After observing the surroundings and confirming that Li Xue and the others had left, Lin Xiao Tian finally breathed a sigh of relief.
A group of people even went to the entrance of the valley to check, presumably to confirm if Lin Xiao Tian was present, but Lin Xiao Tian had already concealed his presence, and they couldn't see him at all.
Lin Xiao Tian heard them on the phone referring to the other party as "Old Lady."
He never expected that even at this point, the Old Lady would still care so much about him.
Lin Xiao Tian thought that if he had the chance to get out, he should show more respect to the Old Lady. At the very least, he shouldn't call her an old hag in secret anymore; it sounded too unpleasant.
After sending off Li Xue and the others, Lin Xiao Tian, as promised, returned the demon core to the Apostle.
Lin Xiao Tian did consider reneging on his promise, but as more and more Apostle clones appeared, and these clones began to merge into the Apostle before him, the Apostle's power grew stronger, showing a clear intention to fight Lin Xiao Tian to the death.
Lin Xiao Tian didn't want to risk his life for a demon core that wasn't particularly useful. So, he simply returned the demon core to the Apostle.
Having retrieved the demon core, the Apostle did not continue to confront Lin Xiao Tian.
The current Lin Xiao Tian was no longer as easy to deal with as before, and it knew this very well.
Both sides naturally retreated to their own sides. Lin Xiao Tian then took the opportunity to search for demonic beasts within the valley.
According to the requirements of the Flood Dragon, he had to kill one Qi Refining stage demonic beast every day.
With Lin Xiao Tian's current strength, he was only evenly matched with Qi Refining stage demonic beasts. If he encountered higher-level demonic beasts, he might even perish here. However, Lin Xiao Tian had no choice; he had to endure.
As he searched, Lin Xiao Tian encountered many demonic beasts, but they were all below the Qi Refining stage.
Lin Xiao Tian thought for a moment, then moved closer to the Flood Dragon's location and began searching with it as a reference point.
Based on Lin Xiao Tian's judgment, the closer the demonic beasts were to the interior of the Kunlun Valley, the stronger they would be. The Flood Dragon was also among the demonic beasts inside, so using it as a reference was certainly feasible.
As expected, after some searching, Lin Xiao Tian found a Qi Refining stage demonic beast.
It was a half-human, half-beast monster. It looked like its original form was a fish, and Lin Xiao Tian discovered it in a cave.
Demonic beasts whose original forms were fish were mostly fond of water elements, while Lin Xiao Tian could utilize lightning elements, giving him an advantage in combat.
As Lin Xiao Tian entered the cave, the demonic beasts inside swarmed out in a panicked rush.
In just a moment, only Lin Xiao Tian and the demonic beast remained inside.
"Human?" the demonic beast looked at Lin Xiao Tian with surprise.
In its understanding, humans shouldn't be this powerful.
At the very least, it hadn't seen a human at the Qi Refining stage for centuries.
If not for the aura Lin Xiao Tian exuded, it would have thought he was a demonic beast that had cultivated into human form.
Lin Xiao Tian didn't waste words with it and directly unleashed his lightning.
*Sizzle!*
Lightning danced wildly.
As a demonic beast at the Qi Refining stage, it was no pushover. Although elements were in its favor, it was still in water, and its movement speed was very fast.
Lin Xiao Tian struggled with it for a long time and was even nearly killed.
Fortunately, Lin Xiao Tian reacted quickly and enveloped his entire body with lightning, eventually managing to counter-kill.
With lightning piercing the demonic beast's body, the battle came to an end.
The sky was still bright, but Lin Xiao Tian was already exhausted.
He rested by the shore for a while. He originally intended to take this opportunity to recuperate, but as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he immediately stopped.
Although the mark in his Sea of Consciousness was quiescent, every time he called upon his spiritual energy, it became particularly active. If he practiced the Shen Nong Heart Method, wouldn't the mark also record the circulation route of his cultivation?
Wouldn't this indirectly reveal his cultivation technique to the other party?
With this thought, Lin Xiao Tian abandoned practicing his cultivation technique and chose to let his body freely absorb the surrounding spiritual energy.
This method was indeed slower in efficiency, but it was safe.
In the afternoon, Lin Xiao Tian arrived at the Flood Dragon's territory on time.
Seeing Lin Xiao Tian appear with a Qi Refining stage demonic beast, the Flood Dragon showed extreme excitement.
It removed the curse from Lin Xiao Tian, then applied a new one, and then let Lin Xiao Tian leave.
Lin Xiao Tian endured it.
In the following days, Lin Xiao Tian continued to hunt demonic beasts as usual. His luck was good, and although the battles were perilous, he ultimately succeeded in killing his opponents.
Watching these Qi Refining stage demon cores being sent to the Flood Dragon for nothing made Lin Xiao Tian feel immense pain.
If he could obtain these demon cores himself, his strength would surely improve by a significant level.
During this period, in addition to hunting demonic beasts, Lin Xiao Tian was also exploring routes to leave.
With the Flood Dragon as a reference, Lin Xiao Tian found it much more convenient to search.
However, the valley's terrain was constantly shifting. Sometimes, if Lin Xiao Tian was unlucky and chose a direction deeper into the valley, he could only retreat.
The deeper parts of the valley harbored many powerful demonic beasts. Even the Flood Dragon alone had left Lin Xiao Tian helpless, let alone other demonic beasts.
Of course, finding the exit was only the first step. The crucial second step still required cooperation from people outside.
The alchemical furnace!
The blood crystal!
And herbs with spiritual energy!
Especially the third item, which could only be found in the depths of Black Mountain.
Although Black Mountain was not as dangerous as this place, in its depths, there were still many wild beasts that ordinary people couldn't handle, and possibly even demonic beasts. Lin Xiao Tian couldn't guarantee that Yang Xin and the others could find them.
These herbs with spiritual energy typically had a lifespan of a thousand years, making them priceless treasures in the market. Lin Xiao Tian believed Yang Xin, but he didn't trust those hidden families.
If they truly obtained such items, would they hand them over to Lin Xiao Tian?
Moreover, Lin Xiao Tian didn't just want one or two plants, but several, to account for the risk of failed refinement.
During this time, by hunting demonic beasts, Lin Xiao Tian also found the cave where he had stayed with the Insect King.
Fortunately, although the Insect King was dead, its poison sac was still intact, allowing Lin Xiao Tian to acquire one of the necessary alchemical ingredients.
Time passed day by day.
About a week later, one day, Lin Xiao Tian was exploring the terrain as usual and once again discovered the Yang family's encampment.
"Finally found it," Lin Xiao Tian thought excitedly.
He dared not leave the forest rashly, so he shouted a few times into the distance.
Shortly after, patrolling guards discovered him.
"Lin Xiao Tian?"
The guard recognized him at a glance.
Lin Xiao Tian nodded.
"Wait here, I'll inform them."
The patrolling team members' faces lit up with excitement upon seeing Lin Xiao Tian.
Soon after, people began to emerge from the encampment. Lin Xiao Tian saw family crests of both the Lin and Yang families on their clothing.
"Have you prepared what I need?" Lin Xiao Tian asked them.
"Mr. Lin, the Old Lady has already prepared everything for you. The medicinal herbs and your items have also been brought."
A person with the Lin family crest spoke respectfully to Lin Xiao Tian.