The python's body was truly massive, easily seventy to eighty feet long and as thick as two men joining hands to encircle it. Coiled up, it resembled a small mountain.
By comparison, the nearby Moon-Embracing Kite-Falcon was much more delicate, yet it was still five feet long, with a wingspan stretching twenty to thirty feet when fully extended.
“If I hadn't happened to break through to the fourth layer of the Qi Refining Realm and expanded the space inside the Fate-Tapping Bell several times over, I really wouldn't have been able to fit both of them inside.”
This highlighted the benefits of the Yin-Yang Fate-Tapping Bell.
Storage-type artifacts were difficult to refine, and their internal space was extremely limited. Low-grade storage artifacts were only a few square feet, barely sufficient for a cultivator's daily needs while traveling. High-grade storage artifacts, on the other hand, were exceedingly rare and prohibitively expensive, far beyond the reach of ordinary people.
For this reason, most merchants in the Origin Realm operated much like those in the Mortal Realm—either using beasts to pull cargo wagons or shipping goods by water. They could not simply rely on a single storage bag to travel light and do business.
The Yin-Yang Fate-Tapping Bell possessed remarkable growth potential, expanding in power alongside Shi Yu's own cultivation. Right now, even though she was only at the fourth layer of the Qi Refining Realm, its internal space already far surpassed that of most storage artifacts, and it would undoubtedly continue to grow in the future.
However, while the Fate-Tapping Bell had enough room, stowing such a colossal corpse was no easy feat.
Shi Yu crouched on the python's body, touching its hide with her palm. Taking a deep breath, she channeled her divine sense, spreading it outward from her hand until it completely enveloped the massive snake.
Her divine sense acted like a giant net, ensnaring the Scarlet Flame Void-Cleaving Python. Shi Yu then had to pull the net tight, using every ounce of her strength to drag the beast into the Fate-Tapping Bell.
She felt as though a dull blade were sawing through her mind; dragging in every inch of the python's corpse drained a portion of her spiritual sense.
Before long, cold sweat poured from her forehead, and black spots danced across her vision.
Enduring the agonizing pain and dizziness, Shi Yu continually tightened her divine sense. After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, she finally managed to pull the python's corpse entirely into the Fate-Tapping Bell.
The instant it was stowed away, her entire body went slack. She felt drained to her core, utterly exhausted as if her very soul had been sucked out.
Slumping back against the nearby corpse of the Moon-Embracing Kite-Falcon, Shi Yu panted heavily, her face pale with exhaustion.
Yet as she caught her breath, a smile tugged at the corners of her lips, and her eyes sparkled with delight.
“This trip was definitely worth it.”
The Scarlet Flame Void-Cleaving Python matched her fire attribute; its scales and hide would be ideal for refining artifacts.
Storing corpses inside the Fate-Tapping Bell preserved them from decaying, meaning the spiritual essence in its blood would not dissipate and could be drawn upon for a long time. Just using it to prepare fire-attribute talisman ink would last her a very long time, and the blood of such a high-tier spirit beast would naturally yield far better results than that of ordinary ones.
Not to mention its fangs, inner core, snake gall, and other parts—all rare and valuable treasures.
And as for the Moon-Embracing Kite-Falcon... Shi Yu reached out and gently touched the gorgeous silver feathers along its wings.
It was a wind-attribute spirit beast, a mutated element outside the standard five elements of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. Materials derived from it had a wide variety of uses.
“Essential for refining cloud boats... when incorporated into footwear artifacts, it can drastically boost speed and weightlessness. Then there are various spirit talismans, array formations...” In an instant, countless plans formed in Shi Yu's mind.
After resting for a while until the pain caused by overusing her divine sense subsided, she stood up, intending to finish the job and stow the Moon-Embracing Kite-Falcon into the Fate-Tapping Bell as well.
However, the moment she stood, she sensed something amiss. Her sharp gaze immediately shifted toward the other side of the forest.
A blue butterfly fluttered out from the trees, accompanied by the fragrance of woodland flowers.
It was shrouded in a faint blue glow. As its wings flapped gently, they gleamed with vivid, dazzling colors under the sunlight.
“A Trail-Seeking Butterfly,” Shi Yu mouthed silently, looking up at the person following behind it.
The middle-aged man who stepped out was burly with a beard like steel needles—it was Wu Hao.
It seemed his other two brothers had gone after Xie Cheng and Xie Zhixun.
His grim gaze locked onto her, and he let out a sinister chuckle. “Found you.”
Although Shi Yu had changed her clothes and sliced away her affected flesh, buying herself a considerable amount of time, traces of the Yinghuo Pollen scent still lingered on her. The Trail-Seeking Butterfly had tracked her down nonetheless.
Wu Hao first turned his gaze onto the corpse of the Moon-Embracing Kite-Falcon, his face lighting up with greedy delight. Then his eyes lowered to Shi Yu, carrying a strange, indecipherable look.
“Judging by how recently this Moon-Embracing Kite-Falcon died, the other spirit beast must have left not long ago.” He offered a half-smile, eyeing Shi Yu with a peculiar expression. “You certainly have good luck to have stumbled through unscathed.”
It never even crossed Wu Hao's mind that the “other spirit beast” he spoke of had already been stowed away by Shi Yu. He assumed the two beasts had fought until one emerged victorious and departed.
Shi Yu remained silent, realizing he had only just arrived by following the Trail-Seeking Butterfly and hadn't witnessed her stowing the Scarlet Flame Void-Cleaving Python into the Fate-Tapping Bell.
Seeing Wu Hao approach step by step, she slid the Hidden Hatred Flute from her sleeve into her palm.
His cultivation is two layers higher than mine, Shi Yu mused internally. However, since we are both in the mid stage of the Qi Refining Realm, it isn't impossible to fight him.
Flapping its blue wings gently, the Trail-Seeking Butterfly circled Shi Yu affectionately due to the lingering scent of Yinghuo Pollen, finally perching upon her hair.
Wu Hao paused in his tracks, his eyes turning lustful. “I thought you were just a young lad, but to think you're actually a girl.”
Earlier, when Shi Yu activated the Spirit Wandering Talisman, Wu Hao's sleeve arrow had shattered her hairpin, causing her long black hair to cascade down. Everyone present had witnessed the scene and realized she was a girl disguised as a boy.
Wu Hao scrutinized the young girl before him. She was young, her frame delicate and slender like a fragile reed. Her facial features were somewhat plain, yet her skin was pure and flawless, as if light could pass right through it.
The Trail-Seeking Butterfly rested on her hair like a shimmering blue hairpin, adding an indefinable charm and grace to her presence.
Her features might be modest, but no matter how one looked at her, it was impossible to avert one's eyes.
Considering her status as a talisman master and her likely extraordinary background, Wu Hao had originally intended to kill her to eliminate any future trouble. But now, his mind changed.
“It would be a pity to kill you.” He chuckled lewdly, looking at Shi Yu with unbearable lust. “If you're willing to swear a blood oath to serve me as your master and cater to all three of us brothers wholeheartedly... I might just spare your life.”
Shi Yu let out a soft laugh. “Cater to you?”
“A mere clown dares to harbor such wild delusions.” Before her words even faded, she activated a handful of spirit talismans and hurled them forward.
Although Wu Hao was blinded by lust, he had been secretly guarding against the spirit talismans on Shi Yu's person.
With his strength at the sixth layer of the Qi Refining Realm, and being fully prepared, he dodged every single one of those spirit talismans with a swift sidestep.
Shi Yu hadn't expected these Tier-1 spirit talismans to cause him major harm in the first place. Taking advantage of the moment the talismans bought her, she darted to the side and began playing 《No Thought of Return》.
She had never revealed 《No Thought of Return》 in front of others before, so Wu Hao was completely unprepared. His body instantly froze in place, his face twisting in terror and rage as he became trapped in the melody's illusion.
Shi Yu's divine sense was no weaker than that of a sixth-layer Qi Refining cultivator—in fact, it was slightly superior—so her musical attack was remarkably effective.
However, because she had exhausted most of her divine sense earlier to stow the Scarlet Flame Void-Cleaving Python into the Fate-Tapping Bell, she could not maintain 《No Thought of Return》 for long.
Shi Yu's eyes narrowed. Seeing that Wu Hao was about to break free from the flood of negative emotions, a thought flashed in her mind. Remembering something, she gritted her teeth, wrapped a drop of Slaughter Spring water in her full spiritual energy, and flicked her finger toward him.
The drop of Slaughter Spring water landed squarely on Wu Hao's forehead, and a bloodcurdling scream instantly erupted.
“Aaargh!”
Like a drop of ink melting into water, the Slaughter Spring water sank directly into his forehead, leaving behind a hole that pierced clean through.
The hole expanded continuously until his entire head was completely dissolved.
With a heavy thud, the headless corpse tumbled forward onto the ground.
Just like that, Wu Hao died effortlessly.
Shi Yu was deeply shaken.
Although Wu Hao's death was partly due to his carelessness and being affected by 《No Thought of Return》, preventing him from erecting his protective Qi in time, the terrifying lethality of undiluted Slaughter Spring water was still utterly shocking.
Pressing her lips together, she looked down coolly at the corpse. Picking up a fallen tree branch, she stepped forward and pried open his outer robe, revealing seven or eight storage bags hanging from his belt.
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