Devouring the Demonic Core

The surge of spiritual energy was extremely dense, far surpassing any demon beast Shen Hao had encountered before. His heart stirred, curiosity driving him deeper into the dense forest.

He carefully parted the underbrush, and there on the clearing ahead lay a demon beast covered in fiery red. Its form was like a tiger, its body marked with flame patterns—it was a Crimson Flame Tiger. The Crimson Flame Tiger was a mid-to-low-tier demon beast, its cultivation equivalent to a cultivator at Early Qi Refining Third Layer. It excelled at controlling flames, with immense power.

At this moment, the Crimson Flame Tiger was covered in wounds, its aura weak, clearly having endured a brutal battle. On its belly was a gash so deep the bone was visible, and blood flowed unceasingly.

A glint flashed in Shen Hao's eyes. He knew this was a golden opportunity. If he could slay this Crimson Flame Tiger and claim its Inner Core, his cultivation would surely take another step forward.

But he also understood that though the Crimson Flame Tiger was gravely wounded, a dying camel was still bigger than a horse. Its cultivation far surpassed his own. If he attacked recklessly, he would certainly suffer a heavy loss.

Shen Hao pondered for a moment and decided to observe first, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

He hid behind a large tree, holding his breath, and carefully watched the Crimson Flame Tiger's movements.

The Crimson Flame Tiger lay on the ground, panting heavily, its eyes full of exhaustion. It licked its wounds and let out a low growl.

Shen Hao knew the Crimson Flame Tiger's injuries were severe; it had little strength left. He took a deep breath, gripped his Flying Sword, and quietly circled around behind the Crimson Flame Tiger.

The Crimson Flame Tiger seemed to sense the danger. It spun around abruptly, a fierce glint flashing in its eyes. It opened its massive maw and spat a jet of flame toward Shen Hao.

Shen Hao was ready. He quickly retreated, dodging the flame attack. The fire struck the ground, scorching the grass and trees to ash.

"Such fearsome flames!" Shen Hao thought, his heart pounding.

He didn't dare delay. Flying Sword in hand, he thrust fiercely toward the Crimson Flame Tiger's wound.

The Crimson Flame Tiger, badly injured, was much slower. It couldn't dodge in time, and the Flying Sword plunged into its wound.

The Crimson Flame Tiger let out a piercing shriek and swung its claws wildly at Shen Hao.

Shen Hao retreated swiftly, evading the tiger's claws. He raised his Flying Sword and stabbed again at the wound.

The Crimson Flame Tiger's wound was already deep enough to show bone. With Shen Hao's two strikes, the injury worsened. Its aura grew fainter and fainter.

Seizing the chance, Shen Hao aimed his Flying Sword at the Crimson Flame Tiger's neck and thrust hard.

Thud!

The Flying Sword pierced the Crimson Flame Tiger's neck, and blood gushed out instantly.

The Crimson Flame Tiger's body convulsed a few times, then collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

Shen Hao let out a breath of relief and walked over to the Crimson Flame Tiger's corpse. Flying Sword in hand, he carefully cut open its belly and retrieved a fiery red Inner Core. The core was about the size of a fist, brimming with dense fire-attributed spiritual energy. Within that energy was also a faint trace of flame power.

Shen Hao held the Inner Core in his hand, feeling a wave of scorching spiritual energy flow through his fingertips into his body. Delighted, he took out his Companion Jade Pendant and pressed it against the Inner Core.

The Companion Jade Pendant instantly lit up with a cyan glow, beginning to devour the spiritual energy within the Inner Core. The energy streamed into the pendant like a flowing creek. The pendant purified it, converting it into even purer spiritual energy, which coursed through Shen Hao's Meridians and into his Sea of Qi.

A soothing sensation washed over Shen Hao's entire body. He could clearly feel the spiritual energy in his Sea of Qi growing denser and denser.

Half an hour later, the Crimson Flame Tiger's Inner Core had turned dull and lusterless; its spiritual energy had been completely drained by the pendant.

Shen Hao slowly opened his eyes and looked inward at his Sea of Qi. The spiritual energy there had reached the Early Qi Refining Third Layer realm.

"Excellent—I've broken through to Early Qi Refining Third Layer!" Joy filled Shen Hao's eyes.

He tucked the dull Inner Core into his robe, planning to trade it for spirit stones at the market.

Shen Hao glanced at the sky; it was growing dark. He didn't dare linger in the dense forest and quickly headed back toward his dwelling.