My ancestors were spiritual plant growers, so it's not surprising that I hunt demons every day,

"Is that Sister Cui Ying?"

Just then, the courtyard gate opened, and Xue Changye walked out, saying somewhat embarrassedly.

Today, he was dressed in a black outfit with silver trim, and he looked exceptionally energetic.

He still wore the demonic beast bone chain around his neck, but now he had a dark blue storage bag hanging from his waist.

"Fellow Daoist Xue, am I not too late?"

"No, Sister Cui Ying's arrival is just in time."

Xue Changye nodded slightly, and as he walked, three more gray-white wolf shadows darted out from behind him.

As soon as he stepped outside, Xue Changye noticed Ta Xue standing in front of Cui Ying and couldn't help but frown and say:

"Is this the spirit pet that Sister Cui Ying keeps? It looks like an ordinary black dog demon. Also, it seems you haven't signed a master-servant contract with it? What if you can't control it in the Phoenix Mountains and it offends a powerful demon?"

After Cui Ying knelt down to comfort Ta Xue, she casually explained:

"Ta Xue and I are of one mind, so there's no need to sign a contract to bind it. Besides, my Ta Xue is very obedient; it won't run away or disturb the great demon."

Upon hearing this, Xue Changye's brows furrowed even more deeply than before.

"Although my Xue family is no longer a member of the Beast Taming Sect, we have been engaged in this practice for over a hundred years, and we have never heard of a cultivator who does not sign a master-servant contract with their spirit pet."

"Since you insist, Sister Cui Ying, then I can only remind you that once you enter the Phoenix Mountain Range, remember to keep a close eye on your spirit pet. If you let my prey escape, you will have to compensate me with spirit stones of its value."

"pay?"

Cui Ying's expression also darkened slightly, and she patiently forced herself to say, "There's no need for Fellow Daoist Xue to emphasize this; I know what I'm doing."

"Alright, let's set off then! Also, have you brought enough magical artifacts and pills?"

"Hmm~ Ta Xue, let's go."

Cui Ying glanced at Xue Changye indifferently, calmly recalled the little golden scorpion, then called out to Taxue before stepping on a cloud and flying into the air, heading towards Phoenix Mountain Range first.

Xue Changye, riding on gray clouds, caught up and flew alongside Cui Ying. He cleared his throat and continued:

“Sister Cui Ying, although you are a female cultivator, I still need to explain the rules of us demon hunters to you before we enter the Phoenix Mountain Range.”

Demon hunters do have some unwritten rules, such as whoever discovers the demon first and whoever kills it last, the demons are selected according to their merits, or spirit stones are distributed proportionally.

In her previous life, Cui Ying always hunted demons alone and never teamed up with the demon hunters in the village.

After being reborn, the only people he brought with him were his eldest brother Cui Cong and Zhu Chaoyun, who had grown up with him since childhood. The two of them were also very self-aware. They accepted whatever amount Cui Ying was willing to give them, and they never had any disagreements about it.

However, since she is now going into the Phoenix Mountain Range to hunt demons with outsiders, the rules must be agreed upon in advance to avoid conflicts later.

"I've heard about the rules for demon hunters before. If Fellow Daoist Xue has anything to add, please speak freely."

Xue Changye scratched his head, revealing a mouthful of white teeth as he smiled:

“Sister Cui Ying, you just said it’s not your spirit pet. And judging from this, this demon’s cultivation is only at the second level of Qi Refining, not even the third level. I think it won’t be of any help to our mission. In that case, if we need to hunt it, we’ll have to rely on my three Phantom Wolves.”

"They were raised by my father using secret methods since they were young, and many years ago they had already reached the fourth level of Qi Refining. Even I, Xue, would have to expend some effort to deal with them. If we hunt any monsters, it wouldn't be too much to count them as the third level, would it?"

If we encounter a formidable demon in the Phoenix Mountains, having three Phantom Wolves to buy time seems like a good solution.

Thinking this, Cui Ying nodded absentmindedly.

Xue Changye's smile grew even warmer as he spoke again:

"Of the remaining seven levels, my cultivation is slightly stronger than yours, Sister Cui Ying. I'll be at level four, and you at level three. Is that alright?!"

Upon hearing this, Cui Ying waved her hand dismissively: "Let's do as Fellow Daoist Xue says."

"Haha~ Sister Cui Ying is indeed magnanimous. No wonder she is valued by a reclusive master and can even kill the Gale Tiger, who is of a higher level."

Xue Changye glanced at Cui Ying a few times, his eyes unconsciously carrying a strange emotion.

Before they could finish speaking, the two had already flown into Chiyang Valley. Cui Ying observed the mountains and forests below while casually offering a few compliments.

"That demonic tiger was injured, and I only gained some empty fame by relying on my sharp swordsmanship. In my opinion, Fellow Daoist Xue is the real dragon among men, a cultivation prodigy. If you were willing, I'm afraid the powerful figures of those major sects would be vying to take you as their disciple. At that time, not only would you be able to capture a mere demonic tiger with ease, but you would also be able to easily break through major realms such as Foundation Establishment and Qi Condensation!"

Xue Changye blinked, and said with some surprise and doubt:

"I've met you, Sister Cui Ying, a few times in the village before. I remember you only ever paid attention to that Gu family brat, and you were completely indifferent to us cultivators. How come you've become so eloquent now?"

Cui Ying withdrew her gaze, and a sweet but cold smile returned to her face:

"Hehe∽ Perhaps it's an epiphany."

Indeed, there are instances on their Immortal Origin Continent where cultivators experience sudden enlightenment, leading to rapid advancements in their cultivation or even drastic changes in their personalities.

Therefore, although it was just Cui Ying making up an excuse, Xue Changye quickly accepted the explanation after his initial doubts.

After passing through Chiyang Valley, Cui Ying did not stop using her cloud-flying technique as usual. Instead, led by Xue Changye, she flew low to the ground and quickly passed through the outer perimeter, heading straight into the deeper parts of Phoenix Mountain Range.

The Phoenix Mountain Range stretches for thousands of miles and is composed of countless peaks and hills of all sizes.

"Is this Jade Bamboo Peak?"

If the nameless hills where they previously operated only contained some demonic beasts at the early and mid-stages of Qi Refining.

That short, green peak, about a hundred feet high, was almost entirely inhabited by people in the middle and late stages of Qi Refining, and there were even quite a few powerful demons about to reach Foundation Establishment.

In her previous life, Cui Ying had heard that the Jade Bamboo Peak was famous for its sweet and delicate bamboo shoots, which were crisp and tender and were highly favored by the high-level cultivators in the city.

She went there hoping to dig up some jade shoots to exchange for spirit stones. Later, if it weren't for the unexpected appearance of the iron-eating beast, she might have died there.

Seeing that Cui Ying seemed to know the name of the mountain, Xue Changye nodded and said:

“Since Sister Cui Ying knows about this peak, then I, Xue, will not waste any more words explaining. After all, the large area of ​​hills in front has been flattened by the nearby cultivators, and what remains are only small demons and beasts with little offensive power. It is really not worth the two of us working together to deal with them.”

Xue Changye withdrew his spell and landed skillfully on a flat spot near the bee's feet. Somewhat eager to try it out, he turned to Cui Ying and said:

"Sister Cui Ying, are you scared? Don't worry, I promised Fellow Daoist Zhu that I would take good care of you. Come down now."

Cui Ying did not want to waste any more time on the nameless hills, and after a moment's consideration, she agreed to Xue Changye's suggestion.

She withdrew her magic, floated down from mid-air to the ground, and without even glancing at Xue Changye, headed straight for the foot of Jade Bamboo Peak.