Chapter 99 A Bountiful Harvest

Chapter 99: A Bountiful Harvest

A short while later, the group had collected over forty turtle shells of various sizes. Most of the meat was charred and inedible, but this saved them the trouble of slaughtering the creatures; they only needed to clean up.

These turtle shells were excellent materials for crafting defensive magical instruments and were quite valuable. Wang Hao roughly calculated that if they sold this batch in Wanxiang City, it would be worth at least ten thousand Spirit Stones. The shell of the second-grade mid-tier Green Spirit Turtle alone was worth two thousand, and its demon core could fetch nearly a thousand. Additionally, there were teeth, claws, and other parts that could also be sold for a decent sum.

"Hurry up and pack everything. We'll wait for one more wave of demon beasts today!"

The substantial harvest lifted everyone's spirits. If things continued like this, just ten more waves of demon beasts would allow them to recoup their previous expenses.

By evening, another wave of demon beasts arrived. They slithered swiftly—a group of water snakes.

These beasts weren't very valuable; only their skins and gallbladders could be sold for money. Their bones were too soft and could only be used to make whip-type magical instruments, which didn't fetch a high price.

However, they were difficult to deal with because they were highly venomous and agile. For Qi Refining cultivators, being bitten was very dangerous. Wang Hao simply had everyone use ice-based spells to freeze the entire snake group into a block of ice, then smash it into large pieces for easier cleanup.

Over the next two months, they set up ambushes on the island, hunting nearby demon beasts. They encountered three waves of Green Spirit Turtles alone, with the highest tier reaching second-grade high-tier. It seemed this type of demon beast was quite common in the area.

Everyone's Storage Bags were stuffed full, and their faces were lit with the joy of their gains.

Of course, they didn't hunt every single day. After each use of the Demon-Luring Grass, they needed several days of rest to recover their spiritual energy and alleviate fatigue.

"I never imagined hunting demon beasts could be so straightforward. If our family had come to the overseas regions earlier, we might have already nurtured a Golden Core cultivator!" Wang Yanping sighed.

"Fellow Daoists, our Storage Bags are running out of space, and our spirit talismans are almost depleted. Should we head back?" Wang Hao suggested. "How about we first sell these goods at Canglan Market and then return to continue hunting?"

Although both Wang Hao and the Li family cultivators could draw talismans, their energy was limited. Humans weren't made of iron.

"That's not ideal. The purchase prices in Wanxiang City are already quite low. Canglan Market is on the front lines, and its prices are another twenty percent lower than Wanxiang City's. After all our hard work, letting others profit so much feels like a loss!"

Li Dedao glanced at everyone's expressions and added quietly, "After these days of battle, I feel my cultivation level loosening somewhat. I'd also like to return and focus on cultivation for a while."

Seeing that others seemed inclined as well, Wang Hao nodded in agreement.

"We've been out for over two months now. It would be good to return and rest for a period. If no special circumstances arise in the future, I plan for us to come out hunting demon beasts once a year, leaving the remaining time for everyone to cultivate in peace."

Many showed happy smiles at this. For cultivators, cultivation level was fundamental. Having earned so many Spirit Stones without converting them into personal strength felt unsettling. On the other hand, once their strength increased, they could hunt even more demon beasts.

Seeing this situation, Li Derong also nodded. "Since everyone wishes to return, I won't stand in the way. However, our Demon-Luring Grass can still last two more days. Leaving today would be wasteful. Why not wait two more days? Surely you all wouldn't mind a little more harvest?"

Thinking of the Demon-Luring Grass worth several hundred Spirit Stones, everyone felt a pang of heartache and agreed to wait two more days.

Little did they know that this decision would bring them significant losses and trouble.

On the final day, Wang Hao led the group to continue hunting. One after another, Cat-Eye Snail demon beasts with round shells crawled into the formation.

These creatures were only about millstone-sized; second-grade ones were slightly larger but still only about seven or eight feet in diameter. They were extremely adept at earth-based spells and would quickly burrow into sand or soil when threatened.

There were many of them—hundreds densely packed together—with six being second-grade. Wang Hao sent a voice transmission to Li Derong: if they captured these demon beasts, they would have to leave immediately; otherwise, there truly wouldn't be any space left in their Storage Bags.

The number of Cat-Eye Snails was simply too large for the formation to cover entirely. As the formation enveloped the beach, Wang Hao and several other Foundation Establishment cultivators quickly cast Iron Wall spells to harden the ground, preventing the snails from escaping. Those outside the formation had to be abandoned.

Fortunately, the formation successfully trapped all second-grade Cat-Eye Snails and a large number of first-grade ones. Over thirty outside the formation burrowed into the sand and disappeared.

The trapped Cat-Eye Snails emitted strange hissing sounds and began attacking the formation. The barrier flickered constantly under the assault—clearly, it wouldn't hold for long.

"Finish them quickly!"

Wang Hao threw out a Fire Dragon spell that instantly swept through a group of Cat-Eye Snails. Others also joined the attack.

Boom!

A series of explosions rang out as several snails were slain; some were engulfed in roaring flames, others bound by vines or trapped in quicksand, unable to move.

Although numerous, the Cat-Eye Snails had limited methods of attack and weren't difficult to deal with. The group only needed to expend some mana to successfully hunt them.

But at that moment, a sharp cry suddenly came from afar. Black dots appeared high in the sky.

"Trouble—flying demon beasts!"

Having experienced the battle at Ling Lake City, Wang Hao knew how troublesome flying demon beasts could be; Qi Refining clan members couldn't handle them easily. He quickly said, "You all finish off the Cat-Eye Snails quickly! I'll hold them off for a moment!"

With that, he released Yaya and mounted her. "Yaya, let's go!"

"Gah, gah!"

Yaya flapped her large wings and carried Wang Hao toward the threat. Wang Hao saw that it was a flock of demon cranes—their long beaks and sharp claws were their weapons—numbering over thirty, with three being second-grade.

Wang Hao stepped off Yaya's back and began condensing numerous fiery feathers behind him. In such situations, area-of-effect spells were most effective—not aiming to kill them all, but to delay until Li Derong and the others dealt with the Cat-Eye Snails.

Streaks of fiery feathers shot out toward the flock. The second-grade cranes released wind blades to counterattack. After a series of explosions, some fiery feathers remained unblocked, quickly claiming several first-grade demon cranes' lives. A vast crimson sea of fire spread through the air, temporarily blocking the cranes' advance.

However, the cranes began splitting up, flanking around both sides of the fire sea.

Wang Hao could only choose to intercept the larger group. "Watch your defenses!"

Seeing this, the clan members below hurriedly cast defensive spells on themselves. Having experienced prolonged battles, they didn’t panic excessively.

Li Dedao summoned his flying sword. After channeling spells, thousands of sword blades materialized, temporarily blocking one group of demon cranes. Several first-grade cranes couldn’t withstand his attacks and were shot down one after another.

Wang Hao felt relieved and directed Yaya to distract one second-grade crane while he charged another, sword in hand.

Wang Hao channeled spiritual energy into the Child-Mother Green Light Sword, causing it to hum and emit streaks of green light, forming a small-scale sword array. However, those phantom blades were illusory, lacking attack power, serving only to deceive.

But deceiving brainless demon beasts like cranes was sufficient.

The creature mistakenly believed the central sword was the most dangerous and hastily dodged sideways, unaware of the real sword hidden at the edge.

Thud.

The crane’s sharp claws tightly gripped the Child-Mother Green Light Sword. Even though the claws were cut, it dared not loosen its grip. Before it could catch its breath, the hilt suddenly moved, and a small blade flew out, lightly slicing its neck.

Instantly, the second-grade crane felt its head sway. Moments later, it saw its own body falling.

Wang Hao then turned toward the other cranes.

On the ground, Wang Wenmei activated a chain fireball talisman, blasting three first-grade cranes flying toward her into the sea of flames.

One second-grade crane fixed its gaze on her, a pair of sharp claws aiming for Wang Wenmei. With the sharpness of a second-grade demon beast, those claws could easily tear through her defenses.