The demon lizard opened its enormous mouth and spat a stream of golden liquid at Xu Yang. His expression changed instantly, and he threw a punch. The surging force of his fist blasted the golden liquid apart, sending droplets flying in every direction. Xu Yang leaped backward to dodge them. Hiss, hiss—the golden liquid landed on the ground, immediately corroding it into a pitted mess.
This was the Gold-Devouring Demon Lizard's innate ability—Corrosive Gold Liquid. It possessed terrifying corrosive power, capable of melting gold and liquefying iron. Having dodged its attack, Xu Yang immediately sprang forward and swung a fist at the demon lizard's head.
At the same time, a small black seal rapidly expanded and smashed toward the demon lizard's hindquarters. The crimson Flying Sword—the Crimson Flame Sword—also darted around under Xu Yang's control, looking for an opening to strike the demon lizard's vital points.
With a deafening boom, Xu Yang's right hand collided with the demon lizard's claw. The lizard then swung its thick tail upward. Smack! The black seal was knocked flying and crashed into the ground nearby.
Xu Yang grunted as his spiritual sense shuddered, suffering a slight backlash. Fortunately, it was not severe, and he recovered quickly.
The demon lizard seized the opportunity to sweep its claw at Xu Yang, immediately forcing him onto the defensive. Furious, Xu Yang recalled the small seal and engaged it in close combat. For a time, muffled booms erupted one after another throughout the stone cavern, and the battle grew exceedingly fierce.
After fighting for a while, Xu Yang gained a thorough understanding of the demon lizard's strength. It was around the mid-stage of the seventh level of the Qi Refining Realm, and its attacks carried wisps of demonic energy. With that energy bolstering it, it could contend with someone at the peak of the seventh level.
Fortunately, Xu Yang's Iron Body was not afraid of the slight erosion caused by demonic energy, rendering one of the demon lizard's most lethal tricks ineffective. It could only attack him with the strength of the mid-stage seventh level. Xu Yang, meanwhile, cultivated both the Dharma and the body. His combat strength was formidable, allowing him to fight the demon lizard to a standstill.
Now that he understood the demon lizard's strength, Xu Yang's confidence soared. He abruptly changed his movements and leaped backward, breaking away from the battle. Then he circulated the Indestructible Golden Body Art with all his might. A black wall of energy, about an inch thick, appeared around his blue-black body.
This wall of energy was called Iron Wall. It was a divine ability Xu Yang had gained when his Iron Body broke through again, and its defensive power was immense. Divine abilities were skills one automatically gained after cultivating top-tier techniques.
Divine abilities came in many forms, but their power was generally formidable, and they continued to grow as a cultivator's cultivation improved. Ordinary cultivation methods could not produce divine abilities; only the very best methods could give rise to unique ones.
After activating the Iron Wall divine ability, Xu Yang put away the Indeterminate Ring and engaged the demon lizard again. This time, he focused entirely on attacking, raining punches down on its head. Thud, thud! Dull impacts rang out one after another as Xu Yang struck the demon lizard's head more than a dozen times in succession, shattering its scales and drawing blood.
The demon lizard let out a howl and frantically raked at Xu Yang with both claws, but the Iron Wall in front of him blocked them. Seeing that the Iron Wall had completely stopped the demon lizard's attacks, Xu Yang was overjoyed. He raised both hands and slammed them down at its head with all his strength.
For a time, Xu Yang pounded the demon lizard until it was reeling, forcing it onto the defensive. Suddenly, the demon lizard raised its tail and whipped it hard at Xu Yang, sending him flying. Then it spat a stream of Corrosive Gold Liquid at him as he hung in midair.
Xu Yang's expression changed drastically. He hurriedly summoned the small black seal, enlarged it, and sent it to intercept the Corrosive Gold Liquid. His Iron Wall divine ability was powerful, but he had no confidence that it could withstand the corrosive liquid. If he took a direct hit, the consequences would likely be dire.
The Corrosive Gold Liquid struck the black seal in midair, immediately making it hiss as it ate into the surface. Before Xu Yang's eyes, a large chunk of the seal was corroded away, leaving it completely ruined. His heart ached at the sight. That was the only seal-shaped Dharma Artifact he had!
After landing, Xu Yang was still shaken. He felt both fear and anger: he had nearly lost his life through a moment's carelessness, and he had also lost a Dharma Artifact. He looked up at the demon lizard, then froze in surprise. While Xu Yang had been dealing with the Corrosive Gold Liquid, the demon lizard had turned and crawled toward the small cave.
It had already entered the cave. Xu Yang's expression changed, and he hurriedly sprang forward and followed it inside. He glanced around and immediately saw the demon lizard crawling toward the Demon Eye. He leaped in front of it, blocking its path.
Afraid that the demon lizard might spit Corrosive Gold Liquid again, Xu Yang did not wait for it to open its mouth. He sprang forward and swung a fist at its head. The demon lizard angrily thrust out its right claw to seize Xu Yang's arm, but Xu Yang ignored the attack and punched it in the eye.
Smack! Xu Yang's fist burst the demon lizard's eye. It howled and whipped its massive tail at him, driving him back. It spat a stream of Corrosive Gold Liquid at Xu Yang, who immediately dodged. Then, with a flick of his spiritual sense, he sent the Crimson Flame Sword, which had been circling nearby, shooting toward the demon lizard's open mouth.
The demon lizard quickly snapped its mouth shut. The Crimson Flame Sword struck its scales, throwing off a shower of sparks. The lizard knocked the Flying Sword aside with a claw, then brought both claws together and rapidly burrowed into the ground. In moments, a large hole had appeared where it had stood. The demon lizard swiftly disappeared underground.
Xu Yang dodged the Corrosive Gold Liquid and turned to look at the demon lizard, but all he saw was a dark hole. It had already burrowed underground and escaped. Xu Yang was furious that it had gotten away. He had lost a mid-grade Dharma Artifact, and the demon lizard had still managed to escape. This had been a terrible loss.
Fortunately, it had not taken the Demon Eye with it. Otherwise, he really would have spat blood. Thinking this, Xu Yang turned and went up to the Demon Eye, examining it closely.
The Demon Eye was only the size of a dragon's eye, perfectly round and entirely black. Wisps of demonic energy streamed from it, assimilating all the nearby spiritual energy. Once that happened, this place would become a new demonic lair, a cultivation paradise for demonic cultivators.
Fortunately, the Demon Eye had only recently formed, and the area had not yet been completely assimilated. As long as he took the Demon Eye away, the demonic energy here would be water without a source and would naturally be unable to spread.
In the cultivation world, besides Demon Eyes, which were sources of demonic energy, there were also sources formed from spiritual energy. They were the same kind of treasure; the only difference was the power they emitted. These treasures were divided into three grades: eye, spring, and vein, and each grade had an upper and lower tier.
The Demon Eye Xu Yang had found was a lower-grade one. Even so, if a demonic cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Realm obtained it, they would surely be overjoyed.
With a Demon Eye, a demonic cultivator was like someone carrying a vast supply of demonic energy wherever they went, greatly increasing their cultivation speed. When their demonic power ran low, they could replenish it quickly. It was, without a doubt, a supreme treasure in the eyes of demonic cultivators.
These details flashed through Xu Yang's mind, and he was extremely satisfied. Over the past six months, he had memorized the entire Treasure Appraisal Catalog, greatly broadening his knowledge. That was how he had recognized these demonic beasts and the Demon Eye.
After examining the Demon Eye for a while, Xu Yang took out an empty Qiankun Bag and put it inside. He had never studied spells or formations, so he had no way to seal the Demon Eye. He could only put it in an empty Qiankun Bag to keep its demonic energy from contaminating the things in his own bag.
After putting away the Demon Eye, Xu Yang looked around to make sure nothing had been left behind, then hurried outside. As he passed the giant Demon Bat, he casually stored it in his Qiankun Bag, planning to sell it to the sect in exchange for resources.
By the time Xu Yang emerged from the underground stone cavern, the sun was setting. The evening light bathed the cliff in crimson. Looking at the gorgeous clouds on the horizon, Xu Yang let out a long breath, and his mood lightened.
Since it was already late, Xu Yang decided to spend the night at the farmhouse where he had stayed before and return to the sect the next day. When he arrived, the two elderly residents had already left. Evidently, they had received the money Xu Yang had left and gone to a nearby town to escape the danger.
Xu Yang pushed open the door and went inside, resting at the farmhouse for the night. Early the next morning, he mounted his Flying Sword and headed back to the sect. By the time he returned, it was already dusk. He did not dawdle, heading straight for the External Affairs Hall.
At a counter inside the External Affairs Hall, Xu Yang took out his identity token and handed it to the disciple across from him. "I've come to turn in a mission. Please verify it for me." The disciple took the token and checked it. "You accepted a yellow-level mission. No one has completed it yet, so you can turn it in."
Xu Yang took out a Jade Slip and handed it over. "I've written my findings in here. You can take a look and see whether they count as completing the mission. If not, I can also provide some physical evidence."
The External Affairs Hall disciple took the Jade Slip and examined its contents. His expression changed dramatically as he read. He asked Xu Yang, "Is this really true? You didn't fabricate any of it, did you? This is a serious matter. I need to report it to my superiors. Could you wait here for a while?"
Xu Yang nodded. "It's all true. I can wait here. Go ahead!" Hearing his reply, the disciple immediately stood and hurried into the rear hall of the External Affairs Hall.
Xu Yang waited for a while before the disciple emerged from the rear hall and came over to him. "This junior, Lin Heng, pays his respects to senior brother. Please come with me to the rear hall. Vice Hall Master Xu is waiting to see you."
Xu Yang promptly nodded. "Please lead the way, junior brother Lin. My name is Xu Yang." Lin Heng nodded to Xu Yang and led the way to the rear hall.
Upon entering, Xu Yang looked around. The furnishings were simple and antique, and the hall was very quiet, with no one walking about. He followed Lin Heng straight to a quiet room. It was not very large, and an old man of about sixty sat cross-legged in the center.
The man had a ruddy complexion, a full head of white hair and beard, and bright, piercing eyes. He wore coarse hemp clothing and was dressed very plainly. Upon seeing him, Lin Heng immediately stepped forward and said respectfully, "Vice Hall Master Xu, senior brother Xu has arrived. If there is nothing else, this disciple will take his leave."
The old man glanced at Lin Heng. "Mm. You may go. I'll call for you if I need anything." Lin Heng bowed at his words, turned, and left the quiet room.
The old man then turned to look at Xu Yang. Seeing his gaze, Xu Yang immediately stepped forward and saluted. "This disciple, Xu Yang, pays his respects to Vice Hall Master Xu."
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