Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

The Thunder Mountain Demon King and his demon generals rode their escape lights, covering a distance of ten thousand miles in an instant. In just a quarter of an hour, they arrived at the One Line Sky.

The demon generals were not fast enough, so the Thunder Mountain Demon King had to send out a wisp of his light to carry them along, which prevented them from being delayed for too long.

The demon generals were all surprised to see the once peaceful narrow passage between heaven and earth.

The valley was filled with mutilated corpses, being devoured by low-level demonic beasts, leaving only their demon cores as proof of their merit and reward.

Blood flowed into a river, yet the monsters still did not let it go. A massive elephant-like demon used its trunk to suck a pool of thick blood into its body.

The surrounding cliffs and precipices crumbled and collapsed under the bombardment of various supernatural powers, with rubble scattered all over the ground, and low-level demonic beasts were busy cleaning up the debris.

A thin layer of array shrouded the valley, flickering and occasionally revealing cracks, as if it might break apart at any moment.

Such a tragic scene clearly indicates that a great battle had taken place, but the final victor was not the menacing Wood-Eroding Cave.

As the Thunder Mountain Demon King and his demon generals descended in their escape light, demon generals immediately came forward to greet them. Upon recognizing the Thunder Mountain Demon King, they were filled with trepidation and utmost respect, welcoming them into the formation and then reporting to Chen Yuan and the other two.

Ironwing Demon General and Wood Pig Demon General were protecting Chen Yuan and guarding against another attack from the Corrosion Wood Cave. They immediately came to pay their respects to Thunder Mountain Demon King.

Chen Yuan meditated and regulated his breathing in the main hall. He was a little slow, but he came out of seclusion immediately. His face was pale, and he pretended to be in dire need of rest because his demonic power was too exhausted and his energy was weak.

When the Thunder Mountain Demon King met Chen Yuan, he had already learned about the battle from the Iron Wing Demon General and the Wood Pig Demon General.

He scrutinized Chen Yuan carefully and smiled slightly: "You beheaded Lingjiu and severed Xueyun's arm?"

The Demon King's divine sense was enough to cover tens of thousands of miles, but when he was fighting the Wood-Eating Demon King, he was too preoccupied to see the specific battle situation at the First Line of Sky.

Chen Yuan clasped his hands and bowed, saying in a slightly weak voice, "Seven demon generals from the Corrosion Wood Cave attacked and broke through the great formation. Fellow Daoists Tie Yi, Mu Hai, and I had no choice but to fight to the death. We were fortunate enough to kill the Spirit Vulture and severely injure Blood Cloud. It was not my achievement alone."

"After forcing back the army of the Wood-Eroding Cave, we had no strength left and dared not leave our posts. We stayed here to rebuild the great formation and hold the line of heaven. We were unable to reunite with Your Majesty and fellow Daoists in time. Please forgive us, Your Majesty."

The demon generals were all astonished to hear him admit it himself.

Ironwing Demon General hurriedly explained, "Fellow Daoist Beiming is too modest. Our strength is low, and even with our best efforts, we can only hold off two mid-level demon generals."

"The other five demon generals were all stopped by Fellow Daoist Beiming, and the two of us dared not take credit for them."

General Mu Hai also said, "Your Majesty is wise. Our victory in this battle is all thanks to Fellow Daoist Bei Ming's display of divine power..."

The Thunder Mountain Demon King waved his hand, a smile appearing on his slightly bluish face: "I am well aware of Bei Ming's contributions."

"With the rank of mid-level demon general, you slew the spirit vulture and severely injured the blood cloud. Both are well-known high-level demon generals in the Erosion Wood Cave. You deserve the greatest credit. I will reward you handsomely upon your return to the Xuanlin Mountain Range."

Chen Yuan looked ashamed: "Only one high-level demon general was left in this battle. The losses to the Corrosion Wood Cave were not significant. The Great King was also injured while fighting the Corrosion Wood Demon King. It was a loss that did not outweigh the gains."

“Fellow Daoist Xiangqing advised me to stay in Xuanlin Cave, but I insisted on coming to Yixiantian and using myself as bait to lure out the demon general of Shimu Cave. However, I was exposed and did nothing but commit a crime. How dare I accept the reward? I beg Your Majesty to punish me.”

The Thunder Mountain Demon King narrowed his eyes slightly and said calmly, "This plan has been approved by me. It is highly likely that Shi Mu will send out a puppet or even take action himself, which is within my expectations and is not your fault."

"However, I overlooked one thing: the six early-stage Void Refinement puppets in Shi Mu's hands could actually merge into one, transforming into a mid-stage Void Refinement perfected puppet."

"Caught off guard, I was outnumbered and suffered a minor loss."

"Youji and the others were also trapped by the Wood-Eating Divine Power and were unable to support Yixiantian."

"Otherwise, this battle would not only leave behind a few demon generals and severely damage the Erosion Wood Cave, but also destroy the puppets in the hands of the Erosion Wood, resulting in a great victory."

Chen Yuan exclaimed in surprise, "Is this really true? It's truly unbelievable!"

Thunder Mountain Demon King stared at Chen Yuan: "So, you didn't know that the puppet in Shi Mu's hand could be gathered and dispersed at will?"

Chen Yuan was taken aback, then his eyes widened, and he looked quite aggrieved: "If I had known about this, I would have already informed the King, so that the King could make preparations and severely damage the Corroded Wood!"

"Moreover, Shi Mu has taken out several precious treasures to take my life, which shows that he already hates me to the bone. How could I hide his strength from the king?"

“Even Fellow Daoist Youji is unaware of the puppet’s mysteries, let alone me. I beg Your Majesty to make the best of a judgment!”

The Demon King of Leishan calmed down and said gently, "You don't need to panic. I was just asking casually and had no other intentions."

"You followed Youji to ambush Tianluo and then killed Lingjiu in battle. You spared no effort and were loyal to the end. I have seen it all."

"However, you have been greatly exhausted after this battle. Shi Mu was already planning to take your life, and now his hatred for you will only deepen. If you continue to stay in Yixiantian, who knows what other methods he might use."

"Later, you will return with me to the Xuanlin Mountains to recuperate and recover from your injuries. After that, you can join the army in battle. How does that sound?"

Chen Yuan looked grateful: "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. I was just about to ask Your Majesty to allow me to return to the Northern Underworld Cave to recuperate. Once my injuries have healed, I will serve Your Majesty again."

The Thunder Mountain Demon King's eyes flashed: "Why is that?"

Chen Yuan sighed: "Seven demon generals from the Corroded Wood Cave attacked and broke through the great formation, but reinforcements have not yet arrived."

"At this critical juncture, I dared not hold back and used a life-or-death technique that seemed harmless, but in reality, it depleted my vital essence and blood, and I urgently need to recuperate."

"Otherwise, the foundation will be damaged, and not only will there be no hope of reaching the level of Demon King, but even the level of High-ranking Demon General will be a luxury, and the cultivation will stop there."

Thunder Mountain Demon King frowned and shook his head: "With the cultivation of a mid-level demon general, it is indeed not an easy task to kill a high-level demon general."

"In that case, I will allow you to return to your residence to recuperate. It will not be too late for you to join the battle once your injuries have healed."

"Since you have made great contributions in this battle, I will bestow upon you two more bottles of mid-stage Nascent Soul pills. While you are recuperating, do not forget to improve your cultivation."

Chen Yuan bowed deeply: "I will obey Your Majesty's decree. Over the past few years, I have also worked hard to collect several bottles of pills, and I am taking this opportunity to try to break through to the high-level demon general.

"If I am fortunate enough to advance in rank, I may be able to kill a few more high-ranking demon generals for the King."

The Thunder Mountain Demon King nodded slightly: "I have also heard that you once offered a Heavenly Demon Blood Purification Pill at the trade fair in exchange for cultivation pills, and Tie Yi took away two of them, is that right?"

He turned to look at Iron Wing Demon General, who quickly replied, "That's right. I exchanged two Heavenly Demon Blood Purification Pills with Fellow Daoist Bei Ming. After refining them, my bloodline was indeed purified a bit."

"I just need to fight bravely in this battle, strive to make some contributions, and exchange them for a few body-tempering pills before I can focus all my efforts on breaking through to the high-level demon general."

The Thunder Mountain Demon King pondered for a moment and said, "So, this Heavenly Demon Blood Purification Pill is indeed of great use to the Demon General?"

Chen Yuan explained, "I obtained this pill by chance. It can indeed purify bloodlines, but it is only useful for ordinary bloodlines."

"If you switch to a purer royal bloodline, it won't have the same effect."

“If Your Majesty is interested in this Heavenly Demon Blood Purification Pill, I have two more left, which I am willing to offer to Your Majesty.”

As he spoke, he flipped his hand and took out a jade bottle, presenting it to the customer with both hands.

The Thunder Mountain Demon King took the jade bottle and smiled slightly: "I heard that you can exchange one Heavenly Demon Blood Purification Pill for half a bottle of mid-stage Nascent Soul pills."

"I will not take advantage of you, so I will give you an extra bottle of cultivation pills to help you break through to the high-level demon general."

Chen Yuan immediately bowed deeply: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

……

The Thunder Mountain Demon King left behind a high-ranking demon general and a mid-ranking demon general to assist the Iron Wing Demon General and the Wood Pig Demon General in guarding the First Line of Sky, and led the other demon generals back to the Xuanlin Mountain Range.

Chen Yuan accompanied him, but his demonic beasts remained in the First Line of Sky for the time being to guard against an attack from the army of the Corroded Wood Cave, and would be replaced later.

With the permission of the Thunder Mountain Demon King, he could return directly to the Northern Underworld Cave.

However, the Thunder Mountain Demon King did not possess any mid-stage Nascent Soul pills and could only obtain them from the Xuanlin Mountain Range, which housed numerous treasures and cultivation resources. Chen Yuan received four bottles of mid-stage Nascent Soul pills from Xiangqing Demon General and temporarily remained in the Xuanlin Mountain Range, awaiting the withdrawal of the demon generals and beasts from the Northern Underworld Cave from the First Line of Heaven.

Just as Chen Yuan was meditating and adjusting his breathing, in the council hall, the Thunder Mountain Demon King stood in front of the array plate, looking down at the One Line Sky whose array flags had been changed. The Xiangqing Demon Commander and the Youji Demon Commander stood to the side, their expressions respectful.

The bluish tinge on the face of the Thunder Mountain Demon King had not yet faded, but he did not seem to be in a hurry to go into seclusion to heal his injuries. He slowly spoke: "The puppets in the hands of the Corrupting Wood can be combined into one. I made a mistake and was forced to agree to his request and give up several passes."

"In your opinion, could it be that Bei Ming has secretly sided with Shi Mu and offered this plan to deliberately lure me into making a move, so that I might be defeated by Shi Mu?"

After a moment of contemplation, Xiangqing Demon General said, "Your Majesty is overthinking it. The puppet in Shimu's hands is so mysterious that it is truly unexpected."

“Fellow Daoist Youji has fought with that puppet before, but he couldn’t see anything wrong with it. You can’t blame Beiming for this.”

"Moreover, he first followed Fellow Daoist Youji to ambush Tianluo, and then was wanted by the Wood-Eating Demon King. He killed Lingjiu and severely injured Xueyun in Yixiantian, thus forming a great enmity with the Wood-Eating Cave."

"The Wood-Eating Demon King would never risk the lives of his high-ranking demon generals just to gain the King's trust in Bei Ming."

The Thunder Mountain Demon King nodded slightly: "That makes sense, but according to Tie Yi and Mu Hai, the halberd that Bei Ming took out was extremely extraordinary. With a wave of his hand, he could shatter the void and block all the magical powers of the five demon generals. Xue Yun and Ling Jiu were also killed with a single halberd."

"His armor, which was covered in demonic energy, was also very strange."

"It can even condense the Kun fish dharma form, and even Tie Yi and Mu Hai felt the pressure of the bloodline. This is something that ordinary holy race bloodlines can do."

"Bei Ming has such strength, but when he encountered the puppet in Shi Mu's hands, he took out the natal feather left by his ancestor and fled in panic... It's a bit strange."

The Demon General Youji said, "Your Majesty, although Beiming has some skills, he is only a mid-level Demon General after all, while that puppet has the strength of a Demon King, and even I am no match for it. It is reasonable for him to flee decisively."

Xiangqing Demon General frowned and said, "It's a pity that the King did not witness Beiming's use of his supernatural powers. He said that he cut off one of the arms of the Corrosive Wood Puppet before Corrosive Wood offered a reward for his life. None of us doubted it."

"But now it is clear that the puppet in Shi Mu's hands can be gathered and dispersed at will. It is just a puppet with a broken arm. The loss should not be too great. It may not even be as great as the death of Tian Luo."

"However, Shi Mu did not offer a reward for You Ji's life, but instead showed such strong killing intent towards Bei Ming, which is quite unusual."

"Could it be that when he fought the puppet in Shi Mu's hands, he took out that halberd and the demonic armor, or even more precious divine weapons and treasures, which aroused Shi Mu's covetousness and led him to issue the bounty?"

The Thunder Mountain Demon King's eyes flashed, but then he shook his head: "Bei Ming has exhausted himself greatly, how can I allow him to use his supernatural powers?"

"Moreover, he just killed the spirit vulture and made a great contribution. If I ask him to take out his treasures for a look, wouldn't that be a clear sign that I have suspicions?"

"Now that the great battle has begun, we must not let morale waver."

The Demon General Youji said, "Your Majesty is wise. No matter what secrets Beiming may have, his killing of the high-ranking Demon General of the Corrosion Cave is undeniable."

"Since he joined the King's ranks, he has been loyal and devoted. He will be of great use on Turtle Island in the future. It is not advisable to investigate him too deeply."

Thunder Mountain Demon King slowly nodded: "Very well, Bei Ming was born into the Kunyu clan and drifted to the Tianhai Continent. How could he not have any secrets?"

"The most urgent task is to win this battle, prepare for the war between the two worlds, and make contributions on Turtle Island. Everything else can be put aside."

"However, I can turn a blind eye, but Shi Mu wants to kill Bei Ming. We must not let him succeed."

"Xiangqing, I will write a letter later. Have someone send it to the Dry Bone Mountain Range to warn Shimu."

"There's no such thing as being a thief for a thousand days but not being able to guard against thieves for a thousand days. Shi Mu can personally sneak into Bei Ming's cave and kill Bei Ming."

"But if he dares to do that, I will slaughter the demon general of the Corroded Wood Cave without looking at the evidence. At worst, we will both be severely injured!"

……

Chen Yuan waited in the Xuanlin Mountains for a month before the nearly ten thousand demonic beasts of the Beiming Cave finally withdrew from the First Line of Sky and set off to return to the Beiming Cave.

During this period, news of Chen Yuan's slaying of the Spirit Vulture and severe injury to the Blood Cloud spread like wildfire throughout the Xuanlin Mountain Range and, with the mobilization of the demon beast army, reached all directions, becoming common knowledge among the demon generals of the Thunder Mountain Cave.

In the past, as the only Holy Clan Demon Commander in Leishan Cave, he already had a considerable reputation, but he had never fought against other Demon Commanders, and no one knew his strength.

But after this great battle certified by the Thunder Mountain Demon King, Chen Yuan's fame immediately transformed into a formidable reputation.

Xueyun and Lingjiu are not weak among the high-ranking demon generals. Xueyun even possesses a trace of poisonous dragon bloodline, takes Ao as his surname, and has more than one high-ranking demon general's life on his hands.

However, they were no match for Chen Yuan. Even with two high-level demon generals and one mid-level demon general participating in the siege, they were still forced back by Chen Yuan.

Chen Yuan fought five opponents single-handedly and won a great victory. Coupled with his pure Kun fish bloodline, his reputation rivaled that of the Demon General Youji.

Most importantly, he is only a mid-level demon general. What kind of strength will he have after his cultivation improves? Could he be directly catching up with the Void Refinement Demon King?
However, Chen Yuan's fame did not spread for long before another piece of news secretly spread, casting a shadow over Leishan Cave.

Thunder Mountain Demon King was defeated by Wood Erosion Demon King and was poisoned by Wood Erosion Poison!
Originally, the demon generals of the Wood Erosion Cave were ambushed and killed by men in black, suffering heavy losses. Furthermore, the two high-ranking demon generals, Tianluo and Lingjiu, died one after another, putting the cave at a disadvantage.

But no matter how many demon generals of the Corroded Wood Cave died or were injured, it was not as great as the defeat of the Thunder Mountain Demon King.

Not long after the Thunder Mountain Demon King returned to the Xuanlin Mountain Range, he voluntarily ceded several strategic locations. It is said that after his defeat, he was forced to agree to the demands of the Wood-Eating Demon King.

The situation suddenly tilted in favor of the Wood-Eroding Cave, but the Thunder Mountain Cave, with its numerical advantage in mid-to-high-level demon generals, only fell slightly behind, and the battle became deadlocked, shattering the hopes of both sides for a quick victory.

But no matter how the battle unfolds, it has nothing to do with Chen Yuan or the Northern Underworld Cave.

In the brief but brutal battle at the First Line of Sky, nearly 10,000 level 15 and above demonic beasts from the Northern Underworld Cave, under Chen Yuan's orders, took the initiative to rush out of the formation and attack the demon general, delaying the time to break the formation. The casualties were extremely heavy, with less than one in ten surviving.

Nearly a hundred demon generals were mostly injured, and twelve demon generals died, far exceeding the number from the Iron Wing Cave and the Wood Pig Cave.

This was not because the demon generals of the Northern Underworld Cave were exceptionally brave, but because several of the high-ranking demon generals who were originally trusted by the Demon General of the Underworld Sea had left with him, and their strength had been greatly weakened. Therefore, when facing the demon generals of the Corrosion Wood Cave, they were bound to suffer more casualties.

However, a few valiant demon generals killed the demon generals of the Corroded Wood Cave and made great contributions. As promised by Chen Yuan, they could receive a bottle of cultivation pills as a reward.

Among them was the Molten Bone Demon General, who was fearless and used his brute strength and fire-based magical abilities to kill two mid-level demon generals.

Finally, he was even targeted by a high-ranking demon general from the Corrosion Cave, and he struggled to deal with him, facing numerous dangers.

Fortunately, Chen Yuan displayed his divine power, slaying the Spirit Vulture Demon General and forcing back the army of the Corrosion Wood Cave. Otherwise, the Melting Bone Demon General would have been in grave danger.

Other high-ranking demon generals, on the other hand, did not achieve the feat of slaying generals. Their opponents were also high-ranking demon generals, and they were even besieged by several high-ranking demon generals. Maintaining their undefeated status was already a great effort, let alone winning and killing enemies.

Chen Yuan naturally kept his word. Due to the heavy losses of the low-level demonic beasts, the return journey took much less time, and he returned to Beiming Island in only half the time.

Instead of immediately going into seclusion to cultivate, he first took out dozens of spiritual herbs, refined them into cultivation pills, and distributed them as rewards.

The demon race cannot refine the Demon Essence Pill, but Chen Yuan has no shortage of spiritual herbs under three thousand years old, and the number of demon generals who have made meritorious contributions is not large, which is more than enough.

Chen Yuan also took out some treasures and cultivation resources to comfort the injured demon general.

As for the low-level demon beasts that made contributions, they were bestowed treasures by the demon generals.

As for the trivial matters such as how to distribute the spiritual land vacated due to the death of the demon general and the reduction of offerings to meritorious demon generals, Chen Yuan left all of these to Zhang Yanwei and others to handle.

He met with Daoist Cangsong, then returned to his cave, took out the demon core and many spiritual herbs he had obtained in the battle, and began to refine pills.

Since arriving in the Demon Burning Realm, Chen Yuan has been constantly on the move and hasn't had much time to cultivate.

This time, he intends to refine all the demon cores in his hands into pills, and then, in one fell swoop, raise his cultivation to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm.

This was just the beginning. Through his covert manipulation, the battle could no longer be resolved quickly and would continue indefinitely.

He also had the opportunity to hunt down high-ranking demon generals from the Corroded Wood Cave and even the Northern Underworld Cave.

Chen Yuan intended to seize this golden opportunity to obtain demon cores, refine elixirs, and once he had raised his cultivation to the late-stage peak of the Nascent Soul realm, he would leave the Thunder Mountain Cave to search for the descendants of the True Spirit. (End of Chapter)