Chapter 6: Refining the Demon

  On the outskirts of the dark forest, a figure was jumping between the branches of the trees. The figure was light and agile, although it was fleeing for its life, but couldn't be described as carefree.

  Behind him, three fierce birds 'Fire Crows' closely followed.

  Quack quack quack!

  The angry cries of the crowd, filled with great indignation, chased after the vicious human who had ruined their meal.

  "A second-tier demonic beast, one-on-one is still manageable, but three at once is a bit unsolvable." Chen Yuan lightly jumped up and turned his head to glance at the three fire crows, silently sighing in his heart.

  Since he had successfully cultivated the Yin Yang Refining Demon God Technique, he rushed to the outskirts of the Youming Forest. He knew that time was pressing, and after entering the forest, he had been fighting non-stop for three days. In these three days, he had already killed over 200 first-level demon beasts and a dozen or so lone second-level demon beasts. His demonic aura had accumulated over 150 points, and with just 50 more points, he would be able to obtain the diagram for the one-time-use Fire-Wood Battle Array "Ashen Array" from the Jade Stele.

  Formation, undoubtedly the most mysterious and powerful heritage on the continent of Jiuzhou. Humans were able to survive in the ancient battles with monsters thanks to the magic of formations, but the heritage of formations has always been very secretive. Even first-class formations are rare throughout the continent, so although the population is now large, the number of cultivators' manors has not increased accordingly.

  The formation method is not only less inherited, but more importantly, it's harder to practice. Chen Yuan doesn't know what his innate talent for array cultivation is like, but in order to survive the upcoming demonic tide, he can only rely on the formation method.

  The pursuit of the Huo Ya seemed endless, and going further would mean entering the depths of the You Ming Forest. Chen Yuan's current strength was no match for a second-level or higher demonic beast.

  "We can't retreat anymore! I have the Yin Yang Cultivation Magic, with the two energies of yin and yang circulating non-stop. Along the way, it's just a series of leaps, which can be said to be without any consumption. These three fire crows are spewing fire all along the way, only fearing that their true energy is already running low."

  Chen Yuan calculated in his heart and saw an opportunity for victory, he would never let it go.

  Body suddenly stopped, right hand a probe, yellow skin color instantly turned silver white, one hand probe out, gas momentum spit out more than one zhang. Like a spirit snake moving, swift and extraordinary, in an instant biting a fire crow.

  Ahh...

  Silver Snake Plucks Star Hand, minor divine art, borrowing the Nine Profound Divine Snake's life force to cultivate, although not fully accomplished, one move strikes true, and even a second-level Fire Crow cannot resist, in an instant the snake swallows the fire crow, falling to the ground.

  One hand counter-kills a Fire Crow, immediately followed by being confronted with two more Fire Crows charging in.

  Boom! Boom!

  Two loud crashes followed in quick succession.

  Chen Yuan's body was knocked flying, and his chest clothes ignited instantly.

  He hastily pulled off his outer garment and threw it out, revealing his robust physique.

  His chest was burning red hot, but this kind of pain, compared to the pain in his limbs and internal organs caused by dispersing his Qi, was actually a bit lighter.

  Chen Yuan's yin-yang dual energy circulated, unfolding the simplest 'Bengshan Fist', battling two fire crows. One punch with yang fire bursting into the sky, one punch with yin cold congealing frost. A basic fist technique, under the coordination of yin-yang extremes and yin-yang dual energy, surprisingly displayed boundless power.

  Two fire crows were short of spiritual energy, dodging and evading with difficulty, and soon fell to the ground one after another under the rain of punches.

  Chen Yuan took out a small dissecting knife, first taking the crystal stone, then operating the yin and yang energies, forming an empty seal with his hand, reciting the incantation:

  "Heaven and earth are the furnace, yin and yang are the fire, follow my divine will, refine the demon and transform the soul!"

  The law pointer moves, the mysterious law text appears, and transforms into a thread of divine power. The three fire crow demons struggle in mid-air, let out a few mournful cries, and are then pulled into Chen Yuan's body.

  The demonic energy entered his body, and Chen Yuan not only accumulated a large amount of demonic energy but also subtly increased his own strength. The demonic energy was more violent than the demonic soul and was not suitable for refinement. Chen Yuan knew this and would not forcibly refine the demonic energy in order to speed up his cultivation. Instead, he used these demonic energies to exchange for array diagrams, magical tools, and spiritual elixirs from the Jade Tablet, a supreme artifact.

  "These three Flame Crows aren't bad, and they actually yielded four low-grade demon spirits. However, dealing with them took too much time, and it's not as efficient as hunting a first-grade demon beast. Further ahead, I might encounter third-grade demon beasts, which would be way beyond my capabilities. It's better to head back! With another half-day of hunting, I should be able to gather enough demon spirits for the Ashen Array."

  ……

  Outside the giant tree fort, a wild man with a mountain-like appearance appeared outside the fort, wearing animal skin and having a full beard.

  This was Chen Yuan, who had been hunting and killing at the outskirts of the Youming Forest for four days. After four days of continuous fighting without rest, he finally accumulated enough demonic energy. He immediately exchanged it for the Ashen Formation, and after a night of study, he found that he could fully set up and control this formation.

  However, the materials for the array are a bit too much. Even if he hunted and killed hundreds of first- and second-level demon beasts outside the Youming Forest, he still didn't have enough materials to set up the array.

  First-level battle array, Ashen Array, requires one hundred first-level crystal stones of both fire and wood attributes, each requiring ten second-level crystal stones as the main array material. Additionally, a third-level wind attribute crystal stone is needed to regulate the wood and fire dual properties, enhancing attack power. Most importantly, this array needs a Soul Refining Disk as its array eye.

  Huomu first-class crystal stone, second-class crystal stone, Chen Yuan has collected enough, but third-class wind system crystal stone, belongs to the rare beast that only comes out of the crystal stone, although it is third-class, the true value is not less than four-class five-element attribute, Chen Yuan at least needs to spend two hundred first-class crystal stones to buy it, fortunately he hunted and killed enough, this amount of money still has.

  The Soul Refining Disk is available for sale at the store, with prices ranging from 100 to 500 depending on quality. Chen Yuan plans to buy a mid-range one, after all, his savings are only that much.

  At the same time, he also wants to sell some demon beast materials and herbs, and the gains of these four days are not small, and he should be able to earn a little.

  Jù Mù Bǎo is more than ten times larger than Bai Xiao Zhuang. The main building of the fortress is a thousand-year-old Quemu tree, 200 meters high, hence the name Jù Mù (Giant Tree).

  This giant tree is the core of the third-level grand array 'Fire Tree Silver Flower' of the Giant Tree Fortress. When the tide of evil comes, the law array is activated, and the three systems of fire, wood, and gold gather together, which can be attacked and defended, with infinite power.

  There are thousands of households in the fort, but there is a large floating population. Some scattered cultivators do not live here, but when they encounter a demon tide, they will pay to enter the fort for shelter.

  There are only three days left until the arrival of the demonic tide, so the fortress is exceptionally lively at this time. The streets are extremely crowded, and in order to maintain order, Julin Fortress cannot help but strictly check the entry population.

  "I'm now in this state, I'm afraid even the people of Bai Xiao Village wouldn't recognize me. And with a loose cultivator's identity, let's enter the city first and talk later." Chen Yuan thought to himself, and before long it was his turn to enter the city.

  "What's your name? Where are you from?" The guard of Juluo Fortress blocked Chen Yuan and asked.

  "Chen Yuan, mountain and field scattered repair, evil tide is coming soon, want to enter the castle to take shelter." Chen Yuan replied casually.

  "The fort is full of people and cannot enter." The guard refused with a serious face.

  Chen Yuan, having been through thick and thin for many years, naturally knew that he couldn't enter the fortress without paying a certain price. He sensed the true energy of the wooden guardian and took out a second-grade demon soul crystal from his hemp bag, stuffing it into the guardian's hand.

  "General, please make an exception this time."

  "Ah! Go ahead! Next!" The guard silently put away the crystal stone and nodded in approval.