Dense Forest Demon Hunt

The dense forest of the Back Mountain was rarely visited by humans, rich in spiritual energy, and grew many rare flowers and herbs, while also housing quite a few demon beasts.

Most of these demon beasts were Low-tier Demon Beasts, with cultivation equivalent to that of Qi Refining Stage cultivators. For Shen Hao, hunting these Low-tier Demon Beasts not only allowed him to obtain Inner Cores but also honed his practical combat skills.

Shen Hao held his Flying Sword, carefully making his way through the dense forest. His steps were light, afraid of startling any demon beasts. His gaze was sharp, vigilantly observing the movements around him.

Suddenly, he heard a rustling sound. Shen Hao's heart stirred, and he quickly hid behind a large tree, holding his breath as he carefully watched.

A demon beast, entirely cyan in color, emerged from the grass. This beast had a body like a wolf but bore a pair of wings—it was an Azure Winged Wolf. The Azure Winged Wolf was a Low-tier Demon Beast, with cultivation equivalent to the First Layer of Qi Condensation. It was extremely fast and excelled at attacking with its sharp claws.

A glint of light flashed in Shen Hao's eyes. He gripped his Flying Sword tightly and quietly circled around behind the Azure Winged Wolf.

The Azure Winged Wolf seemed unaware of the danger, lowering its head to gnaw on a wild rabbit.

Shen Hao took a deep breath and suddenly charged forward. Holding his Flying Sword, he thrust it fiercely toward the Azure Winged Wolf's back.

Hearing the commotion, the Azure Winged Wolf spun around abruptly, a flicker of panic in its eyes. It had no time to dodge and could only watch helplessly as the Flying Sword stabbed into its back.

Puchi!

The Flying Sword pierced the Azure Winged Wolf's back, and blood gushed out instantly.

The Azure Winged Wolf let out a shrill cry of pain and wildly swung its sharp claws toward Shen Hao.

Shen Hao was prepared. He quickly retreated, dodging the Azure Winged Wolf's claws. Gripping his Flying Sword, he thrust again, this time toward the beast's neck.

Severely wounded, the Azure Winged Wolf had slowed considerably. Before it could evade, the Flying Sword plunged into its neck.

The Azure Winged Wolf's body convulsed a few times, then collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

Shen Hao let out a sigh of relief and walked over to the Azure Winged Wolf's corpse. Holding his Flying Sword, he carefully cut open its abdomen and retrieved a cyan Inner Core. The Inner Core was about the size of a thumb and contained dense Wood Spiritual Energy.

Shen Hao held the Inner Core in his hand, feeling a warm surge of spiritual energy flow through his fingertips into his body. Delighted, he tucked the Inner Core into his robes.

"Great, the first Inner Core is mine!" Shen Hao muttered to himself.

He continued deeper into the dense forest, searching for the next demon beast.

Half an hour later, Shen Hao encountered another demon beast. This one had a body like a bear, entirely black in color—it was a Black Bear Spirit. The Black Bear Spirit was a Low-tier Demon Beast, with cultivation equivalent to the Qi Refining Second Layer. It had thick skin and immense strength.

Shen Hao did not dare underestimate it. He gripped his Flying Sword, steadied his mind, and waited for the optimal moment to attack.

When the Black Bear Spirit saw Shen Hao, a fierce glint flashed in its eyes. It let out a thunderous roar and lunged at him.

Shen Hao took a deep breath, held his Flying Sword, and met the charge. He sidestepped the Black Bear Spirit's pounce and thrust his Flying Sword toward its eye.

The Black Bear Spirit quickly shut its eyes and swung its massive paw at Shen Hao.

Shen Hao retreated swiftly, dodging the bear's strike. He knew the Black Bear Spirit's weakness was its eyes. If he could blind it, he could easily kill it.

Shen Hao charged again, thrusting his Flying Sword toward the Black Bear Spirit's eye.

The Black Bear Spirit had no time to dodge, and the Flying Sword pierced its left eye.

The Black Bear Spirit let out a harrowing scream, writhing in agony on the ground.

Seizing the opportunity, Shen Hao thrust his Flying Sword toward the Black Bear Spirit's neck.

Puchi!

The Flying Sword sank into the Black Bear Spirit's neck, and blood sprayed out.

The Black Bear Spirit's body convulsed a few times, then fell still, dead.

Shen Hao walked to the Black Bear Spirit's corpse, cut open its abdomen, and retrieved a black Inner Core. The Inner Core was rich with Earth Spiritual Energy.

Shen Hao tucked the Inner Core into his robes, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.

In the days that followed, Shen Hao hunted many demon beasts in the dense forest, collecting over a dozen demon beast Inner Cores. His practical combat skills had also improved greatly through each battle.

One day, while searching for demon beasts in the forest, Shen Hao suddenly sensed a powerful wave of spiritual energy emanating from deep within the woods.