You Cultivate, I Farm

Chapter 394: The Corpse of the Azure Ox

Lu Xuan had swept away all the spirit soil of dark decay, not solely for experimentation but primarily for cultivating the current and potentially future spirit plants he might acquire.

In the courtyard of Jianmen Town, the cultivation of the fifth-grade Aberrant Longevity Peach required fresh demon beast flesh and blood. If planted in the spirit soil of dark decay, it was presumed to be greatly beneficial.

Furthermore, there might be an opportunity to acquire flesh-related aberrant spirit plants in the future, so taking more back was a precaution.

Given the situation of the spirit plant mutations within the blessed land, Lu Xuan even considered using the spirit soil of dark decay to actively stimulate and influence the spirit plants, aiming to obtain mutated variants.

After scraping a large area of the spirit soil of dark decay clean, Lu Xuan returned to his fellow disciples' team to explore the mysterious dark red passage together.

The passage extended in all directions, with complex and varied terrain. Since it had just been opened, spiritual ores and plants were occasionally discovered inside.

Having acquired the spirit soil of dark decay, Lu Xuan was quite satisfied and did not compete with his fellow disciples for discoveries, presenting himself as unconcerned with worldly matters.

In the deepest part of the cave.

A huge stone cave spanned a hundred yards.

The corpse was that of a massive azure ox, ten yards tall, with a single foot, from which thunderous sounds intermittently emerged. Flashes of spiritual light passed through, shining as brightly as the sun and the moon, dazzling and captivating.

From the numerous cracks in the cave, blood-red chains thick as wrists spread out, nailing the giant ox's corpse firmly to the ground. The chains were engraved with many complex and obscure runes.

Perhaps due to a formation sealing it, the flesh of the giant ox's corpse was exceptionally well-preserved, appearing as if it had not been dead for long.

Gu Jiankong, a Core Formation elder of the Sky Sword Sect whom Lu Xuan had met briefly in the camp, floated above the azure ox, gazing solemnly at the corpse, surrounded by swirling sword energy.

Besides him, five other cultivators of remarkable presence were the Core Formation elders sent by the three sects combined.

"Daoist Cui, your Myriad Beasts Sect has the deepest understanding of various demon beasts. Could you identify what demon beast this is?" a lean elder asked a burly cultivator, hands clasped behind his back.

The elder wore a green robe, and a transparent talisman could vaguely be seen behind his head, displaying changing landscapes, flying birds, and roaming beasts.

The burly cultivator named Cui, as tall as two ordinary cultivators, with a six-eyed beast on his shoulder that emitted beams of yellow light while looking curiously and fearfully at the giant ox corpse below, replied, "This should be an ancient demon beast, the Azure Ox. Adult demon beasts possess strength equivalent to that of a Nascent Soul, naturally controlling various thunder techniques."

"A seventh-grade demon beast corpse... I didn't expect such a treasure hidden beneath the cave," a woman of elegant demeanor and lingering charm remarked.

For the new blessed land, no single sect could claim it alone. After negotiations, they decided to jointly open the land and share its benefits.

Each sent two Core Formation elders and several powerful Foundation Establishment cultivators to enter this blessed land.

After much effort, the six of them broke the final prohibitions at the heart of the blessed land, arriving beside the corpse of the seventh-grade Azure Ox demon beast.

"Who sealed the Azure Ox corpse here? Are the mutated spirit plants within this blessed land influenced by this seventh-grade demon beast?" the lean elder mused.

"Let's not worry about that for now. A seventh-grade demon beast corpse is extremely rare for everyone present. How about we break the rune chains together, then divide the demon beast corpse?" Gu Jiankong proposed coldly.

"The Divine Peaks Sect has no objections."

"Neither do we," the four Core Formation elders from the other two sects concurred.

With the seventh-grade demon beast corpse right in front of them, none of the three sects, each having two Core Formation elders, were confident in facing off four against two or even in teaming up with another sect to ultimately secure the prize.

Given their reputations, the Core Formation elders from the three sects formed a delicate balance and decided to divide the Azure Ox corpse equally.

Half an hour later, the six combined their efforts to break the seals and the rune chains, each obtaining their desired parts after a heated exchange.

After confirming there were no other high-grade treasures, the Core Formation elders decided to call over their sect's Foundation Establishment cultivators to thoroughly sweep every corner of the cave.

Moments later, the Sky Sword Sect cultivators, led by Huo Lin'er and two other true disciples, arrived in the huge cave.

"Uncle Gu! Uncle He!"

Everyone greeted the two Core Formation elders.

Gu Jiankong and the other elder assigned tasks, allowing Lu Xuan and the others to explore the underground maze on their own.

Knowing most dangers had already been dealt with, Lu Xuan felt much more at ease, his mind becoming more agile.

He glanced at Gu Jiankong nearby, hesitating whether to return the small jade sword talisman to him.

While researching mutated spirit plants in the camp, even though they were attacked by demon beast puppets, Lu Xuan, with his own strength, easily resolved the situation, rendering the small sword talisman Gu Jiankong left behind unused.

"Lu Nephew, keep the communication talisman for yourself; it will still be effective after leaving the blessed land," Gu Jiankong's voice suddenly whispered in Lu Xuan's ear.

Overjoyed, Lu Xuan followed the sound and saw Gu Jiankong nodding slightly at him.

"Hehe, a one-time use of a great elder's authority!"

With the promise of a Core Formation elder, Lu Xuan naturally did not hesitate to tuck the talisman into his storage bag.

He casually chose a dark red passage, stealthily releasing the Demon Ghost Vine to sense the surroundings, hoping to find more spirit seeds.

In the eyes of other cultivators, the relatively low-value spirit seeds held an exceptionally high status for Lu Xuan, far surpassing magical weapons and medicinal pills as cultivation resources.

After a while, Lu Xuan suddenly noticed an unusual signal from the Demon Ghost Vine.

The grey vine hesitated, moving forward two steps before retreating, showing a wavering demeanor.

Lu Xuan focused his mind on the vine, sensing great fear mixed with immense longing within the Demon Ghost Vine's simple consciousness, with these extreme emotions alternating.

"Could it have found something valuable but potentially risky?"

Lu Xuan wondered in astonishment.

Since finding the Demon Ghost Vine in the Blessed Land of Lang Yue, even when discovering a sixth-grade Phoenix Wood, the Demon Ghost Vine's reaction was far less significant than now.

"Don't be afraid, just lead the way. I'll handle any unexpected events."

"If we find a treasure, I'll grant you the freedom to consume spirit fruits."

Lu Xuan took out the small jade sword talisman he had just placed inside, soothing the Demon Ghost Vine.

Sensing his intention, the grey vine calmed down significantly, its desire overcoming fear, leading Lu Xuan through the complex passages, eventually stopping in front of a dark red stone.

The surface of the stone was so deep in hue that it could easily be overlooked if one wasn't paying attention.

Lu Xuan swept his spiritual power over it, finding nothing unusual about the dark red stone.