Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

The Demon General of Elephant Prison laughed loudly, "So what if I'm just a mid-level Demon General, even if I have the bloodline of a Holy Race?"

"The king has offered a great reward and put a bounty on your head. I thought you would lose your courage and hide in fear, but I didn't expect you to still dare to go into battle."

"It seems this opportunity is going to fall into my hands!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he released his sealing power, flipped his hand and took out an exceptionally thick tiger-headed golden spear. With a sway of his body, accompanied by a huge whooshing sound, he rushed straight towards Chen Yuan.

Suddenly, a pair of jet-black wings extended from Chen Yuan's back. With a gentle flap, he instantly teleported behind the Elephant Prison Demon Commander.

The Demon-Slaying Blade slashed down heavily, and countless strands of dark red malevolent energy spread out, sweeping towards the Demon General of Elephant Prison.

The Demon General of Elephant Prison suddenly stopped, flicked his tiger-headed golden spear backward, and laughed loudly: "The King had warned us to be wary of your teleportation technique. Prepare to die!"

At the same time, he opened his mouth and inhaled, drawing all the evil energy into his mouth. His abdomen swelled slightly, and a dark red glow appeared on his face, but his soul was not affected in the slightest.

This is his innate supernatural power, which can suppress the opponent's spiritual energy and demonic power. Except for pure physical strength, it can be temporarily swallowed into his stomach and then slowly processed after the battle ends.

When supernatural powers fail, opponents often reveal weaknesses, which is the best opportunity for the incredibly strong Elephant Prison Demon General to launch a counterattack.

He brandished the tiger-headed golden spear in his hand, and the phantom of a giant golden tiger enveloped the spear, roaring and snarling as it thrust straight at Chen Yuan's vital heart.

This tiger-headed golden spear was crafted by a demon refiner from the Wood-Eroding Cave, using the demon core of a high-ranking demon general as the main material, mixed with the tiger bones from the general's entire body and several kinds of top-grade spiritual materials.

After being nurtured for thousands of years, it gave birth to a spirit, greatly increasing its power and becoming a third-grade spiritual treasure weapon.

When a weapon is forged using demon cores and materials, it will contain a trace of the demon's soul from its previous life. After it is upgraded to a spiritual treasure or divine weapon, it can be conjured up and unleash the innate divine abilities of the demon in its previous life.

Although this kind of artifact spirit transformation is far from comparable to a true heaven-reaching spiritual treasure, it is still quite remarkable among third-grade spiritual treasures and divine weapons.

Along with the tiger-headed golden spear thrusting out, thousands of golden-white blades gathered in a narrow area of ​​several feet, gleaming with sharp light, leaving no doubt that they could pierce the body of a high-ranking demon general.

Because Chen Yuan teleported to the side of the Elephant Prison Demon Commander, the distance between the two was extremely short.

After the tiger-headed golden spear and thousands of golden blades were thrust out, they instantly arrived in front of Chen Yuan, and it looked like they were about to completely engulf him.

The Demon General of Elephant Prison revealed a sinister smile, but Chen Yuan neither dodged nor avoided it. Suddenly, his black outfit emitted a warm, milky-white light.

A dark light emanated from his body, completely engulfing the milky white light and emitting strong spatial fluctuations.

Such dense spatial power was all concentrated in front of Chen Yuan, forming a black vortex that slowly rotated, its center extremely deep.

The thousands of golden blades thrown into it were like drizzle falling into the sea, only causing a tiny ripple before silently merging into the ocean, never to stir up the slightest wave again.

The tiger-headed golden spear thrust out by the Demon General of Elephant Prison was also blocked by the Demon-Slaying Blade. The two golden spiritual treasures and divine weapons clashed, emitting a piercing and sharp sound that spread for hundreds of miles.

At this moment, the two surging beast hordes below collided with a deafening roar, like a raging torrent crashing against a reef, or like two raging fires meeting head-on on a grassland, unleashing the most brutal and fierce battle.

Blood and flesh scattered like water droplets and sparks, furious roars shook the heavens and earth, every demon beast unleashed its innate supernatural powers, the surging demonic energy obscured the blazing sun, and hundreds and thousands of demon beasts died every moment.

This is the raging beast tide, the most powerful force of the demon race. Without any schemes or maneuvers, their intelligence seems to have faded. Only the most ferocious and savage demon beasts can defeat them.

Above the beast tide, hundreds of streaks of light intertwined, representing the demon generals under the command of the two demon commanders. They clashed head-on and immediately began to fight.

Within a radius of a hundred miles, everything was transformed into a battlefield.

The sound of the clashing of the Demon-Slaying Blade and the Tiger-Headed Golden Spear echoed outwards, and the chilling killing intent contained within further ignited the bloodlust in the hearts of countless demonic beasts, causing them to almost forget everything and charge forward recklessly.

The Demon General of Elephant Prison was sent flying backward, feeling the immense force emanating from the Tiger-Headed Golden Spear. His eyes widened in disbelief: "You..."

Chen Yuan swung his Demon-Slaying Blade, and dark red demonic energy surged forth once more. He flapped his wings and charged forward again.

"I, Kun, have yet to slay a high-ranking demon general, so today I'll use you as my first target!"

Upon seeing this, both Iron Wing Demon General and Wood Pig Demon General burst into laughter, took out their spiritual treasures and divine weapons, and charged towards the two mid-level demon generals.

When the Demon General of the Wood-Eroding Cave saw that the Demon General of the Elephant Prison was at a disadvantage, his expression changed and fear was revealed in his eyes.

However, the two demon armies were already entangled, and hundreds of demon generals from both sides were engaged in a fierce battle. There was no other way but to fight a great battle.

The two demon generals exchanged a glance, seeing the determination in each other's eyes, and went to meet them.

They believed that the Demon General of Elephant Prison would never be defeated by a mid-level Demon General!
……

"Before the First Line of Sky, Xiang Yu and Bei Ming fought fiercely for three days and three nights, escaping three thousand miles, but still died at Bei Ming's hands?"

In the Great Hall of the Dry Bone Mountain Range, the spirit wood puppet stood before the illusion array, gazing down at the array plate.

Before a lifelike cliff, the battle flag bearing the words "Elephant Prison" and the names of the demon generals on two other battle flags slowly disappeared, flying into the sky and quietly waiting to fall again.

He spoke coldly, his stiff face expressionless, only a hint of displeasure flashing in his dull eyes.

The Abandoned Soul Demon General stood in front of the Spirit Wood Puppet, clasped his hands and bowed: "Indeed, according to the demon general who escaped back, the Northern Underworld Demon General used a talent-based divine ability that is extremely similar to that of Elephant Prison, devouring all the divine abilities used by Elephant Prison without suffering any damage, which is extremely strange."

"The golden longsword in his hand was also quite strange, emanating a strong murderous aura that could shake one's soul."

"At first, Xiangyu was able to use his innate supernatural powers to swallow and suppress the evil energy, but later he reached his limit and could only fight the Northern Darkness Demon General within the evil energy."

"The Northern Underworld Demon General possesses immense strength, no less than that of Elephant Prison, and is comparable to a high-ranking demon general."

"His long sword was covered with a layer of dark light, and it was exceptionally sharp, almost comparable to a second-grade spiritual treasure weapon, completely suppressing Elephant Prison."

"If that were all, it would be fine. After all, the Northern Dark Demon General possesses the bloodline of the Kun fish and has mastered several remarkable innate abilities, which is to be expected."

"But his demonic power was also extremely pure and profound. Xiang Yu fought him for three days and three nights until his demonic power was exhausted, but he was still unfathomable and beheaded Xiang Yu."

"After Xiangyu died, he helped Tieyi and Muhai, leaving behind two demon generals, Qixiong and Pandun, which caused the army to collapse and be pursued for thousands of miles, resulting in heavy casualties."

"Of the nearly three hundred demon generals under those three demon commanders, forty-three have died, and their morale is extremely low."

Upon hearing that the demonic beast army outside the First Line of Heaven had suffered heavy casualties, a hint of joy flashed in the spirit wood puppet's eyes as it gazed at a perilous place thousands of miles away from the First Line of Heaven on the array plate.

"Where is the Northern Underworld Demon General now? Has he led his army of demon beasts to attack Giant Blade Pass?"

The Abandoned Soul Demon General said, "After Bei Ming killed three of my Wood-Eroding Cave Demon Generals, he retreated. All the demon beasts under his command also returned to the One Line Sky and remained holed up, refusing to come out."

The spirit wood puppet frowned: "Why doesn't he press his advantage?"

The Abandoned Soul Demon General said, "Perhaps he fears the bounty issued by the Great King and dares not enter the territory of my Corrosion Cave."

"Among high-ranking demon generals, Xiang Yu's strength can only be considered average. It took Bei Ming three days and three nights to kill him."

"If he dares to leave the great formation in the First Line of Heaven, the King only needs to send a few high-ranking demon generals to take his life."

The spirit wood puppet shook its head slightly: "This Bei Ming is extremely powerful. He has also hidden several methods. Ordinary high-level demon generals are definitely no match for him."

The Abandoned Soul Demon General was slightly taken aback: "May I ask, Your Majesty, what methods does Bei Ming possess?"

The spirit wood puppet raised its head and looked out of the hall, towards the direction of the Thunder Mountain Cave, a glint of fervor flashing in its eyes.

He said calmly, "You don't need to know. Just remember, the strength of this Northern Underworld Demon General is no less than that of Tianluo, and even you are no match for him."

The Abandoned Soul Demon General was greatly surprised: "Even though he possesses the bloodline of the Holy Race, he is only a mid-level Demon General. How could he be so powerful?"

The spirit wood puppet said calmly, "Even among the bloodlines of the Holy Race, there are distinctions of superiority and inferiority. The Kunyu race originates from the true spirit of the Kunpeng and is a top-tier bloodline among the many Holy Races in the Burning Demon Realm, second only to the true spirit bloodline."

"When the Northern Darkness Demon General fought with Xiang Yu, the supernatural power he used should be the Devouring Technique and the Void-Piercing Black Blade, which are extremely famous among the Kunpeng clan and far surpass Xiang Yu's innate supernatural power."

"He also possesses several divine weapons, which are even more troublesome than that golden longsword. Even my puppet suffered a loss at his hands."

The Abandoned Soul Demon General said solemnly, "This Bei Ming is so troublesome, even no less so than Fellow Daoist Tian Luo. The threat he poses to my Erosion Wood Cave is no less than that of You Ji."

"He also injured the king's puppet, which is an unforgivable crime."

"Since he's hiding in the One-Line Sky, I'll gather the demon generals to besiege it, break the formation, and bring this Northern Darkness Demon General to his death!"

The spirit wood puppet pondered for a moment, then said calmly, "I issued the bounty order to instill fear in Bei Ming, causing him to flee back to his cave and then I would seek an opportunity to strike."

"But he knew that I had offered a great reward for his life, yet he not only did not fear battle but also killed three demon generals from my Wood Erosion Cave. Instead of pursuing them, he retreated back into the narrow pass. There must be something fishy about this."

The Abandoned Soul Demon General's eyes narrowed: "Your Majesty, are you saying that Bei Ming used himself as bait to lure Your Majesty into sending demon generals to attack, and then left those demon generals behind?"

The spirit wood puppet nodded slightly: "That's most likely the case, but this is an open scheme. Bei Ming is quite powerful. In his first move, he killed three demon generals from my Wood-Eroding Cave. If we let this go unchecked, the losses will only be greater, and..."

"Quickly dispatch the demon general to Yixiantian. I will also personally take action."

The Abandoned Soul Demon General exclaimed in surprise, "Your Majesty intends to attack the Demon General? This..."

The spirit wood puppet said calmly, "I will naturally not bully the weak in front of everyone, but as long as the One Line Sky Formation is broken and Bei Ming escapes, I will kill him. With no one to testify, Lei Shan will not be able to say anything." The Abandoned Soul Demon General looked worried: "After the bounty was issued, everyone knows that Your Majesty wants to take Bei Ming's life. Demon King Lei Shan should not be unprepared."

The spiritwood puppet narrowed its eyes slightly: "I am also very curious as to why Lei Shan would dare to use Bei Ming as bait, unless..."

……

Within a narrow passage, amidst a grand formation.

Leishan Cave has been operating here for many years, and has even built a sheer cliff thousands of feet high, and has long since built many palaces and pavilions for the demon generals and demon commanders to reside in temporarily.

Within the valley, there is also a miniature spiritual vein, which was also migrated from the Thunder Mountain Cave, specifically to provide spiritual energy for the defensive formation.

As for the low-level demonic beasts, they could only sleep on the ground.

After a great battle, tens of thousands of demon beasts died, but the surviving low-level demon beasts either devoured the flesh and blood of their opponents or received elixirs and spiritual herbs as rewards from the demon generals.

There are too many low-level demonic beasts, and demons can only learn the various arts of cultivation after they transform into human form. Alchemists are extremely rare, and they have no time to refine pills for low-level demonic beasts.

The demon generals bestowed mostly spiritual herbs, with only a few pills, which were made by human alchemists who had become slaves.

The ferocious beasts that were fighting on the battlefield just days ago are now either silently absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to heal their wounds or frantically cultivating to improve their strength so that they can survive the even more brutal battles to come.

In the center of the valley, in a magnificent hall, brightly lit and resplendent in gold, only Chen Yuan and the two demon generals, Tie Yi and Mu Hai, sat behind three tables.

Chen Yuan sat in the main position, with Iron Wing Demon General and Wood Pig Demon General on his left and right respectively.

Behind each of the three was a beautiful maidservant, and several human women in the Qi Refining stage danced gracefully in the hall, their beautiful figures unfolding under the hazy veil, captivating the heart.

The demon general came from various caves and naturally did not bring any human slaves. These were all bestowed by the Thunder Mountain Demon King for the demon general's enjoyment.

This is a privilege enjoyed only by demon generals; even demon generals are not allowed to bring maids with them.

On the table were spirit wines and delicacies, all cooked with the flesh and blood of demon beasts. Their strength in life may not have been that great, but their taste was even better than that of a demon general.

Despite the fine wine and beautiful women before them, the atmosphere in the hall was somewhat somber.

Iron Wing Demon General and Wood Pig Demon General were sullen, while Chen Yuan had a smile on his lips and a leisurely expression.

Ironwing Demon General suddenly spoke up: "Fellow Daoist Beiming displayed great power, slaying Xiangyu with the cultivation of a mid-level demon general. You truly deserve the bloodline of the Holy Race. I admire you greatly."

"There is one thing I don't understand. Xiang Yu, Qi Xiong, and Pan Dun have all been killed. It is the perfect time to press our advantage."

"Why not take Giant Blade Pass, instead of retreating to One Line Sky and continuing to hold it?"

Mu Hai, the Demon General, also showed a look of doubt in his eyes, but his relationship with Chen Yuan was far less than that of Tie Yi, the Demon General, so he did not dare to ask.

Chen Yuan's gaze swept over the two of them. They were unaware of the bounty offered by the Wood Erosion Demon King; it was a secret order issued to the demon commander of the Wood Erosion Cave.

It was only because Leishan Cave had planted a spy in Shimu Cave that Xiangqing Demon General knew about this and informed Chen Yuan.

Chen Yuan smiled slightly: "Fellow Daoists, please be patient. We will not lack opportunities to make contributions in this battle."

"Giant Blade Pass is strategically important and has long been fortified with defensive formations, so it is not advisable to launch a direct attack."

"I have already predicted that the Wood Erosion Cave will send an army of demonic beasts to attack again."

"At that time, we will wait in comfort and kill a few more demon generals. Even if we don't manage to break into the Corroded Wood Cave, the achievement will still be considerable."

Ironwing Demon General was even more puzzled: "Fellow Daoist Beiming's methods are astonishing. Even Xiangyu was no match for you. Even if the Corruption Cave returns, the strength of its leading demon general is definitely above that of Xiangyu. How should we deal with it?"

Demon General Mu Hai nodded and said, "Fellow Daoist Tie Yi is absolutely right. With Fellow Daoist Bei Ming in charge of Yixiantian and a great formation as a support, if Shimu Cave wants to launch a strong attack, it is very likely that they will not only send one or two high-level demon generals."

"With just the three of us, holding the position shouldn't be difficult, but achieving new successes will be challenging."

"In my opinion, we should seek help from the Xuanlin Mountains."

"There is no need for a large army to come. As long as one or two high-ranking demon generals come to support us, we can rely on the great formation to keep all the demon generals attacking the Wood Erosion Cave in place."

Chen Yuan smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist Mu Hai is mature and prudent; this is indeed a prudent move."

"However, we are stationed in one place and are unaware of the overall situation. If we rashly request reinforcements, it may cause changes in the battle situation. We must not act rashly."

"Moreover, we have already dispatched demon generals back to the Xuanlin Mountain Range to report this great victory to Fellow Daoist Xiangqing."

"Fellow Daoist Xiangqing is a master strategist with a thorough understanding of the situation. If he believes we need support, he will surely send a demon general to assist us. We only need to follow his orders. Come, let me offer a toast to you two!"

He raised his wine cup to the two of them and drank it all in one gulp.

Iron Wing Demon General and Wood Pig Demon General exchanged a glance, their eyes showing a hint of helplessness. They picked up the wine cups on the table, but the fragrant spirit wine tasted like cardboard.

With the deaths of the three demon generals, including Xiang Yu, the Giant Blade Pass behind them was completely unprepared. The morale of the First Line Heaven demon army soared. If they could press their advantage, they might be able to break through the Giant Blade Pass in one fell swoop.

However, Chen Yuan voluntarily retreated to Yixiantian and held his ground, wasting a great opportunity.

The two demon generals were unwilling, but Chen Yuan's powerful slaying of the Elephant Prison demon general demonstrated his unparalleled strength, leaving them no choice but to obey, and they were quite frustrated.

However, the battle was quite fruitful, as it resulted in the slaying of three demon generals and the acquisition of their demon core materials and mustard seed rings.

Since the Demon General of Elephant Prison died at Chen Yuan's hands, all his belongings naturally belonged to Chen Yuan.

The other two mid-level demon generals were quite powerful; neither Iron Wing Demon General nor Wood Pig Demon General could defeat them on their own. They both relied on Chen Yuan's assistance to win.

They were worried that Chen Yuan would ask for an exorbitant price, but Chen Yuan only took the demon core and left the other treasures and materials to them.

The two demon generals were surprised but overjoyed. Even though they were unwilling, they obeyed orders and did not continue the pursuit.

……

For the next two weeks, the area outside the First Line of Sky remained calm and peaceful, with no sign of the demonic beast army.

The demon general who rushed back to the Xuanlin Mountains to report the results of the battle also returned to the First Line of Heaven, bringing with him a letter from the demon general Xiangqing.

Chen Yuan and the two demon generals reviewed the letter together. They were pleased to see that the demon general had written many encouraging words in the letter and said that he had recorded the three men's merits and that they would be rewarded after the battle was over.

However, he did not mention any reinforcements, only telling the three to continue holding the line at Yixiantian, and that if the army from the Shimu Cave attacked, everything should be left to Chen Yuan to handle.

Iron Wing Demon General and Wood Pig Demon General had no choice but to obey Chen Yuan's decision.

Another half month passed, and the demon generals who were patrolling outside the First Line of Heaven hurriedly reported that a large army of demon beasts was surging in. There were only tens of thousands of them, but all of them were level five or above demon beasts, which could be equivalent to hundreds of thousands of low-level demon beasts.

Hundreds more streaks of light pierced the sky, all of them possessing the cultivation of a demon general, with as many as seven demon commanders whose aura was the most imposing!
This large army didn't even set up a large formation or establish a camp before heading straight for Yixiantian.

The Iron-Winged Demon General paled upon hearing this: "Seven demon generals? Even if we rely on the great formation to hold out, we may not be able to defend!"

Demon General Mu Hai looked worried: "Xiang Yu died at the hands of Fellow Daoist Bei Ming. Among them must be high-ranking demon generals, or even more than one. What should we do?"

Chen Yuan said calmly, "Fellow Daoists, there's no need to panic. We'll meet force with force and water with water..."

boom!
Before he finished speaking, a deafening roar came from outside the hall, startling the army of demonic beasts in the formation. The roars of the beasts rose and fell, filled with fear.

"Bei Ming, come out and face your death!"

Chen Yuan narrowed his eyes and slowly stood up: "You've come at the perfect time!"

Ironwing Demon General's face was extremely ugly: "The army of the Corroded Wood Cave is coming with great force. Seven demon generals are attacking. We are no match for them. Fellow Daoist Beiming, please think twice!"

The Demon General Mu Hai advised, "The forces of the Corrupting Wood Cave are at their peak, far surpassing our strength. Moreover, Fellow Daoist Xiang Qing has ordered us to rely on the great formation for defense. Let's take a break for now..."

Chen Yuan said calmly, "The enemy has already come knocking on our door. How can we avoid a fight?"

"Fellow Daoist Xiangqing clearly stated in his letter that if the enemy attacks, it is up to me, Kun, to make the decision. My mind is made up, and I will go out to meet the enemy!"

The two demon generals opened their mouths to speak, but when they met Chen Yuan's stern gaze, and recalled the gruesome scene of the Elephant Prison Demon General dying at Chen Yuan's hands a month ago, his body torn apart, the words that had welled up in their mouths could not be uttered.

They followed Chen Yuan, quickly walked out of the main hall, and with a burst of light, took to the air.

Outside the array, hundreds of demon generals hovered in the air, with the seven demon commanders at the head exuding a powerful aura and overwhelming demonic energy, far surpassing the hundreds of demon generals.

Among them, four demon generals possessed the most formidable auras, clearly indicating they were high-ranking demon generals!
Upon seeing this, the expressions of Iron Wing Demon General and Wood Pig Demon General grew increasingly grim.

Chen Yuan remained calm as he slowly approached the edge of the array.

His gaze swept over the seven demon generals, and he said coldly, "I, Kun, am here. Who dares to take my life?" (End of Chapter)