Longzang

Chapter 124 Decoration (Bonus Chapter 11)

The battlefield remained largely unchanged. The most important areas, such as the high platform where the Great Shaman's corpse was located, were left untouched until Wei Yuan returned and began cleaning up the battlefield.

Wei Yuan leaped onto the high platform and saw the Great Shaman's corpse still lying in the same spot, his outer robe riddled with holes, from which flying insects had crawled. Wei Yuan conjured a long sword, sliced ​​open the outer robe, and revealed the body beneath.

It was a gaunt body with an unusually large head, featuring two enormous main eyes and six smaller compound eyes on its forehead. Its head was covered in wrinkles and sparse, long hair. It had four arms, though the two under its armpits were extremely thin. Its body was also covered in wrinkles, like a withered old tree branch riddled with tiny holes, or a human-shaped insect nest.

Under Wei Yuan's gaze, a distinct dark green light emanated from the Great Shaman's chest, a sight that was unsettling to behold. Simultaneously, there was a smaller, pale green light emanating from his chest as well.

Wei Yuan slashed with his sword, the Immortal Sword Pseudo-Sun's edge cutting across the Great Witch's body, leaving only a white mark, failing to harm him at all. Wei Yuan then unleashed a series of powerful strikes, only managing to create a shallow wound. This physical strength surpassed even Wei Yuan's own. However, Wei Yuan possessed a true physical body, while the Great Witch's husk was of uncertain nature.

Once an opening was made, things became easier. Wei Yuan slashed over a hundred times before finally cutting open the Great Witch's chest. His body was also riddled with honeycomb-like holes, with only a fist-sized cavity in the center containing a mass of yellowish-green gelatinous substance.

Although Wei Yuan didn't know what this thing was, the extremely dense Dao power clearly indicated that it was a rare treasure. The spiritual power emanating from the Great Witch's head was even stronger, but the skull was too hard, and Wei Yuan currently had no suitable weapon, so he had no good way to deal with this head.

At this moment, Yun Feifei handed over a flying sword. This was her own magic weapon, a high-grade magic weapon, and in terms of quality, it was several times stronger than the manifested immortal sword, Pseudo-Sun.

Wei Yuan empowered his flying sword with the sun and slashed more than a dozen times, finally severing the Great Shaman's head. The Great Shaman's skull gleamed with a metallic luster, and it was surprisingly empty inside, devoid of brain matter, containing only a giant white pupa that occupied the entire ventricle.

Now that the ventricle was no longer encasing it, the pupa had transformed into a dark green ball of light in Wei Yuan's vision. This deep color was still extremely glaring! Yun Feifei gasped in shock after just one glance, covering her eyes as tears streamed down her face.

The white pupa undulated slightly, but otherwise remained still.

Wei Yuan pondered for a moment, then covered the cocoon with the skull, sealed it inside, and cut off the great shaman's head. This became a natural container.

After examining the great shaman's corpse, Wei Yuan was now unsure whether the great shaman was a sorcerer or something else entirely. Judging from what he saw, the white pupa seemed more like the great shaman's true form.

Besides the great shaman's corpse, there were also countless dead flying insects scattered on the ground. Some of these insect corpses were still emitting wisps of blue smoke, which would rise into the sky and then transform into spiritual raindrops that fell back down.

Wei Yuan picked up a dead insect. This flying insect was about the size of a finger, with large mandibles and a venomous stinger. Its carapace even had metallic stripes, making it look ferocious. Although the spiritual energy had completely disappeared, the insect corpse was still as hard as iron. Wei Yuan squeezed it hard, but it didn't budge.

Wei Yuan instructed Yun Feifei to collect all the insect corpses, as they were likely excellent materials for refining weapons and might even serve as catalysts for powerful spells.

The drum on the high platform was shrouded in a dark red aura. Upon inspection, Wei Yuan discovered that the drumhead was actually made of multiple layers of cultivator's skin, and the drumsticks were the thigh bones of cultivators. A single strike of this drum could intimidate humans of low cultivation level and increase the power of witchcraft spells.

Besides the human skin drum, there are many other sacrificial objects and ornaments. Their function is not mentioned, but the materials used are quite rare.

Finally, there is the platform itself. This platform is made of yin wood that has been buried in an extremely yin place underground for thousands of years. It is harder than iron and can also transmit spiritual energy. It is a very high-grade material, but it was used to build a platform, which shows the wealth of the witch clan.

Unfortunately, those sorcerer nobles ran too fast, and Wei Yuan couldn't catch any of them, which was a slight disappointment. After clearing the platform, it was time for the normal battlefield cleanup. The sorcerer clan left behind thousands of corpses, as well as more than two hundred poisonous lizard carcasses, their dark green blood staining large areas of the land. Much of the sorcerer clan's blood was highly poisonous; when it was spilled on the ground, nothing could grow except for some poisonous plants and trees unique to the sorcerer domain.

Fortunately, the battlefield is within the Azure Netherworld, and the poisonous blood is being gradually transformed and will be cleaned up in no time.

Inside the Taichu Palace, Pei Tinghai fished for half a day, returning empty-handed. The chess game was nearing its end, but the outcome was uncertain, the black and white pieces locked in fierce combat. Just as he was about to go and watch the game, a hazy blue mist appeared above his head, followed by wisps of celestial rain, which were absorbed by his physical body.

Pei Tinghai looked surprised: "There's another gift from heaven and earth? And another Dharma form has been slain?"

He went to the basin and washed his hands again. The water in the basin was crystal clear, and this time there was not a trace of dirt or blood.

In the Azure Sky Palace, True Lord Xuan Yue sat before his desk, holding a sheet of jade paper in one hand and silently calculating with the other. He suddenly looked up and said, "Since you're here, why not come in and have a chat?"

The courtyard gate opened, and a middle-aged cultivator stepped in. He was of ordinary build, not particularly tall or strong, but the surrounding scenery was subtly distorted, clearly indicating that his physical body had been cultivated to an unbelievable level.

Upon seeing this person, Xuan Yue calmly put away the jade paper and said, "What brings you here, Lord Mingwang? Are you here to collect the debt ahead of time?" The middle-aged cultivator waved his hands repeatedly, "I am a man of my word. Why would I collect the debt before the due date? My Mingwang Palace is not in such dire straits. I came here because it has been a long time since we last met, and I wanted to catch up with you."

"Didn't we just meet three months ago?"

The middle-aged cultivator laughed and said, "A day apart feels like three autumns, let alone three months."

Xuan Yue Zhenjun's face darkened, and he said, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

The Lord of the Mingwang Palace was taken aback and said, "Brother Xuanyue, why are you being so distant? You weren't like this before."

Xuan Yue Zhenjun snorted and said coldly, "I only owe you some money, I can just pay you back."

Seeing that True Monarch Xuan Yue's attitude had suddenly hardened, the Lord of the Bright King Palace quickly waved his hand and said, "I've already said there's no need to return it in advance. I have indeed come here with a favor to ask. Do you think it would be possible to let Wei Yuan become a nominal disciple of my Bright King Palace?"

"No way!"

"Your guest?"

"no!"

"A nominal elder?"

Xuan Yue Zhenjun looked at the middle-aged cultivator with suspicion, scrutinizing him from head to toe, wondering if this guy had gone mad from practicing cultivation.
Only those in the late-stage Dharma Aspect realm can serve as elders in each hall. Even a True Person of the Burning Sea, with extremely strong combat skills, cannot become an elder if their cultivation level is insufficient. A nominal elder is still an elder, and it's a joke to make Wei Yuan, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, an elder.

The Lord of the Mingwang Palace said, "Alas, forget it, if you're unwilling, then so be it. Actually, I have something else I need your help with. If possible, I can unconditionally extend the previous debt for another fifty years and lend you an additional two million!"

Such a good thing? True Lord Xuan Yue was displeased and suspicious, staring at the Lord of the Bright King Palace without saying a word.

The Lord of the Mingwang Palace said, "Actually, it's just a small matter. In the Wanxiang Palace, Wei Yuan's Dao Foundation is just sitting there, looking rather deserted. I was thinking about whether we could add some decorations to it."

Xuan Yue Zhenjun asked suspiciously, "Is that all? When did your Mingwang Palace become so wealthy? What decorations do you want to add?"

"Just like this!" The Lord of the Mingwang Palace waved his hand, and an image appeared in front of him.

The image showed Wei Yuan's Dao Foundation, spanning thousands of miles of rivers and mountains. However, four strongmen, two men and two women, appeared beneath the endless continent. Each of them was bent over, their muscles bulging, carrying the continent on their backs. On the chests of all four strongmen were written the three large characters "Mingwang Palace"!
"This, this..." Even with the immense power of Xuan Yue Zhenjun, he was speechless with astonishment.

The Lord of the Mingwang Palace patiently persuaded, "This matter is somewhat shameful, but the shameful ones are Wei Yuan and my Mingwang Palace, mainly Wei Yuan, and have nothing to do with the Tianqing Palace. As long as you agree to this, the payment period can be extended by fifty years, and I will lend you an additional two million. The immortal silver is already here."

As he spoke, the Lord of the Mingwang Palace placed a jade bracelet on the table.

This wasn't just a pie in the sky; it was celestial silver laid out before them, an impact on their Dao hearts far exceeding anything they could imagine! Xuan Yue hesitated, unsure of what the Lord of the Bright King Palace was up to.

"I will send another Immortal Foundation disciple to train with Wei Yuan for another ten years!" The Lord of the Bright King Palace added another bargaining chip.

Xuan Yue was genuinely tempted. Each palace had only a handful of Immortal Foundation disciples, and having a core disciple like the Mingwang Palace by Wei Yuan's side meant that no matter what danger Wei Yuan faced, even if it was just to save his own disciple, the Mingwang Palace would do its utmost to help. This was like gaining a powerful ally out of nowhere.

After much deliberation, True Monarch Xuan Yue still shook his head. But before he could even begin to shake his head, the Palace Master of the Bright King Palace declared decisively, "Five million!"

Xuan Yue Zhenjun's mind suddenly gained sentience, and he had his own thoughts, nodding emphatically several times.

(End of this chapter)