Chapter 16: Trying to Steal a Chicken Only to Lose the Rice

One hour later, the group returned to Wild Wolf Valley.

Seeing Xu Chen and the others all return, a burst of cheers suddenly rang out in the valley, but upon learning that the Third Valley Master Sun Haoqian had already died, the cheers instantly turned into countless expressions of terror and sighs.

At the same time, Wild Wolf Valley had another piece of bad news: the Second Valley Master Ouyang Ping, who had gone to Taiyuan Sect to invite the Third Elder, had been severely wounded on the road and had only just escaped back.

The group hurried to the thatched cottage to check on him, and sure enough, they saw Ouyang Ping lying on the bed gasping for air, covered in blood, his clothes as tattered as strips of rags.

Song Qingshi asked in great alarm: "Old Second, what on earth happened? Why are you in such a sorry state?"

Ouyang Ping said with a face full of shame: "I didn't make it to Taiyuan Sect; I was attacked by a demon bird halfway there. Caught off guard, I was clawed, and if I hadn't been quick-witted enough to escape, I fear I wouldn't have made it back."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other in dismay.

The Southern Border is full of vast mountains and primeval dense forests, with many demon beasts and no shortage of birds, but birds are harder to advance than beasts, so their numbers are extremely rare. In the few hundred miles around Nanyang City and Taiyuan Sect, no one had heard of a demon bird appearing for a long time.

After a moment of silence, Jiu Shixiong sighed and said: "It is just as well that Valley Master Ouyang didn't make it to Taiyuan Sect. Since we have already escaped and returned, we might as well avoid disturbing the Third Elder; let this matter end here. The hour is getting late, so we shall return to Nanyang City first, and we can gather again when we return from Jingshi next time!"

Because the Third Valley Master Sun Haoqian had died and the Second Valley Master Ouyang Ping was now injured, and with Zhou Ding and Sikong Qing of the Five Thunder Sect also in a sorry state, the group certainly had no heart for drinking and discussing the Dao. Thus, after a brief exchange, the three of them left Wild Wolf Valley on their flying swords.

Not long after, the three returned to the inn in Nanyang City. After washing up and changing clothes, Jiu Shixiong plopped down on the bed and pulled at his hair in frustration, saying with a look of agony: "A three-year-old child trying to outsmart his mother—trying to steal a chicken only to lose the rice; this trip was a massive loss."

Zhao Xuan was slowly combing her hair, also looking full of shame as she said: "It was my first time taking the Junior Brother down the mountain; we should have learned some self-defense and management skills for walking in the mortal world. I never expected that not only would we use up all of the Junior Brother's spirit pills and spirit talismans, but we also nearly lost our lives. If the Third Elder finds out when we return, I fear the two of us will be punished again."

Xu Chen was indifferent and laughed: "Although this trip was fraught with danger, I learned quite a lot. If I encounter such things again next time, I will certainly have much more experience and ways to respond."

Jiu Shixiong blushed and said: "Junior Brother, stop trying to comfort us. This time was truly too shameful. I originally intended to join in the fun and incidentally swindle some spirit pills and magic treasures from the Five Thunder Sect, but I never expected to end up paying out a huge amount myself—two spirit talismans, two Great Origin Pills, and three Small Yuan Pills. If converted, that's dozens of Spirit Stones; I don't think I could scrape that together even if I didn't eat or drink for seven or eight years."

Xu Chen's face turned black instantly, and he looked at Jiu Shixiong: "Don't tell me you used the other spirit talisman as well?"

Jiu Shixiong's face turned as red as if he were constipated, and he muttered: "In that dangerous situation, naturally one uses whatever one can. After I was separated from the Junior Sister and the others, I encountered a very powerful demon beast and had to use a spirit talisman to kill it. As a result, my internal energy was instantly drained, and I had to take a Great Origin Pill to replenish it. You know that taking Small Yuan Pills doesn't really help me much anymore. The Junior Sister must have used hers as well; I have one left here, let me return it to you first..."

Watching Jiu Shixiong hand over the spirit pill, Xu Chen's face twitched a few times as he shook his head: "Senior Brother, keep it for backup. I don't need the Great Origin Pill right now; just give me the three Small Yuan Pills."

Jiu Shixiong's expression brightened, and he quickly put the Great Origin Pill away, flipped his hand to take out a small porcelain bottle, and tossed it to Xu Chen: "There are five Small Yuan Pills in here; take them all, Junior Brother. When I get rich in the future, I will definitely pay you back double."

Xu Chen put away the porcelain bottle and also sat on the edge of the bed to pull at his hair. The two brothers looked at each other, their expressions and moods equally depressed.

The Great Elder had given him three spirit talismans in total, thinking they were supreme weapons for home travel and raiding, but they were carved up by a group of senior brothers and sisters before they were even warm, and they vanished into thin air even faster than demon beast dung cools down.

As for the spirit talisman in Seventh Senior Sister's hand, given the consistent habits of these fellow disciples, it was likely already gone as well.

"By the way, Junior Brother, why is your Divine Sense so powerful that you could still use it inside the rift at Black Wind Ridge?" Jiu Shixiong suddenly remembered this and looked at him with a strange expression.

Xu Chen naturally wouldn't mention the Jade Bead, so he shook his head and explained: "I'm not sure either. The situation inside that rift was very strange. Not long after you, the Senior Sister, and Valley Master Song went in, a Third-Tier Demon Wolf suddenly appeared..."

"A Third-Tier Demon Wolf?!"

Jiu Shixiong jumped up in shock, and Thirteenth Senior Sister Zhao Xuan also screamed and turned around, the comb in her hand flying off.

"Yes, a Third-Tier Demon Wolf. It should be the same one that appeared near the sect gate not long ago. But the situation was very strange; it was as if it had been poisoned, and its whole body was rotting. Seeing that things were bad, I quickly fled into the rift. The demon wolf chased after me, and I hid and ran around inside, quickly losing my way, and then I was caught up by the demon wolf..."

Xu Chen briefly recounted his encounter with the demon wolf after entering the rift. Of course, he still didn't mention the Jade Bead, only saying that after the demon wolf entered, it seemed to have lost control of its soul, and he managed to kill it with a sword strike while it was vulnerable. Then, a blue light drilled into his Sea of Consciousness, and suddenly his Divine Sense became several times stronger, allowing him to see the situation inside the black mist.

Jiu Shixiong and Zhao Xuan looked at each other in dismay after hearing this, their expressions extremely strange.

What Xu Chen said was too unbelievable and completely defied common sense.

"Senior Brother and Senior Sister surely don't believe me, but that is how it happened. I even brought back the demon wolf's core and fangs..."

As Xu Chen spoke, he untied his waist pouch and poured a pile of things of various sizes onto the bed with a clatter.

"It really is a demon core!"

Seeing the egg-sized, greenish demon core, the Eldest Senior Brother jumped up in exclamation again, then took the Demon Wolf Core in his hands with trembling limbs to observe it.

Zhao Xuan also covered her mouth, nearly crying out, and leaned in with wide eyes to look closely.

"Good, this is good stuff! This is indeed a demon core without a doubt; the internal energy is so dense it rivals a Three-Grade Spirit Pill!" Jiu Shixiong's voice was trembling as he spoke.

A demon core is just a general term. Once all demon beasts and spirit beasts reach the Third-Tier, they will, like a cultivator in the Danyuan Realm, slowly accumulate internal energy to form a core. The more powerful the demon beast or spirit beast, the denser the internal energy formed in the core. It is the best material for alchemy and medicine. In an emergency, refining the core directly can also achieve the same effect as a spirit pill, though the loss is relatively greater, and there is a certain danger because demon cores often contain large amounts of toxins; one might be poisoned if not careful.

Especially the cores of poisonous beasts and insects, which are even more toxic. However, the more poisonous these cores are, the more expensive they become, because besides being refined into spirit pills that replenish internal energy, they can also be used to refine other special pills and poisonous magic treasures—those are the true treasures for home travel and killing without a trace.

Besides this Third-Tier Demon Wolf's core, the two blood-red fangs, each half a foot long, also made Jiu Shixiong and Zhao Xuan feel both surprised and excited.

This pair of fangs was also surging with demonic energy, emitting a terrifying aura that could seize a person's soul.

If used to refine a magic treasure, the power would likely be extraordinary, at least Second-Grade or higher. In the hands of a Zhenyuan Realm cultivator, that would be a pair of super-powerful weapons.

"We're rich, we're rich!" Jiu Shixiong was so excited he was almost delirious, shouting and yelling in the room.

Xu Chen said with a wry smile: "Jiu Shixiong, even if we are rich, could you please not be so loud? If word gets out, others will think our Taiyuan Sect has no treasures."

Jiu Shixiong immediately came to his senses and quickly lowered his voice: "Junior Brother, don't say that. Our Taiyuan Sect doesn't have many treasures that reach the Third-Tier. If this demon wolf core and these two fangs are taken back and handed over to the two Elders, I fear we will be rewarded with a huge pile of spirit pills and spirit talismans."

Zhao Xuan nodded along, her eyes almost curving into smiles.

At this moment, the two no longer doubted Xu Chen's previous explanation; this core and the two fangs were the best proof.

Of course, there were certainly still many questions, but there are countless bizarre things encountered during immortal cultivation and training. Although the change in Xu Chen was surprising enough, it was not impossible; after all, there are even more bizarre things—some people encounter fortuitous opportunities and break through several levels of their realm in a single day. Therefore, there was no need to delve too deeply into what happened to Xu Chen.

Moreover, every person who cultivates the Dao has their own destiny.

Xu Chen was simply a matter of fortuitous coincidence.

There are many unwritten rules among immortal cultivators, one of which is not to inquire into each other's backgrounds. Some secrets are not suitable for sharing, even between Daolu, let alone just fellow disciples.

However, when going up the mountain to hunt birds, those who see it get a share. As fellow disciples who went down the mountain to train and travel together, Xu Chen naturally couldn't swallow these gains alone; in the end, all three would have a share.

Therefore, it was reasonable for Jiu Shixiong to be so excited, and Xu Chen had no intention of keeping this wealth to himself; after all, he would still need the help of his senior brothers and sisters for many things in the future.

Wealth, companions, techniques, and land—while wealth is the most important, the other three are indispensable conditions for successful cultivation. Having a group of like-minded people or fellow disciples to rely on and help each other will make things much safer.

A selfish person who keeps wealth to themselves might have temporary benefits, but in the long run, it is the least advisable path. Because the things needed for immortal cultivation are too many and too varied, one person can never cover everything. Discussing the Dao and exchanging what one has for what one lacks is the axiom and norm of the cultivation world.

Thus, after a burst of excitement, the three calmed down and began to discuss and plan whether to hand the demon core and fangs over to the sect elders, exchange them with other cultivators for more needed spirit pills and magic treasures, or simply keep them until a certain opportunity arose to ask someone to refine them into urgently needed pills for breaking through levels or to customize them into special magic treasures.