The scene was the same, the rear mountain.
But there were no six Zen masters here, nor any suppressed sect traitors.
They had repurposed the spirit-energy-rich mountaintop, sowed seeds among the forests, and transformed the peak of Wanfo Mountain into a field of spirit herbs.
Sect Leader Faming declared proudly, "This spirit herb field has the same lifespan as our sect, and it is the greatest secret of the Vast Buddha Sect. The wealth it contains is enough to make the entire Eastern Continent envious!"
"Then why did you bring me here?"
"It depends on who you are. How could a transcendent place like the Floating City fancy a mere ordinary place like this?"
The peddler smiled slightly, "Alright, pluck all the spirit herbs here, not a single one must be left behind."
Faming's palms sweated coldly. "That… you will pay for them, right?"
To be honest, Faming's decision was a bit of a gamble.
After all, it was all just a legend.
But, for the prosperity of the sect, the risk was worth taking.
The peddler wasted no more words, directly fumbling through his shoulder pole...
"I have brought a total of four types of supplies this time."
"The first is Snow Fungus, which is abundant in the Great Glacier and is the favorite food of Ice Plain Yaks. Its nutritional level can reach ten."
"Among the four types of supplies, this is the only one that suits you best."
Saying so, he pulled out a giant mushroom as large as a sofa. It was snow-white and smooth, looking very tender. The slightly fishy aroma, characteristic of mushrooms, made the peddler inhale involuntarily.
The peddler entranced, "The taste of this Snow Fungus is first-class. When sliced and stewed with chicken soup, it's the most fragrant. It would surely be great for hot pot too."
Ordinary Snow Fungus was not this large. This was the result of Zhang Wei collecting a hundred thousand Snow Fungus and then increasing their volume. Each mushroom weighed as much as eight hundred catties, and its nutritional level had risen from two to ten.
Zhuo Bufan said, "According to Yan Mi's calculations, the price of this Snow Fungus is fifteen spirit stones per catty!"
This was the price in the Floating City!
The Yan Mi in the Floating City cost only five spirit stones, but when sold here, its price reached twelve spirit stones.
Faming asked, puzzled, "I've never seen this before. Is this thing more… nutritious than Yan Mi?"
This was the result of dealing with the Floating City, where everything was judged by nutrition and taste.
"It's three stages better than Yan Mi."
"Food is easy to identify. Just smell it, cut a piece, and taste it!"
Faming didn't doubt him, rubbing his hands and smiling shrewdly, "Anything else?"
The peddler hesitated. "There is, but it's not suitable for you."
Zuo Pian Dian brewed its own grain liquor, with an alcohol content of 36%. The ingredients were pure Qiaoqiao potatoes, with added corn, sorghum, and other flavor-enhancing auxiliaries. The taste was mellow, and it didn't cause a hangover when drunk.
Because it was self-brewed, Zhang Wen did not personally handle it, and it was not kept in the main hall.
However, the quantity was surprisingly immense!
This was a practice work by a brewing apprentice. Almost every brewer had to make a hundred or so batches.
"Monks have precepts, they can't drink alcohol, right?"
Faming became furious. "Preposterous! I'll go and revise the precepts right now!"
Peddler: ???
"Wait a moment, no rush. I still have live Ice Plain Yaks and Sleepless Claw Bears. They are all very tasty meats. Can you kill and eat them?"
"Can you or not? If one path is to be cultivated, I'll cultivate them all!"
As if!
How could heavenly and earthly spiritual items be compared to mundane things?
We cultivate with abandon and strive for longevity against the heavens. Are there any actions that cannot be taken!
Just like a pill to increase cultivation, would one discard it because it contained animal tissues?
Basket after basket of spirit herbs were brought forth. The peddler checked the price list and then pointed to one, saying to Zhuo Bufan, "What is this thing? Eight hundred spirit stones for a single stalk of grass? Are you crazy?"
Guiyuan Zidanshen!
Three hundred years old.
The price per stalk was eight hundred spirit stones, ten times that of other herbs.
And there were about thirty of them collected here!
Could Zhuo Bufan be pocketing a kickback, inflating the price, and then splitting it with me after I leave?
Zhuo Bufan immediately explained, "This is a rare and good item. Eight hundred spirit stones is definitely not expensive!"
"What good item?"
"This is the formula for a mainstream Foundation Establishment Pill. If cultivators want to advance further, they must take a Foundation Establishment Pill."
Foundation Establishment Pill?
Foundation Establishment barrier?
Seemed similar to a cell wall barrier?
If that were the case, it seemed worthwhile.
Checking the supplies, the price of these spirit herbs was around fifty thousand spirit stones, which converted to three hundred food coins.
The peddler also paid for four Ice Plain Yaks to settle the bill.
After the transaction was completed, the peddler turned to leave. Zhuo Bufan walked to the Sect Leader and asked, "Are you sure you traded everything that could be traded?"
"Absolutely!"
"Alright, goodbye!"
With that, Zhuo Bufan got into the shoulder pole, and the peddler leaped up. His jumping power alone was three times faster than flying with a sword!
In an instant, he broke through the mountain protection formation and left the place.
Faming let out a long sigh of relief.
Looking at the four large yaks he had exchanged for, his heart was filled with joy. Beef… the last time he ate it was three hundred years ago in the mortal world.
If he hadn't secretly eaten a plow ox, been caught by the authorities, and gone to jail, he wouldn't have stumbled into the cultivation world by chance. Time flew by in a blink of an eye, three hundred years have passed, it's really fast!
"Let's pick one first and taste the flavor of the beef tenderloin…"
Before he finished speaking.
A fierce and powerful aura suddenly appeared. Three people dressed in black clothes broke through the mountain protection formation again and landed directly on the plaza.
They created three large pits!
Faming wanted to cry but had no tears. My mountain protection formation is a public place, you can come and go as you please. Where will the face of our Vast Buddha Sect go if you do this? Can't you just knock on the door and follow the normal procedure?
These three people were dressed in black, with dark gold embroidery on their bodies, bearing the words "Black List"!
"May I ask…"
"Less nonsense, we're here to rob!"
Faming: ...
The black-clothed men had detectors tied to their faces. This was a device made by Jia Quan that could detect spirit energy.
The black-clothed men shouted, "Everyone stand still and don't move. Anyone who dares to move will be beaten to death!"
With a wave of his hand, the entire plaza was pressed down by three meters deep…
Faming gasped.
Such destructive power, even three or five cultivators at the late Golden Core stage combined could not achieve this. This guy just casually slapped?
And there were three such people?
Immobile!
Faming immediately surrendered, ordering everyone to obey the robbers' commands.
Faming looked intently at the four large yaks, this was the most important property of the entire sect!
But the robbers didn't even look at the four yaks. They only sent two people to search around, leaving one person to supervise.
Tiles flew everywhere, and roof beams were uprooted and cut into pieces.
The floorboards were lifted, revealing secret passages and basements. Various protective measures and hidden methods were violently broken. These people were experienced.
They adhered to a three-dimensional search method, organizing the entire space in a three-dimensional manner, not letting go of any cubic meter!
Even the soil underground was turned over and over.
"Spirit artifact prayer beads? Trash…"
"Spirit artifact seal? Trash…"
"Cloak and cassock? Trash…"
"Zen staff and wooden fish? Trash…" Da Feng Novel Network
All sorts of props, regardless of their preciousness, even if they were worth thousands of spirit stones, were considered trash in their eyes!
They were only interested in various plants and animals. Among non-biological resources, they preferred things like stone milk, which could be consumed.
"Guiyuan Zidanshen? Take it…"
"Great Huoxue Pill? Purple Bamboo Guming Pill? Tianzhu Buddha Medicine? Take it…"
"Longevity Lily? Snow Clam? Pearl Mother? Not bad, take it…"
"Rotting Body Poison, Soul Dissolving Pill, Heart Failure Powder? This… we'll take it back first and see if we can pickle it."
"Gold-stealing Rat? Treasure-seeking Bee? Take it… we'll fry the bee pupae and roast the bamboo rat back home…"
The meticulousness of these robbers was appalling. There was no space left unexamined. Even if they dug up an earthworm, they would put it to their nose to smell it. Even slightly larger stones would be crushed into powder.
In a short while, the treasures were piled up in the plaza. The value of the plant and animal resources alone, not counting artifacts like Zen staffs and cassocks, was fifty thousand spirit stones.
It was clear that this old monk Faming was not as honest as he appeared!
The three searched and packed their loot into their waistbands to leave. Faming mustered his courage and said, "Uh… could you leave the Guiyuan Zidanshen behind? Our sect still has dozens of cultivators who need to establish their foundation. We can't be without this item!"
"Scram!"
"Hey, alright."
After the robbers left, Faming looked at the remaining four large yaks and the ruined sect, wanting to cry but having no tears.
If he had known, he would have traded for all of them. Wouldn't eight yaks be better…
This time, not only did he not make a profit, but he also incurred the cost of rebuilding the sect…
How could Faming not know that the peddler and the robbers were in cahoots? Zhuo Bufan had clearly given him a hint!
"Damn it, I regret it!!!"