81: Chapter 81 is neither a loss nor a gain!

Shi Jian was awakened by the pain.

It wasn't just one spot that hurt; every inch of his flesh and blood felt as if it had been dismantled.

The bones in his right palm had shattered into dust, barely held together by his qi and blood for now; even the slightest movement caused the sound of bone fragments grinding against each other.

The piercing wound on his back had scabbed over, with fragments of the thunder-covering mysterious armor embedded in the edges of the wound; it was a dilemma whether to remove them or leave them be.

His limbs were still there and could move, though they were somewhat unresponsive.

Shi Jian lay on the ground and opened his eyes.

His vision was blurry for a moment before gradually clearing up...

What met his eyes was a withered and desolate valley.

The once lush Youyun Valley now looked as if its essence had been drained away; the vegetation was withered and decayed, the rivers had dried up, and only gray-white withered branches and fallen leaves remained, scattered everywhere.

The remains of that hundred-zhang spiritual mushroom were scattered around the deep pool, leaving the area in a mess.

"Awake?"

Yun Che's voice came from the side, his tone still as cold and indifferent as water.

Shi Jian did not reply; he twitched his nose and smelled the scent of a Medicinal Pill. It must have been Yun Che who fed it to him. He hadn't taken advantage of his vulnerable state, so he could still be considered a gentleman.

Fortunately, he had hidden the heaven and earth qi in advance; otherwise, it would have been hard to say whether he would have been able to wake up...

"You have been unconscious for four days."

Yun Che was sitting on a broken rock with his long sword resting across his knees. "Sun Yao woke up half a day earlier than you and is currently meditating to recover."

Shi Jian tilted his head and saw Sun Yao sitting cross-legged not far away.

She had changed into a clean white Daoist robe. Her face was still a bit pale, but her aura was nearing stability.

Shi Pan was lying beside her; most of its wounds had healed, and it had recovered seven or eight tenths of its spirit.

Sensing Shi Jian's gaze, Sun Yao opened her eyes and said softly, "Old Ancestor, are you alright?"

Shi Jian grunted in acknowledgment, which served as a greeting.

Then he scanned his surroundings; the remains of the Wood Demon were scattered all over the ground.

Fragments of the mushroom cap, tattered mycelium, broken roots, and the wood spirit essence that had settled in the deep pool...

They were glowing with a faint, eerie green light.

In the center of the remains, a jade-green Yao Beast core was lying quietly on the scorched earth, emitting a rich vitality!

The core was translucent, with wood grain patterns faintly flowing inside...

Its Spiritual Qi was restrained, and its quality was extremely high. Although a False Core Realm Wood Demon's Yao Beast core was not as good as a true Level 5 Yao Beast core, it was not far off.

Shi Jian's pupils involuntarily constricted.

The value of this thing, if placed outside, would be worth at least ten thousand Spirit Stones, and it was priceless; after all, high-level Yao Beasts were rare in the inland, so the price of Yao Beast cores naturally remained high...

Moreover, a wood-attribute Yao Beast core had great auxiliary effects for Alchemy, Artifact Refining, Formation, and even for a Cultivator to overcome a Bottleneck.

Shi Jian withdrew his gaze, remaining calm and composed.

Yun Che had already stood up and walked to the remains. He scanned the scene in the valley and said, "The strength of this Wood Demon far exceeds an ordinary Level 4."

He looked at Shi Jian, his tone carrying a rare hint of solemnity. "Fellow Daoist Shi, with the body of a Late Foundation Establishment Stage, was able to slay a False Core Realm beast."

"Truly impressive!"

These few words, coming from the mouth of an always proud Sword Cultivator, carried significant weight!

Shi Jian grunted. "Just luck. Let's talk business."

Upon hearing this, Yun Che didn't mind this bear's attitude and said, "The Spiritual Plants in the valley have had most of their vitality drained by the Wood Demon. There isn't much left, but it's not a small amount either."

"Added to the Wood Demon's remains themselves, it is worth quite a few Spirit Stones in total."

As he spoke, he paused, looked at Shi Jian, and continued, "Fellow Daoist, in your opinion, how should this be divided?"

Seeing the ball kicked back to him, Shi Jian didn't rush to answer but glanced toward Sun Yao, giving her a signal.

Just one look.

Sun Yao understood immediately!

She stood up, walked quickly between the two, and said calmly, "Senior Brother Yun Che, let me explain what happened first."

Immediately, Sun Yao began to recount the events.

From entering Youyun Valley to discovering the Wood Demon, and the entire process of the fierce battle that followed, she was clear and detailed.

Only one key piece of information was missing.

The heaven and earth qi!

In Sun Yao's narrative, the Wood Demon was just a False Core Realm beast lurking in the valley, about to break through to the Golden Core.

It had absorbed the vitality of the entire valley, attempting to forcefully achieve Core Formation.

Shi Jian and she had encountered it, and having no other choice, they had to join forces to slay it; that was all.

As for that wisp of New Wood Thousand-Bloom Qi, not a single word was mentioned from beginning to end, silently covering it up...

After listening, Yun Che did not press for more details.

He was not a talkative person, nor did he have the habit of digging for the bottom of things.

Moreover, when he arrived, the battle had long ended, the valley was in a mess, and the traces of the battle matched Sun Yao's description, so naturally, he didn't delve deeper.

"Old Ancestor contributed the most, so the Yao Beast core belongs to the Old Ancestor."

Sun Yao set the tone, her tone unquestionable. "Old Ancestor bore the brunt of the Wood Demon's frontal assault alone and suffered heavy losses, so this Yao Beast core ought to belong to the Old Ancestor."

Yun Che had no objections.

He could see that this bear demon had almost risked its life to kill this Wood Demon. Exchanging half a life for a Yao Beast core—no one could say otherwise.

"What about the Wood Demon's remains?" Yun Che asked.

"I will handle it."

Sun Yao continued, "I will take all the mushroom cap fragments, mycelium remnants, and wood spirit essence liquid back to the clan for Alchemy and Artifact Refining."

Yun Che nodded; the distribution was fair and reasonable.

These things were indeed of little use to him as a Sword Cultivator, but it was not bad to give them back to the Sect.

Next were the remaining spiritual items in the valley.

Although the Wood Demon had drained most of the vitality, the deep pool at the bottom of the valley had not dried up, and several pieces of good-quality Earth Spirit Jade Marrow had settled in the pool.

As well as two water-attribute Spiritual Plants rooted at the bottom of the pool that had not been affected.

In addition, in the crevices of the mountain walls, there were a few fist-sized "Thick Earth Essences" and three "Spirit-Nurturing Stones" hidden. These items were not top-tier in grade, but they were practical.

Thick Earth Essence and Spirit-Nurturing Stone were good things for cultivating Spiritual Veins and nourishing spiritual fields.

Burying one piece of Thick Earth Essence into a node of a Spiritual Vein could increase the Spiritual Qi concentration within a hundred zhang radius by ten to twenty percent, with the effect lasting for decades without fading.

Shi Jian stared at those brownish-yellow Ores, already calculating in his mind.

The Spiritual Vein in the back mountain was of too low a grade, which had always been a Bottleneck restricting the development of the Sun Clan, and in the future, when he broke through to Core Formation, he would need a massive amount of Spiritual Qi for support.

With these Thick Earth Essences, plus the assistance of the Spirit-Nurturing Stones, the quality of the Spiritual Vein could be improved by at least half a grade. After nurturing it for another ten to a hundred years, it should be able to advance to Second Grade Medium Grade...

"I want the Earth Spirit Jade Marrow, Thick Earth Essence, and Spirit-Nurturing Stones."

Shi Jian spoke, his tone very flat, but he gave no room for bargaining.

Yun Che glanced at him and didn't speak.

Sun Yao took the opportunity to continue, "The water-attribute Spiritual Plants and the Cold Jade Sand at the bottom of the pool belong to me. Senior Brother Yun Che, all the remaining Spiritual Medicine in the valley belongs to you. How about that?"

As she spoke, she took out a list from her Storage Pouch, which listed more than a dozen remaining Spiritual Plants and spiritual wood...

The grades ranged from First Grade to Second Grade, and the total value added up to about one or two thousand Spirit Stones.

The quantity was not small, but compared to the Yao Beast core and the Wood Demon's remains, it was a far cry.

Yun Che glanced at the list and sheathed his sword.

"That works."

He didn't argue. It wasn't that he couldn't win the argument, but there was no need.

He was a Sword Cultivator, not a merchant. Moreover, he hadn't put in any effort, so he was quite satisfied to be able to get these.

Besides, the goal of this trip into the Secret Realm was never to scavenge for spiritual items.

What he wanted was deeper in the Secret Realm!

The loot was divided.

Shi Jian rolled the jade-green Yao Beast core into his belly in one gulp to refine it...

Once the Yao Beast core entered his belly, a thick and long-lasting wood-attribute Spiritual Qi slowly dissipated, its immense vitality constantly repairing his Physical Body and even restoring some of his Lifespan.

Although the attributes were different, Shi Jian's Physical Body was a bottomless pit; it could eat anything and refine anything...

With this Yao Beast core in his belly, it was truly comfortable!