"Inside."
As he spoke, Yu Ji broke off the somewhat rotten vines, and the stone instantly split in two, revealing the bright and dazzling crystal inside.
Upon seeing the appearance of the crystal, Shen Nong immediately sat up.
This isn't some kind of orc awakening crystal; it's clearly an interstellar energy stone used to enhance superpowers.
However, energy stones are scarce and difficult to buy in interstellar space, making them a rare commodity with a high price but no market availability.
If he were to absorb all the energy stored within this energy stone, he could directly advance another half-level.
Shen Nong became increasingly aware that the orc world she was in must have some connection to interstellar space.
He suppressed his surging emotions. "Where did these crystals come from?"
Yu Ji replied, "These have always existed with the tribe. If they are lost, there will never be another one."
Shen Nong nodded. "Hurry up and put it away."
Yu Ji wrapped the crystal again with hollowed-out stone and replaced the previous vines. After hiding the crystal, he asked Shen Nong, "Are you still going to Wushan Tribe?"
Shen Nong was thinking about the crystal and didn't react immediately. Yu Ji thought Shen Nong's silence meant that she still wanted to go.
He couldn't help but sigh, "Actually, it's no use going there. The Wushan tribe isn't in charge of Quanfeng anymore. Everything has to go through the current priest's approval. He said there's no trade of Wushi, so there's no way we'll trade."
No matter how much Inu-kaze thought about it, it was useless. He couldn't possibly defy that priest, nor could he possibly do anything to him just to trade black stones with you.”
It must be said that Yu Ji's words hit the nail on the head.
No matter what Shen Nong does, he is powerless if the priest disagrees.
Whether you go to Wushan Tribe or not, the result will be the same.
Unless he forces a sale.
"I have a way." A deep, hoarse male voice echoed in the cave.
Yu Ji subconsciously replied, "There's nothing we can do, that priest won't agree to... Yingxi? You're awake!"
Halfway through his sentence, Yu Ji realized that the voice was not Shen Nong's.
He looked at Yingxi, who was lying on the animal skin, and handed him a glass of water.
"Drink up, your voice is hoarse."
Yingxi drank most of the water from Yuji's hand. After moistening his throat, he spoke again, and the hoarseness was greatly reduced. "I have a way to make the Wushan tribe rebel against their priests."
Yu Ji slapped Ying Xi, clearly annoyed. "What nonsense are you talking about? What can you possibly do?"
He was finally about to convince Shen Nong not to go to her death in the Wushan tribe when Yingxi opened her eyes and started talking nonsense.
Yingxi didn't look at Yuji, but quietly waited for Shen Nong's answer.
This was the first time Shen Nong had seen the chieftain of the Yu tribe awake. He looked at Yingxi and said, "The Wushan tribe has endured so much suffering and torment at this man's hands, yet they never thought of resisting. What can you do?"
The other person's sharp, eagle-like eyes looked at Shen Nong. "What if I said that Wu Qing was the one who killed him?"
Shen Nong was clearly taken aback by Ying Xi's words, and even Yu Ji was stunned in place.
Was Wu Qing killed by Mu Qi?
Yu Ji murmured softly, "How could that be?"
Yu Ji couldn't believe it, but not believing it didn't mean she didn't believe it.
Given how much the Wushan tribe cares about Wuqing, if what Yingxi said is true, even if the entire Wushan tribe is wiped out and they betray the Beast God, they will still kill their current priest.
Shen Nong also thought of this, but only if it was true.
How can I be sure you're not lying to me?
Yingxi gritted her teeth, a hint of hatred flashing in her sharp eyes. "I saw it with my own eyes."
Yingxi's words plunged the entire cave into silence.
It took Yu Ji a long time to process what he had just heard. He looked at Ying Xi and asked, "You never told me this before."
Yingxi stared at his hands and said helplessly, "What good would it do to tell you?"
Yu Ji didn't understand, and he, who rarely got angry, couldn't help but roar: "You knew Wu Qing was dead, and at that time we and the Wu Shan tribe were searching for him all over the mountains and plains, why didn't you say so? You just watched as the Wu Shan tribe recognized the person who killed Wu Qing as a priest, and why didn't you say so when this person first appeared!"
Shen Nong's gaze fell on Ying Xi, wanting to hear how she would respond.
But Yingxi's answer shocked everyone.
“Wu Qing was killed last autumn; he had been alive before that.”
Chapter 64
Two chapters combined
Yu Ji was at a loss for words. He sat back down on the animal skin seat by the stone table. "Just tell me everything you know. Don't just answer one question at a time. It's annoying to listen to."
Yingxi looked out of the cave, where light was shining through, and he could vaguely see his tribesmen coming and going.
He recalled, "We all thought Wu Qing had fallen off a cliff, so sometimes I would transform into beast form and try to search down the cliff to see if I could find Wu Qing's bones. If I could, I would bring him back to the Wushan tribe."
I just haven't been able to find it yet...
Until one autumn day, I searched around as usual but found nothing. Plus, the weather looked bad and it looked like it was going to rain, so I flew up.
As I passed a large tree, I noticed something strange about it. All its branches stretched into the mountainside, and after taking a closer look, I realized that there was a cave behind the tree.
But I was in a hurry to get back then and didn't pay attention. Just as I flew over, a scream came from inside the cave.
Yingxi's fingertips turned white from being squeezed so tightly, and his voice grew deeper and deeper, "Halfway up the cliff, if there were people in such a place, my first thought would be the Feather Tribe. So after hearing the sound, I flew back immediately to find out what was going on."
“I never expected to see Wu Qing again.” Yingxi’s low, hoarse voice trembled slightly, a fear buried deep within him. “Wu Qing’s head was pierced by a tree branch, and the person who controlled the branch was the current priest of the Wushan tribe. He also took something out of Wu Qing’s head.”
Yingxi paused for a moment, then described it as, "Something that looks a lot like a crystal."
Yingxi had finished speaking, and Yuji remained silent, but his pale face revealed that he now felt an even greater fear of the current priest of the Wushan tribe.
Shen Nong had gained a general understanding of this person she had never met.
Ruthless.
He had a guess about what Yingxi meant by something that looked like a crystal.
Strangely enough, in interstellar space, only those with a spirit core can make the energy stone react, while in the beast world, only priests can make the energy stone react.
Shen Nong observed that these priests could not take human form and had no so-called awakening.
However, they are able to manipulate the energy stones.
When Yu Ji put away the energy stone earlier, he could feel the subtle fluctuations in the energy stone.
Even though the energy emitted by the energy stone was so small that it was almost negligible, it could not be denied that the energy stone reacted to their touch.
Shen Nong suddenly had a bolder guess, but this guess needed to be verified.
He looked at Yu Ji and asked, "Can you do me a favor?"
Yu Ji snapped out of his daze. Without asking what it was, he simply nodded and said, "Okay."
Shen Nong smiled slightly, walked up to Yu Ji, leaned down and gently tapped Yu Ji's forehead with his fingertip, "Close your eyes."
Yu Ji subconsciously closed his eyes. He seemed to feel himself being surrounded by a gentle power that made him feel very comfortable.
Shen Nong did not find any trace of a spirit core in Yu Ji's mind. Just as he was about to withdraw his fingertip, he suddenly remembered the situation when he investigated Lu Shuang last time.
Shen Nong manipulated the energy to probe downwards where the spirit core should have been, and sure enough, she saw a very small spirit core that did not emit any light.
The almost transparent red color indicates a fire-based ability.
Shen Nong withdrew his superpower and curled his knuckles, confirming his previous guess.
Within the mind of the Beast World Priest, there exists an unawakened spiritual core.
Even if it's not awakened, as long as it's a spirit core, it can still cause the energy stone to fluctuate. It just can't penetrate deep into the core of the energy stone to unleash its true power.
Shen Nong had already guessed this, and now that it was confirmed, her emotions didn't fluctuate much.
Yu Ji couldn't discern Shen Nong's emotions. Suddenly, he realized that Shen Nong's actions stemmed from Ying Xi's statement that something resembling an awakened beastman crystal had been removed from Wu Qing's head.
He pointed to his head and asked curiously, "Do I have something like a bruise here?"
Yu Ji was very perceptive and, without needing much explanation from Shen Nong, nodded and said, "Yes, this thing is also the key for the priest to activate the crystal and awaken the orcs."
Yu Ji had never thought carefully about why he was able to activate the crystal, and he never expected it to be for this reason.
"But how did that person know there was such a thing in the priest's head?" Yu Ji frowned, his expression grave. "Moreover, what did he do with this thing after killing Wu Qing?"
What is it used for?
Yu Ji's question reminded Shen Nong of a criminal trade in the interstellar underground: energy stones were valuable but unavailable, but there were substitutes.
This alternative is the spirit core of the superhuman. Absorbing the power contained in the spirit core has the same effect as the energy stone.
Where there is demand, there is a market. In underground trading venues, prices are clearly marked according to the level of the spirit core, and supply cannot meet demand.
Spirit cores are more popular than energy stones because they are relatively "easier" to obtain.
Those who lose their spiritual core will have their last remaining value—labor, body, organs—squeezed dry.
Shen Nong felt a chill run down his spine. The actions of the Wushan tribe priest were eerie in every way, and the act of digging out Wu Qing's spiritual core couldn't help but make him think of other things.
Moreover, before killing Wu Qing and taking the spirit core, the other party hid him for over a year. What was the point of that year?
The answers to all these questions can only be found by visiting the Wushan tribe.
After hearing Yingxi tell him that Wu Qing had been murdered, Yu Ji felt more hatred than fear for Mu Qi.
Such a good person, someone who helped him in his desperate situation, was killed in such a way.
"Wood Tribe Priest, our Feather Tribe will do everything in our power to help you."
Yu Ji's promise undoubtedly made Shen Nong's actions more convenient, and their trip to the Wushan tribe was no longer just about trading Wushi.
...
Orcs of similar levels can sense each other's presence through their shared blood, while priests without such blood cannot.
Therefore, it is not difficult to tell Quanfeng the truth about Wuqing's death.