Cultivation begins with alchemy and collecting runes.

a few days later.

On a night with a full moon.

Moonlight pierced through layers of mist and fell upon a wide, open valley meadow in the Wanyao Mountains.

hoo hoo hoo!

On the grass, two late-stage Tier 1 bear demons, each as large as a small hill, were tearing at each other, their flesh and blood flying everywhere in a fierce battle.

The two bear demons, one black and one white, had similar auras.

Black bears are robust and menacing; polar bears are agile and have glossy fur.

"The Iron-Backed Bear and the Azure Moon Bear. These two demonic bears are mortal enemies!"

Li Xiuyuan, who was lurking in the woods, was filled with turmoil.

He now has two options: one, to quietly detour and return to Blackwind City.

Second, sit back and watch the tigers fight, then reap the benefits.

Having obtained the Blood Marrow Grass, Li Xiuyuan naturally did not want to cause any unnecessary trouble.

Suddenly, Li Xiuyuan was affected by the spiritual fluctuations of the Migu Rat, and heard that a couple at the Qi Refining stage were lurking several miles away in the grassland.

"Since there's someone like me, I'll watch a good show."

Li Xiuyuan concealed his aura and signaled the Migu Rat to continue its reconnaissance, instructing him to send a message immediately.

He hid in the bushes nearby, waiting for his chance.

……

"Husband! It's the Ironback Bear and the Azure Moon Bear. The Azure Moon Bear's demon core, refined into a Beast Essence Pill, can help you break through to the Perfect Qi Refining stage!"

Xiao Xue said with delight.

"Hmm, the Azure Moon Bear absorbed the spiritual power of the moon, making its demon core pure."

Gu Yuehai's eyes shone brightly as he stared intently at the white bear demon, its fur gleaming faintly in the moonlight.

"Once the two beasts are separated, Xuemei, then you and I will kill them."

……

Bang bang bang!

On the grassland in the valley, two bear demons were fighting fiercely, their bellies ripped open and blood gushing out.

Two figures moved with incredible speed, silently approaching the bear demon.

Li Xiuyuan, who was some distance away, was observing all of this.

Within sight, both bear demons were indeed severely injured.

hoo hoo hoo!

With its agile physique, the Azure Moon Bear tore at the Ironback Bear's chest with its iron claws, ripping it open.

It was also severely injured by the ironback bear, its chest was split open, and its bloody intestines spilled out onto the ground.

"Snow sister!"

The male cultivator acted decisively, summoning a golden magic artifact that grew in size to four or five zhang in the wind, resembling a golden hill and radiating terrifying spiritual pressure.

"A superior magical artifact!"

Li Xiuyuan was slightly moved. Even he, at the sixth level of Body Refinement, would find it difficult to withstand the direct bombardment from a high-grade mountain-type magic weapon that was being fully activated.

These magical artifacts have extremely strong frontal suppressive power, but they are somewhat cumbersome. If one can quickly dodge and escape, their power will be reduced.

The female cultivator then flanked from behind, unleashing her magical artifact to cut off the Azure Moon Bear's retreat.

Rumble!

The golden hill, with its imposing presence and powerful spiritual pressure, crashed down on the area within several feet of the Azure Moon Bear.

The Azure Moon Bear looked terrified; its severe injuries prevented it from dodging in time, and it was smashed down head-on.

Pfft!

A foul-smelling blood plasma splattered everywhere.

The male cultivator looked surprised, not expecting to succeed so easily.

He didn't care at all that the Hidden Moon Bear had been smashed into a pulp, damaging its demon core.

Just as he was happily preparing to go forward and collect his spoils...

"Sizzle!"

An even stronger spiritual pressure swept over.

The female cultivator, whose retreat had been cut off, suddenly felt a foul, fishy stench on her face, and her body went cold.

A large, jade-colored snake, about six or seven zhang long, opened its blood-red maw.

Before she could even react...

It has already been devoured by the snake.

……

"Snow sister!"

He heard a pitiful scream coming from the valley!

Inside the valley, the male cultivator, enraged by the death of his wife, was consumed by grief and rage, and decided to seek revenge against the demon serpent.

But when the jade-colored demonic blade severed his arm, he only came to his senses after feeling the pain.

The protective aura shield was cleaved open by the jade flying blade.

He was both anxious and furious, and in his haste, he produced a high-grade jade pendant, but he didn't have time to activate it.

"Pfft!"

His entire body was severed at the waist by the snake demon's venomous fangs and swallowed whole.

"Sizzle!"

Li Xiuyuan

"Oh no, the Azure Spirit Serpent is attacking!"

Li Xiuyuan sensed the same fear in the Misty Valley Rat as when he faced the Azure Spirit Serpent.

Li Xiuyuan was about to activate the 'Hundred Mile Swiftness Talisman' in his hand when he was locked by a powerful spiritual pressure, causing him to freeze.

"Damn it, it's locked onto by my divine sense."

Li Xiuyuan was horrified; this was the first time he had directly faced the divine pressure of a second-tier demon beast.

He felt as if he were trapped in an ice cellar, his hands and feet frozen and unable to move, and even his thoughts were sluggish.

Li Xiuyuan immediately refined the [Purity of Mind and Few Desires] technique.

The next moment, he felt his ears and eyes were sharp and his mind was clear, as if he had drunk a sip of cool water on a summer day, feeling extremely comfortable and gaining an instant boost to his spiritual awareness.

Next, refine a rune: [Nourish Qi and Accumulate Essence].

He frantically absorbed the spiritual energy of the surrounding world like a dragon sucking water, constantly refining it for his own use. Large streams of pure spiritual energy, free of impurities, flowed into his dantian.

The tiny meridians were being crammed with a massive amount of spiritual energy, and they were about to burst.

Blood seeped from his skin, turning him into a blood-soaked figure.

His dantian was also about to be overwhelmed by this vast torrent of spiritual energy.

He released his primordial energy and blood to create a layer of blood-red coating, which desperately resisted the spiritual pressure for him. Then, he patted the storage bag at his waist and summoned a golden armor spirit shield to protect his body.

He casually put the Misty Valley Rat into his spirit beast pouch, and then used his divine sense to refine all of the [Infinite Firepower] and [Firepower Regeneration] abilities at once. Ten breaths later...

Li Xiuyuan's body was drained at the speed of light, and then replenished at an unimaginable speed until it burst.

Li Xiuyuan looked extremely pained as he went back and forth.

Despite the excruciating pain, he conjured hundreds of crimson fireballs with his hands, each carrying the aura of [Crimson Flame Mystic Light] as it hurtled towards the snake demon.

They attempted to stop its movements in order to buy themselves a chance to escape.

"Zzzzz".

Unable to dodge, the Azure Serpent's massive body was scorched by hundreds of powerful fireballs, leaving large scorch marks on its translucent scales.

"Roar!"

He heard a faint sound of pain behind him, and Li Xiuyuan's face lit up with joy. The enhanced Perfect Fireball Technique was also effective against second-tier demonic beasts!

Without hesitation, he poured all his magical power into the "Hundred-Mile Divine Speed ​​Talisman," and his figure flickered as he rode the golden sword, transforming into a golden light and flying out of the valley.

"Damn it, how can this second-tier Azure Spirit Serpent be so powerful! I can't die here!"

Li Xiuyuan cursed under his breath, but his hands didn't stop moving at all.

He frantically hurled fireballs behind him!

With the combined effects of [Nourishing Qi and Conserving Essence], [Unlimited Firepower], and [Vitality Regeneration], the Perfect-level Fireball spell unleashes power comparable to a second-tier spell.

He gasped for breath and fled for dozens of miles.

Li Xiuyuan carefully probed backward with his divine sense and discovered that he had vaguely escaped the lock of the Azure Spirit Serpent's divine sense.

I'm about to breathe a sigh of relief.

But he felt that chilling aura locking onto him. "Damn snake demon, when my cultivation is complete, I will surely extract your soul and refine your spirit!"

He patted his storage bag, took out the remaining "love potion," and applied it to his body.

He planned to take a gamble and shift the blame elsewhere.

Without a second thought, Li Xiuyuan poured spiritual energy into the magic sword.

It flew away at lightning speed.

He completely enraged this second-tier snake demon.

If the other side catches up with him, he will be torn to pieces and his soul will be extracted and refined!

What annoyed Li Xiuyuan was that he was so far away from this demon that he was even beyond the range of its divine sense.

How can we keep him firmly under control?

"Blood Marrow Grass!"

Li Xiuyuan was greatly surprised and even had a slight thought of throwing it away.

Once he came to his senses, his mind became resolute.

He came here specifically for this item, so how could he give it up so easily?

At worst, we'll fight to the death.

But now it was no use trying to do so, so Li Xiuyuan had no choice but to transform into crimson golden light, hold the Bewildering Rat, and let it use its navigational talent to speed along.

In the following period, Li Xiuyuan was trapped in a life of escape in the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains.

Every half hour, he would be caught up by the Green Spirit Snake.

He then fled into the lairs of other second-tier monsters, which triggered a great battle among the monsters.

He was taking the opportunity to escape. For some reason, this Azure Spirit Serpent, with its mid-stage second-tier cultivation, was always able to win against many mid-stage and even late-stage second-tier demonic beasts.

It even attracted the help of his defeated subordinates who launched a hunt for him!

It's truly a case of having nowhere to turn!

Li Xiuyuan was filled with remorse; why had he provoked this 'mad snake'?

Every time he felt a surge of relief at escaping, he would inevitably be caught up by the Green Spirit Serpent the next moment.

This left Li Xiuyuan completely exhausted.

Looking at the increasingly dense demonic aura before him, Li Xiuyuan knew that he had already crossed the second mountain and was fleeing deeper into the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range!

"Snapped!"

"You stupid rat, why are you leading the way? You're practically driving me to my doom!"

Li Xiuyuan smacked the Migu Rat on the head hard.

The rune effect ended this morning; the previous buffs had already expired.

Instead, a wave of exhaustion washed over me, a result of the physical and mental exhaustion I had suffered.

Li Xiuyuan's escape speed was not as fast as the Azure Spirit Serpent, but after a long period of escaping, he finally mastered the trick and was able to leave it behind every time.

However, relying on its connection to the Blood Marrow Grass and its shed skin, the Azure Spirit Serpent would relentlessly pursue a group of second-tier demonic beasts.

In this way, Li Xiuyuan and the Green Spirit Serpent chased each other into the depths of the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains for a whole night.

During his escape, Li Xiuyuan was both extremely depressed and anxious.

To avoid being chased by the Green Spirit Serpent, he threw away the molted snake.

He swallowed the Blood Marrow Grass whole, as if it were a waste, and began to refine it.

As expected of a second-tier body-refining treasure, Blood Marrow Grass was so potent that even though Li Xiuyuan continuously consumed his qi and blood during his escape, he only lost one-tenth of its medicinal power.

The benefits are obvious: the immense medicinal power and the stimulation of vital energy.

This restored Li Xiuyuan, who was exhausted, to a great extent, allowing him to continue his high-speed escape.

"Click"

The last ray of light from the Hundred Mile Swiftness Talisman in his hand gradually dimmed, and his escape speed also decreased.

"Damn it, the 'Hundred-Mile Swiftness Talisman' is about to break! Only one 'Back Earth Escape Talisman' is left!"

Li Xiuyuan bit his tongue, directly activating the talisman, which then enveloped his entire body as an earth-colored spiritual light flickered.

Then, the green spirit fish, symbolizing the [Zhu Yu Yun Yuan Jue], was refined.

His presence vanished without a trace, turning into a wisp of earth that disappeared underground.

Half an hour later, countless demonic beasts gathered here, their demonic aura soaring into the sky.

The Azure Spirit Serpent, realizing that Li Xiuyuan's aura had vanished from this place, was furious and swallowed several mid-stage second-tier demonic beasts to vent its anger.

……

A huge opening has appeared in the stone wall of the mysterious cave.

Then a figure crawled out from inside; it was Li Xiuyuan, who had miraculously survived being chased by the Green Spirit Serpent.

"Cough cough cough, it hurts so much, where am I?"

Li Xiuyuan stood up and looked around at his surroundings.

His face showed relief at surviving the ordeal, and he was about to raise his arm to wipe the dust from his eyes when a piercing pain made him grimace.

He used his divine sense to examine his inner self and found that every meridian and flesh in his body was damaged, and his feet were also broken due to the explosive earth-遁 (earth-遁) technique.

Fortunately, his bones and tendons were not injured; they were all superficial wounds. His vital energy and blood protected his vital points.

The remaining blood marrow and herbal power within his body, combined with a mysterious wood-elemental life force, slowly repaired his physical body and meridians. The pure wood-elemental spiritual power sustained his life, ensuring its continuous vitality.

"I almost died! Cough cough, that damned Green Spirit Serpent!"

Li Xiuyuan gritted his teeth, his heart filled with boundless hatred.

He discovered that this was a network of stalactite caves, and although he didn't know where they led, it was definitely not small.

Finding nothing amiss, he sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began practicing his cultivation technique, refining the power of the blood marrow herbs and the power of the wood spirit to regulate his breathing and heal his injuries.

Barely regaining his mobility, Li Xiuyuan took out a luminous pearl from his storage bag and began to examine it.

Li Xiuyuan had no idea where he was or what direction he was facing.

Left with no other choice, they released the Maze Rat, a creature skilled in finding its way and exploring, to probe underground in hopes of finding a way out.

At this moment, he deeply regretted not having learned an earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a type of magic that allows one to move freely through the earth) technique; otherwise, he could have done so with just a little spell.

The area still needs to be explored slowly by the burrowing rats.

As for using magical artifacts to clear a path, he didn't even consider it.

Not to mention that being deep in the heart of the demon realm would attract endless killing intent once exposed.

Being in an unfamiliar cave, not a single bit of magic power can be wasted.

Moreover, performing rituals in the ground could easily lead to a collapse if done improperly, resulting in someone being buried alive.

Thus, Li Xiuyuan commanded the Migu Rat to first explore the surrounding area in a small area to confirm its safety, and then expanded the exploration area.

After finding a reliable path to survival, they crawled along in this monotonous manner for several hours.

Li Xiuyuan saw a mysterious underground area, and only then did he completely relax.

As he passed through the stalactite cave, he found himself inside an even larger cave.

I was immediately startled by what I saw.

In the center of the cave, a half-foot-long, double-winged ice crystal centipede was dragging and gnawing on the several-foot-long corpse of what appeared to be another centipede of the same kind.

Even more striking is that behind the centipede, amidst piles of spirit stone ore, stands an extremely ancient hexagonal altar.

On one side of the altar, there was a corpse sitting cross-legged, radiating five-colored light.

He held a token and an irregular bone fragment in his hands, both emitting a faint glow.

"A six-winged centipede?"