Chapter 67: Exploring the Secret Realm, Foundation Establishment Cultivation Exposed!

After the three-person squad had gone far away, the Silver-Thread Mantis leapt onto the two corpses.

Following Lu Yuan’s instructions, its two serrated forelimbs each hooked up a storage bag, and it hurried toward the stone cave.

The Python-Sparrow Eel drifted leisurely above the Snow Condensing Fruit, its gaze cold as it looked at the cultivators’ corpses on the ground.

Two big-headed strange fish sprang down from the Python-Sparrow Eel’s wings. Their two short little legs, evolved from fins, hopped along as they rushed over with their mouths wide open, full of sharp teeth, looking utterly vicious.

Once they reached the corpses, nothing happened for a long while. The strange fish’s imposing air gradually weakened, and they shook their heads back and forth, no one knew what they were thinking.

Looking at the fairly fresh corpses before them, they suddenly snapped back to their senses. Foul black liquid dripped from the corners of their mouths as they ferociously bit toward the corpses’ arms.

There was a smack.

A thick vine casually swatted the two strange fish aside.

The Blood-Devouring Vine rolled up the two corpses, and its sharp barbs pierced one after another into different parts of the bodies.

The corpses shriveled at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Two souls floated toward the depths of the forest and burrowed into the back of the Ghost-Faced Spider.

The big-headed strange fish that had been swatted aside were unconvinced. They hid behind the Python-Sparrow Eel’s wings and growled in low voices.

The Python-Sparrow Eel floated lazily in midair. Seeing that the powerful backer they had latched onto showed no reaction, the big-headed strange fish finally gave up completely.

After the Blood-Devouring Vine finished enjoying its meal, the two fish carried the two skeletons back onto the Python-Sparrow Eel’s gray-patterned wings, gnawing deep marks into the bones with their sharp teeth.

Inside the cave abode, cultivators entered the core area one after another, and white light orbs appeared one by one in a corner of the stone cave.

Through the size and shade of the light orbs, Lu Yuan roughly distinguished how many there were.

Because of their cultivation and the treasures on them, the three Foundation Establishment cultivators all brought quite good rewards.

Among the remaining Qi Refining cultivators, Ma Mingyuan had broken through in cultivation. Although this was his third time entering the cave abode, and although his reward could not compare to the previous two times, it was still quite outstanding.

What drew Lu Yuan’s attention most was that the highest reward actually came from the little boy who had once taught him Paper-Crafting Art. Whether in the number or the quality of the light orbs, he was clearly more than a cut above the others.

“When it comes to fortune, cultivation and treasures all pale in comparison…”

Both parents dead, deep fortune. This was probably the protagonist template.

Lu Yuan was delighted. After Ma Mingyuan, another sustainable development target had appeared in the cave abode.

And so his divine sense locked tightly onto the little boy who cultivated Paper-Crafting Art, while the dense white mist quietly guided the boy named Little Jie toward the spiritual herbs.

It was not easy to encounter a fine leek seedling. He had to cultivate it properly before he could reap a rich harvest.

One first-rank spiritual herb after another appeared before the little boy.

This could not help but make him feel puzzled.

His parents had once taught him how hard spiritual herbs were to come by. Sometimes, to obtain a single first-rank spiritual herb, a cultivator needed to pay a heavy price, and might even lose their life.

But he seemed to be obtaining these spiritual herbs far too easily.

With his doubts in mind, the little boy harvested them calmly. After all, a single spiritual herb represented at least over a hundred low-grade spirit stones. For him, a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator, this counted as a windfall.

While harvesting spiritual herbs, he also encountered other cultivators.

Some cultivators saw that he was only a child, and that his cultivation was only mid-stage Qi Refining, so malicious thoughts arose in them and they wanted to kill him and seize his treasures.

But the little boy’s combat strength exceeded Lu Yuan’s expectations.

He took several Paper Figures out from a pack behind him.

Under the control of his thoughts, the Paper Figures instantly grew larger. They were either gaudy red and green, or mixed black and white, and waves of cold, sinister aura surged wildly, almost able to freeze blood and spiritual power.

Lu Yuan did not know what material his Paper Figures had been refined from. They looked like thin sheets, yet they were extremely tough and sharp.

When a cultivator accidentally touched one, cracks appeared across his body. Then bloody marks bulged out, and a curtain of blood poured down like a waterfall.

“Tsk, tsk. Look at him.”

As Lu Yuan watched the little boy control the Paper Figures and kill all the cultivators who had ambushed him as easily as chopping melons and vegetables, he lectured the masked Little Paper Man beside him.

“You’re both Paper Figures. How come other people’s are so tough and unbending? And you? Soft and limp. Your body gets pierced through so casually.”

He used someone else’s Paper Figures to criticize his own.

The Little Paper Man’s head bent slightly, as if it were listening obediently. But its thin belly puffed out, and the black leaves that rose and fell showed that its mood was not as calm as it appeared on the surface.

“Still, you do have one good point. You’re much better-looking than those gaudy Paper Figures of his. You take after me in terms of looks.”

Lu Yuan gave it a stick and then a piece of candy, soothing the wronged Little Paper Man with his divine sense.

Inside the cave abode, the Foundation Establishment cultivator disguised as a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator advanced smoothly.

Along the way, he occasionally encountered Qi Refining cultivators. Seeing that his cultivation was low, they attacked him.

In the end, they all left quite peacefully.

He was worried that making too much noise would draw the attention of certain unknown existences within the cave abode, so when he dealt with them, he also prioritized being quick and nimble.

Little did he know that Lu Yuan had long since been paying attention to his every move.

Although several Illusory Yin Eye avatars had been destroyed by him alone, divine sense was mysterious and unpredictable, making it difficult to detect. From time to time, it would gather around him.

In the core area, many cultivators gathered from every direction around the Sword Bone Ground, but because of the dense fog concealing them, they rarely discovered the presence of others.

Among them was the Foundation Establishment cultivator who had hidden his cultivation.

With a thought from Lu Yuan, the white mist shrouding the Sword-Nurturing Gourd instantly dispersed, revealing the crisscrossing emerald-green vines within.

On the vines, five ancient, simple dark-green gourds were scattered about. Wisps of invisible sword qi seeped out from within the gourds, dazzling the eye.

“Third-rank Sword-Nurturing Gourds!”

“I didn’t expect them to be right here!”

“There are actually five of them, and they’ve already entered their mature phase!”

Cries of shock rose and fell among the cultivators.

Aside from the few cultivators who had obtained paper slips by chance, most of the others knew that this secret realm contained third-rank Sword-Nurturing Gourds, as well as a mysterious Paper Figure.

They had not expected the rare and precious Sword-Nurturing Gourds to be placed naked before everyone with not the slightest guard up.

The hearts of the cultivators present instantly burned with desire, but they were wary and suspicious of one another. None of them wanted to be the first to step forward.

After all, there were so many cultivators, but only five Sword-Nurturing Gourds. They could not be divided equally.

Moreover, perhaps one’s own fortune was deep enough to monopolize all five Sword-Nurturing Gourds?

The first person to try to seize the Sword-Nurturing Gourds would inevitably suffer concentrated attacks from the others. Everyone wanted to hold something back, wait until the others fought each other to the death, and then reap the benefits like a fisherman.

Although the Foundation Establishment cultivator’s cultivation was a full major realm higher than most of those present, he still made no movement at all.

After all, there were quite a few high-level Qi Refining cultivators, as well as two other Foundation Establishment cultivators. His odds would be better if he made his move at the very end.

Just as he was thinking this, the gourd vines suddenly shook, and a Sword-Nurturing Gourd rolled right to his feet.

This was like lighting a powder keg. Countless spells and talismans instinctively attacked the Foundation Establishment cultivator.

“Fuck!”

He could not help cursing. Green light surged all over his body, and an emerald wooden cage completely enveloped him, blocking all the attacks.

His Foundation Establishment cultivation could no longer be hidden!

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