Chapter 592: Dan Fire

Within the Nine-Array Diagram, as Lu Ye's long saber fell, the fox demon was decapitated, her life force completely shattered.

He let out a long breath, shook the blood off his Pan Mountain Saber, and as his mind relaxed, his body swayed slightly.

The battle with the fox demon wasn't overly dangerous; his exhaustion stemmed mainly from the immense consumption of mental power in a short period.

His body was covered in wounds, but none were severe enough to damage bones or tendons. Given his physique, recovery wouldn't be difficult.

"Yiyi, what's the situation outside?" Lu Ye asked.

Logically speaking, with the fox demon dead, the soul secret art she had planted should have dissolved on its own, but he couldn't be certain if that was truly the case.

Yiyi's voice quickly reached his ears: "Everyone has returned to normal, but a few cultivators from the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge fled immediately, including Xia Liang and Tan Sheng."

"Those scoundrels reacted quickly!" Lu Ye gritted his teeth inwardly.

Originally, after slaying the fox demon, he had planned to kill Tan Sheng and Xia Liang as well. Although he had been cultivating with Xia Liang recently, he had never forgotten the enmity between them.

If he hadn't been drawn into the Nine-Array Diagram, he could have immediately intervened in the battle after killing the fox demon. But being inside the Nine-Array Diagram, he couldn't influence the situation outside.

Xia Liang and Tan Sheng were familiar with the wolf pack; after all, they had suffered greatly at the spiritual land previously. So, after breaking free from the fox demon's control, their first action was to flee far away.

As Ninth-Layer cultivators, if they were intent on escaping, the wolf pack truly had no effective way to stop them.

Though he felt a slight regret, he could only accept it.

Lu Ye took a few steps forward, approaching the fox demon's corpse. He fumbled around on the body for a while and found a storage bag.

This was the fox demon's storage bag, which she had always worn. Now that she was dead, it naturally became Lu Ye's spoils of war.

Lu Ye wasn't sure how many valuable items she possessed, but he knew for certain that it contained a monster core from a Hegemon-level monster – the very core obtained from slaying the berserk giant ape earlier, which she had stored in the bag.

This was a rare treasure, seldom seen in a hundred years.

Throughout history, Hegemon-level monsters in the Cloud River Battlefield have rarely been slain. This was evident from the Fox Immortal Valley's actions this time: if cultivators had merely grouped up to deal with it on their own, it would have been impossible to succeed without a lineup of two or three hundred people, and it would have come with immense losses, making it ultimately not worth the effort.

That they could kill the berserk giant ape this time was due to the fox demon, driven by hatred, planting a soul secret art on the cultivators, making them fearless of death, and it was further aided by the numerous formations Lu Ye and Xie Yunhan had set up in advance.

Just by holding such a monster core from a Hegemon-level monster, Lu Ye could feel the surging power within. If given to Amber to devour and refine, it would surely bring great benefits.

The spoils of war were naturally not limited to this.

Lu Ye then reached out and placed his hand on the fox demon's corpse, silently examining it for a moment. He lifted the Pan Mountain Saber and plunged it down; a moment later, another monster core was extracted.

This was the fox demon's monster core; although it couldn't compare to a Hegemon-level monster core, it was still quite valuable.

Wiping the blood from the monster core, Lu Ye looked at it, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

The monster core was only the size of a baby's fist, displaying an unusual pink color, with a faint glow emanating from it, as if flames were burning.

"Is this... Dan Fire?"

Dan Fire isn't a flame used for alchemy; it's the inner core of a fire-attributed monster. Lu Ye had purchased quite a few from the Heavenly Mystery Vault before, all of which had been devoured by the Talent Tree.

Upon closer thought, this fox demon had activated fox-fire capable of shaking one's mind during their battle, so it could indeed be considered a fire-attributed monster.

In the Heavenly Mystery Vault, Dan Fires varied in price, ranging from hundreds to thousands, even tens of thousands of merit points. There was even a rare fire called "Extreme Cold Ice Flame," valued at a staggering 180,000 merit points.

He didn't know the exact price of this fox demon's monster core in his hand, but it probably wouldn't be very expensive.

Since it was Dan Fire, it could naturally be devoured.

Lu Ye's thoughts stirred, and a few roots grew from the Talent Tree, extending into the invisible space. The next moment, the Dan Fire in his hand rapidly dimmed as its energy was devoured by the Talent Tree.

Immersing his mind to observe the Talent Tree's changes was merely out of habit. Lu Ye hadn't expected a single monster core to cause significant changes to the Talent Tree, but to his astonishment, as the energy within the monster core was devoured, a leaf on the upper part of the Talent Tree suddenly reacted and began to burn at a visible rate.

Unlike the blazing flames of other leaves, this particular leaf burned with the same pink color as the fox demon's monster core.

This was the first time Lu Ye had encountered such a phenomenon, and he was momentarily stunned.

A moment later, the energy in the monster core in his hand was depleted, turning into scattered dust. The Talent Tree now had an additional leaf burning with pink flames, standing out conspicuously.

Lu Ye had a faint feeling that he might have underestimated the value of the fox demon's monster core.

After all, it was the monster core of a Six-tailed Celestial Fox and certainly couldn't be treated lightly. Just from its ability to cause such a change in the Talent Tree, he could tell that the monster core was extremely valuable.

Lu Ye suppressed the doubts in his mind and didn't immediately investigate the information contained within the burning leaf.

He was currently injured, his mental power severely depleted, and there were still many matters outside awaiting his attention, so it was not good to delay.

"Yiyi!" Lu Ye called softly.

Yiyi understood instinctively, activating the power of the Nine-Array Diagram. The next moment, Lu Ye's figure was expelled from the Nine-Array Diagram.

As soon as he stabilized his stance, Amber darted over from the side and perched on his shoulder.

Amber was very clever. When the fox demon enslaved Ju Jia with a single glance, it had jumped off Lu Ye and hid far away, fearing it would be enslaved as well.

There were no longer sounds of battle all around. Numerous demonic wolves quietly stood by, and the remaining cultivators of Fox Immortal Valley were gathered together, each with profound sorrow on their faces.

When their minds were enslaved by the fox demon, they didn't feel there was anything wrong with their actions. But the moment the fox demon died and the soul secret art was broken, the experiences of those years immediately flooded their minds, and each one asked themselves: What have I been doing?

Especially Xie Yunhan, who had spent a full twelve years in Fox Immortal Valley, completely severed ties with his sect and family, and whose own cultivation hadn't advanced much, pointlessly wasting his time.

Although others hadn't stayed as long as Xie Yunhan, many had been there for at least a year or two. Thinking of their time in Fox Immortal Valley, they all felt deeply ashamed and uneasy.

Seeing Lu Ye appear, everyone gathered around him.

"Fellow Daoist Lu." Zhou Yuntian, covered in blood, bowed to Lu Ye and asked with some apprehension: "Is that fox demon... dead?"

Although they knew the fox demon must be dead the moment the soul secret art was broken, they still couldn't be certain before receiving a confirmation.

The psychological trauma the fox demon had inflicted on them was simply too great.

"The fox demon has been slain by me, fellow Daoists, you need not worry anymore," Lu Ye said. Not only was she killed, but her monster core was also devoured by the Talent Tree, though he wondered if he would gain any new spirit patterns from it.

Hearing this, many let out long breaths, their tense expressions visibly relaxing. Zhou Yuntian bowed again: "We were imprisoned, deceived by the fox demon without knowing it. This time, thanks to Fellow Daoist Lu's rescue, such kindness is akin to a rebirth. In the future, if Fellow Daoist has any commands, we would not dare disobey."

The others also bowed solemnly, expressing their gratitude one after another.

Lu Ye returned the bow: "Fellow Daoists, there's no need for such formality; I was merely saving myself. It's just regrettable that many fellow Daoists ultimately lost their lives."

Xie Yunhan sighed: "It's a matter of timing and fate. For you, Young Brother Lu, to have saved us is already quite remarkable."

Although no one knew how Lu Ye had the ability to command such a wolf pack to assist in battle, even if the wolf pack was powerful and numerous, they might not have been able to accomplish much against the Fox Immortal Valley's peak strength.

Lu Ye's choice to act after Fox Immortal Valley had fought a bloody battle with the berserk giant ape was undoubtedly the most judicious. Furthermore, when the demonic wolves had previously surrounded them, they had clearly received prior orders to only surround them and not kill them; otherwise, it was likely that few would still be standing there now.

"In any case, we have finally broken free from the fox demon's control," Zhou Yuntian said. "This is a blessing. You all needn't be so crestfallen anymore. Think of your sects, think of your brothers and sisters. From now on, we won't have to be slaves or kneel in subservience anymore."

Someone quietly said, "Now that Fellow Daoist Zhou mentions it... I miss home."

The crowd suddenly fell silent, a longing light appearing in their eyes. In Fox Immortal Valley, under the fox demon's command, no one dared to send messages or contact the outside world. For all these years, the family and friends of Fox Immortal Valley cultivators had been searching for them, sending messages to them. Previously, under the fox demon's control, they hadn't felt it mattered, but now, having broken free, a tsunami of longing immediately surged within them.

"Then... home?" someone murmured softly.

Zhou Yuntian raised an arm and cried out, "If not now, when will we return?"

Once longing surged up, it could no longer be controlled. Everyone was eager to return to their sects and hometowns, and share their long-separated pains with their long-absent families.

"Home!" someone echoed.

For a time, emotions ran high among the crowd.

Zhou Yuntian turned to look at Lu Ye: "Fellow Daoist Lu, what are your plans?"

Lu Ye pondered for a moment: "My senior brother and I have only recently entered the Cloud River Battlefield, so we won't be returning for now. Moreover, I am injured and need to rest for a while. You all may proceed as you wish."

Zhou Yuntian had originally intended to persuade Lu Ye to leave with them, as this was deep within Mount Tai Mang, where powerful monsters were numerous. However, he suddenly remembered that Lu Ye was protected by a wolf pack, making any danger unlikely. So, he said nothing further, and nodded, saying: "In that case, Fellow Daoist Lu, take care. If you ever need help in the future, just give a shout."

Everyone bid farewell to Lu Ye and exchanged battle marks with him.

A moment later, numerous cultivators rose into the air on their artifacts and swiftly departed under the gaze of Lu Ye, Li Baxian, and others. This group of people, each with considerable cultivation, traveling in such a large group, would face virtually no danger unless they encountered a Hegemon-level monster.

Almost simultaneously with Zhou Yuntian and the others' departure, Lu Ye suddenly felt an unusual sensation. In the ethereal realm, something descended from the sky, landing upon him, and the back of his hand warmed slightly.