Chapter 186: Fine Food Must Not Be Missed, Laughter Echoes from Mount Zijing

A fifth-rank demonic beast—every part of its body was a treasure.

Its skin, bones, flesh, blood, and tendons were all extremely valuable.

Especially the skin and bones—these were top-tier materials for crafting, properly classified as lower-grade fifth-rank resources!

With such a massive piece of black snake hide, combined with other materials, Yue Changfeng could craft a pure defensive armor, or perhaps a shield or umbrella-type defensive artifact.

Similarly, with a full set of snake bones, he could forge an offensive fifth-rank lower-grade magic weapon!

The tendons were a bit less valuable, but still good enough to create a fourth-rank middle-to-high-grade binding-type artifact.

As for the flesh and blood, whether consumed directly or refined into pills—they were first-class.

It was no wonder so many people risked their lives to hunt demonic beasts.

After all, domesticated spirit beasts tended to decline rapidly by the third generation. Without the trials of the wild, and lacking inherited instincts, they simply couldn’t match the quality of beasts grown in the wilderness.

And raising a spirit beast to a usable level was time-consuming, resource-intensive, and inefficient—it was often more practical to simply buy what you needed.

Yue Changfeng, beaming with joy, began dissecting the snake corpse with his small blade.

Yu Xian put away the beast’s core and watched him work.

When it came to dismembering demonic beasts, Yue Changfeng clearly knew much more. Since Yu Xian wasn’t experienced in this, he wisely refrained from interfering, so as not to damage the precious hide. Even a small flaw would drastically reduce its value.

Yue Changfeng’s movements were swift and practiced—he had clearly done this many times.

In no time at all, a complete and intact snakeskin had been peeled off.

Grinning, Yue Changfeng carefully stored the hide and began removing the bones and flesh. Chuckling, he said, “Little brother, this snake meat is a great tonic. If you don’t need it for pill refining, how about we stew it for dinner?”

Yu Xian thought it over. Among the pills he knew how to make, none used this kind of snake meat. He nodded. “Sure, let’s eat it.”

Yue Changfeng laughed heartily and continued working—cleaning the bones, extracting the tendons, slicing up the meat.

Not long after, he suddenly cried out, “Ayo!”

Yu Xian’s expression shifted slightly as he turned to look—and his eyes instantly narrowed.

Inside the opened snake belly were partially digested and mangled human remains.

It was the two cultivators this black snake had swallowed!

Fortunately, it hadn’t been long, so their storage pouches hadn’t been corroded yet.

“Well now…” Yue Changfeng was briefly surprised, but soon grinned. “An unexpected bonus.”

He extended a hand, and with a surge of spiritual energy, he pulled two wrinkled storage pouches from the corpses.

Had the digestion gone on longer, the pouches might’ve been destroyed outright.

“I almost forgot this black snake had eaten two people.”

Yu Xian nodded calmly. “A fortunate surprise.”

Laughing, Yue Changfeng tossed the two storage bags aside and casually incinerated the corpses in his artifact furnace, then went back to handling the snake carcass.

About half an hour later, they had a neat pile of snake meat, a full set of bones, and a long tendon.

Yue Changfeng wiped his brow, put away his blade, and nodded with satisfaction. “Done cutting.”

Naturally, the bones and tendons were Yue Changfeng’s—after all, the beast core alone was worth more than all of this combined.

The meat, on the other hand, he planned to share. He pulled out a large cauldron—it was clearly a magic artifact, but still quite suitable for making soup.

“Snake stew, snake stew! The meat of a fifth-rank beast is tender and flavorful. Tasty and nourishing.”

He happily tossed in half the meat, added some spirit spring water, then levitated the cauldron over the furnace and began cooking.

While it simmered, he picked up the two storage bags and grinned. “The snake soup still needs a bit—let’s see what’s inside.”

Nothing particularly amazing, but still decent loot.

Each pouch contained about 500,000 spirit stones, plus a few magic tools, pill bottles, scrolls, two cultivation manuals, and some spell scrolls.

Altogether, the haul was worth over a million spirit stones.

Yue Changfeng naturally shared it evenly with Yu Xian.

Meanwhile, a fragrant aroma began wafting from the cauldron—rich and meaty, tempting even to two seasoned Foundation Establishment cultivators who had long transcended the need for mundane food.

Who said cultivators didn’t eat?

They simply didn’t need to eat mortal food. Spirit beast meat, though—that was another matter.

Yue Changfeng licked his lips and grinned at the cauldron. “Ah, it’s been over ten years since I last ate fifth-rank beast meat. Still unforgettable.”

Yu Xian raised an eyebrow slightly. Clearly, Yue Changfeng had eaten plenty of high-level beasts before.

As for Yu Xian himself, this was a first. He was genuinely curious about how it would taste.

After two incense sticks of time, the broth began bubbling vigorously.

The rich aroma filled the entire room.

Yue Changfeng laughed out loud, dismissed the flames beneath the furnace, and levitated the cauldron in front of them.

The soup was milky white, the meat floating gently within. The aroma was better than anything Yu Xian had ever seen or tasted.

Yue Changfeng quickly took out two large bowls and a silver ladle, scooped out a full bowl for Yu Xian, and handed it over. “Here, brother—try my cooking. When it comes to snake soup, the trick is all in the timing.”

Yu Xian accepted it, unconsciously swallowed, and smiled. “Thanks, big brother.”

He took a sip.

Fresh, fragrant, sweet, delicious.

An indescribable richness lingered on his tongue—it was the most delicious thing Yu Xian had ever tasted.

He closed his eyes and savored it, smiling.

So this was what true culinary joy felt like.

Yue Changfeng laughed heartily and quickly served himself, gulping down a bowl in big mouthfuls.

“Damn, this is good…”

Yu Xian, encouraged, began eating in earnest. The meat was tender, almost melting in his mouth.

As the soup entered his body, it transformed into a warm flow of energy, nourishing his bones and expanding his qi sea.

Just one bowl was comparable to taking a lower fourth-rank treasure-grade pill.

Eyes shining, Yu Xian licked his lips and helped himself to another full bowl.

Yue Changfeng, meanwhile, was already on his third.

There were at least several hundred jin of soup in the cauldron, but the two of them finished it in less than two incense sticks’ time.

Even after eating their fill, they still wanted more.

But they stopped themselves—forcibly ingesting more than their bodies could process would only cause problems.

They exchanged a glance and laughed.

Yue Changfeng packed up the cauldron and bowls, letting out a satisfied sigh. “All right, we’ve eaten. Now hurry up and refine that energy.”

“Mm.” Yu Xian nodded and closed his eyes, beginning to refine the warm flood of energy in his body.

Yue Changfeng returned to his seat and sat cross-legged, also focusing on refinement.

For him, this was a rare opportunity—a chance to shorten the time needed to reach the Core Formation stage.

Perhaps it would’ve taken him ten years. But after this meal? Eight might be enough.

They refined the energy for two full days, both gaining significantly.

Yue Changfeng’s foundation grew noticeably deeper.

Yu Xian’s physique strengthened, and his qi sea expanded to over eighty-five zhang.

Two days later, their daily lives returned to normal.

Yue Changfeng resumed teaching Yu Xian artifact refinement. Yu Xian, ever eager to learn, remained focused and diligent.

And so, peaceful, joyful days passed by quietly—like water flowing under a bridge.

Before they knew it, a month had gone by.

“This treasure… is complete!”

That day, inside the artifact forging room, Yu Xian was refining alone. Gazing at the furnace before him, he whispered softly and raised his hand in a final gesture, channeling streams of spiritual energy to inscribe the final array.

Yu Xian didn’t ask for much. After discussing with the other three, he only took two spell scrolls—Wood Yang Lightfoot Technique and Great Wave Technique.

All the other items were given to the three, and Yu Xian even chipped in 800,000 spirit stones to cover the value of the Black Serpent’s inner core, settling the debt completely.

With that, the loot division came to an end.

Hu Chang and Wu Sanxing were both visibly cheerful.

Yue Qiongfeng also wore a faint smile, but soon sighed, stood up, and said,

“Let’s go. We should give Fellow Daoists Zhang and Zhong a proper burial.”

Hu Chang and Wu Sanxing’s smiles froze for a moment, then turned into bitter ones.

“Yeah… let’s go. To be honest, it really does feel like we’ve let them down.”

What they had done—dividing the belongings of Zhang Pin and Zhong Fa—was not wrong. The two were dead, after all. Should they have let the items go to waste?

But deep inside, guilt still lingered.

That awkward tangle between reason and emotion—any normal person would feel it.

Unless one had a twisted mind, it was hard to feel joy over gaining from someone’s death.

Still, they were cultivators who had lived decades, some over a century. After a single sigh, they suppressed their thoughts.

Only Yu Xian still showed guilt in his eyes, and he sighed softly.

The four left the artifact refining house and exited the Golden Scale Pavilion, heading straight out of the city.

—Three hours later—

In a picturesque mountain valley, the four stood quietly before two newly-raised graves.

They bowed and paid their respects.

“Farewell, Daoist friends.”

Cultivators were not like mortals—they understood things more deeply.

When someone died, their soul was drawn into the Cycle of Six Reincarnations. There was no coming back. It was a true farewell.

There was no need for empty words or comfort. Death was death. Like a candle being snuffed out.

After the burial, Yue Qiongfeng exhaled slowly.

“Let’s go.”

“Let’s.”

“Yes… let’s go.”

“Mm.”

The three nodded and flew away, disappearing into the distant horizon.

Only the two mounds remained on the hill—decades of cultivation, returned to dust in an instant.

—

A few hours later, the four returned to Mo City.

Now that Hu Chang and Wu Sanxing’s injuries had largely recovered—with just a few lingering internal injuries left that would heal with rest—they no longer stayed with Yue Qiongfeng.

Instead, they returned to their usual inns.

Yu Xian and Yue Qiongfeng didn’t try to stop them. Once they parted, the two returned to the artifact refinement room in the Golden Scale Pavilion.

This matter could be considered completely over.

They had killed Yu Feng and avenged a deep grudge, but it had cost two companions’ lives.

Was it a gain or a loss? It was hard to say.

From a selfish point of view, Yue Qiongfeng and Yu Xian certainly gained.

After all, they weren’t harmed. They killed Yu Feng and obtained many treasures—definitely a huge gain.

But to them, it was a loss.

Losing two Daoist friends? That’s a loss, no matter what.

“Big brother… that black serpent…”

After returning to the refining room, Yu Xian finally couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“Why did you hide it?”

When they were dividing loot, he’d noticed Yue Qiongfeng never mentioned the black serpent, and had even given him a warning glance when he wanted to bring it up.

But now, with only the two of them present, he had to ask.

“Little brother.”

Yue Qiongfeng looked at him and sighed.

“It’s not that I’m being selfish… but we’ve already done more than enough.”

“But…”

Yu Xian tried to speak, but Yue Qiongfeng raised a hand to stop him.

“You have a kind heart, untainted by greed. You’re generous to your own people and would rather suffer losses than take advantage. That’s your strength… but also your fatal weakness.”

He shook his head.

“In the cultivation world, if you aren’t selfish, you won’t survive.”

Yu Xian finally understood his meaning.

He looked at Yue Qiongfeng, then sighed softly.

“I understand…”

“No, you don’t.”

Yue Qiongfeng looked at him seriously.

“This cultivation world is ruled by self-interest. If you don’t go along with it, you’ll suffer. You’ll end up dead, paying the ultimate price. Don’t you get it?! Has no one ever told you how cruel the cultivation world is?”

“I do understand.”

Yu Xian’s gaze was pure.

“Big brother, someone once gave up their life just to tell me how dangerous this world is.”

Yu Xian had never been a blind good guy.

He repaid kindness with gratitude—and vengeance with vengeance.

His foster mother, Yushu Niang, once told him before she died:

“The cultivation world is full of bad people.”

That had instilled a sense of caution and awareness in the young Yu Xian.

As he grew older, he came to understand her intentions—and also realized that not everyone is evil.

He had his master, Xiao Wusheng, and his big brother Yue Qiongfeng.

He also had his own Dao, his own path.

A drop of kindness, repaid in torrents.

A drop of hatred, repaid in torrents.

Yue Qiongfeng didn’t truly understand Yu Xian.

He only saw Yu Xian’s goodness—not the clarity within his heart.

“Bah! What do you understand?”

Yue Qiongfeng gritted his teeth. His expression turned fierce.

“If I decided right now to kill you and steal everything you have—could you stop me? Could you even survive!?”

“But… you wouldn’t.”

“I SAID IF!”

“There is no ‘if’…”

“You… damn it, you’re a blockhead!”

Yue Qiongfeng was at his wits’ end.

He was just a sworn brother—some things he couldn’t force.

He rolled his eyes and said, “Fine, I’m just gonna hog the black serpent for myself. Say the word—do you want it or not? If not, it’s mine.”

Yu Xian smiled.

“I want it. Of course I want it. I need to learn to be a little more selfish.”

“That’s the spirit! Come, let’s see what treasures this black snake has!”

Yue Qiongfeng laughed and waved his hand.

A massive black snake, ten zhang long, appeared in the hall.

Though it was dead, the pressure it radiated was still fearsome.

This snake was far stronger than that white serpent pet raised by Jiang Xiaolong.

If it hadn’t been knocked unconscious by the shockwave from the flood, its defensive scales would’ve made it nearly invulnerable.

Yue Qiongfeng then produced a Grade 5 demonic core, deep green and gleaming with power.

This core alone was worth over a million spirit stones.

Perfect for refining Grade 5 pills, or even consumed raw to boost cultivation.

He handed it to Yu Xian.

“You’re the alchemist. Make good use of it.”

Yu Xian caught it and nodded.

Then, Yue Qiongfeng took out a razor-sharp knife and got to work carving up the corpse, grinning like a madman.

Later, they’d enjoy a great serpent stew—a feast of high-grade meat.

And with a full stomach, both would gain a great deal in cultivation.

Eventually, however…

Yu Xian would leave.

Two and a half years had passed.

It was time to continue his journey—

To find his master, Xiao Wusheng.

To avenge Yushu Niang.

To walk the path of his Dao.