Amidst towering mountains, two figures, one black and one white, streaked across the sky.
The black-robed cultivator was only at the Foundation Establishment stage, but he rode on the back of a great fish, moving at incredible speed, managing to keep pace with the white-robed Golden Core cultivator.
The black-robed cultivator was originally quite handsome, not particularly ugly, but compared to the radiant white-robed cultivator beside him, his appearance was simply unappealing.
The gaze of any observer would be drawn to Zhu Yu.
At this moment, one could only sigh, "If Yu is born, why must Liang also be born?"
"Zhu Yu, I have something to discuss with you!"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yu flicked his sleeve, displaying an expression of disdain.
"How dare you be so presumptuous! Did True Person Guangling not teach you about respecting seniority? To shout at your uncle in front of others, what kind of conduct is this!"
Zhu Yu's cultivation was currently a step above Xiao Fei's, and he reveled in the feeling. Throughout their journey together, he had consistently acted as the elder, using his superior cultivation to assert dominance.
"Calling you Uncle in front of others is giving you some face. I give you an inch, and you take a mile? Don't push your luck.
Do you want to fight me here for five hundred rounds to settle this?"
Xiao Fei had tolerated Zhu Yu's posturing in the sect, in front of everyone, by yielding and compromising whenever possible.
But out here in the wilderness, he had no intention of indulging him further.
Zhu Yu had only recently advanced to the Golden Core stage, and without fighting to the death, his combat power was limited. He possessed a horde of zombies and a swarm of Iron Fire Ants, and he believed he could hold his own against Zhu Yu for hundreds of rounds.
If he backed down now, he would be at Zhu Yu's mercy whenever they traveled together in the future.
Therefore, the hierarchy, who was above and who was below, had to be established now.
"For me, a dignified Golden Core cultivator, to fight with a mere Foundation Establishment junior like you would be beneath my dignity."
Zhu Yu flicked his large sleeve and continued flying forward.
Xiao Fei's strength displayed during his last battle with the evil cultivator was evident to all. If Xiao Fei unleashed all his techniques, Zhu Yu would have no chance of winning unless he used his ultimate killing move.
However, he was unwilling to risk his life for such a minor issue. If he won, at best, he would be proven superior to a Foundation Establishment cultivator. But if he were to lose inadvertently, it would be a laughingstock for a dignified Golden Core cultivator to be defeated by a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator!
Therefore, as long as he didn't engage, he would never be defeated and would always maintain his Golden Core prestige.
"If you don't dare to fight, then forget it. I have a serious matter to discuss. Can you trade some of the spoils from the evil cultivator Xie Gu Zhenren to me?"
Xiao Fei felt he had been at a disadvantage when he recalled this matter. Zhu Yu had killed Xie Gu Zhenren and obtained his corpse and personal belongings.
He himself had gone to great lengths to burn the old Sect Master, losing tens of thousands of Iron Fire Ants, and the old Sect Master's personal belongings had all turned to ash, with no corpse recovered.
"What do you want to trade for?"
Zhu Yu was somewhat interested in this. He was not an evil cultivator, and few of Xie Gu's possessions were suitable for him. Selling them would be better.
"I want Xie Gu's corpse, and some materials like pills from his person. Can you show them to me?"
"As long as you can afford the price, I don't mind selling them to you!"
The two immediately found a secluded spot to stop.
Coincidentally, he hadn't had time to deal with Xie Gu's corpse yet, so he took it out, as selling it to Xiao Fei could also yield some resources.
Xiao Fei then found a partially used Bone-Corroding Heart-Eating Pill from a pile of items.
There was also a bottle of pills with no name marked. After his identification, it was likely an antidote for the Bone-Corroding Heart-Eating Pill.
The specifics would require further experimentation to determine.
He had spent a long time experimenting in his spatial realm, poisoning a large number of Iron Fire Ants, and had also developed an antidote that could suppress the Bone-Corroding Heart-Eating Pill.
However, to completely detoxify, further experiments and formula improvements would be needed.
Next, Xiao Fei selected a few more useful items from Xie Gu Zhenren's remaining possessions and gathered them all together.
"Have you chosen? What do you intend to exchange for them?"
The items Xiao Fei had selected were not of particularly high value among Xie Gu's遗物.
"I have a Youth-Preserving Pill here, which should be your favorite."
As Xiao Fei spoke, he took out an exquisite jade box from his storage bag, containing a Youth-Preserving Pill.
The Youth-Preserving Pill was a rare commodity throughout the cultivation world, with demand far exceeding supply. Many Golden Core powerhouses might not even have the chance to obtain one.
This item was highly coveted by female cultivators. In the cultivation world of Lu Country, possessing a Youth-Preserving Pill made it easy to win the true affection of a junior sister.
Zhu Yu, however, haughtily turned his head away, ignoring the Youth-Preserving Pill that would break the hearts of countless female cultivators.
"I have cultivated for many years, and all the achievements I have today are obtained through my own strength. I don't rely on my looks for a living, so what use do I have for this item!
You should keep it to give to some senior sister in the sect."
Xiao Fei was surprised that this fellow was so proud and put on such airs.
"Don't be like that. Look at your handsome face. As time passes, it will be covered in wrinkles, age spots, and your skin will sag and lose its elasticity and luster. What a regrettable thing that would be!"
Zhu Yu turned his head away, ignoring him. After a moment, he sighed.
"Fine, I suppose you don't have anything else valuable. Coincidentally, I have a friend who needs this item. As your uncle, I will indulge your business."
Finally, Xiao Fei paid with one Youth-Preserving Pill and added a few spiritual herbs, completing the transaction with Zhu Yu. Both were pleased.
After completing their trade, the two continued their journey. They were heading to Black Wind Cliff first, and then would look for an opportunity to go to Eagle Mountain Country.
During their travels, whenever they stopped to rest, Xiao Fei's spiritual sense would enter his spatial realm.
Inside the realm, the Ant Queen was working overtime, mating and breeding the new generation of Iron Fire Ants to replenish the depleted numbers.
The Nine-Bend Golden Lotus, obtained from Ancestor Shangguan, had been replanted in a newly dug pond.
He dared not plant it in the large pond, as it might all become a snack for the Flying Fish.
After hearing Ancestor Peng mention that his Flying Fish possessed the bloodline of the Kun, he increased the dosage of spiritual medicine for feeding.
The newly acquired corpse of Xie Gu Zhenren was thrown into the Corpse Refining Pool. This Golden Core corpse lacked a head, and even if refined into a zombie, its strength would be significantly affected.
However, Xie Gu's Golden Core was genuinely valuable, and it could be used as a replacement for his existing Golden Core zombie.
The demonic flames spewed from the skull of the Golden Core zombie were truly formidable, turning everything within a hundred zhang to ashes.
Even the powerful opponent, the old Sect Master of Danxin Sect, was burned to death by it.
However, its drawback was also obvious: it consumed too much spiritual power, which most people could not bear. The Golden Core zombie had only spewed fire three times before its stored energy in its Golden Core was completely depleted.
It could no longer use this divine ability.
However, Xiao Fei could find another Golden Core, refine it, and replace the zombie's core, allowing it to use the divine ability a few more times in the future.
Dozens of new types of spiritual herbs had been planted in the spatial realm, all of which he had purchased at a high price from the sect using contribution points.
Most of the 500,000 contribution points given to him by Ancestor Shangguan had been exchanged for books from the Scripture Pavilion.
Only a small portion of the remainder was used to exchange for other materials.