Traveling through time to cultivate immortality: a life and death test

At the moment the Nine Emperor Bell exploded, Jiao Jiao had also completed the ritual of the Demon Binding Rope. Seizing the moment the horned python lost consciousness, she summoned the Demon Binding Rope to bind it. Liu Xing had paid such a heavy price, even going so far as to self-destruct the Nine Emperor Bell, that he had finally achieved the first step of trapping the horned python. He quickly sat cross-legged on the ground, drew out the Clear Sky Hammer talisman, and devoted himself to the ritual. Jiao Jiao, in turn, channeled all her magical power into the Demon Binding Rope, preventing the horned python from breaking free.

The Clear Sky Hammer Talisman suddenly became like a bottomless abyss, madly absorbing Liu Xing's mana. If Liu Xing hadn't already had experience using talismans, he would have been frightened, worried that he would be sucked dry.

The horned python, barely recovering from the Nine Emperor Bell's explosion, shook its head and took a deep breath to regain consciousness. Just as it was about to twist its body to stretch its muscles, it suddenly felt itself being held in place by a foreign object. Instantly enraged, it roared and twisted its body in a desperate attempt to break free. Jiao Jiao, feeling the pressure mount, intensified its frantic efforts to inject spiritual energy into the Immortal Binding Chain, restricting the horned python's movements. Seconds ticked by, and both the man and the two demons were sweating with exhaustion.

The Clear Sky Hammer talisman glowed brighter and brighter, revealing its true form as a giant iron hammer magic weapon flew high into the sky, its aura growing stronger and stronger. The horned python, sensing the Clear Sky Hammer's powerful aura and feeling the threat of its life and death, grew increasingly restless and struggled more fiercely.

"How long will it take? I can't hold on any longer!" Jiao Jiao was sweating profusely and looked at Liu Xing anxiously.

Liu Xing said nothing and tried his best to inject spiritual power into the talisman. It was about to be a critical moment.

Sensing something was amiss, the horned python unleashed a stream of purple venom, attacking Liu Xing from a distance. Seeing this, Jiao Jiao detached a dragon scale from her neck to block the venom. This was one of her three natal scales, possessing a defensive power comparable to that of a top-grade magical instrument. To avoid interrupting Liu Xing's talisman ritual, she fought tooth and nail to block it. However, with a quarter hour approaching, she was at her wit's end, her remaining mana dwindling, and the demon-binding rope was slowly being stretched apart by the horned python.

He couldn't give up, or all his efforts would be wasted, and Liu Xing and he would both perish at the python's mouth. He saw it spit out a golden bead, which flew overhead. He had risked expelling his own demonic core in a final desperate attempt. The bead emanated a rich demonic spiritual energy, channeling it into the demon-binding rope. The rope instantly shone brighter and more powerful, locking the horned python once again, the restraints it had finally managed to break. But it was clear that Jiao Jiao's depletion of her original energy wouldn't last long, likely only a moment. He turned and looked at Liu Xing expectantly; his success depended on this one gamble.

At this moment, Liu Xing had exhausted most of his magical power and finally completed the ritual. He suddenly opened his eyes and roared, "Die, you evil creature!"

The Clear Sky Hammer struck the horned python's head with terrifying force. Perhaps sensing the impending danger, the python intensified its frenzy, rallying all its might to resist. In an instant, it broke free from its bindings and sprinted for cover. Meanwhile, the Clear Sky Hammer had descended, enveloping the horned python in a vast expanse of golden light. The python roared in agony. The roar abruptly ceased as the Clear Sky Hammer fell. A closer look revealed the horned python's skull had been smashed to pieces, its death beyond mortal reach. The Clear Sky Hammer talisman, finally depleted of its power, spontaneously combusted into ash. This talisman, which had served Liu Xing well in defeating numerous formidable foes, including the young master of the Xuanyin Sect, the Qingniu Clan's prodigy, Niu Xiong, and the third-level monster, the horned python, had finally met its demise. Liu Xing sighed with emotion. He immediately ran to the horned python, took out the Yin Gathering Bowl, and muttered something. Then a black mini python flew out and was sucked into the Yin Gathering Bowl, becoming a member of the soul army, which greatly increased the strength of the Yin Gathering Bowl.

"Can you give me the horned python's demon pill?" Jiao Jiao was lying not far away, and said weakly, looking exhausted.

Without a second thought, Liu Xing took out the demon pill of the horned python and threw it into Jiao Jiao's mouth. Jiao Jiao played an indispensable role in killing the horned python. Without the two of them working together, it would have been impossible. Liu Xing was not a stingy or mean person. He naturally wanted to share good things. Jiao Jiao swallowed the demon pill with joy and began to close her eyes to recover. Because the horned python and the Jiao were similar monsters, the demon pill of the horned python was a great tonic for Jiao Jiao. It only took half a day to absorb all the demonic energy in the demon pill and fully restore her magic power. With this third-level demon pill, it was enough for her to improve her cultivation to the level of the second-level bottleneck. After another year of seclusion, she would be able to break through naturally.

A third-level demon beast's entire body is brimming with valuable materials. First, its horns and fangs can be used to refine one-time attack artifacts. Second, the scales along the python's seven-inch section are so thick and sturdy they can withstand attacks from top-grade flying swords and can be refined into shields and other top-tier defensive artifacts. The wide python hide can be crafted into soft armor or another Yunluo Umbrella. The Yunluo Umbrella contains countless stories about him and Dongfang Qing. He has been haunted by the destruction of the Yunluo Umbrella ever since and hopes to find an opportunity to repair it. With this piece of python hide, a new Yunluo Umbrella of even better quality should be crafted. Next, there's the snake tendon, a premium material for crafting ropes, trapping enemies, or bowstrings. Finally, the horned python's blood essence is a premium ingredient for making elixirs or supplementary materials. He filled a jade bottle with it. He roughly estimated that the horned python's valuable materials were worth at least two thousand spirit stones, and if refined into a finished artifact, it would be worth three thousand spirit stones. Having made another small fortune, Liu Xing was calculating like a miser.

He promptly collected the remains to preserve the precious spiritual energy. Once he was done, he retrieved the spirit stone and began meditating with his eyes closed, restoring his spiritual energy. Maintaining peak performance was a habit he had cultivated over the years. Now, within this closed enclosure, with no outsiders allowed in, he didn't have to worry about the spiritual fruit being snatched away. So, he prioritized restoring his mana to handle any emergencies.

A day and a night passed, and Jiao Jiao was the first to awaken. His magical power had returned to its peak, and he vaguely felt that he had made another step forward, only half a step away from breaking through to the second level. He was overjoyed. Looking back, he saw Liu Xing meditating with his eyes closed to recover his magical power. He silently studied the human in front of him who made him feel close to him, his mind racing, as if he had made a certain resolution.

From their brief encounters over the past few days, it had been deeply impressed by Liu Xing's character and strength. During their joint efforts to defeat the enemy, it had faced life-threatening situations numerous times, each time Liu Xing risked his life to save it. It was deeply moved and felt that he was worthy of its lifelong trust. Furthermore, since meeting Liu Xing, it had stopped dreaming, and it had a vague feeling that its mission in the East seemed to be Liu Xing.