Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

Chen Yuan shook his head: "Fellow Daoist, you are mistaken. While I can avoid the demon general of the Corrosion Wood Cave by staying in the Xuanlin Mountains."

"But when the Wood-Eating Demon King offered a bounty, I, Kun, cowered and refused to come out, fearing him like a tiger. How can my Thunder Mountain Cave maintain its dignity?"

"If the Wood-Eating Demon King were to offer bounties to other demon generals, would he also hide among the army to preserve his life?"

Xiangqing Demon General said solemnly, "My Thunder Mountain Cave is naturally not afraid of the Corrosion Wood Cave, but you are different, fellow Daoist."

"To be honest, this is the King's decree, ordering me to protect you, fellow Daoist, and that the King will give you an important position on Turtle Island in the future."

“If your strength is the same as Fellow Daoist Youji, even if the Wood-Eating Demon King were to offer a second-grade spiritual treasure or divine weapon, or even a ten-thousand-year-old body-tempering spiritual herb, I would never persuade you to stay in the Xuanlin Mountain Range.”

"Fellow Daoist is only a mid-level demon general after all. Although your methods are extraordinary and you can even escape with your life from the hands of the Void Refining Puppet."

"But if we encounter that Void Refining Puppet again, could you possibly produce a second natal feather left behind by your ancestor?"

Chen Yuan fell silent. Seeing this, Xiang Qing, the Demon General, smiled slightly on his aged face and comforted him, "Fellow Daoist, are you worried about not having the opportunity to make contributions?"

"This battle can no longer be decided quickly. What follows will be a back-and-forth struggle for strategic locations and a contest of strength. The day of the decisive battle is still far off."

"The Corrosion Wood Cave has been established for a long time, has a profound foundation, and has many demon generals, making it even better than my Thunder Mountain Cave."

"However, thanks to the man in black, the mid-level demon generals of the Corrosion Wood Cave suffered heavy casualties. In terms of strength, they are slightly inferior to my Thunder Mountain Cave, but they are still evenly matched."

"If you truly wish to serve the King, why not first refine all the pills bestowed upon you by the King to enhance your cultivation before going into battle? What do you say?"

Chen Yuan lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head: "Fellow Daoist's kindness is appreciated."

"But I am honored by the King's favor and cannot desert my post in the face of battle."

"The war between the two realms is a hundred times more dangerous than this one. I, Kun, am already afraid of a mere eroded cave. How can I share the burden for Your Majesty once we reach Turtle Island?"

Xiangqing Demon General frowned deeply: "Fellow Daoist Beiming..."

He had just opened his mouth when Chen Yuan interrupted him: "Moreover, it seems that you have underestimated me, fellow Daoist. I am not talented, but I also possess the bloodline of the Kun fish. Let alone a mid-level demon general, even a high-level demon general would not be able to take my life."

"In the midst of a great battle, under the watchful eyes of everyone, the Wood-Eating Demon King cannot personally take action, nor can he allow the Void Refining Puppet to attack me. At most, he can send a few demon generals to besiege me."

"But with the defensive array as a support and the assistance of many fellow Daoists, what do I have to fear?"

"I will always remember Your Majesty's kindness and care, and I will never forget it."

"If Your Majesty insists on keeping me in the Xuanlin Mountains, I dare not disobey."

"But please tell the king that I, Kun, have not made any contribution since joining the king's ranks."

"The siege of Tianluo Demon Commander was mainly led by fellow Daoists Youji and Tianhou. I, Kun, only assisted from the side, yet I have been unworthy to receive a bottle of cultivation pills."

"Since the Wood-Eroding Demon King hates me to the bone, I, Kun, cannot avoid battle. I might as well use myself as bait to lure and kill the Demon Commander of the Wood-Eroding Cave and weaken his strength."

"If we can achieve victory sooner, we can prepare for the great war between the two realms as early as possible. What do you think, fellow Daoist?"

Xiangqing, the demon general, paused in stroking his beard, and looked deeply at Chen Yuan: "Fellow Daoist should know that the demon general of the Corrosion Wood Cave is by no means a fool and will not easily fall into a trap."

"If you, fellow Daoist, intend to use yourself as bait to deceive the heavens and cross the sea, the risk is extremely high, and you may even perish. Are you willing to take such a risk?"

Chen Yuan laughed nonchalantly: "Of course I don't want to take any risks, but the Wood-Eating Demon King has offered a bounty for my life. How can I let him have his way?"

"Moreover, I know that Your Majesty is always fair in rewarding and punishing. If my plan can severely damage the Wood-Eroding Cave and kill a few high-ranking demon generals, Your Majesty should not remain indifferent. At the very least, you will bestow two or three bottles of cultivation pills, right?"

"If I am fortunate enough to survive this time, even if you do not ask, I would still request Your Majesty's permission to return to Beiming Island, where I can cultivate in seclusion and strive to become a high-ranking demon general. In the future, after entering Bagui Island, I will serve Your Majesty again."

Xiangqing, the Demon General, was slightly moved: "Fellow Daoist Beiming is so loyal to the King and so brave. How could I possibly stop him?"

"Rest assured, fellow Daoist, the King is never stingy with rewards. If you can truly lure and kill a few high-ranking demon generals and severely damage the Corrosion Wood Cave, you will be richly rewarded and helped to advance to the rank of high-ranking demon general in one fell swoop."

"However, this matter is of great importance. I would like to ask you to come with me to meet the King and explain the situation so that he can make a decision."

……

Seven days later, Chen Yuan quietly returned to Yixiantian.

Within the narrow passage, there is a valley spanning a hundred square miles, flat and open.

This was a campsite specially left behind by several demon generals when they moved mountains and built this thousand-foot cliff, for the Leishan Cave to house their large army.

More than 200,000 demon beasts gathered here.

As Chen Yuan descended from his escape light, he looked around and saw ferocious and enormous monsters everywhere, with bizarre appearances and incessant roars, filling the air with a restless atmosphere.

Both Iron Wing Demon General and Wood Pig Demon General breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Chen Yuan's return.

Before Chen Yuan left, the demon army in the First Line of Heaven was already fully prepared for battle, but he was suddenly recalled by the demon general Xiang Qing, so the battle had to be temporarily suspended, which greatly affected morale.

Demonic beasts are not human cultivators after all, especially low-level demonic beasts that have not yet taken human form. Although their intelligence is not low, they are influenced by their nature, making them ferocious, warlike, and bloodthirsty.

Different kinds of low-level demonic beasts gathered in one place, many of which were natural enemies of other demonic beasts. If it weren't for the demon generals and commanders forcibly suppressing them, internal strife would have already broken out.

What makes them submit to you, besides the pressure and fear deep in their blood, is the temptation to kill the monsters in the Wood-Eroding Cave and receive rewards for your merits.

Chen Yuan and his two companions had originally decided to take the initiative and had promised a generous reward.

The demon beast army was looking forward to a great battle to unleash their true nature, but it was suddenly stopped. Naturally, they became restless and broke out in many private fights, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of demon beasts.

However, most of the dead were level one or two demonic beasts, with very few level three or four demonic beasts, and not a single level five or higher demonic beast.

Level 1 demonic beasts have the lowest intelligence and are the most irritable and easily angered. Level 5 and above demonic beasts undergo core transformation and dare not disobey the orders of demon generals.

The demonic beasts in the Northern Underworld Cave are all level five or above. They obey orders and occupy a corner of the valley, where they are the quietest. They lie on the ground, silently absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, exuding a sinister aura, waiting for the great battle to begin.

Chen Yuan was very satisfied with this and praised the Molten Bone Demon General a few times. A simple and honest smile appeared on his rugged face.

Chen Yuan has nearly a hundred demons under his command, including six high-ranking demon generals. However, they have all established their own cave dwellings, each leading a territory, and each has a clan behind them. They are not his confidants.

There were originally high-ranking demon generals on Beiming Island, but they were all confidants of the Demon General of the Underworld Sea, who followed him to the Thunder Mountain Range and are now guarding another dangerous place.

Mi Xin and Jiang Zhu had no backing and could only rely on Chen Yuan, to whom they were loyal. However, their strength was mediocre, and once the war started, they could not command the masses and therefore could not lead the demon beast army.

Before leaving, Chen Yuan entrusted the entire army of nearly ten thousand demon beasts to the Molten Bone Demon General for command.

Although he was only a mid-level demon general, his strength was considerable, almost on par with high-level demon generals. Furthermore, he cultivated on the shores of the Nether Sea without establishing his own cave dwelling, and as Chen Yuan's confidant, the other demon generals had no objections.

Chen Yuan instructed the Bone-Melting Demon Generals to prepare for battle, and all the demon generals looked worried upon hearing this.

The low-level demon beasts only knew how to fight, but these demon generals knew that among the three demon generals on the other side, there was one high-level demon general.

Leishan Cave only has three mid-level demon generals, so if a fight really breaks out, they will definitely be at a disadvantage.

Although the Demon General cannot slaughter Demon Generals and low-level demon beasts at will, he can still make the Demon Generals tremble with fear and become timid, greatly weakening their strength simply by releasing his aura.

The six high-ranking demon generals were even more unwilling to fight.

They were only one step away from the Demon General realm, and all they wanted to do was break through this bottleneck and open up a Demon General's cave.

But Chen Yuan had already given the order, and they dared not disobey. They had no choice but to obey and go to gather their demon beasts.

The other two demon generals also ordered their demon generals to gather demon beasts, break out of the formation, and head towards the edge of the narrow passage.

The dark, monstrous army surged forward like a tidal wave, causing the earth to tremble and the thunderous sound of their hooves pounding the ground to roll across the rock walls.

This valley is about a hundred miles from the exit of the narrow passage. For demonic beasts, it is a short distance, but for low-level demonic beasts that cannot fly, it is quite a distance.

The army of the Shimu Cave dared not set up camp in the First Line of Sky, but could only set up camp outside the First Line of Sky and set up a defensive formation to prevent the Leishan Cave from spying on them.

Although it was called a camp, it was actually even more rudimentary than the main camp of Leishan Cave in the valley.

A dazzling array of lights blocked divine sense and vision. One could vaguely see several pavilions hastily erected on a few undulating hills.

The low-level demonic beasts could only lie on the ground, huddled together in dense clusters, emitting uneasy roars.

This grand formation was set up temporarily and is far less extensive than the grand formation in the One Line Sky Valley, and its defensive capabilities are also far inferior.

Around the narrow passage, thousands of low-level demonic beasts roam.

When the beast tide from Leishan Cave burst through the narrow passage, dozens of demonic beasts were torn to pieces.

But many more low-level monsters retreated in fear, letting out wild roars as a warning.

The great formation immediately flashed with spiritual light, and hundreds of streaks of light shot into the sky. The quiet, lying-down demonic beasts were awakened, and their roars were earth-shattering, which the great formation could not cover up.

A wide passage appeared on the great formation, and the demonic beast army rushed out one after another, letting out bloodthirsty roars.

The demon beast army in Leishan Cave was restless and impatient. These low-level demon beasts, who were ordered to attack Yixiantian, could only squeeze into the small defensive formation, and their bloodthirsty nature was even harder to suppress.

Now that they finally received the order to go into battle, they were all extremely excited, roaring as they charged out of the formation and rushed towards the surging beast tide army coming from the narrow passage.

Ironwing Demon General and Wood Pig Demon General arrived outside the formation a step ahead of the beast tide army, but they only coldly looked at the beast army in the Wood-Eroding Cave below without making any move.

Just then, three streaks of light soared into the sky, accompanied by overwhelming demonic energy, and stopped a thousand feet in front of the two demon generals.

Three demon generals revealed themselves, with the burly man at the head exuding an exceptionally powerful aura, clearly a high-ranking demon general.

His expression was icy, with a hint of mockery in his eyes. He said coldly, "So, you two are finally willing to face me head-on?"

"I thought you would stay huddled in the formation until my army from the Wood-Eroding Cave swept in, circled around behind this cliff, and attacked from both sides, leaving you all trapped in this narrow passage!"

"However, the two of you alone are no match for us."

"You are not people who willingly seek death. Now reveal what your trump card is!"

Another short, stout demon general sneered, "We three demon generals have been waiting outside the First Line of Heaven for two months, and none of you dare to step out of the formation."

"Why is he acting so strangely today? Could it be that he has reinforcements?"

"But with Fellow Daoist Xiangyu here, who dares to challenge us?"

The last demon general also wore a mocking expression. The burly man was named Xiang Yu, whose true form was a white elephant that guarded the prison. He had a powerful bloodline and immense strength.

He had fought against high-ranking demon generals from Leishan Cave many times in the past, winning more often than losing. He had even killed one of them, making him a formidable figure.

The demon generals possessed immense demonic power and extremely strong physical bodies. They had almost all mastered the divine power of immortality, making it difficult to determine a winner.

Nine out of ten demon generals have only ever defeated demon generals of the same rank. Being able to kill a demon general of the same rank is already enough to be considered a strong person.

They knew that there must be something fishy about the sudden departure of Iron Wing Demon General and Wood Pig Demon General from the formation today, but they had great confidence in Prison Demon General.

Even though high-ranking demon generals came to their aid from Leishan Cave, they were not afraid and took the initiative to meet the enemy.

Iron Wing Demon General and Wood Pig Demon General exchanged a glance, and Iron Wing Demon General sneered: "Since you have already guessed, then there is no need to hide it."

He suddenly let out a long roar that pierced through the clouds and split rocks, and its sound carried for miles.

A jet-black beam of light shot up from the valley in the narrow passage and headed straight for this place, with the force of a thunderbolt.

Upon seeing this, the three demon generals of the Corroded Wood Cave all showed a hint of surprise in their eyes, and their expressions became more solemn.

But when they sensed the aura emanating from the escape light, they were taken aback.

The Demon General of Elephant Prison sneered, "You two have such high-ranking voices. I thought you were some high-ranking demon generals who had come to the First Line of Heaven. It turns out you are just mid-ranking demon generals."

The swift light quickly stopped in front of the three demon generals, standing side by side with the Iron Wing Demon General and the Wood Pig Demon General.

A burly figure appeared, no less imposing than the Demon General of Elephant Prison, but with an extremely youthful face, even somewhat handsome. He was dressed in black tight-fitting clothes and exuded a strong demonic aura.

His cold gaze swept over the three men, and he said indifferently, "Will you three surrender, or will I, Kun, take matters into my own hands?"

Upon seeing his face clearly, the Demon General of the Elephant Prison suddenly lost his mockery and instead shot out two sharp beams of light: "You are the Demon General of the Northern Underworld?"

The other two demon generals were also staring intently at him, their eyes burning with desire.

Upon hearing this, Chen Yuan's eyes flashed: "It seems that Shi Mu truly hates me to the bone. Has my bounty notice already spread throughout the entire Shi Mu Cave?"

The Demon General of Elephant Prison roared, "Insolence! How dare you address the King by his name! Today I will take your life and claim my reward from the King!"

Chen Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly, flipped his hand and took out the Demon-Slaying Blade. The golden blade was surrounded by a thick dark red demonic aura, with a faint hint of blackness, making it exceptionally fierce.

He raised his long sword, pointing it directly at the Demon Commander of Elephant Prison, and coldly said, "I, Kun, have come here today to take your lives and lift the siege of the One-Line Sky. Please enlighten me!" (End of this chapter)