Chapter 824: Splitting the Spoils

Fang Yingying’s miserable death plunged the other Heavenly Witchcraft Sect disciples into a deep panic.

Luo Hui and his golden spider were barely keeping themselves alive in the frosty mist that the Frost Blood Python used to sweep across heaven and earth.

When he noticed that the seemingly unimpressive Mu Biqiong had killed Fang Yingying with some black root that had grown out of her palm, he also gasped with shock and fear.

In his eyes, Nie Tian and the girls had suddenly become one more deadly than another.

Mu Biqiong stepped over to Fang Yingying’s cold body and took off a suit of spiritual armor from her severed upper body. “This suit of spiritual armor seems pretty good.”

The spiritual armor was as light as silk, and exuded a silver aura.

Clearly, it had been forged from Silicon Silver, which meant its defensive performance must be good too.

Unfortunately, this suit of spiritual armor could only protect Fang Yingying’s upper body, when she had been snapped by the black demonic flower’s root from around her waist, which the spiritual armor didn’t cover.

After looting the suit of spiritual armor, Mu Biqiong stood and observed with her hands wrung.

After hearing the mother beetle’s sharp screeches, the Silver Beetles in the other three nests had also fled into the depths of the earth. Not a single one could be seen now.

Therefore, the other Heavenly Witchcraft Sect disciples had assumed that Fang Yingying and Luo Hui had finished their job successfully in the mother beetle’s nest.

They had noticed the unfavorable situation upon seeing Yin Yanan and her eighth grade Frost Blood Python chasing them out of the tunnel.

At this moment, the Frost Blood Python finally found a place where it could display its bloodline power as an eighth grade mutant spirit beast without scruples.

A five kilometer radius was engulfed in a snowstorm. Even the Heavenly Witchcraft Sect disciples’ spirit vermin trembled in the frigid cold.

The other Heavenly Witchcraft Sect disciples’ teeth chattered as they called out miserably, “Junior Martial Brother Luo!”

Surprisingly, Fang Yingying’s death didn’t enrage Luo Hui. Instead, he stood behind his spider and gazed deeply at the Frost Blood Python, which was spewing frost mist unceasingly. After a moment of hesitation, he commanded in a loud voice, “Let’s end our trial, and get out of here now!”

His decision agreed with the others’ desire.

In a split second, all of the Heavenly Witchcraft Sect disciples that were gathered here scattered and fled in different directions like scared birds.

Luo Hui didn’t dare to waste a second. He jumped onto his golden spider and ran at full speed. Like a streak of golden lightning, they disappeared into the distance in the next moment.

Soon, not a single Heavenly Witchcraft Sect disciple could be seen near the four Silver Beetle nests.

Yin Yanan snorted disdainfully. “They dug their own grave.”

She didn’t show any intention to chase after the Heavenly Witchcraft Sect disciples. Instead, she told the Frost Blood Python to wrap up while she flew into another Silver Beetle nest herself.

There were relatively large holes in each of the four silver mountain peaks, through which the mother beetle could travel between them.

RUUUUMBLE!

Deafening rumbles came from within the silver mountain peak Yin Yanan had just entered.

After some time, Yin Yanan returned. Looking somewhat disappointed, he said, “There were only two Silicon Silver protrusions in that nest. And they’re much smaller than the ones we found in the nest where the mother beetle was. The amount of Silicon Silver they contain is also significantly smaller too.”

Before Nie Tian could say anything, she went off to harvest Silicon Silver from the other two silver mountain peaks.

With a surprised and fascinated look in his eyes, Nie Tian took a sideways glance at Mu Biqiong and thought to himself, “That woman is as strong as a beast, but it still took her longer to collect two significantly smaller Silicon Silver protrusions than Mu Biqiong spent collecting seven large ones.” 

Remembering the terrifying scene of that black root growing out of her palm, Nie Tian suspected that she must have made use of the demonic plant’s strength. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been so efficient.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Yin Yanan returned again, and placed seven Silicon Silver protrusions on the ground.

These were the ones she had collected from the other Silver Beetle nests.

Each of them was about five meters long, and exuded mysterious silver auras in the starlight.

She glanced at Mu Biqiong and Nie Tian.

“I didn’t collect them,” Nie Tian said, spreading his hands.

Mu Biqiong curled her lips as seven Silicon Silver protrusions flew out of her ring of holding, and were planted heavily into the solid ground like metal pillars.

Each of these Silicon Silver protrusions was nearly ten meters tall, and considerably thicker than the ones Yin Yanan had collected.

Even at this moment, they were still covered in thick ice that the eighth grade Frost Blood Python had created with its bloodline magic.

“There are a total of fourteen Silicon Silver protrusions. Seven of them are larger, and contain more Silicon Silver.” With these words, a hint of smile appeared at the corner of Yin Yanan’s mouth. “My Frost Blood Python first scared those two from the Heavenly Witchcraft Sect into running. So I suppose I should take the most credit for our victory. Do you have different opinions?”

Nie Tian seemed as if he didn’t care at all. “You two decide on how to split them. I’ll be fine with whatever decision you make.”

As precious as Silicon Silver was, it wouldn’t be of great help to Nie Tian.

The best quality of Silicon Silver was that it could greatly reduce any spiritual armor’s weight, and make it more solid at the same time.

However, he already had the Flame Dragon Armor. Also, with his immense flesh power and vigorous body, he would be able to bear the weight no matter how heavy a suit of spiritual armor was.

Meanwhile, even though he didn’t have the faintest idea as to how the Flame Dragon Armor had been forged, he didn’t think he would be able to improve its solidarity by infusing it with Silicon Silver.

Therefore, no matter how much Silicon Silver he obtained, he would just trade it away sooner or later.

“How do you propose we split them?” Mu Biqiong asked, looking at Yin Yanan.

“I’ll take five large ones, and you two keep the rest,” Yin Yanan answered.

“Alright.” Mu Biqiong didn’t haggle. She turned to Nie Tian and said, “I’ll take the seven small ones. The other two large ones are yours.”

“Fine,” Nie Tian said casually.

Yin Yanan laughed. “Good.” 

RUMBLE!

With great force, the Frost Blood Python whipped one of the large Silicon Silver protrusions with its tail, which was covered in black and white rings

The ice on it instantly exploded, along with its rocky exterior.

The explosion sent bits of ice and rock flying all directions before they fell like rain.

The Silicon Silver protrusions instantly became seven or eight times smaller, as all that remained intact now was the pure Silicon Silver.

Nie Tian then realized that their rocky exteriors were actually of no value at all, and that there was only a small amount of Silicon Silver in each stone protrusion.

The exposed Silicon Silver shone with bright, silver light like a piece of premium-quality silver, but significantly lighter.

The Frost Blood Python went on and whipped its tail a few more times, shattering the exteriors of the other four Silicon Silver protrusions.

Afterwards, she put the five pieces of pure Silicon Silver into her ring of holding. With a bright smile, she said, “Just this Silicon Silver alone has already made this trip a fruitful one.”

Mu Biqiong didn’t stand on ceremony as she put the seven smaller Silicon Silver protrusions into her ring of holding.

Then, Nie Tian approached the remaining two Silicon Silver protrusions and stored them in his ring of holding.

Like this, the spoils were split among the three of them.

“There seems to be something special with the hole the mother beetle fled into,” Mu Biqiong suggested. “Are you interested in exploring it?” 

Eyebrows furrowed, Yin Yanan said, “Forget it. There are far more other wondrous things in the Shatter Battlefield. We’ve already taken enough from the mother Silver Beetle. Besides, none of us know what’s hiding in that bottomless hole. Greed always leads to disastrous results.”

Her berating tone made Mu Biqiong rather unhappy, yet she didn’t say anything back to her. Instead, she shot Nie Tian a glance.

Nie Tian pondered briefly before saying, “Let’s not make things more complicated than they already are.”

Therefore, Yin Yanan summoned her air-transportation spiritual tool once again. The three of them jumped on board successively and left.

A few hours after they left...

The Phantasm youngster who had pointed them in this direction arrived quietly.

Standing atop the enormous skull made of discarnate souls, he came to a stop among the four Silver Beetle nests, where he examined the area with one of the Phantasms’ unique soul magics.

“I can’t believe they’re not here. Shouldn’t a fierce battle have broken out between them so I can collect more souls?” After muttering these words, he flew into the four Silver Beetle nests one after another, and discovered that all of the Silicon Silver protrusions had been taken away.

“Which of them won? Those three or the people from the Heavenly Witchcraft Sect?” After pondering the matter for a while, he muttered to himself, “It’s probably those three. That python was at the eighth grade. I suppose those Heavenly Witchcraft Sect disciples’ spirit vermin couldn’t match it in battle.”

He leapt back onto the skull and flew away.

...

Nie Tian sat in the lotus position in a corner of Yin Yanan’s air-transportation spiritual tool. Piled up before him were a large number of materials and medicinal plants that contained rich wood power.

He was channeling wisps of pure wood power from them.

Every once in awhile, he would also swallow a piece of spirit beast meat, and use its flesh power and the flesh power he had absorbed from the Silver Beetles to refine his meridians using Heavenly Wood Heal.

Flesh auras gradually built up and started to surge within his meridians like a flood charging through a broken dam.

His meridians started to rupture under the rampant flesh auras’ repeated blows.

Meanwhile, wisps of wood power came in like a drizzle on the spring wind to nourish the ruptured parts, fix the damage, and reforge his meridians.

Afterwards, the new meridians became even thicker, and as strong as metal. From the look of it, they would now be able to allow more spiritual power and flesh power to run through them.

As his meridians continued to break and heal under Heavenly Wood Heal’s effect, frantic flesh power fluctuations came from him unceasingly.

Mu Biqiong from the Bliss Mountain Sect didn’t practice any sort of body refining incantations. She took a glance at him, but after failing to see what was going on with him, she withdrew her gaze and focused on her own cultivation.

Yin Yanan and her Frost Blood Python, however, had strange looks in their eyes as they stared at him.

Yin Yanan secretly communicated with the Frost Blood Python about her speculations. “He seems to be using the Floragrims’ special body refining technique.

“And a large amount of wood power... Can he be a hybrid of a human and a Floragrim, so he carries the Floragrim’s bloodline so he can practice their special body refining technique?”

The Frost Blood Python shook its head slightly.

“No? If it’s not a Floragrim’s, then which kind of bloodline does he carry?” Yin Yanan asked in soul voice.

The Frost Blood Python once again shook its head. Eyes filled with confusion, it told her that Nie Tian’s bloodline was very special; even it couldn’t read his bloodline seals.

“Even though the Frost Python part of your bloodline is rather new, the Blood Stripe Python part of your bloodline is very ancient. You’ve already entered the eighth grade. If even you can’t see the origin of his bloodline, that only makes me even more curious about his background.”

Eyebrows furrowed, Yin Yanan gazed at Nie Tian with a puzzled and thoughtful expression.