Chapter 2132: Chapter 2169: Go Take It Down
As the growth period for these two types of medicinal herbs seemed much longer than that of the Crimson Flame Bodhi, twenty-seven or eight days passed in the blink of an eye. The herbs finally matured, and in those few days, the Second Elder appeared to be a madman, seeming utterly deranged, looking no different from a lunatic.
The reason for this madness was because the growth of these two herbs was incredibly successful. Typically, a Red Cistanche with six leaves is considered top quality, but his Red Cistanche had nine leaves, and each leaf was larger than normal by a whole circle.
As for the Blood Thorn Sprout, it was even more impressive, being one and a half times more robust than those on the market. Based on past experience, the quality of these two types of Spiritual Medicine is undoubtedly several times better than what is available on the market, making them several times more valuable than common herbs.
Once the two herbs matured, the Second Elder immediately harvested them personally, ensuring that no one was aware of it. The entire planting process was known only to the Second Elder, Ding Fan, Wu Qingxia, and the Fourth Elder.
The Second Elder was well aware of the dire consequences if this information leaked out. If the outside world learned that Skull Island could cultivate such high-quality herbs, the Skeleton Sect would never have peace again.
The herbs were harvested, but selling them posed a troublesome problem, especially when considering to whom they should be sold.
Daozhen Trade Firm is now exceedingly cold towards the Skeleton Sect, and coupled with the Miss Rufeng incident, it is unlikely they will treat the Skeleton Sect well again. Thus, selling through them will not yield a good price, prompting them to find another way.
After careful consideration by the Second Elder, Wu Qingxia, and Ding Fan, the three devised a plan: to sell outside of Tianmu Sea!
Heading in the direction of Great Python Mountain was not feasible. The Zhong Family has many agents there, and if discovered, escape is impossible. Instead, they decided to go in another direction, where the largest city in that direction is Letian City.
Letian City falls under the domain of Divine Heaven Country, controlled by a Fifth Grade super family that isn’t under Zhong Family jurisdiction. If they quickly enter and exit, no problems should arise. Perhaps the Zhong Family will only realize it when the Skeleton Sect members have already returned.
Letian City is close to Tianmu Sea, which remains bustling, and Letian City’s forces are significant, so many forces within Tianmu Sea secretly trade with Letian City. Given the gravity of this matter, the Second Elder decided to personally visit, hoping to sell these two types of herbs at a high price, potentially relieving the Skeleton Sect from poverty.
Once the island’s affairs were organized, the Second Elder decided that while he was gone, the Fourth Elder would oversee matters on the island. Having prepared everything, he led Elder Wu Ren and two Divine Realm Second Level experts, secretly departing Skull Island on a warship and heading to Letian City.
After the Second Elder and his party left, Skull Island remained as quiet as before. Mu Gaosou was stationed there, ensuring the island’s safety. No one dared provoke an island governed by a Divine Realm Third Level Peak expert. The Crimson Flame Bodhi continued to be cultivated as before, and the Martial Artists continued their training. Patrols proceeded as usual; everything was quiet.
Once the Second Elder and his party left, Ding Fan returned to Jingshan Castle to continue his cultivation. The mundane affairs of the island were watched over by the Fourth Elder and Wu Qingxia, and with Mu Gaosou ensuring defense, Ding Fan was assured, feeling comfortable. Wu Qingxia had prepared a large quantity of Yuan Multiplying Pills for his cultivation use, allowing his cultivation speed to remain swift. At his current pace, it would take only a few months for him to reach the Divine Realm Second Level Peak state.
Ding Fan felt that once he reached the Divine Realm Second Level state, he would need roughly another year to break through to the Divine Realm Third Level, and during this period, the Yuan Multiplying Pills couldn’t cease. If halted, the time required could be even longer.
The Yuan Multiplying Pill costs ninety Black Obsidian a pill. Previously, Ding Fan used one pill per day, but now his body has developed resistance, requiring four pills per day for effective cultivation, meaning he consumes three hundred and sixty Black Obsidian daily. If he continues adapting, the dosage might need to increase; eventually, daily consumption could rise to six or ten pills.
Looking at the current consumption of three hundred and sixty pills, it amounts to about thirteen thousand annually. As his Realm improves and resistance increases, the demand for Yuan Multiplying Pills will grow, and Ding Fan alone may need twenty or thirty thousand Black Obsidian annually, potentially reaching even four or fifty thousand. Just calculating this number makes one’s scalp tingle.
Ding Fan increasingly understood the importance of a force or family to a cultivator. It’s no surprise that Mu Gaosou refused to leave; without strong resource support, becoming a powerful cultivator is exceedingly difficult. This feeling was pronounced even on Earth, but upon reaching the Divine Realm, Ding Fan felt an even deeper realization.
Thinking about it now, it’s truly a mystery how solitary cultivators like Crimson Flame obtain endless cultivation resources. Despite lacking strong backing, they still manage to cultivate to formidable levels, which is unbelievable.
"Shh..."
At the foot of Jingshan, a figure flew swiftly to the mountaintop castle before Ding Fan, pulling him out of his meditation during cultivation.
Typically, ordinary people cannot ascend Jingshan; even Wu Qingxia wouldn’t visit without significant reason. Seeing someone arrived without the Tigertooth Ape attacking suggests it is certainly Wu Qingxia.
Exiting the Cultivation Room, Ding Fan indeed found Wu Qingxia had arrived, her face appearing somewhat anxious. Ding Fan asked her, "Miss Qingxia, has something happened?"
"It’s like this: there’s an incident on Baisheng Island, and it’s quite strange. The volcano on the island awakened, but instead of spewing lava, it’s continuously ejecting water. The island has already seen two tribes submerged by this water; things are looking grim..."
Wu Qingxia looked at Ding Fan, marveling at his swift cultivation speed, and after catching her breath, she said to him.
"Huh? Did I hear wrong, are you talking about a volcano spraying water?"
Ding Fan touched his chin, puzzled, and asked Wu Qingxia. It’s truly a world full of wonders; he’d only ever heard of volcanoes spewing fire, never water.
Regarding Skull Island, it and the nearby islands are all dead volcanoes, said to have not erupted for hundreds of years. And Baisheng Island is also among these islands, where people have heard of volcanoes but not seen an eruption for hundreds of years. Why would it spray water now?
"Yes! It’s definitely spraying water. I’ve been to see it. It’s really the volcano on the island spraying out a massive and tall water column. Moreover, spiritual beasts in the water have been blasted out by the torrent, and they kill on sight, already causing numerous local deaths."
Wu Qingxia affirmed confidently. She had just returned from Baisheng Island and witnessed it herself, so she certainly wouldn’t be mistaken.
"Alright! Let’s go and see what exactly is going on."
Ding Fan, being the Island Master, was agitated since his island’s people were harmed. He grabbed his Heaven Measuring Ruler, took the guardians from Guardian Castle including Tigertooth Ape, and charged down the mountain. A volcano spraying water is not a severe problem; with proper diversion, it can naturally be discharged into the sea. However, if it spews spiritual beasts, that’s no trivial matter. If powerful third or fourth grade spiritual beasts are released, Skull Island might not be spared. Those third and fourth grade spiritual beasts are comparable to Divine Realm Second Level Peak experts, and if they go berserk, Skull Island and its affiliated islands may suffer fatal ramifications.
Ding Fan dashed to the Skull Sect’s main hall on the island, along with Mu Gaosou and several Tigertooth Apes, rushed towards Baisheng Island. As their warship docked at Baisheng Island’s harbor, Ding Fan heard waves of cries from the island and witnessed large crowds surging toward the docks.
Seeing this, Ding Fan was shocked and hurriedly led Mu Gaosou and several Tigertooth Apes rushing into the island. Before they got far, a scout from Skull Sect shouted to him: "Island Master, Clan Leader, be cautious. The volcano has spewed out a third grade monster, extremely ferocious. It’s killed many island residents, you must quickly go and see."
"Third grade spiritual beast!"
Ding Fan and his companions shuddered; trouble seemed inevitable. Luckily it was just a third grade spiritual beast, something they could barely handle. But if it had been a fourth or fifth grade spiritual beast, they would be facing inevitable defeat or they would have to abandon Skull Island.
"Hurry, let’s go and see!"
The people coming with Ding Fan are all current masters of Skull Island, and as masters, they have the responsibility to protect the safety of the island’s people. With Mu Gaosou and several Tigertooth Apes, a third grade spiritual beast isn’t too difficult to deal with. However, if a fourth grade spiritual beast appeared, Ding Fan would have no solution.
Everyone accelerated to their maximum speed, charging into the island like a gale. Baisheng Island isn’t very large, and within less than ten minutes at full speed, they reached the battlefield, witnessing a fleeing mass of islanders along the way.
Upon arrival, the scene was indeed chaotic, Baisheng Island’s situation was even worse than anticipated.
At first glance, all was water, floods rampaging, civilians fleeing towards Ji Shangzhong, many stone castles and towers toppled, several unable to evacuate drowned in the flood, bodies floating with grim expressions, reflecting unwillingness in death.
Wu Qingxia, with the best eyesight, spotted a few guards, martial artists from Skull Island already standing in the water battling low level spiritual beasts. These martial artists had arrived with the Fourth Elder earlier. Distant shouts from martial artists were heard continuously, along with spiritual beasts’ roars, indicating that the battle with the third grade spiritual beast was ongoing.
"Mu Gaosou! Get up there and take it down."
With Ding Fan’s angry shout, Mu Gaosou shot forward like an arrow, his powerful Divine Realm Third Level Aura emanating instantly, causing all martial artists including Ding Fan to feel a deep sense of panic; this was the grandeur of a Divine Realm Third Level Peak expert, and only Mu Gaosou could handle the third grade spiritual beast.
"Martial Sect Master, aid in healing the injured, assist in evacuating the island’s residents, exercise caution!"
Ding Fan waved his Heaven Measuring Ruler commanding all Tigertooth Apes accompanying him to charge towards Mu Gaosou’s direction, while Wu Qingxia, having the weakest combat capability, stayed at the rear to cover them.
Due to the lower terrain at the front, waters on this battlefield had risen over heads. Yet, Ding Fan and the Tigertooth Apes possess significant strength, using protruding trees and stone castle rooftops, they swiftly leapt ahead into the fray.
As they neared the battlefield, Ding Fan saw from afar a large group of martial artists engaged in combat with dozens of low level spiritual beasts. These beasts, aquatic yet fiercer than those on land.
