「At this very moment.」

Nanlin Province was in turmoil.

The saga of the Eight-headed Fire Python was far from over.

Experts from every faction were still pouring in. Finally, some relatively reliable news made its way back from the outside world, echoing throughout Nanlin Province.

"What? Chen Xuan is number one on the Human List?"

"He killed Ye Guiyuan and seriously wounded Xie Xinghe? And he forced Xinghe to his knees, crying, until he had a complete mental breakdown?"

"So that’s how it is. No wonder he suddenly has a True Essence Realm cultivation."

"Is he a fucking monster or something? Just four days ago, he was sixth on the Human List. How did he suddenly jump to number one, kill Ye Guiyuan, and seriously wound Xie Xinghe?"

"The latest update on the Human List: Chen Xuan, True Essence First Layer..."

"A twenty-year-old at the True Essence First Layer..."

Factions all across Nanlin Province were utterly stunned.

Every single one of them was in disbelief.

Such talent!

Such power!

Who would dare challenge that?

"There’s no point in fighting over it anymore, everyone. Let’s just go home. I saw Chen Xuan kill the Eight-headed Fire Python with my own eyes. He even dug out its Inner Core. Right now, experts from the Martial Alliance are dissecting the corpse!"

"That’s right, we all saw it. Chen Xuan killed the python."

"Let’s go. Everyone, let’s just go."

"What the hell is the point? If I’d known, I never would’ve gotten mixed up in this mess..."

"Exactly! Who knew a monster like that would show up!"

The people who had witnessed the scene in the cave, their faces ashen, all chimed in.

True Essence First Layer!

Combine that with the trademark ability of Human List experts to fight above their level...

Among the factions present, not a single person dared to try and snatch the prize from Chen Xuan’s grasp.

Not unless they could call upon those veteran masters of the True Essence Realm.

But was that even possible?

Setting aside whether those masters would even agree to get involved in this mess, even if they did, what kind of price would one have to pay to persuade them?

It wasn’t worth it!

「Elsewhere.」

The Ten Thousand Immortals Sect stronghold.

Pavilions and grand halls stood in dense, orderly rows.

Within a spacious courtyard.

An ancient, decrepit man with white hair and a white beard lay on a wicker chair. His skin was dark, his face deeply wrinkled, and he coughed intermittently, each spasm bringing up a mouthful of blood.

As his coughing fits grew more violent, great gouts of blood spilled forth, and he looked as though he might breathe his last at any moment.

This was, without a doubt, that veteran of the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect.

Several years prior, he had suffered a cultivation deviation and sustained grievous injuries.

He then spent years secretly raising a Fire Python...

But the Fire Python unexpectedly gained sentience. Unwilling to be killed for its Inner Core, it escaped from the volcano, leading to the series of events that followed.

Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps came from outside the courtyard.

A middle-aged man in a black robe rushed in, his expression frantic. Upon arriving, he immediately fell to his knees, his face pale. "Elder Feng, there’s been a disaster..."

"Hm?"

The decrepit old man’s eyelids lifted slightly. His hollow gaze fell upon the middle-aged man.

Even though the old man was grievously wounded and coughing up blood, a single glance from him was enough to send a chill down the middle-aged man’s spine. Terror flooded his face, and he pressed himself flat against the ground.

"The Fire Python Inner Core was stolen! It’s in the hands of Chen Xuan, the new number one on the Human List... Also, the Human List was just updated again. Chen Xuan... his cultivation is at the True Essence First Layer..."

"True Essence First Layer?"

The old man’s voice was ancient, his gaze profound. "And the Saintess?"

"The Saintess’s incarnation is dead. We haven’t been able to contact her true body, but that shouldn’t be an issue. The problem right now is the Fire Python Inner Core..."

The middle-aged man said, panicked.

"..."

The old man’s eyes turned frigid. He was seized by another violent coughing fit, blood trickling from the corners of his mouth.

The expression of an advisor by his side shifted, and he couldn’t help but feel his heart clench.

"Elder Feng, it took three years to raise that Eight-headed Fire Python. We started with four at the same time, and only this one survived. Now that the Inner Core has been stolen, your injuries..."

"I know."

The old man raised a hand, steadying his cough, and said icily, "Which is why we must send people to get it back. At any cost. Kill Chen Xuan, and retrieve the Inner Core! Also, contact the Saintess and see what her situation is."

"Yes, Elder Feng!"

The middle-aged man on the ground responded in a panic.

...

「Meanwhile.」

Elsewhere, several experts from the Qingyun Sect were also rushing over, and they soon appeared in the forest where the Fire Python had recently wreaked havoc.

Their expressions shifted as they quickly picked up the latest news from the surrounding crowd.

"The Fire Python Inner Core was taken by Chen Xuan?"

A man in his fifties looked shocked.

’Damn it!’

’How could we have run into Chen Xuan here?’

They had all come from the outside and were well aware that Chen Xuan had killed Ye Guiyuan and reached the True Essence First Layer.

Although their Qingyun Sect had its own not-insignificant grudge against Chen Xuan.

But they had never even considered seeking revenge.

Because that Chen Xuan was a complete monster!

Unless one of those veteran powerhouses made a move, they stood no chance against him on their own.

If they revealed themselves, death would be certain!

On their way here, they had even joked about not running into Chen Xuan.

And yet, here he was...

"What do we do? Chen Xuan took the Fire Python Inner Core. What are we going to do?"

A woman in her late forties standing nearby looked to her companions, her expression lost. She was out of ideas.

"What else can we do? We certainly don’t dare try to take it from him, but... we could try fishing in troubled waters."

The man in the green shirt at the center of the group couldn’t help but interject.

"Fishing in troubled waters?"

"How do we ’fish’?"

The other two looked at him in confusion.

The man in the green shirt whispered, "The Fire Python Inner Core was earmarked for the Evil Cult veteran, Elder Feng. Now that Chen Xuan has taken it, the Evil Cult will never let it go. They’ll definitely send their real masters to retrieve the Inner Core. If they end up fighting Chen Xuan, that’s our chance. With any luck, both sides will suffer heavy losses."