Please, Young Master, Slay the Demon!
Chapter 390 - 74: Three Major Powers [Seeking Monthly Tickets!]_1

Chapter 390: Chapter 74: Three Major Powers [Seeking Monthly Tickets!]_1

Xu Zhiyin was indeed agile and seemed to have some martial arts training. As she took off running, she did not forget to drag Chu Liang along.

The long-necked demon beast behind them immediately started chasing them once it saw them run. Its massive body was surprisingly nimble as its large paws hit the ground in swift strides.

"Miss Xu, we shouldn’t run," said Chu Liang.

"Right, we can’t keep running," Xu Zhiyin quickly thought, "We’re too far away from Python Belly City, we wouldn’t be able to outrun it on flat ground, we need to hide!"

With that, she swerved and dove into a cluster of half-protruding black rocks. She huddled behind one of the larger rocks and periodically peaked to observe the demon beast chasing them.

She discovered that the demon beast was nowhere to be seen.

However, Xu Zhiyin didn’t let down her guard and continued to look around cautiously.

Meanwhile, a long shadow emerged from above the black rock...

Chu Liang’s eyes widened, finding himself face-to-face with the creature.

Xu Zhiyin detected something wrong and turned to find her pupils shrinking in fear, too terrified to produce a sound!

The demon beast looked at them with a hungry gaze, its fierce head suspended from a long neck, and it unexpectedly spoke in garbled human language, "Found you..."

Chu Liang cooly looked at it and thought, so what if you found us, it’s not like we’re playing hide and seek, finding us doesn’t mean you win.

"Roar—"

Just as the demon beast roared and opened its mouth to devour them, Chu Liang made his move.

No, more accurately, he made his kick.

While still sitting on the ground, he propelled himself up with his hands and landed a powerful kick right into the large eye of the demon beast!

Thump—

The kick had so much force that it exploded the demon beast’s eyeball! Splatters of colorful fluids flew everywhere.

But Chu Liang remained untouched. In a smooth motion, he spun around and landed on top of the demon beast’s head, delivering a fist strike from above! Thump!

A dull explosion echoed, followed by the sound of cracking bones.

Thud—

The massive body of the demon beast collapsed onto the ground.

Chu Liang gracefully descended, each move flawless and elegant like flowing water.

The view shifts to Xu Zhiyin. She was covered in a mottled mess, looking extremely disheveled and sat there, dumbstruck looking at Chu Liang.

"Ah, Miss Xu, I am so sorry," Chu Liang hastily apologized.

"So you can actually fight?" Xu Zhiyin seemed unfazed as she casually wiped her face...spreading the few spots of filth evenly across it.

Chu Liang slightly smiled, not saying much.

In an unfamiliar environment, he did not want to reveal too much about himself. Otherwise, he could have easily used his flying sword to put an end to the demon beast.

Xu Zhiyin got up and suggested, "With your skills, the Blaze Guild would surely want to recruit you."

With that, she prepared to continue their journey back to Python Belly City.

Chu Liang pointed at the beast’s corpse and asked, "Aren’t we going to take this thing back for meat?"

Xu Zhiyin looked at Chu Liang, dumbstruck for a moment, wondering how he managed to adapt so quickly.

She shook her head and said, "The beasts of Divine Tiger Hall will surely retaliate if they see this, they are very fierce, we best keep going."

Chu Liang hesitated, wondering if that truly was a bad thing...

However, considering the still unclear situation, he could not act recklessly and agreed with Xu Zhiyin.

On the way back to Python Belly City, she explained the division of power amongst the forces in the city.

There are three major forces within the city. The city’s east is controlled by the Blaze Guild, city south by the Sun Moon Tower, and city west by the Demonic Clan’s Divine Tiger Hall.

Among them, the Blaze Guild, comprising of martial artists from the human clan, governs the largest population and swathes of black tree rice fields, making it the most powerful.

While the cultivators are also from the human clan, their numbers are smaller, and they maintain a certain distance from the masses hence they have fewer civilians seeking their protection compared to the Blaze Guild.

As for the Demonic Clan, it goes without saying, no one dares to step foot in their territory in the west.

These three forces maintain a certain order, but conflicts are inevitable.

Apart from the civilians protected by these three forces, most of the city’s inhabitants are common folk like Xu Zhiyin’s family, who live without affiliations, struggling for existence.

Chu Liang, out of curiosity, asked, "What about the north of the city?"

"I don’t know," Xu Zhiyin shook her head, her gaze filled with apprehension, "Ever since I was little, my dad told me that the city’s north is the most dangerous place, because that’s...the City Lord’s territory."

...

As they grew closer, they saw that the so-called Python Belly City was actually made from layers of slab-like black rocks. The construction was quite primitive.

It appears we lack specialized talents similar to the disciples of the Earth-Wood Hall in Shu Mountain.

The duo entered the city from the southern gate, with several robust members of the Human Clan acting as guards at the entrance.

Anyone entering the city has to go through a customary fleecing by them.

"Do we have to pay a toll?" Chu Liang asked from afar.

"No need, those are just members of the Blaze Guild. Today, most people leaving the city are out to scavenge amidst the white rain, and they usually have some spoils on them." Xu Zhiyin explained.

However, when she approached, the guards did not stop her, but merely chuckled and asked: "Zhiyin, did you find any treasures?"

Xu Zhiyin chuckled back: "Nothing at all, just found a big live person."

The several guards glanced at Chu Liang and teasingly remarked: "The lad is quite handsome, just not sure how long he can survive."

Chu Liang ignored their banter, simply smiled, nodded, and entered the city.

Just as he was wondering why the guards were so lenient towards Xu Zhiyin, the young girl brought him to her home. Then, everything clicked for Chu Liang.

It turns out Xu Zhiyin’s home is a medical clinic.

"My father is one of the few doctors in Python Belly City, so everyone respects him." Xu Zhiyin explained.

Chu Liang nodded, understanding. It made sense. In such a place, no one would want to offend a doctor.

As soon as he entered the main gate of the clinic, pushing aside the white curtain, he heard heart-wrenching screams from the back, "Ah——"

Chu Liang couldn’t help but grimace, "What kind of illness is this? It sounds so painful."

"Most likely, they were corroded by the black rain." Xu Zhiyin remarked.

"Isn’t corrosion usually fatal?" Chu Liang inquired.

"My father can cure it." Xu Zhiyin said with some pride, "As long as the corroded parts of the patient are promptly amputated, they won’t die."

Good heavens, no wonder the screams were so horrific.

It sounds like there wasn’t any anesthetic. Chu Liang mused.

If it’s just cutting... I can do that too.

Just as Xu Zhiyin finished seating Chu Liang, a large group of people rushed into the clinic.

All were robust men flushed with vitality, seemingly martial arts cultivators, but each had wounds of varying severity, with the more seriously injured being carried. It looked like they had just been defeated in battle.

Xu Zhiyin had just mentioned that because their clinic was in the eastern part of the city, it was closer to the Blaze Guild, hence any wounded would be sent here.

"Zhiyin, where is your father?" The leading man demanded upon entering.

"He is attending to a patient, you will have to wait." Xu Zhiyin answered, "Did you go to battle again?"

"Not an official battle. Those of us who went out to scavenge just now encountered a group from the Sun Moon Tower, who attacked us without reason." The leader of the group spoke angrily, "The injured brothers will be left here. I’m going back to report to the Vice Guild Master and prepare for revenge! Zhiyin, hurry your father."

"Sigh." The young girl sighed and replied: "Understood."

It seems that although there is no particular shortage of food here, the competition for other resources is still quite fierce. Each excursion could turn into a battle.

...

Once the leader took his leave, Xu Zhiyin settled the injured before telling Chu Liang: "I’m going to the back to change, you rest here awhile."

With that, she too left the hall.

Sitting in the clinic, Chu Liang noticed that instead of a herbal scent, there was the pungent smell of blood.

These people had been living here for who knows how many years, it seemed somewhat unthinkable. But considering the Swallowing Python’s reign over the four seas, sometimes even gulping down entire nations, the scale of Python Belly City wasn’t so surprising.

this couldn’t possibly actually be inside the stomach of the Swallowing Python, otherwise, wouldn’t everything be turned upside down every time it moved? This place must be a domain of its own, much like a Secret Realm. The Swallowing Python’s gaping mouth merely serves as a portal to the outside world.

But how could he get out?

The Shattered Void Jade Talisman given by Master Wen Yuan should work. Facing this situation shouldn’t count as a life-and-death crisis, which was why he hadn’t taken it out yet. However, staying here indefinitely wasn’t an option so using it might not be a bad idea...in the worst case he could just get another one.

But if it randomly teleports him thousands of miles away and he ends up somewhere dangerous, like in the Mysterious Sea...that might be worse.

All Secret Realms should have their own exits.

So where would the exit of this place be?

He seemed to have fallen from the sky. Could he return via the same route? Or was it in the mysterious territory north of the city?

As he was pondering on this, sudden rapid and heavy footsteps sounded from outside the door. Thud, thud, thud, thud...

Through his Divine Sense, he saw a Giant Elephant with golden markings surge down the wide and run-down dark street, its massive form almost filling the entire road. A man in a brocade robe was sitting cross-legged on the elephant’s back, with tens of cultivators on flying swords hovering behind him. In a blink, they were outside the clinic.

"This is the place, right?" The man in the brocade lazily peered around, his eyes glinting with murderous intent. He raised his hand to deliver an order, "Kill everyone here, leave none alive!"