Chapter 236: Chapter 154: Demon Beast Fiery Sun Bird; New Progress on the Potion

As he dragged the giant python’s carcass back to the village, Cheng Zongyang’s expression was grim.

He thought about the information on the giant python. The words "Demon Beast Fiery Sun Bird" clarified all his long-held questions and pointed to the root of it all.

It was like the first strand of a spiderweb, connecting all the nodes to form a complete, cohesive whole. And that first strand was the Demon Beast Fiery Sun Bird.

He didn’t know if the "meteor" that fell from the sky four years ago was the Fiery Sun Bird.

He didn’t know if Demon Beasts were exceedingly rare in Da Liang, the Jin Kingdom, and even the entire world.

He didn’t know if the three-year drought was related to it.

But he knew one thing for certain: the Thirteen Royal Families and the Jin Kingdom had gone to war, sparing no expense, all for that Demon Beast Fiery Sun Bird.

And the fireballs that had exploded in the sky back then were almost certainly related to that Fiery Sun Bird.

He also speculated that the Fiery Sun Bird’s existence might be the key for an Innate Perfection Martial Artist to achieve a breakthrough, or that the beast itself held some enormous secret.

Otherwise, those families would never have mobilized on such a grand scale, willing to start a war with an entire kingdom at any price.

The fact that Da Liang was willing to give up the Land of Four Mansions to keep the Fiery Sun Bird was proof enough of the Demon Beast’s importance—the very fate of the nation was at stake.

Then came the questions: where did the Fiery Sun Bird come from? And what Realm lay beyond Innate?

For a moment, his thoughts swirled into a chaotic mess. He didn’t know which thread to follow, which direction to pursue. But a sudden noise pulled his attention back to the present.

Before he knew it, he was already nearing the village.

People were already heading his way, so Cheng Zongyang pushed the thoughts from his mind.

’Demon Beasts may be hard to find in the outside world, but that might not be the case in the Wilderness World. As long as I earn enough silver to expand my territory, I’m bound to encounter one of those Demon Beasts eventually.’ With that thought, he stopped dwelling on it.

He had only just reached the Sixth Grade Realm, after all. Innate Perfection was still a long way off.

"Yang’Er, this is...!"

Cheng Guanghai and Zhou Hanchang were in the lead. The moment they spotted Cheng Zongyang, they rushed over with a group of people. Their eyes immediately fell upon the giant python he was dragging. For a moment, they were so shocked they were at a loss for words.

Huge!

It was enormous!

In all their years, they had never seen such a massive python.

The others all crowded around, their eyes a mixture of terror at the python’s size and excitement at seeing such a fearsome creature.

"Good heavens, its head is bigger than mine!"

"Look, its belly is all swollen! It kind of looks like a person... Did it swallow a child?"

At this, everyone’s attention was captured. They scrambled to get a closer look, momentarily forgetting their shock at the python’s astonishing size.

"It really does look like one! The beast swallowed someone!"

"But I haven’t heard about any kids going missing in the mountains, have you?"

"Who cares about that! Quick, I’ve got a knife! Young Clan Leader, cut its belly open and see if they’re still alive!"

"..."

The crowd broke out in a fresh wave of chatter.

"Zongyang, did it swallow a child?" Zhou Hanchang asked anxiously from the side.

Cheng Zongyang raised a hand, silencing the crowd. "No, it’s a monkey. You’ll see when we cut it open. Let’s get back first."

With that, Cheng Zongyang handed the python, which was over twenty meters long, over to them to carry back.

As they carried the giant python into the village, the entire community erupted. Everyone dropped what they were doing and ran after them to get a look.

The villagers were all stunned by the sight of the giant python. None had ever seen one so large, and they all wanted to know who had killed it.

When they found out it was Cheng Zongyang, they began chanting his title, "Young Clan Leader!"

Having such a powerful Young Clan Leader meant security for the Cheng Family Village.

Once the giant python was brought to the riverbank in the Extragalactic Region, Cheng Zongyang had someone bring over some large basins, preparing for his maternal uncle to begin.

He also wanted to take this opportunity to teach everyone about Exotic Beasts.

In the past, people had only heard of Exotic Beasts in legends, but now things were different.

Cheng Zongyang instructed his maternal uncle to collect all the blood so none was wasted; the rest could be skinned and butchered as usual.

As his maternal uncle got to work, Cheng Zongyang stood on the wooden bridge and began to explain the situation to the crowd.

When the crowd learned that this was the kind of Exotic Beast from the Inner Mountain that the elders always talked about, and that it could breathe fire, they were utterly astonished.

Several parents immediately began warning their children, who happened to be home from their lessons for lunch.

At the same time, the crowd saw the monkey’s carcass inside the python’s belly.

Because Cheng Zongyang’s arrow had pinned it in the upper part of the gut, it hadn’t reached the stomach, so its body was still relatively intact. However, all its bones were shattered; it had died a miserable death. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

After finishing his explanation, Cheng Zongyang continued to watch them skin and carve up the beast.

Just then, Cheng Guangshan’s voice sounded from behind. "Later, send the python’s bones, blood, and a few pounds of meat to the Medicine Hall. I have a use for them."

Hearing this, Cheng Zongyang turned his head and asked curiously, "Second Uncle, you’re going to use them for medicine?"

’If his second uncle wanted these parts, it had to be related to Medicinal Materials.’

Cheng Guangshan nodded. "I’m making some progress on a few experiments, but I’m not certain yet. Since this happens to be an Exotic Beast, I’ll try using its materials."

Hearing this, Cheng Zongyang smiled. "Alright! Do you need anything else?"

"What about the Python Gall?" Cheng Guangshan asked.

"I already took it," Cheng Zongyang said. "I’ll bring it over later."

Cheng Guangshan nodded. "Perfect for infusing wine. I’ll head back now."

Without another word, he turned and headed back to the Medicine Hall.

Cheng Zongyang then instructed the men to make the arrangements.

Once the giant python was fully butchered, Cheng Zongyang turned to the villagers and said: