Chapter 819: Traces Left By Man
After leaving Shadow Island, the skeleton crew walked into the black mist to complete the task assigned to them by Yi Feng.
“Three spirit crystals only get me a quick meal in the alley, but hey, even a mosquito’s leg is meat. Besides, it’s a task handed down by our master,” said Gouzi.
At this point, he couldn’t help but glance at Lou Benwei and ask, “Bro, do you resent the master for being stingy with you? Do you feel like he’s bullying you?”
Beneath the black robe, Lou Benwei’s mouth curled slightly. His usual carefree demeanor was gone, replaced by a rare solemnity.
“I’m willing to be bullied by him.”
“Speaking of which…”
Lou Benwei slightly raised his head, gazing at the sky as he murmured, “Speaking of which, the way things have turned out now is mostly because of me.”
“So, being bullied by him is nothing.”
“Not just bullying, even if he truly tore me apart, what of it?”
Lou Benwei’s voice was grave, his expression as if recalling something from a distant past. Gouzi and the others looked at him with admiration. It was rare to see Lou Benwei like this, and it was hard to imagine what earth-shattering events had transpired between him and their master.
Soon, the group arrived at the first marked location on the map: the Floating Corpse Valley.
“This is it. Qing, you guys better get to work quickly!” Lou Benwei directed.
With that, Lou Benwei lay down on the spot, while Gouzi and the others began their laborious task. Each of them held a storage ring, collecting demon cores one by one, much like farmers harvesting beans. Not long after, the demon cores in the Floating Corpse Valley were all collected, and Lou Benwei led the group to the next location.
“The master was right. This job isn’t too hard after all,” Gouzi couldn’t help but comment.
Lou Benwei was also pleased. For such an easy task, three spirit crystals were a good deal.
Meanwhile, while Lou Benwei’s group was collecting the demon cores of the Mundu Beast, the sect led by the Tianbi Clan was busy burning the corpses of the Twin-Headed Water Demon. Watching the flames rise and the demon cores emerge, the elders couldn’t contain their excitement. To them, these cores represented a massive fortune.
“Everyone, judging by the intensity of the flames, it’ll probably take another half a day to finish burning. Why don’t we return to the previous three locations and collect the other demon cores first?” one of the elders suggested with a smile.
Clearly, they were growing impatient for this wealth.
“That’s a good idea.”
“Yes, yes. By the time we finish collecting the cores from the other places, the burning here should be done.”
“Then let’s head back to the first location to gather the demon cores.”
The others were equally enthusiastic. Their spirit boat floated into the air as they headed for the Floating Corpse Valley. Normally, their route would’ve taken them closer to the Burning Grounds of the Lava Behemoth, but none of them were particularly knowledgeable about demons. They weren’t sure if the newly burned corpses would emit any harmful gases, so to be safe, heading to the Floating Corpse Valley first was the best option.
The group eagerly made their way to the Floating Corpse Valley, some even holding their storage rings, their faces beaming with excitement. But when they arrived, they were dumbfounded.
The countless demon cores in the valley had vanished.
“How is this possible?”
“They were just here. How could they disappear so suddenly?”
The elders’ morale immediately crumbled. The wealth they had thought was within their grasp had vanished, and they couldn’t contain their rage.
“Look, there are traces!”
“These are man-made traces. Someone must’ve stolen our demon cores.”
One sharp-eyed elder, using the faint light from the spirit boat that dispersed the black mist, spotted the scene in the Floating Corpse Valley.
“What?”
“Who would dare to steal our demon cores?”
“Who is bold enough to take what’s ours?”
Their faces darkened with fury as they realized someone had beaten them to their prize.