Chapter 113: These People Want to Rob My Spirit Stones

Chapter 113: Chapter 113: These People Want to Rob My Spirit Stones

Fire Dragon Valley was divided into inner and outer sections by eighteen volcanoes. Crossing the volcanoes meant you had successfully entered the central region.

According to the information Liu Chen had obtained, the central region was a gathering place for Loose Cultivators and members of families who had come to Fire Dragon Valley with other motives.

After years of effort by Loose Cultivators, mountain passes had been built near the volcanoes. There were more than a dozen such passes, all originally held by Loose Cultivators, but now the vast majority were controlled by disciples from various families.

Liu Chen took off his Black Robe and used the Resting Technique to disguise his Cultivation as the Body Tempering Early Stage, then slowly walked toward the pass before him.

The pass Liu Chen chose was still controlled by Loose Cultivators. He had originally prepared ten Spirit Stones for the toll. His Spiritual Sense had detected that the person who went through just before him had paid ten Spirit Stones.

"The toll is one hundred Spirit Stones."

However, when it was Liu Chen’s turn, the Body Tempering Middle Stage Loose Cultivator saw that he was alone and had a low Cultivation level, so he deliberately made things difficult by suddenly raising the price.

Furthermore, the Body Tempering Late Stage cultivator guarding the area nearby showed no reaction at all. Clearly, a portion of the hundred Spirit Stones would end up in his hands.

After Liu Chen took out the Spirit Stones, he finally passed through the pass and officially entered the central region of Fire Dragon Valley. But before he had taken more than a few steps, the few Body Tempering Middle Stage cultivators who had been guarding the pass began to follow him.

Liu Chen had planned to find a place to make them disappear, but after just a few steps, he sensed a familiar person within the range of his Spiritual Sense.

"Damn it. They claimed to have found a pillar of light, but it was just an excuse to ask me about Junior Brother Liu’s whereabouts. If I knew where he was, would I have time to waste bickering with you?"

Yang Haichen spat on the ground. A group of family disciples had gathered and tried to get him to introduce them to Junior Brother Liu. If word of this got out, his master wouldn’t even have to act; the True Disciples would probably teach him a lesson in secret.

"Senior Brother Yang, help me! These people are trying to rob me of my Spirit Stones!"

Yang Haichen had just turned a corner when he heard the familiar voice. He instinctively looked back and saw Liu Chen, dressed as a Loose Cultivator, running toward him with three Body Tempering Middle Stage Loose Cultivators in pursuit.

"Don’t be afraid, Junior Brother."

The corner of Yang Haichen’s mouth twitched. He had imagined meeting Junior Brother Liu in Fire Dragon Valley, but he had never pictured a scene like this. The usually elegant Junior Brother Liu was being pursued so wretchedly by three Body Tempering Middle Stage cultivators. It was truly beyond his imagination.

What Yang Haichen found even more unbelievable was that there were Loose Cultivators chasing an Inner Sect Disciple of Purple Cloud Valley—and not just any disciple, but the one who was arguably the most dangerous to provoke.

Upon seeing Yang Haichen, the three pursuing Loose Cultivators quickly halted. They slowly sheathed their weapons, their faces showing awkward and stiff smiles.

’Our boss never said this guy was a Purple Cloud Valley disciple!’

’This is bad. Even if we manage to leave Fire Dragon Valley alive, we’ll never be able to make it in the Great Xia Dynasty. But seeing how carefully Yang Haichen is checking on his junior brother’s condition, it’s uncertain whether we’ll even survive this.’

Not only that, if they remembered correctly, this Inner Sect Disciple from Purple Cloud Valley had just given them one hundred Spirit Stones as a toll. Now it seemed less like a toll and more like a payment for their own lives.

"Junior Brother, why aren’t you wearing the Inner Sect Disciple uniform?"

After confirming Liu Chen was unharmed, Yang Haichen gave the men a deep look before leading Liu Chen away. Highlighting Liu Chen’s identity as a Spirit Chef right now would probably cause even greater chaos. Those riffraff from the various families were still holding a "networking event" in a nearby valley!

"Aren’t you not wearing yours either, Senior Brother?"

Liu Chen glanced at him. Based on his secret observations, no one who came here wore the conspicuous uniforms from the beginning. Therefore, even though Liu Chen knew the uniform could save him some trouble, he still chose not to wear it.

"Never mind. Junior Brother, come with me."

Yang Haichen fell silent for a moment. For one, his uniform had been damaged during the last fight over a pillar of light. Even if it hadn’t been, his portrait had long since been circulated. Basically, anyone he met in Fire Dragon Valley would know he was from Purple Cloud Valley.

As for Liu Chen, forget about all of Purple Cloud Valley—most disciples on Purple Bamboo Peak had only seen him once during a general assembly, and it was anyone’s guess if they even remembered him.

Yang Haichen led Liu Chen into a complex of buildings and went straight into a courtyard. The moment Liu Chen stepped inside, he smelled a pungent odor.

"Senior Brother Ren has been poisoned. I’m afraid he won’t last the night."

Noticing Liu Chen’s expression, Yang Haichen spoke with a hint of helplessness. They passed through another moon gate, and Liu Chen saw an Inner Sect Disciple lying on a chair. His body was covered in crimson patterns, and his vacant eyes stared at the sky.

"Can’t you just force the poison out?"

Liu Chen studied this so-called Senior Brother Ren. Forget about his current, unique Purification Technique; even his previous version at the Great Success level could have washed away all the toxins.

"Perhaps a Steward or an Elder could do it, but none of the Purple Cloud Valley disciples who know about this can. The disciples from Qingxu Hall and Thunder Mountain can’t do it either."

Yang Haichen shook his head. Liu Chen, who had been about to say something, paused for a moment. It seemed he had overestimated the skill level of most Cultivators when it came to Magic. ’Since I’ve realized that, it’s better to keep a low profile.’

’Worst case, I can just detoxify this Senior Brother Ren when no one is looking.’

"But now that you’re here, Junior Brother, if you could provide Spiritual Power with your Spiritual Cuisine, perhaps Senior Brother Ren could survive until the end of the trial."

Yang Haichen looked hopeful. There was Spirit Rice and some Demon Beast Flesh available in Fire Dragon Valley. As for the cost of the Spiritual Cuisine, as long as Senior Brother Ren was alive, he would eventually be able to repay it.

"That’s not a problem, but I don’t have the necessary ingredients on hand."

Liu Chen nodded. His identity as a Spirit Chef couldn’t be hidden. If he could save this senior brother without revealing the true level of his Purification Technique, he was naturally willing to help.

Besides exploring beneath the so-called main peak, Liu Chen had no other plans. He could just stay here and cultivate until the trial ended.

"Don’t worry, Junior Brother. The central region of Fire Dragon Valley is different from the outskirts. The Loose Cultivators here have long since developed their own rules. You can think of this place as a huge Black Market."

Yang Haichen let out a sigh of relief. This Senior Brother Ren was injured while fighting for a pillar of light, making him a hero of Purple Cloud Valley, in a way. It would be a real shame if he died just like this.

However, compared to the disciples who had already fallen, this senior brother was already lucky to have been found by him.

"In that case, does that mean we can do business?"

Liu Chen’s eyes narrowed. ’Since I have nothing better to do anyway, why not sell Spiritual Cuisine directly? I can earn some Spirit Stones. If they don’t have enough Spirit Stones, they can use other things as collateral. And if they don’t have anything else... well, isn’t a pillar of light a natural form of collateral?’

"Indeed, you can."

Yang Haichen thought for a moment and slowly nodded. Even the Meridian Passage Cultivators currently in Fire Dragon Valley wouldn’t dare to make a move on Liu Chen. If killing a Prince of the Black Feather Dynasty might incur the wrath of the Black Feather Dynasty, then any harm befalling Liu Chen would mean an unending feud with Purple Cloud Valley.

"Three thousand Spirit Stones per serving. What do you think, Senior Brother?"