Chapter 237: Taking Stock of the Harvest

Regarding why the Spirit Hidden Sect cultivators suffered such heavy losses this time, all sorts of speculations suddenly spread throughout the Taiyuehu market. Some said they encountered a formidable third-tier demonic beast and suffered the consequences due to underestimating the enemy; others claimed they were besieged by disciples of the Star Sect and the Xiaoyao Sect after snatching a precious high-tier spiritual item; even more outrageous rumors claimed they encountered a non-existent spatial rift within the secret realm.

As for the truth of the matter, apart from the involved parties from the major sects, no one else in the Taiyuehu market knew the real reason, except for Song Qingming.

After parting ways with her upon exiting the inner valley that day, although Song Qingming did not witness what happened afterward with his own eyes, from the fragments of these rumors, he could somewhat guess the reason for the Spirit Hidden Sect's heavy losses. It was highly likely because they had set their sights on Fire Phoenix.

Of course, this was merely a guess in Song Qingming's mind. In reality, he did not know what happened afterward. He couldn't even confirm if Fire Phoenix had managed to escape the Spirit Hidden Sect's hands and successfully walk out of the secret realm.

Naturally, it wasn't that he had no way to contact Fire Phoenix. When she gave him the five-colored feather, she had instructed him on how to use it to initiate contact. However, without any reason or pressing matter, Song Qingming truly did not dare to use it casually.

Upon hearing the rumors about the Spirit Hidden Sect, a thought even crossed Song Qingming's mind for a moment: if Fire Phoenix had truly died in the secret realm this time, it would actually be a good thing. At the very least, he would never have to worry about being coerced by her again.

But as soon as he recalled Fire Phoenix's cold gaze, Song Qingming quickly shook his head, casting this thought from his mind. This trip to the Taiyue Secret Realm had actually been quite decent on her part; not only did she not use him as cannon fodder, but she also gave him many good things, which could be considered not treating him unfairly.

It was just a pity that she was of the demon race. As a human cultivator, Song Qingming could never view her as a backer. Otherwise, if he could find such a powerful thigh to hug among human cultivators, Song Qingming and the entire Song family would likely wake up laughing in their dreams.

Half a month later, Song Qingming followed a few members of the Huang family and hurried back to Qinghe County. Although they were still a group of four, they were much more cautious along the way compared to when they left. Fortunately, they returned safely to their respective territories without any accidents.

When Patriarch Song Changfeng and the others saw Song Qingming, whom they had been longing for, finally return safely, they all revealed long-lost smiles. The hearts they had been holding in their throats for the past few months were finally set at ease. As the only Foundation Establishment cultivator in the clan, Song Qingming's safety was tied to the future fate of the entire Song family at every moment; they couldn't help but be worried.

Especially since the Song family had already experienced a situation a few years ago where Song Qingming suddenly went missing. That time, the Song family was almost targeted by other cultivation families, becoming fish on a chopping block, waiting to be slaughtered.

The Song family had now become a Foundation Establishment family, and the status of the clan's cultivators in Qinghe County had undergone a earth-shaking change compared to over a decade ago. Having experienced this, none of the Song family cultivators wanted to return to being a tiny Qi Refining family that had to look at others' faces everywhere.

When they heard that Song Qingming was going to explore the secret realm with the Huang family, Song Changfeng and the others had once spoken up to advise Song Qingming not to take the risk.

Although this trip to the secret realm was not Song Qingming's original intention, his prestige in the Song family was growing higher and higher. It was now very difficult for the opinions of elders, including Song Changfeng, to influence the decisions of this Supreme Elder.

As elders, Song Qingming still showed them respect on the surface. After all, with different cultivation bases, there was a significant difference in their vision for viewing things; many of the ideas held by these people were relatively conservative.

Once a cultivator's cultivation realm improves, many things that Qi Refining cultivators deem important are, in the eyes of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, very likely just trivial matters.

Having stayed with the Huang family members for so many days, Song Qingming had not dared to reveal even a hint of what he had obtained in the secret realm. Only now, back in his own cave dwelling, did Song Qingming have the opportunity to take out all his gains from this trip and properly take stock of them.

When acting with the Huang family members, although he had been allocated a few spiritual herbs, compared to what he later obtained in the inner valley, these could only be considered a drop in the bucket.

After he and Fire Phoenix entered the inner valley, although the higher-grade spiritual items all ended up in her hands, Song Qingming, relying on his "take-all" attitude, still managed to pick quite a few spiritual items within the limited time.

There were over a hundred first-tier spiritual items alone, and over thirty spiritual herbs and fruits of the second tier or higher, plus a dozen types of spiritual fruits that were relatively rare in the market. Combined, these items could be exchanged for tens of thousands of spirit stones in the market.

There were his own, and two others whose contents were clearly not his; they must have come from other lone cultivators he had intercepted and killed.

In these few storage bags, besides a pile of magic tools and over a dozen spiritual herbs, Song Qingming also found over two thousand spirit stones, which did not disappoint him.

Besides these items, the two best spiritual items Song Qingming obtained on this secret realm trip were the second-tier top-quality copper bell obtained from the Taiyue Hall and the Earth Spirit Dew that Fire Phoenix finally gave him.

The former was a second-tier top-quality defensive magic tool, which was the best second-tier magic tool Song Qingming had seen so far. With it, Song Qingming finally filled the gap of not having a suitable defensive magic tool.

As for the Earth Spirit Dew, to be honest, its value to Song Qingming was no less than the former, and it was the spiritual item he was most satisfied with from this secret realm trip.

Having cultivated for so many years, because his spiritual root aptitude was too ordinary, Song Qingming's cultivation speed had never been very fast. That he was able to successfully reach Foundation Establishment before the age of fifty was entirely the result of forcibly stacking various elixirs.

Although elixirs, as acquired refined spiritual items, can greatly accelerate one's cultivation speed, taking too many will also produce elixir toxins and increase the cultivator's drug resistance. After reaching Foundation Establishment, Song Qingming had deeply felt this and slowly controlled the amount of elixirs he took.

But the Earth Spirit Dew, an innate, naturally occurring spiritual item, is different. Taking it will not leave such hidden dangers in one's body, and the cultivation improvement will be more solid than taking elixirs.

However, such innate spiritual items cannot be used infinitely. A cultivator can only refine one bottle of Earth Spirit Dew in a lifetime; any more will have no effect. Otherwise, when Song Qingming learned that Fire Phoenix had Earth Spirit Dew, even if it meant exhausting his family fortune, he would have found a way to trade for a few more bottles from her.

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 238 =====