Ling Xiao had checked, and using the *Soul Dice* had no side effects.
If there was any downside, it was that his head would ache for a day or two, which was quite miserable.
“Brother Ling!”
“Ling Xiao!”
“I’m fine. You two, hurry and skin that giant python’s corpse. It’s full of treasures, nearly transformed into a dragon. Its skin and bones are top-notch materials. You can trade them for plenty of good stuff outside,” Ling Xiao reminded.
Hearing this, Leng Hao and Dai Yuling went to dissect the corpse.
Once done, Dai Yuling kept some materials for making medicinal powders.
Leng Hao took a bone spike, planning to have it forged into a weapon.
The rest of the materials were given to Ling Xiao.
They knew full well the python was killed by Ling Xiao, so he deserved the spoils.
Ling Xiao didn’t refuse.
Feeling mostly recovered, the three continued forward and opened the treasure chest.
Inside was another metal card, but instead of the previous “Dream Girl,” it depicted the “Ten Thousand Poison Python.”
Besides the sealing card, there were two books. One was the *Poison Scripture*, which Ling Xiao gave to Dai Yuling.
The other was a high-grade golden martial technique, which he gave to Leng Hao, though Leng Hao compensated him with ten thousand low-grade spirit stones.
Ling Xiao kept the sealing card for himself.
Truth be told, he didn’t care much for the *Poison Scripture* or the high-grade golden technique, but they were useful for winning people over.
Plus, getting ten thousand low-grade spirit stones was a nice bonus.
…
“Good grief, this is terrifying. Who killed all these venomous snakes?”
Shangguan Lei appeared near the main passage.
He looked worse for wear, covered in wounds and poisoned.
The passage Bai Feifei had chosen was trickier than Ling Xiao’s, with a demonic beast at the end, equivalent to a Heaven-Human Realm powerhouse.
No one could match it.
The team scattered in fear.
Fortunately, the beast only guarded its treasure chest and didn’t pursue, or the team would’ve been wiped out.
Even so, the beast had two ninth-grade ferocious beasts as subordinates.
They chased the team, scattering them completely.
Bai Feifei protected no one, fleeing alone.
Dantai Lingzi took Liu Lie and Situ Jun with her.
Wu Yang and Qin Wu, being strong, also escaped.
But Shangguan Lei and Wang Nan were left in the lurch.
Luckily, the two ninth-grade beasts chased the larger group, leaving the two stragglers to escape alone.
Wang Nan’s fate was unclear, but Shangguan Lei reached the fork near Ling Xiao’s path, seeing the snakes killed by Ling Xiao’s sword qi and others fleeing in panic, too scared to attack him.
“Could it be him?”
Shangguan Lei pondered and concluded that, among the tower-climbing participants, only Ling Xiao could produce such a shocking result.
Ling Xiao’s cultivation wasn’t high, but his methods were endless, unpredictable.
“Shangguan Lei!”
Ling Xiao’s voice rang out from the side.
Shangguan Lei’s spirits lifted.
“Save me!”
He managed only those two words before fainting.
“Yuling, detoxify him,” Ling Xiao said to Dai Yuling.
“No way, Shangguan Lei is one of Demon Flame Venerable’s people. You really want to save him?”
“Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. Why not?” Ling Xiao said with a smile.
He didn’t explain further, and Dai Yuling didn’t press.
Both she and Leng Hao were sharp enough to understand his reasons but kept it unspoken, guarding his secret.
“Thank you, Brother Ling! Thank you, Sister Yuling!”
About seven or eight minutes later, Shangguan Lei awoke from his coma. Ling Xiao tossed him a few pills and a snake gall.
“Eat these and recover here!”
Shangguan Lei nodded, asking no questions, and focused on cultivating to recover.
As a late-stage Mortal Realm Fourth Layer martial artist, his true essence was nearly depleted from the battles, so he absorbed the snake gall efficiently. Moments later, it was fully absorbed.
“Let me give you a hand!”
Ling Xiao tapped Shangguan Lei’s martial vein center, injecting his own true essence to guide a breakthrough.
Mortal Realm Fourth Layer Peak!
Mortal Realm Fifth Layer Initial!
Mortal Realm Fifth Layer Mid!
Mortal Realm Fifth Layer Late!
Shangguan Lei had accumulated significant energy, so once the breakthrough began, it was unstoppable, advancing from late Fourth Layer to late Fifth Layer, nearing its peak.
Shangguan Lei didn’t comment on Ling Xiao’s actions, finding them natural, as he entrusted his life to Ling Xiao.
Ling Xiao was his master!
Saying unnecessary thanks was pointless; proving loyalty through action was better.
“Shangguan Lei, if I eliminate you now, would you object?” Ling Xiao asked.
“Of course not!” Shangguan Lei shook his head.
“Good. Get ready. I might eliminate you at any moment. If you stay with me too long, it could raise suspicions, which would be troublesome. But rest assured, I’ll ensure you gain enough benefits before that.”
Ling Xiao treated Shangguan Lei differently from Dai Yuling and Leng Hao.
But as long as Shangguan Lei remained loyal, Ling Xiao wouldn’t be stingy.
“Understood!”
Shangguan Lei nodded, clearly having no objections to Ling Xiao’s plan.
Even without further benefits, he was thrilled, as advancing to late Mortal Realm Fifth Layer was a tangible gain.
“You three, guard me. I’m going to try breaking through!”
Ling Xiao had obtained the Ten Thousand Poison Python’s inner core, far more valuable than the golden snake’s gall.
“No problem!”
When Leng Hao, Shangguan Lei, and Dai Yuling had broken through, Ling Xiao guarded them. Now that he needed to break through, they naturally stepped up.
Ling Xiao sensed that Demon Flame Venerable’s puppet clone was still recovering, giving him a perfect chance to break through.
Inside the Moonflower Tower, breakthroughs seemed easier than outside, so using good items here was a wise choice.
Swallowing the inner core, he quickly activated the *Twelve Golden Lotus Technique*.
This top-grade golden inner skill greatly aided in absorbing the python’s core.
Having already solidified his mid-stage Mortal Realm Sixth Layer cultivation through the battle with the python, now was the perfect time to break through.
