859: Treasure Fox

Xue Li followed Yao Delong cheerfully, her small figure transforming into a nimble snow-white streak, leaving faint icy trails across the vast sky of the Demon Domain. Although Yao Delong had slowed his pace, he still harbored some doubts about this little fox's identity. 'The Bloodline of the Heavenly Fox Clan is complex, with numerous royal and noble branches. This little one is wandering alone in the Western Hundred Thousand Mountains, where the Howling Moon Sky Wolves run rampant. If she isn't on some special mission, then she must have encountered some mishap...' He didn't delve deeper into it. As long as she didn't cause trouble, bringing her along for a while was fine.

The two of them flew one after the other, having just covered no more than a hundred li when a clear, urgent voice transmission from Xue Li came from behind:

"Senior! Senior! Wait a moment!"

Yao Delong paused slightly and looked back.

He saw Xue Li hovering in mid-air, her delicate little nose twitching rapidly like the most precise radar, her large, glass-like eyes sparkling with excitement. One of her snow-white little paws eagerly pointed straight west:

"Over there! About fifty li to the west! There's something good! Very fragrant and pure Wood Spirit Qi, and... hmm... a trace of deep, rich Earth Essence! It's hidden very deep!" Her tone was confident, brimming with the joy of discovering a Treasure Trove.

Yao Delong raised an eyebrow slightly. His Divine Thought had already swept through that area earlier, finding nothing special apart from a few Yao Beasts with weak auras and ordinary vegetation. But Xue Li was so certain... His mind stirred again. The power of his Primordial Spirit in his Sea of Consciousness activated, and his Divine Thought, like the most precise probe, penetrated layer by layer and scanned meticulously toward the direction Xue Li indicated, with precision far exceeding before!

One breath... two breaths... Finally!

Deep within an inconspicuous rock crevice completely covered by giant fern plants, Yao Delong's Divine Thought detected an extremely restrained yet exceptionally pure Spirit Medicine fluctuation!

"Huh?" A trace of surprise flashed in Yao Delong's eyes. If not for Xue Li pinpointing the location and characteristics so accurately, this precious medicine's perfect camouflage would have almost fooled him!

His figure flashed, appearing before the crevice as if teleporting.

With a light flick of his sleeve, a gentle force swept away the thick fern leaves and camouflaging soil.

In an instant, seven Lingzhi mushrooms, carved like jadeite and flowing with warm, radiant light, were revealed! Each was no larger than a palm, yet they emitted a refreshing, dense vitality and a strange medicinal power that could stabilize the Divine Soul!

"Top-tier seventh-rank Spirit Medicine: Spirit-Nourishing Earth Lingzhi!" Yao Delong recognized it at a glance. This item was indeed a main ingredient for refining high-grade healing holy medicines, and an indispensable auxiliary ingredient for certain eighth-rank Medicinal Pills that stabilized the Foundation and nourished the Primordial Spirit! It was quite valuable!

With a wave of his hand, the seven Lingzhi mushrooms, along with the Spirit Soil wrapped around their roots, were stored into his storage ring.

Only then did Xue Li come trotting over, hovering beside Yao Delong. She lifted her little head, her glass-like large eyes filled with the pride of "Praise me! Aren't I amazing?" Her snow-white tail wagged happily from side to side, almost as if she had "Am I useful?" written on her face.

Looking at her little expression of seeking credit, the corner of Yao Delong's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. He raised his hand and lightly flicked her smooth little forehead with his finger.

"Thump!"

A crisp, light sound.

"Ouch!" Xue Li exaggeratedly covered her forehead with both little paws, looking at Yao Delong with a pitiful expression.

"Keep up." Yao Delong only tossed out these two words, then ignored her and turned to continue on his way. Only, his speed had unconsciously slowed down a bit more.

Xue Li rubbed her forehead, which wasn't actually hurting, and looked at Yao Delong's back. A sly smile flashed in her large eyes as she quickly caught up. She knew that this seemingly cold Senior had actually tacitly acknowledged her value.

For the rest of the journey, with Xue Li as this natural treasure-detecting Magic Treasure, Yao Delong's harvest could be described as bountiful!

"Senior! Seventy li southeast! There's Sharp Metal Qi! Hidden behind a waterfall!"

"That swamp ahead to the left! Deep within the poisonous miasma! There are Yin-attributed Ghost Soul Flowers! Their rank... hmm... seventh-rank!"

"Look at that grove of fiery maple trees! The tallest one! There's something in the tree core! So hot!"

...Under Xue Li's precise navigation, one after another, seventh-rank Spirit Medicines and rare Ores with excellent quality, long years, or extremely tricky and hidden locations were collected by Yao Delong as easily as taking something from a bag. Although for him now, seventh-rank items were merely icing on the cake rather than timely aid, this relaxed and effortless "treasure-hunting" experience, as if strolling through his own backyard, truly put Yao Delong in a good mood.

"This little thing... is truly born for treasure hunting." Yao Delong looked at Xue Li, who had once again accurately located a precious "Mystic Ice Jade Marrow Grass" and was excitedly leading the way ahead, and couldn't help but admire in his heart. "This talent seems even superior to Qiong Shuang's treasure-hunting intuition in the Burial God Abyss, especially in this vast Demon Domain, where she's like a fish in water."

Far away, deep within the Demon Summoning Abyss tens of thousands of li away, Qiong Shuang, who had just consolidated her Realm and was emanating the terrifying aura of a Tenth-Rank Demon King, was sitting cross-legged on a piece of Ten-Thousand-Year-Old Mystic Ice when she suddenly sneezed without warning.

"Achoo!"

Qiong Shuang rubbed her delicate nose, her beautiful face full of confusion: "How strange... I've already attained the body of a Tenth-Rank Demon King, impervious to all evils, so why would I sneeze? I feel like someone is talking about me behind my back..." Little did she know that some heartless fellow had brought along a newly acquired "treasure-hunting fox" and had "outdone" her again.

With Xue Li's "treasure-hunting navigation" and Yao Delong's flying, the journey became exceptionally "fulfilling." Before long, the two had flown over a continuous mountain range where Evil Qi soared to the sky and demonic clouds loomed faintly. Based on the map and the familiar, violent, bloodthirsty, tearing unique Demonic Qi permeating the air, Yao Delong knew they had arrived at the territory of the a mythical beast!

Not long after the two entered the core airspace of this territory—

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Several powerful figures shot through the air, carrying intense vigilance, instantly blocking Yao Delong's path a hundred zhang ahead.

The leader was a burly, ferocious-looking Demon Marshal at the Peak of the ninth rank, with a single horn on his head and his body covered in blood-red scales! Behind him followed a team of fierce, scale-armored, fierce-eyed Eighth-Rank Demon General patrol soldiers. The horned Demon Marshal's gaze swept over Yao Delong. Sensing the unfathomable Demon King pressure, a flash of wariness appeared in his eyes. He lowered his posture, clasped his fists, and bowed respectfully:

"Esteemed Demon King, please halt! May I ask what business brings you to the territory of our Great King Sky-Splitting? Please inform us so that this subordinate may report." Although his tone was polite, his duty gave it a hint of unavoidable inquiry.

Yao Delong's expression remained calm. With his hands behind his back, his tone carried a casualness of reuniting with an old friend: "This One is an old acquaintance of Brother Sky-Splitting. Having some free time today, I specially came to visit."