Chapter 300 - Counter Essence Immortal Beast

Long Chen and Zhang Yuanteng walked at the back of the group as they exited the tower. He remembered that Zhang Yuanteng had something to tell him.

As they exited, Song Yuefeng, who was walking at the very front, turned to glance over. There was hatred in his eyes. Although it was a quick glance, Long Chen was sure of what he had seen.

“Brother Zhang, are you going to tell me that the short guy ...” Long Chen said, speechless at what he just saw.

“That’s right. You outdid him, so now he will hold a grudge. Don’t be surprised though. You’re not a local, so you don’t know about the dwarves being vengeful people. They are used to bullying the weak, but when they meet strong people, they walk with their tails between their legs and act obsequiously. If they meet someone weaker than themselves, however, they are arrogant and vicious. It’s ridiculous how violent they can be.” There was unconcealable disgust in his tone.

“Factions like that really should be annihilated,” Long Chen said flatly.

His performance had triggered hate from Song Yuefeng, but he did not regret it. He had already killed dwarves once on Goldfish Island; a hundred of them had arrived on the island, but not a single one left alive. If Song Yuefeng provoked him, he would not mind doing it again.

Of course, he first had to enter the Immortal Realm, increase his cultivation level, and find the Nine Heavens Immortal Fruit.

“I too want them to die off, but there are many masters in the Harmony family. On top of Song Zhongcheng at the Eighth River Stage, they have more than ten Seventh River Stage cultivators. The dwarves are as loyal as dogs to the imperial family, and the imperial family is the only faction in the entire Cangyang Kingdom that has enough power to kill them,” whispered Zhang Yuanteng when they were about to walk out.

Since they got along well, he spoke frankly.

“But, Long Chen, you must be careful. The dwarves love to stab people in the back. Don’t fall into their traps,” Zhang Yuanteng reminded.

“Thank you, Brother Zhang. I will remember what you told me.” They had already exited the steel tower by now. With Yu Tao and the others in front, Long Chen did not dare say much.

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

“Did you pass?” Yu Tao asked nonchalantly, looking down at him.

“Is it possible for me to fail?” Long Chen said mildly.

Yu Tao was not surprised that Long Chen could pass the inspection, seeing as he had defeated Yu Chong. If Yu Chong could be an Immortal Guard, Long Chen could too.

However, Long Chen’s tone was not polite at all. Since they were in public, Yu Tao had to swallow his anger. He turned to Zhang Yuanteng and asked, “Are you also a new Immortal Guard for Area Eighteen?”

“I am. Are you the Area Leader of Area Eighteen, Yu Tao? Brother Yu?” Zhang Yuanteng asked.

Yu Tao nodded, then he glanced at Long Chen and said, “Let’s go. I will take you guys to Counter Essence City first, where our quarters are. Early tomorrow morning, we will go to the Counter Essence Realm and complete the previous team’s task.”

Yu Tao led them to the guards’ quarters. Every Immortal Guard was allocated a place to stay within Counter Essence City so they could stay here when they were not on duty. After that, Yu Tao and the rest, who did not get along with Long Chen, disappeared. They did not even explain the rules of the Counter Essence Realm to Long Chen like the Sword Devil had said they would.

Fortunately, Zhang Yuanteng had been in the Counter Essence Army for about six or seven years and knew a few Immortal Guards. That was why he was familiar with the place.

“The spiritual Qi in the Counter Essence Realm is thick, so spiritual herbs and treasures are abundant. It is basically a sea of herbs. The most common are Yellow-tier spiritual herbs, which can be found everywhere in the Elementary Zone. You’ll step on quite a few just by walking around. There are also many Black-tier spiritual herbs. Whenever you stand, there will be Black-tier herbs in your field of vision. The most precious ones are the Earth-tier spiritual herbs, and they grow in the Elementary Zone as well. As Immortal Guards, our task is to protect the Earth-tier spiritual herbs so they are not taken by immortal beasts before they ripen.”

“Immortal beasts? Brother Zhang, what are the immortal beasts like in the Immortal Realm?” Long Chen asked with a frown.

“Immortal beasts are a type of demonic beast. They are found everywhere in the Counter Essence Realm, though their strengths vary according to the zone. The Counter Essence Realm is covered in a thick mist made completely out of spiritual Qi; even a Sixth or Seventh River Stage cultivator will find it hard to see through it. However, immortal beasts can easily travel through the mist, and places where the mist is thickest are especially concentrated with them. If you encounter a place with particularly thick mist, do not enter, because it will be very dangerous. Do you know why the Elementary Zone requires Fifth River Stage Area Leaders? It’s because even high-level immortal beasts are likely to appear there.”

The longer Long Chen listened to Zhang Yuanteng, the more his interest in the Counter Essence Realm grew. If that was true, then it was a place full of treasures for him. Any place with many immortal beasts would be ideal for him to use Blood Transmutation and level up, right?

“I have one more question. The Sword Devil previously said that stealing spiritual herbs from the Immortal Realm will result in a death sentence. Since there are so many herbs in there, how would anyone know?” Long Chen asked.

Zhang Yuanteng grinned. “I knew you’d ask. I’ll tell you. Why are there so many people interested in becoming Immortal Guards? It’s because of the benefits. As long as you don’t take all of it, you can take some Yellow and Black-tier spiritual herbs, and no one will say anything. Although they are useless to you at your current stage, the other places in the Cangyang Kingdom treat Black-tier herbs as treasures!

“The imperial family isn’t interested in Yellow or Black-tier herbs. However, the moment an Earth-tier one sprouts, someone will record its information. Harvesting herbs before they mature renders them useless, but if they disappear for no reason, its absence will be easily noticed. That is why stealing Earth-tier spiritual herbs is basically suicide. Brother Long, you aren’t planning to do it, are you?” Zhang Yuanteng joked.

“I’m only here to be an Immortal Guard, not to die,” Long Chen responded with a smile.

He made a mental note to himself.

If there truly is a Nine Heavens Immortal Fruit in the Immortal Realm, the imperial family must have already recorded its location. If I can get my hands on the records, it will save me a lot of time searching for it.

The question was: where would the records be?

Long Chen asked Zhang Yuanteng this question casually.

“The records are naturally with the guardian of Counter Essence Realm, Lord Sword Devil. With his strength, no one other than the Sword Emperor can infiltrate the Counter Essence Realm.”

Zhang Yuanteng admired the Sword Devil.

That guy?

Long Chen sighed inwardly. At his current level, getting the records from the Sword Devil would be even more difficult than flying. And so, he gave up on that idea and decided to rely on himself to find the fruit.

“Right, there’s one more thing. Whenever you kill an immortal beast in the Immortal Realm, bring its immortal core back as you can turn it in for points at Counter Essence City. The points can be used to buy all kinds of things. Time to work hard, kid!” Zhang Yuanteng patted Long Chen’s shoulder and laughed.

“After being a soldier for such a long time, I am finally able to make something out of myself. Now I can unleash a massacre in the Immortal Realm and earn more money, and my cultivation will grow! The Second River Stage will definitely not be my peak. In the future, even the Seventh River Stage will be possible!” As he spoke, his eyes lit up with excitement. After six years of hard work, he had finally become an Immortal Guard. It was the beginning of the rest of his life.

Zhang Yuanteng was a decent person, so he was compatible with Long Chen, even giving him a lot of essential information. Long Chen was happy to see him so happy.

“Actually, there isn’t much to be happy about. We usually only encounter Category Three Earth-tier beasts or below in the Elementary Zone, and we will be guarding elementary Earth-tier spiritual herbs. The true core of the Immortal Realm is the Advanced Zone. That area is the main focus of the imperial family. The Immortal Guards there are the true elites. As long as I attain the Seventh River Stage, I can join the core team of the Immortal Guards! Then, I can truly soar high!”

How passionate ...

When Long Chen first met Zhang Yuanteng, he thought he would be a quiet person. He did not expect to find a heart that burned so brightly beneath the quiet exterior.

I hope he succeeds.

This was his dream, and Long Chen wished him well. As for himself, he knew that his goal was not as simple as attaining the Seventh River Stage and joining the core team of the Immortal Guards.

Long Chen only had one objective here at the Counter Essence Realm, which was to obtain a Nine Heavens Immortal Fruit.

Time passed. The next morning, there was a loud knock on the door. Long Chen was cultivating but had to stop because he knew that it was time to enter the Counter Essence Realm.

When he opened the door, he was met with Yu Chong’s glare. There was hostility in his eyes.

“Let’s go,” Yu Chong said flatly, then he turned to knock loudly on Zhang Yuanteng’s door. When Zhang Yuanteng was out, he walked away with a darkened expression, muttering, “I’m so unlucky; I can’t believe I had to come get you two.”

Long Chen and Zhang Yuanteng looked at each other and grinned.

Following Yu Tao and the others, Long Chen arrived at the calm-looking lake. It was the entrance to the Counter Essence Realm.