Across thousands of li lay the Fiery Mountain Range, saturated with an intense Fire Spirit Aura. Beyond fire-attributed beasts, and a sparse few earth-attributed ones, almost no other type of monster could survive here. Even cultivators, unless possessing a Fire Spirit Root, would find it difficult to linger for long.

Yet, while such a place proved exceptionally harsh for other monster types, it was a veritable paradise for fire-attributed beasts. Here, they could conveniently absorb the thick Fire Spirit Qi rising from the earth, allowing them to grow rapidly. Amidst a stretch of reddish-brown sand-rock ravines, three figures in black robes moved swiftly across the ground. The two leading figures appeared somewhat slow and clumsy, leaping rapidly across the surface rocks, relying on the Wind Control Art to sprint.

The figure in cyan robes following behind seemed far more at ease; with casual strides, they covered several zhang, keeping pace with the pair without rushing or lagging.

Ye Qin did not relax his vigilance in the slightest. He scanned the surrounding terrain with his divine sense; he did not entirely trust these two disciples of the Red Cloud Sect. However, to locate the targeted monsters in this area, he still needed to rely on them.

“How much longer until we find a monster?”

“Senior, I’ve encountered many monsters here before, but my cultivation is too low, and I usually dare not approach even slightly stronger ones. I don't know the location of their lairs. However, I will find them soon enough.”

Hou Qianji replied quickly. Suddenly, his gaze caught clumps of grey mud on a rock. He abruptly stopped, picked up a clump, sniffed it, and his face lit up with surprise. “Senior, there is dried monster excrement here! There must be monsters lurking nearby!” Hou Qianji cautiously climbed onto a higher cliff, surveyed the surroundings, and then his expression drastically changed. He instantly flattened himself close to the rock face in terror.

Ye Qin followed him onto the cliff and peered in the direction the other man was looking.

Behind the cliff was a vast surface fissure, bottomless, winding and rugged, stretching for dozens of li. The steep walls of the great fissure were densely packed, almost entirely covered in nests made of dry branches and mud-stone.

Numerous fire-red feathered firebirds soared back and forth above the fissure, emitting harsh “Ya… Ya…” cries.

“Fire Crow Nests!”

Ye Qin was astonished. He swiftly scanned the area; just within his line of sight, there were thousands of Fire Crow Nests. Each nest housed about five or seven Fire Crows. This massive fissure was estimated to contain at least tens of thousands of Fire Crows. Moreover, no one knew how many nests lay hidden deep within the fissure; an estimate pushing towards hundreds of thousands of Fire Crows was not improbable.

He rapidly recalled the nature of the Fire Crows. Fire Crows were low-tier, fire-attributed demonic birds, not particularly large. They could spit flames from their mouths, and smoke billowed from their wings. In the World of Shigu, Fire Crows frequently caused widespread fires and were considered ominous creatures. The feathers of a Fire Crow King exhibited a metallic sheen of violet-blue.

Common Fire Crows were beasts of the first to third tier. The Fire Crow King possessed the greatest strength, capable of reaching the fourth tier. In terms of individual power, Fire Crows were not formidable; they counted as low-tier demonic birds, and dispatching a single one was quite easy.

However, Ye Qin cautiously lay flat on the rock, refraining from acting rashly.

Hou Qianji, along with Tie Dadan, who had followed him up, were pale with fright, clinging to the ground, afraid to disturb the mass of Fire Crows on the other side of the cliff. They had brought Ye Qin here to find monsters, but they never expected to encounter these Fire Crows.

“Se~ Senior… let’s hurry and leave this place! This is the Fire Crow Nest—at least tens of thousands of them. We absolutely cannot afford to provoke them! If we startle them, in the blink of an eye, we will all be burned to ashes, leaving not even bone dust behind,” Tie Dadan was terrified.

“These Fire Crows are gregarious demonic birds, and among the most intelligent of their kind. They are exceptionally skilled at coordinated attacks, fiercely aggressive, and hold deep grudges. Once a single Fire Crow is attacked, every single Fire Crow within the entire great fissure will swarm over in a frenzy. A Fire Crow swarm numbering tens of thousands is capable of eclipsing the sky. The strength of such a colossal flock can only be described as terrifying; they will not cease until the invaders are utterly annihilated.”

“It is precisely because of this characteristic of Fire Crows that wherever Fire Crows build their nests, you usually see very few other ferocious demonic beasts. Even ferocious demonic beasts of the fifth or sixth tier are hesitant to cross the Fire Crow swarms.”

Fearing Ye Qin might act, Hou Qianji quickly explained the formidable nature of the Fire Crows.

“Let’s leave first.”

Ye Qin remained silent for a moment, then nodded. His current strength certainly couldn't withstand such an enormous Fire Crow swarm; he needed to devise a plan.

The three quickly and silently retreated from the cliff, moving back to a concealed location.

Ye Qin did not leave, however. He began searching a nearby peak for a suitable battleground. Undeniably, he had his sights set on this Fire Crow flock, intending to hunt them and seize their demonic cores.

“Senior, are you planning to hunt the Fire Crows?”

“Heh, what do you think?”

Ye Qin stated placidly.

Hou Qianji swallowed hard, staring at Ye Qin in disbelief.

A madman. Absolutely a madman. Provoking the Fire Crows—even the devilish figures of the Chaos Lands would not dare provoke them. He had originally hoped to recruit Ye Qin into the Red Cloud Sect, giving himself a chance to serve under this formidable Senior. But now it seemed this Senior would soon perish at the beaks of the Fire Crows, and his hopes were dashed.

Tie Dadan felt a chill deep in his heart. Although he was brazen, even in his wildest dreams, he would never conceive of hunting Fire Crows.

The two exchanged a look, fear blossoming, and a thought of retreat surfaced.

“Since Senior intends to hunt the Fire Crows, there’s nothing we two can do here to help; rather, we’ll just be a burden. Farewell!” They dared not linger nearby, swiftly galloping dozens of li away to hide, lest they be caught in the Fire Crows' wrath after Ye Qin enraged the flock. (Hand-typed first release by Dianmo Chinese Website.)

Ye Qin did not stop them, letting them leave. Once he engaged the Fire Crow swarm, he would have no time to look after these two; staying would only lead to both their deaths.

However, Hou Qianji and Tie Dadan did not actually travel far.

A cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage surely possessed many valuable items; even acquiring a single Dharma Artifact would be enough for them to live comfortably for quite some time.

When a Foundation Establishment cultivator was alive, they lacked the guts to harbor greed, but once dead, it no longer mattered. Since this Senior was destined to be killed by the Fire Crows, his possessions would remain where he fell. They would wait nearby, hoping that once the Crows’ fury subsided, they could claim unclaimed treasures and perhaps strike a fortune.

Several days later, Ye Qin arrived at the cliff. He spotted a few Fire Crows frolicking and unleashed a beam of golden light that instantly shredded them into pulp. Only one bird survived, letting out a shrill “Ya!” cry as it plummeted to the ground.

That single cry startled the entire Fire Crow swarm within the great fissure. “Ya—! Ya—” The swarm was enraged. For thousands of years, no beast or bird had dared to challenge their nests or invade their territory. A massive wave of red Fire Crows erupted from the dozens of li long surface fissure, rising into the sky, circling above to search for the intruder.

Ye Qin leaped onto his flying sword, transforming into a streak of golden light, and sped toward a mountain peak about ten li away.

The Fire Crow swarm spotted the intruder and pounced with mad fury. Their speed was only slightly inferior to his sword flight. (First release on Dianmo.)

As he flew rapidly, Ye Qin cast spells, knocking down the few Fire Crows that managed to close the distance. He dove headlong into a narrow cave halfway up the mountain peak. In moments, the mouth of this cave was jammed full of countless Fire Crows.

The Crows, massed together, poured into the cave.

The entire mountain peak was enveloped by the massive Fire Crow flock, their shrieks shaking the heavens.

Far away, atop a mountain dozens of li distant, Hou Qianji and Tie Dadan, both Qi Refining cultivators, stared at each other blankly. The terrifying momentum of the Fire Crow swarm kept them rooted, afraid to make a move. They had seen madness, they had seen recklessness, but they had never witnessed such fanatical disregard for life.

Across the entire Chaos Lands, apart from a few Golden Core Ancestors, who would dare provoke such a gargantuan Fire Crow swarm?

“What a pity. Such a bold and capable cultivator, if he had established himself in the Chaos Lands, could surely have achieved great things! If I could have served him, I could at least have become a remarkable figure. Sadly, he is going to perish at the hands of the Fire Crows. Why in the world did he go and provoke them?”

Hou Qianji sighed, despondent over his own bleak prospects.

“Forget him. Let’s wait two days and go collect his corpse. If he dies, we still have plenty of good days ahead of us,” Tie Dadan sprawled lazily on the ground, unconcerned. He never overthought things, simply living day by day.

Ye Qin was, of course, not seeking death. He had spent several days scouting, locating a mountain peak within ten li of the Fire Crow Nests. This peak possessed a narrow cave burrowing into its flank, which extended very deep into the mountain’s core.

Such a narrow entrance was sufficient to prevent the Fire Crows from surging forward in an overwhelming wave.

As long as he did not have to face hundreds or even dozens of Crows simultaneously, he could handle them with ease. He had even used his magical implements to carve several other exits within the mountain, alongside numerous traps. This way, even in the worst-case scenario where he could not hold off the swarm, he would have backup escape routes.

Furthermore, Ye Qin had prepared dozens of colossal boulders, each weighing ten thousand jin, ready to seal the main entrance and the cave passages at any moment.

In the dozens of large fields within his Mu Purple Mansion, he had planted them entirely with Frost Thorns, harvesting thousands of fruit and tens of thousands of Frost Thorn seeds. He had brewed large quantities of Frost Fruit Wine for restoring spiritual energy, enough to last him a full month. The seeds were for weaving nets to trap and kill Fire Crows. Did he think he would exhaust his spiritual power? Not a chance.

With all these preparations complete, Ye Qin felt a certain pity for the local Fire Crows; they were destined only to be abused and killed by him. Unless these Crows could somehow shatter the entire mountain, they posed no threat to him.

Ye Qin selected this massive Fire Crow swarm in the great fissure as his target for a specific reason.

Under normal circumstances, the vast majority of demonic beasts do not possess demonic cores. Among a thousand ordinary monsters, perhaps only ten might coincidentally form a core. Once a beast condenses a core, its strength far surpasses that of ordinary beasts, and its lifespan increases significantly.

Ye Qin required these demonic cores to extract minute traces of Primal Essence (Yuan Jing).

High-tier demonic cores yielded more Primal Essence.

It took roughly ten demonic cores from fourth-tier or higher beasts to refine a single drop of Primal Essence. If the core was below the fourth tier, even more cores were required to yield one drop. Thus, the more beasts he killed, the greater the chance of obtaining cores, and the more Primal Essence he would acquire.

To ensure the purity of the Primal Essence, it was best if the cores came from the same species of beast, so that the essence’s aura would be perfectly consistent, naturally resulting in higher-quality Primal Spirit Dharma Artifacts. If cores from different beasts were mixed, the auras would be chaotic and mixed, drastically reducing the potency of the resulting artifact.

Since Ye Qin discovered this massive swarm of tens of thousands of Fire Crows, he certainly wouldn't let it go. Tens of thousands of low-tier Fire Crows were estimated to provide him with several dozen low-tier demonic cores.

With everything ready, the operation to hunt the Fire Crows commenced, leading to the scene described earlier.

After retreating into the cave halfway up the peak, Ye Qin began relying on the cave’s narrow advantage, holding his ground firmly. His gaze was cold as he hunted the Fire Crows that charged into the cavern. He controlled his surging flying sword with his divine sense, sending beams of light slicing through, instantly slaying more than a dozen Fire Crows.

In mere moments, the floor of the cave was carpeted with the shredded remains of Fire Crows.

The casualties spurred the tens of thousands of Fire Crows outside into an even greater frenzy. They opened their mouths and spewed torrents of high-temperature flames into the cavern, almost causing the rock around the cave mouth to melt.