After losing its core, the Purple Mansion Thunderbird had exhausted more than half its spiritual energy. Coupled with the strain of battle, it was now struggling to even wield its Golden Roc Blade, a third-tier artifact, leaving it at a distinct disadvantage against Lin Qianshu.
When Elian consumed a Vitality Pill, recovering half his true essence, and once again activated the Purple Radiance Mirror, it became the Thunderbird's death knell.
Elian's combat instincts were sharp, always capitalizing on fleeting opportunities at critical moments. Just as the Thunderbird, drained of spiritual energy, broke free from the Weak Water Long Ribbon to flee, he directed the Purple Radiance Mirror at it, slowing its escape. That slight delay was the difference between life and death.
Lin Qianshu promptly cast the Frozen Jade Radiance Curse, freezing the Thunderbird in place. This time, it lacked the strength to break free.
A sharp sword hum rang out. The Thunderbird's eyes reflected fear, but it was too late to act. Its head was cleaved clean off.
After killing two Purple Mansion demonic beasts in succession, Lin Qianshu wasted no time resting. She quickly swallowed a third-tier restorative pill, regained her strength, and flew up to join the battle in the sky.
At that moment, Jiang Linglong seized the opportunity to break the stalemate. Her Tianxu Immortal-Slaying Sword transformed into a sword light hundreds of feet long, slicing through the void and killing a mid-Purple Mansion demon wolf with a single stroke.
Realizing the tide had turned and further fighting would jeopardize their survival, the Purple Striped Wolf King let out a sorrowful howl and fled toward the distant horizon. Two Purple Mansion Thunderbirds took the opportunity to escape as well.
"Hmph!"
Watching the demons flee, Jiang Linglong's eyes glinted coldly. She merged with her sword, transforming into a radiant streak of light in hot pursuit.
Lin Qianshu intended to follow, but at that moment, the old patriarch could no longer hold the line. A group of Thunderbirds broke through the Blazing Fire Divine Formation and surged forward.
The old patriarch, Chen Changxuan, had accomplished a monumental feat. Single-handedly holding back over thirty Thunderbirds for more than two incense sticks' worth of time and even slaying four or five of them, he played a critical role in ensuring victory.
By this time, the Foundation Establishment demonic beasts that broke through the formation could no longer change the outcome. Lin Qianshu personally stepped in to slaughter them, forcing the demonic beasts into a rout.
The monsters scattered in defeat, and the cultivators pursued them relentlessly, cutting them down as they fled.
Elian refrained from joining the pursuit. Instead, he rushed to the center of the shattered Blazing Fire Divine Formation to find the old patriarch.
Chen Changxuan was covered in blood, his face pale and weak, with almost no true essence left. The sight shocked Elian.
"Uncle Patriarch, are you alright?"
Elian hurriedly supported the old patriarch, feeding him several healing pills and a Vitality Pill.
"I'm not dead yet," the old patriarch said, regaining his breath and offering a faint smile.
"This Bronze Tower and the Blazing Fire Divine Formation are truly invaluable."
"Those beasts tried to surround me, but they couldn't break through my defensive artifacts. If not for running out of true essence in the end, I could have killed a few more."
Hearing this, Elian finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although the old patriarch was severely injured and completely drained of energy, he had avoided any life-threatening wounds.
However, the overexertion had caused slight damage to the patriarch's meridians. It would likely take several years of recovery to return to peak condition.
The demonic beasts fled in all directions, and the cultivators pursued them for half a day, leaving corpses scattered across the battlefield before the fight finally ended.
About an hour later, a sword light tore through the sky as Jiang Linglong descended, throwing down the corpse of a Thunderbird.
Lin Qianshu rushed forward and asked, "Master, how did it go?"
Jiang Linglong shook her head.
"It got away."
Lin Qianshu smiled faintly, looking at the Thunderbird's remains. "Although we didn't eliminate the Purple Striped Wolf King, managing to kill four Purple Mansion beasts is still a major victory."
She added with a tinge of regret, "Unfortunately, we lost seven Foundation Establishment cultivators, and over eight hundred Qi Refinement cultivators perished."
"Fortunately, we acquired four Purple Mansion beast cores, enough to refine four furnaces of Foundation Establishment Pills."
Purple Mansion demonic beasts, with their deep cultivation and transformation of true essence into spiritual energy, had cores imbued with a trace of creation essence. These cores could replace the primary ingredient in refining Foundation Establishment Pills.
With Jiang Linglong's skill in alchemy, the four furnaces would yield at least fifteen pills, more than enough to compensate for the fallen Foundation Establishment cultivators and leave a surplus.
Jiang Linglong nodded but then narrowed her eyes coldly.
"This ambush by the demonic beasts was nearly disastrous."
"I suspect someone leaked information."
Lin Qianshu's expression hardened, a trace of killing intent flashing in her gaze.
"When we return, I'll make arrangements. All Foundation Establishment cultivators in Tianxu Mountain will undergo a session on the Heart Examination Platform."
The Heart Examination Platform was a third-tier high-grade artifact crafted by Jiang Linglong. It could discern the truthfulness of a cultivator's words. Anyone below the Purple Mansion level harboring ill intent would inevitably be exposed.
Jiang Linglong nodded, reining in her killing intent. She glanced at Elian and Chen Changxuan and remarked calmly, "These two performed well."
Saying nothing more, she began organizing the battlefield cleanup.
The battle had left over ten thousand monster corpses, including more than seventy Foundation Establishment-level beasts. Collecting the spoils—beast pelts, bones, flesh, and other materials—was an arduous task.
While the others tended to the battlefield, Jiang Linglong and Lin Qianshu flew to the peak of the Wolf Demon Mountain and located the spiritual pool within its spiritual vein.
A first-tier spiritual vein produces spirit eyes, a second-tier spiritual vein yields spirit springs, but only a third-tier spiritual vein can generate a precious spiritual pool, vital for Purple Mansion cultivators' cultivation.
The Wolf Demon Mountain, occupied by the wolf demons for years, had nurtured three Purple Mansion wolf demons thanks to its top-grade third-tier spiritual vein.
Jiang Linglong gazed at the pool, a three-meter-wide reservoir of crystal-clear liquid radiating pure spiritual energy.
"The spiritual energy here isn't as rich as Tianxu Mountain's, but among third-tier spiritual veins in the country, this one ranks in the top ten."
Her eyes glinted with delight.
A spiritual vein of this caliber, if located in the heartland of the country, could serve as the ancestral ground for a top-tier Purple Mansion family, coveted even by Purple Mansion patriarchs.
Sensing the dense spiritual energy, Lin Qianshu said, "This spiritual vein is invaluable. Should we set up a formation and have me guard it?"
"We can't hold it," Jiang Linglong replied firmly.
"The Sky Python Demon King is only three hundred thousand miles away. If we divide our forces, we risk being defeated piecemeal."
Lin Qianshu sighed.
"It's a pity to leave this treasure to the demons."
"Foolish girl," Jiang Linglong chuckled.
"As long as we survive, if we could take it once, we can take it again."
...
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