Elian harvested the Xuanyu Ginseng, and the two of them flew at full speed on their swords toward the direction of Jiaoyang County.
Within just three days, they traversed tens of thousands of miles of wilderness and reached the Jiaoyang Mountain Range.
By this time, the Purple Mansion-level demon hounds from Qing Ao Mountain had finally caught up. Reluctantly, they pursued them to the edge of the Jiaoyang Mountains, only to be confronted and blocked by the human Purple Mansion cultivators of Jiaoyang Mountain.
"Whew—"
Within a secluded part of the mountain range, Elian and Wei Xuyuan exchanged a glance and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The demon territories were now in complete disarray, with demonic beasts searching everywhere for their traces. Thankfully, both wielded high-tier second-rank flying swords, allowing them to move at speeds far exceeding ordinary late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators. Otherwise, they might not have escaped alive.
"Let's divide the spoils now," Wei Xuyuan suggested.
Elian laid out the loot they had collected during their expedition, unable to hide a smile.
This battle had been fruitful. They had slain seven Foundation Establishment-level demon beasts, obtaining seven demon cores and seven pelts. In addition, they harvested over thirty second-tier spiritual herbs.
The most valuable items were twofold: the third-tier Xuanyu Ginseng and the Yuan Magnet Bracelet.
The Yuan Magnet Bracelet was subdued solely by Elian, and since it was particularly effective against his Fiery Void Sword, he naturally had to keep it. He proposed, "The Yuan Magnet Bracelet is useful to me."
"The seven pelts can be tanned and turned into three upper-tier second-rank Heavenly Flame Sword Talismans. Once I've crafted them, I'll give you three as compensation. What do you think?"
Wei Xuyuan calculated for a moment. Since the Yuan Magnet Bracelet had been subdued by Elian alone, it was fair for him to claim it. Additionally, three Heavenly Flame Sword Talismans—each worth approximately 3,000 spirit stones—were a generous exchange.
Considering the Yuan Magnet Bracelet's value, which was about 30,000 to 40,000 spirit stones, this compensation was more than fair, especially given the rising prices during the impending demon horde crisis.
Wei Xuyuan nodded with a smile.
"The Heavenly Flame Sword Art is renowned in Bianzhou region, known to injure even Purple Mansion-level demon beasts. With three of these precious talismans, my Wei clan's strength will surely increase."
"I agree to this exchange."
Seeing his agreement, Elian smiled.
"Rest assured, once I've broken through to the late Foundation Establishment stage, the talismans I craft will be 40-50% more powerful."
"As for the Xuanyu Ginseng, let's send it to Ancestor Jiang of Tianxu Mountain for refining into Xuanyu Pills. We'll split the pills equally once they're made."
Wei Xuyuan glanced at the Xuanyu Ginseng.
"I'm not familiar with Ancestor Jiang, so I'll leave the task to you."
"You can leave it to me," Elian replied, his expression softening as he thought of Jiang Linglong.
"I have a bit of a connection with Ancestor Jiang."
Wei Xuyuan nodded and then turned to the thirty spiritual herbs. After some discussion, they agreed to split the two Green Yuan Ganoderma equally, while Elian took one of the three Breaking Origin Fruits. The remaining herbs were left for Wei Xuyuan.
In return, Elian claimed all seven demon cores. Since the cores were from the same type of beast, he intended to bring them back to the clan's elder for crafting into an array artifact.
This array, composed entirely of second-tier components, would likely reach upper-tier second-rank upon completion, becoming an extraordinarily powerful weapon.
Once the spoils were divided, the two parted ways in the Jiaoyang Mountains. Wei Xuyuan returned to his clan to manage the herbs, while Elian set his sights on Tianxu Mountain to refine the Xuanyu Ginseng into pills as soon as possible.
As Elian flew his sword across more than 20,000 miles, he suddenly felt an ominous presence.
Ahead, two figures were lying in wait. The moment they spotted him, one of them unleashed an inky-black blade aimed straight at him.
"Not good."
Elian's pupils contracted as he activated his Fiery Void Sword's radiant sword aura, narrowly dodging the attack.
However, from the other side, a large net descended upon him. This was no ordinary net—it was a high-tier second-rank artifact imbued with dozens of Blazing Fire Thunderbolts.
"The Blazing Fire Thunder Net," Elian muttered, his expression darkening as he recognized the artifact.
The Blazing Fire Thunder Net was one of the three most powerful signature artifacts of the Qingyang Sect. It was crafted from celestial cloud essence fused with vast amounts of Blazing Fire energy and inscribed with thunder patterns.
This artifact could scatter into a cloudlike form or condense into a deadly trapping net. When wielded by a cultivator at the Golden Core level, it could unleash devastating power, capable of leveling an entire battlefield.
Although the artifact wielded by Wei Mingyuan lacked such terrifying potency, the 108 first-rank Blazing Fire Thunderbolts it contained still posed a lethal threat.
Elian's sword aura erupted as he forced his Fiery Void Sword to slice through the incoming net, creating an opening to escape.
But the net's cloudlike nature quickly reassembled itself, closing the gap.
"Clang—"
Elian soared a thousand feet away, narrowly evading the trap. Looking back, he saw Wei Mingyuan and the other assailant, Elder Yan, giving chase.
Wei Mingyuan's aura was formidable, clearly a product of his privileged Qingyang Sect lineage. Elian called out, "I've never crossed paths with you before. Why attack me?"
"A dead man doesn't need to know," Wei Mingyuan sneered, sending the Blazing Fire Thunder Net hurtling forward again.
Realizing he wouldn't get answers, Elian summoned his magical treasures and engaged in a fierce battle with the two attackers.
For over thirty exchanges, he held his ground, but it became clear this fight would not be easily won.
Elder Yan, though formidable, was not beyond Elian's capabilities. However, Wei Mingyuan was an entirely different matter.
Having traversed most of his Purple Mansion Dao Veins, Wei Mingyuan's true energy was significantly more potent than even Wei Xuyuan's. His arsenal included not only the Blazing Fire Thunder Net but also three other high-tier second-rank artifacts.
"Their advantage lies in the enemy's overwhelming energy. I'll need to end this quickly," Elian resolved.
...
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I need POWAAA! Gimme Power Stones :D