Chapter 755: Harvest

Ruan Lingxiu said, “Black Water Giant City is the most chaotic giant city in Yan Country, and it’s quite notorious. It’s filled with vicious criminals, and even traitors from other Sects and factions. Even the Six Great Upper Sects have a difficult time extending their influence inside.”

“Its City Lord is a renowned master in Yan Country. Moreover, Black Water Giant City is the largest marketplace for illicit goods. You can acquire resources there from all over Yan Country—and even other regions—but most of them come from questionable sources.”

“Any kind of resource?” Chen Qing asked.

“Correct. Most anything you can think of, provided you can pay the price.”

Ruan Lingxiu nodded. “Black Water Giant City is the ‘front’ for all the major powers. That’s the reason it can stand so strong.”

Chen Qing nodded slightly. He understood.

‘The Six Great Upper Sects, the Court, and the great Noble Families all need a secret, dark corner to handle things that can’t see the light of day. After all, some matters can’t be handled out in the open.’

“That man from before, the one who used the Cyan Heaven Palm Seal… I think he’s very likely Zhang Huaguo, one of Black Water Giant City’s ‘Thirty-Six Celestial Spirits’.”

Ruan Lingxiu continued, her tone grave, “Black Water Giant City has the Thirty-Six Celestial Spirits and the Seventy-Two Earth Fiends. All of them are notorious masters. They are ranked within the city; they’re either fugitives who committed major crimes or utterly vicious individuals who have fled there to hide. That man was a traitor from the Purple Sun Upper Sect. He’s now ranked twenty-seventh among the Thirty-Six Celestial Spirits.”

Chen Qing nodded slightly, now fully understanding the status of Black Water Giant City and the man’s background.

‘This faction has deep and tangled roots; its power is not to be underestimated. Internally, however, it’s a chaotic mix of characters with very little unity.’

With their conversation finished, the two turned their attention to the greatest spoils of their trip: the unconscious Cyan Profound King Snake and the three Thunder Profound Fruits.

Even Ruan Lingxiu couldn’t help but marvel, “These Thunder Profound Fruits are worth a fortune. A single one is worth nearly as much as a Treasure Medicine that costs eight thousand Contribution Points in the Sect. As for this King Snake, its entire body is even more valuable—worth a full one hundred thousand.”

Chen Qing was secretly stunned.

‘One hundred thousand Contribution Points!’

‘That’s almost equal to his total fixed income for four or five years, and that’s not even counting what he spends on cultivation.’

‘To think a Cyan Profound King Snake at the Key Stage of Transformation into a Flood Dragon was so astonishingly valuable.’

‘The old saying was right: a horse can’t get fat without extra fodder, and a man can’t get rich without a windfall.’

‘If he just stayed and cultivated Within the Sect, who knows how long it would take to accumulate such resources.’

Ruan Lingxiu took the initiative. “You did most of the work this time. Of the Thunder Profound Fruits, you take two, I’ll take one. The flesh, Scale Armor, and sinews of the Cyan Profound King Snake will be mine, and the inner core will be yours. How does that sound?”

She pointed at the giant snake, its aura now faint.

Every part of the Cyan Profound King Snake was a treasure, but its inner core was the most precious of all, containing the essence of its life’s cultivation.

The flesh, Scale Armor, and other parts were also quite valuable, but they paled in comparison. She could process them through her family’s channels and exchange them for Contribution Points or other resources, which would be more efficient than going through the Sect.

This distribution proposed by Ruan Lingxiu was certainly not her taking advantage of him; in fact, it was a considerable gesture of goodwill.

After a moment’s thought, Chen Qing nodded in agreement. “Alright.”

‘For him, the rewards from this trip were already immense.’

‘Two Thunder Profound Fruits, plus the Cyan Profound King Snake’s inner core, would be enough to greatly accelerate his progress in the Secondary True Essence Refining.’

Without further delay, the two summoned the Golden Feathered Eagle. Working together, they hoisted the heavy Cyan Profound King Snake and moved it to a smaller, more secluded island.

The island’s lush forests and jagged, strange rocks were perfect for concealing their presence.

Ruan Lingxiu carefully extracted the fist-sized inner core, which shimmered with a ghostly, cyan-black light, and secured it properly.

She reminded Chen Qing, “Brother Chen, the Cyan Profound King Snake’s inner core is the seat of its essence. The Essence within is most active right after being extracted, so the sooner you absorb it, the better the effect will be. However, the Essence is ferocious. You must be careful when absorbing it. Proceed step-by-step, and don’t get greedy for a quick breakthrough.”

“Thank you for the reminder, Junior Sister Ruan,” Chen Qing said, cupping his hands.

The two then went their separate ways, each finding a hidden cave on the island to begin processing their gains.

Chen Qing didn’t consume the inner core right away.

He first feigned cultivation, but secretly extended his Divine Sense to monitor for any activity from Ruan Lingxiu’s direction.

‘It was essential to be on guard against others; that was his basic philosophy for survival.’

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he sensed that Ruan Lingxiu’s aura was stable. She was already deep in her cultivation, with no signs of anything unusual. Only then did Chen Qing truly let his guard down and focus his attention on himself.

He took out the inner core of the Cyan Profound King Snake. The core emanated a ghostly, cyan-black light, its immense Essence churning restlessly within.

Chen Qing took a deep breath and slowly guided the inner core into his mouth.

The instant the core entered his mouth, it dissolved into a scorching, violent torrent of Essence that surged down his throat and plunged straight into his Dantian!

BOOM—!

It was as if a volcano had erupted inside his body!

An unimaginably vast amount of Essence instantly detonated, rampaging through his meridians like ten million wild horses that had broken their reins, crashing and stampeding madly.

An intense, swelling pain spread from his every limb and bone. His meridians felt as if they would be torn asunder. His skin instantly turned crimson, and tendrils of electricity snaked uncontrollably from his body, ionizing the surrounding air and filling it with the smell of char.

Chen Qing desperately held onto a sliver of clarity in his Spirit Platform.

The spell of the Taixu Scripture began to operate at an unprecedented speed, guiding the out-of-control torrent of Essence and drawing it into the Circulation Path of the Void True Essence.

His True Essence acted like a millstone, continuously grinding down and converting this foreign, violent energy.

At the same time, the technique of the Dragon Elephant Wisdom Vajra Body was also pushed to its absolute limit.

His qi and blood roared like an ignited furnace, emitting a low, thunderous growl as they proactively met the rampaging Essence and arcs of lightning.