Mortal: Starting with the Falling Cloud Sect, I proved my Dao through gacha pulls.

"A mirage demon?"

Su Mu's heart stirred, and he immediately understood.

He had heard of this demon before. It was skilled at creating mirages and illusions, and was most adept at concealing its tracks. Its demon core and all the materials it possessed were extremely rare and valuable.

Moreover, although this demon is a level six demon beast, its offensive power is extremely weak. Its skills lie entirely in disguise and escaping. No wonder Jin Qing and Hu Yue are so confident in hunting this demon.

Upon this thought, Su Mu suddenly remembered a pill recipe recorded in the "Complete Record of Human Realm Alchemy Classics," the ingredients of which were the mirage energy and mirage pearl of this demon.

He immediately spoke up, addressing the two directly:

"This demon is indeed rare. The mirage pearl nurtured within its body, along with the natal mirage energy it released at the moment of its death, is just right to refine a batch of Divine Spirit Pills. These pills can slightly enhance one's spiritual sense and are particularly effective in breaking through illusions and resisting inner demons."

Upon hearing this, Jin Qing and Hu Yue's eyes lit up, their faces filled with astonishment.

"There are actually such elixirs!"

The two blurted it out almost simultaneously.

Su Mu nodded, but his next words made their hearts sink.

"However, once this demon dies, its life essence will be difficult to preserve and will dissipate completely within half an hour. It must be collected on the spot and refined into pills immediately."

Jin Qing and Hu Yue exchanged a glance, their expressions both somewhat conflicted.

It wasn't that they didn't want to share in Su Mu's benefits, but they were certain that Su Mu might not go with them.

After all, Su Mu, being an alchemist, was not skilled in killing. Hunting demons on this trip was somewhat risky, and it was not as safe as refining pills in the city. Moreover, with Su Mu's abilities, he was not short of spirit stones at all.

Su Mu naturally saw through their concerns. He had brought up the Divine Separation Pill because he intended to go with them, and without waiting for them to speak, he said directly:

"As an alchemist myself, I am quite interested in this elixir. I wonder if I could accompany Brother Jin and Brother Hu on this journey?"

Jin Qing was taken aback at first, then overjoyed and quickly agreed.

"Of course, no problem! If there's any danger along the way, just leave it to me and Old Hu. We'll definitely protect Fellow Daoist Xiao!"

Hu Yue even stood up and patted her chest to assure him:

"That's right! Leave all the fighting and killing to me, Old Hu! Brother Xiao, just focus on refining the pills, and Old Jin and I will protect you!"

Su Mu smiled slightly and gently beckoned, summoning his clone to his side.

"In that case, let's set off together. You two don't need to worry too much about my safety, as I have this clone accompanying me on this journey."

Besides, although I am not good at direct combat, I am skilled in healing and wound-repairing techniques, which can be of some help to you two.

Jin Qing and Hu Yue's gazes fell on the clone. The two had known Su Mu for a long time and naturally knew that this was a clone he had cultivated.

Given Su Mu's status as an alchemist, it would be quite normal for him to have a clone for protection.

"Alright! Fellow Daoist Xiao, please make your preparations first. We'll meet here in three days and set off together!"

"it is good."

...

Three days later, outside Tianxing City.

The four had already assembled, and each of them took flight in their own light, heading towards the sea south of Tianxing City.

"Fellow Daoist Xiao, it's about a five-day journey from here to the place where the Mirage Demon appears. That demon is hiding among several remote islands, located in the sea area between Tianxing City and Nanming Island."

At this moment, Hu Yue led the way, Jin Qing stood on the left, and Su Mu's clone guarded the right, the three intentionally protecting him in the center. Jin Qing transmitted his voice as he flew away.

"If you find our speed too fast and it's not suitable for long-distance travel, we can slow down and delay for a few more days without any problem."

Su Mu chuckled and shook his head upon hearing this, his tone composed.

"Brother Jin, you think too highly of me. It would be best to hurry to our destination to avoid any unforeseen complications."

Upon hearing Su Mu's words, Jin Qing stopped trying to persuade him and simply smiled:

"Since Fellow Daoist Xiao has said so, let's travel at full speed. That Mirage Demon is extremely cunning; the sooner we arrive, the fewer variables there will be."

As soon as he finished speaking, his spiritual light surged slightly, and his escape speed increased even more.

Four streaks of light streaked across the sky like meteors, hurtling toward the vast sea.

After flying hundreds of miles away from Tianxing City, Su Mu's originally calm expression suddenly changed slightly.

From the moment he left the city, he secretly spread out his divine sense to keep a close watch on his surroundings.

His divine sense was now so powerful that it covered a range of seventy miles. And within his divine sense, there was a figure hanging far behind them.

When they first left the city, there were many people and cultivators coming and going, so Su Mu just assumed they were traveling together.

Yet, as they traveled this far, the man continued to follow them at a discreet distance, his movements furtive and suspicious—clearly no coincidence.

Su Mu remained calm and focused his divine sense once more, carefully probing the area.

After a moment, he had a clear idea.

The opponent's cultivation level was at the mid-stage of Core Formation, but his aura was weak, scattered, and extremely unstable, as if he was seriously injured or his lifespan was nearing its end.

"Hmm? You've got some nerve."

Su Mu was somewhat surprised. The four of them were all in the early stage of Core Formation, while the other party, although in the middle stage of Core Formation, had a weak and broken aura and was in extremely poor condition, yet still dared to make a move against them.

Is he relying on something, or has he reached a dead end and gone mad?

He remained expressionless, as if he were completely unaware of the tail following him, and was only concerned with keeping up with the group.

Five days later, several desolate and dilapidated islands came into view. The islands were barren, deserted, and utterly silent.

The four approached the island and slowly descended into the light of their escape.

"This is it!"

Jin Qing and Hu Yue perked up and scanned the area again to confirm that everything was correct.

"Haha, watch me lure this monster out!"

Hu Yue laughed loudly, reached out and took out a pink paste from her storage bag, casually cast a spell to condense it into a water ball, and wrapped the paste in it.

Strangely, the paste-like substance spontaneously combusted as soon as it entered the water sphere, wisps of white steam rising and spreading, enveloping the entire small sea area in no time.

"Hehe, this is the Mirage Demon's favorite bait. I went to great lengths to get my hands on it in Tianxing City, but the price was outrageously high. I hope it wasn't a waste of time!"

Su Mu's gaze swept lightly across the surrounding white mist, but his divine sense remained firmly locked on the figure that had followed him dozens of miles away.

The Core Formation cultivator who had been following them all the way also slowly stopped his escape light and stood motionless in the distance, seemingly watching coldly.

Su Mu narrowed his eyes and glanced at Jin Qing and Hu Yue without making a sound.

Although he had some acquaintance with the two men and knew that it was unlikely they would set a trap to harm him, he could not be too careful.

In the cultivation world, there are countless examples of people who are greedy for profit and betray others. He was secretly on guard and was wondering whether he should remind the two of their sins.

Just then, a dense gurgling sound of bubbles suddenly came from beneath a reef below.

The entire reef began to shake violently, then slowly wriggled and transformed into a giant clam covered in thick stone armor, with a ferocious and bizarre appearance.

A hint of surprise flashed across Su Mu's eyes.

He had just used his divine sense to repeatedly explore this place, but with the current strength of his divine sense, he did not detect anything unusual.

This mirage demon's ability to conceal itself is indeed well-deserved!