Slaying the Demon

Before long, he had ventured deep into the Tianshan Mountain Range. This Yin Soul was not fleeing blindly; it was escaping in a deliberate direction. It seemed someone was behind it.

The Yin Soul stopped moving after fleeing into a valley. It seemed to have reached its destination. Fang Xiao did not relax, spreading his Spiritual Sense to its fullest as he searched the valley.

"Roar."

A tiger's roar came from ahead.

"Demon Beast. A tiger demon's Yin Soul. To act as a demon's accomplice."

Fang Xiao's expression changed, and he immediately understood. The Yin Souls haunting the Song Family had been the work of this tiger demon. It had sent its ghostly servants to the Song Family every day to capture blood food for it. Perhaps the Song Family was not its only target.

Feeling the Demonic Qi rapidly approaching him, Fang Xiao knew that high-grade Demon Beasts were comparable to Qi Refining Late Stage cultivators. Demon Beasts below the second rank possessed very low intelligence. Their cultivation was instinctual, and their strength mainly came from devouring blood food. There was a chance to kill it.

Fang Xiao applied a Golden Light Talisman to himself, keeping a Quicksand Talisman ready to trap the enemy at any moment. The Sword Qi in his lungs was primed to strike, spiritual power surged through the Silver Edge Sword in his hand, and the Miniature Bronze Bell hovered above his head, waiting only for the tiger demon to reveal itself.

Then, he suddenly sensed intense killing intent from behind. Every hair on his body stood on end, and warning bells blared at his back. With no time to hesitate, he flashed sideways. The Golden Light Shield shattered at once, and the bronze bell collided with a tiger claw as large as a washbasin. The tremendous peal of the bell rang through the nearby mountain forest.

A fierce wind rose as the tiger's tail, like a long whip, swept toward Fang Xiao. Fang Xiao had already prepared for it. He swung the Silver Edge Sword, and Sword Qi spread out like a fan-shaped screen, blocking the tiger tail's attack. This was the enemy-defending stance of the Twenty-Four Rainbow Piercing Swords. Man and demon separated the instant they clashed.

Looking closely, Fang Xiao saw that it was indeed a White Tiger Demon Beast. Its sneak attack had failed, and it leaped backward. Its cold, murderous eyes fixed upon Fang Xiao as its body gradually lowered, gathering force. Then it pounced once more.

Fang Xiao had long since steadied himself. The Silver Edge Sword shot forth in a blaze, piercing into the White Tiger Demon's abdomen and emerging through its back. With a miserable cry, its enormous body crashed to the ground.

For a human, that would have counted as a grievous wound. But the Demon Race possessed bodies far stronger than humans, and this demon actually rose to its feet again.

"Roar."

Several vicious-faced ghostly servants flew from its mouth, each one comparable to a Qi Condensation Stage cultivator. A sinister wind suddenly arose, and the ghostly servants attacked Fang Xiao from several directions.

Fang Xiao already had a way to deal with them. He used spiritual power to shake the bronze bell in his hand, and its chime spread outward. One by one, the ghosts stood dazed in place. Confusion also filled the White Tiger Demon's eyes. With a sword cry, the Silver Edge Sword pierced through the White Tiger Demon's head from its mouth, and its massive body fell straight to the ground.

Although the ghosts regained their freedom, they had sadly been controlled by the White Tiger Demon for too long and had already lost their spiritual nature. They could not break free from the bell chime's control, and Fang Xiao dealt with them one by one.

Walking over to the White Tiger's corpse, he found it remarkably intact. He would keep the tiger blood and bones for brewing wine. After some consideration, he kept the Tiger Root as well. He had no use for the wine brewed from that thing, but it would certainly fetch a good price elsewhere. As for the rest, they were all valuable materials that alchemists and Artifact Refiners would surely like.

He stored the Tiger Corpse in his Storage Bag, then rode his sword toward the Song Family.

"Roar."

Some unknown distance away in the Southern Wilderness, an enormous white tiger with a pair of wings on its back and a body as massive as a small mountain let out a pain-filled roar.

"Who? Who killed my child? I will skin you, tear out your tendons, extract your soul and refine your spirit to avenge the hatred in my heart!"

"Is it that direction? Human territory... Roar!"

Another furious roar rang out. The Demon Beasts throughout the surrounding lands had already been trembling in terror, but now they went mad and fled in the same direction—the direction of the Tianshan Mountain Range.

Fang Xiao returned to the Song Family and told Song Qingshu that he had already resolved the matter, so there was no need to worry in the future.

"Many thanks, Fellow Daoist Fang. Please accept this small token from the Song Family."

"Mm. Since the matter has been resolved, I will return to the sect and report back."

The Song Family thanked him profusely and presented him with fifty Spirit Stones. The Song Family was indeed on the verge of collapse. It was not much to him, but to the Song Family, it was an enormous sum.

Fang Xiao did not refuse. After accepting the Spirit Stones, he had no intention of lingering and left the place aboard the Jade Boat.

Rather than returning directly to the sect, he planned to visit the Market first to dispose of the White Tiger's corpse and buy some spirit herbs and materials for brewing Spirit Wine.

On the way back, he opened the Spirit Wine he had brewed. It was clear in color and carried a faint fragrance of Green Jade Corn. He took a small cup and tested its effects.

Sure enough, Spirit Wine brewed from ordinary spirit rice like Green Jade Corn only restored spiritual power, and its recovery effect was mediocre.

Even so, Fang Xiao was delighted. Achieving such results on his first attempt at brewing Spirit Wine already proved that he possessed considerable talent in the craft. He could explore it properly in the future.

He had previously checked the three kinds of Spirit Wine that aided cultivation, and he still had enough for half a year. That was sufficient for him to cultivate past the Qi Refining Late Stage bottleneck and reach the seventh layer of Qi Condensation.

This trip to the Market was to purchase spirit herbs for brewing the Spirit Wine needed after reaching the seventh layer of Qi Condensation. Now that he had top-tier cultivation techniques, pills, Spirit Wine, and support in every other aspect, Fang Xiao was absolutely confident that he could cultivate to the peak of the Qi Condensation Stage before turning eighteen.

His progress in the sword path was equally rapid. He could sense that when he entered the seventh layer of Qi Condensation, Sword Qi Transforming into Energy would also reach the limit of that realm. Perhaps, before achieving Foundation Establishment, he could reach the third realm of the sword path ahead of time—Sword Energy Thunderous Sound.

Ever since obtaining the Jade Boat, travel had indeed become much more convenient. For long-distance flight, it was indispensable in both spiritual power expenditure and comfort. In just two days, the Market appeared before his eyes.

Nothing had changed in the Market. He first went to the Stall Area to look for some spirit herbs, since they were cheaper there than in the shops. After making a round, he found no good merchandise at all. There were no quality spirit herbs, though he managed to gather most of the auxiliary materials needed for brewing various Spirit Wines.

No longer intending to waste time in the Stall Area, he headed straight for Myriad Treasures Pavilion.

Inside Myriad Treasures Pavilion stood the same shopkeeper as before.

"Fellow Daoist has returned. What do you need this time?"

"I have some things to buy and some things to sell, but this is not a convenient place to discuss them."

"My apologies for the oversight. Fellow Daoist, please follow me to a private room on the second floor, and we can discuss the matter in detail."

He followed the shopkeeper to a private room on the second floor. The room was elegantly decorated, lacking much of the mercantile atmosphere of the first floor.

He directly took out the tiger corpse, with its important parts removed, along with some useless magic tool materials.

"A high-grade Demon Beast, no less. Fellow Daoist truly is no ordinary person. Judging from its appearance, this demon was relatively intact when killed, and only afterward was it drained of blood, had its root removed, and its bones extracted. However, it still has many valuable parts remaining. Including these magic tool materials, I can offer two thousand four hundred and fifty Spirit Stones. Would Fellow Daoist find that acceptable?"

"A very fair price. These are the things I need. In addition, does your pavilion have a Gold attribute Supreme Flying Sword or other types of top-grade magic tools?"

"We have all the spirit herbs Fellow Daoist requires. Unfortunately, we do not currently have a Gold attribute Supreme Flying Sword. As for other top-grade magic tools, please wait a moment."

The shopkeeper rose and left the private room. Before long, she returned carrying several boxes.

"Fellow Daoist, these are several top-grade magic tools from our store."

She placed the boxes on the table one by one, intending to introduce them individually.

"This magic tool is called the Light Condensing Mirror. Its mirror light can render an opponent unable to move, though the duration depends on their cultivation. Sometimes, the outcome of a battle is decided in only a few breaths."

"This magic tool is called the Dark Gold Shield. Its materials include Dark Gold Stone, a rare material renowned for its hardness. Its defensive power is exceptional, making it one of the finest among defensive top-grade magic tools."

"This one is called the Invisible Needle. It leaves neither shadow nor trace. Few Qi Condensation Stage cultivators can catch its movements with their Spiritual Sense. It is extremely rare."

"Is Fellow Daoist satisfied with these three?"

The shopkeeper did not open the final wooden box. Instead, she looked at Fang Xiao with a smiling expression.

"May I ask what the final item is?"

"The last item is not a magic tool. Has Fellow Daoist ever heard of a Talisman Treasure?"

"You actually have a Talisman Treasure here?"

The shopkeeper lifted the lid of the final wooden box. Inside lay a glittering golden Spirit Talisman, upon which appeared a square seal.

"This Profound Heavy Seal Talisman Treasure has never been used. The power sealed within it is approximately fifteen percent of the original magic treasure's power."

Fang Xiao naturally understood the significance of this Talisman Treasure. Even at fifteen percent of its power, if unleashed, even a Foundation Establishment Cultivator would not dare take it lightly.

After considering for a long time and even personally testing several of the top-grade magic tools, he finally made his decision.

"I'll take the Light Condensing Mirror and the Profound Heavy Seal Talisman Treasure."

Hearing this, the shopkeeper closed the other two boxes and took them away. She prepared all the spirit herbs and materials listed in the Jade Slip, then placed them before Fang Xiao together with the magic tool and Talisman Treasure.

"The total comes to two thousand eight hundred and fifty Spirit Stones. You still need to pay four hundred Spirit Stones."

"No problem."

Fang Xiao checked the spirit herbs and materials in the Storage Bag. Once he confirmed there were no issues, he stored the magic tool and Talisman Treasure inside as well, then placed a pile of Spirit Stones on the table.

"Exactly four hundred. Fellow Daoist, take care. If you need anything in the future, please come again."

After leaving Myriad Treasures Pavilion, he did not hurry to depart from the Market. Instead, he began searching through the Market.