C17 All of Them must Die

Gulping down a large mouthful of saliva, Jiang Ming's pale face was framed by his trembling hands as he frantically searched within his arms. Jiang Yuan's deep laugh resonated, "Thinking of calling for help?"

In the next instant, Jiang Ming's eyes went vacant, and a thick scent of blood filled the air.

Thud!

Jiang Ming collapsed to the ground, a three-inch hole oozing blood from his head.

"He's... he's dead..."

Jiang Zhan was utterly stunned; it was inconceivable to him that Jiang Yuan had actually killed Jiang Ming.

"I spared you once... and now you seek my life!"

Jiang Yuan's voice was devoid of pity. They were weak, yes, but despicably so.

"Die, all of you!"

Screams of terror and despair echoed one after another.

The sword pills, like Death's own scythes, relentlessly reaped the lives around them.

Within a mere three seconds, only Jiang Zhan remained.

"I... I am the grandson of the Great Elder..."

Jiang Zhan's voice trembled, betraying his lack of conviction.

The sword pill streaked past.

"Yes, I'm aware," Jiang Yuan said with a slight smile, retracting his spiritual energy.

"These fools actually managed to gather quite a few Demon Cores."

Peering into the Universe Bag, Jiang Yuan's eyes narrowed with interest. The first prize was his—forget the Level 0 Demon Cores; not one person could match the bounty of over ten first-level ones he now possessed.

Universe Bags were widely used on the continent for storage, each containing a vast space for items, and were often surpassed only by the even larger Universe Rings.

He extracted the Demon Core of the first Devil Beast he had slain—the Silver Roar Tiger.

Devour!

"Ding... Devouring a Stage One Devil Beast—Silver Roar Tiger Demon Core, cultivation progress has increased."

No level up. He continued.

"Ding... Devouring a top-tier Stage One Devil Beast—Blood Wolf Demon Core, cultivation progress has increased."

"Ding... Devouring a top-tier Level Zero Devil Beast—Wolf Demon Core, cultivation progress has increased."

"Ding... Devouring a top-tier Level Zero Devil Beast—Tiger Demon Core, cultivation progress has increased."

...

"Ding... Cultivation level has increased by one, you are now a Six-Star Warrior."

After consuming nearly half of the Demon Core, Jiang Yuan finally felt the familiar surge of power.

So much consumed just to level up!?

But it made sense; the Demon Core was essentially a crystallization of spiritual energy, akin to a human's dantian—a mere gathering space for vital energy.

Thus, consuming a Demon Core was akin to absorbing spiritual energy. At best, it was like ingesting condensed spiritual energy, so its impact on enhancing Spiritual Force was minimal.

With this realization, Jiang Yuan had an epiphany...

Although the Demon Core's potency wasn't overwhelming, it was far more convenient to store than corpses or delicate spirit herbs that demanded specific storage conditions. It was akin to an appetizer or dessert compared to a full meal.

If anyone else caught wind of Jiang Yuan's thoughts, they'd lose their minds. To Jiang Yuan, those invaluable Demon Cores were mere treats.

BOOM!

Just then, a beam of light streaked across the sky, the glow of the Spirit Fire Technique.

This beacon was the recall signal marking the end of the hunting day.

The hunt was over!

Jiang Yuan glanced back at the seven corpses, casually enveloping them in a blaze of fiery red spiritual energy.

Ignite!

The spiritual energy transformed, and flames roared to life.

Fueled by spiritual energy, the fire's heat was intense. In mere moments, the blood-soaked corpses were reduced to ash.