Honghuang: My understanding is beyond belief. I am the first immortal of Jiejiao.

It hovered in the air, constantly drawing upon the endless power of thunder within the valley, transforming it into various attacks that rained down on Gu Yang.

Despite being stronger than Lei Long, Gu Yang was constrained and restricted in his actions because he had to ensure the survival of Lei Long, which was clearly a "top-grade living material," and he also had to be careful to prevent the surrounding monsters, who had lost their fighting ability but were not dead, from being affected and killed by the aftershocks of the battle.

He often manages to strike the Thunder Dragon with exquisite moves, but at the last moment he stops, only managing to repel it or inflict some non-life-threatening superficial wounds, while he himself suffers a lot of Thunder Dragon attacks as a result.

It turned out that from the moment Gu Yang stepped into Thunder Valley the day before until Lin Zhu woke up and arrived, he had been working almost non-stop for a whole day and night, engaging in an extremely frustrating and entangled battle with the fearless monsters of Thunder Valley under the command of the Ancient Thunder Dragon.

To avoid killing any of the demonic beasts, he used all his strength, breaking their limbs, pulling out their sharp teeth and fangs, binding them with binding spells, or stunning them with overwhelming force, thus rendering thousands of demonic beasts unable to fight.

The effort, the magic power consumed, and the pressure endured in this process are far greater than a satisfying massacre!
Lin Zhu hovered in mid-air, looking down at the tragic battlefield and Gu Yang struggling to hold on. He stroked his chin, his eyes flickering, as if he was plotting something.

Gu Yang, who was struggling and covered in blood, caught a glimpse of that familiar white-clad figure finally appearing at the edge of the battlefield out of the corner of his eye. The will he had been holding on to seemed to find an outlet in an instant.

As he struggled to break through the ancient thunder dragon's bite, which was accompanied by immense thunder, he shouted almost in a sob towards Lin Zhu.

"Fellow Daoist Lin Zhu! You've finally arrived! Quickly! Help me trap this wicked dragon! I... I can't hold on much longer!"

His voice was filled with exhaustion, grievance, and eager hope upon seeing reinforcements.

He looked at Lin Zhu with eager eyes, his gaze filled with trust and pleading.

"Fellow Daoist! These on the ground, and the Thunder Dragon that was subdued later, please use your Palm Buddha Kingdom Divine Power to collect them all and deliver them to the master alive!"

They are all precious provisions that their master needs; not a single one can die!

He emphasized the word "living," as if it were a task higher than his own life.

Lin Zhu's gaze swept across the chaotic battlefield below, taking in the numerous demonic beasts lying haphazardly on the ground. Some had their limbs broken and twisted by brute force, while others had their mouths full of sharp teeth forcibly pulled out, yet they were all still clinging to life.

In an instant, he understood the arduous, even "frustrating," battle that Gu Yang had endured over the past day and night.

To meet that requirement of being "fresh," this silly wolf went to great lengths and risked its life.

A feeling of "admiration" arose spontaneously, but of course, this did not hinder his subsequent actions.

Lin Zhu's face instantly changed to a sorrowful yet resolute expression. He nodded heavily, his voice firm and powerful, as if he had made a solemn pledge.

"Fellow Daoist Gu Yang! Rest assured! You have put in such tremendous effort and shed so much blood and sweat, how could I, Lin Zhu, let your hard work go to waste?"

"Leave these monsters to me! I will take good care of them and ensure nothing happens to them!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Zhu no longer hesitated. He formed a mudra with his hands, his body radiating Buddhist light, and he chanted incantations.

"A Buddhist kingdom in the palm of your hand, accept it!"

A tremendous suction force surged from his palm, transforming into an invisible vortex that quickly enveloped the battlefield below.

Those demonic beasts that had lost their ability to move but still retained the breath of life, regardless of size or degree of injury, were all as if seized by an invisible giant hand, rising off the ground and turning into streams of light, which were then absorbed into the seemingly small but actually vast Buddhist world in Lin Zhu's palm.

Upon entering the Buddha Kingdom in the palm of his hand, Lin Zhu's divine consciousness descended like that of a creator.

With a blank expression, he subtly moved his mind, and the power of the rules within the Buddhist kingdom instantly crushed down!

Those already dying monsters couldn't even utter a wail before their hearts were crushed and their souls scattered by an invisible force, completely losing their life force and turning into still "fresh" materials.

After finishing all this, Lin Zhu withdrew his divine sense with satisfaction and began to calculate how many good things could be refined from this batch of new materials.

From the outside, Gu Yang saw Lin Zhu collect all the demonic beasts so "efficiently" and "completely". Although he felt that the process seemed a bit fast, he did not notice anything unusual.

A huge weight lifted from his heart, and a warm and sincere smile appeared on his pale face as he shouted loudly to Lin Zhu.

"Thank you very much, fellow Daoist! I'm grateful for your help!"

In his view, Lin Zhu was indeed a trustworthy partner who never let him down in crucial moments.

However, the situation on the field suddenly changed!

The moment Lin Zhu descended, the massive body of the ancient thunder dragon involuntarily stiffened.

Its cold, vertical pupils stared intently at Lin Zhu in the air, and a sense of fear originating from the depths of its blood arose spontaneously!

Its intuition was screaming a warning—this newly appeared figure was far more terrifying than the guy below who only knew how to fight but dared not kill!
It was a sense of abyss that was extremely restrained, yet seemed capable of unleashing a power to destroy the world at any moment!
Refund! We must refund!

The ancient thunder dragon instantly felt a strong urge to retreat. With a flick of its tail, it stirred up the thunder in the sky and tried to flee into the depths of Thunder Valley.

"Bastard! Where to go!"

Seeing this, Gu Yang was not about to let it escape. He mustered a mouthful of demonic energy and roared as he stepped forward to stop it.

He hadn't revealed his full strength in order to capture Lei Long alive, but now that he saw Lei Long trying to escape, he didn't care about anything else.

But just then, seeing its path blocked and an even more terrifying being looming overhead, the ancient thunder dragon's eyes flashed with a desperate madness.

It suddenly let out a dragon roar that shook the heavens and the violent lightning around it did not spread outward, but instead rapidly contracted and collapsed inward!
A destructive and extremely unstable energy surged wildly from the core of its massive body!

It was actually going to activate its primordial spirit and self-destruct to survive! It would rather perish both body and soul, taking its enemies down with it, than fall into the hands of Lin Zhu, who terrified it!

"not good!"

Gu Yang's expression changed drastically as he sensed the terrifying energy, which was enough to threaten his life, rapidly increasing. He instinctively wanted to retreat and temporarily avoid the attack.

The self-destruction of a half-step quasi-saint is powerful enough to destroy the heavens and the earth!
The moment he moved slightly, Lin Zhu's clear, cold voice, carrying an unquestionable tone, exploded in his mind like ice from the heavens.

"Don't retreat! Gu Yang! With a formidable enemy before us, how can we cower and admit defeat?! Have you forgotten your master's expectations?!"

Gu Yang froze, hesitatingly saying, "But...it's going to self-destruct..."

"So what if I self-destruct?!"

Lin Zhu's voice carried a calmness that revealed the key to the matter.

"Although the self-destruction was dangerous, at its core lies the demon core, the culmination of his life's cultivation!"

Demon pill!

These two words were like a thunderclap, instantly cleaving through the fog in Gu Yang's mind! Yes!
Self-destruction destroys the primordial spirit and physical body, but the demon core, as the core of power, especially the demon core of such a top-tier ancient demon beast, is imbued with the essence of heaven and earth and is extremely sturdy; it may not necessarily be annihilated along with the body! If it can be retrieved before the self-destruction is completely complete…

But the next moment, Gu Yang suddenly looked up and glared at Lin Zhu, who was hanging ten thousand meters away with a calm and collected expression. He was so angry that he almost vomited blood.

"You! You hide so far away, making it sound so easy! But you want me to go to the center of that self-destructing primordial spirit to snatch the demon core?! You're sending me to my death!"

Faced with Gu Yang's questioning, Lin Zhu showed no remorse. Instead, he instantly adopted a "righteous" and "overall-minded" posture, looking down at Gu Yang with a sorrowful yet expectant voice.

"Gu Yang! How can you misunderstand me like this? Am I someone who fears death? I am here to protect the greater good!"

The thousands of demonic beasts collected in the Buddha's Palm Kingdom must be maintained by me with supreme Buddhist Dharma to ensure their continued vitality. This is a crucial task entrusted to me by my master, and I cannot afford to fail!

Moreover, I represent the hope and future of our cause, and bear the responsibility of connecting our masters with reality. How can I easily take risks and disregard the overall situation?

His tone shifted, carrying a mix of helplessness and high expectations as he stared intently at Gu Yang.

"And you, Gu Yang! You are the vanguard! The sharpest blade! The warrior who opens up new territories and clears obstacles for your master! At this crucial moment, you should shoulder this heavy responsibility and seize that vital demon core for your master! This is your duty, and also your glory! I believe in you, and I am confident that you will overcome all difficulties and live up to your trust!"

These earnest and eloquent words, like a bewitching spell, once again swayed Gu Yang's mind.

Looking into Lin Zhu's "sincere" and "trusting" eyes, and listening to his lofty reasons of "for the greater good" and "for the master," he struggled violently and weighed his options repeatedly...

Ultimately, loyalty to his master and the simple belief that "Fellow Daoist Lin Zhu would never harm me; all of this is for our shared mission" once again prevailed.

"I...I understand!"

A resolute glint flashed in Gu Yang's eyes. He gritted his teeth and stopped hesitating. His demonic energy surged and boiled, transforming into a shrill blood-red meteor. Instead of retreating, he charged headlong into the self-destructing core of the ancient thunder dragon, whose energy had reached its limit and whose surrounding space was beginning to distort and collapse!

Lin Zhu, suspended ten thousand meters in the air, stood leisurely with his hands behind his back, watching the blood-red meteor resolutely crash into the center of the vortex of destruction. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes as he murmured to himself.

"This silly wolf... actually believed it?"

Immediately, he stopped paying attention to the earth-shattering explosion below, leisurely sat down on the cloud, and even took out a tea set from somewhere and brewed a cup of fragrant tea for himself.

At the same time, he was multitasking, pouring the large batch of demon beast materials that he had just "processed" in the Buddha Kingdom in his palm into the super-enhanced Shennong Cauldron that was floating beside him.

Immediately, pleasant system notification sounds began to ring out in my mind one after another.

[Ding! Refining successful, obtained Nine-Turn Taiyi Golden Pill (Superior Grade) x5]

[Ding! A critical strike has been triggered during the fusion process, granting you 1 Limitless Pill (Superior Grade)]

……

Lin Zhu squinted as he listened to the prompts, sipped his hot tea, and felt the growth in his cultivation and wealth. A satisfied smile appeared on his face as he fully enjoyed the leisure and... "sinful" pleasure of being a "behind-the-scenes capitalist".

At the epicenter of the explosion below, the scene was utterly apocalyptic.

Space and time seemed to collapse and annihilate under the self-destruction of the primordial spirit of that half-step quasi-saint level being. Within a radius of ten thousand meters, all matter was reduced to the most basic particles. Spatial cracks spread like a black spider web, and violent energy turbulence tore everything apart.

Such power would be enough to severely injure even a Great Luo Golden Immortal, or even cause their body and soul to be destroyed.

Gu Yang struggled desperately in this devastated ocean. He unleashed his strongest protective demonic light, ignoring the new wounds that kept appearing on his body, so deep they reached the bone and even touched his very essence. His divine sense went mad as he frantically searched for the possible demon core of the ancient thunder dragon amidst the raging and chaotic energy flow!

His appearance was even more gruesome than before, almost covered in blood, yet he remained steadfast.

Just as Gu Yang was desperately searching for the target demon core without any results, Lin Zhu's Shennong Cauldron had already completed refining a batch of materials, and the system notification sounded again.

[Ding! Refining complete. Obtained Good and Evil Five Poisons Powder (Junk Quality) x1]

Lin Zhu was slightly taken aback. He picked up the pill bottle, which looked dull and even somewhat cloudy, and probed it with his divine sense to obtain information.

【The Five Poisons of Good and Evil】.

It can instantly restore half of physical strength and mana after consumption, but it will have the side effect of a temporary decrease in intelligence, judgment and cultivation level. The duration of the effect depends on the user's cultivation level.

"To recover to half of one's original state, but to become stupid and weak?"

"What fool would use such a useless pill?"

Lin Zhu frowned in disdain, clutching the pill bottle. He subconsciously looked up at the still raging explosion's energy center below, where Gu Yang was fighting a bloody and disheveled battle for a "demon core." His eyes flickered as he fell into a deep, meaningful contemplation...

After an unknown amount of time, the destructive energy storm gradually subsided. The core area of ​​Thunder Valley had been transformed into a bottomless, huge, charred crater, with unstable spatial cracks and residual lightning arcs flickering at its edges.

A figure, staggering like a tattered sack, flew out from the edge of the pit. It was Gu Yang, moving slowly and swaying precariously.

At this moment, Gu Yang looked extremely miserable. His hair was charred and curly, stuck to the dried blood and torn flesh, making it almost impossible to see his original white color.

His aura was extremely weak, and his demonic energy fluctuations were barely perceptible, like a candle flickering in the wind. Every time he flew a certain distance, it seemed as if he was about to exhaust his last bit of strength.

One of his arms was twisted unnaturally, and a huge wound on his chest revealed a faint, cracked phantom of his inner core, indicating that he was at his limit and nearly exhausted.

He struggled to fly to Lin Zhu, who had been hovering at a safe distance and had even finished a pot of tea, and shakily raised his still-intact hand, opening his palm. (End of Chapter)