Chapter 18: Timed Exchange
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The cubs of the Cave Foxes did not have any battle capabilities. The five adult Cave Foxes could not defend against the attack of the human cultivators that Lu Tingyuan brought along.
In actuality, the rest of the cultivators did not have to take action. Just Lu Tingyuan himself was enough to slaughter the five demon foxes.
After killing all the adult foxes, the cultivators then gathered and captured the rest of the cubs in the nest.
The cultivators did not kill the cubs. Instead, they hung them up outside the cave.
It was uncomfortable for the cubs to be tied up. The cubs of the demon foxes twisted their bodies and struggled in the air as they wailed pathetically. Their voices rang out throughout the forest.
However, the cultivators did not soften their hearts.
These Cave Foxes had been here for five years. In these five years, at least 20 people had lost their lives to these demon foxes and even more had been injured. While the cultivators of the Lu Clan did not have a heart of stone, they would not be moved by the sad cries of the demon foxes’ cubs.
As the cubs cried, shrill noises came from within the forest sometime later, one after the other.
The Cave Foxes outside the caves knew that the cubs were in trouble and were communicating with one another.
This was a characteristic of the Cave Foxes. When their cubs were under threat, the Cave Foxes that would usually avoid frontal battle would become extremely courageous. They would not give up even in the face of death. The best way to deal with them was to find their nest and capture their cubs to force them into a frontal battle.
“Be prepared. There should still be a dozen Cave Foxes outside,” Lu Tingyuan said.
He had heard from his Seventh Uncle about how many Cave Foxes there were. He had undertaken this mission to kill off all of the demon foxes in one fell swoop. He was not to leave any of them alive.
The eight other human cultivators got a little more serious.
The foxes were not powerful. Even the weakest cultivator present would have no problems dealing with three to five of them alone. Furthermore, Lu Tingyuan, who was a ninth-tier Qi Refining cultivator, was also present.
However, getting scratched by a demon fox was still rather painful.
Sometime later, in the forest outside the caves, Cave Foxes, who had gray and yellow fur and were slightly larger than a crouching human, walked out one after the other.
They bared their teeth and looked at the human cultivators between them and their cubs with a spiteful gaze.
Lu Tingyuan was not nervous. He counted closely the number of foxes that appeared from within the forest. There were exactly ten of them.
He was extremely confident.
According to the information his Seventh Uncle Lu Chaohe had given him before the mission, this tribe of Cave Foxes had 22 members. Among them, there were seven cubs and 15 adult beasts. They had already killed five of the adults and seven of the cubs were hanging outside the cave. There were only ten of them left. All ten of them had arrived.
There was nothing wrong with the Cave Foxes’ characteristic of defending their cubs.
One cultivator raised his hand and summoned a magic sword. The sword pierced into the body of a cub. The cub struggled for a little while before it came into a complete stop. Its pathetic cries had also ended.
The adult Cave Foxes that appeared outside the cave could not hold it in any longer. They let out shrill, sad roars and then pounced toward the human cultivators.
“It’s great that you’re coming over!” Lu Tingyuan shouted. He activated the two magic equipment in his hands and sent them flying outward. The green lithograph first smashed a fox into a pulp. The white rope that he had activated also flew toward the two demon foxes that were very near where he stood and tied them up together.
The rest of the cultivators also activated their magic equipment and attacked the Cave Foxes.
The Cave Foxes were very weak in terms of direct combat. Amidst the crossfire, more than half of the adult demon foxes were blasted by the magic equipment of the cultivators. They were either killed or rendered immobile. The few Cave Foxes that managed to make it close to the cultivators were easily dealt with by the cultivators.
Lu Tingyuan dodged around and waved his fists. His fist landed on the lower abdomen of a demon fox. The punch, which was laced with spiritual strength, immediately rendered the fox immobile. The powerful punch of a ninth-tier Qi Refining cultivator was not something a fox that had the abilities of a third-tier Qi Refining cultivator could resist, even if the punch were not imbued with magic or techniques.
Soon, all of the demon foxes had lost the ability to fight.
The cleanup after the battle was straightforward.
The Cave Foxes did not possess anything exceptionally valuable. Level One demonic beasts did not even have a Demon Core.
The hide of the demon foxes did have some value. However, they were not of very good quality. All of their hides might fetch 30 to 50 Spirit Stones. Lu Tingyuan’s wife was a seamstress. She could create low-level magic clothes with their hide.
The clan was poor. Any bit of income helped.
******
At the instant the Cave Foxes were all killed, Lu Qing, who was at home, received a notification.
[Horde of Cave Foxes, conquest complete]
[Conquest Reward: 95 Karma, one timed exchange]
[Timed-exchange refreshing... Refresh complete.]
[Level Two Talent type, Spiritual Root Enhancement (Exchange within a month)]
[This can be used on one clan member to enhance their Spiritual Root talents once. Every clan member can only receive one enhancement to their Spiritual Root. The highest a Spiritual Root can be enhanced to is Double Spiritual Roots. Clan members who have Double Spiritual Roots can have their Spiritual Roots optimized. This option does not affect anybody with talents greater than Double Spiritual Roots.]
[80 Karma]
Lu Qing was not surprised that the team of cultivators from the Lu Clan could exterminate the Cave Foxes. Even without a Foundation Building cultivator, they could easily annihilate a horde of low-level, unthreatening demonic beasts.
Comparatively, he cared more about the rewards he obtained.
95 Karma was an important income. It was valuable as the currency for the system. It was something Lu Qing had to spend to access the functions of the system.
However, he was left with three regular exchange items.
They were [Family Culture-type, Morale Boost, Level One], [Resource type, Resource Upgrade, Level Two], and [Equipment type, Self Defence Spirit, Level Two].
Along with the timed exchange he received, the Spiritual Root Enhancement, Lu Qing could only spend Karma on these items.
He definitely had to get the timed Spiritual Root Enhancement. Even though the effects of this option was the same as the Level Two Spiritual Root Enhancement he used before, this one did not have an age limit. That meant that he could use this option on any member of the clan. The 30 extra Karma he had to spend was worth it.
Lu Qing knew who he was going to use the option on.
His youngest daughter, Lu Mingchao.
[Name: Lu Mingchao]
[Parents: Lu Qing, Ye Xincheng]
[Age: 72]
...
[Status: Spiritual strength exhausted (Recovers in a month, estimated)]
[Level: Fourth-tier Foundation Building]
[Talent: Three Spiritual Roots (Water, Metal, Fire)]
[Techniques]
[Spells]
[Treasures]
Out of Lu Qing’s nine children, his eldest son, Lu Chaoxi, had the greatest talent. Lu Mingchao had three Spiritual Roots which was considered average. However, she was a person with determination and intelligence.
More importantly, she was not too old yet she already had the cultivation level of a fourth-tier Foundation Building cultivator.She had the greatest chance of reaching the Initial Enlightenment Stage.