Chapter 255: The Humble Courtyard in the Underworld Gains Another Powerful General
Chapter 255: The Humble Courtyard in the Underworld Gains Another Powerful General
As the cultivator spoke, he took out a semi-transparent jade box from his storage bag.
The box was adorned with talismans, and inside lay a short section of a jade bamboo root.
The jade bamboo was translucent like crystal, its roots dense and filling the box. Each root had cracks of varying sizes.
"Be careful, brothers and sisters. This Whispering Bamboo root tends to be a bit noisy."
The cultivator warned, and then opened the box.
As the box opened, the cracks on the root seemed to magnify, and then a chaotic din reached Lu Chen's ears, as if thousands of demonic beasts were roaring in unison, giving him a dizzying sensation.
With a thought, his spiritual energy surged and coated his ears, leaving a thin layer of protective film to block out the chaotic noise.
"How annoying. No wonder it has so many cracks."
He muttered, examining the translucent jade bamboo root in the cultivator's hand.
Despite his initial reluctance, he still desired to possess such a rare and exotic spiritual plant.
However, he hesitated, unsure of what to offer in exchange.
He didn't have many treasures on hand that he could trade. He had two Cloud Mountain Talismans, five pieces of Chi Gang Yu, a third-grade Burst Flame Pearl, some Furnace Yuan Pills, three hundred-year-old Ice Piths, and three Sword-Nurturing Gourds that he had cultivated himself.
The rest of his third-grade magical artifacts, as well as the fourth-grade Roaring Sea Sword Talisman and Great Sun Sword Talisman, were still useful to him.
After much thought, the only suitable items for exchange were the fourth-grade Chi Gang Yu and the third-grade Sword-Nurturing Gourd.
"The Illusory Sound Bamboo is a fourth-grade spiritual plant that is said to be able to mimic human and beast speech, as well as various strange sounds from the world," the cultivator introduced. "It is the preferred material for crafting bamboo flutes with powerful sonic attacks, and it can also be used to craft other special artifacts."
After the introduction, the thirty-odd Foundation Establishment cultivators fell silent.
The artifacts that could be crafted from the Illusory Sound Bamboo were quite limited and niche. If it were a mature jade bamboo, they might consider it, but a mere root section didn't spark much interest.
A fourth-grade spiritual plant would take several years to cultivate, and there was no guarantee of success with such a rare plant, so most of the cultivators present lost interest in exchanging their items.
Half a moment passed, and just as the cultivator on the stage was about to lose patience and leave, a cultivator in the early stages of the Foundation Establishment stage spoke up.
"Senior brother, I have a third-grade artifact, the Cold Flood Dragon Spear, refined from the remains of a third-grade water-type flood dragon. Would you exchange it for your Illusory Sound Bamboo root?"
In his hand appeared a spear over ten feet long. Its snowy white shaft emanated a chilling aura.
A hint of interest flashed in the cultivator's eyes on stage. Although the third-grade artifact, the Cold Flood Dragon Spear, was slightly less valuable than the fourth-grade Illusory Sound Bamboo root, it was extremely suitable for him at the moment.
"Senior brother, I have a fourth-grade Chi Gang Yu spirit mineral here. Would you exchange it for your Illusory Sound Bamboo root?"
Just as he was about to agree, a clear voice suddenly rang out from a secluded corner of the room.
Following the voice, they saw a handsome cultivator with clear eyes looking at Lu Chen. In his hand was a lump of uneven, red mineral with a substance similar to jade flowing slowly within it.
"Fourth-grade Chi Gang Yu?"
The cultivator on the stage exclaimed. Spirit minerals were generally more valuable than spiritual plants of the same grade, and Chi Gang Yu could be refined into flying swords and other artifacts. It would fetch a significant premium compared to the Illusory Sound Bamboo root.
"Are you sure you want to trade with me, junior brother?"
The cultivator asked Lu Chen, a bit incredulous.
"I'd be delighted to," Lu Chen replied with a smile.
A small premium meant nothing to him. As long as he could nurture the Illusory Sound Bamboo to good quality, he could easily make up for it. With his ability to monitor the spiritual plant's condition at all times, it wouldn't be difficult.
Moreover, there would be a light sphere reward when it matured, and combined with the light sphere from a fourth-grade spiritual plant, it would undoubtedly be a huge profit.
The cultivator with the Cold Flood Dragon Spear saw that Lu Chen was determined and had the upper hand, so he reluctantly sat down.
After obtaining the Illusory Sound Bamboo root, it was soon Lu Chen's turn to take the stage.
With steady strides, he made his way up.
"Greetings, fellow senior brothers and sisters. The treasure I offer for exchange this time is a special talisman.
It is called the Cloud Mountain Jade Talisman, a fourth-grade artifact refined from Cloud Mountain Jade. It can be used as a protective spiritual artifact to ward off evil and avert disasters. Additionally, you can inscribe talismans on it to harm evil spirits."
"I am mainly looking to exchange it for a spirit plant of the corresponding grade, or a spirit beast embryo or cub. I am also open to trading it for a heterodox flame of the same grade."
Lu Chen spoke slowly.
The appearance of the Cloud Mountain Jade Talisman stirred a slight commotion among the cultivators present.
Artifacts that could affect evil spirits were extremely rare, and this talisman, with its inherent ability to ward off disasters, would be incredibly effective when carried on one's person. Moreover, the ability to inscribe additional talismans made it a formidable tool for harming evil spirits, making it a highly desirable item among similar treasures.
"Brother Lu, how about I trade a fourth-grade artifact for it?"
A cultivator in the middle stages of the Foundation Establishment stage called out from the audience.
"I apologize, senior brother, but I am only interested in spirit plants or spirit beast embryos," Lu Chen replied, shaking his head firmly. A fourth-grade artifact was indeed valuable, comparable to the Cloud Mountain Jade Talisman, but if he could obtain a fourth-grade spirit plant, its worth would be immeasurably greater to Lu Chen.
After his refusal, several others made offers to trade artifacts, pills, or talismans, only to be turned down as well.
For most cultivators, the most common possessions were artifacts, pills, talismans, spirit pills, and spirit minerals. It was rare for someone to carry spirit plants with them.
Once a spirit plant was obtained, it was either planted immediately or quickly traded to prevent the loss of its vitality. Additionally, Lu Chen was solely interested in acquiring spirit plants not listed in the Sword Garden's jade catalog, which made it even more challenging to find a suitable trade.
Left with no other choice, Lu Chen descended from the stage with the Cloud Mountain Jade Talisman still in his possession.
"Brother Lu, I have a rather sinister spirit plant here, and I have no idea about its variety or grade. Would you be interested in taking a look?"
As soon as Lu Chen sat down, a short and stout elder approached him with a friendly smile.
"Oh? Could you please show it to me, senior brother?"
Lu Chen's interest was piqued at the mention of an unknown variety of sinister spirit plant.
The stout elder glanced around and cast a spiritual energy barrier to block out prying spiritual senses and gazes.
"This spirit plant is rather unique, so I'd rather not let other sect members see it. I hope you understand, junior brother."
Seeing that Lu Chen had no objections, the elder took out an object from his storage bag.
It was a hollow blood sphere, its surface appearing to be woven from countless slender blood vessels. Within it seemed to be trapped an endless blood sea, and in the midst of this sea grew a blood-colored flower. The flower had its roots sunk into the blood sea, its petals blooming layer by layer before swiftly withering and turning into countless blood droplets that fell back into the sea.
This process repeated endlessly, with the flower blooming and withering in an unending cycle.
"This blood sphere spirit plant is a spoil of war I obtained after killing an evil cultivator. I have no idea about its variety or grade, but I can tell that it's a spirit plant.
It also has a bit of a sinister nature. Holding it for too long makes one feel an uncontrollable bloodthirsty urge."
The stout elder explained with a solemn expression.
Lu Chen maintained a calm exterior, but inside, he was ecstatic.
The sinister nature of the spirit plant didn't faze him; in fact, he welcomed it.
The humble courtyard in the underworld already had several spirit plants of a similar nature, including a few blood sphere types.
As he gazed at the blood-colored flower within the hollow blood sphere, he felt a slight restlessness in his blood, as if it wanted to merge with the spirit plant.
A cool breeze seemed to emanate from the Immaculate Jade pendant around his neck, calming him down.
"It seems that the humble courtyard in the underworld is about to gain another powerful general," he mused to himself.
(End of Chapter)
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