Chapter 19: Golden Net Traps the Demon

On the Song family side, the fourteenth uncle, Song Changlian, was also seriously injured. In order to create an opportunity for the Second Elder, Song Changfeng, to slay a high-tier demon beast, he had forcibly used a mid-tier defensive magic tool to attract the high-tier beast's attacks head-on. Ultimately, he was struck so hard by the beast that he spat out blood on the spot, and even the defensive tool shielding him was destroyed.

Now, Song Changlian could only withdraw from the battle to hide in the distance and use medicinal pills to heal, temporarily losing his ability to continue fighting. It was estimated that it would take at least two to three years of recuperation before he could fully recover.

The others were doing relatively well, suffering only minor injuries that did not significantly impact their combat effectiveness. However, the third brother, Song Qingze, drew considerable attention; he had actually managed to slay a mid-tier demon crab single-handedly without taking any damage. After the battle, several elders repeatedly praised his performance.

Nevertheless, the greatest credit for this battle went to the Second Elder, Song Changfeng. With Song Changlian's assistance, he not only slew a high-tier demon beast but also single-handedly killed two low-tier demon beasts.

Half an hour later, as the last high-tier Silver-Armored Crab fell, the shore was already covered with the corpses of demon beasts, and most of the participating cultivators bore some form of injury.

Two cultivators were heavily wounded and had lost the ability to continue fighting. Additionally, a mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivator from the Du family had been caught off guard and was struck in two by a high-tier Silver-Armored Crab, dying instantly. This left Du Shaokang, the leader of the Du family contingent, with a grim expression.

The crowd had no time to sit down and rest after the battle. Before they could even recover their spiritual energy, they began the final encirclement of the Level 2 Silver-Armored Crab demon trapped within the formation.

Facing a delay in reinforcements, the Level 2 Silver-Armored Crab continuously let out summoning cries while struggling violently, attempting to break free from the constraints of the golden net above.

However, under the control of Song Qingming and the sixteen other formation masters, this Level 2 Golden Net Demon-Binding Array remained firmly cast over its head without the slightest tremor. The combined magical power of over a dozen Qi Refinement cultivators far exceeded that of this newly advanced Level 2 demon beast.

After the group encircling the Level 1 demon beasts returned, Liu Tianlong directed several Liu family cultivators to assist in operating the formation, increasing the pressure of the array. The rest of the crowd formed several rings and began a continuous siege against the struggling Silver-Armored Crab demon.

Soon, another of the crab's steel claws was severed by the high-grade flying sword in Liu Tianlong's hand. Unable to withstand the heavy blows, the Silver-Armored Crab could only lower the two pincers that were propping up the golden net, using them to strike back and repel several surrounding cultivators.

But just as it prepared to display its full might, the golden net above, no longer obstructed, collapsed entirely onto its massive body, pinning it firmly to the ground and making movement difficult.

Although the Silver-Armored Crab demon was currently suppressed to the ground by the formation and could not move its body freely, its pair of iron pincers remained unaffected and could still move independently.

The constantly flailing iron pincers and claws of the Silver-Armored Crab demon exerted significant pressure on the attacking cultivators. Before long, two more mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivators were struck by the massive white iron pincers and were forced to retreat with injuries.

Seeing that the situation was becoming difficult to handle, Liu Tianlong shouted "Change Formation!" to the two late-stage Qi Refinement Liu family elders leading the formation control from the rear.

Upon hearing the command, the two elders rapidly manipulated their formation flags. Under their continuous movement, the golden net that had been covering the crab split into two streaks of golden light, firmly binding the crab's two most powerful attacking pincers.

This was the prowess of the Level 2 Golden Net Demon-Binding Array: it could not only trap a demon beast but also use the powerful spiritual energy gathered within the golden net to bind the beast's limbs, causing it to lose most of its offensive capabilities derived from its powerful physique.

The Liu family's Foundation Establishment ancestor from over a hundred years ago was a rare Level 2 formation master, and it was through the Level 2 mountain-protecting array he had established that the sect's gates were guarded.

It was thanks to that ancestor that the Liu family was able to preserve part of its family assets and its Level 2 spiritual mountain after losing its Foundation Establishment cultivators. After the ancestor passed away, he left behind a profound inheritance of formation arts, which was why the Liu family had far more formation masters present than the other three families.

At this moment, although the Silver-Armored Crab demon could still move, its actions were incredibly slow, as if it were carrying a thousand-pound weight. Its constantly flailing pincers were useless against the surrounding cultivators, appearing as nothing more than slow motion. It had completely lost its offensive capability, with only a few less powerful iron claws capable of causing minor damage.

Facing the successive attacks of the many cultivators, the remaining iron claws were hacked off one by one. Having completely lost the ability to resist, the Silver-Armored Crab could only let out a final wail under the onslaught before falling unwillingly, its breath extinguished.

Seeing that the Silver-Armored Crab demon had finally fallen, Liu Tianlong stepped forward quickly to confirm that the Level 2 demon beast was completely dead before instructing the remaining formation masters to deactivate the array.

Looking at the blood-soaked and corpse-strewn riverbank, Liu Tianlong gathered the leaders of the three other families and said in a heavy voice

"According to our prior agreement, this Level 2 demon beast belongs to my Liu family. As for the other Level 1 demon beasts, the three of you can negotiate the distribution among yourselves; my Liu family will not participate. Furthermore, regarding this pool, my family also has priority in searching for spiritual items. None of your families are permitted to enter the pool for two hours. I assume the three of you have no objections."

The leaders of the three families looked at each other and, without saying a word, nodded.

Seeing that there was no opposition, the tension in Liu Tianlong's heart eased, though his face remained expressionless as he began directing the Liu family members to collect the corpse of the Level 2 demon beast.

He generously left the remaining Level 1 demon beast corpses to the other three families, but he ordered several Liu family cultivators to keep a close watch on the members of the other three families near the pool to prevent them from sneaking in.

After a brief discussion between Song Gubei, Wu Xiyun, and Du Shaokang, the three quickly allocated the demon beasts obtained by each family.

Following the principle of equal distribution, the Song family received two high-tier demon beasts and seven mid-to-low-tier demon beasts. Under the arrangement of Song Gushan, the Song family members quickly began collecting materials from these Level 1 demon beast corpses.

The Song family members were overjoyed as they looked at the demon beast corpses; a mid-tier demon beast was worth approximately twenty spirit stones, while a high-tier one could sell for fifty or sixty.

These demon beast materials alone were nearly enough to equal half a year's income for the Song family. Upon returning to the clan, those who had contributed to this mission would surely receive rewards.

However, compared to the Level 2 Silver-Armored Crab obtained by the Liu family, the Level 1 demon beasts distributed to the other three families were insignificant. Even if all the Level 1 materials were added together, their total value was still far inferior to that of the Level 2 Silver-Armored Crab demon.

A Level 2 low-grade demon beast could sell for at least 1,500 spirit stones on the market. Although the Liu family had lost one cultivator in this battle, overall, they were the ones who profited the most—and that was not even counting the potential spiritual items that might be found at the bottom of the pool.

The outer regions of the Floating Cloud Mountains had long been searched countless times by frenzied rogue cultivators, so the chances of finding spiritual items there were not high.

However, in this pool, where a Level 2 demon beast had resided for decades, some Level 1 spiritual items had surely been born. The probability of finding spiritual items near the spiritual vein nest of a Level 2 demon beast was generally quite high. The Liu family's decision to prioritize searching the pool would certainly yield some harvest.

In general, this demon beast hunting expedition had been very successful. All four families had obtained significant spoils, and the cultivators from each family were all smiling with joy.

Watching from a distance as the members of the other three families focused on collecting the demon beast corpses on the shore, Liu Tianlong's nonchalant expression shifted slightly. He then secretly transmitted a voice message to several Liu family elders standing nearby.

A quarter of an hour later, only one Liu family elder remained on the scene to direct the cleanup of the battlefield. Liu Tianlong and two other Liu family elders had vanished unnoticed; even the nearby Liu family cultivators had not realized that their clan leader had left the area at some point.

***

Inside a spirit-rich cave at the bottom of the pool, the three members of the Liu family were staring at a bottomless pit. The ground was littered with the bones of Level 1 demon beasts and a decaying Silver-Armored Crab.

"These high-level demon beasts are truly cruel, even treating their own kind as food," an elder at the eighth level of Qi Refinement said solemnly to Liu Tianlong.

Liu Tianlong glanced at the demon beast bones on the ground, pondered for a moment, and said nothing.

"Patriarch, the spiritual energy here is so dense; surely the place recorded in the Ancestor's notes as the 'Water Spirit Fruit Tree' is just ahead," another Liu family elder said excitedly, pointing forward.

After pulling out a red notebook and carefully cross-referencing the information, Liu Tianlong nodded and continued walking forward. After advancing another several dozen yards, a blue light suddenly illuminated the originally dim cave. Seeing this blue glow, the three were overjoyed and hurried forward.

(End of Chapter)