Chapter 781: Hoarding the Fruits
Wu Tai's eyes flickered with surprise.
He nodded thoughtfully. No wonder the other person was so confident and unafraid of the dangers of exploring unknown places. No wonder he dared to challenge someone like Xu Chenfeng, who was at the Enlightenment Realm. The reason for all of this was the two words "Sword Cultivator."
"So you're a sword cultivator," Wu Tai said.
Xu Chenfeng chuckled lightly, his smile seemingly calm, though there was a hint of wariness in his eyes. Despite being at the Enlightenment Realm, he had seen enough of the ways of sword cultivators to harbor some shadow of caution.
Fortunately, the other party was merely a Golden Core Realm sword cultivator and couldn't pose a real threat to him no matter what.
However, a few Nascent Soul cultivators now regarded Fang Chen with more vigilance.
"Brother Dongfang, Brother Liu was just too hasty earlier and said something inappropriate. Why don't we just let this misunderstanding go?" Wu Tai said with a gentle smile.
"Brother Wu, a sword cultivator never seeks to discuss the Dao in jest," Fang Chen said, glancing at Wu Tai. "Since you have a cousin in the Kunlun Sword Sect, you should understand this better than most."
Wu Tai nodded. "Indeed..."
Wu Tai wasn't upset at all; in fact, he thought Fang Chen's reaction was very appropriate. If Fang Chen had backed down after a few words of persuasion, then he wouldn't really be a sword cultivator.
Thinking of this, Wu Tai turned to the Golden Core cultivator surnamed Liu and comforted him, "Brother Liu, since it was you who proposed the sparring match... there's no turning back now. Why not have a friendly exchange? It doesn't necessarily have to lead to a life-or-death situation."
Brother Liu gritted his teeth and stared intently at Fang Chen. "Fine, let's spar. But let's make one thing clear. This is just a sparring match, not a real fight. We'll limit it to 10 moves, and the winner will be decided within those 10 moves."
In his eyes, surviving the 10 moves from his opponent was not a problem. Moreover, if he couldn't win, he could always admit defeat and bow his head. That was no issue at all.
"Please," Fang Chen said, cupping his hands.
Without a word, the Golden Core Realm cultivator who spoke earlier immediately enveloped himself in a thick barrier of spiritual power. His surrounding spiritual energy surged and roiled, forming a defensive wall as strong as copper and iron to protect his body.
Poof…
He gave a mighty shake, and the light in his eyes gradually faded. A small cut appeared in the center of his brow, and not far behind him, a reddish-golden flying sword slowly dissipated, transforming into golden elemental energy as it returned to the heavens and earth.
Everyone's expression grew serious.
Even though they were both Golden Core Realm cultivators, Brother Liu had failed to last even one move against Fang Chen. Furthermore, the sword that Fang Chen had used was merely an energy construct formed from metal elemental energy, not an actual flying sword.
"You took his life when this was only a sparring match?" a Golden Core Realm cultivator stammered.
"Swords and knives have no eyes," Fang Chen replied coldly.
The other person had nothing further to say and could only watch as Fang Chen casually took the storage ring from the dead Brother Liu and pocketed it for himself.
"Brother Dongfang, although Brother Liu passed away during the spar, taking his storage ring will make things different. His sect won't let this go easily," Wu Tai reminded him.
"It's fine. In our world, it's either you die or I die. I'm used to it," Fang Chen said with a smile. "If I don't take his storage ring, do you think his sect will just let this go?"
The group fell silent.
Wu Tai quickly changed the subject. "Let's search the surrounding area. There should still be Dragon Essence Fruits around. No matter what, let's meet back here in an hour."
"Alright."
Everyone nodded silently and dispersed to search the area.
Xu Chenfeng did not stay with the few Nascent Soul Realm cultivators but instead followed Wu Tai. After they could no longer see Fang Chen, he suddenly spoke. A wandering cultivator, an Immortal Seedling, a sword cultivator... don't you find this strange?"
"There's nothing strange about it. The world is vast, and there are all kinds of people. Moreover, this is the Immortal Demonic Sea, so it's normal to encounter all kinds of people. If he says he's a wandering cultivator, then let's treat him as such," Wu Tai said with a faint smile.
Xu Chenfeng nodded and casually asked, "I heard that this time, the Forbidden Demon Island's search for the Profound Mother Yin Beast is tied to a transaction with the Dao sects of the Central Continent Empire?"
Fang Chen's divine soul was nearby. The Dao sects of the Central Continent Empire and the Forbidden Demon Island of the Immortal Demonic Sea….
The Profound Mother Yin Beast was once one of the celestial beasts that guarded the Three Thousand Dao Sect. Though it didn't have the high status of the Three Divine Beasts, it was closely tied to the existence of the Dao sects. For example, the Nine Heavens Profound Mother Primordial Spirit of the Three Thousand Dao needed the blood essence of the Profound Mother Yin Beast.
The Dao sects of the Central Continent Empire and the Forbidden Demon Island had made such a deal; perhaps they sought the Profound Mother Yin Beast for some Dao lineage purpose related to the Three Thousand Dao Sect?
"Xu Chenfeng, we'll tell you what you need to know, but what you're not supposed to know, even if you unintentionally find out, you must pretend not to know," Wu Tai said with a smile.
Xu Chenfeng sneered and said no more.
"Aren't you at the Enlightenment Realm? You can send your Nascent Soul Realm to search for Dragon Essence Fruits nearby. How long do you think it will take to find them this way?" Wu Tai said with a smile.
Xu Chenfeng coldly responded, "Splitting my Nascent Soul from my physical body puts my body at risk. Besides, this is an immortal's ruin. Though my Nascent Soul Realm can leave my body, if it wanders into a dangerous place, I could very well meet my end."
"There's nothing to be afraid of. I'll guard your physical body. Besides, the area here is calm, and it doesn't seem like there's any danger," Wu Tai said.
Xu Chenfeng ignored him.
Meanwhile, Fang Chen's soul quickly circled around the area and found five small trees bearing Dragon Essence Fruits. Using the Shadow Buddha Technique, he silently collected the Dragon Essence Fruits from the trees, totaling twelve. Adding the one Wu Tai had given him, he now had 13 Dragon Essence Fruits.
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The Heavenly Supreme Pill Technique contained records of various spiritual materials, and Dragon Essence Fruit was among them. It was a rare profound-rank spiritual material, almost impossible to find outside of immortal ruins.
The Dragon Essence inside the fruit was true Dragon Essence, not only useful for alchemy, talisman crafting, weapon forging, and some specific techniques, but it was also beneficial for ordinary cultivators, though not as much. Consuming it directly could increase vitality and extend lifespan, but the effect diminished as one's cultivation level increased.
For ordinary people, consuming just one could increase their lifespan by a hundred years before stepping onto the cultivation path.
This was the precious nature of the Dragon Essence Fruit, an ordinary person who consumed one before embarking on the cultivation journey would gain an additional century of life.
However, ordinary people cannot repeatedly consume the Dragon Essence Fruit, as the Dragon Essence inside is the maximum they can bear.
An hour later, everyone returned to the meeting spot, each with an uneasy expression, exchanging suspicious glances.
"Did anyone find any Dragon Essence Fruits?" Wu Tai asked in a deep voice.
Everyone shook their heads.
"It doesn't make sense that only 3 remain..." Wu Tai muttered softly.
Xu Chenfeng said calmly, "Perhaps the cultivator who sold the information to the Forbidden Demon Island has already gathered all the Dragon Essence Fruits here."
"The cultivator said that there should be at least 10 more Dragon Essence Fruits nearby, but he was afraid he lacked the strength to keep them, which is why he sold the information to us," Wu Tai said with a frown. "His words are highly credible. It's possible someone has already come here and taken the Dragon Essence Fruits."
"But there are only traces of us here. If anyone else had found this place, those last 3 Dragon Essence Fruits wouldn't still be here," Xu Chenfeng added coolly.
Wu Tai's expression suddenly turned suspicious as he looked at everyone. "Everyone, I brought you here. You wouldn't... have taken all the Dragon Essence Fruits for yourselves, would you?"