Chapter 450: The grand gathering of the Witchcraft Holy Land! (Please subscribe, please vote)

The Witchcraft Holy Land was not the kind of reclusive sect hidden from the world that ordinary people imagined; it was more like a place of inheritance established by the gathering of powerhouses within a tribe, with its core area hidden on a peak surrounded by mountains.

On the surrounding mountains, from top to bottom extending to the mountainside, were two-story wooden buildings built side by side. On each peak, a rough count would show no less than a thousand.

On the streets at the foot of the mountain, wooden tables were pieced together side by side, looking like a long dragon that couldn't be seen to the end. Old and young, dressed in ethnic costumes, sat opposite each other at the tables, chatting, their faces filled with happy smiles.

As soon as Li Chen's group of three arrived here, their 'outsider' clothing looked particularly eye-catching even on the crowded street.

"They are eating... bugs? Can this thing be eaten?" Daoist Yang Ci followed behind Li Chen, catching a glimpse of a child at a long table not far away stuffing a deep-fried scorpion larger than his arm into his mouth, and couldn't help but swallow a mouthful of saliva.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhu also fixed her eyes on the long table, only to see that every plate on the long table contained bugs.

Bee pupae, cicada pupae, grasshoppers, scorpions, centipedes—countless varieties of bugs, most of which Zhu Zhu hadn't even seen before.

Especially the enjoyment on the faces of the old and young as they stuffed them into their mouths gave Zhu Zhu, as a woman, a layer of goosebumps.

Li Chen's face was calm, but he didn't feel any discomfort in his heart, just feeling a bit surprised.

Tian Ce Empire is vast, and every region has its own characteristic dietary culture. Even in many regions of the Tian Ce Empire, there are dietary habits of eating bee pupae, grasshoppers, and other bugs. They are all bugs; it's just that the villagers near the Witchcraft Holy Land put more bugs on the table.

As a region where witchcraft cultivation is rampant, discovering more edible bugs—what's the big deal about that?

"Is this elder just arriving at the Witchcraft Holy Land? Why not come in and have a taste? I guarantee you'll like it too." A middle-aged woman who was eating stopped what she was doing and looked over with a face full of kindness.

People here are very hospitable. If someone from out of town comes, they treat them with good wine and meat. They take out things they wouldn't even bear to eat themselves to find guests, making guests feel at home.

But the problem is, the things they eat are things people from other places haven't come into contact with, so it's a bit hard to swallow.

Daoist Yang Ci had just said it uncontrollably. Hearing the woman's words, he subconsciously glanced at Li Chen and didn't dare to answer for a while.

As Li Chen's subordinate, he was now in the 'assessment' stage, so he naturally had to have the duty a subordinate should have. He had already spoken out of turn just now, so how could he dare to make a decision to respond now?

"Yes, it is indeed our first time here." Li Chen smiled and nodded, feeling a bit curious about the scene where every household sat at the long table.

The middle-aged woman smiled and explained: "Today is our Li tribe's insect feast, for the sake of sacrificing to those ancestors who used witchcraft to open up a living space for our Li tribe, so every household moves long tables out of their homes to eat together."

"You came at the right time. There will be a bonfire party special to the Li tribe tonight, which is very lively."

At this point, the woman slapped her forehead, as if remembering something, and continued: "I see you are dressed extraordinarily; you must be here to do business in our Witchcraft Holy Land, right? You probably won't see the Holy Master today, but the Holy Maiden will participate in today's Hundred Insect Feast. You can see her if you keep going along the long table."

The Witchcraft Holy Land was actually very exclusive in the past, and it was only in recent years that it gradually began to trade with merchants of the Tian Ce Dynasty, but it was limited to a few merchants recognized by the Holy Master.

Actually, to tell the truth, only a few merchants saw the business opportunity and were willing to bring these specialties out to sell in exchange for certain benefits.

Most merchant associations felt that these things looked scary, so how could they be eaten? Therefore, they didn't invest.

The Witchcraft Holy Land is like other major cultivation sects; for example, the Yu Xu Immortal Mansion, whose special business is selling talismans, and other sects sell elixirs.

Because people in major forces also need to eat, and cultivation materials also need to be purchased, so there is contact with the outside world.

The Holy Master of the Witchcraft Holy Land was also an old and conservative person, feeling that self-sufficiency was quite good. But he was also an ambitious person who wanted to expand the influence of his own force.

Let cultivators who cultivate with witchcraft become a type of orthodox cultivation method.

Therefore, contact with the outside world was inevitable, and even more contact was needed.

And one of the successors of the Witchcraft Holy Land, Ma Hei, also had a certain official position in the imperial court.

Although he was only a deputy general under Xu Xu Zifeng, he still had some position, and the local officials still gave him face.

This also made the Holy Master of the Witchcraft Holy Land feel that an official career might be a good path.

Not only here in the Witchcraft Holy Land, but quite a few witchcraft cultivators entered the military camp this year, exerting the characteristics of bugs and having special abilities in reconnaissance.

Moreover, witchcraft can allow people with average strength and average talent to obtain a certain improvement.

Some high-ranking generals in the Ministry of War were considering whether to purchase some witchcraft bugs, such as brute force bugs, copper skin bugs, and the like, so that soldiers could significantly improve their combat effectiveness.

But some generals also felt, would this thing have side effects?

Borrowing external force might bring short-term improvement, but if the side effects are great, the loss outweighs the gain.

What the Holy Master needs to do next is to improve the witchcraft bugs as much as possible to minimize side effects.

Speaking of no side effects, that is definitely impossible. Except for a few rare witchcraft bugs, most have side effects.

Only by reducing side effects as much as possible will witchcraft bugs develop.

Moreover, the lifespan problem of witchcraft bugs, the feeding problem—if ordinary people don't learn professionally, they really won't know.

Of course, this problem was inadvertently solved by Li Chen later, but now no one knows there is such a flashy operation.

Since Li Chen had arrived at the Witchcraft Holy Land, he asked this woman if she knew where the Yin-Yang Bug was.

He just asked casually, and don't say, this woman really didn't know.

The woman said that she was just an ordinary person. Bugs have high protein, and eating them is good for the body. Usually, they can't catch so many bugs to eat, and today they caught up with the festival, so they had them to eat.

As for things like the Yin-Yang Bug, she estimated that only witchcraft masters would know. The woman thought for a moment and said: "If you want to know, why not ask the Holy Maiden? She should know about the Yin-Yang Bug."

The so-called Holy Maiden is the daughter of the Holy Master of the Witchcraft Holy Land. She is very young and very knowledgeable about the market. Contacting those merchants is all done by the Holy Maiden.

For ordinary people, the Holy Maiden is a high and lofty existence, but she also has things she needs to do. How to develop the Witchcraft Holy Land is her responsibility.

And she appeared at the Hundred Insect Feast today.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 451 =====