228: Chapter 228 You guys found the teleportation array?

As time passed. Half a month later.

Wu Li sat cross-legged in the depths of his Immortal Cave every day, refining the residual spiritual energy of those seven Golden Cores.

Deputy Commander Lin He's Golden Core was of the highest quality, and the spiritual energy it contained was the purest. It took Wu Li nearly ten days to completely refine it, while the remaining six Golden Cores were absorbed one by one over the following days.

With each one absorbed, the Demon Power within his body grew denser, and the luster on the surface of his demon core deepened, slowly shifting from dark red to deep crimson, like a layer of repeatedly polished lacquer, exuding a sense of restrained solidity.

Finally, today.

As Wu Li's aura continued to climb, the air inside the Immortal Cave felt as if it were being pressed down by something. Gravel on the ground jumped slightly, and even the tips of the stalactites hanging from the ceiling began to tremble. Droplets of water were shattered in mid-air by an invisible wave of Qi, turning into a fine mist.

... Outside.

Upon sensing Wu Li's aura, the flock of crows began to grow restless one by one.

"Such a powerful aura, is Old Ancestor about to have another Breakthrough?" Bai Chi looked toward the Immortal Cave where Wu Li was, a flash of shock in his eyes.

"It looks like it." Hei Yu, Heida, and other crows gathered.

"Spread out, protect the surroundings!" As soon as Hei Yu finished speaking, several crows quickly dispersed to the surrounding areas.

Inside the cave.

Wu Li sat cross-legged on that flat stone. The Blood Pupil on his forehead opened on its own, and scarlet light swirled in the depths of his pupils, as if a ball of flame were burning inside.

The Demon Power within his body surged through his Meridians, and each cycle made the Demon Power more solid.

Finally.

Half an hour later.

Under the scouring of his Demon Power, the last layer of the dark red shell on the surface of the demon core in Wu Li's Dantian finally faded away completely, revealing a deep crimson luster beneath, like solidified blood. The surface was as smooth as a mirror, with a layer of golden-red halo faintly glowing at the edges.

"Boom!!" Wu Li felt the portal-like boundary in his Dantian shatter completely at this moment, and his Demon Power surged toward his limbs and bones like a breached flood.

His body trembled slightly, and his feathers stood on end for an instant before slowly settling back down, returning to their state of lying flat against his body.

He opened his eyes, and the scarlet light in his blood-red pupils slowly receded, as if covered by something, his gaze becoming a few shades deeper than before.

"Not bad." Wu Li smiled with satisfaction.

At this moment, he felt that if he were to fight the Horned Dragon again, he wouldn't need to go to such great lengths as before.

Inside the Immortal Cave.

Wu Li originally wanted to sit for a while longer to completely stabilize his aura, but when his spiritual sense swept over the outside, the corners of his mouth twitched slightly. He then stood up, flapped his wings, and his figure darted out of the cave, landing by the water pool.

"Boom~" On the open ground to the east of Qingfeng Ravine, Hu Lie was lying on a rock, his yellowish-brown pupils fixed on the figure slowly walking toward them, his tail gently sweeping across the ground.

Behind him, Hei Yu crouched on the rock top above the waterfall, his purple-black pupils locked onto the direction of the newcomer, his wings slightly spread open by a fraction.

Heida, Heier, Bai Chi, and Hei Shan dispersed in turn, distributing themselves in a semi-arc behind Hu Lie. They each occupied different positions, appearing as if they had just casually placed a few stones, yet they happened to perfectly block all the necessary paths.

Ahead.

Commander Su Qin walked over from the mountain path, his steps much steadier than last time, his shoulders and back straight, his hand no longer resting on the hilt of his sword.

He had changed his robes, swapping the cyan-gray for a deep blue brocade robe. The collar and cuffs were embroidered with a layer of fine gold thread patterns, resembling some inconspicuous moon patterns that only glimmered slightly when the light hit them at an angle.

The ink-colored token at his waist was still there, but the silver silk ribbon next to it had been replaced; it was a finger-width wider than before, and a dark cyan pendant had been added to the end.

"Looks like you've been promoted." Wu Li gave a wicked smile and flew over.

Commander Su Qin did not deny it, standing on the opposite side of the water pool.

"Thanks to your information."

"We did indeed find nine teleportation formations connecting to the Dachuan Dynasty over there. Reporting this achievement, combined with the maneuvering of the Family behind me, was enough to get me promoted by one rank."

His tone did not fluctuate much when he said this, as if he were stating a settled matter.

However, once these words were spoken, the smile on Wu Li's face did not fade, but his blood-red pupils twitched slightly, and a trace of imperceptible strangeness flashed in his gaze.

"You... found the teleportation formations?"

Commander Su Qin nodded naturally.

"If the general location is correct, of course one can find them."

His tone was calm, and he was quite puzzled by Wu Li's counter-question.

The location was what Wu Li had told him, so wasn't it expected that they would find them? Why, looking at this, did Wu Li seem so surprised instead?

Wu Li's brain turned quickly.

He soon thought of the key point and then smiled knowingly.

'It seems that the Dachuan Dynasty has long been harboring ill intentions toward the Youyue Dynasty.'

'I just don't know what the Dachuan Dynasty relies on to dare to harbor evil thoughts toward a Dynasty with a Soul Transformation Cultivator.'

Wu Li didn't dwell on this and looked at Commander Su Qin again.

Seeing that Wu Li did not ask further, Commander Su Qin did not say more either.

He raised his hand and waved it. A Storage Ring flew from his finger, hovering over the water pool between the two, and stopped steadily in front of Wu Li.

The ring surface was dull, engraved with a circle of fine patterns, resembling a layer of repeatedly polished iron-gray glaze.

"Everything you asked for is here."

Commander Su Qin's voice was steady, "Inside is most of the resources I could mobilize, including Spirit Stones and Spirit Medicine."

Wu Li was not polite. With a hook of his claw, the Storage Ring fell into his palm.

His spiritual sense probed inside, scanning roughly. The items inside were piled into a dozen or so compartments. The Spirit Stones and Spirit Medicine were of high quality, with several Spirit Medicines appearing to be of considerable age. The remaining items, though miscellaneous, were all usable, and their quality had been selected—they weren't just random filler.

He didn't look closely and put the ring into his Stomach Storage. His blood-red pupils fell back onto Commander Su Qin, and he asked as if casually:

"When you were investigating over there, besides the teleportation formations, were there any other anomalies?"

Hearing this, Commander Su Qin did not hesitate and replied.

"There was indeed another anomaly."

"At the location of those teleportation formations, there is a Peak Third-Order Great Demon entrenched there. Its strength is not weak, and it should be guarding that area."

"Currently, the people from the Yuexuan Guard are already preparing to exterminate this demon, and the higher-ups have also dispatched a team to provide support. If nothing goes wrong, it should be resolved very soon."

The two exchanged a few more words, all about insignificant miscellaneous matters.

Seeing that Wu Li had no intention of asking more, Commander Su Qin did not linger. He cupped his hands, turned, and left along the mountain path he had come from. His deep blue brocade robe appeared and disappeared among the tree shadows, and he soon vanished behind the distant mountain ridge.

Wu Li stood by the water pool, watching until Commander Su Qin's figure had completely disappeared before withdrawing his gaze.

He looked down at the Storage Ring in his claw, a thought moved in his mind, and his spiritual sense probed in, scanning the items inside compartment by compartment. Spirit Stones, Spirit Medicine, and a few Magical Artifacts—their quality was not bad, but most of them, in the end, were things he could not use.