After stabilizing his realm, Xu Mu tidied up briefly and went directly to the gate of the bamboo-fenced courtyard, opened the door, and walked out.
Xu Mu had left the Cave Abode twice before, but only to go out and collect Yao Beast corpses and the dropped bronze boxes, returning quickly each time.
This time was different. After stepping out of the cave, he continued walking into the distance.
Since no Yao Beasts were coming to his doorstep, Xu Mu would take the initiative! He would go out to find and kill Yao Beasts.
With his current strength, Xu Mu was capable of slaying most Early Stage Qi Refining Yao Beasts. Even if he truly couldn't defeat one or encountered a member of the Demon Race, he could fight while retreating, luring it back and drawing it into the Formation, then ambushing it using the illusion Formation and the Mist Formation.
As long as your thinking doesn't falter, solutions will always outnumber difficulties.
Of course, Xu Mu wouldn't venture too far from the cave, always maintaining a certain distance to ensure he could retreat back within a short time. One must always maintain a sense of reverence for the Cave Abode World.
Each time, he would choose a direction, explore outward for three to four hundred meters, then return and switch to another direction. Not only that, Xu Mu kept Talismans in hand at all times, his spirit highly concentrated, ready to either fight or retreat at any moment.
When Xu Mu was exploring in the third direction, about three hundred meters from the cave, he finally made a discovery.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!!"
Three fireballs, each larger than a fist, flew in a line towards Xu Mu.
Xu Mu raised his right hand, and the two Talismans in his grasp instantly transformed into two streaks of spiritual light. In the next moment, an earthen-yellow shield appeared around Xu Mu's body—the effect of an Earth Shield Talisman. Simultaneously, his speed increased significantly, thanks to the boost from the Light Body Talisman.
"Bang! Bang!!"
After Xu Mu dodged, the massive fireballs smashed into a large boulder behind him. The explosive force shattered the boulder completely, sending stone fragments flying everywhere.
Fifty meters away from Xu Mu stood a tall, fiery-red figure.
[System Message: Demon Race: Fire Demon]
[System Message: Cultivation: Qi Refining Early Stage]
Its body seemed composed of solidified magma, lacking eyes, replaced instead by two clusters of flame. The area around where it stood was completely dried out by the high heat, and where it walked, only two pitch-black footprints remained. Earlier, it had opened its mouth and spat out three fireballs in succession.
To actually encounter the Demon Race member I least wanted to face! Any other, like an Earth Demon or Wind Demon, would have been fine. Why did it have to be a Fire Demon!!
This was because Xu Mu cultivated a fire-attribute cultivation technique, and his most powerful mastered spell, the Fire Snake Technique, was also a fire-attribute spell. Against Yao Beasts or other Demon Race members, with the support of his Departing Fire, the effect was quite good. But precisely against a fire-attribute Demon Race member like this, the effect was rather mediocre.
"Roar!!"
The Fire Demon gave Xu Mu no time to think. With an angry roar, it transformed into a fiery blur, rapidly closing in on Xu Mu.
"Swoosh!!"
Xu Mu formed hand seals and casually released a Wind Blade, while simultaneously not forgetting to retreat towards the direction of the cave, fighting as he ran.
"Crack..."
Although the Wind Blade was fast, it was, after all, just the most ordinary basic spell, and its power was quite average. Striking the Fire Demon, it only caused its steps to falter slightly before being scorched and shattered by the intense heat.
A Demon Race member of the same level is indeed much more formidable than a Yao Beast!!
Xu Mu exclaimed with a sigh, then raised his right hand. The Water Arrow Talisman in his hand instantly transformed into a meter-long water arrow.
"Splash!!"
The water arrow clashed with the fire attribute. Landing on the Fire Demon, it was like a scalding stone dropped into water, instantly generating a cloud of mist.
"Urgh..."
The Fire Demon staggered, letting out a hoarse cry of pain. Clearly, this water arrow had caused it significant discomfort. However, the power of the Water Arrow Talisman was still somewhat lacking, unable to inflict major damage on the Fire Demon. Instead, it enraged the demon further. The flames in its eyes blazed violently, and its speed increased even more.
Fortunately, Xu Mu, boosted by the Light Body Talisman, was also quite fast, and he was already very close to the cave. When the Fire Demon was still thirty to forty meters away, Xu Mu successfully entered the illusion Formation and the Mist Formation.
The Fire Demon didn't hesitate in the slightest, charging in right behind him. The moment it entered the illusion Formation, the Fire Demon's figure froze as if struck by a paralysis curse.
Xu Mu, well-prepared, quickly formed hand seals. Over half of the Qi in his Dantian was rapidly drained.
"Boom!!"
A fire snake over four meters long suddenly manifested, its body wreathed in the pale blue flames of Departing Fire. Although the Fire Demon was affected by the illusion Formation for only a brief moment, it was enough. The fire snake swung its body, crashing directly into the Fire Demon.
"Bang!!"
The Fire Snake Technique belonged to the Qi Refining Mid-Stage spells, and its power was extraordinary. Even the formidable Demon Race member suffered severe injuries upon impact; its right shoulder and arm were directly blasted away.
It was a pity it was a fire-attribute Fire Demon, so the power was reduced somewhat. If it had been another member of the Five Elements Demon Clan, this strike could have blasted away at least half its body.
The Fire Demon, missing its right shoulder and arm, still opened its maw wide and spat 5 fireballs in one breath towards Xu Mu's direction. Although Xu Mu's Qi was nearly depleted, he still had Talismans.
Xu Mu dodged aside and, with a raise of his hand, unleashed another 5 Water Arrow Talismans.
I refuse to believe you won't die this time!!
Five water arrows sliced through the thick mist, landing on the Fire Demon one after another.
"Splash, splash, splash..."
For a moment, the sound of water boiling into vapor came in succession. A massive amount of steam rose, comparable to the mist within the Mist Formation. Not feeling assured, Xu Mu threw another 4 Water Arrow Talismans at the Fire Demon.
A First Rank Low-grade Water Arrow Talisman cost 2 Spirit Stones each. Xu Mu hurled them at the Fire Demon as if they were free.
Already severely wounded, the Fire Demon, struck by 9 water arrows in total, couldn't withstand it no matter how tenacious its vitality. After all, a First Rank Low-grade Talisman was equivalent to a Qi Refining Early Stage cultivator releasing one spell, and its attribute countered the demon's. It might withstand one or two, but nine was beyond its endurance.
After the Fire Demon was completely dead, a bronze box appeared beside it, only this ordinary bronze box was larger. This was a rare box, only dropped from slaying members of the Demon Race.
Furthermore, unlike Yao Beasts whose bodies were full of treasures, after a Demon Race member dies, its body condenses and concentrates within a short time into a stone about the size of a chicken egg. A Fire Demon becomes an essence of fire; a Wind Demon becomes an essence of wind.
During artifact refining, the five elements essence can be incorporated to effectively enhance the power of the magic treasure. The five elements essence could be considered a very useful artifact refining material. Its value is determined by the Demon Race member's cultivation level before death.
The essence of fire left by a Qi Refining Early Stage Fire Demon after death typically sells for around 10 Spirit Stones. As long as it's listed on the Trading Platform, it's guaranteed to be bought within 5 minutes.
To slay this Fire Demon, Xu Mu had used 10 Water Arrow Talismans, 1 Earth Shield Talisman, and 1 Light Body Talisman. Total value: 24 Spirit Stones.
Calculated this way, it was a significant loss. But... the moment the system's notification sounded, the situation completely reversed.
[System Message: Detected that the Host has obtained a reward: 1 essence of fire.]
[System Message: Congratulations to the Host for obtaining a 25x Critical Hit amplification.]
[System Message: Reward amplified to 25 pieces of essence of fire.]
[System Message: Reward has been stored in the System space and can be extracted at any time.]