The remaining second-tier Seven-Eye Bats were no match for Wei Tu's single strike. After one quarter of an hour, they were all easily dealt with, one by one, as if slicing through vegetables.
Ants can kill an elephant, but only if the Elephant is restrained by the Bat King.
Of course, if an ordinary Golden Core cultivator had encountered a swarm of Seven-Eye Bats, they might have fallen here today.
A cultivator who practices both body and energy cultivation is generally unbeatable at the same cultivation level; they are practically invincible.
Wei Tu, relying on his third-stage body refinement, was able to get close to the Seven-Eye Bat King and fight it to determine the outcome.
Without the body-refining cultivation, facing such a large bat swarm, one would have no choice but to stand by and watch.
"The Seven-Eye Bat King's bat eyes are the main spiritual material used to make the third-tier artifact, the 'Fixed Light Pearl.' Once we reach Kang Kingdom, Wei Daoist can find a third-tier artifact master to forge this artifact."
After the battle, Bai Zhi communicated with Wei Tu using spiritual energy, her tone slightly excited.
Despite the Seven-Eye Bat King only being at the early third tier, the magical beast materials it provided could be used to forge artifacts, typically no more than a mid-tier third-grade item. However, the "Fixed Light Pearl" was not a regular artifact, but a "rare treasure."
Rare treasures refer to artifacts with special functions.
For example, the "Heart of Talisman Stele" Wei Tu obtained in the underground palace was a rare treasure. It could store a number of talismans without the need for talisman paper.
The "Fixed Light Pearl" can restrain an artifact and is effective in battle due to its unexpected effects.
Therefore, it also belongs to the category of rare treasures.
Such rare treasures are slightly lower in rank but still useful. After all, they are not regular combat artifacts.
Their most important function is to provide a strategic advantage in battle.
"Bai Daoist also knows how to refine artifacts?" Wei Tu raised an eyebrow, curious.
Refining artifacts, like making talismans, isn't something anyone can master fully. Most artifact refiners can only forge a few specific items from their own inheritance.
Therefore, if Wei Tu wanted to ask a third-tier artifact master to refine a "Fixed Light Pearl," he would need to provide both the required spiritual materials and the method for crafting the pearl.
"I don't know how to refine artifacts, but a hundred years ago, I participated in the destruction of an artifact refining family in Jingguo with several like-minded allies. I acquired the inheritance of a third-tier artifact master… this inheritance contains the crafting method for the 'Fixed Light Pearl'..." Bai Zhi smiled slightly, explaining.
When Jingguo was destroyed, the Golden Core True Lords of the five demon sects, including Bai Zhi, not only plundered Jingguo's resources but also inherited legacies from various major forces, aside from the two great immortal sects in Jingguo.
Wei Tu understood and felt reassured.
For low-level cultivators, obtaining the inheritance of a third-tier artifact master would be extremely difficult, but for an old Golden Core True Lord like Bai Zhi, it was a trivial matter in her cultivation career.
When he broke through to the Golden Core realm, Wei Tu had only risked one trip to the Southern Wilderness Ancient Plain, yet he obtained the majority of the inheritance from Master Shentu, a Nascent Soul cultivator.
Destroying the Jingguo nation was far more significant than the opportunities in the underground palace.
It was strange that Bai Zhi hadn't obtained more inheritances.
"Thank you, Bai Daoist." Wei Tu wasn't polite and casually stuffed a blank jade slip into his sleeve, allowing Bai Zhi's spiritual energy to imprint the third-tier artifact master's inheritance that she knew.
He had no time to refine artifacts himself at the moment.
However, his son, Wei Xiuwen, was a first and second-tier artifact refiner, and he was just the right person to take up this third-tier artifact master inheritance and improve his artifact refining skills.
After finishing off the Seven-Eye Bat swarm and collecting the spiritual materials from the bats, Wei Tu and the others continued their journey.
The Seven-Eye Bats had been the dominant creatures in the middle section of the secret passage, so after taking them down, Wei Tu hadn't encountered any significant threats for several months.
Time passed slowly.
In the second year of their journey through the secret passage, they finally encountered a formidable opponent again.
This time, unlike the swarm of Seven-Eye Bats, the creatures blocking their path were two "Mountain-Crushing Bears."
These two "Mountain-Crushing Bears" were male and female.
The male bear was at the early third tier, and the female bear was at the peak of the late second tier.
Just like in the battle with the Seven-Eye Bat swarm, Wei Tu decided to "capture the leader first." He actively engaged with the male "Mountain-Crushing Bear" at the early third tier, using conventional methods to battle it.
However, the male "Mountain-Crushing Bear" was not as easy to deal with as the Seven-Eye Bat King. Its tough skin and flesh were comparable to a third-stage Body Refining cultivator's body. Its entire body had no obvious weak points.
Bang! Bang!
Wei Tu clashed with the mountain-sized male bear for dozens of strikes. Several of his "Sha Mo True Armor" scales shattered, and his blood surged within him, nearly causing him to cough up blood.
He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and glared coldly at the towering giant bear.
Fortunately, the "Mountain-Crushing Bear" was also struggling. After Wei Tu's continuous attacks, the bear's skin was torn open, and its left chest even revealed a faint golden rib.
"This Mountain-Crushing Bear shows signs of returning to its ancestors. It seems it has inherited a trace of its ancestor, the 'Mountainous Giant Bear's' bloodline," Bai Zhi remarked.
Upon hearing this, Wei Tu's heart jolted.
The Mountainous Giant Bear was a true spirit-level demon beast, one that was above even the Heavenly Demons.
True spirits, also known as "Heaven and Earth True Spirits," are legendary beings born from heaven and earth. The True Dragon and Heavenly Phoenix belong to this category.
The existence of True Spirits is untraceable.
It seems they have vanished from the world.
However, in ancient texts, "True Spirit Descendants" have been discovered from time to time. Some pure-blooded True Spirit descendants, upon birth, could rival Nascent Soul cultivators, making them the true children of the heavens.
Wei Tu hadn't expected that the "Mountain-Crushing Bear" he encountered in the secret passage would already show signs of returning to its ancestral bloodline.
Even if the Mountain-Crushing Bear only had a faint trace of the "Mountainous Giant Bear's" bloodline, it was no ordinary early third-tier demon beast.
"No wonder it's so difficult to fight." Wei Tu moved back, using his perception technique to predict the Mountain-Crushing Bear's movements, thinking to himself.
A third-tier demon beast does not necessarily possess the same third-stage body as a Body Refining cultivator.
Beast monsters, like cultivators, are essentially Qi Refiners who breathe and circulate Qi. However, because of their different race, beast monsters possess stronger physical bodies, which gives the illusion that they are also "Body Refining Cultivators."
At this moment, the "Mountain-Crushing Bear" male bear fighting Wei Tu had inherited a trace of the "Mountain Giant Bear" bloodline, and through this ancestral return, it was now able to compete with Wei Tu's physical body in strength.
"The female bear is about to give birth; you might want to try taking its offspring." At this time, Bai Zhi spoke, offering a suggestion.
The potential of the Mountain-Crushing Bear cubs could far exceed that of Wei Tu's Wind-Cleaving Eagle.
The male Mountain-Crushing Bear had returned to its ancestral bloodline, and its cubs were likely to inherit its superior bloodline traits.
"We don't have time for that," Wei Tu replied, shaking his head. "I'm already engaged in battle with this third-tier Mountain-Crushing Bear. We only have one way forward now—deciding the outcome of this fight."
"Beast monsters won't willingly give their offspring to human cultivators. Taking the mother and leaving the cub is risky, as the cubs might turn against their captors."
Wei Tu wasn't moved. Even the Beastmaster Sect typically only trained beasts they had a cooperative relationship with, rather than hunting beasts and raising their offspring afterward.
"Canon fodder is not the same as a battle companion," Wei Tu mused. "Beast monsters are intelligent and require significant effort to be trained as battle partners. Most people wouldn't take such a risk unless they had no other option."
The Beastmaster Sect might control beasts, but in the ever-changing battlefield, once a beast turns against its master, it could be fatal. These were the lessons learned by the Beastmaster Sect's disciples over the generations.
Previously, when Wei Tu met with Nan Zi, in an effort to convince Wei Tu to allow Wind-Cleaving Eagle to mate, Nan Zi shared several stories of what happened to cultivators who mistreated their beasts.
"However, we could try a little to get these two Mountain-Crushing Bears to submit and let them willingly give up their cubs," Wei Tu said after thinking for a moment.
The secret passage was empty, and with his strength, he could take his time "persuading" the two Mountain-Crushing Bears, forcing them to give up their cubs.
Taking the mother and leaving the cubs would be a great insult to the beast monsters. Once the cubs learned of this, they could seek revenge.
But forcing the beasts to submit and make them offer their cubs was a different matter.
Beast monsters think differently from human cultivators. They submit to the strong. If the strong choose not to kill them, it is seen as an act of mercy.
Moreover, some beast monsters wouldn't feel hatred but rather gratitude, since being taken by the strong was seen as offering their cubs a better future.
Roar! Roar! Roar!
At this point, the Mountain-Crushing Bear male roared several times. It pounded its chest with its hands, and golden light flashed through its fur. Its size grew rapidly, from several zhang tall to more than ten zhang, resembling a small mountain.
In front of the golden giant bear, Wei Tu appeared like a mere black dot.
"That's a talent similar to the 'Law of Heaven and Earth'; this Mountain-Crushing Bear is impressive," Wei Tu observed calmly. Despite the bear's strength, he wasn't alarmed. Even if he couldn't defeat this third-tier Mountain-Crushing Bear, he had a fourth-tier defensive talisman to protect himself.
He quickly retreated, deciding not to confront the bear head-on but to observe its abilities after using its innate divine power.
In terms of speed, Wei Tu was significantly faster than the Mountain-Crushing Bear. As the bear chased him, Wei Tu accelerated his escape, easily dodging the bear's attacks.
Once he had gained some distance, Wei Tu reached into his storage pouch and took out the "Talisman Heart Tablet," preparing to fight using his talisman-based techniques.
The "Talisman Heart Tablet" floated in the air and shot out several talisman projections, directing them at the pursuing Mountain-Crushing Bear.
The talismans exploded upon contact.
Frost, sword light, and molten lava erupted from the talismans, causing damage to the golden giant bear.
These talismans, though not as powerful as the high-level third-tier talismans left to him by Shentu Shixian, were still quite effective against mid-level Golden Core cultivators in terms of attack power.
Several more talismans followed in quick succession.
Their power was comparable to a full-force strike from a mid-level Golden Core cultivator.
Just like the Seven-Eyed Bat King, the Mountain-Crushing Bear was also at the early third-tier, but due to the limitations of the secret passage's resources and array formations, its cultivation couldn't progress.
Thus, despite using its innate divine power, the Mountain-Crushing Bear male was severely wounded by Wei Tu's attack, its body torn apart and its flesh shredded.
However, surprisingly, the Mountain-Crushing Bear male began healing rapidly after taking the blow, as if its innate divine power had a healing effect.
"It seems that to subdue it, I'll need to finish the fight quickly," Wei Tu thought to himself, raising an eyebrow as he took out a stack of talismans.
Before his trip to Kang Kingdom, he hadn't been idle and had drawn a considerable number of high-quality late-stage second-tier talismans.
"Wood Thunder Talisman! Water Thunder Talisman!" Wei Tu called out as he flicked his sleeve, and the talismans activated, forming a talisman array around the golden giant bear.
In an instant, the sky darkened.
Green and blue lightning burst forth from the talismans and struck the Mountain-Crushing Bear male, which was still in the process of healing.
The Thunder Talismans were among the most powerful talismans. The high-quality second-tier talismans were comparable to low-tier third-tier talismans in terms of power.
The Wood Thunder and Water Thunder Talismans had no less power than the third-tier talismans Wei Tu had used earlier in the "Talisman Heart Tablet," and their destructive power was even stronger.
Boom! Boom!
A series of thunder and lightning roared.
Caught in the vortex of lightning, the Mountain-Crushing Bear male's golden fur turned completely black. Its size shrank back down to its original size, and the smell of burnt flesh filled the air.