Chapter 79: Obstructing Another’s Path

Chapter 79: Chapter 79: Obstructing Another’s Path

A moment later.

Shen Tu came to his senses and asked, "Senior Brother Luo, why didn’t you try to discuss this with Tong Zuo? The Senluo Flower can be consumed directly, but wouldn’t it be better to refine it into a pill?"

Luo Fang sighed. "Of course I sought him out. I offered the services of Master Fang Luan for the alchemy, asking for just a single Spirit Pill in return."

"And what did he say?" Shen Tu asked, puzzled.

Luo Fang shook his head and gave a bitter smile. "He refused without a moment’s hesitation."

Shen Tu frowned. "That’s not right... Have those vermin he raises eaten his wits?"

Compared to consuming a Spirit Plant directly, refining it into a Spirit Pill was undoubtedly the best choice.

A Senluo Spirit Pill, refined from the Senluo Flower, could increase the chances of breaking through to the Dao Foundation Realm by fifteen percent.

Luo Fang’s gaze flickered. After a moment’s hesitation, he said softly, "But what if his Spirit Vein’s nature is a perfect match for the Senluo Flower..."

"Hm?"

Shen Tu froze. His expression turned grave, and he asked in a low voice, "Are you certain?"

Luo Fang sighed. "It’s almost certain."

Shen Tu’s expression was grim as he fell into a thoughtful silence.

’If what Luo Fang said is true, then getting involved would no longer be a simple matter of snatching food from a tiger’s mouth.’

’Obstructing someone’s path to the Dao...’

’That would create an enormous grudge.’

Seeing Shen Tu’s silence, Luo Fang sighed inwardly.

’It wasn’t that he wanted to reveal this, but the truth was impossible to hide. If Shen Tu made even a few inquiries, he would learn of it.’

’It was better to be upfront than to risk offending Shen Tu later.’

’Even if Shen Tu refused to help, at least he wouldn’t be making an enemy of him.’

Luo Fang tilted his head back slightly, his gaze fixed on the talismans inscribed on the ceiling, a complex and indescribable feeling stirring in his heart.

’At first, all he’d wanted was a piece of the pie.’

’But ever since he’d taken the one who discovered the Spiritual Land as his disciple and learned of the Senluo Flower, things had changed.’

’He had to contend with Tong Zuo for it.’

’The path of the Dao... it meant too much to that madman. He wouldn’t allow anyone to interfere in the slightest.’

’And for him, it was also an opportunity that could not be missed.’

’Fortunately, it wasn’t as if he had no chance of winning.’

’They were both at the peak of Vein Condensation Perfection. And while his methods were a cut below Tong Zuo’s, he was confident he wouldn’t be easily defeated.’

’Besides, with three Elders presiding, they wouldn’t be allowed to fight to the death, at least not openly.’

’The Spiritual Land—that was the true arena for their conflict.’

After another cup of tea’s time, Luo Fang walked out of the room, his expression so calm that no one could guess what he was thinking.

In a room on the fourth floor of a tall tower.

Hazy, green smoke filled the room.

Behind an incense table.

A youth with an indifferent expression, who looked to be about sixteen or seventeen, sat cross-legged on a mat.

With his every breath, tendrils of smoke slithered like tiny snakes into his nostrils.

KNOCK KNOCK...

Just then, a knock sounded at the door.

The youth’s body trembled slightly, and the green smoke in the room froze for an instant.

He then opened his mouth slightly and took a long, deep breath.

The smoke billowed, pouring into his mouth like a stream.

In a matter of breaths.

The smoke in the room vanished without a trace.

Haaa...

The youth slowly exhaled a long breath and opened his eyes.

His eyes were filled with deep red filaments, like shattered glass, fracturing his pupils into countless tiny shards.

"Come in..."

As a hoarse, raspy voice called out, the door slowly opened.

A man strode in, his face a chaotic mess, as if it had been hacked and chopped repeatedly with a knife and axe.

He entered the room without a word, looking the youth up and down for a long moment. Then, rubbing his chin, he chuckled, "Well, well. Looks like you’ll live a while longer."

The youth’s pupils shifted slightly, and a soft rustling suddenly filled the room.

In moments, hundreds of scorpions, each the size of a baby’s fist and with bodies like purplish-red crystal, had surrounded the man.

The man’s lips curled back slowly, revealing a set of jagged, broken teeth. He waved his hands and called out, "Hey now, if you’re angry, go take it out on Luo Dabie. Don’t vent on me."

With that, he squatted down, picked up a purplish-red scorpion, and gave it a little shake. "By the way," he asked curiously, "are these little fellas of yours any good to eat?"

Ouch...

The man cried out in pain and violently slung the scorpion from his hand. He stared at the large welt rapidly swelling on the back of his hand as a purple, watery mist quickly filled his eyes.

Tears trickled down, and within a few breaths, the welt on the back of his hand vanished.

The youth frowned, the crimson filaments in his eyes growing a shade deeper.

HSSS...

The swarm of purplish-red scorpions seemed on the verge of a frenzy, their legs scraping across the floor with a piercing screech.

The man let the tear tracks slide into the pockmarks on his face. With a single leap, he landed beside the youth and laughed playfully. "Luo Dabie went to find Shen Tu. What’s your plan? You want me to get rid of them all?"

"After all, the Heavenly Scorpion..."

Before he could finish, the youth abruptly raised his head.

Gah...

Staring into those shattered eyes, the man’s heart seized for a moment. His words died in his throat, and his mouth snapped shut.

The youth watched him for several breaths before slowly closing his eyes.

A hoarse whisper followed.

"Wait a little longer..."

The man asked instinctively, "Wait for what?"

The youth replied faintly, "The three Elders."

"The Elders..."

The man repeated the word softly. He plopped down on the floor, lifted his robes, and rubbed his face vigorously.

"Tong Zuo, can you beat them right now?"

The youth was silent for several breaths before shaking his head. "Difficult..."

The man nodded, then lay back on the floor, staring at the ceiling in silence.

With a soft rustling sound, the swarm of purplish-red scorpions flowed like a river into the folds of Tong Zuo’s robes.

「Marketplace, Sector C.」

Li Changsheng and Dong Xing emerged from a rice shop.

Dong Xing smiled. "Junior Brother Li, should we head to the pens, or find a shop that deals in Spirit Beasts?"

Li Changsheng hesitated for a moment before replying, "Let’s go to the pens. I’d like to see them for myself anyway."

"Alright."

Dong Xing nodded agreeably.

The two of them left Sector C and followed the main road toward the west gate.

They chatted idly as they walked, and soon they had left the Marketplace.

Ignoring Dong Xing’s expectant gaze, Li Changsheng strode toward the beast pen area.

As they drew nearer to the beast pen area, a cacophony of various screeches and roars reached their ears.

Soon, a vast expanse of beast pens, stretching as far as the eye could see, appeared before them.

"Whoa..."

Dong Xing looked on in shock, murmuring, "Just how many Spirit Beasts are they raising here?"

Li Changsheng was just as stunned by the sight.

’Compared to the Spirit Field Zone, compared to Beast Valley, this beast pen area is terrifyingly huge...’

From the mountaintop to its foot, rows of pens cascaded down the slope in a terraced formation.

After staring for several long moments, Li Changsheng finally snapped out of it and called to Dong Xing, "Let’s go, Senior Brother."

"Oh, right. Okay."

Dong Xing came back to his senses, responded, and followed him down the path.

They had descended less than two or three hundred meters when the cacophony grew even louder.

After walking a little further, a huge plaza appeared beside the road.

The plaza was thronged with people.

Beside them, various Spirit Beasts were either caged in carts or tethered to the side, their roars and cries echoing endlessly.

As Li Changsheng and Dong Xing drew closer and looked past the crowd, they saw a massive structure carved directly into the cliff face at the far end of the plaza.

"Spirit Beast Hall!"