Chapter 185: Divided and Buried – You Do Not Understand His Dao

Snake Spits a Pearl?

Yu Xian, Hu Chang, and Wu Sanxing were all momentarily stunned, faces full of confusion.

They had heard of dragons spitting pearls.

But a snake spitting a pearl? What kind of nonsense was that?

Yue Bufeng explained, “All scaled reptiles in this world belong to the dragon lineage. Among them, snakes are the closest kin, striving ultimately to evolve into jiao and then dragons. That black snake had already developed spiritual intelligence. I’m not sure whether it comprehended a method on its own or obtained it from somewhere else, but by exhaling its Qi and nurturing a pearl with it, it produced this item, known as the Snake-Spit Pearl.”

“Such pearls are incredibly rare and represent a shortcut in the path of snakes. They are akin to external cores, functioning similarly to dragon pearls. If the snake had successfully refined it and then reabsorbed it into its body to merge with its inner core, it could have immediately stepped into the rank of a superior-grade Tier 5 beast—or even grown horns and claws, stepping into Tier 6 as a jiao or flood dragon!”

Yue Bufeng’s voice softened. “Those cultivators who coveted the pearl only brought the black snake’s wrath upon themselves. They didn’t realize what they were messing with.”

Hearing this, the three nodded. They now understood the origin of the Snake-Spit Pearl.

But they still had no clue what it was actually used for.

Hu Chang asked, “Then what exactly can this pearl do?”

“This pearl, while not fully formed, is essentially a pseudo-core meant to become an external core. Though incomplete, it can be used in alchemy or to feed other spirit or demonic beasts, greatly enhancing them.”

Yue Bufeng stroked his chin thoughtfully. “But if a human cultivator consumes it directly, the snake venom might be too potent. So whether it’s a deadly poison or a miraculous treasure depends. But one thing’s for sure—this item is extremely valuable, at least on par with a mid-grade Tier 5 treasure.”

Mid-grade Tier 5 Treasure!

Hu Chang and Wu Sanxing’s eyes lit up.

That was worth over two hundred thousand spirit stones!

Split among the four of them, each could get over fifty thousand!

In the end, spirit stones were more practical.

Since the pearl’s effects were uncertain and no one dared to consume it lightly, it was better to sell it for stones.

But Yu Xian suddenly spoke, “This item—does it really help spirit beasts?”

“Absolutely.”

Yue Bufeng nodded. “It can aid their advancement and strengthen their bloodline.”

Then, his eyes gleamed. “Oh right! Don’t you have a Little Phoenix Cat? You should use it on that!”

“Little Phoenix Cat?”

Hu Chang and Wu Sanxing were confused—they had heard of it, of course, but where was it?

Yu Xian calmly said, “Indeed. I was thinking the same. This Snake-Spit Pearl might significantly increase its chance of evolving.”

“That’s perfect!”

Yue Bufeng smiled. “That cat has contributed greatly. Rewarding it with this pearl is only right!”

Hu Chang and Wu Sanxing were even more puzzled now.

“Fellow Daoists,” Yue Bufeng explained, “Though we rescued you, most of the credit should go to the Little Phoenix Cat.”

“It was due to the cat’s acute sense of smell that we navigated thousands of cavern paths and found you. Without it, no matter how skilled we were, we wouldn’t have succeeded.”

“Oh? Truly?”

The two looked around in surprise. “Where is the cat? We must thank it properly!”

“It’s here,” Yu Xian said as he lifted a hand.

“Meow!”

The Little Phoenix Cat leaped out, took a few light steps, and then jumped gracefully onto Yu Xian’s shoulder, its phoenix-like eyes filled with curiosity as it examined the three men.

“It appeared out of thin air…”

Hu Chang and Wu Sanxing were both startled. “You have a spirit beast pouch?!”

A spirit beast pouch was even more valuable than a top-grade storage pouch!

Even Golden Core cultivators rarely had them, let alone a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator like Yu Xian.

He must be ridiculously wealthy—those pouches were worth millions of spirit stones!

Originally, only Lu Mian, a beast keeper at the Spirit Beast Garden, had such a pouch—and even then, it was lent to him by the Lu Clan and had to be returned after his shift.

But after the upheaval in Qingyuan City and the chaos caused by the Golden Core cultivator of the Tianyuan Sword Sect, Yu Xian seized the opportunity and obtained it during the chaos.

Yu Xian smiled and nodded, “Got it by chance.”

“You’re truly blessed by the heavens!” Hu Chang praised.

“This Little Phoenix Cat… it’s the one that found us?” Wu Sanxing was more focused on the cat itself.

“A genuine spiritual creature,” Hu Chang added. “Its phoenix eyes are fully formed, and it has five back stripes. One day, it may awaken the Phoenix Bloodline completely!”

“How is it? Isn’t this cat quite something?” Yue Bufeng grinned. “I propose that we give it the Snake-Spit Pearl as a reward. Agreed?”

“I agree.”

“I have no objections.”

Wu Sanxing nodded without hesitation, and Hu Chang followed suit.

After all, this cat saved their lives. Feeding it the Snake-Spit Pearl to help it evolve? Perfectly reasonable!

“No.”

It was Yu Xian who suddenly spoke, calmly but firmly.

“I’ll buy the pearl for two hundred thousand spirit stones. We’ll split the money equally.”

“What?!”

Yue Bufeng frowned. “That pearl should belong to the Little Phoenix Cat! You don’t need to buy it!”

“Exactly, you don’t have to pay for it!”

“No need to be so formal, brother!”

But Yu Xian shook his head. “A contract is a contract. It is my spirit beast. Its purpose is to serve me. If not for that, why would I raise it? If you don’t agree, then don’t give it to me—I’ll sell it, and we’ll split the stones instead.”

“Uh…”

The three were speechless.

Selling it to the Golden Scale Pavilion or to Yu Xian himself was the same outcome.

But the implications were entirely different.

In one case, the pearl becomes just another treasure on the market.

In the other, it’s used to nourish the very beast that saved their lives.

“Sigh… so stubborn…” Yue Bufeng knew Yu Xian well and could only sigh. “Fine, we’ll sell it to you. Let’s split the money. You hold it for now—we’ll settle up later.”

Yu Xian finally smiled. “Very well.”

He took the Snake-Spit Pearl.

“Meow!”

The Little Phoenix Cat’s eyes lit up, as if a normal cat had just seen a fish. It was clearly drooling over the pearl.

But under Yu Xian’s control as his contracted beast, it didn’t dare move without permission.

Yet Yu Xian didn’t feed it the pearl immediately. Instead, he casually stored it away and continued dividing up the other loot with the others.

The cat let out a disgruntled meow.

“Hahaha, little one, don’t rush. Your master is busy right now. You’ll get it soon enough,” Yue Bufeng laughed.

The Little Phoenix Cat didn’t understand human words—but no pearl meant no pearl. It could only obediently perch on Yu Xian’s shoulder, curiously eyeing its surroundings.

Yu Xian didn’t put it back into the pouch either.

The rest of the loot was nothing special—spirit stones, magic treasures, scrolls, materials.

The best item was a mid-grade Tier 4 treasure.

Still, combined, the five storage pouches amounted to about 380,000 spirit stones, netting each person over 100,000.

After two days of travel at his Foundation Establishment pace, Yu Xian finally saw a mountain in the distance.

The mountain wasn’t wide, but it was tall—more than twice the height of its neighbors, rising over 2,000 zhang.

Shrouded in mist and brimming with spiritual energy, it was clearly a cultivator’s paradise.

Zijin Mountain.

Any Golden Core expert, even rogue cultivators, would have their own cave dwelling.

Whether inherited or seized, such places were never ordinary.

Like Li Shuxian’s Xianfeng Temple.

He Hedong, who was stronger than her, naturally had an even better one.

Yu Xian’s eyes gleamed as he quickened his pace.

About two hours later, he arrived at the mountain’s base.

Instead of flying, he respectfully began climbing on foot.

After half an hour, he finally saw the silhouette of a pavilion half-hidden in the clouds.

Just as he was about to approach—

“Stop right there. Who are you?”

A voice rang out.

Yu Xian paused and looked up.

A young woman in her early twenties appeared from the mist. With Foundation Establishment cultivation, she frowned and asked, “Why are you here?”

Yu Xian bowed respectfully. “Fairy, I am Yu Xian, a disciple of Golden Scale Pavilion in Mo City. I have come to seek an audience with Senior He Hedong on important matters. Please inform him.”

“Yu Xian?”

The woman scrutinized him and frowned. “My master is in closed-door cultivation, trying to break through to the mid-Golden Core stage. He’s not seeing anyone. Go back.”

With a wave, she turned to leave.

“Fairy!”

Yu Xian called out urgently.

“What now?” she snapped, clearly annoyed. “Don’t be unreasonable, or I’ll activate the formation!”

Yu Xian remained calm. “May I ask when Senior He will finish his cultivation?”

“How would I know? Come back in a few years!”

She rolled her eyes, waved her hand, and vanished into the mist.

Yu Xian stood still for a moment, then shook his head and smiled.

So be it.

Since that’s the case, I’ll head west and seek out my master instead.

Someday, I’ll return and find He Hedong again.

After all, a Golden Core expert lives for centuries—he’ll still be around.

And if fate has other plans, then that’s life.

Yu Xian couldn’t possibly wait here endlessly for He Hedong’s breakthrough—it might take years or even decades.

But just as he had descended a few hundred zhang, still far from the foot of the mountain—

Laughter suddenly erupted from the pavilion above!

It echoed like thunder, shaking birds from trees and dispersing clouds and mist!

Yu Xian halted.

He turned back toward Zijin Mountain, eyes bright.

That laugh alone confirmed it.

He Hedong had succeeded.

He was now a mid-Golden Core cultivator—far beyond the likes of Fang Jue, Li Shuxian, or Fei Xingchen.