Demonic Beasts Arrive Again

After dealing with the three Demonic Beasts, Wang Shouye recalled his Water Dragon, then took out a gourd and drank some Spirit Wine before meditating to recover his Spiritual Power.

Wang Daoxing had sustained many external injuries. The light shields formed by his two Golden Armor Talismans were broken by the Black Ape long ago, and after that, Wang Daoxing had been relying on the Glassy Golden Body Art to endure the attacks.

Thanks to his formidable physique and the Glassy Golden Body Art, Wang Daoxing only suffered minor injuries. However, his Spiritual Power was greatly depleted. He took two Spirit Recovery Pills and began meditating to recover his Spiritual Power.

Wang Daoyuan collected the corpses of the three Demonic Beasts. From start to finish, Wang Daoyuan had only used two Talismans, and his Spiritual Power was not consumed at all.

The six uncles also only engaged in sneak attacks and did not engage in direct combat, so their Spiritual Power consumption was negligible.

Li Xinghe, the Patriarch of the Li Family, did not participate in the encirclement of the Demonic Birds. Instead, he stood guard on the small hill, watching out for Foundation Establishment stage Demonic Beasts. He had observed Wang Shouye's battle from beginning to end. While his expression remained calm, his heart was in turmoil.

The performance of the Wang Family members had greatly surprised him. Wang Shouye's Water Dragon technique was masterful. It was said that his talent was exceptional, and like Wang Chengzhu, he primarily cultivated water-element techniques. In the future, he might reach Wang Chengzhu's level.

Wang Daoxing's ability to engage in close-quarters combat with the Black Ape without being defeated, despite being at a lower cultivation level, showed that once he successfully reached Foundation Establishment, he would be an opponent unmatched by his peers.

And Wang Daoyuan, by only using two offensive Talismans, had achieved such significant results, demonstrating his strong grasp of the situation and resource utilization. His surprise attack on the Black Ape, which decided the outcome in one blow, showed his precise timing and fierce execution.

The six elders were also ruthless in their attacks and showed no regard for their methods. With all six elders acting this way, it was evident that such individuals were not uncommon within the Wang Family.

Currently, the Wang Family had 100,000 mortals and fifty to sixty cultivators. Their achievements in Talisman Crafting and Alchemy were also considerable. These were the foundations for a cultivation family's survival. The current foundation of the Wang Family was more stable than when Wang Chengzhu was alive.

What the Wang Family lacked was a prominent pillar, and Wang Shouye had the potential for it.

Furthermore, they needed a peerless fighter, a ruthless and resourceful strategist. If these three individuals could all successfully reach Foundation Establishment, the Wang Family's resurgence would be imminent.

Li Xinghe secretly resolved to foster good relations with the Wang Family as much as possible.

Firstly, he recognized the Wang Family's potential. After all, it was a family established by a Golden Core ancestor. Although it had declined midway, the family's foundation remained.

Not to mention anything else, the Water Dragon technique Wang Shouye had just displayed, and Wang Daoxing's Glassy Golden Body Art, were levels of spells and techniques that the Li Family could not produce. Moreover, the Wang Family also possessed the Golden Core technique left by Wang Chengzhu – the Fu Hai Jue. The Li Family, as an ordinary Foundation Establishment family, did not have such valuable assets.

Secondly, the two families had a good relationship. They were both old families and were actively integrating into the Netherworld Sect, making them natural allies. In the future, once they were fully integrated into the Netherworld Sect, the two families could advance and retreat together.

Moreover, the two families had no business competition. The Wang Family's sphere of influence was in the Qingli River basin, while the Li Family was located tens of thousands of miles southwest of Golden Goose City. They were not too close nor too far, so there were no conflicts over expanding territory, nor would they become estranged due to distance.

In terms of industries, the two families were highly complementary. The Wang Family was backed by the junction of two large mountain ranges, possessing several mines for low-level artifact refining materials such as Profound Iron and Red Copper. Coupled with abundant trees, their pillar industries were mining, quarrying, Spirit Wood, and shipping, with Alchemy and Talisman Crafting as supplementary businesses.

The Qingdi Peak, where the Li Family was located, was far from high mountains and large rivers. It had fewer Spirit Fields, no mineral resources, and no Spirit Wood. The surrounding area was grassland, abundant with various Spirit Beasts, including the Forest-Traversing Beast. The founding ancestor of the Li Family was skilled in Artifact Refining, leaving behind a profound inheritance in this art.

Therefore, the Li Family's main businesses were Artifact Refining and selling Spirit Beasts.

Not only were there no business conflicts between the two families, but their industries were also complementary. The Wang Family could provide a large amount of artifact refining materials, and the Li Family could sell the Magic Tools that the Wang Family urgently needed.

The friendship between the Wang Family Patriarch Wang Zhian and the Li Family Patriarch Li Xinghe, and Wang Zhian's assistance in resolving Li Xinghe's predicament, were largely aimed at further advancing the business cooperation between the two families.

The two families had no conflicts of interest but instead shared many common interests. The Li Family was pleased to see the Wang Family rise.

Just as Li Xinghe was contemplating the relationship between the two families, Wang Shouye and Wang Daoxing had finished recovering their Spiritual Power, and the second wave of Demonic Beasts was approaching.

The Wang Family was defending the side of the small hill that faced the plains. The terrain was relatively gentle, making it easier for Demonic Beasts to climb up. Therefore, the Wang Family faced more Demonic Beasts, and ten more had arrived.

The Li Family's position was adjacent to cliffs and steep slopes, making the terrain difficult to traverse. Most first-order Demonic Beasts could not pass, so there was no point in a frontal assault to break through. Consequently, only two Demonic Beasts went to probe their defenses.

Among the Demonic Beasts facing the Wang Family was a Blazing Lion at the peak of the first order, and the other nine were also at the late first order, equivalent to cultivators at the eighth or ninth level of Qi Refining.

The Blazing Lion was about three zhang long and looked similar to an ordinary lion, except its mane was fiery red. The Blazing Lion not only had a powerful physique but was also adept at controlling fire, capable of both long-range attacks and close-quarters combat, making it a very difficult Demonic Beast to deal with. Moreover, the flames on this Blazing Lion were blood-red, unlike ordinary Blazing Lions, suggesting it possessed the bloodline of some advanced Demonic Beast, and should not be underestimated.

The strength of these ten Demonic Beasts completely surpassed that of the ten Wang Family members. Even if they could defeat these beasts by scattering Talismans, it was inevitable that some would die. However, there was no other way; they had to face them head-on.

The other members of the Wang Family also realized the imminent danger. The six uncles put away their playful attitude and affixed two more Golden Armor Talismans to themselves.

Wang Shouye's expression also turned solemn. He affixed two Golden Armor Talismans to himself and took out a water-blue longsword from his Storage Bag, slinging it onto his back. This longsword was a Magic Tool used by the ancestor Wang Chengzhu before he reached Foundation Establishment.

Wang Daoxing put away his arrogance and affixed five Golden Armor Talismans to himself. He knew very well that he was the shield and would have to endure the most attacks.

Afterward, he took out an exaggerated Mace from his Storage Bag. The handle was five feet long, and the head was thicker than a person's waist.

Wang Zhiming also took out a longsword and a jade bottle, pouring the black liquid from the bottle onto the sword's surface. As soon as the black liquid left the bottle, a pungent odor instantly spread.

Wang Daoyuan's eyelids twitched. Poisoning a sword in full view of everyone. The expressions of the nearby Li Family members were also somewhat unnatural; they had probably never seen such a display.

Wang Daoyuan had nothing else to prepare. He took out a stack of Golden Armor Talismans from his Storage Bag, distributed five to each person, and affixed one to himself.

Then, he instructed the Wang Family members, "Twelfth Uncle, you block the Blazing Lion. The six uncles and second brother, you block the other Demonic Beasts. We are weaker than the enemy, so remember not to advance rashly. I and Twelfth Uncle will be responsible for finishing off the Demonic Beasts."

Everyone responded in unison.

Then, he took out another stack of Talismans, about a hundred in total. These were all offensive Talismans.

The Li Family members on the other side were already somewhat numb. These Wang Family members were too much of a handful, with all sorts of oddities. And now, another one was using money to crush his opponents. In just this short time, Wang Daoyuan had already produced nearly two hundred Talismans, which amounted to over a thousand Spirit Stones!

Even a Talisman Master would only carry a few dozen Talismans with them. Carrying too many was unnecessary, as they could craft them at any time. Moreover, crafting Talismans also had costs, and accumulating too many would lead to a shortage of Spirit Stones. After all, even first-order Talisman Masters were not particularly wealthy.

Judging by the ease with which Wang Daoyuan distributed Talismans, he likely had even more.

After Wang Daoyuan broke through to the late stage of Qi Condensation, his Spiritual Sense also improved significantly. He could craft over twenty Talismans a day and maintain a success rate of over fifty percent, and this was without using Spirit Wine or pills for recovery. Other first-order high-grade Talisman Masters could craft ten Talismans a day with a success rate of forty percent, which was considered a pretty good level.

Refining Talismans consumed Spiritual Sense and Spiritual Power, both of which required time to recover. Additionally, one had to cultivate daily, leaving little time for Talisman crafting. No one was willing to spend Spirit Stones, like Wang Daoyuan, on Spirit Wine to recover their Spiritual Power.

Wang Daoyuan dared to work himself to death crafting Talismans not only because his Spiritual Sense was naturally powerful but also because he used the time other Talisman Masters spent recovering to craft Talismans.