As everyone else was busy battling the fierce beast, Li Xuan, who had already lured the flying beast hundreds of miles away, slowly came to a halt.
Looking at the beast before him, Li Xuan smiled slightly, "This place is just right for me to stretch my limbs!"
As soon as Li Xuan finished speaking, he shot towards the beast at an incredible speed.
Roar!
As if sensing Li Xuan's power, the beast flapped its wings, and a powerful gust of wind instantly swept through the air. Its body, propelled by the hurricane, also charged towards Li Xuan.
Bang!
Li Xuan showed no intention of stopping. With a single punch, he blocked the hurricane. When the beast charged at him, Li Xuan's mind stirred, and his physical defenses immediately activated.
"Overlord Fist Unrivaled!"
A punch imbued with terrifying physical strength landed heavily on the beast. The immense recoil force pushed both Li Xuan and the beast back.
"What a tough body. This beast must have mutated," Li Xuan muttered, feeling a slight numbness in his tiger's mouth. He shook his wrist and charged towards the beast again.
Bang bang bang!
With continuous punches, the immense force sent Li Xuan and the beast staggering backward repeatedly. The ground below was devoid of any vegetation, and even the mountains were flattened by the shockwaves.
"Exhilarating!" After a series of clashes, Li Xuan felt his control over the application of his strength deepen. Although the recoil was immense, it was still within his ability to suppress.
Especially as Li Xuan gradually found his rhythm, the bottlenecks in his physical body seemed to loosen considerably.
On the other hand, the beast, in its continuous confrontation with Li Xuan, began to show a hint of fear in its eyes. Its retreating limbs were immediately noticed by Li Xuan.
"It seems you've exhausted your tricks. In that case, let's end this," Li Xuan smiled slightly, his Master Sword appearing in his hand. With a thought, he slashed at the empty air.
Clang!
A sword light flashed, and the beast, which had sensed the danger and flown out ten meters, suddenly sported a sword mark across its body. Like brittle porcelain, it then exploded.
"This profound beast at the peak of the Dao Integration realm still can't match the techniques of a spirit master," Li Xuan sheathed his Master Sword and looked at the beast's corpse with a slight shake of his head. He then glanced at the location of the Level Five ruins and flew towards it swiftly.
Roar!
As Li Xuan rushed back, he heard the pained cries of two beasts. Their massive bodies slowly fell amidst countless rays of spiritual light.
"It seems I've returned at the perfect time," Li Xuan said with a smile, looking at the Chief Disciple of Qinglian.
"The beast that Senior Brother Li Xuan lured away has been dealt with?" The Chief Disciple of Qinglian wiped the sweat from her brow and looked in the direction Li Xuan had flown from, asking with a hint of surprise.
"It has been dealt with. Now, we can proceed to collect the spirit core source crystals from this place," Li Xuan nodded upon hearing this. He then raised his left hand, and the beast's core appeared in his palm.
The Chief Disciple of Qinglian's eyes widened further in shock. Even Shi Hongyi and the others, who had just slain another beast, looked on with admiration.
The sheer power of these beasts meant that even they, with their combined strength, could only defeat them through collective effort. Yet, Li Xuan had single-handedly killed one and returned.
What surprised everyone the most was that Li Xuan showed no signs of injury.
Although Li Xuan's strength appeared to be less than theirs, his abilities were undeniable, and everyone had to admit his formidable nature.
"I never imagined Senior Brother Li Xuan could deal with a beast alone. In that case, our Myriad Flower Palace has taken an undue advantage of everyone. Allow us to handle the task of collection."
The Chief Disciple of Qinglian let out a wry smile, realizing they had indeed gained an advantage. If Li Xuan could defeat one beast by himself, then with the eight hundred disciples of the Profound Sect, defeating the other three beasts would not be difficult. This meant their group had, in fact, benefited more.
"In that case, we shall trouble Chief Disciple Qinglian and all you esteemed fairies," Li Xuan did not refuse and cupped his hands in greeting to the Chief Disciple of Qinglian and the disciples of Myriad Flower Palace.
The Chief Disciple of Qinglian smiled and nodded to Li Luan beside her. Immediately, over three hundred female disciples of Myriad Flower Palace flew towards the Nine Treasures Spiritual Tree within the palace to begin collecting.
A quarter of an hour later, the disciples of Myriad Flower Palace returned to their original positions, handing over the collected spirit core source crystals to the Chief Disciple of Qinglian.
"Senior Brother Li Xuan, please," the Chief Disciple of Qinglian, after receiving the spirit core source crystals from everyone, presented them to Li Xuan.
Li Xuan nodded slightly, then sensed the contents before waving his hand, collecting the nine spatial rings filled with spirit core source crystals.
After a brief scan, Li Xuan stated, "As per our prior agreement, our Profound Sect shall receive two-thirds of the spirit core source crystals collected this time. The remaining one-third belongs to your esteemed sect."
"Qinglian thanks Senior Brother Li Xuan," the Chief Disciple of Qinglian accepted the three spatial rings and bowed to Li Xuan. A hint of shyness colored her delicate face, and her gaze towards Li Xuan seemed to hold a different kind of light.
"It was an agreement, Chief Disciple Qinglian, you needn't be so formal. This ruin is now devoid of spirit core source crystals. What are your next plans?" Li Xuan waved his hand and inquired.
"This... Senior Brother Li Xuan, we received a message from our Senior Sister, and we must proceed to our rendezvous point."
"If we hadn't discovered this Level Five ruin last night, we wouldn't have encountered Senior Brother Li Xuan and your group. Now that the Level Five ruin has been collected, we must part ways with Senior Brother Li Xuan and everyone else for the rest of our journey."
The Chief Disciple of Qinglian hesitated slightly before apologizing, "In that case, we shall not delay your esteemed fairies any longer. I believe we will meet again deeper within the Yinglong Cave Heaven. I hope then, we can still travel together." Li Xuan smiled understandingly, "Chief Qinglian, I also hope to continue our journey with Senior Brother Li Xuan and everyone else. Time is getting late, so Qinglian will take her leave now." The Chief Disciple of Qinglian clearly understood Li Xuan's words. She nodded, bowed again, and then took her leave.
"Chief Disciple Qinglian and all you esteemed fairies, may we meet again," Li Xuan said, cupping his fists.
After watching the Chief Disciple of Qinglian and over three hundred disciples of Myriad Flower Palace depart, Li Xuan turned his gaze back to his companions, "The total number of spirit core source crystals collected this time is over nine thousand. After deducting the three thousand-plus given to Myriad Flower Palace, we have obtained six thousand."
"After deducting the thirty percent that needs to be submitted, each of us can receive five spirit core source crystals. Now, distribute them."
Li Xuan then took out the spirit core source crystals that needed to be submitted and handed the spatial ring to Shi Hongyi beside him. Hearing this, everyone cheerfully awaited their share.
"I never realized you were quite popular. The way Chief Disciple Qinglian looked at you was particularly affectionate," West Chu Yun said with a teasing smile as he approached Li Xuan while everyone was distributing the spirit core source crystals.
Li Xuan was momentarily stunned.
Just as he was about to speak, Shi Hongyi arrived before Li Xuan, presenting the spatial ring. "Senior Brother Li Xuan, this contains your allocated share."
"Good. Uh, were any disciples injured during the encirclement of the beast? If there are no serious injuries, let's continue our journey," Li Xuan accepted the spatial ring and asked.
"Reporting to Senior Brother Li Xuan, there were only minor injuries. After treatment, everyone has recovered," Shi Hongyi replied with a smile.
After a brief period of reorganization, Li Xuan carefully studied the map and then led everyone deeper into the Yinglong Cave Heaven.