CHAPTER 88: CHAPTER 88: THE PRAYING MANTIS HUNTS THE CICADA

The days that followed.

Shen Xuan continued both his cultivation and talisman making.

Three months passed in the blink of an eye.

In the practice room.

Shen Xuan activated the golden light of the Mysterious Jade Talisman.

He plundered the Three-legged Demon Toad’s essence blood.

[Talent: Entry Level Fortune Seeking and Avoiding Calamity (3/100)]

[Dao Rhyme: 4782]

Shen Xuan gave it a try.

The [Fortune Seeking and Avoiding Calamity] talent didn’t seem to require deliberate cultivation.

"The [Fortune Seeking and Avoiding Calamity] talent will automatically improve as cultivation realm ascends!"

"Similar to human intuition, it increases luck."

Shen Xuan felt quite happy in his heart.

Many things may not be clear on the surface.

But intuition will tell him what to do.

He checked his spirit root again.

[Spirit Root: Water 40/100]

Gaining three points in one go was quite good.

"It can enhance spirit root, increase luck, and also earn spirit stones..."

Shen Xuan looked towards the [Silver Hook Snake Poison Talisman] in his storage pouch.

Using a pouch of Silver Hook Sea Serpent essence blood, he crafted one hundred and thirty Six Ordinary Poison Talismans, and eighteen exquisite ones.

This exceeded his expectation a bit.

The skill proficiency for the [Silver Hook Snake Poison Talisman] also improved to mastery.

"I wonder if Elder Zhu or Zhu Yingying will be the one coming to collect the talismans this time."

In these three months, Zhu Yingying had come to his home six or seven times.

Each time, there was a different excuse.

Helping her father deliver things, checking on Shen Xuan’s talisman making progress, passing by while wandering...

And so on.

Shen Xuan suspected.

Zhu Yingying was a foodie.

She became enamored with the delicious spiritual food made by Ding Yuyao, taking the opportunity to eat and stay for free at his place.

She also had a sweet tongue.

Her address for Ding Yuyao changed from "Lady Shen" to "Yuyao Sister."

The two had seemingly become close friends.

Shen Xuan couldn’t be bothered to care.

His wife was a mortal, with only Jiang Xueqi as a friend in the Immortal City.

After Zhao Chunsheng opened his store, Jiang Xueqi got busy with shop business and rarely visited.

Zhu Yingying’s efforts to warm up to people indeed brought joy to Ding Yuyao.

"She’s just a little girl, not stained with blood, let her be!"

Zhu Yingying had no evil qi.

Apart from being somewhat emotional, her character was quite likable.

However, sometimes, when Zhu Yingying and Ding Yuyao chatted enthusiastically, she would suddenly become nervous upon seeing Shen Xuan.

Shen Xuan pretended not to notice, treating her gently as he always did, with elegance and charm.

He was already seventy-six years old!

The trials of time hadn’t left a mark on his face.

He wasn’t sure if it was due to the [Divine Hidden Sea Technique] or the [Longevity] talent, but Shen Xuan looked much younger than his peers, with a stately posture and a serene demeanor.

This day, Zhu Yingying came again.

After dinner, Shen Xuan took Zhu Yingying into the practice room.

He meticulously prepared one hundred [Silver Hook Snake Poison Talismans], placing them into an empty storage pouch to hand over to Zhu Yingying.

Their hands lightly touched each other.

Zhu Yingying’s ears reddened suddenly, hurriedly tying the storage pouch to her waist.

"These [Silver Hook Snake Poison Talismans] are valuable, be careful on the way back!" Shen Xuan kindly reminded her.

"Rest assured, Talisman Master Shen. My father is an Elder of the Five Poison Sect, no tribulation cultivator would dare to touch me, nothing has happened during all my trips."

Shen Xuan asked, "Who else knows you came to collect the talismans this time?"

"No one else but my father knows!"

Zhu Yingying looked puzzled.

In her impression, Shen Xuan wasn’t a nagging person.

"Just be cautious! Once you leave the Immortal City, summon your White Jade Bee to scout the way."

"If you encounter any suspicious characters, announce your father’s title as an Elder of the Five Poison Sect’s Foundation Establishment without hesitation."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yingying was quite pleased.

Talisman Master Shen still cared for her.

Shen Xuan asked further, "Fellow Daoist Zhu, have you noticed anything unusual?"

Zhu Yingying was slightly taken aback.

"Unusual?"

She indeed felt as though she was being watched, but repeated observations revealed no signs of being followed.

Zhu Yingying looked puzzled.

"If not, then never mind! While it’s still early, hurry back."

Shen Xuan urged her to leave.

In reality, through the [Insight Technique], Shen Xuan sensed a faint special aura on Zhu Yingying.

It seemed to be the scent of a female demon butterfly.

The aura was faint, undetectable by cultivators.

Yet, male demon butterflies with a keen sense of smell could track it from a hundred miles away.

Once Zhu Yingying had left.

Shen Xuan instructed his wife, then immediately pursued Zhu Yingying, leaving the Yunyuan Immortal City.

Zhu Yingying had been marked for tracking, and she carried the one hundred [Silver Hook Snake Poison Talismans] from his transaction with Zhu Qingsheng.

Both by reason and emotion, he had to follow her to check things out.

Zhu Yingying’s natural fragrance made her more distinguishable than other female cultivators.

With [Insight Technique], Shen Xuan could detect subtle fluctuations in Zhu Yingying’s fragrance within three miles.

To prevent any accidents, as soon as he left Yunyuan Immortal City, he cast the [Concealing Breath Technique] and [Invisibility Technique], hiding his presence.

The reason for not warning Zhu Yingying was that Shen Xuan had full confidence in his own strength.

As long as he got close to the East Sea, even if he couldn’t defeat the enemy, he could still use [Water Escape Technique] to retreat gracefully.

Since entering the cultivation realm, he had killed a sect foundation establishment cultivator!

Qi cultivation cultivators were no match for him.

Moreover, he now possessed the [Silver Hook Poison] talent.

With such potent snake venom tempered into his techniques, even ordinary foundation establishment cultivators found it difficult to resist.

He tracked for over a hundred miles.

At this moment, two male cultivators appeared before Zhu Yingying.

One tall, one short, one old, one young.

Shen Xuan frowned slightly.

The short elder was actually in the Foundation Establishment realm!

This was beyond his expectation.

Fortunately, he was a hundred yards away from Zhu Yingying.

The elder couldn’t detect his presence.

"This person has a poisonous stench, he must be a Five Poison Sect cultivator."

Meanwhile, the tall young man’s body emitted a male demon butterfly scent.

After pondering for a while, Shen Xuan took out two exquisite [Silver Hook Snake Poison Talismans] from his body.

He mobilized the spiritual power within him, overlaying the [Condensed Water Blade Technique] onto the [Water Spirit Gathering Essence Technique].

In the sea of his dantian, more than a dozen dark spirit fish resembling blades gathered, swimming freely, eager to try.

[Water Control], [Critical Strike], [Iron Bone], [Silver Hook Poison]...

One by one, talents were added, and more than a dozen dark spirit fish turned even more profound in color, radiating an imposing and violent aura.

Within the [Insight Technique], Shen Xuan cautiously observed the movements of those two people.

Soon, Shen Xuan saw Zhu Yingying greeting them.

Evidently, she knew them.

The foundation establishment elder had long hair over his shoulders, eyes as cold as a snake’s, with a small green snake concealed on his shoulder.

"Red-eyed Green Bamboo Snake!"

Seeing the small green snake, Shen Xuan was secretly shocked.

The Red-eyed Green Bamboo Snake, a renowned poisonous creature in the Myriad Poison Mountains, was extremely venomous, forcing even Foundation Establishment cultivators to shy away, with certain death for qi cultivation cultivators if poisoned.

However, Shen Xuan was not afraid of this snake.

It was just a tier-one upper-grade poisonous insect, and no matter how strong its venom, could it be stronger than his [Silver Hook Poison]?

Shen Xuan estimated that with his mid-stage [Immune to Poison] talent, he could entirely ignore the Red-eyed Green Bamboo Snake’s venom.

Nonetheless, that foundation establishment elder was likely a Five Poison Sect cultivator.

This made him somewhat wary.

After all, he was a loose cultivator without roots.

He didn’t wish to oppose sect cultivators unless absolutely necessary.

Shen Xuan quietly lay in wait, slowly moving until he was thirty feet behind the foundation establishment elder, where he finally stopped.

Thirty feet was the maximum distance to avoid the elder’s divine sense surveillance undetected.

Any closer, he’d risk being discovered.

"Elder Wei, Senior Brother Hua, why are you here?"

Zhu Yingying, unsuspecting, approached them with a smile.

Senior Brother Hua also approached with a grin.

"Junior Sister Zhu, are you returning from Talisman Master Shen’s place?"

"Did Elder Zhu send you to collect the ordered [Silver Hook Snake Poison Talismans]?"

It was only at this moment that Zhu Yingying became alert.

"How do you know?"