txolops Chapter 49 The Iron-Toothed Rat King's Lair
Chapter 49 The Iron-Toothed Rat King's Lair
After observing for a moment, Chen Yuanshan estimated, "It will probably take another three days for these six Soul Nourishing Crystals to fully condense!"
"Then we'll stay here and guard the place to prevent the Iron-Toothed Rat King from making a comeback! Senior Brother Chen, you go and recover your spiritual power first, I'll stay here and guard the place!" Zhang Tie said.
Chen Yuanshan was stunned upon hearing this. He glanced at Zhang Tie, said nothing, and sat cross-legged to the side to recover his spiritual power, while the stone dragon lizard remained by his side.
Zhang Tie could naturally see that Chen Yuanshan was wary of him, but he didn't care. He would have done the same if he were in Chen Yuanshan's shoes.
These Soul Nourishing Crystals are quite valuable. If all of them were sold, they would be worth six thousand spirit stones, a value comparable to one or two thousand-year-old spiritual herbs!
It would be truly strange if someone had no sense of caution!
Zhang Tie walked to the other side, sat cross-legged, and began to guard the pool, without making any extreme moves.
Chen Yuanshan, who had been observing from the shadows, finally breathed a sigh of relief, swallowed a pill, and began to recover his spiritual power.
The cave fell silent. Zhang Tie closed his eyes, pondering the allocation of the Soul Nourishing Crystals.
The six Soul Nourishing Crystals were about the size of a fingernail. Three crystals would be just right for each of the two people. But it was unknown whether Chen Yuanshan would distribute them in this way, since Chen Yuanshan had contributed the most effort on this trip and had even used up a mid-level talisman!
However, based on Zhang Tie's understanding of Chen Yuanshan after a year of getting to know him, Chen Yuanshan probably wouldn't be stingy, but he also wouldn't be generous enough to split the money equally.
The most likely outcome would be distribution based on work done. A glint of shrewdness flashed in Zhang Tie's eyes, but he still abandoned his plan to take action.
Firstly, the two got along fairly well, and Chen Yuanshan didn't attack him first, nor was he a ruthless demonic cultivator!
Secondly, the fact that two Foundation Establishment cultivators perished in the small Red Jade Mine within a year is enough for anyone with a brain to see that there is something wrong with him. The Enforcement Peak of Spirit Beast Mountain is not one to be trifled with!
"Let's wait until the Soul-Nourishing Crystal is fully formed! At worst, we can exchange it for something else!" Zhang Tie thought to himself.
At the same time, he was pondering where the Earthly Fiend Qi came from on that Iron-Toothed Rat King.
Could it be that the beast's lair contains earthly evil energy, and that the guy's body is so strong because it absorbed earthly evil energy?
Zhang Tie seemed unable to think of any other explanation, otherwise how could the Iron-Toothed Rat King's physical body withstand a mid-grade attack talisman!
...
The condensation of the Soul Nourishing Crystal was slower than Chen Yuanshan had anticipated. Three days passed before the spiritual water in the pool finally reached its bottom after Chen Yuanshan recovered his spiritual power.
Six thumb-sized crystals lay quietly at the bottom of the pool, emitting a soft glow.
Zhang Tie and Chen Yuanshan exchanged a glance, neither of them speaking first, and a subtle atmosphere filled the air.
How should the six Soul Nourishing Crystals be divided?
Chen Yuanshan broke the silence first, carefully examining the six Soul Nourishing Crystals. Then he looked at Zhang Tie, his tone leaving no room for doubt: "Junior Brother Zhang, there are six Soul Nourishing Crystals between us. The best outcome would be to split them equally. However, I was the main force in this cave exploration, consuming a mid-grade talisman and even injuring the spirit beast. According to our contribution, I'll take four, and you take two. How about that?"
Zhang Tie had already anticipated this. Chen Yuanshan was at the peak of the early Foundation Establishment stage, and he had two level-two spirit beasts. Their cultivation was higher than his, and they did indeed put in more effort than him.
Two Soul-Nourishing Crystals, worth two thousand spirit stones, can be said to have given Zhang Tie a lot of face.
Chen Yuanshan showed no intention of making a move, which relieved Zhang Tie slightly. If a real fight broke out and his partners were killed one after another, he wouldn't know how to explain himself to the Enforcement Peak.
The demonic invasion is still a few years away; it is not advisable to cause trouble now.
However, this Soul Nourishing Crystal is a rare and precious item; it's hard to come by, and who knows when we'll encounter it again!
Zhang Tie didn't nod immediately. Instead, he pretended to ponder for a moment before speaking, "Senior Brother Chen, this allocation plan is acceptable, but..."
Chen Yuanshan breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Zhang Tie agree, but his expression hardened when he realized there was more to Zhang Tie's words.
He didn't want to attack his fellow disciples unless absolutely necessary!
"Junior Brother Zhang, just speak your mind!"
Zhang Tie had been waiting for these words, so he spoke directly: "Senior Brother Chen, these Soul Nourishing Crystals are extremely rare, two might not be enough, I'd like to exchange one with you!"
Chen Yuanshan raised an eyebrow and fell into thought.
Soul-Nourishing Crystals are valuable to Foundation Establishment cultivators, but there is a limit to how much a Foundation Establishment cultivator can improve their soul. They usually only use one or two crystals, and no more than three.
As for Zhang Tie's claim that it wasn't enough, it seems to Chen Yuanshan that it was just a casual remark to exchange for Soul Nourishing Crystals!
However, trading with Zhang Tie, an insider, was much safer than trading with other people outside. Thinking of this, Chen Yuanshan was also tempted.
Chen Yuanshan raised an eyebrow: "Junior Brother Zhang, what are you planning to offer in exchange? If it's spirit stones or something, then forget it! Soul-Nourishing Crystals are extremely rare..."
"Of course I won't let my senior brother down!"
Zhang Tie took out two items from his storage bag: a silver-white Ganoderma lucidum with black markings and a crimson talisman.
A century-old Yin Sha Zhi mushroom, a mid-grade talisman!
Chen Yuanshan's eyes lit up immediately. Yin Sha Zhi was a rare spiritual medicine, worth five or six hundred spirit stones, and it was hard to come by. That mid-grade talisman was also rare. Judging from the runes, it was even stronger than the one he had used. It was a trump card for Foundation Establishment cultivators, which could save their lives in critical moments!
Chen Yuanshan was worried that he would not be able to replenish the talisman he had used up in a short time, but he did not expect that Zhang Tie would have one.
"Senior Brother Chen, how about exchanging these two items for a Soul Nourishing Crystal?" Zhang Tie smiled slightly as he looked at Chen Yuanshan, his eyes shining.
Chen Yuanshan pretended to ponder for a moment, then nodded: "Deal!"
Without further hesitation, Chen Yuanshan took the three Soul Nourishing Crystals and the two items from Zhang Tie's hand, while Zhang Tie also put the three Soul Nourishing Crystals into the jade box.
After searching for a while without finding any trace of the Iron-Toothed Rat King, the two left the cave and returned to the mine.
But what Chen Yuanshan didn't know was that Zhang Tie had secretly left a spiritual mark on the Iron-Toothed Rat King, which pointed directly to the northwest direction.
"Earthly Fiend Qi..."
Zhang Tie did not immediately go to find the Iron-Toothed Rat King. The lesson from Songyang was still fresh in his mind. There were still two months left before the mission ended, and the spiritual imprint planted by that spirit-seeking technique would not disappear so easily.
For the next two months, the mine was unusually quiet, and even the first-tier demonic beasts almost disappeared.
Zhang Tie naturally knew why; they had almost wiped out the Iron-Toothed Rats, and were happy to have a period of peace.
...
Two months later, the mission deadline arrived. After a brief farewell to Chen Yuanshan, Zhang Tie piloted his magic boat and left the Red Jade Mine.
However, after the flying boat had traveled a hundred miles away from the mine, it suddenly turned in another direction.
After changing directions several times to make sure no one was following him, Zhang Tie put away the spirit boat and fled northwest.
Several hours later, Zhang Tie stopped in front of a bamboo grove.
The aura of the spirit seal is nearby; is this the lair of the Iron-Toothed Rat King?
Using the Spirit-Seeking Technique to observe, the seemingly ordinary bamboo forest revealed an abnormal flow of spiritual energy underground, with a strong presence of yin energy.
The location of the spirit seal is deep underground.
"An underground lair!" Zhang Tie understood immediately.
Without rushing to make a move, Zhang Tie quietly set up array flags around the bamboo forest. After everything was ready, Zhang Tie took a deep breath and poured his spiritual power into his feet. He activated the Earth Shaking Technique, and the ground shook violently within a ten-zhang radius beneath his feet.
Zhang Tie could sense an aura rapidly approaching from underground!