Chapter 547 - 234: Silent Calamity Forbidden Land: First Meeting with Su Li (2)
Chapter 547: Chapter 234: Silent Calamity Forbidden Land: First Meeting with Su Li (2)
These three stalks of Moon-Dyed Jade Marrow Ganoderma did indeed have an owner, and a Nascent Soul True Monarch at that.
’Should I just snatch them and run?’
A thought suddenly flashed through Xiao Chen’s mind.
Snatching treasures was practically a cultivator’s instinct, especially for something that could aid in Nascent Soul Formation.
Now that he had seen it, there was no way he could just let it go.
The problem, however, was that the oppressive aura emanating from this strange Nascent Soul True Monarch was nearly twice as strong as the Dai Family patriarch’s.
If he snatched the Moon-Dyed Jade Marrow Ganoderma, he would not only offend her but also the faction supporting her.
Xiao Chen considered it for a moment. He decided it was best to always leave himself some room to maneuver.
After all, similar incidents had already inexplicably occurred twice before, and it was getting incredibly frustrating.
He had only just arrived. If he provoked another major power, he probably wouldn’t be able to stay in the Compassion Sea any longer. He needed to come up with a more comprehensive plan.
He glanced at the Spirit Grass and began to secretly formulate a plan.
DING!
The Red Thread Bell chimed, and Su Li suddenly drew near.
In an instant, their cheeks were nearly touching, close enough to smell the scent wafting from her.
She deliberately tilted her head to expose her right cheek, the tips of her hair nearly brushing against Xiao Chen’s nose.
Her rotting eyelid was oozing pus and blood, and it exuded a strange scent—a mixture of fallen, withered flowers and decaying leaves in late autumn.
In all these years, no one who had seen her face had ever managed not to be terrified.
’So fast!’
This sudden burst of power was not the least bit inferior to that of Xiao Chen, a Body Cultivator.
’But what’s the big idea, getting this close?’
He was bewildered by her baffling action, and alarm bells immediately began to ring in his mind.
Since his Golden Light Wanderer alias was no longer usable, and to conserve True Essence while crossing the Kunpeng Sea, Xiao Chen hadn’t maintained his disguise and had reverted to his true appearance.
’Logically, the Three Great Clans of the Jingkong Sea shouldn’t have the reach to post wanted notices all the way out here, right?’
’Did she recognize me?’
’Should I just rip out the Moon-Dyed Jade Marrow Ganoderma and bolt?’
.
’This doesn’t even scare you?’
Su Li’s wide eyes were filled with confusion.
Xiao Chen’s unusual reaction completely defied her past experiences.
Everyone who saw the twisted marks and rotting flesh on her face for the first time would be horrified.
Yet this Golden Core Cultivator before her... why was he so calm?
His eyes held curiosity and wariness, but were completely devoid of the fear Su Li knew all too well.
’He’s really not afraid of me?’
’Wait, what’s he looking at?’
Following Xiao Chen’s subconscious glance, she saw the three stalks of Moon-Dyed Jade Marrow Ganoderma.
Taking a closer look, she noticed the White Dew Willow Gloves he was wearing.
"I see..."
Instantly, Su Li’s mind flashed back to over a hundred years ago. She recalled the figures who had used every trick in the book to sneak onto the island, all of them harboring sinister intentions and coveting her Witch Blood Power.
She immediately understood. Xiao Chen was surely one of them.
’So that’s what he’s after. He must have done his research beforehand.’
"Hmph. You want the Moon-Dyed Jade Marrow Ganoderma?"
She took two steps back, her voice holding an inscrutable tone. "I can grant your wish. Just help me carve a few statues, and they’re all yours."
Although she was filled with loathing for those who craved power, she didn’t show it.
For one, Su Li hadn’t spoken to anyone in nearly a century.
She could only pour out her loneliness to a few curse-eroded, dilapidated statues.
For another, having someone to help her carve new statues would undoubtedly be a good thing.
’In any case, the curse has already infected this man. He probably won’t live past three days. I might as well make use of him while I can.’
Her terrifying, unpresentable appearance was merely a side effect of the curse.
The true danger of the Nine Yin Calamity Spirit Body was that any cultivator near Su Li would be affected by its curse.
In her younger years, when she was weaker, her fellow female sect members would contract strange illnesses for no reason. During cultivation, their minds would become unstable, some even suffering from cultivation deviation.
It wasn’t until Su Li broke through to the Nascent Soul realm that she officially activated the Lunar Eclipse curse rooted in her very bloodline.
From then on, all vegetation withered within a hundred-li radius. Within ten li, even Golden Core Cultivators would become infected, mutate, and die in less than three days.
The strange serpent from before had merely passed by underground and had been transformed into that state.
"This junior will naturally do as Senior commands. However... I have a small request of my own!"
Although Xiao Chen hadn’t yet come up with a plan, she had taken the initiative and proposed an incredibly tempting deal.
But the fact that things were going so smoothly made him suspicious. He felt the situation wasn’t that simple. There had to be some hidden catch to the mysterious senior’s offer.
However, considering the importance of the Moon-Dyed Jade Marrow Ganoderma, he decided to agree to the deal for now.
But to prevent any unforeseen circumstances, such as Su Li going back on her word or breaking her promise, Xiao Chen proposed a condition. "This junior hopes to pick one Moon-Dyed Jade Marrow Ganoderma in advance. It would be a great motivator for my work."
’If I get part of the payment up front, then even if something goes wrong, I won’t have worked for nothing.’
Su Li scoffed inwardly at his words. ’Just as I thought, a greedy scoundrel.’
Still, she nodded. "No problem."
Besides, the Moon-Dyed Jade Marrow Ganoderma was completely unimportant to her.
"Pick one for yourself. Then go to the other side of the island and cut down two prime Spirit-Extinguishing Cloud Wood trees for me."
Having given her instructions, Su Li turned and left. "I’ll be waiting for you in the stone house over there. Remember, two trees are enough. Don’t take any more."