Chapter 46: Spiritual Tool [Lu Wu Bell]

Taking advantage of this moment, Song Changsheng returned once more to the formation eye. With a wave of his hand, a set of formation flags and a dark yellow copper bell emerged from beneath the ground.

Only after stowing the formation flags away did he have the chance to properly examine the high-grade spiritual tool in his hand that served as the formation eye.

When shrunk, it resembled a bell. Its surface was engraved with an exotic beast—a creature with a human face and tiger claws, resembling a fierce tiger, with nine tails trailing behind it, looking majestic and imposing.

It was precisely the image of the ancient divine beast, "Lu Wu."

"【Lu Wu Bell】, shall you come with me from now on?"

Song Changsheng stroked the copper bell and whispered softly.

A layer of light surfaced on the surface of the 【Lu Wu Bell】, and the engraved "Lu Wu" seemed to come to life, actually emitting a sense of joy.

"It seems you agree. I certainly will not disgrace you." Song Changsheng smiled slightly and placed it into his Universe Bag. The value of a high-grade spiritual tool was in no way inferior to the inheritance of a cave dwelling's master.

However, what puzzled him was that all signs indicated the master of the cave dwelling should have been a sword cultivator proficient in both formations and tools, a fact also proven by the three types of inheritances within the Universe Bag.

Would a sword cultivator's natal spiritual tool be a copper bell? That was clearly impossible; this 【Lu Wu Bell】 was more likely a material used for setting up formations.

So the question was: where was this sword cultivator's natal spiritual sword, or rather... in whose hands had it fallen?

Song Changsheng suddenly thought of that stone chamber he had not entered. His eyes instinctively looked toward Xu Yunhe, who was not far away. Could it have fallen into his hands?

That was a strong possibility.

But in the end, he could only keep this thought to himself. If a spiritual tool stronger than the 【Lu Wu Bell】 truly existed in that stone chamber, it would only prove that he was not destined for it.

While he was lost in thought, Zhu Yiqun walked over, cursing under his breath: "These Blood Demons are unbelievable. I've searched everywhere, and these people's Universe Bags are cleaner than my cooking pot—there's nothing in them except demonic tools. That Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator didn't even have a Universe Bag on him; I don't know if he didn't bring one or if Senior Niu took it."

"Don't tell me you embezzled them all yourself?" Song Changsheng teased with a smile.

"How can you slander my character out of thin air? Am I that kind of person?" Zhu Yiqun's expression immediately became exaggerated as he shouted, making the two of them burst into laughter.

After laughing, Zhu Yiqun tossed a pile of blood-stained demonic tools onto the ground and said, "Thirty-one demonic tools in total. Let's divide them."

"It wouldn't be easy for us to launder these demonic tools," Song Changsheng frowned. Although they were all low-quality first-tier demonic tools, they were still worth a considerable amount of spirit stones.

The crux of the matter was that demonic tools were difficult to dispose of. Song Changsheng still hadn't found a suitable way to deal with the few he had seized last time; if all else failed, he would have to melt them down.

Hearing this, Zhu Yiqun beat his chest loudly and said, "That's a minor issue. I have channels. How about this: if you trust me, hand them over to me to handle, and we'll split the proceeds equally."

"I do trust Fellow Daoist Zhu's character," Xu Yunhe was the first to state his position.

Song Changsheng nodded and said, "That would be for the best. Such a large batch of demonic tools would indeed be difficult for us to manage."

"Don't worry, Old Zhu will handle it perfectly for you," Zhu Yiqun grinned and gathered the demonic tools from the ground.

"These Blood Demons are organized; they couldn't possibly be this impoverished. Their nest must be nearby. It's a pity no survivors were left behind."

Song Changsheng felt some regret. The surrounding area was filled with hills and dense forests; searching for a demonic cultivator's nest that had been intentionally hidden was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

"What is meant to be will be. Our harvest is already great enough," Zhu Yiqun said, taking a more philosophical view.

Song Changsheng nodded in resignation, then a sudden thought flashed through his mind: "By the way, how should we handle the senior's remains? We can't just leave them here, can we?"

"Since we have received the senior's legacy, we must naturally arrange his remains properly to prevent them from being exploited by evil sects. Additionally, the remains and belongings of the fellow cultivators who came with us must also be properly settled."

Zhu Yiqun became uncharacteristically serious. Speaking of the fallen comrades, his eyes even reddened.

"Leave the senior's remains to me," the long-silent Xu Yunhe suddenly spoke.

Song Changsheng and Zhu Yiqun exchanged a glance and finally nodded in agreement.

As Xu Yunhe entered the cave to collect the remains, Zhu Yiqun watched his retreating figure and said with envy, "In this trip, Fellow Daoist Xu is the one with the greatest harvest. Although he lost an arm, sword qi faintly lingers around him, and his sharpness is beginning to show. Once he breaks through to the Foundation Establishment stage, he will likely become a figure whose name shakes the world."

"Everyone has their own destiny. We all had significant gains this time; we should be content."

"True. Hey, is someone else coming?" Zhu Yiqun pointed toward the distant horizon.

Song Changsheng looked out and saw a small black dot gradually enlarging. Upon closer inspection, it was Wang Wanzhou arriving on a flying sword.

Looking at the traces left by the great battle around him, Wang Wanzhou's heart grew heavy. He could sense that two cultivators with strength not inferior to his own had fought here; he had likely arrived a step too late.

His pale eyes scanned the surroundings, and finally, amidst the wreckage, he spotted Song Changsheng's figure. He breathed a sigh of relief and flew his sword to Song Changsheng's side, saying, "This old man arrived a step late. Fortunately, you are unharmed; otherwise, your grandfather would probably have fought his way to my Guardian Mansion."

Song Changsheng hurriedly cupped his hands in greeting: "Great-Uncle, you overstate it. I am already immensely grateful that you could come. I will report this matter to my grandfather and remember your timely assistance."

"Hahaha, don't be so formal. By the way, did you encounter members of the demonic path? I sensed the aura of Blood Demons." Wang Wanzhou looked around with a solemn expression.

Song Changsheng recounted the entire sequence of events, detailing everything from the discoveries in the cave dwelling.

"I see. The saying 'the auspicious are blessed by heaven' is perfectly suited to you all," Wang Wanzhou remarked with emotion.

Song Changsheng pondered for a moment before making a decision to ask: "Great-Uncle, you are a lifelong friend of my grandfather. I wonder if you know if there is some grievance between our family and Sunset City?"

Wang Wanzhou stared at him for a while, finally sighing, "I knew you would ask that. But it is inappropriate for me to tell you this matter. When the opportunity arises, go ask your grandfather yourself."

"This matter is related to Grandfather?" Song Changsheng's brow furrowed slightly. Why had he never heard him mention it?

"Sigh, let's not talk about this. If your business here is finished, then come back to the market with me. The Earth Fire Sect was not behaving well when I arrived," Wang Wanzhou said, looking at the setting sun, showing no intention of saying more.

Song Changsheng looked at Zhu Yiqun and asked, "Brother Zhu, are you coming with me, or...?"

Zhu Yiqun spread his hands: "I've already notified my old man; he's coming to pick me up in a bit. If he doesn't see me, he'll throw a fit. You and this senior go ahead; Yunhe will go with me."

Seeing this, Song Changsheng did not insist. He cupped his hands, leaped onto Wang Wanzhou's flying sword, and began the journey home...

(End of Chapter)