Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

The crowd gathered around and saw that inside the toad's broken venom sac, there was a bead the size of a pigeon egg.

The beads are dark green all over, with strange flowing patterns on the surface.

"Is this the demon core of a poisonous toad?" Gao Yuan was somewhat uncertain.

It should be noted that inner cores are generally only found in demonic beasts at the Foundation Establishment or Qi Refining Level 10, and are very rare in ordinary Qi Refining demonic beasts.

Old Wu said, "It should be the poisonous toad. It has been entrenched here for a long time and has accumulated a huge amount of energy. In addition, we were able to preserve the demon core because we killed the demon beasts quickly."

Cheng Jin remarked with a sigh, "The depths of the Yunxia Mountains are indeed different. We can easily encounter late-stage Qi Refining demonic beasts, and even find their demon cores."

Pharmacist Chen carefully used incantations to isolate the demon core's toxicity and seal it, finally placing it in a spirit-sealing box.

Gao Yuan ordered, "We shouldn't stay here any longer. The battle just now was too loud and might cause other trouble."

After defeating the Jade-Eyed Poison Toad, Gao Yuan's team chose to rest for a day before continuing their journey deeper into the poisonous swamp.

"The plants here are getting stranger and stranger," Cheng Jin said in a low voice, his tone grave.

Upon hearing this, everyone looked over and saw that the tree branches in front of them were an unnatural purplish-black color, and the bark was covered with sticky moss.

There were also many vines on the tree. These vines were completely black, covered with sharp thorns, and the tips of the thorns gleamed with a poisonous green light.

"A withered vine demon!" Old Wu exclaimed. "Be careful! Although this demon is only at the sixth level of Qi Refining, it has too many vines; it will be difficult to deal with!"

Before he finished speaking, the thickest purplish-black vine in front of him split open a mouth full of fangs and emitted a piercing shriek!

Countless vines responded and surged towards the team like a tide.

Wherever the vines passed, they plowed deep furrows into the mud, and the eerie green light on the poisonous thorns traced deadly paths in the mist.

Li Hao's Xuan Tie Shield shone brightly with earthy yellow spiritual light, transforming into a solid barrier that blocked the vines. Chu Xin's Ice Soul Sword danced, and icy blue spiritual light condensed into layers of ice armor on the surface of the barrier.

However, the withered vine demon had far too many vines, and Li Hao let out a muffled groan, his face turning three shades paler.

The force of the vines' impact far exceeded everyone's expectations.

Gao Yuan's eyes sharpened; he knew that prolonged defense would inevitably lead to defeat.

He took a sudden step forward, the heavy sword in his hand hummed, and crimson flames rose from the blade! Without hesitation, a fire talisman between his fingers ignited without wind, turning into a stream of light that merged into the sword to enhance its flame power.

"go!"

With a loud shout, scorching waves of fire erupted, transforming into a blazing net of fire covering several feet, descending upon the withered vine demon's true form!

When the flames came into contact with the vines, they immediately burst into a hissing and burning sound, filling the air with a pungent stench. Countless vines twisted and screamed wildly in the flames, like a scene from a hellish painting.

Lin Zhao's Fire Element Pearl flew out and precisely merged into the sea of ​​fire, guided by his divine sense.

The scattered flames suddenly converged, condensing into a majestic fire dragon! The fire dragon roared, raging and whipping back along the path the vines had come from, instantly igniting the withered vine demon's body and the surrounding trees, turning it into a raging inferno.

A wave of heat hit them, forcing everyone to retreat.

The withered vine demon struggled and shrieked wildly in the flames, its tenacious vitality astonishing. It burned for a full half hour before its teeth-grinding screams and writhing gradually subsided.

No one dared to be careless, and they waited for several more hours until the flames were completely extinguished and the residual heat dissipated before cautiously approaching.

In the charred ruins, only a few of the thickest, not completely burned main vines remained. Beneath their charred exteriors, a faint trace of the tenacious spiritual light unique to wood-type demonic beasts could still be seen.

Cheng Jin picked up the charred vines with lingering fear. They were heavy and exceptionally tough. "This withered tree demon's vitality is terrifying. It took it half an hour to burn completely in such flames."

Gao Yuan's expression remained unchanged as he said in a deep voice, "Wood demons are all like this, especially in their home turf. Pack up and leave here as soon as possible. The commotion we just made was too great; be careful not to attract other things."

Half a month later, the humidity in the depths of the poisonous swamp became even heavier. The team found a rare dry spot to stop and gathered around the campfire. Lin Zhao was asking Old Wu about formations.

Suddenly, Cheng Jin, who had been on guard and had the bronze spirit-detecting disc floating in front of him, sat up abruptly, his tone filled with surprise and doubt: "Strange, there was a very peculiar spiritual energy fluctuation just now."

With a flick of his fingertip, the spirit-detecting disc trembled slightly, projecting the detected trajectory as a blurry image in the air.

A tiny, yet indescribably graceful, white dot of light was moving slowly along an elegant and cautious trajectory.

Gao Yuan's gaze sharpened as he stared intently at the trajectory. After a few breaths, his voice carried a hint of disbelief and solemnity: "This trajectory is somewhat similar to the movement trajectory of the Bewitching Fox."

"Bewitching Fox?" Chen Yaoshi, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, opened them immediately and strode forward.

She carefully examined the spiritual energy projection. Her tone was unusually fervent: "If it really is a Bewitching Fox, that's an incredible opportunity! They are born with a talent for illusion magic, possess extremely high intelligence, and their heart's essence is an excellent ingredient for refining Breakthrough Pills. Moreover, if we can capture them alive, they will be priceless."

She paused and said, "Those female cultivators from sects are willing to pay a huge price and often fight each other to obtain a spirit fox with a spiritual nature as a pet."

These words immediately ignited the atmosphere in the camp.

A single living Bewitching Fox is worth more than all the spoils they gained from their entry into the poisonous swamp.

Even a corpse means at least one Breakthrough Pill that can help a Qi Refining cultivator advance to the later stages.

Gao Yuan's eyes sharpened, and he pondered for a moment: "Are you sure it's a Bewitching Fox? And there's only one fluctuation?"

"I'm sure!" Cheng Jin confirmed. "There's only one, and its spiritual power level is at the seventh level of Qi Refining. However, the Bewitching Fox's illusions are unpredictable, which makes it much more difficult to deal with."

Refining Qi to level seven isn't too difficult for the team working together.

"Captain, this is a rare opportunity!" Old Wu rubbed his hands together, his eyes shining. "If we can capture him alive, our trip to the poisonous swamp will be a complete success, and my formation might come in very handy."

Chu Xin also opened her beautiful eyes, and her clear, cold voice rang out: "Although the Bewitching Fox's illusion magic is powerful, its true form is fragile and not very strong."

If we can restrict its movement, we'll have an 80% chance of victory once we get close.

Lin Zhao did not immediately express his opinion; instead, he looked at Gao Yuan.

Gao Yuan's gaze swept over everyone, a decisive look flashing in his eyes: "Cheng Jin, keep a close watch on the movements of the Bewitching Fox and find the best ambush location."

"Old Wu, prepare your Dragon-Trapping Formation. Everyone else, hurry up and recover your strength. We'll set off in an incense stick's time!"

Once the order was given, everyone immediately sprang into action.

The elixir's light flashed intermittently, and the spirit stones were rapidly absorbed and turned into dust.

Lin Zhao took out [Tranquility Talismans] and distributed them to everyone to guard against the illusionary attacks of the Bewitching Fox. These Tranquility Talismans were made from some Jade Horned Deer powder that Lin Zhao had left behind during the previous hunt for Jade Horned Deer, and their effects were three times stronger than ordinary [Tranquility Talismans].