Tong Wei dug out all the Crystal Cores from the Fire Mane Rats that Di Yi Ye had killed. Coupled with his instinctive sense of the man's fierce aura, he had no intention of leaving the Fire Mane Rat corpses for him, planning to take away all the ones he had killed himself.
Of course, although he instinctively disliked Tong Wei, Di Yi Ye had also made up his mind that if he had the chance in the future, he would definitely repay the life-saving favor. As for Nangong Bingyu, there was even less to say.
With difficulty, Di Yi Ye collected all his spoils of war into his Storage Bracelet and was about to leave. However, at this moment, he noticed a faint red light flashing from the soil beside him, with a warm aura subtly circulating out. This immediately made his eyes light up.
"Is it an Exotic Beast Crystal Core?!"
Di Yi Ye became excited. After confirming, a smile appeared on his face: "It seems my luck is pretty good; I didn't completely shatter that Exotic Beast Crystal Core."
As he said this, Di Yi Ye unearthed the Exotic Beast Crystal Core emitting a rich red light from the soil. It's worth mentioning that this Crystal Core was about the size of a broad bean. Due to being split by the Righteous Sword Qi, it was missing a small half. Fortunately, more than half was still retained. Although it no longer contained the energy of a Second-Order Crystal Core, the energy it held was still much more potent than that of a First-tier Crystal Core. If used sparingly, this single Crystal Core could cover a year's worth of energy expenses for his family.
A year's worth of energy expenses was a huge 'fortune' for Di Yi Ye. This was enough to compensate for the loss of six First-Order Exotic Beasts whose Crystal Cores had been taken. Thinking of this, the smile on his face deepened, and he couldn't help but repeatedly say, 'Great disasters often bring great fortune.'
"A Second-Order Crystal Core retaining about eighty percent of its energy, seven Fire Mane Rats, one of which was Second-Order. It seems I won't have to worry about insufficient food and other various material expenses for the next month or two. And for the family's various energy needs, I won't have to worry for a year. This harvest is truly quite good."
Di Yi Ye chuckled, and as he said this, he cast a somewhat reluctant glance at the more than ten Fire Mane Rat corpses lying quietly on the ground.
Shaking his head, Di Yi Ye withdrew his gaze. He suppressed the urge to put all the Fire Mane Rats into his Storage Bracelet once more. He then threw his Longbow, collected Arrow Feathers, Spear, and Tang Dao into the Storage Bracelet before starting to head towards the nearby hill.
On the hill, there was a small forest, and beneath the forest was a cave he had dug out. Of course, this was not his home but a temporary shelter. The reason he wasn't going home at this time but to this cave was naturally because his injuries were still very serious. Although it didn't affect his return home, he didn't want his family to see him in such a sorry state, as they would worry.
Upon entering the cave, Di Yi Ye laboriously pushed a stone slab to block the cave entrance. He then sat cross-legged and began to meditate. Cosmic Energy gathered and was then absorbed into his Dantian. After circulation and refinement, it was transformed into Qi Flow. A portion of this Qi Flow continued to nourish his injured areas and Physique, while the rest was stored in his Dantian.
Gradually, a faint stream appeared in his previously dry Dantian, and it was slowly growing. Once his entire Dantian was filled, his Qi Quantity would recover to its peak state.
If a Cultivator were to observe Di Yi Ye at close range, it would be easy to see that his speed of absorbing Cosmic Energy was very fast, much faster than Cultivators of the same Realm. He was even comparable to Cultivators in the Soul Condensation Stage. This was also one of his proud advantages—a fast absorption rate of Cosmic Energy meant a faster recovery speed for a Cultivator, allowing for longer sustained combat in the same Realm.
Of course, Di Yi Ye's fast absorption rate of Cosmic Energy wasn't originally like this. Because he couldn't break through to the Soul Condensation Stage for a long time, he had a sudden idea to use Qi for Body Refining and even Bone Tempering. This also caused him to consume Qi at a much faster rate than ordinary Cultivators. To maintain his Qi consumption, his absorption rate of Cosmic Energy naturally became even faster.
Furthermore, because he had remained in the Late Initial Awakening for a long time, his Spiritual Power had become stronger than that of ordinary Cultivators. Strong Spiritual Power also greatly increased the speed at which he could draw in Cosmic Energy.
With the traction of his Spiritual Power, Cosmic Energy rapidly integrated into his Dantian and then flowed to his limbs and bones, particularly to the areas burned by the flames. Under the nourishment of the pure Qi Flow, the injured areas were also repairing at an extremely fast rate. From the current perspective, it wouldn't take long for him to recover completely.
When Di Yi Ye woke up, it was already nighttime. He left the cave and went outside. The sky was dotted with stars, and a crescent moon hung obliquely. The faint chirping of insects could be heard, which made Luo City seem even more silent.
Stretching his body, Di Yi Ye felt his limbs and bones filled with strength. He no longer looked as disheveled as before; he was radiant and energetic. No one could tell that just a few hours ago, he had looked like a charred corpse on the verge of death.
Exhaling a breath of stale air, Di Yi Ye did not return home directly. Instead, he headed back to the place where he had fought the Fire Mane Rats. He wanted to see if the corpses of those Fire Mane Rats had been taken away. If not, he naturally wouldn't be polite.
However, Di Yi Ye was soon disappointed. The more than ten Fire Mane Rat corpses that had been scattered everywhere were all gone. If it weren't for the faint bloodstains on the ground that hadn't been completely washed away by the rainwater, no one would have imagined that a great battle had taken place here.
"As expected, after so much time has passed, the Fire Mane Rats wouldn't still be here."
Di Yi Ye sighed softly. Thinking of something, his brow furrowed slightly: "I wonder if Nangong Bingyu and Tong Wei noticed I was still alive when they saw the corpses disappear. They probably didn't. After all, anyone would assume a person burned to a crisp is dead. And perhaps another Exotic Beast passed by here, or maybe people from the city collected the corpses. So, the disappearance of my body shouldn't arouse their suspicion."
Speaking of the word 'corpse,' Di Yi Ye felt a surge of emotion. He shook his head, casting these thoughts aside, and headed in the direction of home, muttering, "Meng'er and the others must be worried since I haven't returned for so long. Fortunately, I survived again today."
"It's good to be alive," Di Yi Ye said with genuine emotion.
About ten minutes later, Di Yi Ye arrived in front of a courtyard with a sign that read "Orphanage" on one side. Since half of it was missing, only the word "Orphan" remained. Looking at the two characters, which were even more conspicuous under the lamplight, a warm smile appeared on his lips.
Although they were orphans, he had many younger brothers and sisters around him. Even though they weren't his biological siblings, he had long considered them his family, family he would protect with his life.
Straightening his clothes, Di Yi Ye stepped into the courtyard. As soon as he entered, he heard a series of whistling sounds, followed by extremely sharp Sword Intent piercing directly at his head and various parts of his body. Feeling the bone-chilling Sword Intent, he not only felt no fear but even curved his lips into a smile: "Meng'er's Realm has advanced further. She has finally broken through to the Soul Condensation Stage and can now simultaneously control twelve Flying Swords."
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