Beast Taming: I Have an Immortal Mansion

However, Fang Qingyuan had other plans for this Inner Core. Of course, he had to prioritize his own Companion Beasts for something this good; the Bee Queen and Jinbao had never tasted a Demon Beast Inner Core before.

So, Fang Qingyuan gave an apologetic smile.

"I’m sorry, Sect Leader Gu, but I have no intention of parting with this Inner Core for now."

After he placed the Inner Core into a jade box and stored it in his Immortal Mansion, Gu Hong’s expression returned to calm. Lechuan then came forward to console him.

"Sect Leader Gu, don’t be anxious. There will be other opportunities. With six Golden Core Demon Beasts still left, there’s bound to be a suitable Inner Core waiting for you."

"I hope so. We shouldn’t delay. Let’s hurry to the Wind Master Sheep’s territory; Fellow Daoist Long is waiting for us."

Gu Hong and Lechuan left first, while Fang Qingyuan and Situ Jingyu stayed behind to clean up the mess.

Although the Black Poison Frog was dead, its offspring and subordinates had yet to be dealt with. Fang Qingyuan and Situ Jingyu’s task was to kill the more dangerous Mid-to-Late Stage Foundation Establishment Demon Beasts to reduce the pressure on the disciples who would handle the final cleanup.

The commotion from eliminating the Black Poison Frog wasn’t huge, but it wasn’t small either. As the Golden Core Toad let out its final cry, an invisible wave rippled outward. The ground shook for dozens of miles around, and many venomous insects and fierce beasts hidden deep underground poked their heads out, stirring restlessly.

In the Barbaric Wilderness, the territory of a Golden Core Demon Beast typically forms a complete ecosystem. Among the various venomous insects and fierce beasts, some coexist peacefully, some are symbiotic, and others hunt each other. This is how many ferocious and strange species evolve and advance.

Now, with the death of the Golden Core Black Poison Frog, the remaining venomous creatures and demon beasts would instinctively vie for the position of leader. In the Barbaric Wilderness, the leader of an ecosystem has a high chance of evolving into a Golden Core Demon Beast.

Fang Qingyuan released his telepathic Divine Technique. His Mind Map filled with dense clusters of various venomous creatures and demon beasts. Judging their strength by the size of the light dots, he called to Situ Jingyu and began targeted eliminations.

Within a radius of about a mile, flying venomous insects and demon beasts suddenly fell to the ground before they could even understand what was happening. A black gleam flickered, darting back and forth, before finally returning to Fang Qingyuan’s hand.

Sensing that Bright Moon had swelled slightly in size within his Immortal Mansion, Fang Qingyuan promptly pulled back. The Godslaying Needle couldn’t absorb too much impure soul energy at once; otherwise, it wouldn’t have time to refine it and would instead contaminate his own divine soul.

Fang Qingyuan had to carefully manage the pace; otherwise, his greed would prove to be a miscalculation.

Therefore, after making the first few moves, Fang Qingyuan left the rest for Situ Jingyu to handle. Situ Jingyu, however, simply felt that Fang Qingyuan was being considerate of her.

After a long while, once Situ Jingyu had fought to her heart’s content in this part of the Land Realm, Fang Qingyuan calculated the time and called out to her.

"Senior Sister, that’s enough. We should go rendezvous with the others."

Hearing Fang Qingyuan’s call, Situ Jingyu withdrew from the distance. She dispelled the flame-like armor around her body, returning to her usual tall and slender appearance.

"Exhilarating! It’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed a battle where I could just let loose like that."

Situ Jingyu’s voice was filled with satisfaction. Ever since she became the master of the Earth Cave Fire Domain Branch, she rarely got into fights, making an opportunity like this a rare treat.

Fang Qingyuan gave a faint smile and started walking. Situ Jingyu followed behind him, and as she watched his back, she couldn’t help but ask:

"Your Qingyuan Sect, how many Spirit Stones does it earn annually now?"

’The Qingyuan Sect has been developing well these past few years,’ Fang Qingyuan thought to himself. ’If we’re just talking revenue, it’s around three to four hundred Top-grade Spirit Stones. But after accounting for expenses, the net annual income is much lower.’

"Around one or two hundred top-grade ones, I suppose. Can’t compare to you."

Situ Jingyu grinned, a hint of pride in her heart. The once-destitute branch had recovered quite a bit under her leadership over the years and was finally seeing a surplus.

"Unfortunately, I still don’t know when I’ll save up enough for a Magical Treasure. I’ve been through Core Formation for so many years and still haven’t even seen the shadow of a Lifebound Magical Treasure."

After that brief moment of happiness, Situ Jingyu’s mood soured again. She started rambling to Fang Qingyuan about a Magical Treasure she had once set her eyes on but had been forced to give up on because her pockets were empty.

Listening to Situ Jingyu ramble, Fang Qingyuan recalled the first time he had met her. She had been just the same back then, never hiding her true nature.

"Senior Sister, the Magical Treasure you had your eye on—was it a Magical Treasure Embryo, or had it already been through multiple sacrificial refinements?"

"A Magical Treasure Embryo, of course. Magical Treasures that have been refined multiple times each cost a fortune. How could I possibly afford one?"

Situ Jingyu responded irritably. In her eyes, Fang Qingyuan was mocking her for being poor. But did he really have such intentions?

Yes, he did. Seeing her expression, Fang Qingyuan laughed out loud and then said consolingly:

"Don’t be discouraged, Senior Sister. Look, I don’t have a Lifebound Magical Treasure either, do I?"

"How long have you been in the Golden Core Realm? It’s perfectly normal for you not to have one yet. I’ve been in the Golden Core Realm for over twenty years and still can’t afford one! Damn it! If I’d known Body Refining was this expensive, I would have cultivated a Divine Soul Dao Skill instead!"

Seeing Situ Jingyu’s indignant expression, Fang Qingyuan found it quite amusing. ’This Senior Sister of mine is as poor as ever.’

After advancing to the Golden Core Realm, a Cultivator can use their Core Qi to nourish and sacrificially refine a Magical Treasure. Of course, a "Magical Treasure" refined at this stage, strictly speaking, cannot yet be called a true Magical Treasure, but only a Magical Artifact.

Only when a Magical Treasure is refined to the Great Perfection of the Two Wheels, gives birth to a Primordial Spirit, and survives the Spirit Creation Celestial Tribulation can it be considered a true Magical Treasure in every sense of the word.

It’s just that everyone has gotten used to the term, possibly due to the flattery of Low-tier Cultivators. This has led to any Golden Core Magical Artifact being called a "Magical Treasure," regardless of its Heaven or layer of refinement. Over time, it’s become the default to consider any Magical Artifact refined by a Golden Core Cultivator a Magical Treasure.

A Magical Treasure can be sacrificially refined with Core Qi starting from its embryo stage. Theoretically, any Magical Treasure could potentially be refined to the one hundred and eighth layer, the state of Great Perfection of the Eighteen Heavens. In reality, however, limited by the treasure’s materials, crafting techniques, and sacrificial refining methods, even reaching the Earth Demon 72-Layer Perfection is considered remarkably rare.

The subsequent Heavenly Gang Thirty-Six Layers fall into the domain of Nascent Soul Cultivators. As for the Two Wheels, that is something only a Divinity Transformation Cultivator could even consider.

When a Golden Core Cultivator uses their own Core Qi to sacrificially refine a Magical Treasure Embryo, it takes about three to five years to complete one layer. After the Sixth Layer, it is considered to have reached the First Heaven.

A Magical Treasure below the Twelve Heavens and the seventy-second Sacrificial Refining Level is known as an Earth Demon Treasure.

Above Earth Demon Treasures are Celestial Spirit Treasures, which are refined up to the Eighteen Heavens and the one hundred and eighth level.

As for a Double Wheel Treasure, that is created when a Magical Treasure is refined to perfection, gains consciousness, and then undergoes the entire refining process a second time. The power of such a treasure is comparable to that of a Divinity Transformation Cultivator.

Generally speaking, Magical Treasure Embryos are cheaper than those that have already been refined. However, if one comes across an exceptionally suitable embryo, its price will naturally skyrocket.

Situ Jingyu had once found a Magical Treasure Embryo that was perfect for her, but she missed out on it because she couldn’t afford it. That’s why she still couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Fang Qingyuan also wanted his own Lifebound Magical Treasure. A suitable one could increase a Cultivator’s combat power two- to four-fold, with some even providing a tenfold boost. There were even recorded instances of a Golden Core Cultivator fighting on par with a Nascent Soul with such a treasure.

Some days ago, Fang Qingyuan had seen the sword that Chu Wen was cradling. He speculated that it was likely a Celestial Spirit Level Magical Treasure.

Although Chu Wen couldn’t fully unleash its power due to his cultivation level, one could imagine that with such a Magical Treasure, his combat power was high enough to be considered equivalent to half a Nascent Soul Cultivator.

’Right now, I don’t have the spare energy to search for my own Lifebound Magical Treasure. The immediate priorities are dealing with the Cloud-Clawed Lizard, helping Lechuan with his Nascent Soul Transformation, and pulling Bear Wind into our camp. Any one of these is more important than finding a treasure.’

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, they arrived at the rendezvous point. Lechuan, Gu Hong, Fellow Daoist Long, and another Golden Core Cultivator were already there, having killed the Wind Master Sheep.

Once all six Golden Core Cultivators were gathered, the distant Military Array Great Stronghold began to advance. Just as the Great Stronghold took root, the furious roar of the Cloud-Clawed Lizard echoed from a faraway valley.

At the same time, inside a Quiet Chamber within the Great Stronghold, Yuan Duo covered her ears and muttered:

"It’s so noisy."