The talismans are clearly insufficient. Currently, relying solely on his own efforts to collect resources, he is still short of eleven mid-to-high-grade spiritual items to exchange for a high-grade Foundation Establishment Pill.
On one hand, the demonic cultivators have unknown schemes that could have a significant impact; on the other hand, collecting demon hides to make talismans would be a time-consuming process.
On the other hand, Chen Xue is a Foundation Establishment cultivator, as does her cousin, who also possesses two talismanic treasures.
Then we have a much better chance of success on our journey to the demon's lair.
After careful consideration, Lin Xiuyuan decided to agree to the matter.
As long as Chen Xue can guarantee that the high-grade Foundation Building Pill will not malfunction.
Therefore, this is the most feasible strategy for him to obtain high-quality Foundation Establishment Pills at present.
After much deliberation, Lin Xiuyuan made up his mind, picked up the communication jade talisman, and conveyed his intentions to Chen Xue, also asking her to collect some demon skins if it was convenient, in order to make talismans!
Chen Xue replied quickly, seemingly pleased with the response, and stated that she would provide him with a solid guarantee during their meeting, and would also try her best to collect the demon skins.
After receiving an affirmative answer, Lin Xiuyuan put away the concealment formation and began to walk out of the cave.
"Let's meet every few days. If you encounter any danger, send me a message."
Lin Xiuyuan said to Huo Yun.
Now that Huo Yun is powerful, if she encounters other cultivators on her own, she can either fight them or run away. She can then split up to collect demon hides and make talismans, which will be faster.
The journey to the Demon Cave is extremely dangerous. It is located in the core of a secret place, where demonic beasts roam in groups. Talismans are his most relied-upon items, so naturally he needs to prepare as many as possible.
Next, Lin Xiuyuan and Huo Yun split up to hunt down the monsters in the Black Cloud Mountains.
They live close by and help each other; if danger arises, they can lend a helping hand in a short time.
There are only two weeks left to collect demon skins and replenish talismans.
Lin Xiuyuan then took the initiative to fly on his sword to attract the attention of the demonic beasts.
They would only retreat if they encountered a powerful demonic beast at the peak of Qi Refining. Otherwise, they would kill any demonic beast they saw.
Although his divine sense was weakened, his cultivation and combat power were only performed in a very ordinary way.
However, he still has a large number of low- to mid-level talismans in reserve.
This allowed Lin Xiuyuan to make full use of his abilities, which enabled him to unleash his formidable combat power, ensuring that he could hunt one animal per day on average.
Huo Yun's side was missing a portion, but when both sides were combined, including the previous nine demon skins, they had nearly thirty demon skins in total.
Given Lin Xiuyuan's success rate in talisman making, he is basically capable of making all of them into top-tier talismans.
However, naturally, to refine a talisman, one can only produce a maximum of two talismans per day, and it takes much longer.
Lin Xiuyuan spent a few days replenishing ten top-tier talismans, leaving the remaining demon hides as spares, before heading directly to the assembly point.
Lin Xiuyuan, looking exhausted, flew out of the Black Cloud Mountains on his sword, slowly recovering his mana with spirit stones in his hand, and sped away into the distance.
Although the Black Cloud Mountains also lead to the core area, the depths of the mountains are teeming with demonic beasts, making it extremely dangerous. Therefore, an alternative route must be chosen.
Not long after.
Lin Xiuyuan then arrived at a border area between the central and core regions.
It is located in a basin surrounded by mountains.
Ahead lies a group of demonic beasts; to enter the core of the secret realm, one must force one's way through.
They are a large and powerful group called Black-striped Boar Demons.
Even for ordinary cultivators, even those at the peak of Qi Refining, the chance of successfully passing through alone is less than 50%.
However, relatively speaking, this is a safer route to enter the core area of the secret realm.
The blue light hovered in mid-air for a while before finally sensing the auras of several cultivators on a small mountain peak, one of whom was none other than Chen Xue.
When Lin Xiuyuan arrived, he found that there were five cultivators in the area.
There was a man standing close to Chen Xue. His features were somewhat similar to Chen Xue's, but his face was more square. He was handsome, well-dressed, and looked to be about the same age. He should be Chen Xue's cousin, Chen Shaorong.
The other three stood more apart. One of them was a woman in palace attire, middle-aged in appearance, and plump in figure.
The other two were cultivators, one older and one younger. They seemed to know each other and were talking together. The former had a stronger aura, while the latter was weaker. He appeared to be a spirit master, but it was unclear whether he was a formation master or a talisman master.
It should be the former. Even so, this weakest of the spiritual masters seems to possess an aura far stronger than Lin Xiuyuan's...
Overall, apart from the young cultivator, the other four all possessed extremely powerful auras, placing them at the peak of the Qi Refining stage.
It was impossible to discern from their aura who, like Chen Xue, was a Foundation Establishment cultivator suppressing their cultivation level.
Based on the information available, the only guess is that Chen Shaorong is one of them.
The blue light faded, Lin Xiuyuan sheathed his flying sword, leaped onto flat ground, stood before the crowd, and cupped his hands in greeting, saying:
"I was delayed and arrived a little late, please forgive me!"
All eyes turned to look at them, and for a moment, a hint of disdain appeared in each of their gazes.
Even Chen Shaorong, Chen Xue's cousin standing next to her, frowned, but since he was someone Chen Xue had invited, he didn't say much.
However, upon seeing Chen Shaorong's expression, the old cultivator's eyes flickered, and he calmly spoke, his voice somewhat hoarse: "Fellow Daoist, you are not late; we have all just arrived. However, if you are participating in this expedition, are you aware of the dangers involved?"
"With your strength, fellow Daoist, isn't this a bit too risky? I urge you to reconsider carefully. Don't risk your life and drag us down with you; that would be disastrous. After all, that area is extremely dangerous, and the slightest accident could plunge us into peril!"
Upon hearing this, the already somewhat dismissive gazes around them all sharpened, and their attention became even more focused.
Lin Xiuyuan remained calm, showing little emotional fluctuation at the scene. Due to the damage to his divine sense, his aura was much weaker, making him appear ordinary and unremarkable, not even like a cultivator at the twelfth level of Qi Refining.
Even the weakest spirit master among them had an aura that was significantly stronger than Lin Xiuyuan's!
Chen Xue took in everyone's expressions and spoke up to ease the tension: "Everyone, Fellow Daoist Lin is a talisman master; the strength of his aura doesn't matter..."
Then, she paused, a hint of surprise and inquiry in her voice, and looked at Lin Xiuyuan, asking as she spoke:
"Moreover, it seems that Fellow Daoist Lin's aura has become somewhat weak, probably because he is injured? I heard that there was a talisman master who was chased by Wu Chengfeng, the senior brother of the Ghost Spirit Sect, but ended up injuring his opponent instead, causing this genius of the Demonic Sect to suffer a serious injury. In the end, he could only give up the pursuit unwillingly."
"Now it seems that the talisman master must be Fellow Daoist Lin, right? It's really unexpected. I never thought that Talisman Master Lin would have such superb skills. I really admire him."
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone's expressions changed immediately, their eyes filled with surprise and a hint of doubt, all focused on Lin Xiuyuan.
However, even Lin Xiuyuan was surprised at this moment, glancing at Chen Xue with astonishment, wondering how she knew about this...
...
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