"What should we do next?"
The conversation soon returned to their current predicament. Wei Wen thought for a moment, then suggested, "We've used up quite a bit of our stamina and Spirit Essence. We shouldn't keep traveling. Let's rest for a while first."
"Also, killing these demons produced plenty of soul crystals. We mustn't let them go to waste."
Only then did everyone have time to take a look. Soul crystals had emerged one after another from the demon corpses strewn across the ground, numbering well over a hundred.
That was easy enough to understand. The sheer number of first-turn wolves alone had yielded thirty to fifty soul crystals. The third-turn humanoids and demon spiders had provided sixty to seventy between them, while leaders such as the wolf king had contributed another thirty-odd, bringing the total to over a hundred.
But compared with those soul crystals, the organs from the higher-ranked demons and the precious materials carried by some of the humanoids were an even greater haul.
Those things were often worth a great deal, whether kept for personal use or sold.
"A hundred and fifty-eight soul crystals in total. I also just cut out a pair of fangs and a venom sac from the Seven-Star Demon Spider, took a wolf king's pelt and a bottle of wolf heart blood, and found five pieces of gem ore in the Ratman leader's leather pouch, plus a handful of soul-lamp grass collected by the Dwarf Demons!" Ding Long and Ning Yuerong soon returned from inspecting the spoils and reported their haul.
Ordinarily, this would have been a bountiful harvest, but none of them had the heart to dwell on it. They divided everything hastily, then seized the chance to rest.
Fang Qianyuan did have the leisure to examine his share. From this battle, he had received thirty soul crystals and a bottle of wolf heart blood.
Setting the former aside for now, the latter was a precious material containing Spirit Essence. It could be used to cultivate certain wolf-type Spirit Creatures, making it something he might need for his upcoming training.
Clearly, the others had taken his circumstances into full account when dividing the spoils.
He had also received one of the five pieces of unpolished gem ore. There had been just enough for everyone to have an equal share.
After a moment's thought, Wei Wen also handed the pair of Seven-Star Demon Spider fangs to Fang Qianyuan. "These are for you."
Fang Qianyuan asked in surprise, "Senior Brother Wei, didn't we finish dividing everything just now?"
He had clearly seen those being allotted to Wei Wu.
Wei Wen said earnestly, "This is a special reward I'm giving you on everyone's behalf!"
"As a member of the group, you're a junior brother who only recently joined, yet you not only avoided becoming a burden, you were a considerable help. That deserves a reward. On a personal level, thanks to your help, my brother wasn't hurt any worse. Otherwise, there's no telling how things would have gone from here."
With Ning Yuerong's help, Wei Wu had already finished bandaging his wounds. Seeing this, he came over and patted Fang Qianyuan on the shoulder. "My brother is right. It's a small token of our gratitude. Just accept it."
With Wei Wu saying that as well, Fang Qianyuan could hardly keep declining. "All right, then. I'd be ungracious to refuse."
Wei Wu offered further advice. "These fangs are the hardest parts of the Seven-Star Demon Spider. With a little work, they'll make excellent daggers. You can also coat them with venom. Once we get back, we'll process this venom sac and give you some of the venom to use. As for the wolf heart blood, whether you use it for Wolf Spirit possession through the Transformation Dao or to form an avatar through the Manifestation Dao, it can impart the wolf king's power."
"Let's take this opportunity to scout ahead!" Wei Wen had no attention to spare for all that. Reconnaissance was the priority now.
"Should I use my Swift Eagle?" Fang Qianyuan offered, seeing how tired everyone was.
"No need. Swift Eagles are suited to open country. Here, we'll still need Yuerong's spirit cat." Wei Wen looked toward Ning Yuerong.
Ning Yuerong nodded and formed the Hand Seal of Presence. A small, pitch-black cat manifested before her.
"Meow?" As soon as the little cat appeared, it approached Ning Yuerong and rubbed affectionately against her feet.
"Little Black, off you go!" Ning Yuerong crouched and stroked the spirit cat, then pointed ahead.
The black cat nodded, turned, and leaped away. Like a streak of black lightning, it soon vanished soundlessly into the passage ahead.
Ning Yuerong sat cross-legged and formed the Soldier and All Seals with her hands. Light shimmered in her eyes, transforming them into feline eyes that looked as though they had been carved from gemstones.
She gazed ahead, seemingly unfocused, but she was already using her Spirit Creature to scout the way forward.
"Senior Sister Ning's spirit cat may be a low-grade Spirit Creature, but it has awakened intelligence and can understand quite a few commands. Once converted into a Manifestation Dao summon, it's very convenient to use," Ding Long remarked admiringly.
Spirit Creatures were essentially created by extracting the souls of various spirit beasts, demonic beasts, supernatural creatures, or even monsters, refining their true spirits, and transforming them.
If their original bodies were made of flesh and blood, then becoming Spirit Creatures merely replaced that flesh and blood with Spirit Essence.
Treating a Spirit Creature as a normal living being and becoming its partner was undoubtedly an advanced cultivation method. Once successful, it greatly reduced the mental effort needed to control it.
This was something Fang Qianyuan currently lacked, but there was nothing he could do about it. Neither the Swift Eagle nor the Gray Wolf he kept possessed much intelligence. They were destined to be tools.
"Wonderful, there are no demons up ahead. Let's hurry through!"
Not long afterward, Ning Yuerong stood and spoke to the others.
Even as she spoke, she was already the first to mount the Crimson-Patterned Tiger resting on its belly beside her.
"Let's go!" Wei Wen said at once.
Hearing him, everyone hurried onto their Gray Wolves and raced forward.
With the spirit cat scouting all the way, they passed through smoothly without any scares or danger and returned to the first level.
They encountered more demons blocking their path along the way, but their luck was no longer as terrible as it had been at the start. These were merely scattered stragglers. The group swarmed them with their Spirit Creatures and dispatched them in a few swift moves.
After most of the day had passed, they finally returned once more to the underground cavern where the Teleportation Array had been set up.
"Someone's fighting!"
Ning Yuerong, riding on the Crimson-Patterned Tiger's back, suddenly called out a warning.
The others had already seen it too. In the broad clearing ahead, more than a dozen Training Institute disciples were battling over a hundred demons. Most were Dwarf Demons and Ratmen, with a few ape-like humanoids mixed among them.
Those were Ape Demons with third-turn strength.
Fang Qianyuan saw them wielding clubs, spears, bone spikes, and other weapons, relentlessly attacking the Training Institute disciples and their summoned Spirit Creatures. Quite a few humanoids had already fallen, while some Spirit Creatures and disciples had also been wounded.
Without hesitation, Wei Wen and the others charged forward and joined the fight.
Fortunately, this band of demons was not particularly powerful. The Training Institute disciples soon wiped them all out and could finally catch their breath.
Wei Wen hurriedly asked what was going on.
A disciple who seemed to know Wei Wen cursed loudly. "I'd bet anything this is the Void Tide recorded in the ancient texts! Damn it, a natural disaster that happens once in a hundred years! Some people spend their whole lives going down into the Demon Suppression Cavern without ever encountering one, yet we just had to run straight into it!"
"Then why are you fighting demons here instead of getting out?"
"Getting out? Go over there and take a look yourself!"
Wei Wen and the others immediately headed toward the direction they had come from. But within the passage that resembled a black vortex, they discovered thousands upon thousands of blurred figures running and roaring like phantoms. Waves of sound, like the shrieking of wind, carried through the vortex, a chorus of wailing ghosts and howling wolves.
The passage they had entered through had actually been blocked by a vast horde of demons!