Chapter 644: Malicious Intent
Chapter 644: Malicious Intent
"We've arrived, Brother Lu," said Ye Xuan, coming to a halt and pointing at the calm, dark waters below. "Below us, extending a hundred miles in every direction, lies the mansion of that Xing Xing Messenger."
Lu Xuan reached out with his spiritual sense, feeling the heavy restrictions underneath that seemed ready to devour all consciousness.
He followed Ye Xuan, slowly descending.
A vortex appeared on the dark water as it sensed their presence, gradually growing larger. From within emerged a giant turtle with a diameter of about seven feet.
"Brother Ye, and this somewhat unfamiliar friend, please show your invitations." The giant turtle, with strands of grayish-white whiskers hanging from both sides of its head, spoke in a deep voice.
Lu Xuan quickly took out the flowing talisman from his storage bag and handed it to the giant turtle.
The giant turtle nodded. A black light flashed on its shell, and a faint black bubble enveloped the two of them, slowly sinking into the dark waters.
The pale black bubble effortlessly passed through the heavy restrictions, carrying the two toward a grand mansion in the distance.
"Brother Ye, what's the story behind that giant turtle just now? It can speak human language and is at least a fifth-grade demon beast." Lu Xuan asked through a sound transmission within the bubble.
"It's said to be left by a senior of Xing Xing Messenger. It has a long lifespan, at least several thousand years, maybe even longer. It usually guards the mansion," Ye Xuan replied through a sound transmission.
The underwater world was filled with vast, bright coral reefs and grasses bearing luminous pearls, making the visibility better than in the shallow dark waters, almost like broad daylight.
As they drew closer to the underwater mansion, Lu Xuan noticed an increasing number of strange and bizarre aquatic spirit monsters, some of which possessed strengths of the third and fourth grades.
At the mansion's entrance, dozens of mermaids with either pure and youthful or charming and alluring looks stood in two rows, smiling and welcoming the many cultivators who had come to attend the banquet.
"Up ahead is Xing Kun, the Xing Xing Messenger," Ye Xuan transmitted to Lu Xuan. As his words fell, a tall middle-aged cultivator with black fish scales on his neck and cheeks stepped forward to greet them.
The cultivator's aura was like an abyssal ocean, as if it had merged with the entire seabed. His every move caused the surrounding waves to respond and vibrate.
"Brother Ye, it's been a long time. You're still as vigorous as ever," Xing Kun said.
"This must be the newly advanced Grandmaster of the Elixir Realm, Brother Lu? I've heard much about you!" He laughed heartily.
"Xing Xing Messenger is too kind. Congratulations on your breakthrough to the late Golden Core stage. You're close to achieving the Nascent Soul stage!" Lu Xuan cupped his fist in salute.
"Hahaha, thank you, Brother Lu!"
"I've heard that you have extraordinary attainments in the way of spirit plants. My mansion produces some excellent water-attribute spirit plants. Perhaps we can exchange insights sometime," Xing Kun said with a loud laugh.
After a few polite exchanges, Lu Xuan and Ye Xuan entered the mansion.
In the grand hall, many cultivators were coming and going. They found the mansion's steward, who was in charge of receiving guests, and presented their gifts.
Lu Xuan offered a fourth-grade spirit brew, the Jade Washing Spirit Dew, which he had brewed himself. It was a rare and valuable gift.
The hall was lavishly decorated, already filled with hundreds of cultivators. With a sweep of his spiritual sense, Lu Xuan detected no fewer than fifty or sixty Golden Core realms among them.
"Including those who conceal their cultivation, there are probably even more cultivators present," Lu Xuan thought.
"This truly shows the power and deep roots of the Tianxing Cave. For a celebration feast, excluding those in seclusion or on travels, they still managed to invite so many Golden Core realms. It's impressive," Lu Xuan marveled inwardly.
As Lu Chen stood in a corner, savoring the spiritual fruits and tea, two Golden Core cultivators approached him.
"Indeed, it is me. May I ask who you fellows are?" Lu Chen replied with a smile.
"I am Yu Lin San Ren. I heard that Fellow Lu has a penchant for cultivating spirit plants. As it happens, I also have a fair bit of talent in that area. If the opportunity arises, I'd like to exchange insights with you," said a female cultivator dressed in verdant green. Her robe emanated a dense aura of grass and wood spirit energy, giving off a refreshing and natural vibe.
On her hair bun, a fresh and vibrant flower bloomed, its petals still dewy with clear droplets that gently shook as she moved, brimming with vitality and flowing spirit energy. It was clearly no ordinary treasure.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Fellow. May I ask where you reside? I would like to pay you a visit sometime," Lu Chen said, his interest piqued. Golden Core cultivators who shared his passion for cultivating spirit plants were indeed a rare find, and he was eager to forge a connection.
"I'm from the Qing Mu Planet Cave. You're welcome to visit me anytime, Fellow Lu," Yu Lin San Ren replied, her hair bun flower trembling slightly.
She pointed to the silent young man beside her and said softly, "This is Fellow Wang Sui Huai. He specializes in raising various spirit beasts and has an innate talent for communicating with them. We share a similar interest, albeit from different paths. We've long admired your reputation, Fellow Lu, so we came together to get to know you."
The young man appeared somewhat unkempt, exuding a melange of beast auras as if a multitude of beast scents had fused together. His cheeks were marked with intricate patterns that resembled overlapping beast silhouettes.
He seemed to be a man of few words, offering Lu Chen a friendly yet slightly stiff smile.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Fellow Wang," Lu Chen said, bowing politely.
The three of them chatted, with Lu Chen and Yu Lin San Ren sharing their experiences in cultivating spirit plants, each gaining valuable insights from the other.
Before long, the banquet officially commenced. After a brief speech by Xing Kun, an array of exquisite delicacies were served—creatures from the sky, land, and sea, rare and difficult to come by. The culinary skills on display were exceptional, and Lu Chen indulged in the feast with gusto.
As he savored the delicious food and watched the performances, he suddenly sensed a gaze upon him. With his keen spiritual sense, he detected a hint of malicious intent, as if he were being appraised like a tasty morsel, evoking a sense of greed and aggression.
Lu Chen casually swept his spiritual sense around but found nothing amiss. The malevolent gaze that had been fixed on him had vanished without a trace.
In a corner, a corpulent cultivator sitting on the ground like a mountain of flesh was enjoying a beast bone when suddenly, a bizarre fissure appeared in his palm. From it, a long, gray-black tongue, resembling a tentacle, slowly extended, licking the fissure from side to side.
"Is this the taste of a tycoon's flesh?" the fleshy mountain cultivator murmured, discreetly covering the fissure.
"Can't be mistaken. And it seems like it hasn't been fully digested yet. If we eat him, it would be as good as tasting the tycoon's flesh ourselves," the gray-black tongue replied.
"Ah?! I can't take it anymore! I want to eat! I need to eat it now!" The tongue drooled with thick, black saliva, its longing palpable.
(End of Chapter)
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