"I have some." Over a dozen Demon Cores instantly floated before Feng Moxi. "This stuff has a little energy, but the rank is too low. It's useless. You'd need at least a Third-stage Demon Beast's Inner Core. Only after being refined would it be of any use to you.
I think you'd be better off with proper Cultivation."
"Are they that useless?"
"Mhm, the Spiritual Energy inside is impure. You'd need hundreds, even thousands, for it to have a tiny effect. But it's better than nothing. Just make do with it, I guess. *Sigh*, if only we had Spirit Stones."
A flash of insight sparked in Feng Moxi's eyes. In her past life, even though these Demon Cores were completely useless in Little Shadow's eyes, they were the most important resource in the Apocalypse—a currency unto themselves.
They were the foundation of survival, the treasures that superpower users relied on to advance.
Countless people scrambled madly for these mere Demon Cores.
"What are Spirit Stones?"
"They're the currency used by Cultivators, and they can also be used for Cultivation. Unfortunately, the previous master of this space failed their advancement and used up all the Spirit Stones. I'm afraid you'll have to rely on your own fortunate encounters to find any."
'Great,' Feng Moxi thought. 'That's as good as saying nothing. Where would I find Cultivators or fortunate encounters on Netherworld now? In my last life, I never even heard of such things. Demon Cores are far more realistic.'
"Thanks, Little Shadow. From now on, keep helping me secretly collect Demon Cores. They're useful to us."
"Alright, then."
Most of the people in the rest area were breathing shallowly. Luo Yunxi wasn't stupid; she didn't blatantly cultivate in public and was now sleeping soundly.
Feng Moxi leaned against the wall, resting nonchalantly, but her Divine Sense was constantly observing the outside. The entire area was deathly quiet, as if frozen in time, yet it was deeply unsettling.
That night, no one else dared to venture forward.
The night passed peacefully.
The next day, everyone left through the main gate and walked straight ahead. A few monsters were still wandering sparsely by the small bridge, but today, they cleared them out even faster.
Feng Moxi looked toward the two rows of buildings lining the street and noticed a small clothing store not far away on the right.
That day, they had started clearing from the left side.
But now, faint sounds of a fight could be heard from behind the commercial buildings on the right, and there seemed to be far fewer monsters on that side as well.
Feng Moxi and Chaoyang couldn't help but exchange a glance.
It seemed someone had snuck over there.
A flicker of interest appeared in Chaoyang's eyes as he looked at the rows of buildings. "I didn't expect these single-story houses to be so sturdy, still in their original state. There must be a lot of supplies inside."
The moment he finished speaking, the four grim-faced bodyguards in black rushed to the edge, raised four sharp Tang Blades, and formed a line to begin hacking and slashing.
Simple and brutal. Not a second wasted.
Wan Yong and his men, meanwhile, escorted the middle-aged woman and the young boy into a single-story house on the left.
Even Luo Yunxi and Sima Yue turned aside and quickly entered a combat state.
Feng Moxi's eyes shifted. She quietly moved toward the right. For some reason, she had a bad feeling.
As soon as she reached the corner of the building on the right, she carefully poked her head out to look toward the sounds of fighting, but her attention was soon drawn by faint clattering noises.
In the alley behind the single-story buildings, she saw piles of slain monsters.
The door of one of the shops was open, and a group of people was tangled in a chaotic fight with monsters rushing out from inside.
One of the groups was in a standoff with a gigantic, snarling Golden Retriever.
Disgusting liquid dripped from its mouth. It was surrounded by three other people, and they were locked in a desperate battle.
Fighting the mutated Golden Retriever was a trio of one woman and two men, all of whom had superpowers, and their attacks were quite powerful.
Large patches of fur had fallen from the gigantic Golden Retriever's body, revealing shallow, bloody gashes that made it look exceptionally savage. Its sharp-toothed attacks were swift as the wind. If a strike missed, it would retreat just as quickly.
An eerie red light gleamed in its eyes as it gathered power for its next move.
Wielding Big Sabers, the three formed a triangle, their advances and retreats coordinated. They didn't dare to let their guard down.
After the other four people finished off the monsters inside the shop, they all ducked inside and hid cautiously. Clearly, they weren't strong enough and had no intention of helping for the time being.
Feng Moxi's expression froze and her eyes turned cold. A slight palpitation made her chest ache faintly.
Then the feeling vanished in a flash.
'Even in a dream, I would never mistake her. Isn't that beautiful woman using a Wood Element Superpower my cousin from my past life, Wan Wanxin?'
'To think I'd meet her so soon in this life. It was unavoidable.'
'If Wan Wanxin had just given me a quick death back then, or even simply abandoned me, maybe I wouldn't hate her this much.'
'My skills were just inferior, weren't they?'
'What I could never understand was why Wan Wanxin would make me suffer every kind of torment and agony, ensuring I died a horrible death.'
At that moment, the pain in her chest returned, as if she were back in the Apocalypse, watching millions of sharp claws slowly tear at her muscles, then swallow the pieces one by one.
It was a heart-rending, soul-crushing pain.
And all the while, Wan Wanxin would be looking down from on high, her eyes filled with mocking ridicule.
As if she were looking at some ridiculous toy.
Feng Moxi's gaze darkened. She instantly retracted her Divine Sense, clenched her fists, and leaned slowly against the wall, shaking her head to calm her emotions.
A moment later, she peeked out again to look at the other two men. It was just as she'd expected.
The other two men were also incredibly familiar. One was Yao Zichong—average-looking, with a dull and wooden personality. He had a Fire Ability and faithfully followed Wan Wanxin everywhere, never leaving her side.
He had admired Wan Wanxin from afar for a long time but never dared to confess. In her past life, right up until the moment Feng Moxi died, Yao Zichong was still by Wan Wanxin's side.
He just stood by and watched as Wan Wanxin and Hu Jie developed feelings for each other.
When she saw the other man, a ferocious red glint flashed in Feng Moxi's eyes, almost too faint to be seen.
This short but wiry man was named Zhang Tao, and he also had a Power Mutation.
In the early days of the Apocalypse, his skills were decent, and he killed quite a few monsters. He utterly despised the "useless cousin" that Wan Wanxin always had with her and had asked Wan Wanxin for Feng Moxi on more than one occasion.
After being harshly rejected by Feng Moxi, he only got worse, targeting her both openly and secretly countless times. He even cornered her once.
His intentions were vile.
If Yao Zichong hadn't accidentally stumbled upon them, he almost would have succeeded.
From then on, he hated them both. Fortunately, in the later stages, Power Mutations couldn't keep up with the advancement of superpower users, so Zhang Tao gradually faded from Feng Moxi's sight.
Until two years later, during a monster-clearing operation, he was devoured by monsters.
To Feng Moxi, this man was even more repulsive than her great enemy, Wan Wanxin.
Chaoyang watched the furtive Feng Moxi peeking around the corner, her face showing a myriad of complex expressions, and he grew immensely curious.
'There's definitely a show to watch.'