Chapter 594: The Star Envoy
Chapter 594: The Star Envoy
Over his decades of cultivating spiritual herbs, Lu Chen had formed a rather favorable impression of the Sword Grass.
The luminous orbs produced by each Sword Grass were of superior quality among spiritual herbs of the same rank, and among them were rare treasures such as the Radiant Sword Heart and the Peacock Monarch Sword.
Additionally, cultivating Sword Grass could also improve one's swordsmanship and enhance their cultivation in the Sword Dao, making it a highly beneficial endeavor.
Lu Chen had a general idea of how to induce and improve the Sword Grass.
One method involved using the mysterious Yang Xuan Sword Sheath. Although the sword sheath was currently entertaining a variety of flying swords, changing to a new one every once in a while, he only needed to place the Sword Grass spirit seed within and nurture it with the appropriate sword qi for a few months to have a high probability of producing a mutated spirit seed.
Another approach was to utilize the omnipresent thunderous aura of the Leihuoxing Cave to stimulate the growth of a new variety of Sword Grass.
He gazed at the numerous Sword Grass plants that were nearing maturity, his thoughts turning to these possibilities.
As he was cultivating two four-product Sword Grasses, the Peacock and the Blue Lotus, a familiar voice echoed from outside his cave abode.
"Fellow Daoist Lu, are you in your cave abode?"
The voice was brief and powerful, belonging to Lei Zheng, whom Lu Chen had met earlier in the herb garden. He had formed a rather positive impression of him.
"Fellow Daoist Lei, it's been a while. What brings you here today?"
Lu Chen transformed into a stream of light and arrived at the edge of his cave abode, opening the formation to welcome Lei Zheng in.
"I have a matter that I'd like to ask for your help with, fellow Daoist Lu."
Lei Zheng's solemn expression softened slightly as he smiled.
"Please come in and tell me about it. I've recently brewed a new spirit brew that you can sample, fellow Daoist Lei."
Lu Chen smiled and invited him in.
"Then I shall respectfully obey."
Lei Zheng cupped his hands and followed Lu Chen inside.
"Fellow Daoist Lu, this formation of yours, I believe I'm seeing it for the first time. It hasn't been set up for long, has it?"
He glanced at the bamboo forest in the cloud sea, which was partially obscured from view, and inquired.
"That's right," Lu Chen replied. "The previous formation I had didn't offer much protection, so I found a way to obtain this one."
"Impressive," Lei Zheng commented. "It's definitely a step up. With my spiritual sense, I find it difficult to peer into its interior. It seems like you've invested quite a bit, fellow Daoist Lu."
Lei Zheng's spiritual sense swept over the Cloud Bamboo Arrow Formation, immediately recognizing its extraordinary nature.
At this, Lu Chen's face betrayed a hint of helplessness. "I had no choice. As a spiritual herbologist, all my possessions are tied up in these few spirit fields. If something were to happen while I'm away, like a demon beast or a plundering cultivator intruding, the losses would be catastrophic."
"So, I had no choice but to spend a hefty sum to acquire this formation and provide some extra assurance for the spiritual herbs in my cave abode."
Lu Chen casually fabricated a reason.
"Indeed," Lei Zheng nodded. "The Leihuoxing Cave is filled with all sorts of characters, and incidents of killing and treasure-snatching occur from time to time. It's never a bad idea to be extra cautious."
"Here, try some of the Jade Washing Spirit Dew that I've recently brewed. It's a rare treat that you won't easily find elsewhere."
Lu Chen served Lei Zheng a pot of the Jade Washing Spirit Dew that he had brewed himself.
It was made with Jade Dew Fruit as the main ingredient, along with other spiritual fruits and liquids.
Thanks to the numerous Jade Washing Spirit Dew recipe packs he had obtained earlier, brewing it was a breeze, and he achieved a high success rate.
Lei Zheng gently swirled the teacup in his hand, admiring the rich and clear liquid that filled it to the brim. He took a sip and felt a refreshing fragrance spreading from his throat to his limbs. It was as if his entire body had been washed by a clear spring, purging away any lingering murkiness and leaving him with an unprecedented sense of lightness.
"This is marvelous!" Lei Zheng exclaimed sincerely.
"Haha, then feel free to take a bottle with you, fellow Daoist Lei. You can savor it slowly during your leisure time."
Lu Chen laughed heartily. During their previous trip to the herb garden, he had intentionally revealed a weakness, yet Lei Zheng, who was at the peak of the Perfected Qi Refinement Realm, hadn't taken the opportunity to launch a sneak attack on him, a spiritual herbologist who was one minor realm below him. This spoke volumes about Lei Zheng's character, and Lu Chen felt generous enough to reciprocate.
"By the way, Fellow Daoist Lei, what was the matter you mentioned earlier?" Lu Chen asked.
"It's like this, I've been living and cultivating in Leihuoxing Cave for a long time, and I've come to know one of the Star Envoys there," Lei Zheng explained.
"Star Envoy?" Lu Chen asked, intrigued.
"Indeed. Each Star Cave in Tianxing Cave has a Star Master, all of whom are in the Nascent Soul realm. Additionally, there may also be Nascent Soul True Lords serving as guest advisors to the Star Cave. They are provided with various cultivation resources and are called upon during critical moments to aid the Star Cave," Lei Zheng elaborated.
"Usually, under each Star Master are several Star Envoys, each of whom is in the Golden Core realm. They act on behalf of the Star Master, managing the Star Cave and handling various matters," he continued.
"The Star Envoy I know is named Qi Wuheng, and he's in the mid-Golden Core stage. Under his command is a flying demonic beast, a fourth-grade demonic beast known as the Thunderwing Bird. It possesses incredible speed and wields the power of thunder and lightning, making it an extremely rare breed," Lei Zheng described.
"I once took care of that Thunderwing Bird for a period, and that's how I came to know Star Envoy Qi Wuheng," he added.
"But what happened to that Thunderwing Bird?" Lu Chen asked, having a vague guess.
"Yes, for some unknown reason, that Thunderwing Bird has been listless lately. I've tried various methods, but none have fundamentally solved the problem," Lei Zheng replied with a frown.
"I noticed that you keep quite a few spirit beasts in your cave abode, Fellow Daoist Lu, so I figured you might also be skilled in beast taming. That's why I came to seek your help," he explained.
"I am but a novice in this art," Lu Chen smiled modestly.
"Would you be willing to come with me to the Star Envoy's cave abode to take a look?" Lei Zheng asked.
"Sure, I'll go with you," Lu Chen nodded in agreement.
As one of the controllers of the Star Cave, this Qi Wuheng might be a valuable connection to make.
He summoned his chubby bird and sat on its broad back, while Lei Zheng flapped his thunderous wings, speeding through the countless faint thunderous auras.
"We're here," Lei Zheng announced after half a stick of incense's time. The two of them came to a halt at the edge of a tall mountain peak.
The mountain peak was picturesque, with dense and pure spiritual energy, far surpassing the quality in Lu Chen's cave abode.
"Please wait a moment, Fellow Daoist Lu," Lei Zheng said, taking out a transmission talisman. With a spark of his spiritual power, the talisman shot into the mountain like an arrow.
"Cheep!"
A crisp chirp rang out, and a massive demonic beast rapidly flew towards them.
The beast was about ten feet long, and when it spread its wings, they spanned a width of thirty to forty feet. Its silver-white feathers were sharp as swords, and as it flew, thunderbolts surrounded its body, like lightning coursing through the clouds.
In just a few breaths, it reached Lei Zheng, its head rubbing affectionately against his thunderous wings. The previously listless demonic beast now showed a hint of excitement, clearly displaying its fondness for Lei Zheng.
"..."
Lu Chen furrowed his brows, watching the intimate display between man and beast, puzzled by the turn of events.
"When this Thunderwing Bird was still a chick, it regarded me as an elder because I possess a pair of thunderous wings. That's why it's reacting this way upon seeing me," Lei Zheng explained, seeming to understand Lu Chen's confusion.
"I see," Lu Chen nodded, and just as he was about to ascend with Lei Zheng, the chubby bird waddled over and nudged its round belly against Lu Chen's arm.
"Get lost!" Lu Chen laughed and gently pushed the bird away, amused by its mimicry.
(End of Chapter)
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