Chapter 168: Giant Ao Tattoo

Although the meat that burst out was given to La Tiao, the corpse that remained in place cannot be.

This is of great use to Chen Shicheng! The skill Compress Earth to an Inch is something he must obtain; if one Lingling cannot be made to burst out, he'll kill several more, even if it means exterminating the clan, he will not hesitate.

However, he had just arrived and had no idea where the Lingling's habitat was; he could only carry the corpse to go ask the Huoyao Bu people, after all, their ancestors lived here, so they must know something about these.

Chen Shicheng also wasn't in the mood to hastily spur the Gardenia to grow; he simply carried the Lingling's corpse and ran back to the Huoyao Bu.

On the way, he happened to encounter a patrolling squad; he directly stopped these people, threw the corpse on the ground and asked, 'May I ask where this strange beast lives, and does it exist in a clan?'

'Where did you encounter the Lingling?'

The captain of the patrol team, looking at the corpse still retaining residual warmth, frowned and asked.

？

A question mark floated through Chen Shicheng's mind.

This person's expression is off; could it be that this Lingling is raised by the Huoyao Bu, and I've committed some taboo by killing their pet?

'It's right by the nearby lake; could it be that you're raising it?' Chen Shicheng asked embarrassedly.

The captain shook his head, 'Not raised by us; rather, they are our enemies.'

He looked at the curious Chen Shicheng, patiently explained, and then Chen Shicheng understood why the captain would call the Lingling an enemy.

In the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, humans and demons coexist; some rely on each other and advance together, while others engage in deadly combat.

As one of the strongest strongholds in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, the Huoyao Bu, with the aid of their totem, the Fire Crow, basically has no match, but this is not absolute.

Several dozen li north of the stronghold, there is a large mountain where a grass called Zhuyu grows; its shape resembles chives, its flowers are greenish, eating it staves off hunger, and for the stronghold that struggles to cultivate the mountain, it is an indispensable resource.

However, just a few dozen years ago, a group of Lingling that migrated from somewhere unknown suddenly occupied that mountain; the Huoyao Bu wanted to drive them out, but due to the Lingling's uncanny ability to appear and disappear, they suffered heavy losses, and finally reluctantly abandoned the Zhuyu grass on that mountain.

They thought this would keep things peaceful, but who knew these Lingling would push forward, even aiming at the Fusang branches, continually invading the Huoyao Bu's territory to steal Fusang leaves.

Don't think the Fusang leaves are useless; as a divine tree that bears no fruit, its leaves contain all its essence, especially the center of the nest-shaped branches, where the leaves burn year-round with true solar fire.

After being refined, these leaves can cleanse the body and increase the Jing attribute; they are the Huoyao Bu's guarantee that has continued to this day.

The treasure being coveted, the Huoyao Bu certainly cannot just give up, but the Lingling's Compress Earth to an Inch makes defense impossible; they can only watch helplessly as the leaves dwindle.

Helplessly, the former chief of the Huoyao Bu even spent a great deal of money to purchase a formation with Fusang branches as the eye, covering a thirty-li radius around the stronghold; any hostile demon beast entering would inevitably be detected by the patrol team.

But according to Chen Shicheng's earlier account, Lingling traces were actually found by the lake a dozen li from the stronghold, yet they had detected nothing—this is no small matter.

Hearing this, Chen Shicheng's heart stirred.

He still needed the Huoyao Bu's help to gather news of the Grey Immortal Clan; the ten catties of Tai Sui Blood is a mission requirement, and even if there is a favor after the tattoo, it basically evens out.

So even if the Huoyao Bu perfunctorily goes through the motions and ultimately tells him they have no news of the Grey Immortal Clan, he cannot complain.

But what if he helps them with a big favor? Moreover, besides this, the skill on the Lingling's body is also something he cannot pass up; it's perfect to take care of both at once—truly a case of killing two birds with one stone.

No!

It should be three birds with one arrow! Chen Shicheng suddenly realized, the Lingling and the Huoyao Bu are mortal enemies; now the Lingling clearly came with malice, yet silently passed through the formation without being detected.

How could there not be a story behind this? Perhaps a hidden quest could be uncovered. Just as he was still thinking, the captain knew this matter was major and not something he could handle alone; he hurriedly ordered one person in the team to return and report, while he himself led the remaining people to prepare to go to the lakeside to investigate.

Watching the departing patrol team, Chen Shicheng did not follow, after all, the tattooing matter is currently the most important.

He carried dozens of catties of Gardenia fruit back to the Huoyao Bu, handed them to the tattoo granny, earned her praise, and promised he would wholeheartedly strive to give him a perfect tattoo.

Chen Shicheng naturally accepted this gladly.

Thereafter, according to Chen Shicheng's description, the tattoo granny drew with a brush on his back a pattern of a giant Ao howling to the heavens.

After completion, Chen Shicheng looked at himself in the bronze mirror, feeling extremely satisfied; although there were no dragons or phoenixes that looked good, it still exuded a domineering aura.

After repeatedly confirming there were no issues with his appearance, the tattoo granny began using the prepared dye to start tattooing according to the design.

Even though the tattoo granny's skill is superb, because it is a novel design, the process took a long time.

A full six hours passed, and the outside sky had darkened; only then did the weary tattoo granny finish the giant Ao's eyes.

And as the eye-dotting concluded, the giant Ao on Chen Shicheng's back, as if coming to life, shook its head and roared at the sky.

The tattoo granny heard no sound, but in Chen Shicheng's mind a roar resounded, causing him a momentary lapse of consciousness.

At the same time, a permanent BUFF appeared on the attribute panel.

【Giant Ao Tattoo: A tattoo made primarily with Ao Blood grants a certain degree of Giant Ao attribute, Jing +5, all damage taken -10%.

Indeed an ancient exotic beast! Even though it has lost most of its vitality, it still can increase Chen Shicheng's attribute by 5 points and reduce damage by 10%.

Moreover, make it clear, it's all damage! 'Awesome!'

Chen Shicheng moved his still slightly sore back, once again sincerely thanked the tattoo granny, then put on his clothes and set off for the lake.

Now that the tattoo issue is settled, next we must secure the Lingling's skill!

Half an hour later, Chen Shicheng appeared by the lake; the calm lake surface reflected the cold moonlight, illuminating the surroundings brightly, so even at night he could clearly see the environment.

However, after searching the vicinity for half a day, he found no clues, but instead discovered many footprints of the patrol team.

What a pity, these people are extremely unprofessional, lacking any concept of protecting the scene; they turned the battlefield of Chen Shicheng and the Lingling into a mess, so even if there were clues, they have now vanished.

(End of chapter)