From the fake emperor to the concubine

The giant python seemed to sense Zheng Yi's threat, let out an angry roar, opened its blood-red maw, and lunged at Zheng Yi.

Zheng Yi dodged the giant python's attack with a swift movement, and at the same time slapped its head with a palm.

boom!
With a loud bang, the giant python's head was knocked to one side, and its entire body tilted to one side.

“Such a hard skull,” Zheng Yi said, frowning.

He used 70% of his strength in that palm strike, but it only knocked the giant python's head off-center and didn't cause any real damage.

The giant python was somewhat disoriented from the attack, but it quickly recovered and pounced on Zheng Yi again.

Its attacks grew increasingly ferocious, its massive body tumbling as it tried to entangle Zheng Yi.

Zheng Yi dodged left and right while continuously attacking the giant python's body. However, the python's defense was too strong, and his attacks could not break through its stone armor at all.

"It seems I have no choice but to go all out," Zheng Yi thought to himself.

He took a deep breath, and the spiritual energy within his body began to circulate wildly.

A much stronger aura than before erupted from him, and the surrounding air began to tremble.

"A thunderous strike!"

He shouted and threw out his right fist.

Purple lightning crackled on his fist; it was the lightning power he had absorbed from the Purple Lightning Stone.

boom!
The punch landed squarely on the giant python's head, carrying devastating power.

The giant python's stone armor shattered instantly, its head smashed into a bloody mess. It let out a shrill scream, its massive body thrashing wildly before finally crashing to the ground, lifeless.

"We succeeded!" Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Zheng Yi withdrew his fist, looking at the huge monster corpse on the ground with little expression on his face.

"Take out its crystal core," he said. "It's the crystal core of a late-stage Nascent Soul realm demon beast; it's very valuable."

Tieshan stepped forward, used his knife to cut open the giant python's head, and took out a fist-sized purple crystal core from inside.

"What a huge crystal core!" he exclaimed. "This crystal core must be worth at least several hundred thousand spirit stones, right?"

"Almost." Zheng Yi nodded. "Put it away."

Everyone continued to move forward.

With this experience, everyone gained a deeper understanding of the monsters in the middle layer of the area. These monsters are not only powerful, but also ferocious and cunning, far superior to the weaker monsters in the outer areas.

"Everyone needs to be on high alert," Zheng Yi said. "The dangers in the middle zone far exceed those in the outer zone; we cannot afford to be careless in the slightest."

"Understood." Everyone nodded.

Over the next few days, the group continued their exploration in the middle layer of the terrain.

They encountered several more powerful demonic beasts, including a fire lion, an ice bear, and a poisonous mist scorpion. These beasts were all at least at the Integration Realm, with some even reaching the early stage of the Mahayana Realm.

Zheng Yi personally took action, killing these monsters one by one and collecting a large number of precious crystal cores and materials.

At the same time, he didn't forget to involve everyone in combat to hone their practical skills. Under his guidance, everyone's combat experience grew rapidly, and their strength also improved significantly.

"Boss Dark Night, look over there!" Tieshan suddenly shouted, pointing ahead.

Following the direction he pointed, everyone looked and found a pile of ruins ahead.

The ruins covered a vast area, with some dilapidated buildings and stone pillars still faintly visible. In the center of the ruins stood a tall stone tower, which, although in ruins, still hinted at its former grandeur.

"It's a ruin!" Zheng Bowen exclaimed.

Zheng Yi took out the map and examined it carefully.

“According to the markings on the map, this should be an ancient ruin,” he said. “It’s said that there might be some precious treasures inside.”

"Shall we go take a look?" Tieshan said impatiently.

“Wait,” Wind Chime interrupted him. “Ruins may contain treasures, but they can also be dangerous. We must proceed with caution.”

“Feng Ling is right,” Zheng Yi nodded. “Everyone, take a break and recharge. When we enter the ruins later, we need to be on high alert.”

Everyone nodded and found a secluded spot outside the ruins to rest.

About half an hour later, the group regained their strength and began to walk towards the ruins.

At the entrance to the ruins was a broken stone door, with strange runes engraved on it, now blurred and indistinct.

Zheng Yi examined the runes carefully and discovered that they were an ancient script that he did not recognize.

"What do these runes mean?" Zheng Bowen asked.

"I don't know," Zheng Yi shook his head. "Perhaps it was left behind by the original owner of this place."

Without thinking twice, he stepped into the ruins.

The ruins were quiet, filled with crumbling walls and scattered rubble. An ancient and decaying scent permeated the air, as if telling a story of a thousand years of vicissitudes.

The group carefully navigated through the ruins, remaining constantly vigilant for any potential dangers.

"There doesn't seem to be any trace of demonic beasts here," Wind Chime said.

"Perhaps the monsters are afraid to come in," Zheng Yi said. "There might be something in the ruins that frightens them."

Continuing on, the group arrived at the tall stone tower.

The stone tower has seven stories, and although it is dilapidated, it still stands tall and majestic. The tower is covered with exquisite bas-reliefs depicting scenes of cultivators fighting and cultivating.

"What a magnificent stone pagoda!" Su Wanqing exclaimed.

“Let’s go in and take a look,” Zheng Yi said.

He walked to the entrance of the stone tower and found that the entrance was blocked by a stone door.

There was a complex array on the stone gate, emitting a faint light.

"It's protected by an array," Zheng Yi said. "It seems there really is treasure inside."

"Can it be broken?" Tieshan asked.

Zheng Yi carefully studied the formation and found that although it was complex, it was very ancient and its power was not as great as before.

“It should be possible,” he said.

He stretched out his right hand, spiritual energy surging within him, and began attempting to break the formation.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he finally broke the formation. The stone door slowly opened, revealing the passage inside.

"Let's go." Zheng Yi went inside first.

The passageway was long, and the walls on both sides were decorated with glowing gems that illuminated the path ahead.

After walking along the passage for a while, the group arrived at a spacious hall.

In the center of the hall stood a huge stone platform, upon which were placed several items that emitted a faint glow.

"There's something here!" Tieshan shouted excitedly.

The group stepped forward and carefully examined the items on the stone platform.

There were three items: a black longsword, a golden medicine bottle, and a yellowed book.

Zheng Yi picked up the longsword, examined it, and discovered that it was a high-grade spiritual weapon of very high quality.

"What a fine sword!" he exclaimed.

He picked up the golden medicine bottle again, opened the lid, and a rich medicinal fragrance wafted out. Inside the bottle were three golden pills, radiating an alluring light. "This is... the Golden Essence Pill!" Su Wanqing exclaimed, "It's a precious pill that can help cultivators in the Integration Realm break through to the Great Ascension Realm!"

"Golden Essence Pill?" Everyone was stunned.

The Golden Essence Pill is a treasure coveted by cultivators, said to greatly increase the success rate of breakthroughs. Many cultivators at the peak of the Integration Realm are unable to break through to the Great Ascension Realm because they lack the Golden Essence Pill.

“These three Golden Essence Pills are simply priceless treasures,” Zheng Bowen exclaimed.

Zheng Yi put the medicine bottle away and then picked up the yellowed book.

On the book's cover were some ancient characters, which he carefully examined and found to be the three characters "Tian Gang Jue".

"The Heavenly Gang Technique?" A thought struck him, and he opened the book to read it.

The book describes a profound cultivation technique that, once mastered, allows one to condense the power of the Heavenly Gang, resulting in immense power.

"It's a cultivation technique manual." Zheng Yi carefully put the book away. "I'll study it carefully when we get back."

"Quite a haul!" Tieshan laughed. "This trip to the Eastern Wilderness was well worth it."

"Don't get too excited yet," Zheng Yi said. "We haven't even gone out yet."

He sensed that something else was waiting for them deep inside the stone tower.

"Everyone be careful," he whispered. "I have a feeling there's still danger in there."

Everyone immediately became alert and gripped their weapons tightly.

Just then, a strange sound suddenly came from deep within the hall.

The sound was like the friction of metal, or like some kind of creature moving.

"What's that sound?" Tieshan asked nervously.

"I don't know." Zheng Yi extended his divine sense, trying to perceive the situation deep within the hall.

The next moment, his expression changed drastically.

"Back off!" he shouted.

Before anyone could react, a huge figure rushed out from the depths of the hall.

It was a stone golem, three zhang tall, made entirely of black stone, and covered with ancient runes. Its eyes gleamed red, radiating a terrifying aura.

"A stone golem at the mid-stage of the Mahayana realm!" Feng Ling's face turned deathly pale.

Stone golems are products of ancient times, crafted by powerful cultivators using secret techniques to guard treasures. They have no consciousness and only obey their master's commands, attacking anyone who intrudes.

"Retreat! I'll hold it off!" Zheng Yi shouted and charged toward the stone golem.

His fist, crackling with purple electricity, slammed into the stone golem.

boom!
With a loud bang, the stone golem was knocked back a few steps, but it quickly regained its footing and retaliated against Zheng Yi.

Its attack was simple: it swung its massive stone arm and smashed it towards Zheng Yi. But each strike contained terrifying power, making it impossible to withstand directly.

Zheng Yi dodged left and right while continuously attacking the stone golem's body. However, the stone golem's defense was too strong; his attacks could only leave shallow marks on it, unable to cause any real damage.

"Damn it, this thing is too hard!" Zheng Yi cursed inwardly.

He noticed a red gem on the stone golem's chest, which appeared to be its core.

"Smash that gem!" he shouted.

Upon hearing his words, everyone attacked the stone golem's chest.

But the stone golem seemed to know that was its weakness, and used its arms to protect its chest, preventing the others from getting close.

"Watch this!" Tieshan shouted, throwing a punch at the stone golem.

His fist, carrying immense force, slammed into the stone golem's arm, creating a breach in its defenses.

"Now!" Zheng Yi's eyes lit up.

He flashed and appeared in front of the stone golem, striking the gem on its chest with a palm.

boom!
He shattered the gem with a single palm strike, sending it flying into countless fragments.

The stone golem froze instantly, and the red light in its eyes gradually dimmed. Then, its body began to disintegrate, turning into a pile of rubble that scattered on the ground.

"We succeeded!" Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Zheng Yi also breathed a sigh of relief; that battle just now was indeed quite dangerous.

"Is everyone alright?" he asked.

"It's nothing." Everyone shook their heads.

"That's good," Zheng Yi said. "Let's leave here quickly to avoid any further danger."

Everyone nodded and followed Zheng Yi toward the outside of the stone tower.

Once they were outside the stone tower, everyone felt a sense of relief.

"This trip to the Eastern Wilderness has been quite fruitful," Zheng Yi said. "We obtained a high-grade spiritual artifact, three Golden Essence Pills, a cultivation manual, and a large number of demon beast cores and spiritual herbs. These things are enough to significantly improve our strength."

"Yes." Everyone was very happy.

“However, we’ve already spent quite a bit of time in the Eastern Wilderness,” Zheng Yi said. “It’s time to go back; Qingyun City is waiting for us.”

"Okay." Everyone nodded.

The group began walking towards the exit of the Eastern Wilderness.

On the way back from the Eastern Wilderness, everyone walked with light steps.

This expedition yielded far more than expected. Besides the top-grade spiritual weapon, the Black Abyss Sword, three Golden Essence Pills, and the Heavenly Gang Technique manual, they also collected a large number of demon beast cores and rare spiritual herbs. A rough estimate puts the value of these items at at least ten million spirit stones.

After passing through the thick fog, the view suddenly opened up.

The familiar blue sky and white clouds reappeared overhead, and the air felt much fresher. Everyone breathed a long sigh of relief, feeling as if they had seen the light of day again.

"Finally out." Tieshan stretched. "Although the Eastern Wilderness has treasures, that awful place is really not suitable for staying for long. It's gloomy and damp, making one feel uncomfortable all over."

"It's definitely not a good place," Zheng Bowen nodded in agreement, "but the gains were substantial, so it was worth it."

The group hurried on their horses toward Qingyun City.

About two hours later, the outline of Qingyun City appeared in the distance.

At the city gate, Wang Tianhai had been waiting for a long time. Seeing Zheng Yi and his group return safely, a relieved smile appeared on his face.

"Sir, you're back!" He hurried forward. "I've been worried about your safety these past few days. Now that I see you're safe and sound, I'm relieved."

"Master Wang, there's no need to worry." Zheng Yi dismounted. "Our trip to the Eastern Wilderness went very smoothly, and we gained quite a bit."

"A find?" Wang Tianhai's eyes lit up. "What good stuff did you find, sir?"

"Let's go inside and talk," Zheng Yi said, glancing around. "This isn't the place to talk."

"Alright, alright, sir, please come in." Wang Tianhai hurriedly invited everyone into the city lord's mansion.

Upon arriving at the council hall and taking their seats, Zheng Yi began to tally the spoils of their trip to the Eastern Wilderness.

He took the items out of the Sumeru Bracelet and placed them one by one on the table.

The Black Abyss Sword, Golden Essence Pills, Heavenly Gang Technique, hundreds of demon beast cores of varying sizes, and dozens of rare spiritual herbs. (End of Chapter)