Chapter 665 Price of greed (15)
"After he passed, to honor his life, we lived it as he did, which was travel from place to place taking in the sights and studying the local flora whether it was valuable or not.
Gradually Long Zemin and I developed our own interests during the travels.
Long Zemin had the same fondness as Master did for spiritual plants and he added spirit beast zoology into the mix too, specifically insect spirit beasts.
As for me, I don't know if it was guilt...Our master died from succumbing to injuries he sustained from a blackscale centipede.
He had gone to search for a particular herb that would help us breakthrough from the iron body to the bronze body and got injured in the process.
The injuries were severe and no matter where we went, or how much we begged, no one was willing to help us, and we could only watch him as his life flowed out of him.
I could never forget that day no matter how much I tried. I think that's why Zemin decided to study insect-based spirit beasts as for me, my interest went into alchemy and healing.
We traveled from place to place, honing our craft with whatever resources we could find or afford, and it was in that journey that we met the other founders of the Ocean Refining Cauldron Pavilion, who had been wandering for reasons of their own.
We teamed up and managed to form a deep bond. Those years were not easy, especially for rootless weeds like us with no background, but they were worthwhile nonetheless and eventually, we stumbled onto a mysterious realm that completely altered our fates.
Our master's sacrifice wasn't in vain.." Li Yao said with a smile that was a mixture of regret and relief.
Unlike the others who had passive effects from the curse, they had a high concentration of it, they likely knew what they were handling.
If it weren't for seeing them use my junior brother's technique, I would have left them to their own devices.." Li Yao coldly said, with his earlier genial look vanishing, as was replaced by an austere face.
The sudden change in Li Yao made the four cultivators suddenly flinch as they felt a fearsome undercurrent that would destroy them both body and soul, in but an instant.
"A graveyard torch huh...no wonder the two spirit beasts who would normally not be caught together, appeared simultaneously outside of their territory and attacked them, with one of them even going to the extent of sacrificing its blood essence.
They're lucky it's just those two.." muttered Yang Qing in mild surprise as his gaze fell on the four.
"Are you that desperate to join the Deer Mountain Kingdom?" he gently asked, directing his question to the four cultivators, who had lowered their heads in shame.
"We don't have an option. We can't move away from this place, and staying here has been getting harder by the year. The spirit beasts seem to be getting stronger, and soon we may be overrun.
Our only option is to join the Deer Mountain Kingdom, but we can't do it without one of us reaching the palace realm.
Using the crystals is the only way we can achieve it in the shortest time possible.." answered Hua Ying in a guilt-ridden tone.
Yang Qing sighed as he said,
"You don't understand the gravity of what you're dealing with here. If the Kingdom knew it, I don't know if they'd accept you, even if one of you becomes a palace realm expert.
What you have done is no different than declaring yourselves the enemy of every single spirit beast that inhabits this place.
Not even the Deer Mountain Kingdom can protect you from them if they decide to punish you for what you did.."