Chapter 285 Second-Tier Low-Grade Nether Moon Jade Tree
One month later.
A faint fragrance wafted through the cave.
Hu Yuniang reclined languidly on a chair carved with phoenix patterns, and said in a low voice:
"I hope to hear good news about the war situation."
Two years ago, she confirmed the news of the death of Master Qingxu of Falling Maple Valley through other channels, and she was very satisfied.
In recent years, many demon kings have led their demon beast armies to launch fierce attacks on Yuanhe Mountain. She is looking forward to hearing the news that human sects have been destroyed.
The Black Wind Wolf Demon King and the Savage Bull Demon King prostrated themselves on the ground, saying, "Fairy, your subordinates are incompetent. The flying boats of cultivators from the Central Continent have arrived at Yuanhe Mountain, and it is said that there are Nascent Soul cultivators in charge."
Nearly twenty human Golden Core cultivators were dispatched, and we were completely unable to withstand them.
The Wild Boar Demon King was killed in battle, and our army suffered a crushing defeat. Now we have withdrawn from the heart of human territory and retreated to the vicinity of the Valley of Broken Souls.
Black Wind Wolf used a little trick when reporting: there were twelve human cultivators at the Golden Core level, plus the guardian spirit beasts.
If we don't exaggerate the enemy, it will make them seem truly incompetent.
Hu Yuniang's face darkened, and she said coldly:
"So, all your efforts over the years have been in vain, right?"
She now also felt the situation was tricky; with the arrival of a human Nascent Soul cultivator, she had to be even more careful.
The two demon kings lowered their heads and remained silent for a moment. The Black Wind Wolf Demon King replied:
"There have been some results. Yuanhe Mountain has been severely weakened, and half of the clan settlements in the human heartland have been breached."
The human forces in the entire Western Continent have shrunk by at least 30%.
In addition, we discovered that several Golden Core stage demonic cultivators were appearing within the sphere of influence of human cultivators.
With the beast horde retreating, these demonic cultivators will inevitably have to fight against the human sects.
Demonic cultivators employ unorthodox methods of cultivation, which can have significant side effects. However, with sufficient blood and souls, their advancement speed is extremely rapid, as evidenced by the emergence of Golden Core stage demonic cultivators in just a few years.
Having become accustomed to their rapid advancement in cultivation, those demonic cultivators will only grow bolder.
Hu Yuniang glanced coldly at the Black Wind Demon King and said:
"Aren't you afraid of raising a Nascent Soul stage demonic cultivator who could unleash another demonic calamity?"
If a demonic cultivator breaks through to the Nascent Soul level, they will have more means at their disposal, including but not limited to attack methods and escape methods.
Nascent Soul demonic cultivators can plant demonic thoughts in flesh and blood creatures, and unknowingly, these creatures become the host bodies of the demonic cultivators.
Even if the demonic cultivator's main body is killed, it can be resurrected in the host body.
"They are afraid, but human cultivators are even more afraid."
Demonic cultivators prefer to use human souls to refine magical artifacts and treasures, forcing them to confront demonic cultivators directly.
"Once the human cultivators and demonic cultivators are both severely weakened, we will then strike and reap the benefits."
The Black Wind Wolf King said that the characteristics of demonic cultivators mean that as long as humans exist, demonic beasts are relatively safe.
The actions of the human race's Golden Core cultivators caused a large number of mid-level demon beasts to die in various races. Unless the demon kings fight to the death, it will be difficult to organize a powerful offensive.
His eyes darted around, and the Black Wolf Demon King said again:
"We have discovered that human cultivators from the Central Continent typically stay in the Western Continent for three years before leaving."
Now that all the tribes have withdrawn from the battlefield, it is a good time to temporarily avoid the brunt of the attack.
Moreover, demonic cultivators also value lineage; without corresponding cultivation techniques, it is impossible to overcome the Heavenly Tribulation and break through to the Nascent Soul stage.
Demonic cultivators' cultivation is against the natural order, and their heavenly tribulations are much greater than those of other cultivators.
If a demonic cultivator shows signs of breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, the human Nascent Soul cultivators will certainly not stand idly by.
The Black Wolf Demon King, with his silver tongue, presented the most favorable aspects of the situation.
Hu Yuniang's eyes were deep as she said:
"I hope you don't make things worse, otherwise, no one will have an easy time."
My original requirement remains valid: if the number of human Golden Core cultivators who die does not reach four, the demon races cannot evacuate.
You must closely monitor intelligence on the demonic cultivators, and report any major changes immediately!
She needs to remain in charge to prevent the emergence of Nascent Soul stage demonic cultivators, as that would pose a significant threat to the Qingqiu Fox Clan.
"Yes, sir!"
The two demon kings responded, their hearts filled with resentment and anger, as the various races were no longer able to continue fighting.
At the beginning of Chen Shi (7-9 AM), Ji An finished his cultivation and waited quietly.
Judging from the timing, the Golden Feathered Eagle Demon King is about to trigger the Blood-Transforming Soul-Chasing Curse to torment him.
Half an hour passed, and the blood curse did not activate.
Another half hour passed, and his skin still showed no abnormalities.
"What's going on? Does the Demon King want to change the time?"
Ji An was in a dilemma. If the Blood Transformation Soul-Chasing Curse was activated while he was in a state of cultivation, it would cause his blood and qi to flow backward and his magical power to become disordered. In severe cases, he would suffer internal injuries.
But waiting here aimlessly isn't a solution, and I couldn't help but feel anxious.
By noon, the Blood-Transforming Soul-Chasing Curse still hadn't been activated.
"You bastard, are you kidding me?!"
After cursing angrily, Ji An returned to the cold pool, having wasted two hours.
Seeing his unpleasant expression, Zhang Cuihua was suspicious, but dared not ask any questions. After setting out lunch, she stood behind him with her hands at her sides.
A silver talisman sword flew in from outside the formation, and Ji An caught it.
"News about Senior Brother Liu?"
He probed his divine sense to read the information, his eyes widening involuntarily:
"The demonic beasts have retreated! Could it be that the demonic calamity is about to pass?!"
His mood brightened instantly, and he felt as if all the gloom had dissipated.
Liu Yu is on the front lines fighting against the monsters, so his information must be reliable.
Ji An felt his appetite had been whetted and laughed:
"Cuihua, go grill another fish."
Also, have Songtao fetch a section of bamboo tube containing wine.
"Yes, ma'am," Zhang Cuihua replied with a smile, sensing the joy in his voice.
Time flies, and half a year has passed.
Liu Yu handed in his task and walked out of the Enforcement Hall in low spirits.
He summoned the Fiery Golden Wheel and flew towards Crimson Flame Peak.
A trail of flames remained in the sky, lingering for a long time.
More than half an hour later, he landed in the cold pool at the foot of Crimson Flame Peak.
Du Huaiyuan walked up with a beaming smile, cupped his hands, and said:
"Haha, Senior Brother Liu, it's been a long time!"
After the monsters left, his life returned to peace, and he has been living a very comfortable life lately.
Liu Yu cupped his hands slightly, and said somewhat absentmindedly:
"Junior brother is here too. What happy thing happened to you?"
Du Huaiyuan pointed behind him and laughed:
"Can't you smell the rich aroma of this wine, senior brother?"
For the past month, he has been staying at Crimson Flame Peak brewing pine nut wine.
Liu Yu suddenly slapped his forehead with both hands and said with a wry smile:
"Look at my brain, I was thinking about something and subconsciously ignored it."
He sniffed and said again:
"The fragrance seems stronger than before."
"That's for sure. This year, Junior Brother Ji allowed me to use two hundred-year-old second-grade mid-level pine nuts as the first batch."
Du Huaiyuan wore a faint air of pride. There were only a handful of winemakers in the sect who were fortunate enough to brew mid-grade second-tier spirit wine.
He was one of these people, thanks to his fellow disciple.
At this moment, Ji An flew over on a gray-feathered sand goose and laughed:
"Brother Liu has arrived just in time; I have some good news to tell you."
The Azure Jade Tree of the Moon has completed its transformation and is now a second-tier low-grade spirit tree!
Next year, everyone will be able to enjoy the second-grade lower-level Jade Dew Golden Bud Tea.
"Haha, congratulations, junior brother! That's great news!"
Liu Yu felt much better. His junior brother Ji had promised him that he would send him more tea every year!
As the grade of the spirit wood increases, it can produce more tea leaves, and the amount of tea leaves he can obtain will also increase accordingly.
The second-grade low-level Jade Dew Golden Bud Tea has a stronger effect on nourishing the soul and can also be effective for cultivators in the Chaoyuan stage.
The three sat down around the stone table, and Du Huaiyuan began:
"Senior Brother Liu, you seemed preoccupied earlier. What happened that's bothering you?"
"The mission was quite a hassle. A few days ago, I went out of the sect to carry out a mission. A cultivation family within the sect's territory was wiped out by demonic cultivators, and their spiritual veins were also contaminated by demonic energy. They should be used to refine demonic artifacts."
The demonic cultivators have caused devastating damage to the cultivation world, and whether the polluted spiritual veins can be restored is unknown.
Even if it's possible, I don't know how long it will take to recover.
"No wonder demonic cultivators are universally condemned; they deserve to die!"
Du Huaiyuan said angrily, "Such destruction shows absolutely no regard for the future."
Ji An frowned slightly and asked:
"Senior brother, have you caught the demonic cultivator who committed the crime?"
Six months ago, the monsters withdrew, and the monster calamity came to an end.
It was thought that the Western Continent would enter a period of recovery, but unexpectedly, the demonic calamity hidden under the cover of the demonic disaster broke out.
During this period, he frequently received news that the residence of a certain immortal cultivation family had been completely slaughtered by demonic cultivators.
"No, by the time our team arrived, two days had already passed since the incident."
Liu Yu clenched his fist in anger, saying that as a cultivator of the Enforcement Hall, he knew more information.
Not only in the sect's territory, but also within the spheres of influence of the other two sects, there were multiple incidents of demonic cultivators slaughtering cultivators.
Suddenly, the Western Continent seemed to be engulfed in war once again.
He paused, then said:
"Yuanhe Mountain is currently in a semi-closed state, and the demonic disaster in the northern part of Xizhou is even more severe."
The Enforcement Hall mobilized its elite forces, joining forces with numerous families to establish a joint enforcement team to hunt down demonic cultivators in all directions.
The current problem is the lack of enough high-level cultivators to lead the teams, because a team composed of mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators might not be able to withstand demonic cultivators.
Liu Yu smiled bitterly. After the calamities of the Canglan Secret Realm and the demon calamity, the number of late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, who were the absolute backbone of the sect, had decreased by more than half.
Moreover, the vast majority of the cultivators who died in battle were powerful fighters, and it is unknown how many years it will take to make up for this loss.
Many families also suffered heavy losses and were unable to assemble more high-level cultivator teams.
Ji An sighed softly:
"These are turbulent times. If the demonic calamity is not handled properly, the damage it causes may be even greater than that caused by the monster calamity."
The monsters retreated, but not completely; they are now entrenched in the area west of Moya Mountain.
In other words, the land that several sects seized more than 30 years ago has now all returned to the hands of the demon beasts.
The situation facing human cultivators today is even more perilous than when the demon calamity was occurring.
Du Huaiyuan murmured:
"If the situation continues to deteriorate, the sect will probably have to conduct a new conscription."
A bad feeling rose in his heart. He had not personally participated in the battle when the demon calamity broke out, and later when the demon beasts besieged the sect, all he did was defend the formation.
If the demonic calamity becomes rampant, he will probably be assigned to the Enforcement Hall team to search for demonic cultivators.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com