Reaping a Fortune from the Dead

Chapter 24: Reaping a Fortune from the Dead

On the way back, Luo Mu kept recalling the scenes that had just unfolded, reliving the sensation of being a hair's breadth from death. Even now, he felt a chill crawl over him, and his heart still pounded with lingering fear.

Bai Shu's bizarre footwork in particular had caught Luo Mu completely off guard. If he hadn't been wearing that mid-grade inner armor at all times, he would surely have died at Bai Shu's hands today! Even with the armor, Bai Shu had still slashed a gaping wound into his arm.

What Luo Mu found amusing, though, was that he himself was a bona fide poison creature, yet Bai Shu had smugly shown off in front of him, brimming with confidence that he could take Luo Mu down. But even at the moment of his death, Bai Shu hadn't understood: the venom he'd been so confident in had not harmed Luo Mu in the slightest. Instead, it had nourished him!

As for when Luo Mu had put the White Jade Ants on Bai Shu, it was the first time Bai Shu had approached him. Luo Mu had already surreptitiously sent all five White Jade 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. In the end, he had been reduced to not even a trace of bones.

Facing a fifth-level Qi Refining cultivator and a fourth-level one at the same time, even Luo Mu hadn't dared believe he could kill them both. Their arrogance and contempt for him had played a part, but the greatest credit naturally went to the five White Jade Ants—and the thirteen Plum Blossom Snakes that had arrived afterward!

Now, Luo Mu no longer thought the little creatures he raised were a bunch of freeloaders! Overjoyed, he kept slipping a hand inside his shirt to feel the two Storage Bags, as if afraid they might sprout wings and fly away.

Back at home, Luo Mu firmly shut the door and excitedly took out the two Storage Bags!

First, he picked up the young woman's Storage Bag, channeled his spiritual power into it, then inspected it with his divine sense. Why start with her bag? In Luo Mu's view, she had clearly taken her lead from Bai Shu, which meant Bai Shu's standing in the family was surely higher than hers. The contents of his bag had to be more valuable.

The best things should be saved for last. Luo Mu thought that made the whole experience more fun and meaningful.

After examining it with his divine sense, Luo Mu's face lit up. He hadn't expected such a young woman to have such a healthy stash. That aside, just the two mid-grade magical artifacts were enough to send him over the moon, and she also had more than a hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones. For Luo Mu, this was a windfall!

Apart from the two mid-grade magical artifacts and the spirit stones, the rest were the young woman's private belongings and clothes. Luo Mu had no peculiar tastes and wasn't the least bit interested in them, much less planning to collect them like some pervert,

He took out the two mid-grade magical artifacts and the spirit stones, then tossed the Storage Bag aside to deal with later. After that, he picked up the other Storage Bag.

A sweep with his divine sense didn't disappoint. There were four mid-grade magical artifacts inside, and more than three hundred spirit stones. The bag also held all sorts of odds and ends, including several porcelain bottles filled with substances he couldn't identify.

The size of Bai Shu's stash far exceeded Luo Mu's expectations. Still buzzing with excitement, he took everything out and began sorting through it carefully.

After the time it took to eat a meal, Luo Mu had finally sorted through all the contents of Bai Shu's Storage Bag.

There were four mid-grade magical artifacts. Among them was the Curved Blade Bai Shu had used against Luo Mu, as well as a small Bronze Bell, a Black Shield, and a Purple Ancient Cauldron.

Luo Mu had already seen the Curved Blade in action. It was a mid-grade offensive magical artifact. When its blade had struck him, the inner armor had stopped it, but the blow had still left his qi and blood churning. That showed just how powerful the Curved Blade was.

Picking up the Bronze Bell, Luo Mu looked it over. It was finely crafted, and a faint yellow glow shimmered across it. At a glance, it was clearly no ordinary object.

After he poured in his Poison Spirit Power, the Bronze Bell spun rapidly in his hand and gradually grew larger. In the blink of an eye, it stood a zhang tall and was wide enough to hold several people at once!

One look told him this treasure was a fine tool for trapping people!

As for the Black Shield, its appearance alone told Luo Mu it had to be a defensive magical artifact. He knew all too well how precious defensive artifacts were. Among artifacts of the same grade, they were second only to Flying Artifacts in price, far more expensive than the rest.

Once Luo Mu poured his Poison Spirit Power into the shield, the small, delicate artifact immediately expanded several times over. It was two meters wide and four meters tall, enough to defend his entire body with no gaps when facing an enemy.

The last artifact was also mid-grade. It could certainly be called a magical artifact, but it was an auxiliary one.

The Purple Ancient Cauldron was used for alchemy. Luo Mu was delighted, because he had also found several pill formulas and quite a few spirit herbs and poisonous herbs in the Storage Bag. It seemed Bai Shu had chosen the path of alchemy and poison-making.

All four artifacts looked quite powerful, and Luo Mu liked them very much. He also felt extremely lucky. His opponent had been so arrogant, so sure he had Luo Mu beaten, that he'd used only one of the four mid-grade artifacts before Luo Mu killed him. If he'd used all of them, it was hard to say who would have ended up dead.

Luo Mu was certain he didn't yet have the strength to smash even that shield artifact to pieces. As for whether the White Jade Ants could chew through it, he hadn't tried.

He put away the four artifacts and turned his attention to the next item. It was a Jade Slip. Luo Mu picked it up and probed it with his divine sense.

After a long while, delight once again spread across Luo Mu's face, which had just returned to calm. The Jade Slip recorded a movement technique called Phantom Art. If he'd guessed right, it was the technique Bai Shu had used earlier.

The technique was elusive and unpredictable, making Luo Mu deeply wary of it. Now that the Jade Slip contained the complete technique, of course he was overjoyed.

Luo Mu's weapon was a dagger, a close-combat weapon. If he learned this strange movement technique, his odds of winning in future fights would rise to a terrifying degree. Add in his own highly poisonous Poison Spirit Power, and anyone who came into contact with it would be as good as dead. Even if Luo Mu merely cut their skin with his dagger, his Poison Spirit Power could slip in and enter their bloodstream. Whoever it was would be in for a world of trouble.

As for why Phantom Art was recorded in a Jade Slip rather than in a book like the Insect Control Technique, it was because Jade Slips were more convenient than books and could be copied quickly and easily.

Thus, in the cultivation world, Jade Slips were far more practical than books. Of course, some unique, one-of-a-kind manuals might still be preserved in book form.

Phantom Art had nine levels. Luo Mu gave it only a cursory glance before setting it aside. He would certainly learn the technique and cultivate it to the utmost, but not now. He still hadn't finished looking through all the treasures Bai Shu had left behind.

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. It was beloved and sought after by Qi Refining cultivators. The pills were not only expensive but also so scarce that they were practically impossible to buy.

To cultivators, any pill that could increase their cultivation was incredibly precious. No matter how high the price, cultivators would still pay without hesitation. That was why the price of cultivation-boosting pills kept climbing higher and higher!

The Qi Gathering Pill was one of the best pills for increasing cultivation during the Qi Refining Stage! Luo Mu hadn't expected Bai Shu to have its formula. He glanced to the side at the many bottles and jars there. Perhaps one of them contained Qi Gathering Pills.

Licking his dry lips, Luo Mu didn't touch the porcelain bottles. Instead, he put away the Qi Gathering Pill formula and turned to the one for Bone Melting Liquid.

Calling the formula for Bone Melting Liquid a pill formula wasn't quite right. "Secret recipe" would have been more fitting. After giving it a quick look, Luo Mu's face filled with delight.

As the name suggested, Bone Melting Liquid was certainly not a spiritual liquid that increased cultivation. The name alone revealed its sinister nature.

That was right! Bone Melting Liquid was a poison! Qi Refining cultivators who came into contact with it would suffer anything from bodily damage and severe loss of vitality to immediate death, their entire bodies dissolving into a pool of blood with not a single bone left behind. This poison was vicious beyond measure!

The poison smeared on Bai Shu's Curved Blade had been Bone Melting Liquid! That was why Bai Shu had been so pleased after successfully cutting a gash into Luo Mu's hand with the blade, certain that Luo Mu was doomed. He hadn't expected to run into Luo Mu, an iron wall impervious to poison!

With Bone Melting Liquid so potent, Luo Mu naturally thought of using it to strengthen his Poison Spirit Power. But he set that thought aside for the time being.

After putting away the Bone Melting Liquid formula, Luo Mu picked up the final one, for Soul Severing Powder. After reading it, a look of shock appeared on his face!

This formula also involved making a deadly poison. But Soul Severing Powder was far more potent than Bone Melting Liquid. The two weren't even in the same league!

According to the formula, no Qi Refining cultivator who was poisoned by Soul Severing Powder could be cured. Without an antidote, death was certain! What's more, the poison was also remarkably effective against Foundation Establishment cultivators!

The poison worked even on Foundation Establishment cultivators. Luo Mu's hand trembled as he held the formula. He had yet to encounter anyone at the Foundation Establishment Realm, but he knew those cultivators were incredibly powerful. Killing a Qi Refining cultivator would take no more than a single thought.