SWNOVELXO Chapter 333 - 50 Generous Profit-Sharing, Heart-to-Heart Interaction
Chapter 333: Chapter 50 Generous Profit-Sharing, Heart-to-Heart Interaction
“Truly astonishing.”
Wen Yang surveyed the surrounding furnishings and laughed,
“Beneath Long Mountain, a thousand-zhang gorge, the White Bone Divine Palace, and to think it was constructed on such a grand scale reveals just how prosperous and powerful the Nether Ghost Path was during Lady Shi Ji’s era.”
“Nine Demon Kings, seventy-two Fire Crows, five hundred Asuras…” Jiang Liyan also sighed, “If the Nether Ghost Path could retain but a fraction of its former glory today, why would we fear not rivaling the Kunlun Taiqing Sect?”
Wei Dongliu spoke slowly,
“You only know one side of the story, not the other. Even in that era, ancient Kunlun also had three thousand Nascent Soul Cultivators.”
“The Kunlun Mountain Range, in all directions, north, south, east, and west, contained two hundred sects both big and small; amongst them were powerful forces like the Divine Flame Path, yet they were cut down as easily as one would chop a melon or slice a vegetable by the cultivators of ancient Kunlun.”
“If it were not so, how could the vast Kunlun Mountain Range be entirely occupied by the Taiqing Sect today?”
Both were rendered speechless, their hearts churning like a torrential river.
The term “ancient Kunlun” appeared infrequently even in the texts of the Nether Corpse and Heavenly Demon Paths, not to mention such a precise number as “three thousand cultivators.”
Those who understood it so clearly were either cultivators from Kunlun’s side (after all, it was their ancestral history) or…
…elders who survived from the Ancient Era.
Wei Dongliu, as if unaware of what the two were thinking, simply savored the delightful rise in his Synchronization Value of a mysterious persona and then continued walking forward.
Leftward lay the Ghost Sect’s quarters;
Rightward lay the Nether Corpse Sect’s quarters.
Last time, the Flying Asura had taken Qiu Changtian and Xu Yinglian to the left.
This time, he intended to lead them to the right.
“Wei Dongliu.” Just as he was about to step forward, Jiang Liyan suddenly called out from behind.
“What is it?” Wei Dongliu paused and looked back.
“…Nothing.” Jiang Liyan inexplicably backtracked.
She initially wanted to say something along the lines of “age cannot impede us,” but when the words reached her lips, they suddenly wouldn’t come out.
Because she suddenly realized that she had never truly understood this “Fellow Wei.”
Even towards the red-haired, double-pupiled Wei Demon Lord, her interest had been nothing more than a whim.
Seeing that Jiang the Witch had fallen silent, Wei Dongliu was indifferent and continued walking forward.
Passing through the main hall and arriving at the back temple, he saw numerous coffins scattered like mountains, mercury and sulfur flowing backwards like rivers. It seemed as though a grand formation was laid out, but in reality, there was no formation at all, just a haphazard accumulation.
“Corpse refining chamber.” Wen Yang said gravely, touching a protruding coffin, “This… is made of Phoenix-Imprisoning Wood. You can’t find this wood anymore. Only in the Hundred Thousand Mountains of the Southern Border, shrouded in miasma, might there still be some.”
“See if there is anything useful,” Wei Dongliu said indifferently, “Take anything that is useful.”
“Alright.” So Wen Yang hopped onto a coffin, scavenging around, agile as a cat.
Jiang the Witch, having nothing else to do, approached to ask,
“Fellow Wei, when will you activate that… uh, that very impressive Demon Lord Dharma Body of yours?”
“Only in times of trouble will I transform into the Dharma Body.” Wei Dongliu looked at her with a hint of a smile, “Are you eager for trouble to arise?”
“Ah, no, no, no!” Jiang the Witch shook her head hastily, “I am just…”
She spoke disjointedly, soon hanging her head dejectedly, unable to continue.
Wei Dongliu was not unaware of her fanciful thoughts, but as a mysterious grandee, he did not care for matters of romantic interest and thus turned his head away indifferently.
Wen Yang alighted from the pile of coffins and laid out three items on the ground, saying,
“These are the only three worth taking.”
He introduced them one by one from left to right,
“This piece of wood on the left is Phoenix-Imprisoning Wood, exceedingly suitable for crafting sealing-type Magic Artifacts. Whether it’s the Five Elements or Yin Yang Dual Qi, it is difficult for them to penetrate Phoenix-Imprisoning Wood.”
“Isn’t Phoenix-Imprisoning Wood an attribute of wood?” Jiang Liyan asked curiously, “If confronted with metal or elements of fire, can it still resist corrosion?”
“Of course,” Wen Yang said, “Back then, the Nether Ghost Path used a secret technique to process the Phoenix-Imprisoning Wood… Pity it’s already been lost.”
“The green pearl in the middle is called the Corpse Preserving Pearl. As long as it’s placed under the tongue in the mouth, the physical body won’t decay.”
“This item is used to seal and nourish corpses, but the method of refinement is also lost. Therefore, now our Sect can only replace it by injecting a large amount of mercury into the bodies.”
“How disgusting!” Jiang the Witch immediately expressed disdain upon thinking of the pearl being stuffed into a corpse’s mouth.
“This pearl, of course, has never been used before.” Realizing what she implied, Wen Yang quickly explained.
“The item on the far right is the Hiltless Locust Wood Sword. I’m not sure what it’s for, but I thought I’d bring it for you to see.”
“Hm?” Wei Dongliu looked closely and it indeed was the Hiltless Locust Wood Sword.
But this sword… Wasn’t it supposed to be hanging in the treasure room of the Ghost Sect next door?
It was then Wei Dongliu suddenly realized.
As a Flying Asura and a Nether Corpse, it makes sense that his magical treasures would be stored with the Nether Corpse Sect.
As for why, from Qiu Changtian’s point of view, the sword seemed to hang in that treasure room—of course, it was because…
Wei Dongliu sighed, reached for the Hiltless Locust Wood Sword, and said:
“I’ll take this one, the rest you can divide among yourselves.”
Jiang Liyan and Wen Yang first paused, then were pleased.
They were surprised—that what was this Hiltless Locust Wood Sword exactly, to make Wei Dongliu pick it without hesitation?
Considering his frequent inquiries about the Flying Asura, could this sword possibly be the key magical treasure to control the Flying Asura?
Their pleasure stemmed from the fact that Wei Dongliu, surprisingly, did not want to hog all the spoils but was willing to share with them!
If it were some other Demon Path Cultivator, they would have used their deeper cultivation to claim everything for themselves long ago.
Wen Yang did offer information support, so he chose the Phoenix-Imprisoning Wood without much fuss.
Jiang the Witch had contributed nothing to the expedition and felt unusually embarrassed to take anything. But then she thought, if Wei the Demon Lord is giving me something, what is there to be embarrassed about?
“Wei friend,” she then said earnestly, “I accept your kindness and will repay it in the future.”
In other words, she had nothing to exchange at the moment and could only count it as a favor owed.
Wei Dongliu was somewhat surprised, because his willingness to share was not out of a desire to seek Jiang the Witch’s favor, but because he completely disdained the other two worthless items—his standards were, after all, incredibly high.
But Wei Dongliu’s character was not created to become stronger, but to gather information about the Hell Path… a purpose he had not forgotten.
Forming good relations with Jiang Liyan and Wen Yang, or even indebting them to him, was naturally also a way of expanding his network.
So he nonchalantly waved his hand and said:
“Such trivial items are hardly worth mentioning.”
This carefree and unruly approach, compared to the habitual penny-pinching style of most Demon Path Cultivators today, was indeed like night and day.
Seeing this, Jiang the Witch and Wen Yang once again had their suspicions about the “old monster” reaffirmed, lending more credibility to their earlier conjectures.
Lost in thought, Wen Yang’s expression grew distant. After a moment of contemplation, he suddenly adopted a sincerely inquisitive posture and earnestly said:
“Wei Qian… Wei friend, I too accept this kindness. However, I have a question. If it’s not a bother, could you enlighten me?”
“What’s the question?” a languid Wei Dongliu asked.
“It’s about…” Wen Yang hesitated, glancing at Jiang Liyan beside him.
He and Jiang Liyan were well-acquainted, but he had not shared some of the deepest secrets about himself with her.
Yet, after his cover was blown by the creature in the Mirror Lake Divine Palace, Wen Yang felt if Jiang the Witch delved deeper, she would likely guess most of it.
Rather than not be forthcoming, he thought it better to speak openly about it here, to deepen the connection and bond.
Having made up his mind, Wen Yang let out a deep sigh and asked:
“My question is, if a man… has been subjected to a secret technique from the womb, his soul extracted and placed into his sister’s body…”
“…then does he truly count as a man? Or is he a woman?”