Chapter 159: Soul-Dissolving Corpse Venom Pill

"I told you so, but you insisted on spending gold to change my skin. Changing it back to black skin costs 500 low-grade spirit stones."

"Why did changing to white skin only cost 500 liang of gold, but changing back to black skin is more expensive?"

"That's just how it's programmed."

Yun Qing nodded to show she understood. There was nothing she could do about this kind of setting. She once played a game where if the chosen name wasn't good, the first name change cost fifty, the second name change cost one hundred, and the third name change cost five hundred. It got more expensive and more of a trap every time.

"I'm not changing it. I just like a white dog." Since it was her own money and her own choice, even knowing the downside, she intended to stubbornly stick to her path. The main point was that she wasn't some naive sucker; she would absolutely never spend spirit stones to change it back.

Gradually, Yun Qing drew closer to populated areas. Trees became scarcer, and farmland came into view, though the fields were entirely covered in ice and snow with no crops growing.

Suddenly, a red name on the road ahead made her stop in her tracks.

Soul Corpse Level 40!

She had finally encountered a Soul Corpse again. Only, why were Soul Corpses elsewhere black, while this one covered in ice and snow was white?

The presence of Soul Corpses here meant that the dark night also covered this place, though she wondered when the last dark night had appeared here, and whether there were Soul-Devouring Insects and Foreign Celestial Demons?

Yun Qing clenched her fists, channeled her spiritual awareness, gathered spiritual power, and formed an orb projectile as she said, "Liu Liu, why are you always the exact same color as a Soul Corpse?"

The orb projectile struck the Level 40 Soul Corpse, and its health bar was instantly depleted by the attack.

Critical Hit -250;
Combat Experience +40;

After the Soul Corpse died, the residual power of the orb projectile continued to ravage its corpse. Bursts of black light erupted from the body, as if scorched by the light projectile, and finally, under the effect of the light spiritual power, the Soul Corpse turned to ashes.

So fragile! The Soul Corpses that once chased her all over the mountains, forcing her to use schemes and hurl hundreds of stones just to kill one, could now be reduced to ashes with a single light orb projectile.

Obtained: Silver * 10;

Yun Qing walked over to the spot where the Soul Corpse had died. Forget about collecting Soul Corpse poison; even collecting the Soul Corpse ashes was difficult.

Liu Liu said, "Actually, I also have yellow, brown, and several other colors. Do you want to spend spirit stones to change it?"

Soul Corpses were so weak now that they could no longer scare her. Yun Qing replied, "No need. Once we get to the city, I'll make some clothes for you to wear."

"I can't wear clothes you make, but you can purchase fashion outfits for me to wear."

Bah! She couldn't even bear to wear good-looking, useless fashion outfits herself, let out alone buy them for a dog.

Activating Gale Step, she continued running toward the city. Before going far, she encountered another Level 40 Soul Corpse.

This time, she didn't use the light orb projectile against it. Instead, she used small pebbles, gathered ordinary spiritual power, and tossed them three times before finally beating it to death.

This time, the dead Soul Corpse finally remained intact. She approached the corpse, activated Spiritual Observation術, and text appeared over the Soul Corpse:

"Soul Corpse, gatherable."
"Soul Poison, purifiable."

Yun Qing squatted down, took out a medicine vial, and chanted silently: "Use Gathering Skill."

Both hands moved simultaneously, and a translucent progress bar appeared before her eyes. After one breath, the progress bar finished.

Gathering Experience +40;
Obtained Soul Corpse Poison * 1;

Yun Qing stored the Soul Corpse corpse into her system inventory, turning back to convert energy.

Holding the medicine vial containing the Soul Corpse Poison in one hand, she placed it over the "Cure Hundred Poisons" formula and silently chanted: "Study Cure Hundred Poisons formula."

System prompt: Do you want to research Soul Corpse Poison Cure Pill based on Soul Corpse Poison? Researching Soul Corpse Poison Cure Pill requires Low-grade Spirit Stone * 10.

Over the past few months, hunting fierce beasts and picking up drops from the giant roc, after deducting expenses, the low-grade spirit stones in her system had reached 2,300. Spending 10 low-grade spirit stones to research a formula was not a problem.

Not a single Mosquito Poison Cure Pill had been sold, but a Soul Corpse Poison Cure Pill would definitely have a market. When she had time, she could also return to Ye Family Village; there were people there who needed it.

"Yes!"

Low-grade spirit stones -10, research successful.

The Soul Corpse Poison Cure Pill formula was now added to the Cure Hundred Poisons formula list.

Yun Qing checked the formula. The main and auxiliary ingredients totaled more than twenty kinds, and one of the main ingredients turned out to be the blood of a healthy human or fierce beast. Moreover, curing the corresponding Soul Corpse poison required the blood of a matching human or fierce beast; a higher or lower level wouldn't work.

If the blood level was too low, it couldn't detoxify; if the blood level was too high, the poisoned person couldn't withstand it.

Meanwhile, people with high cultivation levels basically never contracted low-level Soul Corpse poison, as they could use their own spiritual power to expel the toxic Qi. The level of poison contracted was generally higher than the victim's own level.

Yun Qing's main and auxiliary ingredients were incomplete, and the materials for the Soul Corpse Poison Cure Pill also predetermined that it could not be mass-produced and used. To refine a few Soul Corpse Poison Cure Pills, she needed to hunt down humans or fierce beasts of various strengths to get some blood, and when detoxifying, she also had to check which level of Soul Corpse poison had been contracted.

The poison Ye Tao had contracted should be Level 40 Soul Corpse poison, which required the blood of a Xiantian martial artist or a Level 40 fierce beast. Furthermore, the elixir only cured the poison; organs damaged by the Soul Corpse poison year after year might not necessarily recover.

Now that the Soul Corpse Poison Cure Pill formula was unlocked, Yun Qing didn't delay any longer and sprinted eastward. She didn't want to slaughter every Soul Corpse along the way just for a few dozen experience points. Her giant roc was still waiting for her; the closer she got to human habitation, the more dangerous it would be for the giant roc.

After running more than ten miles, Yun Qing could finally see human habitation.

It was a place dozens of times larger than Lingcang County. In the distance, the city walls were visible, and the area inside the city was immensely vast. Seen from afar, there were mountains and rivers, with thick mist swirling about, looking very much like it was protected by a formation.

"Liu Liu, the spiritual energy here is so dense. There must be immortal cultivators here. I should be able to get cultivation techniques, pill cauldrons, and the like in this city."

"And get some favorability for lotteries, or hatred values to farm monsters for meat."

Favorability and hatred values could wait. After spending months with the giant roc, she admitted that she was a bit socially anxious; if possible, she preferred not to have excessive contact with people.

It was only for the sake of better cultivation that she was forced to go to human cities to trade.

"Who goes there, Fellow Daoist!" A quarter of an hour later, Yun Qing appeared outside Xuanjing City, where a guard with a cute baby face blocked her path.

Name unknown, Level 49;

Yun Qing, who was being addressed as a Fellow Daoist for the first time in her life, was slightly stunned. This form of address was quite interesting. Entering the city required a travel pass, which Yun Qing knew. She pulled the travel pass prepared for her by Ye Family Village out of her system inventory.

After inspecting it and finding no issues, the guard returned the pass to Yun Qing and said, "Fellow Daoist Yun, entering the city requires a fee of 1 low-grade spirit stone."

The system's digital balance showed over two thousand low-grade spirit stones, but in reality, she didn't possess a single actual low-grade spirit stone. Liu Liu had also told her that the system's financial figures were purely virtual and could not be withdrawn.

Coming from another world, Yun Qing had never paid an entry fee when going in and out of Ye Family Village, nor had she paid any entry fee when going to Lingcang County—the large county town mentioned by the villagers of Ye Family Village. She hadn't paid any money along the way to the Xuantie Mining Field, nor had she paid when arriving at Rizhao Town with the caravan. No one had ever told her that entering a city cost money, let alone that it had to be paid in spirit stones.