingxu Sect, one could be unaware of the other elders, but one definitely had to know Zhang Jingmo. Because a large portion of the high-grade elixirs supplied to disciples were refined by Zhang Jingmo. Having a good relationship with this elder meant one could obtain more elixirs beneficial for cultivation.

Zhang Jingmo said, "You should all return." He neither explained why he had appeared here, nor answered the disciple's question.

The disciple paused, then revealed a difficult expression. They had come out to search for spiritual herbs on a mission. If they couldn't find that many spiritual herbs, they would be punished upon returning.

Without waiting for the disciple to respond, Zhang Jingmo tossed a pouch to the lead disciple.

The lead disciple reflexively reached out to catch it. Before he could see what was inside, raising his head again, he discovered the space before him was already empty.

Seeing this, the lead disciple hurriedly opened the pouch in his hands. Upon clearly seeing what was inside, he stared with shock - unexpectedly, the pouch contained all the spiritual herbs they needed to find, just in double the quantity.

Zhang Jingmo didn't warn those Lingxu Sect disciples not to enter the valley, or else their lives would be in peril. As for the reason, firstly, he didn't want the matter of the demon python to be exposed. Secondly, he had always despised the insatiably greedy. If those spiritual herbs still couldn't satisfy them and they insisted on coming in to court death, then no one could be blamed.

After entering the valley, Zhang Jingmo smelled a faint fishy stench belonging to demon beasts.

Zhang Jingmo waved his hand and a gentle halo of light rose around his body, isolating him from the foul stench.

Fengjue Valley wasn't large, but danger lurked everywhere. However, these were no cause for fear to Zhang Jingmo - he had already come here over a hundred times.

With experience, Zhang Jingmo didn't waste time. He then cut a few wounds on his body, messed up his hair, took out a Primordial Cyan Pill from his sleeve, and swallowed it in one gulp.

His body was racked with intense pain. Zhang Jingmo held his breath, enduring the pain that felt like his body would explode. After a dozen or so breaths, the pain finally eased. Zhang Jingmo exhaled a breath of turbid air. Unsurprised, he discovered that in his dantian which had originally held a golden core, a tiny human that looked exactly like him had appeared - achieving Nascent Soul stage in just a few breaths.

This was the heaven-defying aspect of the Primordial Cyan Pill.

After achieving Nascent Soul, Zhang Jingmo wasn't in a hurry. He directly sat down on the spot and began leisurely adjusting his breathing. He meditated like this for several days.

The time after consuming a Primordial Cyan Pill was precious, but Zhang Jingmo wasn't the slightest bit anxious. On the seventh day of him meditating in place, he finally sensed an unusual gaze.

It had come. Zhang Jingmo's heart stirred slightly, but he deliberately revealed an anxious expression.

The surrounding fishy stench grew thicker and thicker. The unease on Zhang Jingmo's face deepened, like a cultivator forced to a desperate situation.

The ground began to tremble slightly, as if some enormous creature was slowly crawling.

Zhang Jingmo staggered to his feet, his face deathly pale. He shouted, "What manner of demon are you!"

A spine-chilling hissing sound arose. Zhang Jingmo raised his eyes to look, immediately spotting the red demon python concealed in the thick mist.

This demon python was over a hundred feet long, its entire body covered in brightly-colored blood-red scales. Its jet-black eyes revealed a greedy look. A scarlet tongue flicked out from its mouth, continuously emitting a thick fishy stench. And on a part of its body shrouded in the mist, a delicate light blue flower bloomed, completely at odds with the python's appearance - this was the spiritual herb Mingzhi that Zhang Jingmo sought.

At this moment, in the eyes of the late Golden Core stage demon python, Zhang Jingmo, this injured Nascent Soul cultivator, was its most perfect nourishment.

Zhang Jingmo's face turned even more deathly white. Dread flashed in his eyes, but he still pretended to be calm. "Courting death!"

"Hisss..." Although it couldn't speak, the demon python clearly revealed a disdainful look, as if mocking Zhang Jingmo's false bravado.

Zhang Jingmo wanted to say something but suddenly his face paled. His throat moved, clearly forcefully swallowing back blood that had welled up.

The surrounding fishy stench abruptly doubled in thickness. The halo of light protecting Zhang Jingmo's body flickered on and off, evidently about to be extinguished.

Zhang Jingmo seemed to want to turn and flee, but was also afraid the demon beast behind him would take the opportunity to attack. Just as he hesitated, he looked as if he could no longer hold on. The halo shielding his body suddenly shattered and he was instantly invaded by the fishy stench.

"Ah!" Zhang Jingmo let out a brief miserable cry. Without hesitating further, he whirled around to escape.

The demon python, seeing the situation, put down its suspicions and launched a fierce attack. Fearing that Zhang Jingmo would escape, it didn't use any fancy moves and directly lunged to bite Zhang Jingmo.

The snake's mouth was full of a foul stench, and its fangs were covered in a viscous, highly toxic liquid. If bitten, this body would likely be completely ruined.

The giant python moved too fast. Zhang Jingmo's eyes widened as he tried to dodge, but his severely injured body seemed to lack the agility - his arm was bitten.

In an instant, excruciating pain spread throughout Zhang Jingmo's body. A flash of satisfaction appeared in the giant python's eyes. However, in the next moment, it sensed that something was amiss.

The cultivator it had bitten neither struggled nor screamed. His originally pain-filled face revealed a hint of mockery. His beautifully shaped lips parted slightly, coldly spitting out two words: "Stupid creature."

The giant python's eyes suddenly widened, but it was all too late. It felt something explode inside its mouth, piercing through its upper jaw and blowing its entire head off.

These events transpired in just a few moments. When everything settled, all that remained was Zhang Jingmo, frowning slightly as he held his arm, and the headless corpse of the demon python before him.

This demon python was already at the late Golden Core stage. Since it dared to attack a Nascent Soul cultivator, it must have had its own trump card. However, Zhang Jingmo understood it too well, so he came up with the simplest method.

The demon python's saliva contained a potent poison. Even if a Nascent Soul cultivator was bitten, it would be difficult for even a Golden Immortal to save them. So it never imagined that someone would risk being bitten just to kill it.

As the demon poison entered his body, Zhang Jingmo felt a sharp pain in his dantian, but he was not anxious. He slowly walked over to the demon python's side and harvested the Mingzhi from its body.

The Mingzhi had only four petals. Enduring the excruciating pain, Zhang Jingmo tore off one petal and placed it in his mouth.

Once in his mouth, the Mingzhi turned into a stream of heat, flowing down Zhang Jingmo's throat all the way to his dantian. Almost instantly, the pain in his dantian was alleviated.

Exhaling, Zhang Jingmo relaxed his whole body. He placed the Mingzhi into his storage ring, then sat down on the spot and began treating the wound on his arm.

Tearing open his clothes revealed jade-white skin marked with several blackened imprints. The surrounding skin was also corroded badly by the demon python's saliva. Zhang Jingmo pursed his lips, but still did not take another petal of the Mingzhi. Instead, he gritted his teeth, removed the necrotic flesh and poisoned blood, and sprinkled on the wound medicine he had refined himself.

This medicine naturally did not have as good a healing effect as the Mingzhi. It would probably take a very long time for this wound to heal. Coupled with the side effects of the Primordial Cyan Pill, Zhang Jingmo could already imagine his miserable appearance a month later.

No, to be precise, it was not imagination, but something he had experienced many times before.

However, compared to the gains before him, what he paid was already quite little. Zhang Jingmo collected the demon python's fresh blood, peeled its skin and flesh, and did not even spare the bones, storing them all one by one into his ring.

Having done all this, Zhang Jingmo rested for a full fifteen days before he had the strength to fly back to Lingxu Sect on his sword.

By now, it had been about a month since he left Lingxu Sect.

Zhang Jingmo had left quietly and returned without many people knowing. After returning to his residence, he first went to see Lu Guijiu. It happened to be night time, and Lu Guijiu had already gone to bed.

Qingfeng was guarding outside Lu Guijiu's door. Seeing Zhang Jingmo return, he hurriedly bowed.

Zhang Jingmo waved his hand, signaling for Qingfeng to rise. He asked in a low voice, "Did anything happen while I was away these past few days?"

Qingfeng replied, "There was nothing with Young Master Lu, only that the Sect Master came looking for you once."

The Sect Master? Zhang Jingmo thought for a bit but couldn't figure out what it was about. He said, "I understand. Anything else?"

Qingfeng shook his head, indicating there was nothing else.

Only then did Zhang Jingmo give an "en" sound. He then instructed Qingfeng to prepare hot water, as he wanted to bathe.

Qingfeng acknowledged the order, bowed once more, and then went down.

With no one around, a hint of fatigue finally appeared on Zhang Jingmo's face. No matter how many times, the pain from the snake venom was still so hard to endure.