Longevity, starting from being a chicken raising servant

A tremor ran through Wang Ba’s heart and he swiftly pocketed it.

Then he quickly turned his attention to the injuries of the Wu Monkey King.

What set his mind somewhat at ease was that although all the flesh and blood from one whole arm had been scraped clean, the Wu Monkey King was not in mortal danger.

However, for some unknown reason, the Wu Monkey King looked extremely fatigued, barely able to keep his eyes open.

“Was it because of turning into a giant Ape earlier?”

Wang Ba quickly thought about this possibility.

It’s not possible to amplify one’s fighting prowess without paying a corresponding price, right?

Surely, a large amount of spiritual power must have been consumed.

However, the earlier transformation of the Wu Monkey King also left Wang Ba quite baffled.

After all, the Wu Monkey King had never shown such an ability, and he had never heard of a Mountain Moving Ape capable of transformation.

“Is this transformation a spell? I’ve never heard of it…”

After quickly recalling the records from the Beast Room, Wang Ba came up empty-handed.

He could only keep it in mind and look for the opportunity to understand more about it later.

He quickly applied healing medicine to the Wu Monkey King and fed it some spirit fruits, then carefully returned it to the Spirit Beast Bag.

This time, if he had survived, it was all thanks to the Wu Monkey King.

His attention then turned to the Black-feathered Chicken, Bing 1.

Bing 1’s transformation astonished Wang Ba immensely.

Originally, it had a five-coloured mixed black body, but after eating the Class III Yin Ghost, the black on its body seemed to be paler, faintly giving the impression of shifting towards the five colours.

It somewhat resembled the mother lineage Phoenix-feathered Chicken.

Of course, in terms of looks, there was no comparison.

What really caught Wang Ba’s attention was the fact that Bing 1’s aura was now startlingly that of a Class II top grade.

This time, Wang Ba didn’t need to guess. Bing 1’s transformation was surely due to its consumption of the Class III Yin Ghost.

“But… how is Bing 1 still alive?”

Wang Ba furrowed his brows as he felt Bing 1’s body.

The surging life force from it left him in a state of surprise yet puzzlement.

This was not because he wanted Bing 1 to die, but because he had previously used a lower-grade Class II soul seed and implanted it in the lower-grade Class II Bing 1.

According to the Withered Soul method, after a soul seed was implanted in Bing 1, it could advance to the middle grade of Class II. However, after a period of time, Bing 1’s vitality would fade.

The duration varied depending on the quality and quantity of the soul seed used. Based on Wang Ba’s understanding, Bing 1 should only have had a short lifespan left, around the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

While he had been engaged in battle with Zheng Yuanhua, the period was not necessarily that long, but there should have been noticeable signs of Bing 1’s diminishing life force by now.

But Bing 1, to the contrary, was full of vitality, and by the looks of it, Bing 1 could still live a good two to three hundred years.

“Strange… is it because Bing 1 really advanced after eating the Class III Yin Ghost, or did the Yin Ghost itself supplement the lethal flaw in the Withered Soul method?”

“I should record this, and research it later on.”

Wang Ba considered quickly as he put away Bing 1. At the same time, he rapidly reviewed the process of the battle he’d just fought.

Truth be told, it was quite perilous!

It was so thrilling that even now when he thought about it, he could still feel his legs going weak.

From beginning to end, he had already lost three spirit turtles that he used as SCapeGoats!

Especially at the beginning when Zheng Yuanhua launched the Class III Yin Ghost, he was caught off guard.

After that, when he was up against Zheng Yuanhua, he did react, but he had no means to defend himself.

There are few soul attack methods available for a Qi Refining Cultivator, and even fewer methods available to defend against soul attacks.

They are all basically magic tools, talismans, and so on.

But the effect is also very general, it might be okay for an average Incense-burning Dao Cultivator, but it’s next to useless against a strong person like Zheng Yuanhua.

The only reason he survived was that Shen Fu had controlled Zheng Yuanhua’s Class III magic tool from the beginning, and the Black-feathered chicken’s unexpected suppression of the Yin Ghost, had resulted in Zheng Yuanhua being severely restrained, unable to display his true strength.

Otherwise, Wang Ba thought, even if there were ten of him, he would probably not be a match for Zheng Yuanhua alone.

The gap was simply too big.

That’s why, as soon as Wang Ba noticed the enemy was severely injured, he didn’t hesitate and stopped pretending to be dead. Instead, he rose to his feet to stop the enemy from escaping.

Of course, the reason why he had to pretend to be dead earlier was that his mana was almost exhausted and he had no choice.

Such a powerful enemy, once allowed to escape, would surely bring endless trouble.

Instead of waiting for the enemy to discover his own methods and recoup, then come back to cause trouble for him, it was better to strike a deadly blow now.

The only pity was that the opponent had a deep foundation and managed to slip away despite his efforts.

“But, it’s not as if there were no gains at all.”

Remembering the storage ring on the arm that the Wu Monkey King had torn off, Wang Ba couldn’t help but feel a sense of anticipation.

At this moment, Wang Ba sensed something and immediately looked towards a nearby area.

He saw the Fisherman and Shen Fu approaching swiftly.

Seeing the alert look in Wang Ba’s eyes, the Fisherman instinctively slowed down, stopping at a safe distance away.

With a pale and haggard face, Shen Fu didn’t slow down but instead sped up, rushing to Wang Ba’s side. He was overjoyed but did not know how to start talking.

“Brother, are you okay?”

When he saw Wang Ba fall earlier, he really thought Wang Ba was dead.

That’s why, regardless of the consequences, he directly used the Class II top-grade short sword that required a significant amount of blood and Yuan Qi to use.

Unfortunately, it was smacked away by a single strike from Zheng Yuanhua and didn’t succeed.

Wang Ba had been pretending to be dead but he had eyes on everything happening around him. He naturally understood Shen Fu’s concern and gave him a pat with a chuckle.

“I’m fine, couldn’t be better!”

That was the absolute truth. He might have looked a sight for sore eyes, but basically, Zheng Yuanhua was busy dealing with the Wu Monkey King and the black-feathered chicken most of the time. All he had to do was cast a few spells, and command.

Despite several scares, he didn’t suffer much injury.

Wang Ba turned to the Fisherman, while secretly transmitting a message to Shen Fu, asking about him, at the same time.

Shen Fu didn’t hesitate to reveal all the information he had about the Fisherman.

Meanwhile, the Fisherman flashed a smile and politely bowed, saying:

“My friend, your strength is indeed extraordinary, even Zheng Yuanhua fell at your hands. I’m extremely impressed. Our Qianyu Lake has suffered long under the Incense-burning Dao Cult, but due to their power, we dared not speak up. You, however, managed to vent our frustrations!”

In between the lines, there was no longer the disregard for Wang Ba seen previously.

At these words, Wang Ba quickly forced out a smile while feeling a bit guilty inside.

After all, Zheng Yuanhua’s defeat seemed unjust in Wang Ba’s view.

However, he replied,

“You overpraise me, Brother Wu. If it weren’t for your presence that intimidated him, even if I wanted to win, I would have put in more effort.”

The two continued to flatter each other.

Wu Buping finally couldn’t hold back and said, “My friend, let’s get to the point. Now that you’ve defeated Zheng Yuanhua, his Class III Magic Tool should naturally be your spoils of war… What do you plan to do with it?”

“Class III Magic Tool?”

Wang Ba suddenly realized.

Clearly, the other party had been rambling for a long time just for this Magic Tool.

The reason he hadn’t tried to snatch it directly was probably due to his relationship with Shen Fu, and perhaps also because Wang Ba was backed by the Tianmen Cult. Even though Wu Buping, a rogue cultivator, stood behind a Golden Core master, he was still very cautious.

At this thought, Wang Ba couldn’t help but feel some irony.

Even though he tried everything to get rid of the Tianmen Cult, at times, it turned out to be his support.

“This is what they mean by blessings and curses tend to coexist…”

Wang Ba seemed to have a vague understanding.

He quickly communicated with Shen Fu.

After pondering for a moment, his words made Wu Buping exceedingly joyful.

“I understand what you mean. I can give you this Class III Magic Tool, but…”

The fisherman immediately said earnestly, “Tell me your conditions. I will do my utmost to fulfill them!”

A Class III Magic Tool could not only enhance his combative capabilities but also serve as his life-preserving item, which could help him in Core Formation in the future.

Unfortunately, it’s not difficult for a rogue cultivator to acquire a Class II Magic Tool, but obtaining a Class III Magic Tool is completely reliant on luck.

Even the Golden Core master behind him didn’t have any extra to give him.

“My conditions are rather simple.”

Wang Ba extended his finger, stating directly,

“Two conditions. First, you’ll accompany us back to the Tianmen Cult’s base. Don’t worry, we can part ways once we leave the Incense-burning Dao Cult’s territory.”

The fisherman deliberated for a bit before nodding,

“Alright, with Zheng Yuanhua injured and Li Canghai being cautious, there’s not much to fear. What’s your second condition?”

“The second is that I’ve heard you have a piece of ‘Meteor Flame Iron’. Can you give it to me?”

“Meteor Flame Iron?”

The fisherman was taken aback, but then he looked at Shen Fu.

Shen Fu, though pale, remained calm.

The fisherman knew instantly what was happening and laughed bitterly, “It seems Brother Shen has entirely betrayed me.”

“Well, this ‘Meteor Flame Iron’ is indeed a Class III spirit material, but exchanging it for a Class III Magic Tool is a bargain for me.”

They both made an Internal Demon Oath right away.

Once the conditions were met, the trade would be completed.

“However, I’m afraid you’ll need to wait for me for a while.”

The fisherman suddenly said in frustration.

Wang Ba looked puzzled, but when he saw the water level of the lake rise dramatically in the distance, and the waves surge towards the bank, he instantly understood.

After agreeing on a time, the fisherman flew back to the middle of Qianyu Lake to manage the water.

Meanwhile, Wang Ba and Shen Fu settled on a nearby mountain.

Although many cultivators converged in Qianyu Lake, adhering to the principle ‘a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall’, out of caution, Wang Ba was unwilling to enter it hastily, even though Shen Fu had some local influence.

The reason he was willing to trade the Class III Magic Tool to Wu Buping, besides the fact that the Incense-Burning Dao Magic Tool wasn’t suitable for him, was that he could faintly sense that someone was also peering into the lake.

If he rejected Wu Buping’s trade request, rogue cultivators might turn on him.

On one hand, there was the Class III Magic Tool he didn’t need; on the other hand, there were the potentially hostile rogue cultivators from Qianyu Lake, as well as the ‘Gold Fire’ Attribute Class III spirit materials he had been coveting for a long time. The choice was clear without further consideration.

As for why he wanted Wu Buping to accompany him back to the East Saint base, it was naturally for safety reasons, to prevent Wu Buping from attacking him after the trade’s completion.

This was Shen Fu’s suggestion.

Inded, there were decent people among the rogue cultivators.

However, a cultivator who had grown to Wu Buping’s level could switch between being good and bad.

He definitely wouldn’t remain unswayed by interests because someone had graced him.

In short, it is part of a cultivator’s self-discipline not to test people’s limits with profits.

Wang Ba agreed with Shen Fu’s words.

“It seems that you have gone through a lot.”

Wang Ba couldn’t help but sigh.

“Haha, I’m talking about others. That doesn’t include my senior brother.”

Shen Fu said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Wang Ba slightly nodded.

Some people value gain, while others regard it as nothing.

The pursuit of life is different, so naturally, attitudes towards the same thing will be different.

After thinking for a while, he took out the Storage Ring that belonged to Zheng Yuanhua and handed it over to Shen Fu.

“Do you know anyone who can open this?”

Wang Ba did not hold out much hope.

He had attempted to open it several times, but to no avail.

After all, the owner of the Storage Ring was still alive, and the strength of his soul was far greater than Wang Ba’s.

However, just leaving it unused made him feel reluctant, so he asked out of the blue.

Maybe Shen Fu, who had been overseas for several years, might know some extraordinary people.

To his surprise, upon taking a look, Shen Fu immediately said casually,

“Leave it to me.”