Chapter 154: Chapter 152: Underworld Meal, Hidden
Cicada_l
Translator: 549690339
“I appreciate your concern, Junior Brother Lu. Overall, everything went pretty smoothly.”
“There was a minor hiccup as we discovered signs of an evil sect behind the demon envoy in the Loose Cultivation City. But, the evil cultivators they attracted were quickly dealt with by me and a few of my fellow senior brothers and sisters.”
“Two people got hurt in the process, but thankfully not too seriously. In addition to the reward for the mission, we also gained quite a lot. It made the minor injuries worth it.”
A hint of a smile appeared on Xu Shao Ze’s determined face as he responded.
“There were evil cultivators behind the demon envoy? That sounds quite dangerous, I’m glad you all are okay.”
Lu Xuan said with a sigh.
“Danger and opportunity often coexist. Their appearance gave us extra gains.”
“Moreover, the experience of fighting for survival in such a desperate situation can also help improve one’s cultivation level.”
Envy flickered in Lu Xuan’s eyes.
“I really envy you, Senior Brother Xu, for having such diverse experiences – clearing out demon envoys, killing evil cultivators, and consequently gaining various cultivation resources.”
“Unlike me, who by nature is cautious and only dares to stay within the sect, planting spirit plants, and raising spirit beasts.”
“And receiving various treasure rewards.”
Of course, Lu Xuan added that last part silently in his heart. What he showed to Xu Shao Ze was entirely his envious expression.
After chatting casually for a while, Xu Shao Ze excused himself and left.
After returning to his room, having dinner, practicing his cultivation technique for a while, Lu Xuan went to sleep in his clothes.
The next day, after taking care of his spirit field and spirit plants, Lu Xuan came to Sword Gate Town.
Beneath a towering, hundred-foot sword was a wide Qingshi Square.
The square was bustling with activity, with many cultivators setting up stalls.
Among these cultivators were the Sky Sword Sect’s outer sect disciples, followers of extraordinary inner sect disciples, and mostly loose cultivators who came here out of admiration or coincidence.
Lu Xuan strolled slowly among the many stalls, carefully searching for his target.
His main purpose of coming out was to observe and plant the three weird spiritual plants in the small courtyard he had rented, while also seeing if there were any nutrients they needed, like Insect eggs that Xuan Chong Vine required. Of course, it would be best if he could come across an unknown high-rank spirit seed.
The three underworld spiritual plants respectively needed resentful spirits, skeletons, and fresh eyeballs.
Skeletons and fresh eyeballs were relatively easy to find, usually available from the bodies of demon beasts.
Resentful spirits were the most difficult. After all, Sword Gate Town was not far from the Sky Sword Sect, and no evil cultivator dared to come here. The cultivators coming and going all seemed to have a righteous demeanor, at least on the surface.
“May I ask, fellow cultivator, where did this demon beast come from?”
Lu Xuan pointed to a complete demon beast corpse on a stall.
The corpse was well-preserved, appearing to be a cub leopard. On its skin, there were purple patterns, and the blood stains on its wounds had just solidified, indicating that the corpse was fresh.
“This is a first-grade demon beast, a Purple Cloud Leopard. It’s extremely fast.
I and a few fellow cultivators caught one after setting a trap. It’s just a pity that it was already mortally wounded when we caught it.”
The owner of the stall, a slightly fat young man, seeing the outfit of a Sky Sword Sect outer disciple on Lu Xuan, immediately replied with a little reverence.
“A first-grade demon beast, Purple Cloud Leopard.”
Lu Xuan nodded lightly. As the Hundred Pupil’s Bizarre Tree grows, its demand for eyeballs becomes higher and higher. Luckily, it’s still in the early stages of growth, and the eyeballs of a first-grade demon beast are sufficient for now.
“I want the whole skeleton of this Purple Cloud Leopard, as well as its pair of eyeballs. Please, fellow cultivator, name your price.”
Lu Xuan said calmly.
“The entire skeleton and the eyes?”
The slightly chubby young man was first stunned, then elated.
Lu Xuan’s request initially struck him as odd, but it quickly turned into a pleasant surprise.
After all, the most valuable parts of the Purple Cloud Leopard’s carcass were the beast’s skin, blood, and Demon Beast Meat. The value of the skeleton was slightly lower, not to mention the eyeballs.
Only certain rare demonic beasts have eyes that are the most valuable parts of their bodies.
“If you want it, you can have the Purple Cloud Leopard’s skeleton and eyeballs for twenty Spirit Stones,”
he said tentatively to Lu Xuan. From his past experiences, Sky Sword Sect Cultivators were always generous, so he slightly increased the price. However, he didn’t dare to make it too obvious as their statuses differed greatly, and he feared it might cause trouble.
“Twenty Spirit Stones?” Lu Xuan’s expression turned cold.
“Do you think I don’t know the market value of these materials?”
“This Purple Cloud Leopard is just a First Grade Demon Beast. The total value of its materials is at most sixty Spirit Stones, with the skeleton being one of the least valuable parts.”
“As for the eyeballs, they have almost no use. I’m just a collector with a peculiar taste.”
“Ten Spirit Stones.”
Even though he currently possesses more than one thousand eight hundred Spirit Stones, Lu Xuan cut the price in half with the mindset of saving as much as he could.
After some haggling, Lu Xuan finally obtained the skeleton and eyeballs of the Purple Cloud Leopard for twelve Spirit Stones.
After his purchase, he continued browsing the stalls. Along the way, he found a semi-complete Tier-2 Demon Beast Skeleton, which he bought for thirty Spirit Stones.
“The Third Grade Barbarian Shell Bull Skeleton I got last time was enough to feed my Thorn Bone for a long time. Now that I’ve bought two fresh skeletons, it’s like providing it with a small side dish.”
“It’s a pity that the Spirit Plants in my yard only need Resentful Spirits, skeletons, and eyeballs. I need to find some other Underworld Spirit Plants.”
“When the time comes, I’ll utilize the blood, beast meat, skeleton, spirit, hair, and more. Not a single part will go to waste. I’ll prepare a full Underworld Combo meal.”
Lu Xuan couldn’t help thinking this deep down. He didn’t continue to buy Demon Beast Skeletons and instead focused on finding fresh eyeballs.
Complete Demon Beast corpses brought to Sword Gate Town are rare, and with Lu Xuan’s luck being so-so, he couldn’t find any fresh eyeballs. Luckily, he came across a unique stall.
The stall owner was a grim-looking young man with various peculiar items on display. These included odd bug corpses soaked in various fluids, rare materials obtained from Demon Insects, and strangely shaped insect eggs.
“Fellow Daoist, how do you sell these Hidden Cicada Insect Eggs?”
Lu Xuan pointed at a section of a tree branch. There were seven or eight insect eggs the size of fingertips nestled between the branches. The slender and pale-white eggs resembled grains of Spirit Rice at first glance.
He had seen this type of insect egg in the “Insect Scripture.” They could hatch First Grade Demon Insects, Hidden Cicadas, which are molting insects that suit the Xuan Chong Vine’s needs.
“Twenty Spirit Stones.”
The grim stall owner raised his head to glance at Lu Xuan. He was slightly surprised by Lu Xuan’s knowledge of the Hidden Cicada Insect Eggs, and he coldly responded.
“Fifteen Spirit Stones, to take this piece of the tree branch. What do you think, Fellow Daoist?”
The grim young man didn’t answer; he just shook his head and closed his eyes.
“Eighteen Spirit Stones, this price is pretty reasonable. If you don’t agree, I’ll have to give up. After all, they are just seven or eight First Grade Demon Insect Eggs.”
Lu Xuan continued to test the young man’s bottom line.
“Alright.”
The grim young man opened his eyes and nodded in agreement..