Zhu Qiuniang was reserved by nature, even somewhat gloomy. Although she was close to Gao Xian, she rarely revealed her true emotions.
After slaying the Ironscale Demon Tiger with a single sword, resolving the deadly crisis, Zhu Qiuniang was extremely excited and joyful.
Looking at Gao Xian again, her heart was filled with a sense of being moved.
At the critical moment, this man risked his life to help her! She had never imagined that someone in this world would be so kind to her!
She remembered Gao Xian saying that no matter what happened, he would always be with her.
At that time, she found it somewhat amusing, thinking that such words were just to comfort a little girl, she wouldn't take them seriously.
Zhu Qiuniang knew how cautious this man was, almost to the point of being timid.
She never expected that this man would risk his life to fulfill his promise to her. It was precisely because of this that his actions seemed even more precious.
Facing Gao Xian's bright smile, Zhu Qiuniang felt a slight tingling in her nose, she forced a smile and returned it to Gao Xian.
Zhu Qiuniang was a bit hesitant to look at Gao Xian again, feeling like something was about to overflow from her eyes, which was quite embarrassing.
Hastily, she bent down to collect the head of the Ironscale Demon Tiger into her storage bag, pulled out the Stone-cutting Sword inserted in its neck, and packed the huge body of the Ironscale Demon Tiger.
Fortunately, she had a special storage bag for storing medicinal materials, large enough to contain the Ironscale Demon Tiger.
During this time, Zhu Qiuniang also adjusted her emotions.
Gao Xian walked over slowly, picking up the Stone-cutting Sword that was inserted on the side.
This sword was indeed of good quality, enduring attacks from Flame Bullets and Ice Arrow Spells, with no obvious damage to the blade, only the horn handle had melted away, needing a new handle to be installed.
Sheathing the sword, Gao Xian looked at Zhu Qiuniang again, only to find that she had already stored away the Ironscale Demon Tiger.
Zhu Qiuniang looked a bit disheveled, but her breathing was steady. He asked, "Qiuniang, are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
Zhu Qiuniang said, "The commotion from the battle just now was too loud, perhaps someone will come running. Let's leave this place quickly..."
The earth-shaking roar of the Ironscale Demon Tiger could be heard throughout the Feima Village.
Normal cultivators would naturally steer clear of this demonic beast. However, it was hard to guarantee that there wouldn't be some daredevils who weren't afraid of death coming over to join in the fun.
Both she and Gao Xian had just experienced a fierce battle, both exhausted and lacking the energy to deal with scheming cultivators.
Gao Xian also agreed with this, having exerted nearly half of his mana in the previous battle. In his current state, he didn't want to get into a fight with anyone.
If it weren't for Qiuniang by his side, Gao Xian would have wanted to quietly activate the Shadowless Robe and hide.
Occasionally, there were still roars of demonic beasts coming from a distance, indicating that the other Foundation Establishment-level demonic beast had not been dealt with.
The entire Feima Village was pitch black, and at this moment, no one dared to light a fire.
However, there was still a priority to address.
Gao Xian had used his Scent-sensing Technique earlier to detect an abnormal aura on Zhu Qiuniang's body, subtly connected to the Ironscale Demon Tiger.
However, now that the Ironscale Demon Tiger was dead, the connection was severed, and he couldn't find the abnormal aura on Zhu Qiuniang's body anymore.
With a determined heart, Gao Xian quietly infused two hundred points of Daoist Light into his Scent-sensing Technique, elevating it to the level of a Grandmaster.
Scent-sensing Technique: Smell the aura, discern people, identify objects, and recognize spells. (1/1000 Grandmaster)
Upon reaching the Grandmaster level, the Scent-sensing Technique gained the ability to identify spells. According to Gao Xian's understanding, the Scent-sensing Technique could now identify some spells.
With the enhancement of the Grandmaster-level Scent-sensing Technique, Gao Xian immediately sensed a faint reddish mark on Qiuniang's bare left foot.
He wasn't sure what this mark was, but he could vaguely sense a bloody aura on the mark, as well as a slight fluctuation of spiritual energy.
This mark was probably what attracted the Ironscale Demon Tiger to relentlessly pursue Qiuniang.
Although the Ironscale Demon Tiger was dead, this mark might still attract other demonic beasts.
Gao Xian didn't know how to dispel the mark, so he tried to activate the True Yang Spear. When the golden spear touched the reddish mark, the mark immediately dissipated.
He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, finally resolving the issue.
Qiuniang also felt a lightness on her body, as if a invisible burden had been lifted.
With the mark resolved, the two of them didn't dare to delay any longer.
Qiuniang was very familiar with the environment of Feima Village. She led Gao Xian in a circle back to Gao Xian's home through a small path.
Upon entering the courtyard, they saw Da Niu anxiously pacing around.
Seeing Qiuniang and Gao Xian return, Da Niu was exceptionally delighted, "Qiuniang, Brother, you're back!"
He had been very worried about Qiuniang and Gao Xian, and was also very afraid. Seeing the two of them return safely, he was so excited that he was about to cry.
Qiuniang had no intention of comforting Da Niu, she said, "Go fetch a bucket and basin to collect the blood."
She explained to Gao Xian, "The blood of the Ironscale Demon Tiger is extremely precious and must be dealt with quickly.
"The Tiger Blood Pill you used contained some tiger blood, but of a low grade. Now that we have the blood of the Ironscale Demon Tiger, I will help you prepare some medicinal ingredients. In the future, you can just drink tiger blood soup..."
Gao Xian nodded, as a master alchemist, he naturally understood the reasoning behind this.
With the recipe for the Tiger Blood Pill and the blood of the Ironscale Demon Tiger, he could refine a higher quality Tiger Blood Pill.
Fortunately, Qiuniang had years of experience in handling medicinal materials and was proficient in this area. With her help in preparing the tiger blood, it wouldn't be a waste.
Seeing Qiuniang looking a bit disheveled, covered in dust, bloodstains, and with one foot bare, he said, "Why not take a rest first, there's no rush at the moment."
Qiuniang shook her head, "The Ironscale Demon Tiger has just died, the vigorous vitality in its blood has not dissipated yet. If left for too long, the effect will be greatly reduced. Its bones, flesh, and scales also need to be decomposed as soon as possible."
She then said to Gao Xian, "You just fought to near exhaustion, you should rest and recuperate properly, be prepared for any changes. The demonic beasts are still roaming outside, we must be cautious."
At this moment, there was no sound of the demonic beasts. However, Qiuniang was still not completely at ease.
Gao Xian returned to the bedroom and found the little black cat curled up in the blanket sleeping soundly.
He felt a bit resentful, having fought so hard, while this guy was sleeping so comfortably.
He petted the little black cat a few times, and the cat protested with a meow, but didn't even open its eyes.
The furry and warm little guy was quite comfortable to pet.
Gao Xian finally relaxed, sitting on the bed for a moment, before remembering to cast the Cleansing Technique on himself twice, cleaning his body inside and out.
He was really exhausted, and fearing another attack from a demonic beast, he took off his boots and lay down on the bed.
When Gao Xian opened his eyes again, the room was already brightly lit, indicating that it was almost noon.
The battle from last night had really worn him out, as he had slept for so long.
Gao Xian stretched lazily and sat up, feeling the chill in the room, his breath visible in the cold air.
He activated the Spring Breeze Technique to warm up his body quickly. Then he cast the Cleansing Technique again, ensuring his personal hygiene, fully awake now.
Gao Xian didn't rush to go out, instead, he took out the Book of Wind and Moon, only to see that the Ice and Fire Dual Realm had transformed into the Ice and Fire Nine Realms!
Ice and Fire Nine Realms: Fusion of ice and fire, harmony of Yin and Yang. (16/2000 Entry Level)
Having reached the perfect level of the Ice and Fire Dual Realm, Gao Xian thought he had reached the limit, but unexpectedly, the Ice and Fire Dual Realm had upgraded to the Ice and Fire Nine Realms.
This was all due to the ferocity of the Ironscale Demon Tiger, which had put immense pressure on him. Under such strong stimulation, the Ice and Fire Dual Realm at the perfect level had broken through.
Clearly, the Ice and Fire Nine Realms would enhance the power of Flame Bullets and Ice Arrow Spells once again.
Gao Xian had a clear sense of this at the time, which gave him the confidence to continue using spells to confront the Ironscale Demon Tiger.
Of course, he had a backup plan. If he couldn't deal with the Ironscale Demon Tiger, he still had a Flame Bullet that could easily blast through the nearby wall.
By temporarily blocking the Ironscale Demon Tiger, he could then activate the Shadowless Robe and have a great chance of evading the beast.
In this battle, Gao Xian realized the power of the Foundation Establishment level and understood the importance of adapting to the situation and being flexible in combat.
Of course, the most important thing was the breakthrough to the Ice and Fire Nine Realms, which also meant that reaching the full level of a Grandmaster was not the limit.
Old wounds were forgotten when new ones appeared. At this moment, Gao Xian had already forgotten the danger he faced last night, only remembering the benefits of the breakthrough.
He thought to himself with satisfaction, "Shadowless Robe, True Yang Spear, Electric Dragon Hand, Great Occult Divine Art, if all of these can continue to upgrade, how wonderful would that be!"
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(End of this chapter)