Vampire Cultivation Notes

Moon Valley?

Li Jieqing suddenly stared intently at the Scorpion Maiden who had gone to Wangyue Valley, his gaze deep and unfathomable.

Cultivators are truly lawless. Even without a treasure like his that can conceal one's aura and protect oneself, they dare to wander around the Moon Gazing Valley where the demon tiger is entrenched.

That was because that near-third-tier spiritual vein was discovered.

Adding to the fact that the Five-Cut Monk mentioned the surrounding abandoned spiritual fields, it seems that the people in the ruins have already noticed the shortage of spiritual rice and spiritual mines, and are quite desperate for resources.

"What utter nonsense! You think you can hide what you say in private from everyone?!"

Wu Quan, the monk, let out a loud shout.

The two sides then started arguing again.

Despite his compassionate words, Wu Quan the Monk still spouted the same high-sounding platitudes typical of rogue cultivators, after all, he was a well-known leader of the Tribulation Cultivators.

Scorpion Lady was fierce and clever, and although she was at a disadvantage, she was now determined to make a bigger scene and attract the attention of the surrounding monsters.

"...If you two fellow Daoists are not going to fight anymore, then listen to what I have to say, and I can also quell the fighting in the city."

Li Jieqing suddenly interrupted at this moment.

As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his hand and took out a jar of spirit rice, which landed on the ground.

The aroma of white corn filled the air, and in the night, the white kernels in the jar were dazzling to the eye.

"The infighting among practitioners isn't entirely due to that cultivation technique. With spirit stones and spirit rice running out, how can we survive without finding a way out?"

"It's truly pathetic that amidst the fighting, some people are even resorting to scavenging for food in Moon Gazing Valley."

Li Jieqing then took out a jar of white corn and placed two jars of spirit rice on either side. This was truly an excellent opportunity to promote the spirit rice.

His face shifted and changed countless times, revealing a powerful aura and magical strength that intimidated those around him.

"I have 100,000 bushels of spirit rice. Since you two can't fight anyway, why don't you come and exchange some spirit rice with me? Taking it back will make your trip worthwhile."

"If you help me promote this for a while, I'll give you a discount."

Li Jieqing had little experience in sales before, but now he forced a businessman's smile onto his wooden, feigned face.

He originally planted some spirit rice, firstly to test the creative power of the second-grade Ruyi Green Lotus, and secondly to wait for the Blood Heart Freedom Secret Record technique to be exposed so that he could find someone to exchange the spirit rice for it.

After all, for cultivators in the marketplace, spirit stones are a necessity for cultivation, and spirit rice can, to some extent, replace spirit stones, so it is also a necessity.

There's an unexpected bonus now.

To cultivate the "Invisible Heavenly Sword," one must extract the mental and spiritual thoughts of many external beings to condense a golden body. The essence blood is rich in the mental and spiritual thoughts of cultivators, which can be used as raw materials for extracting these thoughts.

This business of exchanging rice for blood is definitely worth doing.

"..."

Is this Bloodhand Demon really here to do business?

Faced with Li Jieqing's sales pitch, Wu Quan Toutuo remained silent for a moment, then stared at the Scorpion Lady for a while before leaving without saying a word, clasping his hands in a fist salute.

The mighty Bloodhand Demon is out selling rice; could he be plotting something?

The Five-Cut Monk didn't believe in the so-called 100,000 shi of spirit rice at all. Moreover, he was a dignified Qi Refining Perfection cultivator, not someone who would run out of food right now, and had no interest in buying it for his subordinates at this time.

Wouldn't it be better to just grab someone else's food yourself? You'd be more at ease eating it that way. Why bother buying it at all?

"Alright, I'll take it as true. I'll spread the word about selling this spirit rice another day!" Scorpion Lady noticed the look in Five-Cut Monk's eyes and simply agreed to Li Jieqing's request with a smile.

But her hands moved swiftly, and she led her best friend to safety.

She doesn't buy rice either, and similarly, she doesn't even ask about the price of spirit rice.

In the blink of an eye, the two groups of people disappeared without a trace.

"Human hearts are unpredictable. Both sides are fighting so fiercely, yet they won't even take the readily available spiritual rice?"

"Looks like I'm not really hungry..."

Li Jieqing stood there, lost in thought.

After two months of hard work supervising the planting of yellow worms, the harvested rice doesn't seem to be as popular as expected.

Are you trying to force this old demon to personally extract my essence blood?

Using the Blood-Seeking Technique, Li Jieqing discovered that Wu Quan Toutuo and Scorpion Lady's groups had indeed gone far away, and he curled his lip in displeasure.

Hmph, I refuse to believe that the spirit rice won't sell in the future!

Just from listening to the conversations of these two groups, it was clear that the livelihoods of cultivators in the city were already difficult, and the constant fighting among them was no longer just about that cultivation technique. Spirit stones and spirit rice were necessities; once the cultivators ran out of their own and had no normal source of income, they all started thinking about robbing others.

But this life of living on the edge can't last forever.

After three months of fierce fighting, they should be getting tired of each other by now. Even the most seasoned ascetic, who had practiced the Five Elements for countless lifetimes, was lamenting how difficult life was.

Li Jieqing didn't mind waiting a little longer.

……

The commotion from the fight had startled several moon eels, which then swam over.

They ignored Li Jieqing's presence and, instead, were drawn to the two jars of spirit rice on the ground.

It's clear that the spirit rice is very beneficial to them, and they all rush forward headlong.

"Keep your voices down, this is not for you to eat."

Li Jieqing waved his hand to collect the two jars of spirit rice, then moved away, turning around to completely conceal his aura with his black jade hairpin before disappearing around the corner.

The market fell silent once more.

"Those like the Five-Cut Monk who are usually away have all retreated into the market, and another battle is about to break out... Who exactly has my martial arts technique? They're hiding it way too well!"

"That Scorpion Lady..."

Standing in front of the cave entrance, Li Jieqing pondered before entering, then shook his head and closed the door.

No rush. Since he didn't help Scorpion Lady just now, he won't help Five Quan Monk now either. Let's wait for the two groups to prove themselves and then see the result.

Besides, he is only at the seventh level of Qi Refining now, and he has mastered several Foundation Building techniques. If all else fails, he can always switch to another cultivation path.

The most important thing right now is to cultivate the "Invisible Heavenly Sword".

Jiang Ping'er must have had her reasons for choosing to give up the second-grade Ruyi Green Lotus rather than this strange sword technique.

Behold, when I seclude myself in cultivation and achieve great mastery of my divine skills, I will astound all living beings.

-

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"—Scorpion Lady!"

"Where do you think you're going!"

Amidst the darkness of the wilderness, a streak of light flashed by in the night, and the Five-Cut Monk roared out.

This rebuke was no ordinary sound; it was from a technique he practiced, one that was most capable of stirring the soul and corrupting the mind.

Beside the Five-Cut Monk, Old Fishman, wielding a golden fork, joined forces to pursue the lone, frail figure fleeing ahead.

Scorpion Lady swayed and vomited blood along the way, but she still persevered and did not stop, continuing forward until she finally left the wilderness and entered the ruins of Taipingfang City.

More than a year has passed since the market was destroyed.

Nourished by the spiritual veins of this place, wild grasses and forests grow rampant, gradually burying the remaining traces of the former glory of the cultivators. The blue bricks on the ground, the carved beams in the houses, the resounding drums and bells are all being eroded away by the vegetation.

The Scorpion Lady rushed into the ruins and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

The Five-Cut Monk and the Old Fishman came together and searched around. They startled several Moon-Gazing Eels, but they couldn't find Scorpion Lady.