Profiting from the Dead

Chapter 24: Making a Killing off the Dead

On the way back, Luo Mu replayed the events in his mind. Feeling the lingering chill of that brush with death, he still felt a sense of dread and lingering fear.

In particular, Bai Shu's eerie movement technique had caught Luo Mu completely off guard. Had he not been wearing that mid-grade inner armor at all times, he surely would have perished at Bai Shu's hands today. Even with the armor on, Luo Mu had still been left with a deep gash on his arm.

What Luo Mu found amusing, however, was that he himself was a bona fide poison expert. Bai Shu had actually smugly shown off in front of him, confident that he could take him down. Yet, until the very moment he died, Bai Shu never understood that the poison he was so certain of had not only failed to harm Luo Mu in the slightest, but had actually served as a supplement for him.

As for when Luo Mu had placed the White Jade Ants on his opponent, it had been the very first time Bai Shu approached him. Luo Mu had silently and imperceptibly sent all five ants over. Bai Shu, convinced he had Luo Mu in the palm of his hand, had been so careless that he hadn't noticed a thing, ultimately ending up with not even a bone left behind.

Facing a fifth-level and a fourth-level Qi Refining cultivator simultaneously, even Luo Mu found it hard to believe he had managed to kill them both. Their arrogance and contempt for him were one reason, but the greatest credit, of course, went to those five White Jade Ants and the thirteen Plum Blossom Snakes that arrived shortly after.

Now, Luo Mu no longer felt that the little guys he raised were just bottomless pits for food. Overjoyed, he reached into his chest from time to time to touch the two storage bags, as if afraid they might sprout wings and fly away.

Back home, Luo Mu bolted the door tight and, with a face full of excitement, took out the two storage bags.

He picked up the young woman's storage bag first, injected his spirit power into it, and began to inspect it with his divine sense. As for why he chose hers first, in Luo Mu's view, the girl had always deferred to Bai Shu, which meant Bai Shu's status in the family was surely higher. The items in his bag would certainly be more precious than those in hers.

Good things should be saved for last; Luo Mu felt that was more interesting and meaningful.

After scanning it with his divine sense, a look of joy appeared on Luo Mu's face. He hadn't expected the young woman to have such substantial savings at her young age. If nothing else, the two mid-grade magic tools alone were enough to make him ecstatic, and with over a hundred low-grade spirit stones added in, this was a windfall for him.

Aside from the two mid-grade magic tools and the hundred-plus spirit stones, the rest consisted of the girl's private items and clothing. Luo Mu had no bad habits, was not sensitive to such things, and certainly had no perverted intention of collecting them.

After taking out the two mid-grade magic tools and the spirit stones, Luo Mu tossed the storage bag aside, intending to deal with it later. He then picked up the other storage bag.

A sweep of his divine sense did not disappoint him. Inside lay four mid-grade magic tools, and the spirit stones numbered over three hundred. Furthermore, there were many miscellaneous items in the bag, including various porcelain bottles, though he did not know what was inside them.

Such rich savings were far beyond Luo Mu's expectations. With a heart full of excitement, he began to take everything out and slowly sort through it.

After the time it takes to eat a meal, Luo Mu finally finished sorting through the contents of Bai Shu's storage bag.

The four mid-grade magic tools included the Curved Blade Bai Shu had used against him, as well as a small Bronze Bell, a black shield, and a Purple Ancient Cauldron.

Luo Mu had already witnessed the Curved Blade; it was an offensive mid-grade magic tool. When the blade had struck him, although his inner armor had blocked it, it had still sent his blood and Qi into a turmoil, showing that the blade's attack power was extraordinary.

Picking up the Bronze Bell, Luo Mu examined it closely. It was finely crafted and shimmered with a faint yellow light; one look told him it was no ordinary object.

After he injected his poison spirit power, the bell began to spin in his hand, gradually growing larger. In the blink of an eye, it stood about a zhang tall, and its width was enough to hold several people at once.

One look at this treasure confirmed it was a powerful tool for trapping enemies.

As for the black shield, just looking at its appearance, Luo Mu didn't even need to think to know it was a defensive magic tool. He was well aware of how precious defensive magic tools were; among those of the same grade, their price was second only to flight-type magic tools and far higher than others.

After he injected his poison spirit power into the shield, the small, exquisite object expanded several times over, reaching two meters in width and four meters in height. When facing an enemy, it would definitely allow for full-body defense with no gaps.

The final magic tool was also of mid-grade quality. However, while it was technically a magic tool, it was an auxiliary one.

This ancient cauldron was clearly used for alchemy, which made Luo Mu incredibly happy. In the storage bag, he had just discovered several pill formulas and a significant number of spirit herbs and poisonous herbs. It seemed Bai Shu had chosen the path of alchemy and poison-making.

The four magic tools all appeared to have impressive power, and Luo Mu liked them all. At the same time, he felt very fortunate. Fortunately, the opponent had been arrogant and convinced of his own victory, using only one of these four mid-grade magic tools before being killed by Luo Mu. If he had used them all, it was hard to say who would have lived and who would have died.

Just regarding this shield, Luo Mu admitted he didn't currently have the strength to smash it to pieces, and he hadn't tested whether the White Jade Ants could bite through it.

Putting away the four magic tools, Luo Mu turned his attention to the next item. It was actually a jade slip. Picking it up, he released his divine sense to examine it.

After a long while, the look of joy returned to Luo Mu's now-calm face. The jade slip recorded a movement technique called the "Phantom Art." If Luo Mu wasn't mistaken, this was the very technique Bai Shu had used.

This movement technique was elusive and ghostly, which made Luo Mu feel quite wary. Now that he had the complete technique in his hands, he was naturally overjoyed.

Luo Mu's weapon was a dagger, a close-quarters weapon. If he could master this eerie movement technique, his chances of winning in future battles would increase to a terrifying degree. Coupled with his own poison spirit power, which was highly toxic—if not lethal upon contact—if he could just slice an opponent's skin and let his poison spirit power seep into their blood, it would be enough to give anyone a hard time.

As for why the "Phantom Art" was stored in a jade slip rather than a book like the "Insect Control Technique," it was because jade slips were more convenient than books and much faster to copy.

Therefore, in the cultivation world, the utility of jade slips was far higher than that of books, though this did not exclude the possibility of some unique, rare manuals existing only in book form.

The "Phantom Art" consisted of nine layers. Luo Mu only gave it a cursory glance before setting it aside. He would definitely learn this technique and cultivate it to its peak, but not right now, as he hadn't finished examining all the treasures left behind by the deceased Bai Shu.

Next, he found three pill formulas: one for the "Qi Gathering Pill," one for "Bone Melting Liquid," and the last for "Soul Severing Powder."

The Qi Gathering Pill was suitable for Qi Refining cultivators and could increase their cultivation, making it highly sought after and favored by them. This pill was not only expensive but also in a state where demand far exceeded supply.

For cultivators, any pill that could increase their cultivation was incredibly precious. No matter how high the price, cultivators would pay for it without hesitation, which caused the price of such pills to rise again and again.

And this Qi Gathering Pill was one of the best for increasing cultivation during the Qi Refining stage. Luo Mu hadn't expected Bai Shu to have the formula for it. He turned his head to look at the side, where many bottles and jars were kept; perhaps one of them contained the pills themselves.

Licking his dry lips, Luo Mu didn't touch the porcelain bottles, but instead put away the Qi Gathering Pill formula and looked at the one labeled "Bone Melting Liquid."

Calling this a pill formula was less accurate than calling it a secret recipe. After a brief look at the formula, Luo Mu's face was filled with surprise.

Bone Melting Liquid—as the name suggested, it was certainly not a spirit liquid for increasing cultivation. On the contrary, the name revealed the cold, sinister nature of the substance.

That's right! This Bone Melting Liquid was a type of poison. Any Qi Refining cultivator who came into contact with it would, at best, suffer physical damage and a severe loss of vitality, and at worst, die on the spot, their entire body dissolving into a pool of blood without even a bone left behind. It was clear this poison was truly lethal.

The poison smeared on Bai Shu's curved blade had been this very Bone Melting Liquid. That was why Bai Shu had been so smug after successfully cutting Luo Mu's arm, believing Luo Mu was a dead man. He just hadn't expected to run into an iron plate like Luo Mu, who was immune to poison.

With such intense toxicity, Luo Mu naturally considered using this substance to enhance his own poison spirit power. However, he pushed this thought to the back of his mind for now.

Putting away the Bone Melting Liquid formula, Luo Mu picked up the final one, labeled "Soul Severing Powder." After reading through it, a look of astonishment appeared on his face.

This formula also produced a highly toxic substance. However, this "Soul Severing Powder" was far more powerful than the "Bone Melting Liquid"; the two were not even on the same level.

According to the formula, no Qi Refining cultivator could neutralize the "Soul Severing Powder" once poisoned. Without an antidote, death was certain. Furthermore, this poison powder was also miraculously effective against Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators.

It was effective even against Foundation Establishment cultivators. Luo Mu's hand holding the formula trembled slightly. He couldn't yet reach the level of Foundation Establishment, but he knew that such cultivators were extremely powerful; killing a Qi Refining cultivator was a matter of a single thought.