https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-739-Mother-of-Pearl-from-the-Blood-Spring/12545134/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-741-Soul-Insect-Fungus-a-Malicious-Cultivator-s-Gift/12545158/
Chapter 740: The Fragrant Meat Branch
Chapter 740: The Fragrant Meat Branch
"Very well."
The bald cultivator immediately agreed when Lu Chen inquired about the possibility of an exchange. Having cultivated a technique that required dense and pure demonic qi, he could instantly recognize the uniqueness of the Demon Core Fruit and the benefits it would bring him if consumed.
"Wait a moment."
Just as he was about to hand over the Blood Spring Mother to Lu Chen, the sinister-looking young man opposite them spoke up, halting the exchange.
"Friend Ren, while I am willing to trade with you, I must point out that these two items are not exactly equal in value." The youth said.
"Both are fifth-grade, but this Demon Core Fruit required much time and effort to cultivate, and its effects are immediate when consumed." He continued, "Whereas your Blood Spring Mother Pearl is still in its juvenile stage, and it will take a significant amount of energy and resources to raise it to maturity."
"During the rearing process, its usefulness to a cultivator is extremely limited." Lu Chen added slowly.
"The Blood Spring Mother and the fourth-grade rune chain binding it are yours, and I will add another ten thousand low-grade spirit stones on top." The bald cultivator replied in a hoarse voice.
Given the low attack power and juvenile state of the Blood Spring Mother, he didn't feel too attached to it, especially since it was restrained by the fourth-grade rune chain artifact. Ten thousand low-grade spirit stones was a price he deemed reasonable, given Lu Chen's earlier argument.
"Alright, Friend Ren, you are indeed straightforward!" Lu Chen's eyes narrowed slightly as he smiled.
While the bald cultivator's reasoning might have been convincing to others, it didn't apply to Lu Chen, who saw the value in even a juvenile-stage Blood Spring Mother. As long as it could continuously spray blood, it would be able to nourish certain exotic spirit herbs in his cave abode. Not to mention the light sphere reward that would come from raising it to maturity—a reward that was likely much more substantial than that of ordinary fifth-grade spirit herbs.
The two exchanged items, and after Lu Chen scanned the Blood Spring Mother with his spiritual sense, he was very satisfied and stored it away in his Gluttonous Insect Pouch.
Having acquired the juvenile-stage demonic creature he desired, he continued to wander through the Ghost Market.
Located on the sixth layer of the Fengyuan Star Cave, the Ghost Market attracted many high-level cultivators, with the lowest being at the Foundation Establishment stage. Some of the more subdued auras even hinted at the presence of Nascent Soul true lords.
Suddenly, Lu Chen paused in his steps, his attention captured by a particular stall.
The items on display were unique—damaged artifacts, array discs, and talismans. But what truly caught Lu Chen's interest was a massive banner. The banner was torn in several places, and its surface was crowded with countless shadowy spirits, packed tightly together.
"May I ask the origin of this banner artifact, fellow daoist?" Lu Chen inquired of the stall owner.
The owner was a diminutive elderly man clad in beast hides. A withered smile appeared on his wrinkled face as he heard Lu Chen's question.
"This is the Ten Thousand Souls Banner. It was once refined into a magic treasure by a demonic cultivator, but after its owner's unexpected death, it changed hands several times before ending up with me." The old man explained, "However, as you can see, the banner is severely damaged, and its power has diminished to less than a tenth of its original strength. Only the countless refined souls within remain."
"Due to the severe damage to the magic treasure's spirit, these souls have retained their grade but have lost much of their power." He added sincerely.
"Is it possible to restore it to its original state?" Lu Chen asked curiously.
"It is possible, but the difficulty is exceedingly high. Only by inviting a master artificer would there be any hope of success." The old man replied, "In fact, restoring it to its former state would likely be only slightly less challenging than crafting a new Ten Thousand Souls Banner from scratch."
Having discerned that Lu Chen was also at the Golden Core stage, the old man knew it would be pointless to lie.
"I find this damaged Ten Thousand Souls Banner rather intriguing. How about you name your price, daoist friend?" Lu Chen said indifferently. What interested him wasn't the material or power of the damaged banner but the countless vengeful spirits and their lingering grudges within.
As he neared the end of the market, Lu Chen suddenly caught a whiff of an extremely enticing fragrance, within which he could sense a vigorous vitality.
"The scent of a Spirit Plant..."
Lu Chen murmured to himself, following the aroma to a large stall.
The closer he got to the stall, the richer the fragrance became, as if it wanted to permeate Lu Chen's flesh and even his spiritual sense.
Finally, Lu Chen's gaze landed on a bizarre branch.
The branch was flesh-colored and shaped like an arm. The intense fragrance it emitted attracted quite a few cultivators to the stall.
However, upon closer inspection, one could sense a faint hint of Buddhist nature in the branch, as if it were keeping people at bay.
"Interesting..."
Lu Chen thought to himself.
"Fellow Daoist, may I ask if this branch is a Spirit Plant? Could you tell me its variety and origin?"
Lu Chen asked aloud.
The stall owner's figure and appearance were hidden within thick black fog, making it impossible to discern their cultivation level.
"It's a sixth-grade Spirit Plant, but I'm not sure of its specific variety. I obtained it by chance from a secret realm," a strange voice replied from within the black fog.
"May I take a closer look? I assure you I won't damage the Spirit Plant in any way," Lu Chen requested earnestly.
"Very well."
With the mysterious stall owner's permission, Lu Chen crouched down and picked up the bizarre branch, which was as thick as a wrist.
The part of the branch that came into contact with his skin felt slippery, as if it were real flesh and blood. The intense fragrance enveloped Lu Chen, as if it wanted to merge with him.
Lu Chen concentrated, and a thin layer of mud-like flesh appeared on his palm. He planted the branch into it.
After refining the Gluttonous Insect Pouch into a magic treasure, he could retrieve items from it more conveniently and swiftly, and even control where on his body the items appeared.
Thus, he could seamlessly complete the planting process and gain insight into the Spirit Plant's detailed information.
The thin layer of mud-like flesh instantly disappeared as if it had never existed.
Lu Chen focused his mind on the bizarre branch in his hand and instantly learned everything about it.
Fragrant Meat Branch: A sixth-grade Spirit Plant. It is said that a Buddha once fell and became a demon, and his flesh and blood could condense into a demonic Spirit Plant. During its growth, the plant requires blood and flesh as nourishment, and the higher the grade of the blood and flesh, the more beneficial it is to the plant's growth.
Once the Spirit Plant matures, consuming the resulting fruit can increase one's lifespan and enhance one's physical body. However, it will also leave a subtle trace of demonic Buddha energy within the body. This energy merges with the blood and flesh, making it extremely difficult to detect.
The more fruit one consumes, the stronger this energy becomes. At a certain stage, it may even attract the attention of a demonic Buddha incarnation, which will devour cultivators to strengthen itself.
Have you ever tasted the fragrant demonic Buddha flesh?
..."
"A sixth-grade Fragrant Meat Branch, and the Spirit Plant is actually condensed from the flesh and blood of a demonic Buddha," Lu Chen exclaimed inwardly.
"I've witnessed yet another unique way of condensing a Spirit Plant."
"From this information, I can deduce that cultivating this Spirit Plant carries a significant risk. However, as long as I don't consume the fruit, it shouldn't affect me much," he thought.
"I'll just have to harvest the light sphere reward when it matures and then get rid of it as soon as possible."
(End of Chapter)
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