Chapter 119: Can't you see? I am helping it break through.

At this very moment, Su Yifan took a few strides and instantly appeared before the group.

"Disperse!"

With a wave of his hand, the toxic mist, nearly a hundred meters high, vanished into thin air in the blink of an eye, and the view cleared instantly.

Mo Xingtian and the other conscious elder of the Qingyun Sword Sect stared in disbelief. What was happening? Why had the sky cleared? And was all of this the work of the man before them? He was so young! Not only had he sent the beast flying with a single strike, but he had also instantly cleared the toxic fog of Reincarnation Valley.

"Are you the people from the Qingyun Sword Sect?" Su Yifan looked at Mo Xingtian and asked.

Hearing this, Mo Xingtian snapped out of his shock and bowed, saying, "Yes, yes, Senior."

What was going on? He noticed that the young man before him possessed not a shred of martial aura. Could he have reached such a level of power that he could completely conceal his own presence?

"Fine, stand aside for now." Having confirmed their identities, Su Yifan didn't waste any more words and turned his gaze toward the black-scaled beast.

"This... this beast is actually a python-dragon! And a beast with strength nearing the third level, at that." Mo Xingtian had only known it was a serpentine beast, but because he hadn't seen its true form clearly, he hadn't been able to identify it. He never expected it to be a python-dragon. Legend held that these creatures contained a trace of ancient dragon blood; if they successfully survived five lightning tribulations, they could evolve into five-level beasts, transforming from pythons into true dragons.

A beast nearing the third level—could this senior really subdue it?

Just then, Su Yifan walked up to the python-dragon. The creature stared at the human, sensing an aura of extreme danger. It had seen many human martial artists, but this one was undoubtedly the strongest.

"Don't be afraid. Since you are about to become a third-level beast, I'll give you a grand gift," Su Yifan said with a faint smile.

Though the python-dragon could not yet speak human language, it understood. It tilted its massive head, as if thinking: *What? A gift for me? You were the one who injured me just now, and now you claim to have a gift? Do you take me for a fool?*

Su Yifan saw its skepticism but offered no explanation. He simply extended his palm. The next moment, a hum resonated as a sphere of compressed spiritual energy manifested above his hand.

"Come, open your mouth," Su Yifan said slowly.

Mo Xingtian and his elder watched, stunned. What was this? And what was that mass of energy in the senior's hand? For some reason, it felt familiar, yet they couldn't quite place it.

The python-dragon hesitated at the command, then shook its head, refusing. Mo Xingtian and the elder nearly burst out laughing. *Senior, this is a wild beast. Asking a creature to open its mouth on command—isn't that a joke?*

However, just as they were ready to witness the absurdity, Su Yifan spoke again: "I will say this once more: will you open your mouth, or shall I force it open?"

The python-dragon sensed the threat. It hesitated for a moment, then slowly opened its massive, blood-red jaws.

"This..." Mo Xingtian and the elder were dumbfounded. *This actually works? Python-dragon, you are a beast! A beast nearing the third level—how can you be so submissive to a human?*

"That's better." Su Yifan nodded in satisfaction and sent the ball of spiritual energy into the beast's mouth.

As soon as the energy entered, the python-dragon felt its injuries healing rapidly. In just a moment, most of the damage was gone. It looked at Su Yifan with shock and disbelief. Just as it thought that was all, its body began to change. Its black scales became significantly brighter. Furthermore, it felt its inner core undergoing a transformation; the milky-white core instantly developed a faint layer of gold.

*What? This human is helping me break through to the third level?*

Mo Xingtian and the elder also realized something was wrong; they could clearly feel the beast's aura rising steadily.

"Oh no! Sect Master, it's preparing to break through!" the elder exclaimed.

Mo Xingtian didn't answer, instead looking at Su Yifan. "Senior, what is the meaning of this?"

"Can't you see? I'm helping it break through," Su Yifan replied without turning back.

Hearing this, Mo Xingtian and the elder were struck by a chilling realization. *What is happening? It's one thing not to kill this monster, but to help it break through? If it succeeds, won't we all be doomed?*

"Senior..." the elder began, trying to urge Su Yifan to stop the evolution.

"If you don't want to die, stay put and watch," Su Yifan interrupted coldly. Others didn't understand his motives, but he knew exactly what he was doing. Only after this python-dragon broke through would its inner core reach the next level. And then...

Seeing that they could not stop him, Mo Xingtian and the elder could only watch in silence.

"ROAR!"

Suddenly, the python-dragon let out a thunderous cry toward the heavens. "Rumble!" Dark clouds gathered above, filled with lightning and thunder. Within moments, a black vortex formed in the sky, crackling with electricity as if to tear the world apart.

It was here. The lightning tribulation had arrived.

Seeing this, a glimmer of light flashed in Su Yifan's eyes. He smiled faintly: "Little one, don't let me down."

Though the python-dragon didn't understand why the human was helping it, it prepared to face the tribulation. It roared again, circling its massive body on the ground before launching itself into the sky.

"Rumble!"

A lightning bolt as thick as a bowl crashed down from the clouds, striking the python-dragon with brutal force!

"ROAR!"

The creature shrieked in agony, its cry filled with defiance and rage. It was as if it were saying: *Come on! You bastard! If you have the guts, kill me, otherwise I will tear you apart!*

Provoked, the clouds churned, flashing with countless bolts of lightning. A second later, two lightning bolts, thick as human thighs, struck the python-dragon directly.

"BOOM!"

A dark, gleaming scale fell from the sky. Up close, a fist-sized wound had appeared on the python-dragon's body, emitting wisps of black smoke as fresh blood dripped down. Despite this, the beast remained unyielding. After circling in the air, it roared once more at the clouds.

Mo Xingtian and the elder watched in horror. No wonder beasts were stronger than humans at the same level; they fought for their lives with every fiber of their being!

"There is one final bolt of lightning. You must hold on, my inner core," Su Yifan murmured to himself, watching the scene unfold.