Chapter 89: Counting the Spoils
Chapter 89: Chapter 89: Counting the Spoils
Zhang Chi’s trip outside attracted no attention.
After all, the Cangwu Sect was enormous and filled with cultivators. A large number of people came and went every day. Even with the Mountain Protection Array, it was impossible for the Sect to keep track of everyone.
Besides, he wasn’t worried about being discovered through divination or inference.
He was no longer a novice in Immortal Cultivation, so he knew that while the Inference Skill was one of the Hundred Skills of Immortal Cultivation, very few people had mastered it. The threshold was also extremely high, requiring at least a Golden Core cultivation base.
Otherwise, a cultivator’s Lifespan and Divine Soul would be unable to withstand the Power of Celestial Secret Retribution.
And to perform an inference out of thin air, without any concrete clues, would demand an even greater price.
What’s more, as an outsider from another world and with the protection of the Jade Pendant, even a High Tier Cultivator’s inference would not necessarily yield any results.
Of course, despite all this, he was still a little nervous.
After all, if this was exposed, he would be well and truly finished.
Therefore, he immediately decided he would never again go to that branch of the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower, or even the White Cloud Marketplace.
Otherwise, the other party could very well follow the trail of clues right to him.
Furthermore, he would have to minimize his trips outside from now on, at least until he reached Foundation Establishment.
However, although the operation was incredibly risky, the rewards were absolutely worth it.
He had already processed his spoils of war on the way back, using his Divine Thought to probe the Storage Bag and take a direct inventory of its contents.
He couldn’t have taken inventory like this before, but it was easy now that his Divine Thought had grown stronger.
After taking inventory, he transferred the gains to his storage hairband and then made sure to destroy Song Xinghai’s Storage Bag, along with some of the standard-issue Sect items and other useless junk inside.
The haul came in two parts. The first was from the seven Tribulation Cultivators.
Zhang Chi had used the Fire Bomb Technique to burn their bodies to ash, but he kept all their loot.
Of course, Zhang Chi had also thought about extracting Blood Spirit Pills.
But considering they had surely left bloodstains and the like at the scene, extracting the Blood Spirit Pills could very well lead to him being tracked.
Therefore, he refrained from doing so.
The same reasoning applied to why he had directly incinerated Song Xinghai’s corpse.
The seven Tribulation Cultivators’ Storage Bags were all Low Grade, and most of their Magical Artifacts were Low Grade as well. Only three Flying Swords were Middle Grade magical artifacts, and they were all mediocre. One of them had even been damaged by Song Xinghai during the fight.
But if it were all converted to Spirit Stones, it would still be worth around fourteen or fifteen hundred.
Next were the Spirit Stones themselves, just over two thousand in total. The miscellaneous items like Spirit Talismans and Spirit Pills added up to another five or six hundred Spirit Stones in value.
All told, not including the seven Blood Spirit Pills, everything came to a little over four thousand, an average net worth of less than six hundred per person.
But considering they were likely all Loose Cultivators, their meager net worth was not surprising.
If they were rich, they wouldn’t be living on the edge as Tribulation Cultivators.
The second part of the haul came from Song Xinghai, and this was the real jackpot.
He had over twenty-six thousand Spirit Stones on him alone.
Next was the Earth Milk Spirit Liquid.
In addition to the three drops from the auction, Song Xinghai had surprisingly possessed two drops of his own, making for a total of five drops—a pleasant surprise.
Then there were Song Xinghai’s Magic Robe and Flying Boat, both of which were Upper Grade magical artifacts and not standard-issue Sect equipment.
However, the Magic Robe was as white as ice and snow, far too conspicuous. Zhang Chi didn’t plan to wear it directly. He intended to sell it later or modify it with his own Artifact Refining Techniques before using it.
There was also Song Xinghai’s set of seven silvery-white Flying Sabers. They were exquisitely crafted, sharp, and durable—a complete set of Top Grade Magical Artifacts.
But Song Xinghai’s cultivation had been insufficient. He could only wield a portion of them, barely unleashing the Mighty Power of an Upper Grade magical artifact.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been killed so easily.
The black Little Umbrella was also an Upper Grade magical artifact. When opened, it could form a defensive barrier of light, and when closed, it could be used as a weapon. Its Mighty Power and value far surpassed the Profound Turtle Shield.
It was worth mentioning that although the Little Umbrella and the Magic Robe had both been tainted by the Demon Snake Spine Demonic Qi, Zhang Chi, being an Artifact Refiner with the protection of his Jade Pendant, could easily remove the contamination.
Then there was the black iron sphere.
Only after a careful examination did Zhang Chi learn that the black sphere was called the Black Brilliance Poison Needle. Like the Flying Sabers, it too was a Top Grade Magical Artifact.
This Magical Artifact was rather special, however. It required very little Spiritual Power to activate, yet its Mighty Power was immense.
Even a Foundation Establishment Cultivator would certainly be injured if struck by it unprepared.
But the item needed to be charged. Each use would completely expend the poison needles within.
It would take a full year to absorb enough Metal Qi to reform them.
During this time, the cultivator would need to provide Spirit Stones or refined gold ore like Cold Iron to help it charge.
Otherwise, the charging time would be even longer.
The potent poison on the needles also had to be supplied by the cultivator. Cultivators could concoct their own based on personal preference or choose not to use poison at all.
If they chose the latter, however, the lethality would surely be greatly reduced.
"Excellent. I thought this was a single-use consumable, but it turns out it’s reusable."
Upon figuring this out, Zhang Chi couldn’t help but feel a pleasant surprise.
In his eyes, the cost of charging it was negligible, and he could use the Monster Snake Venom to replenish the poison.
He could even use Corpse Evil and Demonic Qi for the Quenching of the poison needles. That would surely produce an even better effect.
Therefore, this item could absolutely serve as one of his trump cards.
Even in the future, when his cultivation was higher and he no longer needed it, he could still sell it.
After that were the Breaking Charm, the Small Shifting Talisman, and the Cyan Wood Thunder Talisman.
Needless to say, Zhang Chi already had a Breaking Charm.
But this was the first time Zhang Chi had ever seen a Small Shifting Talisman.
Although it was also Tier Two Low Grade, its production cost was extremely high, its effect was greater, and its value far surpassed a Breaking Charm of the Same Tier.
The Thunder Talisman was a powerful offensive weapon. When used, it could unleash a bolt of Cyan Wood Divine Thunder. Even among Spirit Talismans of the Same Tier, its Mighty Power was top-notch.
Moreover, the Thunder Talisman activated quickly. If he hadn’t used the beetles for a sneak attack earlier, it would have been quite troublesome.
Then there were various other items like Spirit Pills and Spirit Talismans. Nothing special, but all in all, they were worth at least five thousand Spirit Stones.
Additionally, Zhang Chi discovered a portion of Profound Crane Blood and a piece of Soul Nourishing Wood.
The Profound Crane Blood was a faint gold color. It was in a small, fist-sized jar, but it felt quite heavy in his hand.
The Soul Nourishing Wood was as thick as a thumb and half a foot long. It was entirely black and unremarkable, but it emanated a strange, calming energy.
Both of these items were actually Tier Two Low Grade Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures. While they couldn’t directly increase Spiritual Power, they could aid in Body Refining and nurturing the Divine Soul.
One could say that the price of each was comparable to a single drop of Earth Milk Spirit Liquid.
But the most precious prize was not any of the above. It was a snow-white Elixir sealed within an exquisite white Jade Bottle.
This was, astoundingly, a Foundation Establishment Pill.
Its quality was comparable to Zhang Chi’s own. A single glance was enough to tell it was a product of the Cangwu Sect, and one that had been refined not long ago.
Evidently, as an Inner Sect Disciple, Song Xinghai had already received his Foundation Establishment Pill in advance.
He had purchased the Earth Milk Spirit Liquid to raise his cultivation as quickly as possible so that he could use this Foundation Establishment Pill sooner.
But now, all of it had fallen into Zhang Chi’s hands.
"Haha, this Song Xinghai really was a Treasure-Bringing Child. The Song Family snatched my opportunity back then, and now I’ve snatched his Foundation Establishment Pill. This is retribution!"
Discovering this Pill, Zhang Chi couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Even his thoughts felt clearer and more refreshed.
This successful ambush not only collected some interest from the Song Family, but it would also surely allow him to advance his cultivation even faster.
With two Foundation Establishment Pills, his attempt to reach Foundation Establishment would be absolutely foolproof.
Of course, given his situation, his success rate for reaching Foundation Establishment was already extremely high. He most likely wouldn’t need the second one.
But he could absolutely sell this second pill for a huge sum of Spirit Stones to cultivate the Eye of the Spirit Spring and the Corpse Puppet.