Immortal Venerable of the Beast Race
Chapter 88 - 88 72 Day Drop Mission_1

88: 72 Day Drop Mission_1 88: 72 Day Drop Mission_1 Free Trade Valley, streets bustling with pedestrians, the valley aglow with light.

A man in blue with unremarkable features strolled the streets, looking around as he went.

This man in blue was Shen Long.

After leaving Qingzhu Peak, he did not immediately return to Green Cloud Peak but went to the Free Trade Valley to see if Li Xin would follow him.

Shen Long wandered the streets for a while and found nothing unusual, so he entered a tea house, requested a private room, and ordered a pot of Spiritual Tea.

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Shen Long changed his appearance and walked out of the private room.

He took another turn around the Free Trade Valley and, finding no followers, he left the valley.

Shen Long arrived at the Scripture Pavilion, spent half an hour browsing through the scriptures, and after confirming that no one was trailing him, he left.

Back at his residence, he quickly stepped into a secret chamber and entered the Spirt Control Tower.

Shen Long extracted the insect egg and placed it in the Spirit Control Pool.

He approached a figure that greatly resembled a golden cicada, placed his hands above it, and poured in his mana.

The eyes of the demon insect lit up, and Shen Long’s face quickly paled.

He retracted his palms and hurried towards the Spirit Control Pool.

A golden cicada lay in the Spirit Control Pool, its head covered in numerous tiny eyes.

“Success!”

Shen Long breathed a sigh of relief; he had indeed been worried about failing to hatch it, as five hundred Spirit Stones were a significant sum for him.

He was excited; the Hundred Eyes Cicada ranked relatively high.

A Golden Core Cultivator in the Spirt Control Sect once raised a third-ranked Hundred Eyes Cicada, which played a considerable role in treasure hunting and breaking barriers.

Shen Long had no intention of raising the Hundred Eyes Cicada, as he already had quite a burden with his collection of spirit beasts and spirit insects, not to mention the significant expense of purchasing Spirit Feeding Pills alone.

The reward of a bottle of Spirit Feeding Pills from the junior competition had only ten pills, and they were long used up.

Since he joined the Spirit Control Sect, Shen Long’s greatest expense had been buying Spirit Feeding Pills, which was not only the case for him but also for other Qi Refining Cultivators.

Without these pills, the progression of spirit beasts and spirit insects would not be so swift.

He intended to sell the Hundred Eyes Cicada in exchange for a sum of Spirit Stones.

In his early years, Shen Long had sold an early-stage, first-ranked Snow Winged Ice Centipede.

Back then, he lacked experience and sold it cheaply; in commerce, there’s always deception at play.

Now, his awareness was far beyond what it had been before.

This Hundred Eyes Cicada could definitely fetch a high price, although it could not be sold for the time being.

Li Xin had just sold the insect egg, and if someone began selling a Hundred Eyes Cicada shortly after, it would be hard not to arouse suspicion.

He planned to sell the Hundred Eyes Cicada after some time had passed, to be more prudent.

This Hundred Eyes Cicada was quite weak, and Shen Long still hoped to sell it for a good price, so he boiled some Silver Marrow Spirit Rice and fed it to the cicada before leaving the Spirit Control Tower.

He sat cross-legged on a blue stone bed, beginning his cultivation practices.

······

On a steep mountain peak, at the base stood a blue stone monument over twenty-zhang high, carved with the three large characters “Shadow Peak”—the location of the Spirt Control Sect’s Information Hall.

At the summit, a resplendent golden palace sat.

The plaque above read “Shadow Palace.”

A man in gold, whose face was as fair as jade, sat upon the main seat, his aura vast as the sea, clearly a Core Formation Cultivator.

In his hand, he held a thick book, which he was flipping through.

A blue-garbed woman in her forties stood nearby, her expression one of respectful deference.

“Let’s choose seven individuals from this batch of new disciples; pick the remaining three from sect-born disciples.

Their strength must not be too weak, and those who are too conspicuous are unsuitable.

The disciples we sent to Zhao Country last time were almost completely wiped out and collected no valuable intelligence.

I hope this time will be better,” the gold-robed man instructed.

His name was Li Hua, a Core Formation early-stage Cultivator and the deputy head of the Information Hall.

“Yes, Master Uncle Li,” the blue-garbed woman agreed respectfully.

Her name was Chen Qingqing, a Foundation Establishment middle-stage Cultivator, an executor in the Information Hall.

Li Hua waved his hand, signaling Chen Qingqing to withdraw.

······

A month swiftly passed by.

One day at noon, Shen Long was dining in the Spiritual Meal Pavilion, with Qian Dafu sitting beside him.

Qin Shan came over and said, “Junior Brother Shen, Master Uncle Liu requests your presence.”

Shen Long was momentarily startled, then quickly agreed and followed Qin Shan.

“Senior Brother Qin, what does Master Uncle Liu want to see me about?” Shen Long asked.

“I’m not sure, but it’s probably nothing bad,” Qin Shan replied, truly unaware of the matter.

Upon reaching the entrance to Green Cloud Palace, Qin Shan announced, “Master Uncle Liu, Junior Brother Shen is here.”

“Shen Long, come inside.

Qin Shan, you may leave,” Liu Xian’s voice rang out.

Shen Long hurried inside and, seeing Liu Xian seated at the main seat, bowed deeply and said, “Disciple pays respects to Master Uncle Liu.”

“Come with me.

Someone wants to meet you,” Liu Xian said, heading down a bluestone corridor.

Shen Long quickly followed, and soon they arrived at a practice room at the end of the corridor, its large doors open.

Shen Long was naturally not unfamiliar with the room—it was where he had cultivated last time.

Following Liu Xian inside, he saw a blue-garbed woman in her early forties, her aura significantly stronger than Liu Xian’s.

“This is Senior Sister Chen from the Information Hall, Shen Long.

She has something to discuss with you.

Take your time, remember, the content of your conversation is to be kept secret.

Don’t tell anyone, including me,” said Liu Xian then turned and walked away.

“Disciple Shen Long pays respects to Master Aunt Chen,” Shen Long bowed and greeted, his expression anxious; he did not know why a Foundation Establishment Cultivator from the Information Hall was looking for him.

“Shen Shizhu, I’ve looked into your background.

You were born in Qianzhu Valley, worked in Soldier Hall for several years, and then earned a living by hunting Monster Beasts, right?”