Sword Qi sliced through like lightning, directly piercing the heart of the Snake Demon and instantly exploding with dazzling brilliance.

"Boom!" A loud bang resounded as the Snake Demon's body was instantly torn apart, blood splattering everywhere.

"Hiss!"

Despite the severe injuries, the Snake Demon continued to struggle, though its aura grew increasingly weaker.

"Its vitality is truly strong!"

Xu Ping's face tightened, delivering several more sword strikes, finally leaving the Snake Demon lifeless, its blood-soaked corpse curling on the icy ground.

"Phew! Finally, it's over!"

Xu Ping exhaled deeply. Despite thorough preparations, he nearly met disaster.

Defeating a Second-stage Demon Beast in the Qi Refining Realm was incredibly challenging, but thankfully, the outcome was ultimately positive.

Gazing at the Snake Demon's corpse, Xu Ping's eyes gleamed with excitement: "I wonder if this Second-stage Snake Demon has a Demon Core. If it does, the main ingredient for the Foundation Establishment Pill will be gathered."

"Perhaps it has, considering how formidable this Snake Demon is; it must be quite gifted!"

With such anticipation, Xu Ping used the Blood-Drinking Sword, slicing open a large bloody hole in the Snake Demon's abdomen, and then carefully searched inch by inch with his Divine Sense.

"Nothing!"

After thoroughly searching several times without any findings, a trace of disappointment washed over Xu Ping's heart.

Indeed, the fickle goddess of fortune never favors him.

"Never mind, regardless, successfully hunting a Second-stage Demon Beast, obtaining the Purple Flower Grass, and the Second-stage Demon Beast's corpse are worth quite a few Spirit Stones."

Xu Ping gathered his thoughts and approached the Snake Demon's corpse, storing the six or seven-zhang-long body in the Storage Ring, as ordinary storage bags couldn't contain its large size.

"Finally, the Purple Flower Grass!" Xu Ping eagerly eyed the small island in the water pool's center.

Despite the fierce battle between him and the snake, the battlefield was far enough from the island to avoid affecting it.

Xu Ping couldn't wait to tread across the water, reaching the island, and knelt down to carefully observe the Purple Flower Grass.

The Purple Flower Grass emitted a dark purple glow, its five petals resembling exquisite silk.

At such proximity, Xu Ping clearly felt the Spiritual Power and vitality contained within the small petals.

"Secure it!"

Xu Ping carefully picked the Purple Flower Grass and placed it into the prepared jade box.

Once picked, the Purple Flower Grass must be stored in a specially made jade box, or its medicinal power would gradually dissipate over time.

"Phew!"

After securing the Purple Flower Grass, Xu Ping touched the non-existent sweat on his forehead, feeling thoroughly relaxed.

"It's time to leave!"

With the items in hand, there's no reason to linger here.

Xu Ping performed a magic technique, and the spiritual light from the array plate floating beside him visibly descended until it completely disappeared.

The spiritual light shield covering the entire canyon vanished instantly.

"This Profound Celestial Trapping Array is quite handy, able to conceal movements and trap enemies."

"The only drawback... is the excessive expenditure!"

Upon inspecting the array plate, Xu Ping discovered that in just that short while, the four Mid-grade Spirit Stones within had nearly consumed entirely.

"It's really costly!" Xu Ping lamented painfully.

Four Mid-grade Spirit Stones equal four hundred Lower Grade Spirit Stones!

Just to sell the Profound Light Array would take three to four of them!

To deal with this Second-stage Snake Demon, thousands of Spirit Stones were spent, truly a victory bought with Spirit Stones.

Fortunately, the Second-stage Snake Demon's corpse is quite valuable and can barely reclaim some losses.

Xu Ping packed away the array plate, gently tapped his foot, and leaped five or six meters forward, heading out of the canyon.

His figure quickly disappeared into a dense fog.

...

...

Xu Ping ran tens of miles continuously within the Yellow Dragon Mountain Range until completely exiting it, then boarded the Flying Boat and headed for Qiu Xuan Immortal City.

Several hours later, Xu Ping arrived at his doorstep, covered in dust.

He took out the token to open the array protecting his abode, crossing the small courtyard and entering the house, where he collapsed into a chair.

The intense fight and the long hours on the road left Xu Ping exhausted once he relaxed.

He used a Cleaning Talisman to cleanse his body before lying down on the bed and falling into a deep sleep.

He slept for six straight hours, awakening refreshed the next day as dawn approached.

"Gurgle gurgle!"

Having barely eaten throughout the day, his stomach began to growl hungrily.

Heading to the kitchen, Xu Ping cut some snake demon meat from the Storage Bag and steamed it in the pot.

Truly, I've never tasted Second-stage Demon Beast flesh before, wondering how it tastes.

After half an hour, the Second-stage Demon Beast flesh seemed well-cooked.

Xu Ping started feasting heartily.

Second-stage Demon Beast flesh is chewier than ordinary demon beast flesh, offering a unique texture, but its most significant advantage is the Spiritual Qi it contains, incomparable to anything else.

If one could eat Second-stage Demon Beast flesh daily, it would facilitate cultivation at least comparable to consuming pills but without the burden of Pill Poison.

It's essentially a superior substitute for common pills.

Many offspring of significant factions consume Second-stage Demon Beast flesh from a young age to cultivate.

For Xu Ping at present, the Second-stage Demon Beast flesh holds modest value, far inferior to the potency of powerful pills.

It's fine to sample a taste, but retaining it remains unnecessary; he plans to sell the Second-stage Demon Beast flesh to recover some losses.

"This Second-stage Demon Beast must weigh at least three thousand pounds or more. I'm also unsure how Second-stage Demon Beast flesh sells, but the price should be substantial enough to help recover significantly."

"I'll sell it in a few days!"

...

...

Seven days later.

Xu Ping, disguised as a burly man, arrived once more at the entrance of the Qiu Xuan Commerce Association.

Upon entering, a servant in a blue robe immediately approached: "Fellow Daoist..."

"I'm here to sell Demon Beast flesh!"

Xu Ping's voix was hoarse, and his manner coarse and full of Evil Qi!

"Apologies, fellow Daoist, we don't procure Demon Beast flesh..." Despite Xu Ping's rough demeanor, the blue-robed servant remained exceedingly polite.

"Not even Second-stage Demon Beast flesh?"

"Second-stage Demon Beast flesh??" The servant was stunned, lost for words, "Fellow Daoist, is this some jest?"

Second-stage Demon Beast flesh is scarce in the market, how did this cultivator of Qi Refining Realm eighth level acquire it?

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Xu Ping's tone carried dissatisfaction.

"I'm terribly sorry... this is above my decision-making authority. Allow me to take you to see our steward." The servant quickly apologized after understanding and personally led Xu Ping to the VIP room on the second floor.

The furnishings upstairs differed from the hall below, not only much smaller but also adorned with antique tables and chairs, arranged with elegant simplicity, comfort, and ease.

Most surprisingly, in the room's corner sat an exquisite incense burner, with a stick of aromatic incense slowly burning within, filling the room with a faint sandalwood fragrance.

Steward Tian Li, holding an ancient book in his hand, stood in the room, reading aloud.

"This Steward Tian Li seems more like a scholar than a cultivator," Xu Ping mused silently.

Once Xu Ping arrived, Tian Li leisurely closed the book, while the blue-robed servant accompanying Xu Ping hurriedly approached and whispered a few words in his ear.

Tian Li's eyes widened with a hint of shock but quickly managed to hide it.

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