Tang Dynasty Demon Suppression Division

Lou Junbo looked at Li Yuan: "It's a good thing that young people have courage. You're right. After the Black Feather Demon King was injured, it was the best time to get rid of it."

"If we miss this opportunity, it will be even more difficult to deal with once it recovers from its injuries."

"Your subordinate obeys."

Luo Wei said no more, took out a black iron token from his pocket and handed it to Li Yuan, "This is Lord Lou's token. With this token, the Demon Suppression Divisions in each prefecture along the way will cooperate with your actions."

Li Yuan accepted the token and solemnly put it into his pocket: "Your subordinate will certainly not fail in your mission."

Liu Huang patted Li Yuan on the shoulder: "Brother Li, that Black Feather Demon King is cunning and ruthless. Be careful when you go alone. If you encounter danger, don't be reckless. Send a signal for help immediately."

"I understand." Li Yuan smiled at him.

"Brother Li," Wu Yu walked up to him, his expression worried, and said softly, "Please be very careful."

"Hmm!" Li Yuan smiled at him. "You too, you'll be following Lord Liu to intercept the overseas demon king this time, so be extra careful."

"I understand." Wu Yu nodded in agreement and didn't say anything more.

Li Yuan mounted his horse and clasped his hands in a fist salute to the crowd: "Farewell, everyone. I will meet you at Snow Peak Mountain after we have dealt with the Black Feather Demon King."

Having said that, he turned his horse around and rode off in the direction he had come from.

After leaving Xuefeng Mountain, Li Yuan was on his way, but his mind was racing with plans.

This time, he volunteered to hunt down the Black Feather Demon King. Besides completing the mission, there was an even more important reason: he urgently needed a demon core to break through his cultivation level.

During this period, his cultivation level reached the Great Perfection of the Core Formation Realm, and he was just one step away from the Core Condensation Realm.

But this final barrier cannot be overcome simply through arduous practice.

For an ordinary cultivator, it takes a massive amount of spiritual energy to progress from the Core Formation Realm to the Qi Condensation Realm, and also a long period of refinement and stagnation.

Li Yuan is different. He possesses the inheritance of the Myriad Realms Palace and the spirit of the Nameless Blade. He doesn't need to accumulate power step by step; he can directly absorb the essence of the demon core and transform it into his own power.

As he progressed, the level of demon cores he needed became higher and higher. The demon cores of ordinary lesser demons were no longer enough to meet his breakthrough needs.

What he needs now is a demon core of the demon king level.

The Black Feather Demon King was prey delivered to its doorstep.

Of course, if the people of the Demon Suppression Bureau knew about this act of directly absorbing demon cores, it would inevitably arouse suspicion.

After all, in the eyes of many people, cultivating by devouring demon cores is no different from the evil path, so he cannot let anyone know about this.

And now, this is a golden opportunity.

The Black Feather Demon King was wounded by him and was at its weakest. Although it had many lesser demons under its command, they were not a threat. As long as no other demon kings came to its aid, he was at least 50% confident of victory.

Moreover, Yan Ji is currently absorbing the essence of earth and fire, and it won't be long before he can replenish the power of the five elements and fully awaken. At that time, he will have an even greater chance of success.

Of course, his choice to act alone was also calculated to make it easier to conceal his whereabouts and to make the Black Feather Demon King underestimate him.

In their last battle, he had noticed that the Black Feather Demon King was extremely arrogant. After being wounded by a human at the Core Formation Realm, he was furious and felt it was a great humiliation.

If he deliberately provokes him a little more, the Black Feather Demon King will surely be unable to resist making a move.

The most urgent task right now is to find its hiding place. After much thought, Li Yuan concluded that the most likely place for the Black Feather Demon King to heal its wounds is its lair, Falling Goose Peak.

Now that the Demon Suppression Division's attention has been completely drawn to Snow Peak Mountain, and Falling Goose Peak has just experienced a major battle, it has become the safest place.

Li Yuan headed straight for Luoyan Peak, stopped at the foot of the mountain, tied his horse to a secluded grove of trees, and then hiked up the mountain.

Instead of rushing to find the Black Feather Demon King's lair, he first circled the outer perimeter of Luoyan Peak, carefully observing the terrain.

Luoyan Peak is steep and has many cliffs, making it very suitable for avian demons to live in. He spent most of the day surveying the terrain.

They then consulted a hunter in the mountains and finally confirmed that the Black Feather Demon King's lair was located in a place called Eagle Sorrow Gorge.

Li Yuan sneaked up to Eagle's Sorrow Stream and found that there were indeed little demons guarding the mountain. It seemed that he had found the right place.

The Black Feather Demon King's lair is located on a steep cliff, with its entrance hidden by dense vines, making it difficult to find without careful investigation.

Li Yuan was extremely sensitive to demonic energy; with a single scan of his divine sense, he had already pinpointed the location.

Li Yuan hid in a dense tree and observed from a distance. He discovered that there were many small demons patrolling and guarding the area around the cave, making the defense quite tight.

He was alone and knew nothing about the situation inside, so he naturally wouldn't risk going in, as that would be tantamount to walking into a trap. Besides, the Black Feather Demon King was cunning and suspicious by nature, and there was probably more than one exit.

He was waiting, waiting for the right moment to lure the snake out of its hole.

On the mountain road to Guangzhou.

Liu Huang and his party, covered in dust from their journey, hurried on their way. Wu Yu, riding his horse, was distracted and frequently looked back.

Finally, he couldn't resist riding closer to Ji Fanghua and lowering his voice, "Junior Sister Ji, don't you think it's too risky for Brother Li to go after the Black Feather Demon King alone? Why don't we go back and help him?"

Ji Fanghua glanced at him indifferently: "Since he dared to volunteer, he must be confident. We won't be able to help him when we go back; in fact, we'll just hold him back."

"But……"

"No buts." Ji Fanghua interrupted him. "Senior Brother Li is not a reckless person. Since he chose to act alone, he must have his reasons. What we need to do is trust him and do our own thing."

Wu Yu was speechless. He knew that Ji Fanghua was right, but he still couldn't help but worry.

That's a demon king after all; even injured, he's still a true demon king.

Ji Fanghua ignored him. It wasn't that she wasn't worried, but rather that she believed in Li Yuan's abilities.

Ever since she encountered the Demon Emperor Chen Su in the secret realm, she had a vague feeling that Li Yuan was very likely the person foretold in the prophecy.

If that's the case, then he wouldn't have died here so easily. Perhaps, the Black Feather Demon King would even become Li Yuan's stepping stone and his opportunity.

Luoyan Peak, at the foot of the cliff.

After observing for a period of time, Li Yuan no longer concealed his aura.

He leaped down from the tree, and with a swift stroke of his blade, instantly killed two patrolling demons. Before the other demons could react, he took their demon cores and tossed them into his storage bag.

Although the demon cores of these lesser demons are not very powerful and their effects are negligible, they can still replenish some of their energy as they accumulate.

Enraged by his arrogant behavior, the little demons roared and pounced on him.

Li Yuan raised an eyebrow and smiled, then turned and disappeared into the dense forest.

While the lesser demons searched the entire mountain, Li Yuan once again took advantage of the chaos to launch a sneak attack. He appeared and disappeared unpredictably, killing only one or two lesser demons each time he struck. He would leave immediately after a successful attack and would never linger in battle.

He had plenty of patience, playing a cat-and-mouse game with the Black Feather Demon King, constantly stimulating the Black Feather Demon King's nerves.

Deep within the cave, the Black Feather Demon King, who was healing his wounds, suddenly opened his eyes.