Cultivation begins with harvest.

Two days later, in the outer region of Firebeard Cave.

"call out!"

An orange-red fireball hurtled towards Chen Guang's face. Unlike ordinary fireball spells that contain intense heat, this orange-red fireball also made a crackling sound. Its temperature wasn't as scalding, but its explosive power was far greater.

At the start of each battle, the Purple Jade Gourd would activate first, enveloping him in purple mist. Only then would Chen Guang leisurely wave his hand, flicking out a spiraling flame from his fingertips that pierced into the fireball.

"Bang!"

Orange-red flames splashed in all directions, accompanied by a huge sound and a violent shockwave that made the purple mist even tighter. Amidst the exploding flames, Chen Guang calmly pointed three times. The flames emitted by his ignition fingers were very fast and immediately intercepted the [Fire-Spitting Jay] that had failed to attack in the air.

These demonic birds have monotonous attacks, consisting of only a fireball spell and fire breath. However, they possess the unique ability to lower the temperature of flames to provide an explosion and enhance its power. They also have two other spells that require group cooperation: "weaving fire into a net" and "gathering sound into waves." They are not to be trifled with in the endless wilderness.

They live in groups of dozens or even hundreds, and can easily surround and kill a first-tier high-grade or perfect demon beast. A single one is only equivalent to a somewhat troublesome first-tier mid-grade demon beast.

Having finally managed to catch one alone, Chen Guang immediately decided to capture it alive.

"Twenty breaths. If it doesn't hold, then forget it."

Chen Guang was excited at the sight of the prey, but he remained calm.

As the Fire-Shuttering Jay paused, four light green array flags fell in clusters, instantly forming an inwardly enclosed wooden box. Instantly, six layers of wooden armor walls were formed, each layer being five inches thick, with only a gap of less than an inch between them.

The wooden armor wall, on its own, is a spell with decent defensive capabilities. With the help of the array flags, the dark green patterns on it became even brighter. The Flame Crow, plunged into darkness, desperately spewed flames in an attempt to burn through the armor wall. But as soon as it burned a fist-sized hole, the dent began to glow with a green light and slowly began to repair itself.

Chen Guang sensed this scene and was preparing to first exhaust the demonic power of the Fire-Spitting Crow. After it was exhausted, he would use Dream Language to interfere with its mind, and then use Spirit Communication to guide it. With the materials Chen Guang had prepared, he could easily form a contract with this lonely and panicked little creature.

While preparing, Chen Guang also had the energy to throw a shimmering light wave into the sky. This skill of multitasking was not honed through actual combat, but was mastered through his daily cultivation and alchemy.

As the invisible white light spread, more than twenty fire jays entered Chen Guang's perception. They actually separated and fled on their own initiative. At the same time, a giant bird with pure white wings the size of a red-blooded horse and long legs with orange scales entered Chen Guang's perception from afar.

Spreading its wings, it soars like a pavilion in the sky.

Its aura was fierce, and although it was only at the first level, it felt like a rock pressing down on one's chest.

There was no time to explain. Chen Guang grabbed Dongfang Lieming and threw out the other four array flags he had left at his waist. He strode into the armored formation. Wherever he went, the wooden armor walls cracked open to make way for him, and then closed and repaired themselves. He broke into the innermost layer and shared a room with the Fire-Spitting Jay. The orange-red flames immediately spewed at Chen Guang. The crackling flames caused the purple mist on Chen Guang's body to rise and swirl.

The armored formation closed the moment Chen Guang entered. It wasn't that they didn't want to give the fire-breathing jay time to escape; they were just hoping the monster would leave. Being in the same room with it, the terrified beast would only attack randomly, which would weaken its defense and magic power.

At the same time, Chen Guang puffed out his cheeks and exhaled a large mouthful of magical mist. This magical mist contained all his understanding of the techniques of observing and stabilizing qi. Wherever the mist went, the auras of Chen Guang, the other person, and the Fire-Shuttering Crow immediately became extremely weak, almost imperceptible.

Only then did he fully activate the formation, and the armored formation with eight array flags immediately evolved to Chen Guang's limit, and a nine-layered wooden armor wall was instantly built.

The fire-breathing jay, which had been spewing fire wildly, suddenly shut its beak and crashed to the ground, its two wings covering its head as it trembled uncontrollably.

"boom!"

The ground trembled, and the intense heat from outside made the interior of the armored formation immediately hot and suffocating. The armored formation, which originally had some fire resistance, was burned through layer by layer in a single breath like a withered leaf under the flames piled up like white feathers. Even the so-called regeneration could not keep up with the speed of its destruction.

Fortunately, these flames had an unstoppable upward-flying feel, which greatly reduced the damage they suffered after the first moment; otherwise, the armored formation would have been broken in an instant.

The trail of the pure white flames resembled feathers piling up and drifting, seemingly light, yet in an instant they had burned through six layers of wooden armor.

"cracking!"

A clear and high-pitched cry rang out, and the flames finally stopped burning. Although the remaining flames were still scorching the wooden armor wall, they had a chance to catch their breath.

Sensing that the giant bird had flown away into the distance, it did not linger on Chen Guang's wooden armor wall. It continued to chase the Fire-Spitting Jay. To call it a chase was actually a game. Through a tiny crack in the wooden armor wall, one could see the fireballs that the Fire-Spitting Jay desperately spewed. The flames landed on the giant bird, but it was like water flowing across a mirror, causing no harm whatsoever. Instead, the giant bird gently pecked one of the Fire-Spitting Jays and swallowed it whole.

The gaps in the wooden wall were closed, and they dared not look any longer for fear of attracting the attention of the giant bird. Only after sensing that it had flown away did they release Dongfang Lieming's hand. Both of them had ice-cold hands and were sweating profusely.

"Senior brother, what was that?" Dongfang Lieming was still shaken. When the giant bird flew by, she felt a tightness in her chest, as if a large rock was pressing down on her.

Chen Guang did not answer. He quickly took out a spiritual object and burned it to ashes with Kui Flame in a few strokes. He then mixed it with blood and smeared it on the seemingly terrified Fire Crow before grabbing it with a large handprint formed from purple mist.

The battle flags were put away, and the wooden armor wall collapsed randomly, revealing pure white flames all around, like thousands of white feathers fluttering into the sky.

Using the Tuanxuan Qingxuan, Chen Guang withdrew some of the flames. Not daring to linger, he led Dongfang Lieming lightly and slowly across the flames and then headed in the opposite direction from the giant bird.

"Senior brother?"

This unhurried pace frightened Dongfang Lieming. Should he flee or not?

"That should be a [Red-crowned Crane], an ancient and rare species. It is naturally compatible with the fire element and its nature is harmonious. It has a lively and playful personality and likes to tease and provoke the restless and excited. The faster and more lively the creature moves, the less likely it is to be let go. It can reach the second rank upon adulthood. The one just now... was at the first rank perfection. It is possible that it has parents watching over it. It is not easy to provoke it." Chen Guang only dared to explain after walking a while away.

"No wonder Senior Brother wanted to defend on the spot; so that's how he came up with the strategy." Dongfang Lieming suddenly realized. Although he still had many questions, now was not the right time to ask, so he could only keep them to himself for the time being.

Chen Guang smiled bitterly to himself. He didn't recognize her at first glance. It was only because Yu Danyu arrived so quickly that he used the formation to see who it was first and then dodged the attack before making a decision. In fact, he was already prepared to take out the Ice Yuan Bottle and risk his life. He only recognized her when Yu Danyu passed by and casually spat out a mouthful of demonic fire below. Only then did he feel a little more at ease.

The red-eared sandpiper isn't exactly a vicious monster, and it's easy to fool it by pretending to be a turtle without making any big moves. But luck also plays a part; the red-eared sandpiper is playful, and once it decides something is fun, it's hard to get rid of it.

He then handed Dongfang Lieming a small, exquisite gray metal bottle, from which one could vaguely see a pure white flame: "This is the Feathered Sandpiper Fire, which is extremely suitable for alchemy. Pills made with it have a stable and harmonious nature and a gentle medicinal effect. Apart from the Dragon-Tiger-Heaven Combination and the Six-Nine Preservation of Nature, most pills are beneficial when made with the Feathered Sandpiper Fire, especially the Embracing Simplicity and Light. This flame can also be used against enemies. As long as the target moves quickly and violently, it will catch up with it on its own."

Chen Guang sighed again and transmitted his voice, "However, this is a fire without a source. Every bit used is one less. To make it completely usable, we need a 'source,' which is extremely difficult to obtain. It must be taken from a living Yudanyu. So we must use it sparingly. This bottle of demonic fire is enough to assist in refining one batch of pills. When necessary, it can impress the alchemist even more than Suiyuan. Be mindful of the time. Within half a year, this fire without a source will burn out on its own."

"Self-extinguishing" is a term used to describe some spiritual objects. Even if they are sealed away, they will weaken and perish over time. Thunder jade and jadeite are examples of this, as is the sourceless Feathered Sandpiper Fire. Ordinary pills and spiritual artifacts do not exhibit this phenomenon. The loss of spiritual energy caused by long-term desolation is not essentially the same as self-extinguishing.

It burns to ashes; it won't leave you even a trace.

Ordinary treasures don't even qualify for the description "self-destructed".

Chen Guang actually wanted to collect more, but he knew he didn't have the ability to collect them slowly and leisurely, so he just collected four bottles and left. After all, they had gone through a life-or-death ordeal together, so sharing a bottle was only right.

Moreover, Chen Guang had other gains. The Fire-whispering Jay was easily captured and subdued by the Red-crowned Crane, and it was now in a deep sleep, making it even easier to enslave it through a contract later.

The arrival of the Yudan Sandpiper brought a sudden burst of activity to the Eastern Nine Regions, which then fell into an even deeper silence.

One day later.

In a cave high in the mountains on the eastern edge of the Firebeard Cave, a group of cultivators built a camp.

This is a common practice among many forces. Having such a foothold allows them to explore the wilderness much more deeply. This place belongs to the territory of the Dongfang clan.

Just then, a bright red wasp flew in, and the guards at the cave entrance immediately changed color, staring intently as the wasp flew into the cave.

Inside the cave, there were also seats. The leader wore a dark headband and was burly. He sat in the chief seat, but he looked like a giant bear crouching down. He was slightly old, which added to his fierce appearance. When he saw the fiery red wasps, most of the cultivators were pleasantly surprised, but only a few frowned like him.

The Dongfang family's wasp communication system has always been renowned. In response to different situations, they release wasps of different colors. They do not need to carry any other information; simply seeing the wasps is enough to know what kind of event has occurred.

Why now of all times?

The man with the forehead ribbon tapped the table, drawing everyone's attention back to him: "This is their first time, isn't it?"

"Yes, and the timing doesn't quite match up. It should be another two years, but we haven't received any letters. It's a bit strange."

"Chu Shan, Chong Shan, each of you take a few helpers and go look for them. Keep your movements low-key and don't let the people on the left side of the mountain notice anything unusual. Just treat it as a normal hunt," the man with the forehead band quickly instructed.

"What's the origin of that hill on the left? It's been spying on our territory like this. Should we..." Dongfang Chushan stood up and gestured with a raised palm.

The man with the forehead band twitched his eye: "Don't worry about them for now, and don't provoke them. Just avoid them."

"Alright, go ahead, it's not that important this first time."

The man with the forehead band got up and headed deeper into the cave. Seeing this, the others had no choice but to obey and began to act.

Deep inside the cave, in what was clearly a cold and gloomy place, a young man dressed in a white robe with red trim was looking at the wall. Incredibly, the earthen and rock wall that was dozens of feet thick in front of him was almost non-existent. A field of vision, about two feet wide and half a foot high, allowed him to look directly at the mountain peak to the left. This perspective was as if he were looking out from the edge of a cliff.

"Seventeenth Uncle, these people seem to be from the south?"

"It should be from the Azure Moon Sword Sect. When that person came out, he passed through their territory, which must have attracted their attention." The man with the forehead ribbon and Dongfang Xiaoming in the red and white robe stood together, looking at a cultivator standing casually at the edge of the camp in the distance with a headache. "With them watching, I dare not make any big moves, for fear of causing some bad reaction."

"Second Uncle means we must bring this skilled craftsman back. He finally found an excuse to come to the Wilderness to find a special ingredient. Such an opportunity is rare. The bait has been laid. Not only Seventeenth Uncle, but also the Ding and Yi camps must cooperate," Dongfang Xiaoming said without any room for doubt. "This is a skilled craftsman. In addition to the magical artifacts of the Sword Sect, his own crafting skills are also very high. The Sword Sect will not be unaware of such a talent."

"Yes, I will send people." The man with the forehead band bobbed his throat, but after several hesitations, he chose to obey.

Dongfang Xiaoming nodded in satisfaction, looked at the camp in the distance, and whispered, "As for Huoxu Cave, he went a bit too far, taking action before the time was right... Let him cause some trouble, let's put it aside for now."

Out of the corner of his eye, the man with the forehead ribbon caught a glimpse of Dongfang Xiaoming's fierce gaze, which also made his handsome face appear somewhat ferocious. He quickly looked away and pretended to examine the tent opposite him.

There was a moment of silence.