"Fellow Daoist, what grade of talisman did you just use? Its power was incredible."

Liu Feiyu asked, recovering from her shock.

The power of that lightning ball from the talisman had truly stunned both of them.

The power of a talisman equals the cultivation stage of the cultivator.

A First Grade talisman seals the divine power and spells of a Qi Refining stage one cultivator.

A Second Grade talisman seals the attacks of a Qi Refining stage two cultivator.

And so on.

A Ninth Grade talisman seals the attacks of a Qi Refining stage nine cultivator.

Liu Feiyu and her junior sister Shangguan Mingyue were both Qi Refining stage nine cultivators, and any divine power or spell they used was equivalent to the attack of a Ninth Grade talisman.

The attacks of Qi Refining stage nine cultivators could hardly harm a Ninth Rank demon whose body was as tough as a spiritual instrument.

Otherwise, the two Qi Refining stage nine cultivators would have long since dealt with that Ninth Rank demon.

Their two Ninth Rank spiritual beasts were also killed by the demon during the siege.

Their attacks struggled to break through the Ninth Rank demon's defenses.

Even a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator would have to exert considerable effort to kill a Ninth Rank demon.

Guo Feilong, pretending to be heartbroken, said from atop the stupid husky's head, "The talisman I used was a lightning ball spell sealed by a late Foundation Establishment stage cultivator. It was my last one, my ultimate weapon, and now it's gone."

A spell sealed by a late Foundation Establishment stage cultivator could naturally shatter the body of a Ninth Rank demon in an instant.

Bringing an unfamiliar cultivator into a battle with a Ninth Rank demon, Liu Feiyu and Shangguan Mingyue felt somewhat guilty.

Not all cultivators in the cultivation world are selfish, especially in a powerful sect like the Spirit Creek Sect, where disciples are taught to be prepared to sacrifice their lives for the sect and to have the resolve to exterminate demons for the prosperity of humanity.

Whether one believes it or not is another matter.

Under such education, there are always some simple-minded and righteous disciples willing to sacrifice their lives for the sect and fight demons to the end.

Liu Feiyu and Shangguan Mingyue were such righteous individuals.

Even though they couldn't defeat the Ninth Rank demon, they could have escaped.

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The reason they fought hard against the Ninth Rank demon, losing two Ninth Rank spiritual beasts, was because if they fled and left the demon unchecked, ordinary people living in nearby villages and towns would become its prey.

Even nearby cultivators would be killed and devoured by the demon to enhance its cultivation and break through to a higher stage.

This Ninth Rank demon was not an ordinary one; it was on the verge of becoming a great demon, much stronger than a typical Ninth Rank demon.

A great demon is equivalent to a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator among humans.

Otherwise, Liu Feiyu and Shangguan Mingyue, along with their two Ninth Rank spiritual beasts, four Qi Refining stage nine beings in total, would not have been unable to defeat a Ninth Rank demon.

Even if they couldn't win, they could at least fight to a draw.

After all, Qi Refining stage nine cultivators from the Spirit Creek Sect are not comparable to those from small sects or families.

It was because that Ninth Rank demon was nearly a great demon that they were beaten so badly.

A talisman sealed by a late Foundation Establishment stage cultivator is worth thirty thousand spirit stones, and it's not something you can buy even if you have the money.

Not all Foundation Establishment stage cultivators can make talismans; without the talent, they can't make even one.

Even those late Foundation Establishment stage cultivators skilled in making talismans don't know how much effort and time it takes, and how many failures, to produce one late Foundation Establishment talisman.

Feeling guilty, Liu Feiyu and Shangguan Mingyue exchanged a glance, and Liu Feiyu said, "Fellow Daoist, we will never forget your life-saving grace today. The demon core of this Ninth Rank demon, due to its nearing great demon status, can sell for at least ten thousand low-grade spirit stones. Please accept it.

Its claws and scales are also excellent high-grade spiritual instrument materials, worth two or three thousand spirit stones.

We give them all to you to compensate for your loss in using the late Foundation Establishment talisman.

If either my junior sister or I succeed in Foundation Establishment in the future, we will surely make up for your loss today.

We need to take the demon's head back to the sect's Demon Extermination Hall for a substantial reward, which we will also share with you."

They were quite sincere, and Guo Feilong could see their genuine intentions, not the hypocritical pretense often found in the cultivation world.

People with such character are rare in the cultivation world, so Guo Feilong didn't take the demon core but said, "To be honest, I was once a disciple of the Spirit Creek Sect. However, due to my age, I felt hopeless in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

I left the sect and became part of a small affiliated family under the Spirit Creek Sect.

Not far from here is Yellow Rock Town, my fiefdom.

I see both of you are seriously injured. Why not stay at my residence for a while to recover before leaving?"

The two women were delighted, "Then we'll trouble you for ten days."

They were seriously injured, and their protective spiritual beasts were dead.

If they encountered malicious cultivators, it would be very dangerous.

They were righteous but not foolish.

"By the way, fellow Daoist, you should still take this demon core."

Shangguan Mingyue gestured, and a blood-red demon core flew from the demon's shattered body to Guo Feilong.

Guo Feilong waved his hand, and the mystic power wrapped the demon core, sending it back to the two women, saying, "I have a favor to ask of you two.

I want to buy a top-grade guard tower from the Spirit Creek Sect to protect my family. Let this demon core be the payment for the guard tower."

He could also auction three Beauty Retaining Pills to buy a top-grade guard tower, as it costs only ten thousand spirit stones.

But the problem is, as a former outer disciple of the Spirit Creek Sect, how could he afford a top-grade guard tower worth ten thousand spirit stones?

If he bought it, it would raise suspicions and cause trouble.

Now it's different; he saved two Qi Refining stage nine inner disciples of the Spirit Creek Sect.

Exchanging the demon core for a top-grade guard tower would seem natural, and it would also signal to other cultivation forces in Green Sun County that he has strong connections in the Spirit Creek Sect and is a lifesaver to two Qi Refining stage nine inner disciples.

Anyone thinking of causing trouble would have to consider the two inner disciples of the Spirit Creek Sect.

Shangguan Mingyue waved her hand, and the demon core worth tens of thousands flew back to Guo Feilong.

Shangguan Mingyue then said, "We cannot repay your life-saving grace with mere words. A top-grade guard tower is nothing. My senior sister and I are disciples of the Artifact Refining Hall. Once we recover, we'll select the most functional top-grade guard tower from the sect's Heavenly Abode and personally install it for you."

A guard tower is not a simple spiritual instrument but a composite one, assembled like a building.

"Thank you both very much," Guo Feilong said with a smile, no longer standing on ceremony, and stored the demon core worth tens of thousands of low-grade spirit stones in his storage bag.

The demon core's high price is because it is a main ingredient in refining the Mirror Breaking Elixir.

The Mirror Breaking Elixir helps cultivators break through small stage bottlenecks.

A Ninth Rank demon core can be refined into a Ninth Grade Mirror Breaking Elixir, giving a high chance for cultivators below Qi Refining stage nine to break through to the next stage.

Demons are hard to find, and elixirs are hard to refine.

A Ninth Grade Mirror Breaking Elixir costs ten thousand spirit stones each.

And it's not something you can buy easily, even with spirit stones.

Cultivators reaching Qi Refining stage nine are eligible for Foundation Establishment.

Once successful, they gain several hundred more years of life span, rejuvenate, and their status is vastly different from Qi Refining stage cultivators.

In the dead of night.

Guo Feilong brought Liu Feiyu and Shangguan Mingyue back to his home in Yellow Rock Town. After having the butler arrange rooms for them, he slipped into the room of one of his beautiful concubines.