He channeled his Demon Power and recalled the Steel Fork and the Yuanbao Seal.
Xu Chang'an picked up the Dog Demon's Storage Bag.
After searching and confirming nothing was left behind, Xu Chang'an departed from the area.
The Dog Demon's Magical Artifacts and Demon Talismans were quite good.
Unfortunately, the Dog Demon hadn't been able to use them to their full potential.
Otherwise, he could have struggled for at least three more rounds.
Xu Chang'an had only spent a single morning performing the initial refinement of the Yuanbao Seal.
He could only barely use it!
If the Dog Demon had successfully activated his Demon Talismans, he should have been able to block the first wave of the Yuanbao Seal's attack.
And using that opening, he could have maneuvered his Attacking Magical Artifact into place.
With both in play, he could have held out for another round.
The same Magical Artifacts, Demon Talismans, and techniques can have vastly different effects in the hands of different Demons.
The art of Magical Combat is by no means a simple stacking of techniques.
Combinations of Magic, the order of execution, the timing of deployment, the rhythm of the battle, feints and real attacks, the constant back-and-forth...
All of these have their own intricacies; it is a profound field of study!
'Over 370 Demon Stones, two Low-grade Magical Artifacts, more than ten Low-Grade Demon Talismans, three of which are high-quality.'
'And more than ten bottles of various pills—Barrier Avoidance Pills, Detoxification Pills, and Healing Pills.'
In a secluded spot, Xu Chang'an took stock of the resources from the Dog Demon's Storage Bag.
Excluding the Middle-grade Magical Artifacts and Array Flags, the Dog Demon's net worth was actually not that much less than the Toad Spirit's.
And most of it was in Demon Stones.
Over 370 Demon Stones. Based on Xu Chang'an's salary on Langlang Mountain of eight Demon Stones every half a year, that was a staggering amount.
That was an amount he would normally need over twenty years to save up!
His lifespan wasn't even that long!
'This Dog Demon, hoarding so many Demon Stones... he was probably hoping to, before his life came to an end...'
'...buy a Qi Gathering Pill and gamble on his Demon Path one last time!'
Most elderly Demons whose Cultivation was stuck at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer would have such thoughts.
However, very few were actually able to act on them.
The reason was simple: the Demon Path is arduous. To achieve anything, one must inevitably fight.
It was extremely difficult to remain uninvolved and avoid conflict!
Even if you didn't initiate conflict, you could inadvertently infringe upon the interests of other Demons and earn their enmity.
Thus, by the time they grew old, they would have made at least a few enemies, which ironically increased their need for strong Guarding Methods.
It was impossible to convert all one's resources into Demon Stones.
Only an old Demon like the Dog Demon, who rarely engaged in Magical Combat, would actually try to do so.
Just look at Xu Chang'an—the resources he'd amassed in just a few encounters far surpassed what one would normally accumulate over decades, or even a century.
If not for conflict, how could his growth have been so rapid?
This time, he had first killed the Toad Spirit, then slain the three Ape Demon brothers, and finally eliminated the Dog Demon from Ruyi Pavilion.
This had caused Xu Chang'an's net worth to grow to a terrifying degree.
In terms of Magical Artifacts alone, he now possessed two Middle-grade Magical Artifacts and fifteen Low-grade Magical Artifacts.
Of these, the two Middle-grade Magical Artifacts and four of the Low-grade Magical Artifacts came from the Toad Spirit.
Seven Low-grade Magical Artifacts came from the three Ape Demon brothers.
Two came from the Dog Demon, and he already had two of his own!
All in all, if he were to convert all these resources into Demon Stones...
...then the current Xu Chang'an would have a net worth of at least three thousand Demon Stones.
It could be said that even a Sequence Elder from Langlang Mountain might not be as wealthy as Xu Chang'an!
'Resources must be converted into strength in a timely manner if one is to last!'
'Hoarded treasures are ultimately just dead things!'
With the help of his panel, Xu Chang'an naturally wouldn't let his treasures sit idle.
Unlike ordinary Demons, he had a higher limit on the number of Magical Artifacts he could control at once.
But even including backups, he only needed to refine six Magical Artifacts to be well-equipped.
The rest of the Magical Artifacts were useless to him, nothing more than decorations.
He would, of course, keep the two Middle-grade Magical Artifacts: the Yuanbao Seal and the Illusory Bell.
Once activated, the Yuanbao Seal transformed into the Yuanbao Great Seal, which was massive and heavy, suitable for overwhelming enemies with raw power.
The Illusory Bell's Demonic Sound and Illusion Barrier were perfect for confusing and disorienting enemies.
They were excellent additions to his arsenal, useful for both Attack and Defense.
After a moment of thought, Xu Chang'an picked out two high-quality items from among the numerous captured Low-grade Magical Artifacts.
He would keep the Steel Fork Magical Artifact and the Money Shield; he had spent a good amount of time refining them and was quite comfortable using them.
The other eleven Low-grade Magical Artifacts could all be sold!
This time, he transformed into a Black Bear Demon.
He stood over twenty feet tall and was incredibly imposing, revealing the aura of a Qi Refining Sixth Layer Cultivation.
After paying the deposit and receiving a Pass Token, he entered the White Maple Mountain Marketplace.
Low-grade Magical Artifacts, Demon Talismans, Elixirs...
He needed to liquidate all the surplus supplies he had no immediate use for.
Then he would purchase Qi Replenishing Pills or Clearing Qi Pills to promptly convert his gains into real strength.
The White Maple Mountain Marketplace was overseen by a Foundation Establishment Great Demon, and many Late-stage Qi Refining Old Demons frequented it, so the trade within was naturally bustling.
To avoid any complications, Xu Chang'an sold his goods in batches.
Using different identities and different apparent Cultivation Realms, he sold off all the resources, one by one, over multiple trips.
While selling, he simultaneously acquired resources like Qi Replenishing Pills, Clearing Qi Pills, and various Spiritual Herbs and Plants.
After seven or eight days, he had converted all his gains into suitable resources.
Name: Xu Chang'an
Bloodline: Ordinary Grey Rat (Ungraded)
Lifespan: 18 years
Realm: Qi Refining Sixth Layer
Skills: Alchemy (Tier One Low Grade)
Energy: (142/150)
...
As the sun set, a fiery red halo of light shone down on Xu Chang'an, filtering through the sparse leaves.
His eyes were open, gazing at the panel before him, his heart at ease.
'I've converted all the Cultivation Elixirs I could buy into accumulated Energy.'
'Only 8 more points of Energy needed... In that case...'
'I'll push through to the Late-stage Qi Refining in one go!'
Xu Chang'an took a wooden box out of his Storage Bag.
Inside the box was a five-hundred-year-old Cyan Ginseng, its Spirituality exceptionally dense.
This was his greatest acquisition from the Marketplace this time.
'Let's do this!'
Xu Chang'an began to frantically devour the Cyan Ginseng before him.
A hot current surged, coursing through his entire body.
But in the end, it was all digested and absorbed by some unknown source.
'Breakthrough!'
A powerful fluctuation suddenly erupted, causing the Spiritual Qi in the immediate vicinity to resonate.
Xu Chang'an had been using a Stealth Technique to maintain the size of an ordinary squirrel.
But at this moment, he could no longer conceal it.
He reverted to the size of a human infant.
CRACKLE! POP!
Xu Chang'an's body began to rapidly grow larger!
Not only that, but at this moment, his bones, blood, meridians, and even his life aura were all undergoing a wondrous transformation.
'Qi Refining Seventh Layer!'
A long while later, Xu Chang'an slowly opened his eyes.
Feeling the surging Demon Power and the new vitality flooding his body, he felt comfortable and refreshed from head to toe.
'The bottleneck between the Mid-stage and Late-stage Qi Refining can trap the vast majority of Demons who lack the aid of Elixirs.'
'But for me, it's practically nonexistent! Easily broken!'
'The power of the panel is just this terrifying!'
Although he had experienced the panel's might many times in his past life, Xu Chang'an couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
Back then, breaking through the great bottleneck to the Core Formation Realm had been just as effortless, without any hitches, just like today.
It was as if the bottleneck to the Core Formation Realm was no different from the one in the Qi Refining Realm!
He truly had no idea what kind of existence the panel was!
What kind of incredible power did it possess!
And what had brought it into being!
...
PS: Is anyone reading this?