Gray Gravel Crystal? Spirit Stone!

Chen Yu bounced over with a splat.

Though it looked like a harmless blob of Slime, to the Beetles, the death aura emanating from its grotesque carapace stimulated their nerves.

The closer it got, the more they felt their bodies sinking into an abyss of fear.

Finally, after leaving a few corpses behind, the Beetles all retreated from the base of the tree, abandoning the territory they had fought over for so long.

The war ended abruptly.

But it was a victory that made perfect sense.

The Slime had defeated its natural predator and completely occupied the oak tree territory, becoming the true ruler of the oak.

However, in Chen Yu's opinion, another matter was clearly more cause for joy.

"Seja, help me collect the Beetle corpses."

Chen Yu's gelatinous body couldn't help but bubble with delight at the thought of eating delicious Beetle meat later.

"Are you going to use these Beetles to craft new armor?"

Seja cradled a Beetle, larger than her fist, in her arms, her gaze falling on the Beetle helmet the Slime was wearing.

"You wouldn't know this."

"These Beetles are delicious food."

"Food?"

The Slime considered its natural predator food?

Fortunately, Seja was long accustomed to the Envoy's peculiarities.

She was more curious if the Beetles were truly that delicious, to make the Envoy so eager.

Digger Beetles were monsters as hard as stone, often living underground. She had barely encountered them, let alone eaten them.

"Oh, right, help me collect the Stinger Bee corpses too."

Chen Yu bounced to the entrance at the base of the tree.

All the Beetles inside had already left, leaving behind only some stone lumps he didn't recognize. They were shiny, likely treasures the Beetles had hoarded.

Since the Beetles were gone, everything here was his now.

Chen Yu swallowed all the stones in one go and moved them outside.

"Seja, help me see what treasures these are."

Chen Yu spat the shiny stones onto the ground, still coated in slime.

"Let me take a look."

Seja picked up the stones on the ground, examining them closely with her amber vertical pupils.

"Huh?"

"There are Gray Grit Crystals here too?"

"What are Gray Grit Crystals?"

"They're gray crystals you can occasionally find by the riverbank. I don't know what they're used for, but the humans on the other side seem to like them a lot and often trade food for these stones."

"Maybe they're some kind of magic material."

Seja's tone was a little uncertain.

"Let me see."

Chen Yu's interest was piqued. He re-swallowed the fragmented crystals and studied them carefully.

Acid corrosion?

No change. They were harder than ordinary stones and couldn't be digested.

Close to the Magic Organ?

The expected replenishment of magic power didn't happen.

So, what was the point of this thing?

Was it really a magic material?

Chen Yu idly churned the Gray Grit Crystals in his stomach. Suddenly, for a brief moment, he thought he saw the crystal flash.

Hmm?

It didn't seem like an illusion.

Wait, could it be?!

Chen Yu's entire gelatinous body jiggled a few times, seemingly in shock.

What reacted with the Gray Grit Crystal just now seemed to be the spiritual energy he had gathered.

As he continued to infuse it with spiritual energy, the Gray Grit Crystal indeed began to emit a faint glow, like a light bulb, illuminating the Slime's body.

At that moment, he felt as if he had transformed into light.

"Hey, are you returning to Puto's divine kingdom?"

Seja stared blankly at the glowing Slime, unable to help but pray.

"What nonsense are you talking about? This stone is glowing."

Chen Yu spat out the glowing Gray Grit Crystal. The stone landed on the ground, slowly emitting a bright yet gentle radiance in all directions.

He thought that compared to Gray Grit Crystal, the name "light bulb stone" might suit it better, or perhaps it should be called a Zeyarila version of Spirit Stones.

Although it was brighter, it had genuinely stored the spiritual energy he had infused into it.

If this isn't a Spirit Stone, then what is it?

Chen Yu felt as if the doors to a new world were opening before him. With Spirit Stones, some of his ideas that only existed in his mind now had hope of being realized.

What can Spirit Stones do in Xuxuantian?

Besides serving as currency, they can also be used for cultivation, restoring spiritual energy, setting up formations, drawing talismans...

It's essentially a Cultivation-version battery; its uses are endless.

He couldn't help but recall the Maze Formation Diagram in his hand. With Spirit Stones, perhaps he could...

Chen Yu indulged in his fantasies for a moment before snapping back to reality.

"You said there are many Gray Grit Crystals by the riverbank?"

"Not many, I just occasionally find some."

"If you want them, I can sneak back and pick some up."

"Forget it, corrupted followers linger by the riverbank. It's too dangerous to let you go out."

He didn't want Seja to be captured by those mad followers for a few Spirit Stones.

Chen Yu swallowed the Gray Grit Crystal again, dove into the swamp, and returned to the Slime nest.

It was great that Gray Grit Crystals could store spiritual energy, but they were too conspicuous. He could only bury them in the nest for now and deal with them later.

As for now, He was hungry!

In the camp, the bonfire crackled as firewood burned. Seja had pried open the shell of a Beetle and placed it in the fire to roast.

The insect meat inside was golden, resembling rich crab roe, or perhaps the flesh of an oyster covered in minced garlic and butter. The rich aroma wafted around the camp, lingering for a long time.

"So, so fragrant."

Seja twitched her nose, almost drooling.

Chen Yu was focused on eating and didn't notice her expression.

With a slurp, he swallowed the Beetle paste mixed with Stinger Bee meat into his gelatinous body.

The Beetle paste was rich and savory, with a peculiar fungal fragrance.

The Stinger Bee meat, on the other hand, had a unique flavor. When roasted, it was like stretchy cheese, salty and full-bodied.

Delicious!

Chen Yu ate with gusto, not counting how much he consumed. Finally, his body had expanded by a whole circle, becoming plump. He then lay on a rock, happily bubbling.

Satisfied.

But he seemed to have eaten too much and could barely move.

Whatever, he didn't care.

Chen Yu closed his eyes happily, his body gradually enveloped in warmth, and he began to feel drowsy.

Seja, seeing this, curiously picked up the warm Beetle shell and carefully brought it closer to the edge, tentatively taking a small sip.

As the scalding, thick golden paste slid into her mouth, the taste exploded on her tongue. First, an extreme sweetness washed over her taste buds. The paste's texture was incredibly delicate, with a slight chewiness, melting gently on her tongue and releasing a richer, more complex aroma.

She could even clearly hear the subtle, enticing "glug" sound of the thick juice being stirred in her mouth.

Huh?!

Delicious!

Her amber vertical pupils brightened, and her tail swayed uncontrollably, unable to hide her inner joy.

So this is what a Digger Beetle tastes like?

Then she took another bite of the crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside roasted Stinger Bee.

She was so happy she could barely speak...

The bonfire burned, and the camp was peaceful and serene. Yet, at the edge of the swamp, a bloody storm was brewing.