Chapter 126: The Spirit Bell of Grievance
Chapter 126: The Spirit Bell of Grievance
On the vast square of dark green stone, Lu Chen narrowed his eyes as he gazed up at the towering stone sword that loomed a hundred zhang tall before him.
"It's been three months since I last saw this," he murmured to himself, a sense of awe washing over him as he recalled his first encounter with the iconic sword monument of Jianmen Town.
Now, as an outer disciple of Tianjian Zong, his perspective had changed, and so had his ambitions.
Having spent all his time within the sect since his arrival, he had not ventured to the nearby town nor explored any secret realms. Thus, the bustling streets and the myriad of pedestrians going about their lives gave him a surreal feeling.
As he ventured further, the shops along the spacious streets became more numerous.
Due to its proximity to Tianjian Zong, Lu Chen saw no need for disguise. He wore the standard azure robe of the sect, with a small black sword embroidered on the cuffs, signifying his affiliation and adding to his air of distinction.
Scanning the rows of shops, he ultimately decided to enter the Wanbao Tower, a place he was familiar with.
As soon as he stepped into the first-floor hall, a delicate-looking female cultivator approached him. Catching sight of the Tianjian Zong robe, she offered a subtle yet respectful nod.
"Senior, how may I assist you today?" she asked, her head bowed and her tone exceedingly polite.
"I wish to sell some spirit herbs," Lu Chen replied. "I have a large quantity of Lingying Grass, as well as some rare second-grade spirit herbs. Could you please fetch someone with the authority to make a deal?"
The female cultivator, a third layer Qi Refining cultivator, nodded and soon returned with an elderly man at the middle stage of Qi Refining.
"Your humble servant greets you, young master," the elder said. "May I inquire as to your esteemed name?"
"No need for formalities, just call me Lu Chen," he replied with a smile.
"So, it is Fellow Lu," the elder said. "What spirit herbs do you wish to sell?"
"I have some common grade-less Lingying Grass of decent quality, and a small number of second-grade spirit herbs," Lu Chen explained as he took out over ten white jade boxes from his storage bag and opened them, revealing a total of 150 mature Lingying Grass stalks.
The elder carefully inspected the quality of the spirit herbs and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Excellent quality! In fact, there's even a perfectly graded Lingying Grass among them. When did perfect-grade spirit herbs become so common?"
His face was filled with astonishment as he realized that out of every four or five stalks of Lingying Grass, there was one of perfect quality, with most of the rest being of excellent quality. Such a high yield of top-grade spirit herbs was truly remarkable.
"To be able to cultivate spirit herbs of this caliber, Fellow Lu must indeed hail from a renowned sect," the elder praised.
"It's mostly due to the abundant spiritual energy in my sect that is conducive to the growth of spirit herbs," Lu Chen humbly replied.
Soon, the elder appraised the 150 stalks of Lingying Grass and offered a price of 580 spirit stones, averaging nearly four spirit stones per stalk.
Lu Chen found the price reasonable and agreed without hesitation.
After putting away the spirit stones, he took out two fragrant leaves of Qingmiao Spirit Tea from his storage bag and inquired, "Now, I also have a few leaves of this second-grade Qingmiao Spirit Tea. May I ask what price your esteemed establishment would offer?"
"Oh? Is this the Qingmiao Spirit Tea that is known for its ability to clear the mind and protect against demonic influences?" The elder leaned forward, his eyes widening as he breathed in the fragrant scent of the tea leaves, a look of rapture on his face. "Just inhaling its aroma is invigorating! Indeed, it is a precious treasure."
"Indeed, it is of good quality and quite rare among second-grade spirit herbs," Lu Chen confirmed.
The elder said.
Lu Chen remained silent, deep in thought.
Among treasures of the same grade, the prices of spirit plants, spirit ores, and demonic beast materials tended to be on the lower side. Considering that Wanbao Tower was a buyer, this price was quite fair.
"Very well."
The elder handed Lu Chen a cloth bag filled with the agreed-upon amount of spirit stones, a broad smile on his face.
"Fellow Daoist Lu, do you have any more second-grade spirit plants similar to the Qingmiao Spirit Tea?"
Lu Chen shook his head.
"If I do come across more in the future, your esteemed tower will be the first place I consider." Lu Chen intended to keep the remaining Qingmiao Spirit Tea leaves and the Ansu Ginseng as bargaining chips for future exchanges with fellow sect disciples, so he wasn't in a hurry to sell them off.
"By the way, Fellow Daoist, does Wanbao Tower have any artifacts that are imbued with vengeful spirits or grudge-filled souls?"
He thought of the Ghost-Faced Stone Mushroom that had been sitting idle in his storage bag and wondered if he could find vengeful spirits here to try and awaken it for cultivation.
"Artifacts imbued with vengeful spirits and grudge-filled souls? Those are quite rare."
"The refining process for such artifacts tends to be sinister and cruel, often damaging the harmony of heaven and earth. Only those unruly and unscrupulous evil cultivators would dare to refine such artifacts."
"However, Fellow Daoist Lu, your luck is quite good. We do happen to have a second-grade artifact here that is imbued with vengeful spirits."
"Oh? Could you please show it to me?" Lu Chen asked curiously.
Following the elder, he arrived at a special counter.
The counter displayed a variety of odd and peculiar items, each with a unique shape and exuding a chilling aura that clearly marked them as unconventional and unorthodox.
Several high-level Qi Refining cultivators stood guard nearby, a testament to the value of the items displayed.
The elder retrieved a dilapidated bell from the counter. The surface of the bell was etched with intricate and bizarre patterns, and as it rang out with a soft jingle, strands of vengeful spirits and grudge-filled souls wriggled out from the patterns, silently wailing in agony.
"The Spirit Bell of Grievance, a second-grade artifact, imprisons within it hundreds, if not thousands, of vengeful spirits and grudge-filled souls."
"By shaking the bell, you can launch a mental attack against a single target or a fan-shaped area. You can also control the vengeful spirits within the bell to attack cultivators."
The elder provided a detailed introduction for Lu Chen.
Lu Chen took the battered Spirit Bell of Grievance, unsure of what material it was refined from, but he could feel a chilling aura emanating from it.
Peering through the bell's interior, he saw hundreds, if not thousands, of nearly transparent vengeful spirits and grudge-filled souls packed tightly together.
Sensing Lu Chen's gaze, all the vengeful spirits stirred, turning their heads simultaneously to look at him, creating an eerie and uncanny scene.
"With so many vengeful spirits and grudge-filled souls, I should have no problem awakening the Ghost-Faced Stone Mushroom. I might even be able to cultivate them for a while."
Lu Chen was quite satisfied.
"Indeed, this Spirit Bell of Grievance is quite impressive. How many spirit stones does it require?"
"If Fellow Daoist Lu desires it, you can have it for two hundred and thirty spirit stones."
Lu Chen nodded. He didn't value the artifact itself but rather the multitude of vengeful spirits within it.
He intended to use them to awaken the dormant third-grade Ghost-Faced Stone Mushroom, and the two hundred and thirty spirit stones would save him the trouble of searching for vengeful spirits himself.
Knowing that such vengeful spirit artifacts would be extremely difficult to find near Tianjian Zong, he readily agreed.
"Deal."
(End of Chapter)
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