Chapter 302 - 212: Seizing Another New Species, Complementary Abilities
Chapter 302: Chapter 212: Seizing Another New Species, Complementary Abilities
Seeing the eager look in Xiaohai’s eyes, Lin Changheng immediately gave it an instruction.
"CHIRP CHIRP..."
The Black Armored Earth Turtle nodded, having also learned some of Lin Changheng’s patience.
Then, it started playing with Yan Mingyi, even taking to the air and carrying her up and down.
The turtle’s shell was steady, thick, and wide—perfect material for a mount.
It was said that some giant turtles could carry mountains and islands on their backs.
There were even turtle-like True Spirits that carried entire worlds on their backs.
...
「Three days later.」
Bai Zhenchuan sent word, and Lin Changheng went directly to the Auction to retrieve another batch of Cyan Rain Mist Toad Demon Beast Essence Blood.
This kind of Tier Two Essence Blood was quite valuable, not something to entrust to others.
What if they saw the "treasure," got greedy, and ran off with it?
As the saying goes, one should not lightly test human nature.
Lin Changheng felt it was better to make the trip himself. It wouldn’t take much time, and it offered more peace of mind.
Carrying the Essence Blood, Lin Changheng returned to his secret chamber.
This was the third batch of Essence Blood he had obtained.
It seemed to be an annual affair.
A jade-green light flowed within it, suffused with a blue mist. It was hazy, dazzling, and truly beautiful to behold.
To date, he had acquired a total of one hundred and ninety portions of this Essence Blood.
...
「About a year ago.」
Lin Changheng had performed Spirit Stealing on this type of Essence Blood.
[Cyan Rain Mist Toad Treasure Seed - Spirit Stealing Metamorphosis]
[Spirit Stealing: 100/100]
[Utility: Profound Spirit Demon Beast Bloodline, Water and Wood Twins. Possesses Lifebound Talents: Wetland Country, Tongue Binding, Hallucination. Upon Spirit Stealing Success, one may be chosen to be Refined into the body.]
...
[Essence Blood Full. Spirit Stealing Success!]
[Cyan Rain Mist Toad Treasure Seed - First Layer]
...
Then, a plump, round Treasure Seed, a twin of blue and jade, emerged from the Cyan Mist at the Tripod Mouth.
[One Demon Race Lifebound Talent may be chosen to be Refined into the body: Wetland Country, Tongue Binding, Hallucination.]
At the time, Lin Changheng hadn’t made an immediate choice. Instead, he gathered information from various sources to gain a sufficient understanding before analyzing the pros, cons, and applications.
The [Wetland Country] Talent was a bit special; it had no corresponding description of its abilities.
However, Lin Changheng caught a glimpse of a clue in the characteristics of the creature’s native environment.
The Cyan Rain Mist Toad often lived in the rivers and marshes deep within the Wilderness, where a dense fog lingered, so thick one couldn’t see their own hand.
This was somewhat close to the literal meaning of [Wetland Country], leading Lin Changheng to connect the two.
Based on this, he deduced that [Wetland Country] might actively or passively alter the surrounding environment.
In fact, this was true. In places where the Cyan Rain Mist Toad resided for long periods, water vapor would involuntarily thicken, gradually forming small swamps or misty areas. This would also promote the rampant growth of moisture-loving plants and poisonous fungi, transforming the area into a home ground that was most advantageous for the toad.
This was [Wetland Country].
As for [Tongue Binding], it involved shooting out a long, highly resilient tongue covered in barbs to entangle and bind enemies from a distance.
The mucus on the tongue’s surface had strong adhesive and paralytic effects.
It was useful for hunting and killing Demon Beasts and Cultivators.
As for [Hallucination], it used areas rich in Wood Qi and water vapor to trap enemies in an Illusion Realm, making them easier to hunt.
Those with weak wills could easily become lost in the Illusion Realm, never escaping until death.
Those with strong wills might be able to break free quickly, but even a momentary delay could create an opportunity for a lethal strike.
Combined with [Wetland Country], it was an excellent combo skill.
Having summarized all this, Lin Changheng had basically made his decision.
[Wetland Country] would be quite useful for establishing an independent cave residence on a mountain peak, allowing him to transform the terrain and keep enemies at bay.
But Lin Changheng had no plans to leave his current location.
The Immortal City could currently satisfy his Cultivation needs. Although his cave residence was limited in size, it wasn’t so cramped that he needed to move.
[Tongue Binding] wasn’t very useful either.
’It might improve my tongue’s length and flexibility, but that just feels weird.’
That left only [Hallucination].
However, this technique had environmental requirements, which was a major limitation.
There weren’t many rivers in the Song Territory, but the forests were lush, and cyan mountains were everywhere.
So there were places to use it, it would just be better to lure enemies into the woods during Magical Combat.
Besides, [Hallucination], combined with the Black Armored Earth Turtle’s crowd control skill, could further increase the efficiency of his lethal strikes.
’Not bad at all.’
In the end, this was the only choice to make.
’[Hallucination]!’
Instantly, the Dao-rhythms and Qi auras of the three Treasure Seeds converged, and Lin Changheng "reached out" and plucked them.
His Divine Soul was cleansed as the Treasure Seed entered his body.
[Acquired: Hallucination Technique - Peeping Path]
Lin Changheng seemed to grasp this Abnormal Technique instinctively.
He also confirmed that it did indeed require water vapor and Wood Qi to be used.
But the water vapor wasn’t limited to that from roiling rivers, lakes, and seas; it could also be used within mist and curtains of rain.
This meant the number of usable scenarios had expanded once again.
...
Meanwhile, the intensity of the Beast Tide on the Cyan Mist Temple’s Wilderness Frontline had dropped significantly.
The Beast Tide was no longer just charging forward relentlessly; it had begun to consolidate its new territory.
This made many Cultivators sense that something was amiss.
’This Beast Tide seems to be under some kind of control...’
Under normal circumstances, a Beast Tide’s assault was simply about destruction and devouring people. Once its numbers were depleted to a certain point, it would retreat, leaving behind a scene of devastation, ruins, and the corpses of Cultivators and Demon Beasts.
Clearly, this time was different.
Many Cultivators guessed that a Great Demon from the Wilderness was controlling the Beast Tide, intending to seize territory.
There were even rumors that the Core Formation Cultivators of the Cyan Mist Temple had already met with the Wilderness Great Demon and struck some kind of secret deal.
Many such rumors spread daily, but only those that were shocking, outrageous, eye-catching, and conspiratorial enough could survive among the chatter, becoming "winners" that circulated widely.
...
At the same time, Lin Changheng was also keeping an eye on the Demon Cultivator situation at the Bixiao Sect.
After all, their territories bordered the Floating Immortal City.
According to the news, a group of Demon Cultivators was rooted out and killed, after which the Bixiao Sect publicly announced that the extermination of the Demon Cultivators was a complete success!
But it was hard to say how many people actually believed it.
Lin Changheng was one of the non-believers.
’After all, the Demon Cultivators aren’t stupid. Once the chance to wipe them out in one fell swoop is lost, they’re bound to scatter and hide separately. How could you possibly kill them all in just a few operations...’
It was such a clumsy attempt to save face that Lin Changheng found it hard to believe.
...
As for Deng Changsheng, whom Lin Changheng had sent out.
A letter had arrived from him.
He had originally planned to purchase large quantities of Demon Beast Essence Blood at the frontline, but he discovered that the Cyan Mist Temple had contacted a Noble Family under its command, the Liang Family, as well as several large Foundation Establishment Clans, to jointly open a temporary Marketplace.
Through a special dual system of Contribution Points and Spirit Stone payments, they were collecting, processing, and Refining Demon Beast Materials.
These were then turned into various Talismans, Elixirs, and Magical Artifacts to resupply the frontline.
Deng Changsheng found that only a few people sold their precious Demon Beast Materials elsewhere; eighty to ninety percent of the Cultivators sold them to the Marketplace.
The Spirit Stone payment was only ninety percent of the market price, but they could also earn ten percent of the value in Contribution Points.
And Contribution Points could be exchanged for some resources that were hard to find on the open market.
This immediately undercut Deng Changsheng’s offers, leaving him with no advantage.
Unless he was willing to spend a fortune.
But that would make him too much of a sucker.
Deng Changsheng was worried he wouldn’t be able to complete the tasks his Master had assigned him.
But then, just when all hope seemed lost, a new opportunity arose.
He ran into an acquaintance—a good friend!—in the Cyan Mist Temple’s temporary Marketplace.
It was the same friend who had been so infatuated with the Music Fairy that he’d tried to steal and sell Eclipse Crow Essence Blood, only to get caught.
What a joyous occasion, a reunion of old friends!
The two immediately got together to catch up.
They were also surprised to find that they were both at the Foundation Establishment Stage.
They couldn’t help but feel emotional about it.
The other man, in particular, had so much he wanted to share with Deng Changsheng.
After a hearty meal and plenty of wine, Deng Changsheng understood everything.
His friend had been saved by his Fake Core elder back then, but was confined to the back mountain to reflect on his mistakes. With nothing else to do, he could only focus on his Cultivation.
The Fake Core elder saw that he seemed to have turned over a new leaf and was greatly pleased. After a series of tests, the elder continued to provide him with resources to help him achieve Foundation Establishment.
He even found a new post for him.
...