Chapter 55: Mount Mangdang

Lu An smiled slightly. Residual souls were dangerous to others but were a great supplement for him.

Seeing that Lu An was determined, Li Ziyou pondered for a moment and said:

"This shouldn't be a problem. The clan leader didn't intend to keep it. As the Young Master of the Li family, I should have some say in this matter."

"But I'll need some time and will notify you later."

Lu An was delighted and nodded:

"Alright, then I'll await your good news."

Li Ziyou acted quickly, bringing the jade coffin the next day. He also advised Lu An to be cautious and, if necessary, to find a place to bury it.

Lu An agreed and, after handling it for a while, stored the jade coffin away.

Given his current low cultivation level, it was not suitable for him to enter it just yet. It was better to focus on training and improve his cultivation before attempting to investigate it.

In a shadowy location, two old men stood by a corpse, their faces filled with sorrow.

"Old Third, didn't you trap Fang Ling in that Yin-Yang Phoenix Formation? How did she end up joining the battle?"

The Ding family head frowned and scolded.

The Third Elder looked puzzled and said:

"I don't know what happened. I had confirmed repeatedly that there was a female Foundation Establishment cultivator in the center of the formation, so I activated it."

"I didn't expect that person wasn't Fang Ling, and the information we received didn't mention a second female cultivator around Lu An."

He felt a bit wronged. The unexpected situation wasn't his fault; it was due to inaccurate intelligence.

The clan head, however, was unrelenting, his voice cold:

"If it weren't for your mistake, with my and Second Brother's strength, dealing with three Foundation Establishment cultivators wouldn't have been a major issue, and Second Brother wouldn't have been severely injured or killed."

"Eldest Brother, discussing this now is pointless. We should focus on what to do next."

The clan head knew that complaining was futile, but the loss of his second brother, with whom he had shared many years, led him to express some grievances.

"The jade coffin has been delivered to the Li family. After so many days, it should have had some effect."

"I wonder if that old man from the Li family has entered the coffin. It seems we need to investigate."

"You go and find out the situation. I will spread rumors; if other families learn that he is injured, they won't sit idly by."

"As for Lu An, with so many experts around him, we'll deal with him later."

The Third Elder nodded and went to handle the tasks.

Mount Mangdang.

After several days of travel, Lu An and Ying Chang finally arrived at the foot of the mountain.

In fact, given their speed, it shouldn't have taken this long. However, Ying Chang had been instructing Lu An on the precautions in the mountains and how to handle various demonic beasts, which delayed their journey.

A little delay was no big deal. At least, Lu An's theoretical knowledge had increased significantly, and now he just needed practical experience.

"Brother Lu, the demonic beasts in this mountain are mostly at the Qi Refining stage, which is quite suitable for you. Even if you encounter ones at the ninth level of Qi Refining, I'll ensure your safety."

"So, your task is to find and kill these demonic beasts without worrying about their cultivation level."

"But I suggest you start with the lower-level ones and progress gradually to maximize the effectiveness of your training."

Lu An nodded; Ying Chang's advice was in line with his thoughts.

The two entered Mount Mangdang and began searching for traces of demonic beasts.

Ying Chang acted only as a bodyguard, remaining silent throughout and allowing Lu An to take the lead.

Although Mount Mangdang had many demonic beasts, its vast area and the fact that many beasts had their own territories made them not so easy to find.

After half a day of searching, Lu An finally noticed a clue.

He crouched down, looking at a large pile of beast dung, and murmured:

"Feces from a first-stage Triangle Demon Bull, looks like it was just deposited. The bull shouldn't be far off."

"The blood of this bull can be used to draw Giant Strength Talisman, and its sharp horns are valuable for refining materials. Luck is on my side."

First-stage demonic beasts, known as Qi Refining beasts, vary greatly in strength. Lu An was uncertain about the exact level of this demon bull.

"Let's track it down."

He took a talisman from his storage bag, ignited it with his fingers, and then inserted it into the beast dung.

The talisman flew around the dung and, after a brief pause, shot off in a specific direction.

Without hesitation, Lu An followed.

This talisman, known as the Scent Seeking Talisman, was a common first-stage talisman that could track scents within a certain range.

It could find the general direction of demonic beasts, cultivators, or even certain items.

Of course, this required a medium to trace, such as the dung from the demonic beast.

Lu An followed the Scent Seeking Talisman for several miles before finally spotting the Triangle Demon Bull.

The bull stood about six or seven feet high, its thick fur covering its entire body like armor. Its large head had three sharp, shining horns that were quite intimidating.

"A Triangle Demon Bull at the fifth level of Qi Refining, which matches my cultivation level."

He regularly sparred with Ying Chang and could handle those at the sixth level of Qi Refining with ease. However, real combat was different, and there was still a considerable gap between the two.

Lu An remained cautious and recalled the characteristics of the Triangle Demon Bull.

Once prepared, he took out a Concealment Talisman, applied it to himself, and quietly approached the demon bull.

The Triangle Demon Bull was focused on grazing, creating a clearing on the ground with each bite and completely unaware of Lu An's approach.

Once he was close enough, Lu An suddenly attacked, drawing out his Soul Devouring Sword and striking at the Triangle Demon Bull.

"Clang!"

A loud crash echoed, and Lu An felt a numbness in his wrist, nearly losing grip on the Soul Devouring Sword.

"The defense is astonishing!"

He was startled. Before he could react, the demon bull roared angrily and swung its thick tail at him.

Lu An blocked with his sword, but the scenery in front of him rapidly retreated as his body was thrown backward.

He flipped in mid-air, stabilized himself, and slid a full ten zhang before coming to a stop.

Seeing truly was different from hearing; the Triangle Demon Bull's strength was indeed impressive, even more so than Ying Chang.

However, there are advantages and disadvantages to everything, and Lu An soon discovered its weaknesses.

The bull's strength was great, but its body was extremely cumbersome. As long as he maneuvered well, he should be able to handle it.

The Triangle Demon Bull didn't give him more time to think and charged at him at high speed.

Lu An was not at all flustered. When the bull was close, he suddenly exerted force with his legs and dodged to the side.

He then leaped and landed on the bull's back.

The bull, furious, charged wildly, knocking down large trees in the mountain, but it couldn't shake Lu An off.

Lu An naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity. He cast Fireball Spells one after another, bombarding the bull's back.

A smell of burning hair filled the air, but its tough hide remained completely undamaged.

At this point, Lu An was also somewhat exhausted and knew he couldn't delay any longer. He took a deep breath, aimed at the bull's eyes, and thrust the Soul Devouring Sword deeply.

"Roar—"

The bull cried out in pain, going into a frenzy. Lu An grabbed one of its horns with one hand and hung onto it.

With his other hand, he withdrew the Soul Devouring Sword, giving it a slight swing, and slid down to the bull's belly.

He gathered all his strength, and the Soul Devouring Sword shone with a brilliant light as he slashed at the bull's weakest spot on its belly.

In an instant, blood gushed out, and the white, internal organs spilled onto the ground.

Lu An, caught in the spray, was drenched but didn't mind at all, instead showing an excited expression.

The bull staggered forward a few steps before finally collapsing with a loud thud.

Then, applause rang out as Ying Chang's figure appeared from nowhere.

"Well done. You managed to take down this Triangle Demon Bull without using talismans, but there's still much to improve."