Ning Zhuo was immediately intrigued.
Sun Lingtong had previously taken out the Netherworld Ghost God Seal and the Soul-stirring Drum, yet showed no such look of surprise.
Could it be that the treasure in Qi Bai's Essence Sea was even more valuable than the previous two Magic Artifacts?
Under Ning Zhuo's watchful eyes, Sun Lingtong retracted the cloud of smoke and brought out a precious plant.
It was a cluster of small grass.
The grass was about three feet high. Its stalk was sturdy, covered in bark-like patterns, and the root's color at the bottom was white, gradually deepening to black at the leaves.
The leaves could be divided into two parts.
The lower part was withered and curled, like ancient yellowed scrolls weathered by time; the upper part was full of life, with clear veins and slightly glowing edges, like a glimmer of hope in the darkness.
Without needing Sun Lingtong to say anything, Ning Zhuo exclaimed in recognition: "Ghost Gate Escape Grass?"
This world was divided into the Living World and the Netherworld.
The Living World was where Ning Zhuo resided, with the sun rising and setting, full of vitality.
The Netherworld was littered with ghosts, perpetually shrouded in gloom and death.
The exit and entrance between the Netherworld and the Living World were called Ghost Gate Pass.
Ghost Gate Passes were one-way.
One could only enter the Netherworld from the Living World, or vice versa.
Only near the Ghost Gate Passes leading from the Netherworld to the Living World, could Ghost Gate Escape Grass possibly grow.
This grass's roots were entrenched deep in the soil of the Netherworld, absorbing deathly energy, while the leaves stretched into the Living World, teeming with life.
It was born from death, possessing an extremely strong recovery ability.
Even mortals on the verge of death could quickly recover just by smelling its fragrance.
Ning Zhuo recalled the earlier battle situation.
Qi Bai had merely caught his breath and quickly recovered, his severe injuries turning to light ones.
It was likely due to using this precious plant!
Sun Lingtong sighed: "Every Ghost Gate Escape Grass is a Nascent Soul Level treasure. Qi Bai's luck must have been good to obtain it."
"His cultivation was of the Yin attribute. The Ghost Gate Escape Grass was indeed suitable for him!"
Ning Zhuo counted and discovered that the cluster of Ghost Gate Escape Grass had seven blades.
"We've struck it rich!" Ning Zhuo succinctly remarked.
The market price of each blade of grass surpassed all the Mechanism Artifacts he had expended in battle! And yet the grass blades were hardly ever available for purchase.
The disparities between cultivators were vast, growing even wider at higher levels, and so it was with precious plants.
The Mechanism Artifacts Ning Zhuo had lost in battle at most contained some Foundation Establishment materials. But the Ghost Gate Escape Grass was a Nascent Soul Level treasure, vital for life and healing, which greatly elevated its market price.
"This is good news. Elder Sun, you no longer need to worry about your physical injuries," Ning Zhuo said with a smile.
Sun Lingtong nodded slightly: "Unfortunately, my mana isn't of the Yin attribute. To utilize it well, it's best to set up an array."
Every cultivation resource varied in method and effectiveness for different cultivators.
After carefully placing the Escape Grass, Sun Ning started searching for more treasures.
Soon, Sun Lingtong extracted a set of miniature clothes from Qi Bai's Qi Sea.
The clothes were palm-sized for an adult, woven from golden threads. The exquisite craftsmanship indicated they were at least made by a grandmaster-level tailor.
It was this set of golden-threaded clothes that produced the protective golden light, rendering Ning Zhuo's Youthful Guest Hanging Whip ineffective.
Now, the golden-threaded clothes were damaged beyond use. Repairing them would be quite troublesome, requiring high proficiency in tailoring as a cultivation technique.
When Sun Lingtong failed to find more treasures with the cloud, he unceremoniously extracted a large portion of Qi Bai's Essence Blood and infused it into his blood gourd.
As a result, Qi Bai's essence, energy, and spirit dissipated significantly, greatly reducing his threat.
The Netherworld Ghost God Seal, Soul-stirring Drum, Ghost Gate Escape Grass, and the golden-threaded clothes were Qi Bai's prized possessions.
Among them, three were Magical Treasure Level, and the Ghost Gate Escape Grass was a Nascent Soul Level treasure plant.
Magical Treasure Level items were eligible to be nurtured within a cultivator's dantian.
Like the Buddha Heart Demon Seal in Ning Zhuo's Divine Sea.
Qi Bai, a true disciple of a major Demon Sect, possessed three magical treasures and a Nascent Soul Level treasure plant—quite a considerable fortune.
It was worth noting that ordinary Golden Core cultivators typically used Magic Artifacts, and even if they possessed magical treasures, it was usually just one.
Qi Bai, bearing the title of Blind Judge, wasn't an ordinary Golden Core, and he had three magical treasures. The Nascent Soul Level treasure plant was priceless, coveted even by Nascent Soul cultivators.
"If not for being in Fire Persimmon Immortal City, and not for Meng Kui's Mountain Gaze Divine Skills and your monkey Mechanism, defeating Qi Bai would have been nearly impossible!" Sun Lingtong sighed.
The battle against Qi Bai had been exceedingly difficult and risky, but the rewards were equally substantial.
The three magical treasures and the treasure plant were the highlights. Qi Bai's clothes and accessories, many of which were Magic Artifacts like his storage waist belt and bracelet, were equally valuable.
All of these items had already been stripped off by Ning Zhuo beforehand.
As for the treasured items hidden in the three seas, Ning Zhuo hadn't yet acquired the skills to retrieve them.
The exact contents of the storage waist belt were something both looked forward to discovering.
With all the treasures from the three seas stripped away, Sun Lingtong successfully disarmed Qi Bai.
Sun Lingtong, greatly exhausted, saw his previously rosy face turn pale again, and his forcibly maintained essence, energy, and spirit plummeted once more.
"Qi Bai is certain to die."
"If he doesn't, he'll seek revenge on us."
"But it's best if we don't kill him ourselves. He is a true disciple, and a future high-ranking member of the Soul Devouring Sect. If we kill him, we'll acquire the Soul Seal and be marked by the Soul Devouring Sect."
"If the Soul Devouring Sect seeks revenge, we can't withstand it."
Sun Lingtong sighed, his brows furrowing as he racked his brains on how to deal with Qi Bai.
But Ning Zhuo said: "I might have a solution."
"Oh? What solution?"
"Get the Magma Fairy Palace to kill Qi Bai!"
Sun Lingtong, curious: "What plan do you have?"
Ning Zhuo did not disclose anything immediately: "I'm not sure if it will work yet. I need to make an attempt first."
"Elder, forgive me."
"Huh?" Sun Lingtong was puzzled, not understanding what Ning Zhuo meant.
At the same time.
Fire Persimmon Immortal City was now in lockdown.
Chi Dun walked out of the City Lord's Mansion, disappointed.
He and Fei Si had just investigated the various records of the formation but found nothing they were looking for.
Fei Si then said: "The formation at the battlefield was first tampered with using Bukong Sect methods by Sun Lingtong."
"Afterwards, Qi Bai erased the array patterns entirely. It's no surprise there are no detailed records of the battle."
Chi Dun nodded.
Although the two disliked each other and did not get along, they could cooperate closely when the City Lord issued an order.
Two Nascent Soul Level demon cultivators from the Soul Devouring Sect with hawk noses and triangular eyes had already been arrested by the City Lord's Mansion.
Sun Lingtong, Han Ming, and the Youthful Guest were all wanted, with great urgency.
Sun Lingtong's black market was finished, and Han Ming's whereabouts were unknown.
"Sun Lingtong…" Fei Si sighed inwardly, feeling regretful.
Over the past few years, Sun Lingtong had secretly funneled many benefits to him.
Fei Si had a particular fondness for people like Sun Lingtong. It wasn't just about the benefits; Sun Lingtong had genuinely brought order to the black market, saving Fei Si quite a bit of trouble.
Chi Dun said: "Previously, Han Ming disappeared, likely hiding in some underground base."
"Through today's observation, I realized that there are so many gaps in the great array of Fire Persimmon Immortal City!"
Fei Si pondered: "A thorough city search would be meaningless. I suspect there are quite a few such underground bases."
"We should report to the City Lord and request his permission to reestablish the great array of the Immortal City, striving to minimize the gaps in the formations!"
Chi Dun thought for a moment and agreed.
Both arrived at the mountaintop to seek an audience with the City Lord.
The City Lord was discussing the Immortal City Great Array with Zhu Xuanji.
Zhu Xuanji said: "When our royal family initially constructed the Immortal City Great Array here, we accommodated the Magma Fairy Palace by leaving a lot of space, fearing the formation's operation might interfere with it."
Meng Kui said: "The Magma Fairy Palace has now emerged. If the royal family reconstructs the Immortal City formation…"
Zhu Xuanji shook his head: "I didn't come to discuss this with you."
"City Lord Meng Kui, if you have any opinions, feel free to report them."
"My primary purpose here is to inform you to actively cooperate with me. Next, I will enter the Immortal Palace myself!"