Fame Shakes a Region – Ice Snow Silkworm and Geng Essence

Chapter 769: Fame Shakes a Region – Ice Snow Silkworm and Geng Essence

“Junior Martial Brother! Come with me. I have words for you alone.” The black-robed giant’s face was expressionless as he spoke to the Clouddew Old Demon, not even looking back as he strode toward a side hall.

A flicker of hesitation passed through the Clouddew Old Demon’s eyes. After a moment’s deliberation, he followed in silence, his demeanor betraying a deep wariness of the black-robed giant.

“Fellow Daoists Han and Bai, we can speak openly now. I understand you may wish to see the items before committing to the gamble. Given the danger involved, no one would risk such a venture without sufficient recompense,” Supreme Zenith Yang said as soon as the black-robed giant and the Clouddew Old Demon had departed. He did not lead Han Li and the woman elsewhere but addressed them directly from the main hall.

Wei Wuyai stood nearby, hands clasped behind his back, his expression unreadable as he studied the two.

Before Han Li could respond, the delicate-looking woman’s brow furrowed slightly, and she replied coldly:

“I am a widow traveling alone. Whether Moulan invades Tian Nan or Tian Nan invades Moulan is none of my concern. If you had not sent word that you had that item in your possession, I would never have emerged from seclusion. I will say this plainly: if what you offer does not satisfy me, I will leave immediately.”

Her tone toward Supreme Zenith Yang was utterly unsparing.

“Fellow Daoist Bai, there is no need for such harshness. Though I bear some fault for what happened back then, it was ultimately for your own good,” Supreme Zenith Yang replied calmly, showing no anger.

“Hmph. I will judge what is right and wrong myself. Do not speak of that matter again. Show me the item.” The woman’s face darkened as she let out a cold snort.

Han Li maintained a neutral expression, but inwardly he was surprised.

It seemed there was some history between this woman surnamed Bai and Supreme Zenith Yang. He wondered what old ties existed between them.

Seeing her hostility, Supreme Zenith Yang could only shake his head helplessly. He reached into his storage pouch and produced a white jade box.

The box appeared ordinary at first glance, no different from common white jade. But the instant it appeared, the temperature in the hall plummeted, as if winter had descended without warning. Even Han Li, who was long immune to heat and cold, found it uncomfortable and cast an extra glance at the jade box.

The woman surnamed Bai, however, sensed the icy aura emanating from the box and a flash of excitement crossed her face.

Without another word, Supreme Zenith Yang handed the jade box to her.

She took it, opened the lid, and glanced inside. Even without using his spiritual sense, Han Li could clearly perceive what lay within.

A pair of translucent, crystalline silkworm cocoons, emitting wispy white mist.

Han Li’s brow furrowed slightly.

These cocoons had an unusual appearance—they seemed to be the cocoons of the Ice Snow Silkworm, a creature ranked near the bottom of the Strange Insect List.

This strange insect was not particularly powerful in direct combat, but it possessed other remarkable abilities, making it extremely difficult to find. If the woman required this silkworm for some purpose, agreeing to Supreme Zenith Yang’s gamble in exchange would be understandable.

“Why are they cocoons, not adult silkworms?” To Han Li’s surprise, the woman’s expression soured at the sight.

“Fellow Daoist Bai, these silkworms were discovered in the ice layer a hundred zhang beneath the Frozen Cavern. They are no ordinary Ice Snow Silkworms, but the rarest variant—the ‘Azure King Silkworm.’ Examine them closely with your spiritual sense, and you will detect the anomaly within,” Supreme Zenith Yang said calmly.

“Azure King Silkworm?” The woman’s expression flickered, half in doubt, half in hope. She extended her spiritual sense deep into the cocoons. After a long moment, her expression softened slightly.

“Well? Even in their cocoon state, once they hatch, the larvae should be sufficient for your needs,” Supreme Zenith Yang pressed, watching her.

“I accept the item. I will participate in the gamble.” After a brief moment of hesitation, the woman stored the jade box away.

“Excellent! With your ‘Cloud Snow Art,’ dealing with mere Dharma Warriors should be no challenge,” Supreme Zenith Yang said, relieved, a smile spreading across his face.

The woman remained expressionless. “Farewell,” she said flatly, turning and walking out of the hall with cold indifference.

Supreme Zenith Yang gave a bitter smile and shook his head.

Wei Wuyai, meanwhile, let out a low chuckle but said nothing.

“Fellow Daoist Han, how much Geng Essence do you require? Do you have a specific quantity in mind?” Once the woman had left, Supreme Zenith Yang turned his attention back to Han Li, asking with a smile.

“A great deal. The more, the better. Of course, Geng Essence is valuable. If the two of you can produce it, I am willing to trade something of equivalent value. You will not be at a disadvantage,” Han Li said directly, without hiding his intent.

“Heh! Fellow Daoist Han speaks as if he possesses considerable wealth. But do you know that at our level, very few things can move Brother Wei and me? Otherwise, we three would not have gathered so many of our external possessions for this war,” Supreme Zenith Yang said, a bit surprised, then chuckled.

Han Li smiled but said nothing.

Wei Wuyai, however, let out a sigh and interjected:

“Supreme Zenith Yang, you exaggerate. Fellow Daoist Han escaped from a Moulan Divine Master alive at his early Nascent Soul stage—surely he cannot be compared to ordinary cultivators.”

“Ah, my apologies. Whatever Fellow Daoist Han intends to trade, let us first let you see the Geng Essence. If you possess something that moves us, we would have no objection to trading all of it to you,” Supreme Zenith Yang said casually.

He then took off his storage pouch, turned it upside down, and gave it a gentle shake. A white light rolled out.

Three pale golden stones of varying sizes shot out from the light and were caught by the Daoist, who immediately handed them to Han Li.

Han Li’s heart raced. Without ceremony, he took the stones and examined the objects he had long desired.

Two small and one large—all three were indeed Geng Essence.

The largest was about the size of a walnut, similar to the piece he had seen at the exchange meeting. The two smaller ones were half that size. This amount should be enough to refine into a dozen or so flying swords. But it was still short of what he had in mind. Han Li’s expression remained neutral, but a hint of disappointment flickered in his eyes.

Seeing this, Supreme Zenith Yang was somewhat surprised. Was this amount still insufficient for the man before him? That was strange.

He glanced at Wei Wuyai.

Wei Wuyai had naturally noticed Han Li’s reaction. Meeting Supreme Zenith Yang’s gaze, he calmly flicked his sleeve, revealing a fist-sized chunk of Geng Essence in his hand.

Han Li’s heart leaped with joy at the sight.

Even adding this piece would not be enough for seventy-two flying swords. But with just a little more, he could hope to gather enough for thirty-six. And thirty-six swords, combined with his Split-Image Sword Technique, would barely be enough to deploy a smaller version of the Great Geng Sword Formation.

His heart pounding with excitement, Han Li took the Geng Essence Wei Wuyai tossed to him. He took a deep breath to steady himself before speaking again.

“It seems this is all the Geng Essence you have. Though still insufficient, it is enough for me to agree to the gamble. Please examine what I offer in return and see if it satisfies you.”

Han Li stored the Geng Essence away and produced two jade boxes of different colors, tossing one to Wei Wuyai and the other to Supreme Zenith Yang.

Supreme Zenith Yang caught the box casually, opened the lid, and glanced inside. Wei Wuyai, however, weighed the box in his hand before opening it with an expressionless face.

One box contained numerous bright red, nail-sized scales. The other held a fist-sized, pitch-black tortoise shell.

“What is this?”

“Beast materials?”

Both were somewhat surprised.

Han Li explained:

“Correct. In Fellow Daoist Wei’s hand are scales from an eighth-grade venomous flood dragon. In yours is the shell of an eighth-grade turtle demon. I dare not claim these are heaven-defying treasures, but the materials of such transformed beasts are extremely difficult to find in Tian Nan. They should be more than sufficient to trade for this Geng Essence.”

Han Li’s voice was calm and confident.

Eighth-grade demon beasts were exceptionally rare, even in the Chaotic Star Sea. Even cultivators who frequently ventured to the Outer Star Seas rarely encountered beasts of this level, let alone killed them for materials.

In Tian Nan, high-grade beasts were nearly extinct. Aside from a few large sects that kept such beasts as mountain guardians, no traces of high-level demon beasts had been reported elsewhere.

“Eighth-grade venomous flood dragon scales!” Supreme Zenith Yang managed to maintain his composure despite his surprise. But Wei Wuyai, upon hearing the origin of the scales, exclaimed with undisguised delight.

Han Li hesitated, then remembered that Wei Wuyai cultivated a venom-based technique. The flood dragon was notoriously toxic—perhaps its scales had some special use for him?

As Han Li was pondering, Wei Wuyai eagerly picked up a blood-red scale with two fingers, scrutinizing it with a look of concern and hope.

“Heh! It seems Fellow Daoist Han’s gift suits Brother Wei’s tastes. As for this tortoise shell, I am quite interested as well. If it is truly from an eighth-grade beast, it is no small thing—an ideal material for refining armor or shield-type treasures. It is more than enough to trade for this Geng Essence,” Supreme Zenith Yang said, briefly taken aback by Wei Wuyai’s loss of composure, but the flicker of surprise vanished quickly. He smiled at Han Li, picked up the black shell, and began to examine it unhurriedly.

Though he doubted Han Li would deceive them, the Daoist found it hard to believe that an early Nascent Soul cultivator could produce such high-grade materials. He would need to verify the shell’s authenticity first.

[End of Chapter]