Chapter 19: The Millennium Beast Sleeps at the Bottom of the River

Chapter 19: Millennial Beast Sleeps at River Bottom

Before his eyes was a giant python head, three zhang wide, with closed triangular eyes and small, wing-like fleshy growths on its cheeks.

This enormous monster seemed to be in a deep sleep, yet it still exuded an extremely powerful sense of oppression.

Hiss—!

An Jing couldn't help but gasp. This was no black rock; it was clearly a beast.

He had only been circling its enormous head.

Beneath the Qinghe Ferry, such a terrifying monster was hidden!

An Jing's heart pounded. Even in its sleep, this beast gave him such terrifying pressure. If it were to awaken, how dreadful would its existence be?

One must know that he was of First Rank cultivation, yet he still felt breathless in front of this sleeping beast.

"Legend says that a snake, by devouring essence, can transform into a python; a python, after Cultivating for a thousand years, can become a Black Serpent; and a Black Serpent, after Cultivating for a thousand years, can shed its form to become a Flood Dragon. Is this a real Black Serpent before me?"

An Jing recalled records he had seen in ancient texts and said in disbelief, "If Black Serpents truly exist, then Flood Dragons might also exist."

An Jing had always thought such beasts were mere fabrications of legend, never expecting one to truly appear, and right before him.

"Does it have a Golden Core in its body? Would devouring its Golden Core allow me to directly condense the Earth Flower Realm, then the Heavenly Flower, and then merge them to reach the Grandmaster Realm?"

"Also, the beast's blood, skin, and bones are all supreme treasures."

An Jing, like a tiny ant, stood before the giant Black Serpent, swallowing saliva.

Just then, the Earth Book began to emit a golden light.

"Hint Two: Host is approaching the Millennial Black Serpent. The Millennial Black Serpent is still in a deep sleep. If it is awakened, the Host will receive an unprecedented black Opportunity."

"Hint Three: The Millennial Black Serpent is a beast of heaven and earth. Killing or subduing it will grant a green Opportunity."

"Hint Four: There is an ownerless rare treasure (bodhi pearl) near the Host."

An Jing looked at the series of hints from the Earth Book and licked his lips.

An unprecedented black Opportunity? Does that mean another Transmigration?

He'd rather not. His wife was still waiting for him to come home for dinner.

An Jing took a deep breath, cautiously glancing at the Millennial Black Serpent before him, afraid of startling it awake.

Then, he carefully moved around the Millennial Black Serpent, searching for the bodhi pearl.

"Wuding Sanren's corpse is gone? Could it have been swallowed by this Millennial Black Serpent?"

An Jing thought of something, and a drop of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.

If it had truly been swallowed by the Millennial Black Serpent, then all his efforts until now would have been in vain, like drawing water with a bamboo basket.

An Jing gritted his teeth and continued to search for Wuding Sanren's remains according to the hints on the Earth Book.

After circling for a moment, he seemed to reach the Millennial Black Serpent's tailbone. An Jing found half a skeleton pressed beneath the Millennial Black Serpent's enormous tail.

"Is this it?"

An Jing cautiously walked over. The skeleton had long since decayed, turning into white bones. A red glow emanated from the ribs and arm bones.

"bodhi pearl!?"

An Jing's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but quicken his pace.

The fiery red pearl lay quietly on the remains, emitting a faint glow, like a burning flame in the dark night.

The supreme Buddhist charm still flowed, even after being buried at the river bottom for several years.

"What a treasure!"

An Jing extended his palm and carefully put away the bodhi pearl. Immediately, a warmth flowed from his palm into his internal organs, and a scorching flame surged from his Dantian. The trace of Evil Qi that had been in his body was instantly burned away.

"Quickly leave this place."

An Jing played with the bodhi pearl for a moment, then cautiously left the Millennial Black Serpent.

If he accidentally woke this monster, the trouble would be immense.

This beast had lived for at least a thousand years; it was a truly terrifying existence.

Descending was very difficult, but ascending was much easier.

"Plop!"

The moment An Jing burst out of the water, water splashed everywhere. He leaped up like a falling leaf and landed on a tree trunk.

With the circulation of Internal Energy, the water droplets on his body instantly evaporated completely.

"The bodhi pearl is mine."

An Jing took out the bodhi pearl and examined it.

It was an egg-sized stone, with golden Buddhist charm flowing around it, feeling very hot in his hand.

Pure Yang and pure!

Feeling the pure Yang energy emanating from the bodhi pearl, An Jing secretly pondered that with the bodhi pearl assisting his Cultivation, his Cultivation speed could more than double.

Truly worthy of being a supreme treasure of Buddhism!

He had just condensed the Human Flower, and his Cultivation was not yet stable. He probably needed some time to consolidate his Realm before attempting to condense the Earth Flower and Heavenly Flower in one go.

Given his current age, he was an unparalleled existence, not only in the current Jianghu but throughout history.

"Time to go home for dinner."

An Jing put away the bodhi pearl, leaped, and rushed towards Yu Prefecture City.

At the dining table.

The table was laden with stir-fried yam and fungus, stewed beef, stir-fried okra, steamed eggs, and fragrant black rice, all making one's appetite surge.

"Wife, today's dishes are truly delicious," An Jing said, picking up a piece of yam.

After a busy day, his gentle and virtuous wife had prepared dinner and was waiting for him to come home. Wasn't this the ideal life for a man?

"Of course, I made all of this especially for you," Zhao Qingmei said, picking up a piece of okra and placing it in An Jing's bowl.

"Especially…?"

An Jing looked at the dishes on the table.

"That's right, these are all great tonics."

Zhao Qingmei said coquettishly, "Husband, medicine is three parts poison. You should take less medicine in the future."

An Jing chuckled twice, "By the way, where's Tan Yun? She's usually the most enthusiastic at mealtime."

"Young Master, Young Master, I'm here!"

Just then, Tan Yun came over, shouting and carrying a plate of crabs. "Look, I made these crabs especially for you. These are specialty crabs from Weishan Lake in Linjiang City."

With many rivers in Yu Prefecture, crabs were not expensive.

"You made the crabs?"

An Jing's appetite was immediately stimulated when he saw the crabs. "I love these Weishan Lake crabs the most. They're fresh and flavorful, with tender meat and lots of roe."

Zhao Qingmei was gentle as water, understanding, and virtuous. Her maid, Tan Yun, was lively and clever, said to have grown up with Zhao Qingmei and were like sisters.

Later, even when Zhao Qingmei's family fell on hard times, Tan Yun remained loyal.

Since Zhao Qingmei married, she had always done the cooking. Tan Yun had never been known to cook, so today, An Jing wanted to have a good taste.

"Wait a moment, Young Master."

Just as An Jing was about to pick up his chopsticks, Tan Yun immediately stopped him.

"What's wrong?" An Jing asked curiously.

Tan Yun fidgeted with the corner of her clothes and said coyly, "Young Master, Xiao Yun has an impertinent request that she doesn't know if she should speak."

Seeing this, An Jing understood the meaning of the word 'coquettish' for the first time.

Zhao Qingmei said from the side, "Husband, it's not a big deal. It's just that Tan Yun's third granduncle is coming to Yu Prefecture City to seek refuge with us. He used to manage the accounts for a period in my family. We're not that close, and I think three people are already enough in our small pharmacy."

As she spoke, Zhao Qingmei blinked at An Jing.

An Jing understood Zhao Qingmei's look and said with a smile, "It's good that he's coming. The more people, the livelier it is. When the time comes, we can just have a middleman find him a job."

Zhao Qingmei put down her chopsticks in exasperation, thinking to herself, 'This silly deer.'

"Young Master, you are truly too kind."

Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise appeared in Tan Yun's eyes.

Zhao Qingmei's brows furrowed. Her husband had indeed agreed, despite her hints to him.

"Can I eat these crabs now?"

"Eat, eat. Young Master, eat as much as you want. There are more in the pot."

"Crabs taste better with vinegar."

"I'll go get some for Young Master right now. If Young Master wants to eat them in the future, I'll make them every day."

Watching Tan Yun run into the kitchen, An Jing shook his head and chuckled.

"Finally, I can eat crabs."

Saying that, his chopsticks reached for the crabs.

Just as his chopsticks reached one of the crabs, the crab extended its pincer and firmly clamped onto his chopsticks.

An Jing: "??"

The crab's eyes stood upright, as if saying, "Are we close? Hands and feet everywhere."