“Our Li Family naturally has no shame to demand it, but the Wang Family is qualified. According to the pre-agreed distribution principle of ‘to each according to their harvest,’ it’s clear that Young Friend Wang contributed more. Now, Fellow Daoist Lei wants to distribute based on the most merit, isn’t that contradictory?”

Li Yaozu’s expression remained unchanged. It seemed Wang Longyou must have offered him considerable benefits last night; otherwise, he wouldn’t be acting this way.

Wang Longyou then spoke up, “Our Wang Family feels we contributed less and won’t claim the remaining second-order demon beasts. However, this third-order demon core rightfully belongs to our Wang Family!”

The other three families were naturally unwilling.

After much back-and-forth, the Wang Family still obtained the demon core. However, besides being excluded from distributing the remaining fifty second-order demon beasts, they also had to compensate the other three families with five bottles of Qi Gathering Pills each.

But the Wang Family didn’t end up with fewer materials either. After all, the Wang Family alone had slain over ten second-order demon beasts, especially Wang Hao, who killed eight by himself—the most among all the Foundation Establishment cultivators!

These were personal gains; even if the Wang Family needed them, they would have to exchange contribution points with Wang Hao for them.

Because of this, the Li Family also became a target for the other three families and received a smaller share of items. However, judging by Li Yaozu’s expression, he clearly didn’t feel at a disadvantage.

Afterward, they rested for a few more days. Some clansmen from the Wang and Li families remained at the market, while the rest set off together on Wang Hao’s flying boat.

When it was time to part ways with the Li Family, Li Yaozu said, “Fellow Daoists, please don’t forget your promise to me!”

Wang Longyou responded with a smile. “Naturally. When the Old Ancestor starts alchemy, the Li Family won’t be left out of a pill. Please also return home, Family Head Li, and carefully select clansmen. This matter concerns the grand plans of our two families! Only steady and reliable individuals can undertake this task.”

“I naturally understand and will inform them to follow Young Friend Wang’s lead. Fellow Daoist need not worry!” Li Yaozu gave Wang Hao a meaningful look before leading his clansmen off the flying boat and heading toward the Li Family’s territory.

After the beast tide, various forces began their recovery.

The Wang Family’s losses weren’t significant this time: over twenty clansmen were killed or injured in total—eleven lightly wounded, five severely wounded, and eight dead. Several were older and died from exhaustion during the intense battle, their life force completely spent.

The Wang Family held a collective funeral and distributed rewards like pills and magical instruments to the surviving clansmen as encouragement.

Among them, a Foundation Establishment Pill was allocated to Wang Yanping, a Qi Refining clansman who performed best. He was Wang Hao’s nineteenth uncle, now nearly forty years old and having been at Qi Refining perfection for several years—truly suitable for Foundation Establishment.

After returning to Ruojun Mountain, Wang Hao went to see Wang Wenxian. He gave her two bottles of Huangya Pills and offered a few words of advice, thus fulfilling the request of the Ling Lake City Lord. Others who saw Wang Hao speaking with Wang Wenxian naturally understood the implications and wouldn’t dare bully her easily.

After obtaining the demon core, Wang Guang’an spent over three months studying relevant alchemy knowledge and gathering spiritual herbs before finally starting the alchemy process.

He only managed to produce three Foundation Establishment Pills.

One of these had to be given to the Li Family as repayment for their support in securing the demon core. Similarly, most of the auxiliary herbs for this batch were provided by the Li Family.

Time flew by, and another year passed. During this year, Wang Hao’s spirit beasts and spirit insects underwent tremendous changes.

A year ago, the Phantom Moon Butterflies began spinning silk to wrap themselves up. Delicate seven-colored threads enveloped their plump bodies tightly. At first, Wang Hao thought this silk was a byproduct that could be used to make inner armor or something similar. He didn’t expect that after wrapping themselves into cocoons, the Phantom Moon Butterflies would fall into a deep sleep.

Wang Hao naturally realized they were about to advance in rank and promptly moved them into a Spirit Gathering Array.

Next was the Ice-Eyed White Tiger. After experiencing the beast tide chaos and consuming plenty of high-rank demon beast meat, the little fellow fell into a deep sleep not long after Wang Hao returned to Ruojun Mountain.

Seeing that these three later arrivals were about to advance to second-order demon beasts, the Golden-Eyed Duck became anxious. It was the first to follow its master; how could its strength lag behind?

It kept quacking and pestering Wang Hao for food. When had Wang Hao ever shortchanged them on food? What could he do if it wasn’t striving hard enough?

Wang Hao recalled that when Yaya hatched, there seemed to be faint electric arcs on its eggshell—it should have a lightning attribute. Yet currently, nothing about it showed any lightning properties. Remembering he had a second-order lightning-attribute demon core, he took it out.

“Quack! Quack!” Yaya cried out at Wang Hao, its eyes blazing as it stared at the demon core in his hand.

“You really want to eat this? This is a mid-grade second-order demon core. If you can’t withstand its medicinal power, you might die,” Wang Hao said with a grave expression. It wasn’t that he was reluctant—just two thousand Spirit Stones were like a drop in the bucket compared to his farm’s current output.

Yaya glanced at where the other three spirit beasts were sleeping and nodded firmly.

Wang Hao stroked its feathers and sighed. “Since you’ve decided, I’ll give it to you. Remember: if you can’t refine it, expel the medicinal power in time. Preserving your life is most important. By following me, you’ll advance sooner or later; why fight for this moment?”

Yaya’s mind was made up; its eyes shone brightly as it looked at Wang Hao. Reluctantly, Wang Hao gave it the demon core.

At first, Yaya couldn’t withstand the medicinal power and let out mournful cries, constantly crashing around in the courtyard to expend energy—a sight that made even Wang Hao’s heart ache. But when a demon beast advances in rank, its master can’t offer much help beyond watching and offering encouragement!

This state lasted for three days until that lightning-attribute demon core seemed fully refined by Yaya. Yaya successfully fell into deep sleep.

Seeing Yaya covered in wounds but still breathing steadily finally put Wang Hao’s mind at ease.

The first to awaken were the Phantom Moon Butterflies. Shedding their thick cocoons, two seven-colored butterflies appeared before Wang Hao and affectionately landed on his shoulders.

They were only about one foot long—even smaller than at first order—with mesmerizing seven-colored stripes on their large wings forming an eye-like pattern where illusion patterns intertwined at their centers. Staring at them for a while even made Wang Hao feel dizzy.

Wang Hao took out some spirit fruits to feed them. After they ate their fill, he said, “I’ve raised you for decades now; come on—let your master see your abilities!”

The two butterflies flew around him with confused eyes looking at him.

Wang Hao frowned. “What? Is it hard to demonstrate? Just release an attack toward that empty space over there!”

Finally understanding his meaning after some time passed without action, both Phantom Moon Butterflies began dancing gracefully together. A white mist gradually formed above the area, expanding outward slowly but surely.

Wang Hao entered the mist himself briefly before breaking free again quickly enough, largely thanks to having experienced similar illusions previously during training sessions, which helped him resist better than most others might have done.

Once outside the range, he spoke up once more. “Just mist then? Useful enough perhaps for setting up defensive arrays trapping cultivators below mid-Foundation Establishment stage maybe, but offensive capabilities seem somewhat lacking still, unfortunately…”

Hearing this assessment clearly displeased both insects, who immediately started chirping noisily, seemingly unhappy about such an evaluation.

“Aren’t you supposed to be capable of emitting some kind of Phantom Moon Divine Light or something like that? Try hitting me with it!” He pointed directly at himself.

One smaller among the pair then proceeded to fire a beam from the illusion-patterned eye center on its wings straight toward him without hesitation!

“Hmm?”

Merely glancing briefly, he already sensed something extraordinary about the attack. If struck directly, even someone possessing strong Divine Consciousness like himself would likely fall victim, unable to avoid the effects entirely.

He quickly dodged aside, just barely avoiding the impact.

“Alright, alright, Master believes you now! Indeed powerful enough, certainly worthy of praise!”

Hearing these words finally satisfied both insects, who promptly retracted their imposing aura and resumed playful antics, circling around him once more, behaving much like children. Wang Hao shook his head, a wry smile forming on his lips.

“Having no names makes distinguishing between you difficult. So how about calling the larger one Xiaodie and the smaller one Xiaoyue? What do you think?”

Both seemed quite pleased receiving names, chirping happily and circling overhead once before settling back onto his shoulders contentedly.

Seeing this, a pleased expression spread across his face. “Glad you like them then, good!”

Two months after the Phantom Moon Butterflies awoke, the Ice-Eyed White Tiger also roused itself. Its size had now more than doubled, reaching over thirty feet in length.

Feeding it some food afterward, Wang Hao asked Xiaobai to demonstrate its awakened supernatural ability. He watched as its eyes shot forth a freezing ray, instantly encasing a large rock in the courtyard in ice. Then, with its tail lightly sweeping, it reduced the rock pile to icy fragments.

Afterward, it proudly lifted a leg, looking triumphantly toward him.

Riding atop it and playing together a while longer, he gave it a Beast Rearing Pill as a reward!