Chapter 303: Especially Willing to Spend Money to Save Her Own Life

When Ye Guancang heard this, he was taken aback.

"You can’t see it?"

Shen Hai’an had a unique ability that no one else possessed.

He could perceive what had happened by examining the traces left on a battlefield.

The weaker the opponent’s strength, the more information he could see.

It wasn’t a complete picture, but it was enough to discern some things.

But this time, Shen Hai’an couldn’t see a thing.

"It’s too chaotic." Shen Hai’an nodded. The auras were mottled and chaotic, as if intentionally interfering with his perception. "I can only sense that the trail of the Evil Spirit Technique’s aura ends here."

Ye Guancang said thoughtfully, "Your condition seems to have worsened since you arrived at the Dragon Frost Swamp."

Shen Hai’an paused, then mused, "Perhaps it’s because I’ve been frequently seeing prophetic visions."

It had been fine for the past few days, though.

The abnormalities had only occurred during the first two days after he arrived at the Dragon Frost Swamp.

Ye Guancang studied him closely. "Will it affect your cultivation?"

Shen Hai’an shook his head. "It’s nothing."

Ye Guancang nodded and ran his finger across the ground. A very faint glow appeared at his fingertip.

Ye Guancang took a closer look and was also slightly surprised. "The aura of the Evil Spirit Technique has vanished so completely? The Golden Core Stage cultivator who acted must be quite something."

Generally, whenever a Cultivator is killed, they had ways to sense the aura of their death.

The aura had vanished so cleanly.

Initially, he thought it was just a passing cultivator who had dealt with someone practicing the Evil Spirit Technique, but now Ye Guancang suddenly felt that things might not be so simple.

’Was such a profound Spell needed to cover up the death of someone who practiced the Evil Spirit Technique?’

’Unless this battle held some unknown secret.’

His gaze followed, and he noticed traces on the cliff wall where a Heavenly Sound Grass had been picked.

"Heavenly Sound Grass..." Ye Guancang’s eyes narrowed. "How rare. To think there’s wild Heavenly Sound Grass in the Dragon Frost Swamp that hasn’t been discovered."

Shen Hai’an also saw the Heavenly Sound Grass, and a thoughtful look quickly flashed through his stunned expression. "Indeed. There’s a wild Heavenly Sound Grass, and the people of Xuanwu City never found a trace of it?"

It was true that High-level Spiritual Grass could appear in the wild, but from sprouting to maturity, Heavenly Sound Grass required at least three years.

’In these three years, none of the other Sects in the Dragon Frost Swamp discovered this wild Heavenly Sound Grass?’

Countless Cultivators came and went through the Dragon Frost Swamp. If any of them had discovered a High-level Spiritual Grass, it would have only benefited Xuanwu City...

’This is no ordinary Spirit Grass.’

A Spirit Grass that could help a Late-stage Foundation Establishment disciple safely achieve Core Formation was a sought-after commodity anywhere.

Ye Guancang suddenly laughed. "How interesting. It seems someone used this Heavenly Sound Grass as bait."

Shen Hai’an turned to look at Ye Guancang. "Are you saying this is related to the cultivator who practiced the Evil Spirit Technique?"

Ye Guancang shook his head. "I don’t know. We’ll find out when we run into them."

They were a step too late. The Heavenly Sound Grass was gone, and this Demon Cultivator was likely dead as well.

For now, it was impossible to know what had happened.

***

Song Jiulai hid the Heavenly Sound Grass in the Sect’s warehouse.

In truth, she was also muttering to herself, "This Heavenly Sound Grass needs three years to mature from when it first appears. How could it possibly be discovered by such an ordinary disciple?"

’That canyon isn’t even a hidden place.’

System: "It doesn’t matter. You got it, so it’s yours."

Song Jiulai flicked her finger. "You have a point. Even if there was something else going on, I still got the Heavenly Sound Grass."

Besides, the system had appraised it. A problem-free Spirit Grass is a problem-free Spirit Grass.

’If someone intentionally planted this Heavenly Sound Grass...’

Song Jiulai narrowed her eyes. With her current cultivation, she had already taken every possible precaution.

’If I still get targeted after all this, I’ll just have to take it one step at a time.’

She found a place to open up a new cave abode and changed her face.

This time, Song Jiulai sculpted a very ordinary face—just plain, neither remarkable nor ugly.

The kind that had no memorable features, the kind you could look at in a crowd and instantly forget.

With her speed, collecting spirit materials was a quick affair. After completing the Sea View Sect’s monthly quota, she found a place to focus on hunting demon beasts and practicing her Cultivation Techniques.

A few days later, the system informed her of something.

"Our Cultivation Technique does indeed have a problem. When Han Tian and the others grouped up and used their different Cultivation Techniques, there was a definite reaction—a segment of an Array was drawn out by the Spiritual Energy."

Song Jiulai’s eyes lit up. "I really guessed right?"

System: "Unfortunately, I don’t know what it is. With their current strength, the Array broke in an instant, and it was incomplete. I suspect that the subsequent Mid and High Level techniques contain the complete Array mantra. This is a grand Array hidden within these Cultivation Techniques."

’An Array that uses several Ancient Cultivation Techniques as a disguise is, in all likelihood, an Ancient Array.’

The power of an Ancient Array was not to be underestimated.

Unfortunately, the players were too weak at the moment, so it was impossible to tell what kind of Array it was.

’Still,’ Song Jiulai knew, ’the system wouldn’t give her something useless.’

Song Jiulai murmured, "Looks like the players need to work harder."

Even if they realized there was an Array hidden within, they wouldn’t be able to cast it.

For the following period, Song Jiulai spent her time in the Dragon Frost Swamp, cultivating and working.

About half a month before the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect selection tournament, Song Jiulai, following the system’s instructions, activated a clone body outside.

When her consciousness appeared in the body of a puppet, the sensation was incredibly strange.

She could feel her consciousness possessing the puppet, yet it was also synchronously connected to her main body.

The puppet body she had sculpted this time belonged to a girl who looked playful, lively, and cute.

’My face-sculpting skills have improved again!’

’I plan to act a bit more lively this time.’

She was tired of putting on a serious act in front of the players every day.

The clone received the Soul Cultivation Heart Method from the system and only practiced a few Basic Skills mantras.

She then practiced an Ice Blade Technique that was sufficient to handle any situation, and that was enough.

After cultivating in the cave abode for a few days to ensure the clone had stabilized its cultivation at the Early Stage of Qi Refining, Song Jiulai left and headed for Xuanwu City.

First, using her original identity, she reverted to her Mid-stage Foundation Establishment appearance and took a Teleportation Array to the Biyin Sect.

Once she arrived at the Biyin Sect, she would separate from her clone, having it enter the city from outside the Biyin Sect alone. This way, it could go through the procedure to register for a temporary city residence.

This was a bit troublesome, but a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator who could produce a top-grade spirit stone wasn’t that conspicuous.

Once all this was taken care of, she would return to the Dragon Frost Swamp.

No one would ever know that she had left a clone behind in the Biyin Sect to participate in the upcoming Ten Thousand Immortals Sect selection tournament.

Even the system remarked with emotion, "You’re really willing to spend money when it comes to your own life."

Two trips on the Teleportation Array, round trip, cost two top-grade spirit stones. It was a massive expenditure.

Song Jiulai’s heart was bleeding as well. "That’s why I have to get into the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect this time. Otherwise, the cost of these Spirit Stones alone is enough to give me a stroke."