Chapter 77

As the tiger ran ahead, Ding Ning, with the divine speed talisman attached to his leg, followed closely behind, running all the way to the back of a mountain ridge.

After passing the mountain ridge, a different scene appeared before his eyes.

There was a small mountain ahead, with a round top that looked like a large bowl placed on the mountain peak. Ding Ning was taken aback; it turned out to be a dormant volcano.

The tiger's target was a spring at the foot of the small mountain. Steam rose from the water, and a light mist enveloped it, revealing that it was a hot spring.

Ding Ning followed behind and ran all the way to the hot spring.

The tiger circled the hot spring a few times, then roared twice at the mountain top, as if challenging something.

After a while, a fiery red figure appeared on the mountain top.

Ding Ning looked up and was greatly surprised. What was this?

It was about one and a half meters long, entirely red, not quite a tiger, not quite a leopard, but it looked like a large red raccoon.

However, this raccoon was much larger than usual, almost the size of a leopard.

It had several wounds, which were likely inflicted by the tiger. Seeing the tiger appear again, the raccoon seemed extremely angry and quickly darted down from the mountain top, charging straight at the tiger.

The tiger was not to be outdone, roaring as it charged forward. The two beasts met on the mountain slope and soon became entangled in a fierce battle.

The tiger was ferocious, while the raccoon was agile. Both had sharp fangs and claws, and their roars echoed continuously. The tiger had the advantage in size, while the raccoon had the advantage in agility. However, Ding Ning felt that the tiger, in its current state, had the upper hand.

Ding Ning had no intention of helping the raccoon. Instead, his eyes gleamed as he watched. This raccoon was clearly a mutated beast nourished by spiritual energy, which was why it had grown so large.

The raccoon's blood was needed as a key ingredient for the Spirit Gathering Pill. This raccoon would be the one to provide it.

However, Ding Ning had never heard of a fiery red raccoon and was unsure what kind of mutation had caused this color.

The battle lasted about five minutes. The tiger, after sustaining several minor injuries, finally managed to bite the raccoon's neck.

The raccoon let out a piercing howl, its claws flailing, leaving several bloody gashes on the tiger's face, forcing the tiger to temporarily release its grip. The raccoon narrowly escaped.

However, the raccoon was already on its last legs. Its previous injuries had not healed, and it had not had the chance to rest properly. Now, with a severe injury to its neck, it did not have much time left.

It struggled to run towards the mountain top, as if there was something extremely important there.

Ding Ning's heart stirred, and he immediately followed the raccoon to the mountain top.

He arrived at the entrance of a cave. The tiger roared at the cave entrance, hesitant to enter.

Seeing the blood at the cave entrance, Ding Ning knew the raccoon was in a dire state.

The temperature inside the cave seemed very high, with waves of heat surging out.

"Could there still be lava inside this dormant volcano? Why is it so hot here?"

It was good that the tiger did not dare to enter. Ding Ning held a spring character talisman and slowly walked into the cave.

The cave was not deep. After a few steps, Ding Ning saw the raccoon lying on the ground, covered in blood.

In front of the raccoon, a small red figure was rubbing against it. The raccoon's eyes were dim, and even on the brink of death, it gently touched the small figure with its tongue.

It was the raccoon's offspring, a small raccoon with fiery fur.

At this moment, Ding Ning understood many things.

This raccoon was female, and the bones he had seen earlier must have belonged to the male. The male raccoon had been killed by the tiger, and the female raccoon had been pregnant, giving birth to the small raccoon here. The tiger had intended to wipe out the entire raccoon family.

He did not know how many small raccoons she had given birth to, but there was only one left here.

If he had not come, this nest of raccoons would have eventually become the tiger's meal.

As for the raccoon's fur, it was likely due to the spiritual energy from the volcano. The cave was rich in spiritual energy and close to the volcano, causing the raccoons to mutate over time.

The female raccoon's eyes dimmed and finally closed, and she died. The small raccoon continued to nudge its mother with its head, hoping she would wake up.

Ding Ning sighed. Although he was not overly sentimental, he felt sorry for the little one, who had lost its parents so early.

Since he was here, he could not let the tiger eat the dead raccoon. Ding Ning first placed the small raccoon to one side, then quickly extracted a vial of fresh blood from the dead raccoon's heart.

He had prepared a bottle in advance, which he filled halfway. Ding Ning put the bottle away and picked up the small raccoon.

Releasing his heavenly energy, the small raccoon, which had been restless, closed its eyes in comfort, allowing Ding Ning to hold it in his arms.

"This raccoon should be called a Fire Raccoon. It already has spiritual energy and a bit of human intelligence. If I take it back and raise it well, it can be a companion."

The purpose of this trip was accomplished. He had obtained the beast's blood, and he had also found a small raccoon. Ding Ning should have returned.

However, Ding Ning did not plan to leave. He began to inspect the cave.

This volcano was dormant and unlikely to erupt, but the cave was extremely hot, with a thick concentration of fire spiritual energy. Since it was on the mountain top, it was unlikely to be close to the magma layer. So where was this heat coming from?

Could it be...

Ding Ning tapped around and found a spot where the stone was particularly hot.

"Here it is!"

Ding Ning was overjoyed. He took out a lightning jade ball and smashed it against the stone!

A thunderclap echoed in the cave, and the small raccoon's fur stood on end. The tiger, which had been trying to sneak in, turned and ran away in fright.

A crack appeared in the stone. Ding Ning waved his hand, releasing a surge of heavenly energy that struck the stone, finally breaking it apart.

A thick wave of heat rose from beneath the broken stone. Ding Ning's hair instantly turned scorched, and he quickly stepped back, overjoyed!

"Excellent! It's indeed a free-floating core fire vein. No wonder it's so hot here and rich in spiritual energy. If I can absorb the fire energy smoothly, I will have the flame needed for refining artifacts and can create my own magical tools! Even for refining pills, I won't need to use ordinary fire, which is troublesome."

With the beast's blood, the only ingredient missing for the Spirit Gathering Pill was the Green Heart Willow. He estimated that he could obtain it upon returning. However, the fire had always been a problem.

Ordinary fire was barely sufficient for refining pills, but it was not suitable for refining artifacts.

Core fire was the best flame available under normal natural conditions. If Ding Ning could master this fire, he would have no trouble refining pills and artifacts upon his return.

Of course, absorbing core fire with his current Second Stage Qi Induction strength would be suicidal. He needed to use other means.

The best method was to guide the core fire into a container and then take it back to gradually absorb it using heavenly energy.

However, such a container was not easy to find. Ordinary bottles could not contain core fire, and high-temperature resistant materials were needed.

According to Ding Ning's knowledge, ordinary high-temperature resistant materials were stones, and among stones, quartz and pebbles were the most heat-resistant.

Especially pebbles, which had a melting point of 1800 degrees, were more heat-resistant than quartz.

There were many pebbles by the lake, and Ding Ning could use a jade carving knife to hollow them out. The containers did not need to be large; smaller ones were more convenient to carry, and he could make several.

Ding Ning was about to leave the cave when the small red raccoon suddenly jumped onto his shoulder, refusing to leave his side.

This was the charm of a cultivator, making animals feel close.

The small raccoon was slightly larger than an ordinary kitten, with bright eyes and sharp claws that clung firmly to Ding Ning's shoulder. Looking at those sharp claws, Ding Ning was a bit intimidated; they were like knives.

However, the small raccoon was very cute. If he sold it as a pet to girls, it would surely be popular, but only when it was small. Once it grew larger, it could fight tigers, and killing a person would be as easy as killing a chicken.

Leaving the cave and returning to the lakeside, Ding Ning did not see the tiger, which had run off somewhere.

Putting the small raccoon down, Ding Ning began collecting pebbles by the lake.

He chose larger pebbles and hollowed them out using his heavenly energy and a carving knife. The process was quick, and after hollowing them out, he used stone powder to seal the openings, creating small stone flasks.

This task was easy to describe but very troublesome to do, even for a cultivator. Ding Ning estimated he would need many stone flasks, and he worked until nightfall.

Using the moonlight, he carved by the lake, occasionally looking up at the bright moon and stars.

He wondered if Li Shuangqiang and the others had hunted the tiger. Ding Ning did not hope they had succeeded. If they met again, he would advise them to give up.

After carving over a dozen stone flasks, when Ding Ning looked up at the sky again, he suddenly saw a bright light moving in the sky!

An airplane!

This was Earth, and the moving light in the night sky could not be a sword immortal; it had to be an airplane, and the low altitude indicated it was a helicopter!

Ding Ning's heart filled with alarm. Someone had come to this mountain area in a helicopter in the middle of the night, undoubtedly to find him. They must be the accomplices of the assassin!

He quickly gathered the carved stone flasks and gestured to the small raccoon, which, sensing Ding Ning's intention to leave, jumped onto his shoulder.

Ding Ning quickly ran to the distant forest to hide.

A small helicopter circled in the sky and landed on the open ground by the lake.

The rotor blades created a strong wind, causing the lake's surface to ripple.

Ding Ning, hidden in the distant forest, watched the helicopter intently under the moonlight, his heart filled with a strong desire to kill.

*****

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