Immortal Venerable of the Beast Race
Chapter 340 - 252 Cautious Shen Long (No More Today)_1

Chapter 340: 252 Cautious Shen Long (No More Today)_1

Half an incense stick’s time later, the Gold-Winged Windroc landed outside a small mountain valley enveloped in a mist, and Shen Long jumped down.

With a flap of its wings, the Gold-Winged Windroc soared into the sky, returning to its nest.

Shen Long took out a square command token, infused mana into it, and a blue light shot out, disappearing into the valley. The mist churned and dissipated completely.

Shen Long walked in and could see the Spirit Infant Fruit tree.

"Within a cycle of sixty years, the Spirit Infant Fruit should be ripe."

Shen Long muttered to himself, his face showing delight.

Counting the Taixuan Jade Lotus seeds, he had two types of Nascent Soul Spiritual Objects in his possession, but regrettably, he was still stuck at a bottleneck.

He walked out, activated the protective formation, left the Spirt Control Tower, and departed from Qingzhu Pavilion to stroll on the street.

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he arrived at a vast Azure Stone Plaza where he could see many stalls with a wide variety of items on display.

"Eh, Taoist Friend Shen, what a coincidence!"

A man’s voice rang out.

Shen Long turned his head and saw Lu Xin waving at him.

"Taoist Friend Lu, it’s you!"

Shen Long nodded and walked towards Lu Xin.

Lu Xin was manning a stall that displayed numerous Monster Beast materials.

"Taoist Friend Shen, feel free to pick anything you like."

Lu Xin generously said.

Shen Long glanced over and shook his head, saying, "There’s nothing of interest to me. By the way, Taoist Friend Lu, do you have any low-level Ghost Creatures? A Foundation Establishment Stage Ghost Creature would be best."

"Ghost Creature?"

Lu Xin was slightly startled and shook his head. He had an idea and offered, "I know a cultivator who might have Foundation Establishment Stage Ghost Creatures. I’ll contact him for you."

He took out a golden Law Disk and input a spell, making a series of gestures.

"It seems he’s busy and not responding. How about this? Taoist Friend Shen, leave me a way to contact you, and I’ll notify you immediately when I have news."

Lu Xin suggested.

Shen Long nodded in agreement, left his contact information, chatted casually for a moment, and then took his leave.

He purchased some Spiritual Medicine and returned to Qingzhu Pavilion.

Shen Long walked into the Alchemy Room, sat cross-legged, and lit a piece of Tranquility Incense in the incense burner.

Half an incense stick’s time later, he took out the Scarlet Crow Cauldron and the Alchemy Materials.

Shen Long opened his mouth and exhaled a tri-colored flame onto the bottom of the Scarlet Crow Cauldron, quickly raising the room’s temperature.

He tossed the materials into the Alchemy Furnace and covered it with the cauldron’s lid.

Before long, the Spiritual Medicine melted into a pool of liquid, gathering together.

Under the control of his Divine Sense, the liquid split into several groups, slowly solidifying under high temperatures, and a faint scent of elixir wafted out from the cauldron.

······

In a secluded courtyard with green roof tiles, Lu Xin and Xu Tong were sitting in a stone pavilion, engaged in conversation.

"What? Shen Long is in Red Fire Valley? Are you sure?"

Xu Tong exclaimed in surprise.

"I saw it with my own eyes, how can it be false? Elder Wu has offered a hefty reward for capturing him. If we can eliminate him, perhaps we won’t have to go to that accursed place."

Lu Xin said excitedly.

"Just the two of us won’t be able to take him down, right? His strength is out of the ordinary."

Xu Tong said with a frown.

"Of course, just us won’t be enough. You inform Taoist Friend Wu and tell them of Shen Long’s whereabouts, set up a trap, I will lure him over. He doesn’t know we work for the Witch Clan. As long as he enters the ambush, he won’t be able to escape even if he had wings."

Lu Xin suggested.

"Alright, that’s settled then. You keep them in check, and I’ll hurry back as soon as possible."

Xu Tong agreed and stood up to leave.

······

Seven days passed by swiftly.

Qingzhu Pavilion, the great door to the Alchemy Room opened, and Shen Long stepped out.

He had concocted several furnaces of Elixirs, yet Lu Xin had not contacted him.

He took out a red Messaging Plate, infused a spell into it, and said, "Taoist Friend Lu, have you not yet contacted your friend?"

"He might have gone out. I’ve been trying to contact him, but the Messaging Plate shows no response. Why don’t you wait a few more days? He might return by then."

Lu Xin said.

"Never mind that, I have other matters to attend to. I won’t stay here any longer."

Shen Long said.

"Wait, Taoist Friend Shen, I have a very important matter I’d like to discuss with you. Is it convenient for you? I could come over to your place to talk."

Lu Xin’s voice became grave.

"A very important matter? Alright then! I’m staying at Qingzhu Pavilion, come over!"

Shen Long said.

"Good, I’ll be right there."

Lu Xin agreed.

Shen Long put away the Messaging Plate, his face bearing a thoughtful expression.

In less than half an hour, a Sound Transmission Talisman flew in. Shen Long opened the door and saw Lu Xin and Xu Tong standing at the entrance.

"Eh, Taoist Friend Xu, are you also in the marketplace?"

Shen Long was slightly startled and invited them in, then closed the door.

"Taoist Friend Shen, have you heard of Qingchan True Monarch?"

Lu Xin said.

"I’ve heard of him. He is a Nascent Soul Cultivator who has not shown himself for hundreds of years. What about him?"

Shen Long asked doubtfully.

"We have discovered his Zouhua Cave, but the cave is protected by a Little Vajra Formation, which requires immense strength to break through the restrictions. We are unable to break it and would like to ask for your help, Taoist Friend Shen. Once successful, you can choose any one item first, and we’ll split the rest equally. What do you say?"

Lu Xin said.

"Qingchan True Monarch’s Zouhua Cave! The Little Vajra Formation!"

Shen Long was somewhat tempted. After a moment of contemplation, he asked, "Why are you asking for my help instead of someone else?"

"To be honest with you, I was planning to invite a friend of mine, the one that might be involved with a Ghost Creature. However, I have not been able to get in touch with him and am unaware of his whereabouts. The noise we made while breaking the restrictions was quite loud, and some high-level Cultivators passing by might have discovered the place. That’s why we are urgently seeking your help," Lu Xin explained.

"I have an important matter to take care of, I am sorry, but I cannot help. You should find someone else!"

Shen Long refused.

The Zouhua Cave of a Nascent Soul Cultivator would naturally be enticing, but Lu Xin and Xu Tong knew a lot about Shen Long, including his background in the Spirt Control Sect and his ability to refine high-quality Elixirs with his strong physique.

On the other hand, Shen Long was unclear about Lu Xin and Xu Tong’s situations, knowing only their names. Setting aside the truth of their words, even if there were no problems with the Zouhua Cave, there was always the risk of fighting over the treasures; they could be plotting against Shen Long.

It should be noted that Shen Long met Lu Xin seven days ago. In that time, Lu Xin could have made ample preparations—who knows if Lu Xin might have prepared secret talismans specifically against those with Body Cultivation in those seven days.

Out of caution, Shen Long still refused.

"Taoist Friend Shen, this is Qingchan True Monarch’s Zouhua Cave we are talking about; it could contain Spiritual Objects necessary for forming a Nascent Soul. How about this? Once we break the restrictions, you get to pick two items, except for the Spiritual Objects for forming a Nascent Soul. You can take forty percent of the remaining treasures, and we each would take thirty percent," Lu Xin said.

"Thank you for your kind offer, Taoist Friend Lu, but my decision is final. Please invite someone else!"

Shen Long was unyielding and rejected Lu Xin again.

"Alright then! Since Taoist Friend Shen is not interested, let’s leave it at that. But let me say this plainly: don’t follow us, or else don’t blame us for being unkind."

Lu Xin spoke somberly.

"Rest assured, Messrs. Taoists, I most certainly will not follow you," Shen Long made a gesture of seeing them off.

"That’s for the best. We take our leave now."

After saying that, Lu Xin and Xu Tong left.

Shen Long slapped the white Spirit Beast bag on his waist, letting the Pursuing Spirit Beast memorize their Divine Sense fluctuations.

He closed the door and released the Green-Eyed Spirit Fox, whose nose gently sniffed the air, committing Lu Xin and Xu Tong’s scents to memory.