Chapter 79: Grateful For The Gifts of Mother Nature |
Chen Chu looked over to see Xia Youhui limping back with his shield, a look of concern appearing on his face. "Old Xia, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, just had a slightly awkward landing earlier,” Xia Youhui said, his excitement rising. “I'll be fine after I circulate my vitality when I get back. Didn't expect us to slay a Level 3 mutated beast before reaching second year!"
Liu Feng approached the bull’s body and reached out to touch it, feeling its toughness. "These mutated creatures are really something else. Just one mutation in a bull and it's this strong."
Feeling a bit breathless after being bumped away, Bai Mu sighed. "Compared to us human cultivators, these mutated beasts have too many advantages in every aspect. They're immensely strong, with thick skin and muscles, not to mention those superpower-like innate abilities. We’re inferior to them in every way except agility. If it weren't for the true martial arts, the consequences would be unimaginable."
Li Hao solemnly said, "This is exactly why the authorities have expended countless manpower and resources over the decades to eliminate mutated beasts. It’s all to suppress their growth."
Chen Chu also nodded in agreement. "Indeed, if these mutated beasts are allowed to continue growing, they’ll only become more dangerous. Just one mutated bull is already so formidable. When tigers and bears mutate, their strength becomes even more terrifying. Without the support of true martial arts and our weapons, humans are simply no match for these things."
But while humans can suppress mutated beasts on land, what about those massive creatures in the depths of the sea? An uneasy thought emerged in Chen Chu’s mind.
Xia Youhui suddenly said, "Ah Chu, you contributed the most to defeating this mutated beast. If you hadn't severed its hind leg, we wouldn't have stood a chance against it. I think you should take 60%, and each of us should take 10%. What do you all think?"
As a good friend, he prioritized Chen Chu's contribution. Liu Feng, Bai Mu, and Li Hao all nodded in agreement; since they didn’t contribute as much, they had no objections.
"Um... Isn't that a bit too much?" Chen Chu hesitated. He had originally thought of taking 40% himself, considering that Xia Youhui had been knocked away twice.
Xia Youhui shrugged indifferently. "What's there to argue about for a Level 3 mutated beast? It's only worth 20 points if we hand it over to the school."
"Speaking of which, I have an idea." Li Hao looked at the four of them and said, "Every part of this mutated beast is useful, whether it's the skin, the flesh and blood, or the horns and bones. If we were to sell these on the market, they would be worth at least five hundred thousand yuan."
"Five hundred thousand? That's quite a big difference," Chen Chu said in surprise.
The 20 contribution points from the mutated beast could fetch around a hundred to a hundred and fifty thousand yuan on the black market, not to mention the official price. The difference was more than twenty times.
Liu Feng sighed bitterly. "Only contribution points can be exchanged for resources. Just that alone makes their actual value very high.
"But Li Hao is right. The price of mutated beef is relatively high in the market. Powder made from the bull’s bones will be especially favored by wealthy people, since consuming that can strengthen bones and nourish the body. And the hide can be used to produce high-end luxury goods or special armor. Really, the overall value is over five hundred thousand yuan.
"We already made some huge contributions today, so whether we gain a few more or less points doesn't really matter. Therefore, I say we sell this bull at market price for money."
"I wonder if everyone can give me a favor?"
When Li Hao spoke up, Liu Feng turned to give him a thoughtful look. "You’re cultivating the Bull Demon's Mountain-Shaking Art, right? Are you thinking of refining the beast’s essence?"
“Indeed,” Li Hao admitted openly. "The essence would greatly benefit my art. Its effects would be superior to ordinary resources."
"If that's the case, I have no objections."
Bai Mu shrugged. "I don't mind either."
With a share of 10% each, they would receive 2 contribution points; when converted into yuan, that would amount to fifty thousand. Although they wouldn't be able to convert it back into points, it could still serve other purposes.
Since Li Hao had given him respect just now, Xia Youhui naturally had no objections either. Today's gains were good overall.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Chen Chu nodded in agreement as well. Three hundred thousand yuan would be a significant amount for his family.
With both sons attending school, especially with one already in high school practicing true martial arts, Zhang Xiaolan had been voluntarily working overtime lately to earn more money, even going in to the office on Saturdays and Sundays. Chen Chu had tried to advise otherwise several times, to no avail. With this, however, she wouldn’t have to work overtime every day.
After dividing up the mutated beast, faint but dense footsteps could be heard in the distance, most likely the large group catching up from behind. It seemed that tonight's battle was almost over.
With that, Chen Chu abandoned the idea of continuing the search. He looked at Xia Youhui and the others with curiosity and asked, "How was your harvest tonight? Did you encounter many rebel cultivators?"
Smiles appeared on all of their faces. Xia Youhui chuckled and said, "We were lucky. We encountered three Third Heavenly Realm cultivators who’d gotten crippled by aerial bombs halfway up.
"There were also some scattered rebel forces that had cultivators of the First and Second Heavenly Realms. After taking all of them down, we’re each gonna get about 20 contribution points tonight."
"How come you guys had such good luck?" Chen Chu couldn't help but feel baffled. "I was running at the forefront and only came across one Third Heavenly Realm cultivator. There were some more at the Second, but the rest were all rebel forces at the First."
All said and done, however, his gains tonight were the greatest. He estimated a reward of around 35 points.
Xia Youhui chuckled. "It's all about luck. After all, you chose the middle path up the mountain. After that bombing, even the stupidest rebels would realize they've been exposed. The ones who survived would definitely retreat, and they would have most likely gone for the side paths."
Chen Chu shook his head. "I was just trying to pick up the scraps behind our teachers. If I was able to come across a severely injured Fourth Heavenly Realm cultivator that they didn’t finish off, that would have been a windfall. But I only encountered just ordinary cultivators of the First and Second Heavenly Realms."
Before they had set off earlier that evening, Chen Chu had advised Xia Youhui not to rush too far ahead, but after the heavy bombing ended, it had been Chen Chu who had run in the fastest, all in pursuit of contributions. While being cautious was good, there were situations where it was better to take risks.
As the five of them conversed, the figures of federal soldiers began to appear on the distant hillside. Soon, other classmates also gathered around, all very surprised when they saw Chen Chu and the others had slain a mutated beast even larger than an elephant.
Half an hour later, Pang Long and the other high-level cultivators, disheveled but exhilarated, rejoined them, and the battle for tonight came to an end.
More than 1,500 enemies had been killed, almost completely wiping out the rebel forces in Leisteru City as well as the remains of the fleeing Demon Cult, including the high-ranking bishops and some fanatics at the Fourth and Fifth Heavenly Realms.
Most of these higher ranking individuals had been killed by the devastating attack that had pierced through heaven and earth, and the few left, severely injured, were hunted down and finished off by Pang Long and others.
Chen Chu and the other students had only dealt with some small fry, but even so, there were a few reckless individuals who had gotten injured.
***
Beneath the surging river waters, the black mutated beast clad in heavy armor exuded a fierce aura, its cold gaze fixed on a seven-meter-long sea snake ahead.
Upon returning to the hotel, Chen Chu's mind was still in an excited state, unable to fall asleep, so he shifted most of his attention to the armored beast.
It had only just emerged from the riverbed's muddy depths when it had encountered the ominous sight of a pitch-black sea snake, clearly venomous.
The snake had spotted it at the same time. With the armored beast measuring only 2.6 meters, it very much looked like prey.
The snake moved swiftly in the water, its thick body twisting like a black line as it shot towards the armored beast. In the blink of an eye, it was upon the creature.
The snake's eyes revealed a chilling and ruthless glint as it approached the seemingly unresponsive creature. Its mouth widened, exposing four sharp fangs on both upper and lower jaws, and it viciously snapped down.
Crunch! Crunch!
The teeth, over a dozen centimeters long, sank into the armored beast's shoulder but failed to penetrate the layer of black armor, preventing the hollow fangs' venom from seeping through.
The sea snake didn’t give up, however. Its massive body coiled around, wrapping several loops around the beast's body with the intent of crushing it to death. This was a typical hunting technique for serpents, but today...
The beast extended its claws, grabbing the snake's neck. With a strong tug, it pulled the serpent off of its shoulder and swiftly snapped its jaws down onto the head.
Crunch!
The terrifying force of the bite crushed half of the snake's head instantly, causing a thick cloud of blood to spread through the water.
Despite its swift death, the snake’s body remained animate, tightening its coils around the beast with enough force to emit a squeaking sound
The beast paid no heed to this. Grateful for the gifts of mother nature, it simply grabbed the serpent’s body and happily devoured it.