The Black Water Profound Snake, as a Tier Three Demon Beast, can advance to the Crystallization Stage, naturally possessing many valuable items.
For instance, the snake gall can be used to refine some mainstream Tier Three Elixirs, like the True Essence Pill that boosts the cultivation of Foundation Establishment Cultivators, or the Antitoxic Elixir, Qingling Powder.
Moreover, the Black Water Profound Snake's scales, fangs, bones, etc., when in the hands of an Artifact Refiner with high Artifact Refining Mastery, can completely be used to refine two or three Tier Two Spiritual Artifacts.
Just the prospect of refining artifacts excites Lu Ping.
In the Cyan Mountain Sect, Spiritual Artifacts are scarce, and their tier is not high. Besides Lu Zhiwei's Tier Two Zhao Yun Sword, all Spiritual Artifacts used by Sect Leader Lu Yuanshan and others do not exceed Tier Two, and their equipment is not good.
Against cultivators of the same rank, they still have the strength to fight and won't necessarily lose.
But if they encounter cultivators with higher realms or better equipment, their combat power would be inadequate, and whether they can survive is questionable.
Equipment is incredibly important to a cultivator.
Having roamed the Cultivation Realm alone for over two hundred years with many experiences of defeating enemies surpassing his level, Lu Ping deeply understands the importance of equipment.
Qi Cultivators can at most use Tier Two Spiritual Artifacts, unable to further use Tier Three Spiritual Artifacts.
No matter how good a Tier One Spiritual Artifact is, it ultimately cannot compare to a Tier Two Spiritual Artifact, and Lu Ping hopes to upgrade the disciples' equipment.
Lu Ping approached slowly and cautiously, examining the Black Water Profound Snake from all sides.
"Meeting an immature Black Water Profound Snake here seems like heaven favors our Cyan Mountain Sect."
"Although I'm now a consciousness body and won't be detected by it, I must remain cautious and not alert it. The treasures on this Demon Beast are numerous."
At this moment, even with the bloodline of a Tier Three Demon Beast, the Black Water Profound Snake cannot sense Lu Ping's existence.
One could say Lu Ping is utterly inconspicuous, as he explored around the Black Water Profound Snake without discovering any other creatures.
To Lu Ping's surprise, a deeper exploration of this cave revealed a greater delight near a Spiritual Spring deep within the cave.
There was hidden a piece of Heaven and Earth's Wondrous Treasure that deeply moved Lu Ping— the Celestial Cyan Divine Wood.
At this point, Lu Ping could no longer remain calm.
The Celestial Cyan Divine Wood is an extremely rare heavenly and earthly treasure in the Cultivation Realm, aside from the Foundation Establishment Pill, capable of assisting cultivators in establishing their foundation.
It also has another name, called the Foundation Establishment Origin Treasure, and is known alongside the Heart of Green Spirit and Wood Element Jade Marrow as the three great Wood Element Foundation Establishment Sacred Artifacts.
The widely circulated Foundation Establishment Pill in the Cultivation Realm can trace its origins, which are inseparable from the Celestial Cyan Divine Wood.
The Foundation Establishment Pill is an imitation based on the Celestial Cyan Divine Wood's medicinal effects.
Among the three great Foundation Establishment Sacred Artifacts, the medicinal effect of the Celestial Cyan Divine Wood is the simplest to mimic.
As early as Ancient Times, many alchemist ancestors considered the high danger during Foundation Establishment and the difficulty of finding the Celestial Cyan Divine Wood, prompting research spanning thousands of years, hoping to develop an Elixir that was close to or even rivaled the wood's medicinal effects.
After much arduous study and research, they finally succeeded, creating the Foundation Establishment Pill formula, leading to the emergence of the Foundation Establishment Pill in the Cultivation Realm.
The Foundation Establishment Pill became a widely circulated Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object in the Cultivation Realm.
Many other high-tier elixirs in the Cultivation Realm are also imitations of spirit grass effects.
But imitations remain imitations.
Although cultivators using the Foundation Establishment Pill for foundation establishment achieve a success rate of fifty percent, using the Celestial Cyan Divine Wood can increase the success rate to seventy percent.
If a Wood Spirit Root cultivator uses it, the Foundation Establishment success rate can increase by another layer!
An eighty percent foundation establishment probability is already very high for a Qi Cultivator.
Even if the foundation establishment fails, the Dao Body won't be harmed.
"Celestial Cyan Divine Wood."
Lu Ping likes it more and more as he looks.
This is the ancestor of the Foundation Establishment Pill, a treasure that is as renowned as the Heart of Green Spirit and Wood Element Jade Marrow among Wood Element Foundation Establishment Sacred Artifacts. The Foundation Establishment Pill is like a grandchild in comparison, who would not be tempted by this?
At this moment, Lu Ping wished he could take the Celestial Cyan Divine Wood immediately.
Compared to the Heart of Green Spirit or Wood Element Jade Marrow, the Celestial Cyan Divine Wood has almost vanished from the Cultivation Realm and is hard to buy on the market.
At least in Lingxi State, Lu Ping has never seen anyone selling the Celestial Cyan Divine Wood.
No need to say more about its great value.
But the problem is, he can't take it now, only stare blankly.
Even if he sends disciples to retrieve it, they must first kill the Black Water Profound Snake.
Lu Ping speculates that the reason for the snake's presence here is highly likely due to its discovery of the Celestial Cyan Divine Wood, thus guarding it constantly.
Someday, when reaching the Peak of Qi Cultivation, it will consume the Celestial Cyan Divine Wood to break through the Tier Two Demon Beast realm.
After all, despite the strong Black Water Profound Snake bloodline, advancing from Tier One to Tier Two is still a very difficult and dangerous process.
Using the Celestial Cyan Divine Wood for advancement would greatly reduce the risk, akin to human cultivators using the Foundation Establishment Pill for their foundation.
While Lu Ping was observing the Celestial Cyan Divine Wood, the system responded.
[Conquest Mission: In Hidden Nether Mountain, a Black Water Profound Snake is causing harm, please send disciples to eliminate the demon]
[Quantity: 1]
[Combat Power: Ninth-Layer Qi Cultivation]
[Status: Residing in Hidden Nether Mountain, advancing by consuming Celestial Cyan Divine Wood after five years]
[Completion Reward: Reputation 695, Rare Technique Taihe Cave Heaven Heart Method*1]
...
The exploration of hidden tasks yielded results, and Lu Ping understood the purpose of this exploration.
It wasn't in vain; eliminating the demon is the primary task.
Not only is demon elimination necessary to obtain abundant system rewards, but this Celestial Cyan Divine Wood must also be secured.
Its benefit to the Cyan Mountain Sect is tremendous; once acquired, it means being able to cultivate a Foundation Establishment Cultivator for the Sect.
The Sect's strength is concerning, desperately needing a Foundation Establishment Cultivator to preside.
"There are still five years before the Profound Snake advances. Before it consumes the Celestial Cyan Divine Wood, this place must remain secret, not leaked."
"Within five years, a detailed plan for the conquest must be made, and we must capture this place in one fell swoop."
Lu Ping had an idea.
The value of the Celestial Cyan Divine Wood is too great; once known that this wonder exists here, it will undoubtedly cause various parties to compete. The Cyan Mountain Sect would not be able to intervene, only watching with regret, helpless.
For a Golden Core Ancestor like Lu Ping, the Celestial Cyan Divine Wood is quite tempting; let alone the loose cultivators and Sect Cultivators, who can resist?
Even if Nascent Soul Old Monsters don't need it, it's worth snatching to leave it for their successors.
After understanding the importance of this hidden mission, Lu Ping continued searching the cave but didn't find any other valuable things.
He must remember this place clearly, in case the system mark suddenly disappears and he forgets how to locate it, it would be quite frustrating.
Memorizing the position of Hidden Nether Mountain, he finally circled the surrounding area and did not find traces of any other cultivators, Lu Ping then set off to leave.
"When coming, it took me almost half a month drifting, now going back, wouldn't it take the same amount of time?"
Moving at a slow drifting pace really is slow, Lu Ping couldn't help but complain again.
Recalling his Golden Core Ancestor days, this distance was a matter of half an hour, not far at all.
Now he can only grit his teeth and drift slowly back at the pace he came.
Just at this moment, the system popped up a dialog box.
[Friendly Reminder: Consciousness Body movement speed is too slow; using 'Instant Teleportation' can greatly shorten travel time, achieving instant transport to the destination]
[Reputation: 5]
[Note: Transmission destination is limited only to the Sect or locations of Sect members, distance must not exceed ten thousand miles. Exceeding ten thousand miles, the price doubles, and so forth]