Chapter 163: Big Shot

"In this old man's view, the disappearance of the Foundation Establishment cultivators might be related to the black snake's escape?"

Chunyangzi was truly an old fox who had lived for nearly ten thousand years; listening to Zhang Nuo's account, he immediately guessed the crux of the matter.

"Senior, why do you say that?"

Compared to Chunyangzi, Zhang Nuo's insight was still somewhat lacking; no matter how he thought about it, he would never have linked a large black snake to the disappearance of so many Foundation Establishment cultivators.

"I have heard of a secret technique that uses the flesh and blood of thousands of young male Foundation Establishment cultivators to rebuild a physical body, but this method is far too cruel and is despised by most cultivators!"

Zhang Nuo's eyebrows twitched slightly; it was the first time he had heard of such a secret technique. Just at this moment, a wicked laugh from Chunyangzi came from within the Sword Box.

"I say, kid Zhang, you are still a virgin, aren't you! I think this is too dangerous; why not find that ghost girl, and then... ah! Hehe!"

Zhang Nuo naturally knew who the 'ghost girl' Chunyangzi was referring to. He shook his head and gave a helpless, bitter smile. This Chunyangzi had not a shred of the demeanor of a senior expert; at times, he was just like an old lecher!

"Senior, since one can use thousands of cultivators to rebuild a physical body, why don't you use this method?"

Ignoring Chunyangzi's crazy talk, Zhang Nuo asked seriously.

"Pah! Although one can rebuild a physical body using this method, it would still be a mortal body; how could it compare to my Pure Yang Body? Besides, the Pure Yang Divine Art I practice is too rigid and fierce; even if I practiced with an ordinary body, I would eventually explode and die."

"So that's how it is!"

Zhang Nuo nodded blankly. Although he didn't quite understand the nuances, he could grasp the general meaning.

"It seems that whoever is able to use this secret technique to rebuild their body must be a big shot! Kid Zhang, I feel you had better reach the Foundation Establishment Late Stage quickly. Especially after opening the Third Divine Sea, even if you are hunted by Golden Core cultivators, running away won't be a problem!"

Zhang Nuo understood Chunyangzi's meaning well, but breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage was not something that could be accomplished just by talking. Moreover, Zhang Nuo's breakthrough was different from others; he needed to use the opportunity of the breakthrough to open the Third Divine Sea, which made the difficulty even greater.

"Senior! Why don't we prepare all the materials for the 'Nine-Turn Heaven-Returning Pill' first, then find a way to find an alchemist to refine the pill? As long as I have the pill, I can cultivate with peace of mind!"

"En! That is true! However, of the remaining three items, besides the Demon Core which can be bought with Spirit Stones, the other two materials are somewhat difficult; they are things that can be met by chance but not sought! Even if you have Spirit Stones in hand, you might not be able to buy them!"

Knowing that what Zhang Nuo said made sense, Chunyangzi was still worried about the materials. Currently, the 'Butian Wood' and 'Three Blood Spirit Stone' were still missing for the 'Nine-Turn Heaven-Returning Pill'. Just these two items alone would likely consume a great deal of energy.

"Go to the trading market! Didn't you attend the Tianbao Pavilion auction at the Tianjiang Trade Fair before? That was only a temporary auction site; going to their headquarters should yield some collections!"

Chunyangzi's reaction was quick; he immediately thought of the Tianbao Pavilion trading market!

"Going is fine, but what about the Spirit Stones?"

Zhang Nuo wore a bitter expression, his gaze flickering slightly. Currently, he had almost no Spirit Stones on him. If he were to ask Zhuge Qing to borrow more, he would rather die! A man has his pride, and as a dignified seven-foot man, he could not bring himself to keep borrowing Spirit Stones from a girl.

"These Spirit Stones are indeed a problem. If you keep asking the Nanxuan Sect for them, it will surely arouse suspicion. How about this! You wait a while; if the 'Mysterious Heaven Gold-Devouring Insect' can wake from its slumber, we won't have to worry about Spirit Stones!"

Although the problem Chunyangzi and Zhang Nuo were thinking about was the same—Spirit Stones—their starting points were completely different. Zhang Nuo was only doing it for the sake of face, while Chunyangzi was doing it out of safety concerns. After all, there was still a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator within the Nanxuan Sect; if they aroused the other party's suspicion, it would be troublesome.

Do not be fooled by how Nanxuan Laozu kept saying how good he was to Zhang Nuo; in the face of Zhang Nuo's many secrets, he might not be able to resist the temptation of profit.

"Wait for it to wake up! When will that be?"

Zhang Nuo's expression froze. He immediately took the Spirit Beast Bag from his bosom and tilted it into his hand. A golden beetle the size of a fist rolled into his palm. It was exactly the 'Mysterious Heaven Gold-Devouring Insect' that had been in a state of slumber!

The insect was still fast asleep, but compared to before, its weight was significantly lighter.

"Little guy, wake up quickly! I'm waiting for you to save the day!"

He kept poking the Spirit Insect's head with his finger, but the Spirit Insect had no reaction at all and remained fast asleep. Zhang Nuo had no choice but to put the insect back into the Spirit Beast Bag.

"It looks like waiting another year should be about right! You should go into seclusion for a year first, refine your body with the Red Glow Fire to a new realm, and then we will think of a way to break through to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage together!"

After pondering for a moment, Chunyangzi formulated a plan for Zhang Nuo. Aside from this path, Zhang Nuo could not think of a better way. He nodded in agreement, moved his body to the courtyard, called out Bai Xiu and Xun Zhen, gave them a few instructions, and only then returned to his room to begin a year-long seclusion!

At the same time, Han Liang in the Tianji Sect also entered seclusion using the Demon Core he had obtained from the two-headed snake. The cultivation process for a Body Refining Cultivator was much more difficult than for a Dharma Cultivator, but Han Liang was a natural genius at body refining. Now, with the help of such a Demon Core, he was confident that he would raise his cultivation to a new realm within a year.

As for the other two major sects on the Tianjiang Plain, the Beixuan Sect and the Corpse Refining Sect, they remained extremely quiet. Apart from Nangong Ao, who was struggling to break through to the Golden Core stage, the others basically made no moves.

At this moment, Gu Yu was inside a trading market. After paying the Spirit Stones, he took a stalk of Spiritual Medicine from the counter. This was already the eighteenth type of Spiritual Medicine he had purchased.

During these days, Gu Yu had been traveling through the various regions around the Tianjiang Plain, buying medicinal herbs from different trading markets. Watching the materials being gathered bit by bit, a long-lost smile finally appeared in his small eyes.

One day, Gu Yu was sitting alone in a forest resting. He reached into his Storage Bag and took out an exquisite small Jade Box. The box was not large, but it radiated waves of cold air throughout.

Looking at the Jade Box in his hand, a strange light flashed in Gu Yu's eyes. When his fingers gently opened the box, a burst of Golden Light erupted from within, and at the same time, waves of powerful Spirit Power fluctuations rapidly spread in all directions.

Inside the Jade Box, there sat a golden round pill! The Spirit Power fluctuations just now were coming from that round pill.

At this moment, if a high-level cultivator were here, they would recognize at a glance that this was a Golden Core, something only a Golden Core cultivator would possess! A Golden Core would take up most of a cultivator's time; once the Golden Core left the body, the cultivator would die, and the Golden Core would also dissolve! But the Golden Core in Gu Yu's hand still existed perfectly within the Jade Box, as if it had just been formed.

"Rest assured, Senior Brother! I will make good use of this Golden Core of yours!"

The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, and a sinister smile appeared on Gu Yu's face. So, the Golden Core that Tie Lin had formed was here with him! Then what had happened in the trial grounds?

It seemed that the guesses of Zhuge Qing and the others were correct; Tie Lin's accidental death must have had something to do with Gu Yu!

Putting away the Golden Core, Gu Yu stood up, stared blankly at the distant sky for a long time, and then moved his body, flying toward the next trading market.

In the blink of an eye, nearly a year had passed. The Tianjiang Plain remained as quiet as ever. Everything the Nanxuan Sect had done before seemed superfluous; there was no news of any Demon Sect cultivators coming to attack.

However, Zhuge An did not dare to be careless and continued to arrange everything within the sect. Zhuge Qing was not idle either; she often found opportunities to visit the ancestor, ostensibly to pay her respects, but in reality, she was looking for opportunities to have the ancestor provide guidance for her cultivation.

Nanxuan Laozu was also very fond of this young girl; she had high natural talent and understood everything with a single hint. Talking to such a person felt very relaxed.

This day, just as Zhang Nuo finished his cultivation and wanted to have a good rest, the Spirit Beast Bag in his bosom suddenly moved. This delighted him greatly. He hurriedly took out the Spirit Beast Bag and opened it, only to see the Spirit Insect inside move its limbs and then lazily crawl out.

"Little guy, you're finally awake! You've kept me waiting so bitterly during this time!"

Saying this, Zhang Nuo placed the Spirit Insect on his palm. It shook its head lightly, its pair of eyes still filled with hazy sleepiness.

After only a moment, the 'Mysterious Heaven Gold-Devouring Insect's' eyes lit up, its carapace lifted slightly, and the wings on its back fluttered, causing it to rush into mid-air. At the same time, a dazzling Golden Light began to erupt from its body!

Seeing all this, Zhang Nuo understood in his heart that the Spirit Insect was about to start producing Mysterious Crystal Stones. Only this time, he was somewhat expectant: would the evolved Spirit Insect produce Black Profound Crystal Stones?

The Spirit Insect, wrapped in Golden Light, emitted an extremely low buzzing sound, and then a large amount of white light began to gather at its tail.

Zhang Nuo's heart was in his throat at this moment. He was very expectant that the Spirit Insect could produce Black Profound Crystal Stones, so that the 'Nine Dragon Sword Case' would be further repaired and its power would greatly increase.

However, the time it took for the Spirit Insect to produce the crystal stone this time was very long, not as fast as the previous two times. Zhang Nuo waited for nearly half an hour before he noticed that the Spirit Power light at the Spirit Insect's tail began to fade.

His pupils shrank suddenly, and Zhang Nuo focused all his attention behind the 'Mysterious Heaven Gold-Devouring Insect'. He saw the white Spirit Power light twisting and tangling at its tail, as if it were being absorbed inward by something.

At the same time, the Spirit Insect's mouth buzzed incessantly, and its pair of mandibles kept clashing 'clack-clack' against each other. The rhythmic clashing sound seemed to be counting time!