Translator: CinderTL
"Fellow Daoist Ye Bing, how do you think I should deal with you?" Song Wen asked, his gaze fixed on Ye Bing, his voice carrying a hint of coldness.
Ye Bing sensed the faint killing intent emanating from Song Wen, yet showed no sign of panic.
"Fellow Daoist, we have no enmity between us. Killing me would bring you no benefit. But if you spare my life, I will repay you handsomely."
"Oh?" Song Wen's interest was piqued. "Fellow Daoist, please elaborate."
Ye Bing replied, "I can help you craft Earth Evasion Talismans. I pledge here and now that upon reaching the Qicang Domain, I will present you with five fifth-tier Earth Evasion Talismans."
"Just five Earth Evasion Talismans?" Song Wen frowned slightly.
He was tempted by Ye Bing's offer. No one could ever have too many life-saving measures. Yet he also felt that letting Ye Bing off so easily would be letting her off too lightly.
Sensing Song Wen's hesitation, Ye Bing continued, "I see you are a man of unwavering resolve. Beyond advancing your cultivation realm, I doubt anything else could truly move you. I specialize in pill crafting techniques and, as a peak Divine Transformation Stage cultivator, I urgently need to refine the Void Convergence Primordial Essence Pill. If you spare my life, I will ensure you receive one of these pills when I refine them."
Song Wen said, "Just now you claimed to be able to refine fifth-tier talismans, and now you say you excel at Pill Refinement. How can I trust you, fellow daoist?"
A cultivator's energy and lifespan are finite, making it impossible to devote excessive time to pursuits beyond cultivation. Even though both Pill Refinement and talisman crafting can aid cultivation, few masters excel in both simultaneously.
Ye Bing replied, "I possess exceptional talent in both Pill Refinement and talisman crafting, with my aptitude for Pill Refinement surpassing that for talisman crafting. Years ago, I was forced into marriage with the Jiang Family as part of a union between the Ye and Jiang Families. As an outsider, I was never truly valued by the Jiang Family, and my late husband showed me no genuine affection. Consequently, the cultivation resources provided to me by the Jiang Family were limited. To secure more resources, I had no choice but to diligently hone my pill crafting and talisman crafting skills. In terms of pill crafting alone, I am now considered the foremost expert in the Jiang Family, second only to the three Void Refinement Stage cultivators. Otherwise, Ancestor Jiang Guyun of the Jiang Family would never have entrusted me with the secret method for refining the Void Convergence Primordial Essence Pill."
Song Wen was deeply tempted by Ye Bing's offer.
Releasing Ye Bing would cost him nothing, while obtaining a Void Convergence Primordial Essence Pill from her would be an immense gain.
"I'll tentatively accept your claims, fellow daoist," Song Wen said. "But how can I be certain you'll truly craft talismans and refine pills for me, and won't seek revenge once you've recovered?"
Ye Bing said, "I can swear an oath to the Heavenly Dao."
With that, she stood up and solemnly swore: she would craft an Earth Evasion Talisman and a Void Convergence Primordial Essence Pill for the person before her, and she would not seek revenge for today's events.
Seeing this, Song Wen's face lit up with a warm, almost fervent smile, as if Ye Bing were an old friend he had known for years.
"Immortal Maiden, your dantian is injured. Please don't move unnecessarily. Quickly, take a seat," Song Wen said with genuine concern.
As he spoke, he flipped his palm, retrieving a jade box from his Storage Ring and offering it to Ye Bing.
"This is five-hundred-year-old Spirit Aperture Grass, which has some restorative effects on the dantian. May it help you recover swiftly and regain your radiant form."
Ye Bing accepted the jade box, forcing a faint smile.
"Then I won't stand on ceremony."
Spirit Aperture Grass wasn't particularly rare, but the fact that Song Wen hadn't killed her was already a great relief.
She was quite surprised by Song Wen's sudden shift from arrogance to deference.
While the Immortal Cultivation World was indeed governed by the principles of "profit first, strength supreme," she had never encountered someone who could change their attitude so swiftly.
"Immortal Maiden, please focus on healing. I will guard you," Song Wen said.
"Then I am grateful for your assistance, Fellow Daoist," Ye Bing replied.
With that, she settled down to focus on healing her injuries.
Song Wen naturally wouldn't sit idle. He began cataloging the contents of Wei Qian and Xiao Ying's storage rings.
Combined, the two rings contained over seven thousand high-grade spirit stones. Adding these to the spirit stones Song Wen already possessed, he now had over thirty thousand high-grade spirit stones.
Apart from the spirit stones, the only item in Wei Qian's storage ring that caught Song Wen's eye was the Ghost Head Guillotine. This executioner's blade was roughly equivalent to a pseudo-spiritual artifact, heavy and powerful, embodying a fierce and unyielding style. It would be perfectly suited for Song Wen's Giant Corpse Incarnation form, which stood three zhang tall.
Unfortunately, the blade was Wei Qian's natal mystic treasure, making it impossible for Song Wen to directly refine it.
To wield its true power, Song Wen would need to reforge the blade entirely. Otherwise, its full potential would remain untapped.
Xiao Ying's storage ring, however, contained several items that piqued Song Wen's interest.
First was a secret art called Witchcraft Gu Dao Techniques. This manual detailed several methods of cultivating Gu that Song Wen had never encountered before, along with descriptions of numerous Gu insects he had never even heard of.
For example, the Gu Xiao Ying had planted in Ye Bing's dantian was called the Blood Earthworm Gu.
When dormant within the dantian, this Gu remained in a cocooned state. Normal circulation of spiritual power by the host would not trigger its hatching. However, if the host attempted to force the cocoon out of their body using spiritual power, the Gu would immediately break free and destroy the dantian.
The Blood Earthworm Gu that Xiao Ying had planted in Ye Bing's dantian was at the early stage of the fifth tier. If Ye Bing hadn't painstakingly devised a method to temporarily seal the gu insect, delaying its emergence from its cocoon, her dantian would have shattered and her cultivation would have been completely destroyed the moment Xiao Ying activated the gu.
Xiao Ying's corpse concealed several other gu insects, including lower-tier Blood Earthworm Gu.
However, to prevent the gu insects from turning on their master, Xiao Ying had followed the cultivation methods outlined in the Witchcraft Gu Dao Techniques, binding the Demon Souls of the gu insects to her own divine soul. When her soul scattered and spirit vanished, all these gu insects perished as well. Otherwise, Song Wen could have imitated Xiao Ying and used the opportunity to implant gu into Ye Bing.
Fortunately, Xiao Ying carried several jade bottles containing insect eggs. These eggs had yet to hatch and remained viable. With some time and cultivation resources, it would be possible to cultivate new gu insects.
Secondly, Song Wen obtained Xiao Ying's notes on gu cultivation. A quick glance revealed a clear path forward, like parting the clouds to reveal the sun. Combining these notes with the Witchcraft Gu Dao Techniques, Song Wen immediately conceived a method for cultivating the Shadow King Gu.
Finally, Song Wen acquired over a dozen types of poisons potent enough to threaten even Divine Transformation Stage cultivators. Among them was a poison called "Corroding Heart Cold," mentioned in the Ten Thousand Poisons Body technique. This poison could significantly accelerate progress in cultivating the Ten Thousand Poisons Body.
(End of the Chapter)
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