Cultivation: Immunity to Negative Effects

Not counting what he had acquired openly, Zhang Chi had killed three Tribulation Cultivators, netting him a total of over 135,000 Low Grade Spirit Stones.

This was by no means a small amount.

However, when he considered that they were all Foundation Establishment Tribulation Cultivators, with two even at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, Zhang Chi no longer found it particularly surprising.

Next were the Magical Artifacts, seven in total. Five were Upper Grade, and the other two were Top Grade.

These were the White Bone Spear and the Golden Flying Sword.

Both were exceptionally sharp and immensely powerful; they would certainly fetch a good price.

Of course, the three of them had actually carried more Magical Artifacts.

However, items like their Magic Robes had been destroyed in the battle. Thus, they could only be considered Substandard and were not included in the count.

Then there were the various Spirit Pills, Spirit Talismans, Medicinal Materials, and Ores. These items were all relatively common and jumbled, but their combined value was still around seventy or eighty thousand Spirit Stones.

Finally, Zhang Chi found two special items: three black Demon Beast Eggs and a piece of unidentified Beast Hide.

Each Demon Beast Egg was as large as a human head and emanated startling fluctuations of life. Moreover, Zhang Chi felt that these fluctuations were somewhat familiar.

After a moment’s thought, he immediately realized—the fluctuations were identical to those of the Tier Two Middle Grade Flying Demon Beast.

’Could these have been laid by that Demon Beast? This is great! If I can raise three Flying Demon Beasts, they’ll be a huge help to me! Huh? Wait... these three Demon Beast Eggs have already been bonded?’

Upon this realization, Zhang Chi was overjoyed, but his excitement quickly turned to bitter disappointment when he discovered a serious problem.

’Looks like I’ll have to write to Lan Xuan and see if she has a way to fix this. Fortunately, I need to sell all this loot anyway, which gives me a perfect excuse to make a solo trip to the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower in Shifang Immortal City.’

However, the thought that Lan Xuan was an expert in the field rekindled his hope. He then turned his attention to carefully examining the Beast Hide.

’Huh? Is this a map to an Ancient Cultivator’s Cave Mansion?’ A closer look left Zhang Chi pleasantly surprised.

’Then again,’ he thought, ’these Tribulation Cultivators must have killed plenty of other Cultivators, so it’s only normal they’d have some fortuitous finds on them. And I’ve killed a good number of Foundation Establishment cultivators myself, so it’s not surprising I’d end up with something valuable.’

’Besides, the area around the Demon Abyss is known for all sorts of opportunities, including various Secret Realms and Ancient Cultivators’ Cave Mansions. It was only a matter of time before I found one.’

He continued his examination.

But a moment later, his expression turned to one of disappointment.

He found that the information on the Beast Hide was limited, obscure, and difficult to comprehend.

He could only vaguely make out that the cave mansion was located deep within the Demon Abyss and also seemed to be situated inside a Secret Realm.

In other words, to reach the Ancient Cultivator’s Cave Mansion, one would first have to enter the Demon Abyss, then find and enter the Secret Realm.

That made things rather difficult.

Based on the Beast Hide alone, he couldn’t even determine the specific location of the Secret Realm within the vast Demon Abyss.

After all, the Demon Abyss was immense.

As a result, the map was practically useless—a tantalizing but ultimately worthless prize. It might even be a prank, drawn by some Cultivator as a hoax.

However, as he continued to rummage through the miscellaneous loot, he soon made another discovery.

It was a white Jade Scroll, inside which a Tribulation Cultivator had recorded his research and thoughts on the Ancient Cultivator’s Cave Mansion. To his surprise, the records contained several useful clues.

According to the record, the Tribulation Cultivator had acquired the Beast Hide as loot from a robbery many years ago.

After years of research, the Tribulation Cultivator had concluded that it most likely recorded the location of a cave mansion left behind by a Nascent Soul Cultivator.

Its general location was relatively close to Shifang Immortal City.

However, the depths of the Demon Abyss were too dangerous, so the Tribulation Cultivator hadn’t dared to explore it. He had even planned on waiting until he reached Foundation Establishment Peak, or perhaps even the Golden Core realm, before making an attempt.

’A Nascent Soul Cultivator’s Cave Mansion near Shifang Immortal City? Not bad. At least that’s a solid lead. I can go look for it once my Cultivation level is higher.’

’Besides, I have the Turtle Shell Divination Skill. When the time comes, I might just be able to deduce its precise location. Of course, if it’s still too dangerous by then, I’ll just have to abandon the idea.’

The moment Zhang Chi confirmed it was a Nascent Soul Cultivator’s Cave Mansion, his interest was instantly reignited.

Nascent Soul Powerhouses were top-tier existences, even in the Great Abyss as a whole.

Anything casually left behind in a Nascent Soul Cave Mansion could be a massive opportunity for a Low Tier Cultivator.

Furthermore, the Secret Realm outside the cave mansion was also certain to contain treasures.

Next, Zhang Chi performed a divination right away. He discovered that the cave mansion was indeed real, had never been explored, and was, in fact, connected to a Nascent Soul Cultivator.

The only problem was that if he went searching for it now, his chances of survival would be slim to none. Thus, he could only decide to put it off for later. He then stored the Jade Scroll and the Beast Hide away together.

With that settled, he finally took out a drop of Ganlin Jade Marrow and attempted its Refinement.

Although it contained Demonic Qi, this posed no problem for him.

The Refinement process was similar to that of Earth Milk Dew. Upon swallowing it, the drop entered his Dantian and began to steadily release energy.

Zhang Chi estimated that it contained even slightly more energy than Earth Milk Spirit Liquid.

However, for him, with a bit of effort, he could still manage to refine one drop per month.

Of course, other Cultivators would first have to purify it or go through the process of Refining it into an Elixir. Not only would this add to the cost, but it would also result in a partial loss of its energy.

Furthermore, although its production in the Demon Abyss wasn’t large, it was still much higher than that of Earth Milk Spirit Liquid. That was why its market price was so much cheaper.

’Back when I was at the Qi Cultivation Tenth Layer, I broke through after refining just two drops, and that was with the help of Elixirs and a Spiritual Vein. This was despite the fact that my powerful physique and Top Grade Cultivation Technique make me require far more Spiritual Qi to advance.’

’A normal Cultivator using a Middle Grade Cultivation Technique would cultivate slower, but they would also need much less Spiritual Qi to break through, especially at lower realms. Therefore, the few drops of Ganlin Jade Marrow that Chen Bufan and Chen Ling’Er gave me are enough for ordinary Qi Cultivation Late Stage cultivators to raise their cultivation by two or three layers.’

’Plus, I’ve openly received a fair number of Spirit Stones, so I can secretly buy more Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures for Refinement. This will make my future displays of rapid Cultivation progress seem perfectly reasonable.’

’At this rate, I can reveal a Foundation Establishment Cultivation in ten years at most. But before then, I have to raise my actual Cultivation as high as possible. Otherwise, revealing my level would be pointless and would only draw the Song Family’s attention to me prematurely!’

Zhang Chi thought for a moment and quickly came up with a plan.

Subsequently, Zhang Chi quietly left the Medicinal Garden and made another trip to the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower in Shifang Immortal City, where he successfully exchanged all his loot for Spirit Stones.

He even sold the Magical Artifacts, including the White Bone Spear and the Golden Flying Sword.

As a result, Zhang Chi’s personal stash of Spirit Stones shot up to over 293,000.

This time, however, Zhang Chi didn’t spend anything, bringing every last Spirit Stone back with him.

Additionally, Zhang Chi sent a letter to Lan Xuan, asking about the Demon Beast Eggs.

He also sent some of the Beauty Pills to Lan Xuan, asking her to sell them all.

This way, Zhang Chi would soon receive another large sum of Spirit Stones.

Moreover, this would prevent too many Beauty Pills from appearing near Shifang Immortal City on the Southern Demon Abyss, which might attract the attention of Chen Ling’Er or even Zhong Yu.