Tang Dynasty Demon Suppression Division

Li Yuan never expected it to be so fierce, and in a moment of carelessness, it broke free from its restraints.

They were temporarily freed at the cost of a huge, bloody hole.

The Black Feather Demon King dared not delay and immediately fled madly towards the middle of the valley. Li Yuan's eyes narrowed. If it escaped to a wide open area, he would never have another chance.

He roared, brandished his sword, and leaped onto the back of the Black Feather Demon King, intending to deliver a fatal blow.

"asshole!"

The Black Feather Demon King rolled on the ground, trying to smash him against the cliff wall. After all, he was made of flesh and blood, and Li Yuan dared not gamble, so he had to quickly leap away.

Taking advantage of this gap, the Black Feather Demon King darted forward another ten feet or so. Seeing that there was a wide open space ahead, its eyes revealed wild joy.

"You think you can leave? No way!"

Li Yuan's eyes revealed a fierce glint. He had expended so much effort, how could he be willing to let it all go to waste?

He exerted all his strength, channeling all the power within him into the blade, and a dazzling blade light shot into the sky.

"Meteor Festival!"

In a flash, an ancient incantation appeared, and he used it instinctively.

The blade's edge transformed into a shooting star in the air, carrying the force of thunder, and fell towards the Black Feather Demon King's back.

The Black Feather Demon King charged forward headfirst, getting closer and closer. In just two more breaths, it could flap its wings and fly away, escaping the threat of death.

A hint of joy flashed in its eyes, and it was about to flap its wings and gather strength to take off when a feeling of extreme danger suddenly enveloped it, making its spine tingle.

In a moment of panic, it looked up and saw a magnificent shooting star hanging overhead, its dazzling light blindingly bright, hurtling down at breakneck speed.

"No--!"

The Black Feather Demon King let out a desperate howl.

"boom!"

A meteor fell, bursting forth with dazzling light, turning the entire sky crimson.

The Black Feather Demon King's massive body crashed to the ground, its feathers flying everywhere. Its eyes were wide open, and it could not believe, even in its death, that it would die at the hands of a human who had reached the Core Formation Realm.

Li Yuan knelt on one knee, completely exhausted. His body was covered with wounds of all sizes. His left shoulder was torn open by the Black Feather Demon King's claws, leaving a deep, bone-revealing wound that stained half of his robe with blood.

Ignoring the wound, his eyes gleamed with excitement as he rushed over and reached into the wound on the Black Feather Demon King's chest. After groping around for a while, he suddenly pulled it out.

He held a fist-sized demon core in his palm, its entire body as black as ink, radiating a cold, eerie glow.

The demon core was warm to the touch, containing immense demonic power, which made Li Yuan's eyes gleam with envy.

He couldn't help but burst into laughter; the adventure of this battle had been worth it.

The nameless sword in his hand suddenly trembled, and a lazy voice echoed in his mind.

"Tsk, that was a really ugly fight. You think a mere feathered beast could drive you to this state? It's shameful."

Li Yuan was both surprised and delighted: "Senior Yan Ji, you're awake?"

"If you don't wake up soon, you might just kill yourself." Yan Ji's voice carried a hint of disdain as he arrogantly said, "If I hadn't woken up in time and given you a hand, could you have killed this beast in one move?"

"Yes, yes, thank you so much, Senior Yan Ji, for saving my life."

Li Yuan suddenly remembered the Meteor Festival earlier; it was all Yan Ji's doing. He grinned and said, "Senior, now that you've gathered the power of the five elements, have you recovered all your strength?"

A fiery red figure floated out of the sword, looking much more solid than before, but still somewhat blurry.

Yan Ji glanced at him indifferently and rolled his eyes: "Recover? You're still a long way off."

"My current strength is less than one-tenth of what it was at its peak."

Li Yuan was taken aback, then his eyes lit up with surprise. Just how powerful was Yan Ji in his prime?

"Less than one-tenth? How can it be restored?"

"Further words are useless; this requires a stroke of luck." Yan Ji's voice carried a hint of melancholy. "My origins are far more complex than you imagine. Restoring my full power cannot be achieved simply by absorbing a few rare and precious herbs."

"Let's talk about it another time."

Li Yuan remained silent, it seemed that Yan Ji did not intend to reveal his origins. Suddenly, he remembered another important matter.

"Does the Senior know about the Myriad Realms Palace? Do you have some connection with it?"

Yan Ji looked at him warningly, his expression unusually serious: "I advise you to ask less. You'll naturally find out when you're stronger."

Knowing too much now won't do you any good.

Although he was incredibly curious, seeing that Yan Ji was unwilling to say more, Li Yuan didn't press the matter further and had to give up.

He stood up, glanced at the corpse of the Black Feather Demon King on the ground, and carefully put it into his storage bag.

The Demon King's entire body is a treasure; his flesh and blood can enhance his physique, and his bones and feathers are rare materials for refining weapons.

According to the rules of the Demon Suppression Division, everything captured during an operation must be handed over to accumulate merit points, but these points will be prioritized for distribution to the person who carried out the operation.

He turned his head and glanced at the scattered demons. With the Demon King dead, they were like headless flies, fleeing into the depths of Luoyan Peak, devoid of any fighting spirit.

Li Yuan didn't bother to pursue them. He turned around and walked into the Black Feather Demon King's lair. This old demon had been entrenched here for over a thousand years, so he must have quite a lot of treasures.

The nest was a natural cave with many interconnected passages. Li Yuan searched through it and found it filled with all sorts of random things.

Bones were scattered all over the ground. Deep in the cave, he finally found the Black Feather Demon King's treasure and indeed reaped a rich harvest.

Inside were all sorts of rare and precious materials, especially the spiritual herbs from the mountains, which were extremely abundant, such as Blood Jade Leaf, Divine Wood, Tiger Bone Grass... piled up like a small mountain, and they were all very old. He even saw an 800-year-old ginseng.

He had no intention of handing these things over; they were all his private hoard.

Li Yuan was in high spirits, rummaging through his storage bag while secretly rejoicing. He was rich! He had really struck it rich this time.

After cleaning up all the useful items, Li Yuan had no intention of leaving. This place was quiet and secluded, a ready-made place for advancement.

He found a huge rock to seal the cave entrance, set up a simple warning array at the entrance, and then found a secluded spot to sit down cross-legged.

Then he said to the nameless swordsman, "Senior, I need to go into seclusion here to break through my cultivation barrier. Could you please protect me?"

After a long pause, Yan Ji finally let out a cold snort: "Don't worry, with me here, no one can bother you."

As she spoke, she floated out of the knife, hovering not far away, arms crossed, looking at him expressionlessly.

Li Yuan didn't mind, knowing that he was always stubborn but soft-hearted; even if he said no, he would definitely protect him. He first closed his eyes to regulate his breathing, restoring his energy to its peak, before taking out the demon core, holding it in his palm, and slowly closing his eyes.

The leap from the Core Formation Realm to the Qi Condensation Realm is a qualitative leap, crossing the threshold of the middle three realms and truly entering the latter three realms.

The Core Formation Realm involves condensing the true energy within the body into a Yuan Dan, while the Condensation Realm requires the Yuan Dan to undergo nine cycles before finally shattering the core and condensing the essence, transforming the true energy into a higher level of magical power.

Upon reaching the Condensation Realm, cultivators can begin to mobilize the power of heaven and earth, comprehend the laws of the Great Dao, possess immense power with every move, and extend their lifespan to five hundred years.