Cultivation Starts from Farming Chapter 994 - 428: Harvesting the Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Marrow Jade; Innate Spiritual Liquid Accompaniment

A ferocious roar echoed!

Even in its frenzied state, the Tier Four Top-grade Demon Beast showed a flicker of fear in its eyes.

But Xu Ping offered no chance for it to retaliate.

Under his direction, the Puppet Array conjured a colossal Puppet Arm Crystal Hand, which descended with immense force upon the beast’s head.

A thunderous impact followed.

The beast’s head, vast as a dwelling, was nearly pulverized, spewing blood like a geyser.

A single blow inflicted grievous harm!

The Tier Four Top-grade Demon Beast was left reeling, its mind in a chaotic whirl, seeing phantom lights.

"Slash!"

Xu Ping shifted his sword technique.

A multitude of emerald sword energies converged into a towering blade of light, which sliced through the Tier Four Top-grade Demon Beast with a swift 'swish'.

Immediately, Xu Ping moved to its dying form, utilizing his mana-infused hand to retrieve the beast's Essence Soul Pill from a distance.

Rumble!

The enormous beast carcass crashed to the ground, its putrid blood saturating a wide area.

"Let's go!"

By this point, the surrounding void was riddled with a web of fine, precarious cracks.

Xu Ping felt it was too dangerous to linger. After a quick sweep of the battlefield, he prepared to depart.

However, as his gaze swept towards the deeper recesses of the nest, where the demon beast had emerged from the mountain, he abruptly paused.

An incomparably pure and immense surge of Spiritual Qi, brimming with boundless life force, emanated from that dark cavern.

This pristine Spiritual Qi stood in sharp contrast to the pervasive stillness, chaos, and sinister demonic energy of Ten Thousand Demon Mountain—akin to an oasis in a desert, or a radiant gem in the deepest night.

"Hmm?"

Xu Ping’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Could this aura be abnormally pure?

After a moment of contemplation, Xu Ping swiftly plunged into the cave.

Deep within the cave, contrary to the expectation of a foul demon's lair, there existed a peculiar, untouched sanctuary, undefiled by demonic qi.

At the cave's base lay a basin-sized pool, filled with a milky-white liquid resembling jade marrow. It rested serenely, its surface shimmering with a faint spiritual luminescence.

The edges of the liquid had congealed into a crystalline shell-like substance, reminiscent of superior jade, exuding a gentle sheen.

"Ten-thousand-year Spirit Essence Jade, and its accompanying Innate Spiritual Liquid," Xu Ping exclaimed in delight.

The value of the Ten-thousand-year Spirit Essence Jade was self-evident, and its accompanying Innate Spiritual Liquid, capable of augmenting a cultivator's mana and extending their lifespan, were coveted spiritual treasures.

Even cultivators at the late Nascent Soul stage would deeply covet such items.

"Journeyed far and wide to seek them, yet obtained them with such ease – who would have imagined they'd be found within this demon beast's lair."

Had it not been for the scrawny cultivator's murder here, and if the subsequent battle hadn't alerted the beast, he might never have discovered this extremely concealed location.

Xu Ping quickly suppressed his excitement, producing a specially crafted jade bottle and scoop. He meticulously gathered all the milky-white spiritual liquid and the surrounding jade shell, ensuring not a single drop or fragment was wasted.

Having surpassed his initial objective, Xu Ping felt no reason to prolong his stay. His form transformed into a streak of light, fleeing towards the outskirts of Ten Thousand Demon Mountain at maximum speed.

The environment here was already critically unstable, threatening to collapse at any moment.

...

A month later, Xu Ping arrived near the exit of Ten Thousand Demon Mountain.

From a distance, he recognized a familiar figure—the insidious youth from Star Palace, observing the direction of his arrival with a condescending smirk.

It was evident that his adversary had long since pinpointed his location via the tracking imprint left behind.

Xu Ping approached slowly, his expression unreadable.

Upon seeing him emerge, the youth's face adopted an even more pronounced air of arrogance. He gave a slight nod of his chin and stated indifferently, "Hand it over."

Xu Ping wordlessly presented the specially crafted storage bag belonging to Star Palace.

Contained within were various mid-tier spiritual materials and demon cores he had acquired within Ten Thousand Demon Mountain, roughly commensurate with the bounty of a fortunate Early-stage Nascent Soul Loose Cultivator.

The youth accepted the storage bag, scrutinizing its contents with his Divine Sense. He frowned, clearly displeased with what he found.

He raised his head, fixing Xu Ping with a suspicious glare, "Just this? Surrender all your storage bags for my inspection; do not even consider concealing anything!"

Xu Ping let out a cold, internal sneer; this individual was indeed consumed by insatiable greed, exploiting every advantage to the extreme.

Nevertheless, he could comprehend the source of the other's overweening confidence.

At this exit point, he had long sensed the concealed presence of two Mid-stage Nascent Soul Cultivators lurking in the shadows, likely serving as sentinels for the entrance and exit of Ten Thousand Demon Mountain.

Xu Ping showed a fitting hint of humiliation and rage, yet feigning to dare not speak, he had no recourse but to toss his storage ring to the other.

The youth received it, inspecting it with care. Finding nothing of worth, his expression only then eased a touch.

He unceremoniously emptied most items from the specially made storage bag, leaving Xu Ping with a meager fraction. Then, waving him away like a bothersome fly, he commanded: "Be gone!"

Silently gathering the remaining scraps, Xu Ping kept his gaze lowered and uttered no word. He turned and departed swiftly, his form vanishing into the mountain mist.

...

One month’s passage.

Inside the unassuming palace of the Star Palace, situated at the exit of Ten Thousand Demon Mountain.

The sinister youth sat in his quiet chamber, cross-legged, tallying the proceeds from his recent "taxation," a satisfied smile gracing his features.

Despite the mandatory handover of a portion, this post was undeniably a profitable one.

Yet, he remained oblivious as a shadow, dissolving into obscurity like spilled ink, silently breached the palace's rather rudimentary Protective Array. It stealthily reached his door and then, like a phantom, slipped inside.

The youth, in the midst of his cultivation, suddenly experienced a surge of alarm. Upon opening his eyes, he found an unremarkable face hovering near him.