Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

"Fellow Daoist Beiming, please come in. I had a very pleasant conversation with Fellow Daoist Qiyan just now, and I apologize for not welcoming you properly."

Inside the Ironwing Cave, Chen Yuan stood suspended in mid-air. The Ironwing Demon General approached him from a great distance, then clasped his hands in a gesture of apology.

Beside him stood a burly man in a yellow robe, slightly taller than Chen Yuan, whose body had doubled in size after using the secret technique. The man was carefully examining Chen Yuan with a slight smile on his face.

Chen Yuan smiled and returned the greeting with clasped hands: "Fellow Daoist Tieyi, you flatter me. I should thank you for sending the jade slip, but I happened to be out on business and not at home. After hearing the news, I came to keep the appointment."

The two approached Chen Yuan, and the Iron-Winged Demon General laughed heartily: "The Northern Underworld Cave has just been established, and you have been busy with many matters. I did not expect that you would come to participate in this trade fair."

"Let me introduce you, fellow Daoist. This is Commander Qiyan, a subordinate of Demon King Canyuan, whose cultivation is comparable to ours."

"Fellow Daoist Qiyan possesses incredibly powerful earth-attribute demonic energy, making him exceptionally skilled in defense. He was once on par with a high-ranking demon general."

"We met in a dangerous place and later joined forces to search for treasure several times. We also fought side by side on Turtle Island, went through life and death together, and became close friends."

"Fellow Daoist Qiyan, this is the newly appointed Northern Darkness Demon General, who comes from the Kunyu clan and possesses earth-shattering spatial abilities."

"I once sparred with Fellow Daoist Beiming, but I was defeated after only a few exchanges. His strength is unfathomable."

Qi Yan, the Demon General, bowed and said with a smile, "I have only been here for a few days, but I have heard Fellow Daoist Tie Yi mention Fellow Daoist Bei Ming's name several times. As the Demon General of the Holy Clan, you are indeed worthy of your reputation and have an extraordinary demeanor."

His voice was extremely deep and resonant, like a giant boulder rolling down a mountain, making a loud and powerful sound. It was authoritative and intimidating.

However, his words were polite and refined, like those of a well-read scholar, clearly not some rootless wild demon.

Chen Yuan returned the greeting with clasped hands: "Fellow Daoist Tieyi, your words are too kind to me. I cannot take them seriously."

"My interaction with him was merely a friendly spar, not a life-or-death struggle. Kun was lucky to win by one move, but in reality, we were evenly matched."

Iron-Winged Demon General waved his hands repeatedly: "Fellow Daoist Beiming, please don't flatter me..."

But he had a broad smile on his face and led the two into a grand hall.

The hall was brightly lit, and nine tables and chairs had been set up, one for the main seat and the other four on either side.

The three took their seats as host and guest, with Iron Wing Demon General occupying the host's seat and inviting Chen Yuan to sit to his left, but Chen Yuan politely declined.

Ironwing Demon General invited Qi Yan to sit down, but Qi Yan firmly declined, saying, "How dare I be ranked above Fellow Daoist Bei Ming? Fellow Daoist, please do not refuse, and take the seat of honor."

Ironwing Demon General also tried to persuade him, and Chen Yuan had no choice but to agree. He took a seat at the head of the table on the left, while Qiyan Demon General sat opposite him.

A dozen or so maids dressed in light gauze filed in, offering the three men fine wine and delicacies. They then remained in the hall, dancing gracefully, their figures slender and their skin fair and white, appearing and disappearing in the shadows.

The three of them drank and chatted amiably, recounting anecdotes and interesting stories they had experienced, creating a very harmonious atmosphere.

To avoid revealing his true intentions, Chen Yuan mostly smiled without saying a word, raised his cup to sip his drink, and at most talked about what he had seen and heard in Silver Tide City.

Although Qi Yan Yao Shuai had a rough appearance, he spoke very elegantly, which piqued Chen Yuan's curiosity.

Through subtle questioning, he learned that the Demon General Qiyan possessed the bloodline of a carp, which was quite extraordinary and no less than that of a royal beast clan.

However, like the Azure Feather Thunder Falcon, the Lingli clan is rare and seldom seen, which is why they have not formed a unified group.

This situation is extremely common in the Demon Realm; the stronger the bloodline of a demon beast, the more difficult it is for it to reproduce.

The Holy Clan and royal families are only a minority; most of the extraordinary demon beasts are scattered across three vast continents and are unable to form a single clan.

After Qiyan Demon General survived the tribulation of transformation, he was appreciated by the Great Yuan Demon King and received his full support. In just over four thousand years, he has already cultivated to the peak of the mid-level Demon General and is expected to break through to the Demon King realm.

For the next few days, the three of them drank and made merry, watching the maids sing and dance. When the mood struck them, they would call the maids to their side and grope them.

Although Chen Yuan had no such intention, such was the custom of the demon race. In order not to reveal his true nature, he had no choice but to pretend to be a lecherous man, with a beautiful woman in his arms, which was very erotic.

As the day of the trade fair drew closer, other demon generals arrived at Ironwing Cave to join the banquet, and Ironwing Demon General personally went out to greet them each time.

Some of the demon generals had come to congratulate Chen Yuan when he established his residence, and he could not sit comfortably in the hall, but had to greet him together with the Iron Wing Demon General.

Qiyan Demon General had known these Demon Generals for a long time, having participated in more than one trade fair together, so he naturally accompanied them.

Some demon generals had never met Chen Yuan, but they had heard of the name of the Northern Underworld Demon General. They knew that he possessed the bloodline of the Kun fish and was quite powerful. Moreover, since he was in the Iron Wing Cave, they dared not be negligent and treated him with courtesy.

It is said that the demon race is brutal, but in front of Chen Yuan, these demon generals were very respectful and showed no sign of rudeness.

Only when he is slightly drunk and embraces his maid will he reveal the crude and bestial nature ingrained in the demon race.

On the day of the trade fair, the last demon general invited by Ironwing Demon General arrived at Ironwing Cave, and the trade fair proceeded as scheduled.

Inside the same hall, the Iron-Winged Demon General sat in the main seat, with eight other demon generals standing on either side.

Chen Yuan sat at the head of the left, with Qi Yan, the demon general, opposite him, and the other demon generals lined up below him. Each demon general held a beautiful maid in his arms, and the sound of low panting echoed in the hall.

The demon generals ignored this, except for Chen Yuan and Qi Yan, who were more restrained and simply held the maids in their arms without doing anything else.

While playing with the jade breasts of the maid in his arms, Ironwing Demon General laughed and said, "Today, all of you fellow Daoists have gathered here to participate in this trade fair, which brings great honor to my Ironwing Cave."

"As is customary, as the host, I should set the stage by offering my treasures. Fellow Daoists, please bring out your treasures according to your seating order and bid on them in the hall."

"However, fellow Daoists, please remember that the highest bidder wins the treasure. It is best not to argue out of pride, and even more so, not to force a sale, lest it damage the harmony."

The demon generals nodded in agreement, and the demon general sitting below Chen Yuan laughed loudly: "Fellow Daoist, no more words, quickly take out your treasures! I've brought a fine treasure with me today, let me show you all!"

Chen Yuan frowned, turned his head to look, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

This demon general was tall and burly, similar in build to Chen Yuan. He was shirtless, revealing bronze-colored muscles that were as hard as iron.

His messy, brownish-yellow hair hung down, and he had a full beard and was unkempt.

He had a voluptuous maidservant in his left arm, whose clothes had been completely removed and whose body was covered in bruises. Her left arm hung limply at his sides, clearly broken by him.

The maid's face was contorted in pain, but she dared not cry out. She could only force herself to endure it, opening her mouth slightly to let out a silent moan.

The burly man held a freshly severed animal leg in his right hand, dripping with blood and still bearing many hairs.

The beast's leg was a full ten feet long and as big as a boulder, but in the hands of the burly man, it was as light as a feather.

After saying that, the big man opened his mouth wide, took a big bite out of a piece of meat, and chewed it without caring about anyone else.

Blood flowed from the burly man's mouth, soaking the maid and staining her body crimson, emitting a strong stench of blood.

The other demon generals also had maids in their arms, but since it was a banquet and other demon generals were present, they all controlled their strength and no one used such force to leave many injuries on the maids.

The demon general showed no restraint whatsoever, practically torturing the maid in his arms, who was on the verge of death.

His name is Lie Zong. According to Iron Wing Demon General, the two are evenly matched in strength. He has been a mid-level demon general for nearly ten thousand years and is also under the command of Thunder Mountain Demon King.

However, when Chen Yuan opened the Northern Underworld Cave, the Fierce Mane Demon General stayed in the cave to cultivate in seclusion and did not attend.

The Fierce Mane Cave is 20 million miles away. The Fierce Mane Demon General arrived at the Iron Wing Cave three days ago. Unlike other demon generals, after taking his seat, he wanted to eat flesh and blood raw.

Ironwing Demon General was prepared and immediately presented the demon general's flesh and blood, which satisfied him.

Lie Zong was extremely rude to the maids in his arms, and two maids had already died at his hands.

Iron Wing Demon General showed no remorse whatsoever. Whether he had anticipated this or was simply reluctant to part with his Nascent Soul concubine, the maids in the palace were all Core Formation cultivators, making them much cheaper, so he felt no pain at all.

The fiery-maned demon general's words were quite rude, but the iron-winged demon general didn't mind and laughed heartily: "Then I'll make a fool of myself."

As he spoke, he flicked his sleeve, and three things appeared in front of him.

All the demon generals looked over. The Iron-Winged Demon General raised his hand and pointed to a mulberry leaf about a foot in size on the far left. Half of it was withered and half was emerald green. He said loudly, "This withered and flourishing mulberry leaf was obtained by chance in the Thousand Mountains. It has grown for at least 20,000 years and is full of spiritual energy. It is a top-grade spiritual material that can be used as the foundation of a third-grade spiritual treasure weapon."

After saying that, he pointed to another gray stone in the middle, which looked inconspicuous, but after it appeared, it emitted an amazing heat.

The air within a few feet distorted, and the once slightly cool hall quickly became hot.

Ironwing Demon General said, "This Melting Heart Stone was obtained by chance in a volcano during my travels. It has absorbed an unknown amount of violent earth fire power."

"It is a top-grade fire-attribute spiritual material, sufficient to serve as the foundation for a third-grade spiritual treasure weapon. It is in no way inferior to the withered and flourishing mulberry leaves."

He pointed to the last jade bottle: "This bottle contains a bottle of mid-stage Nascent Soul pills, which are the culmination of my accumulation over the past few hundred years..."

The demon race learned alchemy from the human race, and they also habitually classify the grades of pills based on the cultivation level of the human race.

Iron-Winged Demon General paused, raised his head, and swept his gaze over the crowd before slowly saying, "I am willing to exchange these three treasures for a bottle of Body Tempering Pill suitable for a high-level Demon General, or three five-thousand-year-old Body Tempering Herbs!"

None of the demon generals answered. After waiting for a while, the Iron Wing Demon General changed his mind and said, "Two five-thousand-year-old body-tempering spiritual herbs will also work."

Still no one spoke. The Fierce Mane Demon General swallowed a mouthful of beast meat and laughed, "Fellow Daoist Iron Wing is joking. If we had five-thousand-year-old body-tempering spiritual herbs, we would have already refined them into pills and refined them ourselves. Why would we offer them for trade?"

The demon generals nodded secretly. The people in the hall were all mid-level demon generals who needed the Five Thousand Year Body Tempering Pill to strengthen their bodies and break through their bottlenecks. They would never put it out for trade.

Ironwing Demon General chuckled self-deprecatingly: "Fellow Daoist Fierce Mane is right, it was wishful thinking on my part."

"Withered mulberry leaves and melting heart stones can each be exchanged for two three-thousand-year-old body-tempering spirit herbs, and this bottle of mid-stage Nascent Soul pills can be exchanged for four three-thousand-year-old body-tempering spirit herbs." (End of Chapter)