https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-176-The-Mystical-Peach-of-Illusion/12544012/
Chapter 175: Two Eyes, One Shared Glimpse
Chapter 175: Two Eyes, One Shared Glimpse
Lu Chen put away the ordinary second-grade defensive array he had set up around the small courtyard and took out the Thousand Illusions Misty Smoke Array Plate from his storage bag.
Misty smoke billowed on the array plate, and illusions swirled.
Lu Chen found a suitable location and infused the array plate with his spiritual energy, causing it to merge into the ground.
Immediately, milky-white mist rose from the four sides of the small courtyard, and illusions appeared one after another, flashing by in an instant.
From the outside, the small courtyard seemed detached and unreal. Anyone attempting to force their way in would, upon approaching, fall into the Thousand Illusions Misty Smoke Array and be tormented by endless illusions.
With the array in place, Lu Chen felt much more at ease. Even a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator would be held off for a considerable time.
Moreover, it was rare for Foundation Establishment cultivators to linger in Jianmen Town for extended periods; most were at the Qi Refining stage, so this array was more than sufficient to protect the several spirit plants in the small courtyard.
"Upgrading from a second-grade to a fourth-grade array is like trading a rifle for a cannon. I have to thank the Misty Smoke Luo Fruit for the Thousand Illusions Misty Smoke Array."
Lu Chen silently expressed his gratitude to the Misty Smoke Luo Fruit and felt an even greater urgency to cultivate high-grade spirit plants.
He made his way to the spirit field, found an empty area, and took out the Poison Arrowwood spirit seed from his storage bag.
His spiritual energy surged as he effortlessly employed the mature-stage Earth Guiding Technique to alter the structure beneath the spirit soil, creating a crack just large enough to accommodate the spirit seed.
As he placed the Poison Arrowwood spirit seed into the crack, a familiar thought flashed through his mind.
Poison Arrowwood, a third-grade spirit plant...
"The spiritual energy environment in Jianmen Town is far inferior to that within the sect. The turbid spiritual energy here is more suitable for the growth of the Poison Arrowwood. Additionally, there are several Yin spirit plants like the Ghost-Faced Stone Mushrooms, which complement each other quite well."
"Compared to them, the Poison Arrowwood, which feeds on toxins, is not so unusual."
After planting the Poison Arrowwood, Lu Chen began to inspect the growth of the other spirit plants in the courtyard's spirit field.
The five Ghost-Faced Stone Mushrooms, nourished by abundant resentment, were all in excellent condition. The bizarre patterns on them were much brighter than before, and at first glance, they seemed to be smiling at Lu Chen.
In the courtyard, less than ten wandering yin souls remained, their rudimentary intellect seeming to sense the danger in the area where the Ghost-Faced Stone Mushrooms were, keeping them at a distance.
Suddenly, the bizarre face on one of the Ghost-Faced Stone Mushrooms silently transformed, and several nearby resentment souls, as if sensing some irresistible delicacy, rushed over together and surrounded that mushroom.
The rest continued to wander, seemingly waiting for their turn.
About half an hour later, after the Ghost-Faced Stone Mushroom had had its fill, the surrounding resentment souls dispersed, their spiritual bodies noticeably thinner.
"This is the consequence of low spiritual intellect—unable to resist temptation. What they thought was a good opportunity was merely a trap set by the mushroom."
Lu Chen sighed and took out a second-grade Grievance Soul Bell artifact. The inner walls of the bell, which had been packed with countless yin souls, now looked emptier after three releases, with fewer than a hundred souls remaining in total.
Lu Chen controlled the Grievance Soul Bell with his spiritual sense and released fifty resentment souls from it.
The additional fifty resentment souls made the entire small courtyard much colder, and from time to time, piercing howls could be heard.
"Confined within the Grievance Soul Bell artifact, reduced to tools for cultivators, even in death, you cannot be reborn."
"Rather than that, it's better to release you and let you nurture spirit plants. This way, you can be freed from your earthly bonds and enter the cycle of reincarnation sooner."
Lu Chen looked at the countless wandering yin souls drifting aimlessly in the courtyard and said with a compassionate expression.
After solving the Ghost-Faced Stone Mushroom's nourishment problem, Lu Chen approached the Thornbone.
Only the remains of the Savage Armored Bull, a third-grade beast, seemed to withstand the absorption, retaining its complete form.
Finally, Lu Chen approached the Hundred-Eyed Spectral Wood, a fourth-grade plant.
On the branches, which resembled the dried-out twigs of an aged tree, dozens of eye-like orbs were either tightly shut or half-open, giving off an extremely sinister aura.
As Lu Chen drew near, the eye orbs seemed to sense his presence, and their gazes collectively fixed upon him.
The scrutiny of those dozens of eerie eyes made Lu Chen feel somewhat uncomfortable.
Suddenly, an icy, invisible current emanated from the third-grade Pure Jade embedded in his chest, flowing into his mind and instantly dispelling his discomfort.
"This fourth-grade Hundred-Eyed Spectral Wood is indeed sinister. Even just gazing into the eyes on its branches induces a sense of unease."
Lu Chen recalled the warning he had received when planting the Spectral Wood, advising against prolonged eye contact lest it lead to a loss of mental clarity for cultivators.
With his utmost clarity, Lu Chen approached the Spectral Wood. The Purple Cloud Leopard's eye, left from his previous visit, had now turned a grayish-white, devoid of any vitality. With a gentle touch, it crumbled into dust and scattered on the ground, while a pale, slender tendril swiftly retreated into one of the eye orbs.
Lu Chen retrieved over a dozen eyes from his Life-Preserving Bag, obtained as rewards from his array-setting tasks. Thanks to the bag's ability to significantly slow the loss of vitality, these eyes were remarkably well-preserved and fresh.
As if sensing something, the eerie eyes on the withered branches all struggled to open, fixing upon Lu Chen with gazes filled with resentment and longing.
"Is this fourth-grade spirit plant so wild that it can sense changes in emotions? Or is this particular Spectral Wood just unique?" Lu Chen marveled inwardly.
He tossed the over a dozen demon beast eyes toward the strange orbs on the branches.
Instantly, thin tendrils shot out from the eye orbs, latching onto the fresh demon beast eyes.
The second-grade demon beast eye, in particular, was eagerly sought after by several tendrils, eventually being claimed by the two closest ones.
"Hmm, two women serving one man. So, it's two eyes sharing one meal, then?" Lu Chen mused to himself.
After fulfilling the special conditions required by the various underworld spirit plants in his courtyard, Lu Chen cast basic spells like Spirit Rain Technique and Wood Birth Technique to ensure their fundamental growth.
Subsequently, he left the courtyard and strolled through the various stalls in the square, purchasing daily necessities before returning to the sect's cave abode without further delay.
As soon as he entered, the baby Wind Falcon dove towards his head, its pale green wings flapping incessantly as it chirped crisply. It was like an impatient child greeting a parent who had been out for too long, demanding candy and treats.
"You glutton, you've turned into a ball of fat and all you think about is food. Look at that little white bird from the other day; see how graceful and composed it was?" Lu Chen chided as he took out the specially purchased spirit fruits and wind-attribute demon beast meat from his storage bag.
"And here's yours."
He approached the Thick-furred Cloud Lynx, who was pretending to be elegant but whose thick paws betrayed its nervousness, and placed the demon beast meat it loved in front of it, tearing it into strips.
The Thick-furred Cloud Lynx's emerald green irises remained unchanged, but the tufts of fur on its ears danced as if they were alive.
(End of Chapter)
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