Demon, come and cultivate for me.

There were about ten people on the other side, both men and women, and the leader was a woman.

The woman wore a bamboo hat and a black veil, obscuring her face. When she spoke, her voice was soft and melodious.

"Who's leading this?"

None of them held official positions in the Yan Kingdom, and the Crown Prince did not assign them any distinction of rank when he sent them out.

If judged by status, Zhao Ji held the highest position among these women.

So they all looked at Zhao Ji.

Zhao Ji didn't hesitate, stepped forward, clasped her hands in return, and said:

"That's me. What can I do for you?"

The masked woman said:

"From this road into the Ten Thousand Mountains, there is only one narrow pass ahead."

Zhao Ji had seen the map and naturally knew about this matter. She nodded and waited for the other party to continue.

The veiled woman said, "There is a giant black-scaled python at that pass, as thick as a beam and tens of feet long. When it opens its huge mouth, it can suck all the living creatures within a hundred paces into its belly."

Yesterday, when we entered the pass, we encountered them and lost three brothers for no reason.

Chen Ji frowned upon hearing this. He had heard of the infamous reputation of this giant black-scaled python, but he hadn't encountered it when he passed through this area last time.

Zhao Ji asked, "What does Your Excellency mean?"

The masked woman said:

"Firstly, I'm just reminding you, so you don't rush in and lose your lives."

Secondly, they wanted to gather more people here so they could work together to kill the giant python.

Zhou Chu glanced at the people behind the masked woman; none of them looked like ordinary people.

Roughly estimated, at least half of these people are peak martial artists, yet they are helpless against a python.

How terrifying must the black-scaled giant python be? Could it also be a fourth-realm demon?

Zhou Chu had seen two of the strongest demons: one was a mountain lord at the peak of the third realm, and the other was a black fish demon at the fourth realm.

He didn't kill the Black Fish Demon, so he didn't have a direct understanding of its strength.

He had personally witnessed the strength of a peak-level Mountain Lord in the third realm. He, Xie Qi, and Chen Xiangzi, three peak martial artists, almost lost their lives in the Mountain Lord Cave when they joined forces. He still felt a bit scared when he thought about it now.

The python demon of the Fourth Realm—who knows how terrifying its strength might be?

Chen Ji stepped forward and asked, "May I ask your honorable name?"

The veiled woman said, "We've only met by chance, so it's not convenient to reveal anything. After this matter is settled, let's go our separate ways."

Chen Ji said, "Well said. May I ask, sir, how many people do you think would be needed to deal with the Black-Scaled Giant Python?"

The masked woman said, "We need at least four or five more peak-level martial artists."

Chen Ji shook his head and remained silent.

Are peak martial artists so easy to find? Three or five? Where are you going to find three or five of them in this desolate wilderness?

The masked woman seemed to read Chen Ji's mind and said:

"Gentlemen, there's no need to worry. Five peak martial artists will definitely arrive before noon tomorrow. It's getting late, so please rest well and get plenty of rest. Tomorrow will surely be a tough battle."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Zhou Chu stared blankly at the slender figure, then suddenly felt a sharp pain in his waist. He turned his head and saw that Zhao Ji's hand was secretly pinching his waist.

After everyone had dispersed, Zhao Ji whispered:

"What are you looking at? Your eyes are glued to her."

Zhou Chu rubbed his lower back and said:

"I've never seen the clothes she was wearing before."

The veiled woman's clothes were different from those Zhou Chu had seen in the states of Yan, Qi, Lu, and even Chu.

Zhao Ji said:

"That's Qin clothing; of course you've never seen it before."

……

Zhou Chu and his companions didn't get a hot meal in Chenjiazhuang; they only ate the dry rations they had brought with them.

When they were warmly received by the Qin people, they naturally did not stand on ceremony and ate meat and drank soup, thoroughly satisfying their hunger.

After eating and drinking their fill, they pitched a few tents not far from the Qin camp and spent the night there.

Chen Ji gathered the group together in a tent and began to tell them the legend of the Black-Scaled Giant Python.

It is said that this giant snake has lived in the Hundred Thousand Mountains for at least a thousand years.

Its body is covered in black scales, like armor, impenetrable by arrows and blades.

The snake's tail is like a steel whip; when it's lashed out, it can easily shatter mountains and crush rocks. Ordinary people who get near it will be injured, and those who touch it will die.

The most terrifying thing is that snake's mouth; it's practically a bottomless pit.

Wild animals in the mountains, from small mountain mice and rabbits to large wild deer and wild boars, will inevitably fall prey to its suction power if they are within a hundred paces of it.

Once sucked into the snake's mouth, even the toughest creature, with its copper skin and iron bones, will instantly turn into pus and blood, eventually flowing into its belly.

As for how to deal with the black-scaled python, Chen Ji himself didn't know.

Zhao Ji said, "It seems these Qin people already have a plan, so we don't need to think too much about it. Let's see how they arrange things tomorrow."

Zhao Ji spoke so casually, but others didn't think so.

After all, only Zhao Ji knew the Turtle Breathing Technique, which made her invulnerable to swords and spears.

As long as she takes timely precautions, nothing can threaten her life.

Zhou Chu said, "As the saying goes, one should not have the heart to harm others, but one must have the heart to guard against others. We must guard against the Qin people using us as bait."

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement with his statement.

Although they were supposed to be working together to deal with the Black Scale Python, the three forces could not possibly stick together. If the situation got out of control, the makeshift team would definitely fall apart and everyone would flee for their lives.

The group had agreed that they would do their utmost when it was time to contribute the next day, and if anything went wrong, they would immediately make a run for it.

Silent all night.

Sure enough, another group of people arrived the next day.

These people dressed differently from the Qin people, but were somewhat similar to the Qi people.

The team consisted of six people, led by a fair-skinned, beardless young man.

Upon seeing the veiled woman, the young man immediately dismounted and approached her with a smile, saying:

"This isn't Qin..."

The veiled woman interrupted the young man, saying, "Young Master Zhao, how have you been?"

The young man was taken aback, glanced at the unfamiliar face not far behind her, and said:

"I'm alright, I'm alright. Miss Qin, were you perhaps waiting for me here specifically?"

The masked woman stopped exchanging pleasantries and, just like yesterday, told Young Master Zhao about the giant black-scaled python blocking the pass.

Young Master Zhao laughed and said, "It's just a snake. I can kill it all by myself."

"The Ten Thousand Mountains are not like other places. I advise Young Master Zhao to be careful."

After speaking, the masked woman turned around, mounted her horse, and called to her men to set off.

Zhou Chu and his companions had already made preparations, and upon seeing the other side set off, they followed on horseback.

Three teams, totaling more than 20 people, headed towards the pass.

The pass is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, like a giant axe splitting a gap in the wall-like mountain from above.

Before reaching the pass, everyone took out poison-avoiding pills and swallowed them before continuing their journey.

Because of the many outsiders around, Zhou Chu could not use the Crimson Mirage Pearl, so he also took a pill.

Just past the pass, the miasma was still relatively thin and did not significantly affect visibility.

As they ventured deeper, the miasma thickened like a dense fog, reducing visibility to less than ten steps.

The group had to slow down and proceed cautiously.