One month later.

Beside a lake, a Fire Lizard, about a yard long and covered in scars, lay straight on the ground.

Surrounding it were traces of battle.

Xu Ping, expressionless, used his Divine Sense to carefully search inch by inch on the Fire Lizard's corpse for a Demon Core.

He searched thoroughly multiple times, yet found nothing.

"Damn, still nothing!" Xu Ping couldn't help but curse under his breath.

His luck was indeed terrible; over the past month, he had slain two Second-stage Middle Grade Demon Beasts, yet there was no sign of a Demon Core.

"Do I have to hunt a Second-stage Upper Grade Demon Beast?" Xu Ping felt a pang of hesitation in his heart.

A Second-stage Upper Grade Demon Beast would definitely have a Demon Core, but with his current strength, killing such a beast was still risky, to be honest.

After some hesitation, he decided to continue hunting Second-stage Middle Grade Demon Beasts. After all, he wasn't in a hurry, and time was ample; there was no need to take risks.

He didn't believe that the goddess of luck would never favor him.

...

...

A few days later, the sun was shining brightly.

Sunlight filtered through the thin mist, falling onto a grassland in a basin of the Yellow Dragon Mountain Range.

Roar! Howl!

On the grassland, a lion was fiercely biting and clawing at a black wolf.

The lion's mane was red, looking like a burning flame from afar; the black wolf was robust, with black fur, exuding fierce Evil Qi.

The battle between them was intense, blood and flesh flying as they bit and clawed at each other.

Xu Ping, passing by, watched this scene, restrained his Mana, and minimized his presence.

"Black Wind Wolf, Flame Lion!"

He immediately recognized these two types of Demon Beasts, as he naturally had researched the common ones when he decided to hunt Demon Beasts.

The Black Wind Wolf was a relatively common Second-stage Demon Beast, but the Flame Lion was quite renowned.

It had a trace of ancestral True Spirit Golden Crow's bloodline. Its strength was formidable, and its talent was exceptional; during the day, with the blessing of the sun, it could unleash power far beyond its capability.

"Roar!"

The Flame Lion roared, dispersing the surrounding mist. Sunlight poured down, as if forming a golden passage, landing on it.

Buzz!

Bathed in sunlight, the Flame Lion's form began to swell, and its red mane gradually transformed into gold, its aura elevating from Second-stage Middle Grade to Second-stage Upper Grade.

Howl!

The Black Wind Wolf sensed the change in the Flame Lion's aura. A glint of terror flashed in its scarlet eyes. It let out a low howl, wanting to flee.

But the newly strengthened Flame Lion was not about to let it succeed.

The Flame Lion roared, transforming into a streak of golden light, appearing in front of the Black Wind Wolf as if teleporting, and heavily smashed its colossal claw onto the Black Wind Wolf's body.

Bang!

The Black Wind Wolf was slammed into the ground, its hard skull almost crushed.

Then, with another strike from the Flame Lion, the Black Wind Wolf's skull was completely shattered, and it lay motionless.

"Roar!"

The Flame Lion roared toward the sky, its golden mane billowing in the wind, like a king declaring victory.

"This Flame Lion truly is unusually gifted, reaching Second-stage Upper Grade with the sun's blessing." Witnessing this scene, Xu Ping was secretly astounded in his heart.

The Black Wind Wolf, of the same stage as him, could not withstand a single strike from it.

There's no doubt that such a talented Demon Beast as the Flame Lion possesses a Demon Core.

"But at night, it won't be this formidable. By then, hunting it should be much easier..." Xu Ping began to hatch a plan.

Having come across such an unusually gifted Second-stage Middle Grade Demon Beast, he would not let it escape.

...

...

Deep into the night.

The Yellow Dragon Mountain Range remained lively, with roars of beasts echoing one after another.

Moonlight struggled through the heavy mist, casting down on the ground.

Xu Ping, suppressing his aura, silently watched a hidden entrance amidst the vine-covered cliff wall in the distance.

That was the Flame Lion's lair.

"It's about time!" Xu Ping quietly calculated the time, as it had reached midnight, a time when the Flame Lion was at its weakest.

He rose, clutching a First Rank Upper Grade Escape Talisman in his left hand.

With his right hand, he formed a seal, and a fire snake about a yard long slithered into the hidden cave.

A few moments later.

The cliff wall shook slightly, Demonic Power stirred, and an angry roar was heard.

Amidst the whistling wind and sand, a red-maned Flame Lion charged out of the cave.

Disturbed from its rest, especially during the night it disliked, the Flame Lion was extremely enraged, its scarlet eyes gleaming with a cold light.

However, at that moment, a clear ringing of a bell sounded.

"Ding ding..."

The Flame Lion and Bear Demon suddenly appeared bewildered, staring blankly ahead.

When it snapped back to its senses, it was just in time to see a fist shrouded in black mist pounding heavily on its face.

Boom!

The Flame Lion was instantly sent flying, crashing hard against the cliff wall.

"Roar!"

Embedded in the cliff wall, the Flame Lion roared angrily, Demonic Power surged, trying to break free from the wall.

However, the next moment, a chill descended over it, and then it lost consciousness again.

When it regained consciousness again, the Flame Lion found itself tightly bound by several chains of Spiritual Power, unable to move.

The black mist-covered fist that attacked it earlier now pounded on its body like a torrential storm.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Intense pain spread through its body, as Demonic Power surged forth without restraint, trying to break the Spiritual Power chains. But at this moment, the ringing of a bell sounded again.

Its Demonic Power circulation became sluggish, and it lost consciousness once more.

In the distance, watching the Copper Corpse constantly beating the Flame Lion, which was still lively, Xu Ping was secretly astonished.

Truly deserving of being a Demon Beast with a trace of Golden Crow bloodline, its strength was indeed formidable.

Copper Corpse, Arrays, Soul Sound Bell, Spiritual Sense Attack—so many methods could only suppress it; killing it was difficult.

If it were daylight, he couldn't imagine how strong it would be.

In any case, Xu Ping decided not to delay further.

With a flicker of spiritual light, the Blood-Drinking Sword appeared in his hand in an instant.

Mana surged, accompanied by clapping thunder sounds, as countless Sword Qi struck the Flame Lion.

"Roar!"

The Flame Lion howled in pain, boosting its Demonic Power to enhance its defensive power, but its wounds kept increasing, and its aura continued to weaken, until finally, Xu Ping severed its head with a single sword strike.

"Phew!"

"Finally settled!"

Xu Ping let out a long breath, finishing off the Flame Lion was not easy, and it had consumed a significant amount of his Divine Sense and Mana.

"Time to see the Demon Core!"

He was visibly excited, using the Blood-Drinking Sword to carve a bloody hole in the Flame Lion's abdomen.

His Divine Sense extended into the corpse.

"Found it!"

Suppressing his excitement, Xu Ping used the Blood-Drinking Sword to create a larger bloody hole in the Flame Lion's abdomen.

A crystal stone the size of a walnut, earth-yellow with traces of gold, appeared before his eyes.

"Hahaha, Demon Core!"

Xu Ping could no longer contain his excitement, laughing heartily.

After so much time and effort, the main material for the Foundation Establishment Pill was finally gathered.

Xu Ping carefully sealed the Demon Core into a jade box, then stored the Flame Lion's corpse into the Storage Ring.

"Time to leave!"

Eager to return, Xu Ping set off into the night.

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