Chapter 384: The Elusive Silkweed
Chapter 384: The Elusive Silkweed
"This junior disciple will certainly deliver." Lu Chen replied with a mysterious smile playing on his lips.
"However, regarding the matter of extracting fire essence from this mutated spirit herb, I would like to ask Brother Huo to keep it confidential." Lu Chen requested of Huo Lin'er.
"Rest assured, Brother Lu. I will keep this matter a secret," Huo Lin'er assured him, nodding gently, feeling relieved upon learning that Lu Chen had exchanged the mutated spirit herb for the benefit of their sect.
"By the way, Brother Lu, there's one more thing I need to ask of you on this trip back to the base camp, aside from giving you the mutated spirit herbs harvested by the sect and taking the opportunity to rest." Huo Lin'er continued, taking out a square jade seal from his storage bag. Inside the nearly transparent jade seal was a faint reddish-brown silken strand.
"This mutated spirit herb was recently discovered in an underground palace within the blessed land. Its movements are extremely mysterious, and most of the Foundation Establishment cultivators from the three sects have difficulty detecting it, which has caused us great trouble." Huo Lin'er explained.
"Its abilities are extremely peculiar. It can silently parasitize a demon beast or cultivator, influencing their mental state. In severe cases, it can even directly manipulate the host's body."
"We've tried many methods, but none have been very effective. Those exorcism and spirit-purifying talismans and techniques don't seem to have much effect on it."
"May I take a closer look, Brother Huo?" Lu Chen asked, reaching out to take the sealed jade seal and examining it carefully.
The spirit herb inside the jade seal was slender and a faint reddish-brown color. It had no roots or leaves, only a coiling, twisting silk strand. Sensing Lu Chen's gaze, the slender silk strand moved like a venomous snake, even though it was sealed, still posing as if ready to strike.
"Its form is indeed peculiar, but I can't discern much else from it. More research and experimentation are needed." Lu Chen said.
"However, I do have a question, Brother Huo, which I hope you can clarify."
"Please go ahead, Brother Lu."
"As far as I know, there are two Golden Core cultivators from our sect who opened up this blessed land, and the other two sects probably have a few as well. Wouldn't dealing with these mutated spirit herbs be effortless for several Golden Core cultivators?" Lu Chen asked, his expression puzzled.
"There's something you don't know, Brother Lu. If we detect the traces of these mutated spirit herbs, dealing with them is indeed relatively easy. The difficulty lies elsewhere." Huo Lin'er replied with a bitter smile.
"The Golden Core cultivators are focused on deciphering the restrictions of the blessed land and won't expend too much energy on dealing with these mutated spirit herbs. Moreover, these herbs have an extremely wide range of activities, so we can only send Foundation Establishment cultivators from the three sects to deal with them."
"Several Foundation Establishment cultivators have already been inadvertently parasitized by these peculiar spirit herbs. Fortunately, we discovered it in time, or there might have been fatal consequences."
"I'm just relieved that they're safe." Lu Chen nodded, feeling a sense of relief.
The cultivators at the forefront of opening up the blessed land were mostly at the middle or late stages of the Foundation Establishment, yet they were still unaware of being invaded and parasitized by these mutated spirit herbs, which nearly cost them their lives. This spoke volumes about the danger posed by these herbs.
"It's better to stay in the rear and focus on spirit herb research and trading." Lu Chen thought to himself, looking down at Huo Lin'er.
"Brother Huo, I'll do my best to study this peculiar spirit herb, but I can't guarantee any positive results." Lu Chen said.
"If I make any discoveries that could be of assistance to the sect, I will inform you immediately." Lu Chen promised solemnly.
"Thank you for your hard work, Brother Lu. I will be reuniting with my sect members in a couple of days. If you make any significant discoveries, you can send me a message." Huo Lin'er left a message talisman for Lu Chen, concerned that he might not be able to gather much information about the peculiar spirit herb in a short time. Then, he bid farewell.
A crisp "ding" rang out as the silken spirit herb struck Lu Chen's palm, bouncing back as if it had hit an iron plate.
Using his Pupil Art of Breaking Illusions, Lu Chen saw the pale red silk thread fall to the ground, only to spring up and rush towards the Demon Ghost Vine.
Unable to break through his defenses, it quickly changed targets and attempted to parasite its way into the vine.
Instead of being alarmed, the gray vine welcomed this turn of events, opening up with a deep fissure as if inviting the silken thread in.
The prospect of such a delicious treat being delivered right to its door naturally delighted the Demon Ghost Vine, a creature that relished the taste of spirit herbs.
"Now, now, I still have some use for you, so you can't eat it just yet."
Lu Chen floated gracefully towards the vine, grabbing the elusive red thread and ignoring its attempts to enter his body.
He casually cast a restrictive spell, placing the peculiar spirit herb into the restricted spirit soil and forcefully feeding it with a downpour of spirit rain.
Focusing his mind, detailed information about this mutated spirit herb flashed through his mind.
Unknown spirit herb. A third-grade Yin Silk has mutated under the prolonged influence of a powerful fleshly blood power. It enjoys parasitizing spirit herbs, demonic beasts, and even cultivators, absorbing their spiritual energy, vitality, and fleshly essence. In severe cases of parasitism, it can directly manipulate the actions of demonic beasts and cultivators.
It usually dwells in dark underground places, and when not parasitizing, it is extremely sensitive to various special sound waves. When attacked by sonic spiritual power, it will involuntarily reveal itself, curling into a small ball.
"So, it's a mutated third-grade Yin Silk..."
Lu Chen murmured to himself, intrigued by this discovery.
There were countless bizarre and exotic spirit herbs in the cultivation world, and despite his frequent perusal of the spirit herb manuals in the Scripture Pavilion, this was the first time he had encountered such a peculiar high-grade spirit herb.
"To attain the third grade solely through its parasitic ability is indeed rare."
"It's a pity that the Illusion Sound Bamboo is back at my cave abode; otherwise, it could easily deal with these mutated Yin Silks."
He thought of the fourth-grade Illusion Sound Bamboo in his cave, capable of mimicking various strange noises, and a sudden idea came to mind.
"Hmm, I've completed the task Brother Huo Lin'er entrusted to me, and the biggest challenge isn't understanding this peculiar spirit herb but deciding when to inform him."
Lu Chen was in a dilemma. Telling him too soon would make it hard to explain how he acquired the information so quickly, drawing unnecessary attention and trouble. But leaving it too late might cause harm to the sect.
After some thought, he decided to wait a few more days before contacting Brother Huo.
He resealed the Yin Silk within the jade seal and glanced at the drooling Demon Ghost Vine by his feet, its grey mucus covering the ground. It was clearly longing for a taste of the Yin Silk.
"Oh? You want a bite? Don't worry, there will definitely be an opportunity for you to have your fill."
Lu Chen kicked the ever-growing grey vine playfully and smiled.
The Demon Ghost Vine, with its high spiritual intellect, understood Lu Chen's words and lunged towards him.
"Scram!"
Lu Chen looked at the vine, covered in mucus, with disgust.
(End of Chapter)
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