After completing the transaction with Shopkeeper Liu of the Spirit Talisman Shop, Li Mu did not linger.
He flew back to Xiao Liang Mountain on his Flying Sword and immediately took out a Second-Order Talisman Skin to attempt drawing a Golden Armor Talisman.
This time, Li Mu was fully confident he could succeed.
Soon, the golden wolf-hair brush, its tip stained with Spirit Ink, glided across the Second-Order Talisman Paper.
Golden spiritual light gathered, and the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi moved with it.
Above the Talisman Paper, a Spiritual Qi vortex formed, drawing in a large amount of Spiritual Qi.
Li Mu held his breath, controlling the golden wolf-hair brush, and with one continuous stroke, completed the final flourish of the Spirit Talisman.
With a 'swish,' the golden Spirit Talisman gathered a large amount of golden spiritual light, forming a Talisman Array on its surface.
It floated in the air, its golden spiritual light dazzling, emanating a powerful and mysterious Spiritual Pressure.
It's done!
Li Mu's long hair was disheveled by the overflowing Spiritual Qi, and his face showed unconcealed joy.
The Spiritual Pressure emitted by the Golden Armor Talisman was much stronger than that of the Golden Sword Talisman, reaching Medium Grade Second-Order.
The Second-Order Spirit Talisman, Spirit Ink, and high-quality wolf-hair brush significantly boosted the Talisman's power.
Li Mu took a deep breath and checked his body.
Most of his internal spiritual power and true essence were depleted, and his Divine Sense was fatigued; he probably couldn't draw another Spirit Talisman.
Successfully drawing a Second-Order Spirit Talisman consumed a considerable amount.
Li Mu estimated his condition, figuring he could draw about seven or eight per day, unlike First-Order Spirit Talismans which he could draw without restraint.
Li Mu stopped drawing Talismans, planning to draw a few more Second-Order Spirit Talismans for self-defense after he recovered.
Next, Li Mu began tending to the spirit rice fields, feeding the spirit chickens, and optimizing the laborer puppets, starting a fulfilling day of pastoral life.
The next day, using Second-Order Talisman Paper, Li Mu successfully drew three Golden Sword Talismans and two Golden Armor Talismans, all of Medium Grade Second-Order Talisman patterns, with a 90% success rate.
If this were revealed, it would definitely cause a sensation.
As his strength had not yet reached the Foundation Establishment realm, Li Mu decided to keep these Second-Order Talisman patterns for his own use and not sell Second-Order Spirit Talismans externally, to avoid attracting unwanted attention.
Two days passed in a flash.
At dawn, in a secluded valley near Xiao Liang Mountain, Xu Lijin was directing Zhou Guangzhi and three hunter Cultivators in setting up a Demon Subduing Formation within the valley.
Talisman patterns for the grand formation were carved into the ground, and several giant stone array pillars stood around.
They made ample preparations to successfully hunt the Second-Order Demonic Bear.
Before long, Xu Lijin took out a set of array plates from his Storage Pouch, infused them with spiritual power and true essence, and threw them to the ground.
Immediately, a dense fog spread out, and the Illusion Concealment Formation instantly took shape.
Utilizing the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power, it concealed the situation within the formation and blocked Divine Sense detection.
"The Demon Subduing Formation is set up, and with this illusion formation to conceal it, the Second-Order Demonic Bear should not discover it.
Fellow Daoist Fei, Fellow Daoist Du, it's your turn to act and lure the Second-Order Demonic Bear here," Xu Lijin said, gesturing to Fei Zi Zhong, Du Shi Long, and Mo Yuanzhou, the three hunter Cultivators.
"Fellow Daoist Fei, Fellow Daoist Du, don't forget what we discussed beforehand," Zhou Guangzhi quickly interjected, reminding them.
"Don't worry!
He's just a small Cultivator at the Qi Refining Seventh Level.
If the Second-Order Demonic Bear fails to kill him, once we've killed the Demonic Bear, the three of us will help you deal with him," Fei Zi Zhong laughed heartily.
Then, he took out a Spirit Beast Pouch from his waist and released a black bear cub that had just been born, covered in wounds and trembling.
Du Shi Long took out a bone flute and brought it to his lips, blowing into it.
The next second, the sky darkened as a giant eagle with a two-zhang wingspan swooped down.
Like snatching a chick, it grabbed the bear cub from the ground and flew towards Burial Cloud Mountain.
Seeing this, Fei Zi Zhong, Du Shi Long, and Zhou Guangzhi all soared on their Flying Swords, following the giant eagle towards Burial Cloud Mountain.
Xu Lijin and another hunter Cultivator hid themselves, preparing to face the Second-Order Demonic Bear that was about to be lured over.
...
On Xiao Liang Mountain, Li Mu had just woken up.
After washing up, he prepared a pot of meat porridge and was feeding the Crimson Wolf.
Suddenly, Li Mu's Divine Sense was touched by a spiritual sense, receiving a warning from the Sentry Spider Puppet.
Li Mu quickly extended his Divine Sense, connecting to that Sentry Spider Puppet.
The next second, the Sentry Spider Puppet's abnormal discovery appeared in Li Mu's Sea of Consciousness.
He saw a ferocious and massive black bear, like a bulldozer, charging towards Xiao Liang Mountain with lightning speed.
Trees were flying everywhere, and Li Mu could already hear the ground shaking.
Li Mu dared not delay.
He picked up the Crimson Wolf, released his Flying Sword, and shot up into the sky, instantly flying hundreds of meters high.
After ascending into the sky on his Flying Sword, Li Mu immediately saw the full picture of the attacking Demonic Bear.
A two-zhang tall Demonic Bear roared furiously, madly chasing a giant eagle.
The eagle's sharp talons were gripping its cub.
"Damn it!"
Li Mu's eyes were about to burst.
He watched as the Demonic Bear stepped onto Xiao Liang Mountain, stomping his courtyard into smithereens.
His spirit rice fields were also affected.
If his reaction had been a little slower just now, he would have undoubtedly died.
"Damn it, that kid reacted really fast!" Not far away, Zhou Guangzhi saw this scene and spat fiercely.
"Fellow Daoist Zhou, don't worry, once we deal with the Demonic Bear, we'll take care of that kid for you," Du Shi Long said with a smile, comforting him.
"That's right, he's just a Qi Refining Seventh Level Cultivator.
If it's inconvenient for you to act, just leave him to us.
Let's go, let's deal with the Demonic Bear!" Fei Zi Zhong suggested with a smile.
Zhou Guangzhi nodded, then flew on his Flying Sword with Fei Zi Zhong and Du Shi Long, chasing after the Second-Order Demonic Bear.
Li Mu circled in the air on his Flying Sword for a while, watching the giant eagle and Demonic Bear disappear into the distance, before landing on Xiao Liang Mountain to clean up the mess.
His courtyard was destroyed, but he didn't have much wealth, so Li Mu didn't feel any heartache.
However, his spirit rice fields were affected, and many of his spirit rice and Wind Spirit Grass were destroyed, which pained him immensely.
Li Mu quickly began rescue efforts, hoping to salvage some of his losses.
Li Mu hadn't been busy for long when he suddenly heard faint roars and sounds of battle carried on the wind.
Li Mu soared on his Flying Sword and looked towards the source of the sound.
He immediately spotted a group of Cultivators, along with the giant eagle holding the bear cub, jointly hunting the Second-Order Demonic Bear.
The battle was extremely fierce.
Li Mu's eyes narrowed.
Among the group of hunting Cultivators, Li Mu recognized two familiar figures.
His courtyard destroyed and spirit rice fields ruined, Li Mu had initially thought it was due to non-human causes and had resigned himself to bad luck.
However, after seeing Xu Lijin and Zhou Guangzhi, he realized that the matter was not so simple.
If not for the early warning from the Sentry Spider Puppet he had set up, Li Mu believed he would not have escaped the sudden attack of the Second-Order Demonic Bear.
Damn them!
They were trying to use the bear to kill someone!
A fierce glint flashed in Li Mu's eyes.
He lowered his Flying Sword's altitude and quietly flew towards the battlefield.