Li Shiming observed the Great Demon Minotaur up close through the eyes of the Illusion Spirit Jiao.
Although he couldn’t use "Divine Eye," the close distance allowed him to clearly see the details of the Great Demon Minotaur.
The aura of the Great Demon Minotaur indeed classified it as a Great Demon, but there was no gleam of wisdom in its eyes.
He had seen many Great Demons, and regardless of the type of spirit beast, as long as they reached the Third Grade, they attained a high level of intelligence.
But the Great Demon Minotaur in front of him had only a dull expression in its eyes, devoid of any brilliance, and lacking the luminescence of wisdom expected of a Third Grade Demon.
Wisdom could always be discerned in the eyes of intelligent beings.
Li Shiming did not know why this Great Demon Minotaur lacked intelligence, nor was he interested in investigating, unsure if the Third Grade Demons inside this Grotto Heaven possessed some special Talent Ability.
The Illusion Spirit Jiao moved silently across the ground, leaving neither sound nor trace, and it did not disturb any creature during two consecutive two-hour periods.
Along the way, Li Shiming had indeed broadened his horizons; he saw many types of Great Demons, and he even spotted two Fourth Grade Spirit Beasts, though he did not approach them.
The sensory abilities of the Illusion Spirit Jiao in this space surpassed those of Li Shiming, allowing it to detect powerful Fourth Grade Spirit Beasts in advance and avoid them from afar.
This was actually an instinctual behavior of spirit beasts. When the Illusion Spirit Jiao ascended to a Third Grade Demon, its top-tier Dragon Clan bloodline was activated, greatly enhancing this sensory capability.
After observing numerous spirit beasts, Li Shiming noticed something strange about this place.
The minimum strength of all spirit beasts here was at the Great Demon level. With so many spirit beasts together, many of which were natural enemies, there was surprisingly no fighting among them within this space.
Although from different species, they acted as though they were from the same tribe, guarding this area.
While he was pondering, the Illusion Spirit Jiao transmitted a thought; it wanted to deviate from the predefined route because there was a scent in a certain spot that was highly attractive to it.
The Illusion Spirit Jiao, among all of Li Shiming’s forces, was seldom used, but he valued it greatly.
Although the Illusion Spirit Jiao contributed little in terms of effort for Li Shiming, one must consider who Li Shiming’s enemies were.
In recent years, Li Shiming’s enemies were either Great Elders or ancestors in the Nascent Soul Stage, none of which the Illusion Spirit Jiao could handle.
Currently a Middle-stage Demon, the Illusion Spirit Jiao could easily kill Late-stage Golden Core cultivators, and its assassination methods were nearly unsolvable.
Crucially, the Illusion Spirit Jiao could grow alongside Li Shiming. As an Alchemy Master, Li Shiming had sufficient resources to nurture it.
Li Shiming gave the Illusion Spirit Jiao an order to prioritize safety and investigate the enticing scent.
The Illusion Spirit Jiao conveyed a thrill of excitement to Li Shiming, changed course, and moved towards the alluring scent.
"It’s a Fourth Grade Spirit Beast!" Li Shiming deduced from the sensations of the Illusion Spirit Jiao a terrifying aura.
Although the Illusion Spirit Jiao had entered the domain of a Fourth Grade Spirit Beast, he did not stop it.
The Illusion Spirit Jiao slowed its pace, and through its eyes, Li Shiming saw the Fourth Grade Spirit Beast.
At the sight of the Fourth Grade Spirit Beast, he couldn’t help but draw a cold breath.
"Eyes like a rabbit, antlers like a deer, mouth like a cow, head like a camel, body like a snake, belly like a mirage, scales like a fish, claws like an eagle, paws like a tiger—is this a true dragon?" Li Shiming wondered to himself.
The Fourth Grade Spirit Beast was indeed a dragon, its entire body conforming to the descriptions of a dragon in the ancient texts.
The only difference was that this dragon had only four claws on each foot, unlike the legendary Five-clawed Dragon.
What the Illusion Spirit Jiao focused on was a blood-red stone beneath the Four-clawed Dragon, as it was coiled around the blood-red stone at the time.
Li Shiming shook his head helplessly; even if he utilized all his techniques, he could not snatch the blood-red stone from beneath the Four-clawed Dragon.
Yet the Illusion Spirit Jiao kept sending him desires of longing, making him feel that this blood-red stone was extremely important to it.
"Let’s retreat from this area first, I’ll think of a plan!" Li Shiming commanded solemnly.
Although the Illusion Spirit Jiao was somewhat reluctant, it followed the order.
The Illusion Spirit Jiao withdrew several tens of miles, and Li Shiming’s mind stirred as he released an autonomous cannon from his Mustard Seed Ring.
This autonomous cannon was his most recent study, not requiring manual control and could be operated remotely or by an integrated intelligent combat-assistance system.
As for the cannon’s power, the one he brought out possessed modest power and was the most basic model.
In reality, these weapons, enhanced with Cultivation Techniques, far surpassed the original designs from his previous life, but they still couldn’t keep up with the advancements in Li Shiming’s power.
Nevertheless, he had not ceased his research; technologies of the previous world continuously developed, and without ongoing research, even more powerful weapons could not emerge.
He believed that perhaps one day, he could create high-powered weapons to aid him in battle.
Of course, what he considered weak was actually quite powerful.
Talking about this cannon, if its body were made of Third Grade materials, combined with his enchantment techniques, and if the shell of the ammunition were also made of Third Grade material, then its firepower would be capable of injuring Golden Core cultivators.