The tree demon was firmly trapped by the Demon-locking Ring, its movements restricted, standing like a stone, unable to dodge, and in the blink of an eye, it took Lu Zhiwei’s sword head-on.
Lu Zhiwei didn’t hold back with this strike either.
With a thud, the already battered body of the tree demon took further damage, becoming more fragmented.
The Demon-locking Ring suddenly tightened, squeezing the tree demon’s body fiercely, causing it to struggle violently.
The binding power unleashed by the Demon-locking Ring could also inflict great harm on the tree demon, capable of crushing like a python strangling its prey.
Under such tremendous binding power, the tree demon’s body quickly couldn’t hold up, exploding with a bang, scattering pieces everywhere.
The tree demon’s body shattered, breaking apart.
The Taiyi Celestial Ruins Sword struck again, in a few moves, the sword qi stirred violently, completely annihilating the tree demon.
As the Demon-locking Ring soared up and flew back into Lu Zhiwei’s hand, the Taiyi Celestial Ruins Sword also returned to float in front of Lu Zhiwei.
Looking at the tree demon on the ground, it had completely lost its vitality, leaving only a mess of remains.
The tree demon’s demon pill, exposed within its broken body, was effortlessly caught by Lu Zhiwei’s elegant hand.
This demon pill was a trophy from the battle.
Witnessing Lu Zhiwei successfully slaying the tree demon, Lu Ping appeared satisfied and messaged a remark.
At this moment, a system notification popped up.
[Doorway Affairs: Eliminate the tree demon at Celestial Peace Mountain in Qi Kingdom, mission completed]
[Mission Rewards: Reputation 1200, Two-Star Array Master Upgrade ×1]
After Lu Zhiwei slew the tree demon, this mission was thus completed.
Lu Ping glanced at it, choosing not to pay attention for the time being.
Following this, Lu Zhiwei and Yuan Lang meticulously cleaned up the battlefield.
The Foundation Establishment Second-Layer tree demon, apart from its Tier Two demon pill, still had value in its body, mainly in its branches.
These could be used to refine Tier Two Spiritual Artifacts.
Being an Artifact Refiner, Lu Zhiwei was aware of the usefulness of this tree demon’s body and certainly wouldn’t waste it.
She carefully selected and stored some refining materials in her storage bag.
After considering, Lu Zhiwei decided to give the remainder to Yuan Lang.
After all, Yuan Lang had also participated in this battle.
"I can’t accept this, it feels like I’m taking advantage."
Looking at the refining materials Lu Zhiwei sorted out, enough to make about two Tier Two High-Grade Wood Attribute Spiritual Artifacts, Yuan Lang shook his head repeatedly.
"You single-handedly killed this tree demon, how could I claim credit?"
"You should keep them."
Lu Zhiwei persuaded, "Even if you didn’t make a major contribution in this battle, you endured hardship."
"If it wasn’t for your earlier entanglement with the tree demon, depleting some of its magical power, I wouldn’t have settled it so quickly. You contributed, and this is rightfully yours."
"No more words, take it."
Lu Zhiwei insisted on giving it to him.
"Alright, then I will shamelessly accept!"
Seeing this, Yuan Lang no longer refused, quite intrigued by the tree demon’s body.
As for the demon pill, it was decisively Lu Zhiwei’s, he wouldn’t covet it.
After the two finished cleaning the battlefield, they both began exercises to restore their magical power and qi blood to peak condition.
Lu Ping stood by as a protector, keeping vigil.
Soon, as Lu Zhiwei completed her restoration, Yuan Lang followed suit, opening his eyes after finishing.
Curious about why Yuan Lang was present, Lu Zhiwei asked.
"To be honest, this time I left Shenxiao Palace on my master’s instructions, out for experience."
"My master had mentioned that due to the frequent clashes between Cloud Water Sect and Shenxiao Palace in Guangling County, demon beasts and loose cultivator renegades are rampant everywhere without anyone to deal with them." Googlᴇ search novel·fire.net
"My master dispatched me down the mountain, hoping I could, to the best of my abilities, quell disturbances for the people and eliminate harms like the tree demon, which is why I appeared here today."
Yuan Lang explained the reason for his travel.
The reason for being at Celestial Peace Mountain was hearing from local residents about a mischievous tree demon on the mountain while passing through, thus deciding to eliminate the threat for the people.
After some skirmishing, realizing the tree demon was quite troublesome, Yuan Lang considered retreating, not willing to engage further.
Unexpectedly, Lu Zhiwei also arrived soon after.
"Fellow Daoist Zhiwei, why are you here?"
"Here for experience too?"
Yuan Lang asked curiously.
"I heard of a tree demon harming people here, so I took on a sect mission to eliminate it."
Lu Zhiwei replied, "Didn’t expect to meet you here."
"Indeed, it’s quite unexpected for us to meet again."
"What are your plans next, are you returning to the sect?"
"Then we might part ways here...."
Yuan Lang sighed slightly.
Hearing this, Lu Zhiwei sensed a hint of disappointment in Yuan Lang’s tone, her cold demeanor slightly changing, showing a bit of warmth.
She asked, "And you, Fellow Daoist Yuan?"
"I... will continue my experience journey, won’t return to Shenxiao Palace for another month or two."
Upon saying this, Yuan Lang chuckled to himself, then stammered a bit, looking at Lu Zhiwei.
"Why don’t I escort you back to Cyan Mountain Sect. The journey is long and treacherous, it’ll be good to have company."
Before Lu Zhiwei could respond, Yuan Lang hastily explained, "Coincidentally, I’ll be heading to Lushan County; isn’t everywhere an experience journey?"
Lu Zhiwei, upon hearing this, didn’t respond, just quietly looked at Yuan Lang, understanding his goodwill.
Having had a few interactions, Yuan Lang had left a decent impression on her, worthy of befriending.
Currently, Yuan Lang’s cultivation wasn’t low either, having reached the Foundation Establishment Stage.
If they traveled together to Cyan Mountain Sect, it would indeed be good for them both.
Yuan Lang also mentioned his intent to have some experience in Lushan County.
While Lu Zhiwei hadn’t replied yet, Lu Ping on the side saw straight through Yuan Lang’s little intentions.
This kid... daring to make a move on my daughter right in front of me, huh.
Having gone through the same, Lu Ping could see through Yuan Lang’s intentions easily.
Lu Ping communicated, inquiring, "What do you think about this kid, Yuan Lang?"
Upon second thought, considering Yuan Lang’s background as the disciple of Shenxiao Palace’s Xuu Qingshan.
With Xuu Qingshan’s Crystallization Stage cultivation nearing Golden Core formation, this background wasn’t bad; Yuan Lang came from a prestigious lineage.
Moreover, Yuan Lang was quite talented, reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage even younger than Lu Zhiwei; the future looked promising for him.
Though his character still required further observation.
Lu Zhiwei was pondering whether to accept Yuan Lang’s invitation to travel back together when she heard Lu Ping’s communication, a bit puzzled.
Why would father suddenly ask this?