Raise a sword!

Because he couldn't find a way to obtain the essence blood of demonic beasts, Jiang Peng had to spend spirit stones every month to buy beast spirit pills for Ah Huang.

Furthermore, Jiang Peng no longer cared about the meager profits from Qi Condensation Pills and Rejuvenation Pills, so most of the profits from alchemy ended up going towards Purple Jade Nourishing Essence Pills.

Jiang Peng wasn't in a hurry at first.

Once word gets out about this pill, and the news spreads in the morning, knowledgeable buyers will be knocking on your door before noon.

Even so, Jiang Peng didn't intend to sell herself off cheaply; she wanted to find someone worth befriending.

Unexpectedly, Qin Lao took away all the Purple Jade Nourishing Pills he had accumulated, leaving Jiang Peng with a sudden shortage of spirit stones.

Therefore, the matter of personally refining the Beast Spirit Pill could no longer be delayed.

Jiang Peng had learned long ago that there were monster-hunting teams in the market that specialized in hunting monsters.

Although the demon-hunting teams have been conscripted to the front lines due to the beast tide, there are still some demon-hunting teams that are unwilling to deal with sects.

However, these demon-hunting teams cannot be found in the market; you have to go to the black market.

...

Late at night, deep in the mountains.

Jiang Peng changed into a black robe, put on a mask, and successfully entered the black market.

Having returned to the black market after a long absence, Jiang Peng did not rush to find information about the demon-hunting team, but instead observed them secretly for a while.

"There are clearly more guards at the entrance to the black market. Although they don't register entry and exit records, the watchers are constantly probing with their spiritual senses." Jiang Peng narrowed his eyes slightly.

There were no such rules the last time I came to the black market.

Clearly, the killing of the Cangshan Sect disciple in the mountains outside the black market, even after a long time, still has some lingering effects on the black market's operations.

With those few people watching at the door, although they couldn't prevent the robbery from happening, they wouldn't be completely without clues if the higher-ups really wanted to investigate something.

This is probably a compromise that aims to maintain the privacy of the black market while reassuring the upper echelons.

After asking at several stalls, Jiang Peng still couldn't find a way to sell the essence blood of a late-stage first-tier demon beast. There were some low-grade first-tier beasts, but they were useless to him.

Not long after, Jiang Peng arrived at the outside of an inconspicuous two-story pavilion deep in the Black Market Valley.

This attic has no plaque, and people in the black market call it "Heroes' Building".

This is where people recruit on the black market. For example, someone's goal is to hunt down a certain monster, explore a certain location, or find a specific treasure.

All sorts of businesses can recruit staff here.

However, the Heroes' Tower also retains the characteristics of a black market.

That means there are no restrictions on the recruits. Whether they are murdered and robbed afterward, or you spend a lot of money to recruit a slacker, Qunyinglou will not take any responsibility.

This is a place that tests an employer's judgment.

Jiang Peng came here with the original plan to issue a bounty to find specific information about late-stage first-tier demonic beasts.

Once you have the information, you can then ask for help through the mutual aid association to hunt monsters together.

The members of the mutual aid society are at least well-known, and each of them is at least at the sixth level of Qi Refining, which is better than opening blind boxes in the black market.

But the plans soon changed.

As soon as Jiang Peng told the people at Qunyinglou about his needs, they immediately sent him a message.

After paying a tip of ten spirit stones, the manager of the Heroes Pavilion immediately said, "A demon-hunting team is gathering in the black market, and their target is a late-stage first-tier white ape."

"That demon-hunting team is quite capable. The highest-level cultivator among them is at the sixth level of Qi Refining. However, they know a kind of formation and have successfully hunted down more than one late-stage first-tier demon beast."

Jiang Peng then inquired about some more details.

For example, does this demon-hunting team have a history of murder and robbery?

The final answer was that this demon-hunting team had a decent reputation, but whether they had ulterior motives this time was none of Qunyinglou's concern.

Hearing this, Jiang Peng felt much more at ease.

The manager's last sentence was clearly a disclaimer, indicating that Qunyinglou would not act as a guarantor for anyone else.

In addition, this demon-hunting team is experienced and has killed many late-stage first-tier demon beasts. The highest-level cultivator in the team is only at the sixth level of Qi Refining.

"With my current cultivation level, plus the talismans and magical artifacts I have, even if something unexpected happens, it shouldn't be difficult for me to escape."

With that thought in mind, Jiang Peng immediately made up her mind; there was no better time than now.

......

Following the information from Qunyinglou, Jiang Peng quickly found the demon-hunting team mentioned by the manager.

There were six people in total, all of whom had their faces covered.

After explaining their purpose, a burly man who called himself "Old Liu" came up to Jiang Peng and looked her up and down with a scrutinizing gaze.

"We need someone to act as bait, to lure the demonic beasts into our formation," Old Liu said bluntly. "I don't care about your cultivation level; if you die, we'll get one less share of spirit stones."

Jiang Peng was somewhat surprised.

The person in front of me was clearly recruiting people, but his words were full of dissuading people from leaving, and he even used bait to his advantage.

This actually reassured Jiang Peng a bit.

"I have some survival skills, but to what extent exactly?"

Seeing that Jiang Pengming knew he would have to face a late-stage first-tier demonic beast alone, yet showed no fear whatsoever, Old Liu's tone softened somewhat.

"We will set up an array in advance. You need to lure the monster into the monster's cave at least a hundred feet away. We will not intervene until you lure the monster into the array, and we will not risk our lives to rescue you if anything happens to you."

"But similarly, once the monsters enter the formation, you won't need to lift a finger. When it comes to sharing the spoils afterward, no matter how much profit we make, the seven of us will split it equally."

This condition is fairly fair; you don't even have to lift a finger.

"Okay." Jiang Peng nodded.

Old Liu narrowed his eyes slightly and finally advised, "I hope you're not just being reckless. You can back out before we leave, but if you regret it when we get there, we brothers will make an example of you."

"That's natural," Jiang Peng replied frankly.

He wore magical boots and magical inner armor, and his storage bag contained a top-grade first-tier golden armor talisman.

Even if they encounter a cultivator at the late stage of Qi Refining, they have a high chance of escaping unscathed.

As long as the opponent is not a Foundation Establishment cultivator or a second-tier demon beast, Jiang Peng will be safe.

Jiang Peng even suspected that with his copper skin and iron bones, plus the progress he had made in refining his body with the Dragon Tiger Strength by taking Dragon Tiger Pills every month, he might not even need to use the above methods to protect himself from demonic beasts.

After making a verbal agreement, Lao Liu turned around and whispered to his companion.

In just a moment, they agreed to Jiang Peng's request to join them, and after confirming that Jiang Peng had nothing to prepare, the group of seven left the black market on the spot and headed deeper into the mountains.

Each of the seven had a specific role: some led the way, while others kept watch over the surroundings.

Old Liu then came to Jiang Peng's side.

"This time we are hunting a white ape in the late stage of the first tier. That ape demon is quite intelligent and will not be driven away by the beast tide. Remember not to treat it like a stupid beast."