Her Primordial Yin is the Exquisite Heart of the Plain Maiden

Her reaction of raising all her spikes at him like a frightened little beast actually made him appreciate her a bit more.

As for that "Exquisite Heart of the Pure Maiden"...

This was the key item for casting the first tier of his Dao Foundation; he was determined to get it.

Since the intelligence indicated that he would receive the gift as long as he escorted her safely to her destination, he didn't mind playing the role of a protective knight this once.

Gu Yang's gaze shifted downward, landing on a few other pieces of intelligence.

Huh, these few pieces of intelligence don't seem to require intercepting others' opportunities?

Is this the effect brought about by the system upgrade?

Gu Yang didn't think about it for too long before putting the matter aside.

"Heavenly Sword Sect, Ye Guxiao... using the guise of avenging his brother, he actually craves her body and treasures. This so-called orthodox sect is even uglier in its greed than the demonic sects."

"And this Qingxu Trio, with their Three Talents Absolute Kill Array..."

Gu Yang stroked his chin.

Fighting head-on against three mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators... although with his current strength and the Great Sun True Fire he could win, it would cause too much of a commotion. It could easily attract that late-Foundation Establishment Ye Guxiao, or even expose his trump cards.

As the saying goes, a wise man does not stand beneath a falling wall.

There was no need to clash directly with the trio right now.

As a qualified schemer... no, as a steady cultivator, if he could borrow a knife to kill, why do it himself?

"Black Fiend Python, mid-Tier Two, currently shedding its skin..."

Gu Yang looked at that line of small blue text, a chilling intent flashing in his eyes.

...

Withered Bone Karst Cave.

This was a forbidden zone in this mountain range.

Within a five-mile radius, not a single blade of grass grew; there were only jagged, bizarre rocks and eerie white bones.

The air was filled with a nauseating, fishy stench—a mixture of rotting corpses and the unique territorial scent of a high-level demonic beast.

Gu Yang didn't foolishly charge straight in.

He stood behind a cliff fifty zhang away from the cave entrance. There was a natural "echo wall" here that could amplify sound several times and transmit it deep into the cave.

He took out a crimson talisman from his storage bag—a peak Tier Two "Explosive Flame Talisman".

Infused with spiritual energy, the talisman floated in mid-air, emitting a terrifying wave of high heat.

"Big guy inside, wake up."

His disguised, hoarse voice, refracted by the echo wall, reverberated and buzzed in the spacious cave.

Hiss—!

Answering him was a hiss of suppressed rage.

A terrifying demonic aura instantly surged from the depths of the cave, sweeping up the gravel on the ground and smacking it against the cliff face with a crackling sound.

In the darkness, two lantern-like, golden-yellow vertical pupils suddenly lit up, dead-locking onto Gu Yang's position.

Although it was currently extremely weak, the pressure of a mid-Tier Two demonic beast was enough to make an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator's legs go soft.

Gu Yang, however, did not change his expression. He even took a step forward, making the talisman that was about to detonate look exceptionally glaring in the darkness.

"Don't be so angry."

Gu Yang's tone was calm, as if he were chatting with an old friend.

"I know you are shedding your skin and are at your weakest."

The hissing inside the cave suddenly turned sharp, and those vertical pupils revealed undisguised killing intent. Having its true condition seen through by a human was a great taboo for a demonic beast.

"I also know that your old rival, the 'Golden-Winged Lightning Eagle', is patrolling nearby."

Gu Yang's next words directly pinched its weak spot.

"Tell me, if I detonate this talisman right now and blast the bloody scent of this place all over the mountain... how long will it take for that feathered beast to fly over?"

The cave instantly fell into a deathly silence.

That violent demonic aura abruptly halted in mid-air.

Demonic beasts that had developed intelligence naturally knew how to weigh the pros and cons.

It was now at a critical moment of shedding its skin. If its location was exposed and attracted its natural enemy, it would undoubtedly die.

"Hiss..." (Human, what do you want?)

A cold, gloomy divine sense was intermittently transmitted into Gu Yang's mind.

Gu Yang smiled.

As long as it was willing to communicate.

"I'm here to deliver a gift."

Gu Yang's voice became deep and full of temptation.

"Three mid-Foundation Establishment human cultivators, brimming with vitality and abundant spiritual energy."

"They will pass by here very soon. Eating them will be enough to make up for the vitality you lost during your shedding, and you might even break through to late-Tier Two in one fell swoop."

Those golden vertical pupils suddenly contracted.

The flesh and blood of mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators were a great tonic for demonic beasts.

"Hiss?" (Conditions?)

"What good stuff do you have?" Gu Yang's eyes burned brightly. "I know that long-living demonic beasts like you definitely have a lot of junk left behind by dead people in your caves."

Silence.

A few breaths later.

Whoosh!

A black shadow shot out from the depths of the cave.

Gu Yang raised his hand and grabbed it. It was a palm-sized ancient bronze shield, covered in mottled runes. Although slightly damaged, its spirituality was still compelling.

High-grade defensive magical artifact—Mystic Turtle Shield.

"This will do."

Gu Yang nodded in satisfaction and put away the ancient shield.

Although he didn't need this thing, he could give it to Su Wanyin; she could put it to good use.

"As a bonus, I'll help you seal your aura."

Gu Yang flipped his wrist, and five small flags of different colors appeared in his hand.

This was exactly the loot he had found in the storage bag of that unlucky guy earlier—the "Lesser Five Elements Illusory Formation".

Although it was only an incomplete version and couldn't trap experts, it was perfect for concealing auras.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Gu Yang's hand seals changed, and the five formation flags turned into streaks of light, accurately planting themselves in five positions around the cave.

Hum!

A faint layer of mist rose, instantly locking the thick fishy stench and demonic aura at the cave entrance tightly inside.

At this moment, under the scan of divine sense, the cave looked like nothing more than an ordinary natural shelter with slightly dense spiritual energy.

"The formation can help you conceal your aura for fifteen minutes, and it can also help you trap your food. These fifteen minutes are enough for you to eat them clean."

After doing all this, Gu Yang clapped his hands, and his figure merged into the dark jungle once again.

"Long worm, remember to eat cleanly, don't waste it."

Inside the cave, those golden vertical pupils slowly faded away.

It had already smelled it.

Three enticing, spiritually-rich human auras were speeding over from afar.

...

A rainy night, startling thunder.

Outside the Withered Bone Karst Cave, three sword lights tore through the curtain of rain and crashed to the ground.

The Qingxu Trio.

The leader, Eldest Senior Brother Zhao Qinghe, wore clothes as white as snow, and a jade pendant engraved with "Noble Righteousness" hung from his sword tassel. However, at this moment, in the dim, rainy night, this jade pendant glowed with a dismal pale green light.

"It's right here."

Zhao Qinghe put away the tracking compass in his hand, his eyes fixed on a puddle of blood at the cave entrance that had not yet been completely washed away by the rain.

Next to the bloodstain hung half a piece of red yarn torn off by a branch.

"Big Brother, is the rumor actually true?"

The third brother, Zhao Qingjiang, looked at that red yarn, his Adam's apple bobbing imperceptibly as he asked in a low voice:

"Does the Hehuan Sect's 'Pure Maiden's Essence Guarding Art' truly hold such fortune? I heard that the Earth-tier spiritual item, the 'Exquisite Heart of the Pure Maiden', wasn't born from heaven and earth, but rather... is right inside her body?"

"Naturally."

Zhao Qinghe stood with his hands behind his back, gently brushing the raindrops off his cuffs. His tone was as flat as if he were discussing the harvesting of an ordinary herb:

"Although the cultivation methods of the demonic path are extreme, they still subtly align with the Heavenly Dao. Su Wanyin has cultivated arduously for twenty years, maintaining her pristine purity. Under the catalysis of her cultivation technique, her pure Primal Yin has long since condensed from the intangible into reality."

He turned around, his burning gaze fixed on the pitch-black entrance of the cave, and spoke slowly:

"Her Primal Yin is precisely that 'Exquisite Heart of the Pure Maiden'. Taking it will be like plucking the ripest fruit from the top of a tree. It is the very key I need to break through to the late Foundation Establishment realm and forge my seventh-tier Dao Foundation."