Supreme Emperor of Mist

"It's been a week after my encounter with Lord benefactor. How I wish that he'll continue to guide me in my cultivation..." Huo Zunjie's cultivation is now down to the last bit of spiritual energy left inside of his body. He's significantly weaker than before, but in terms of health, he's now much better than a week ago.

The miraculous pill his benefactor granted to him first connected his obstructed blood vessels, which help him to channel the spiritual energy much more efficiently. While at the same time, it also grants him an understanding of his cultivation.

His word "Not Dying Because You Dare To Die" actually signifies the properties of the Amber Snake Demon's poison within his body. Because the remnant of the poison in his body has contaminated his spiritual energy, they're now no longer capable of withstanding the stress when used.

That is also the reason why he's getting weaker as he tries to consolidate his cultivation. Only by removing the corroded spiritual energy can he turn his body anew and restarting it all over again.

And today was the seventh day.

Huo Zunjie calmed his mind to prepare for what's coming next.

Although he has little to no understanding of the character of his Lord benefactor, he believed that there is no reason for an expert to make a fool out of him. At most, he would just live as a man without a hint of cultivation.

To the commoners, cultivation wasn't the most crucial subject in their concern, but its how to live their life without regrets.

**Cough!**

Huo Junzie coughed out the remaining few drops of the Amber Snake Demon's poison. That also means he's now like an empty vessel without a hint of spiritual energy at all. And without the nourishment, his body started to age at an unbelievable speed.

Wrinkles appeared all over his body as if he turned from an 18 years old youthful lad into an elderly in his eighties.

(I won't lose... I won't die from this... Stay conscious, stay... Con - Con - Conscious...)

"Brother Huo! Brother Huo!" Huo Zunjie woke up on a bed the moment he opened his eyes. It was weird as hell to him.

"Are you... Ma Ling?" he turned his gaze to the maiden that's been repeating his name for a while now. She was his neighbor when his parents and older sister is still alive.

"Yes. It's me, Ling-Ling. My father and I found you unconscious inside your house, so we brought you over. Do you have a memory about what happened before you fainted?" she asked. At the same time, it is weird for this girl to have a red, cheeky blush on her face.

Huo Zunjie shifted his gaze onto his body. He was somewhat surprised because he's not an old, wrinkled man. Instead, he looked much healthier than before. But as he was not dressed right now, his thick and proud younger sibling is at full glory from showing off.

It was like the arm of a young maiden. Not humongous, but irresistible.

"Ah! I'm sorry, Ma Ling. I don't know that I am not clothed..."

...

...

Night.

Three silhouette moves like the wind across the walls as they entered the Western Demon Forest.

One of them scattered some crumbs made from the hardened bun all over the ground the moment they made their first stop. Then, another person, likely their leader, pointed in a direction that was drawn on their map.

"Let's go." the three of them vanished from their initial spot swiftly.

"Young master... This movement art you teach us, how can it be so amazing? It was much faster than the one Qin Huang used while he's sparring with the servants." Lu Yi asked as they move in between the trees and shrubs.

"It might be due to the originality. What our teacher taught me is a preliminary portion of Thousand Miles Travel in a Step. While Qin Huang's one is likely a battling movement step. Both of them are categorized as a movement art, but different." Qin Lan explained.

"I sense a few demon beasts movement around us, young master..." Qing Yun joined their conversation.

"Very good. Your Clear Cloud Lotus Art is getting more sensitive to your surroundings now." Qin Lan praised her.

"It's all thanks to young master and teacher's kindness that I could have the cultivation of the first-Level Flesh Refining Layer. I will continue to practice hard to not bring shame to both of you..." Lu Qing Yun said.

"Get rid of them! Each of you will take two targets! I'll handle the remaining that will arrive later." Qin Lan pointed Lu Qing Yun to handle their left and Lu Yi to pay attention to their right. As for himself, he'll stay on the spot and bear the brunt force of the demon beast's attack.

"ROAR!" two Black Haired Rodent Demons charges straight into Qin Lan's direction. As the side with advantages of location, their attack could be described as simple without tricks.

Qin Lan pulled a blunt iron rod out from his back as he gave the two rodent demons a beating they'll never forget. As they were in a much deeper zone compared to where he usually moves around, keeping his spiritual energy at tiptop is the most important thing to do.

Meanwhile, Lu Yi's method of fighting is more than exciting.

His Heaven allowed him to strengthen his skin and flesh to as hard as an iron plate. But since his fighting skill isn't as refined as Qin Lan, he resorted to the style of street fistfighting against two White Marten Demons.

"Come here!" Lu Yi extends his claw out as he grabbed one of the White Marten Demon on the neck and slammed it down on the ground. A rain of fist falls onto the pitiful demon beast like hailstorm immediately without leaving any mercy behind.

"Sii..." the second White Demon Marten is shocked by the death of its fellow companion. Frantically roaring to vent its anger, it attacked the moment Lu Yi revealed a tired expression.

"Heart Digging Stroke!" without warning or preparation of his next move, Lu Yi's claw went straight onto the where the White Marten Demon's ribs are located. His attack crushed its windpipe with a single strike, leaving the monster squirm on the ground for a moment before it succumbs to death.

"Using barehand to fight felt the best!" Lu Yi said as he stuffed the two corpses into the rucksack on his back.

As for Lu Qing Yun, her fighting style is much more refined.

Armed with Qin Lan's heirloom dagger in one hand, she swiftly attacks and defends against two Foul Essence Ants' relentless attack without losing her pace. The Clear Cloud Lotus Art she practices further enhances her calmness, allowing her to control and assess the situation.

"It's not your chance yet." the heirloom dagger stabs into the jaw of a Foul Essence Ant swiftly the moment Lu Qing Yun noticed what it was trying to do. That attack gently opens a cut in between the ant's head, leaving it slowly lost all motor ability soon.

Her quick and decisive attack that killed a Foul Essence Ant frightens the others as they escape without looking back.

Lu Qing Yun then went closer to her target and gave it a kick to make sure that it is dead before she stuffs the corpse into her rucksack as well.

When both of them returned to Qin Lan's side, the young master already hunted six Black Haired Rodent Demons all by himself.

"Young Master, you're too skillful... Lu Yi came forward and checked the rodent demons Qin Lan killed. With six more corpses added to their total, it came up to nine kills tonight.

"We'll spread out and search for medicinal plants as we get back. Let's go." Qin Lan said. It will be a disadvantage to them if they leave the forest with too many loots at once. Putting weight aside, bringing too many things back sometimes doesn't mean it's profitable.

The group found a small untouched tree with Demonic Blood Oranges soon, and after clearing two-third of what the tree has, they decided to call it a night. Then, two more unlucky Foul Essence Ant end up as a part of their collections as the trio gets closer to the outskirt of the forest.

With eleven corpses and close to fifteen Demonic Blood Oranges, they left the woods without leaving too many tracks regarding their movement.

...

...

"Young Master, the demon beast corpses are all cleaned and ready." Lu Qing Yun came back to Qin Lan's room after she's done handling the corpses.

Thinking about a week ago when she's still afraid of the monster's corpses, Lu Qing Yun has the urge to laugh at herself for being so timid at that time.

"Let's get to work." Qin Lan said. Lu Yi quickly went to the back of his young master's residence to bring the three Foul Essence Ant's corpses back as the first material for what Qin Lan is trying to do.

"Listen properly." Qin Lan begins.

He started their next lesson by introducing the importance of demon beast to humanity under the pretext of repeating what their teacher has taught him.

[Yao / Beast]

The word above differentiates them from the human.

Unlike human cultivators, the Demon Beast tribe was born with minimal cultivation, which strengthens as they grow older. But in exchange for the strength, it hampers their ability to develop self-awareness.

Also, there were too many parts of their body that are convertible into life-saving treasures commonly used by the cultivators. From carapaces to bones and even leathers to their flesh, everything is usable.

For example, the White Marten Demon, which is suitable to be made into either an Escaping or Running Amulet. Or the pool of Foul Essence Silver Ink made from the bodily fluid and saliva of the Foul Essence Ants.

"Young Master, I think I understand. But what are we going to do with the body of the three Foul Essence Ant?" Lu Yi is curious but did not show too much interest in this topic.

"Of course, I'm going to show you guys." Qin Lan chuckled.