I'm in Yellow Maple Valley, and I have one equipment slot!

There were no grand vows, no excessive declarations of loyalty, but this simple sentence and this single action clearly demonstrated his choice.

Zhou Yuan's smile deepened, and he nodded: "Very good. Get up!"

"From now on, you will stay by my side. Your true form is a sea rhinoceros beast, skilled in controlling water and earth, and possessing immense strength. From now on, I will call you 'Rock Rhinoceros'."

"Thank you, Master, for bestowing upon me a name!"

Yan Xi stood up and respectfully stood behind Zhou Yuan, like the most loyal guard.

He was tall and imposing, and even standing behind Zhou Yuan, he exuded a strong sense of intimidation.

Before long, in the dark valley on the other side, the black cocoon of light also underwent a similar change.

The cocoon of light dissolved and dissipated silently, revealing a slightly thin figure shrouded in a black robe.

This person was also humanoid, with a height similar to that of an average person. He wore a pure black robe that seemed to absorb light, covering his entire body completely except for his face.

His skin was an unhealthy pale, with a hint of gray and black. His features were delicate, with slightly upturned eyes, thin lips that were dark purple, and unusually, vertical pupils that gleamed with a cold and cunning light.

A light like that of a venomous snake.

He stood there quietly, his body seemingly exuding a cold and eerie aura that blended seamlessly with the surrounding shadows, making him easily overlooked unless one looked closely.

It was the Shadow Python in its transformed form.

He raised his pale, long, slender hand with sharp nails and gently touched his smooth, cold cheek, his vertical pupils turning.

He first glanced at the rock rhinoceros beside him, whose aura was as heavy as a mountain, and then his gaze fell on Zhou Yuan.

Unlike the Rock Rhinoceros's complex emotions, the Shadow Python's eyes after transforming were purer and more dangerous.

That was the scrutiny, vigilance, and weighing of a cold-blooded predator, along with an undisguised chill and arrogance.

His feelings of gratitude towards Zhou Yuan were perhaps not as profound as Yan Xi's.

The weighing of freedom and survival was happening in his mind at an even faster pace.

"So, do you want to live, or do you want to die?"

Zhou Yuan's voice rang out again, his tone still calm, even with a hint of a smile, but the content of his words made the air around the Shadow Python seem to freeze.

Rock Rhino also glanced sideways at this new "companion".

The Shadow Python's vertical pupils suddenly contracted, and the muscles on its pale face seemed to twitch slightly.

He stared intently at Zhou Yuan, his black robes fluttering without wind, and his chilling aura fluctuating, as if a fierce internal struggle was raging within him.

He could sense that if he made the slightest move or showed any strong hostility, the restriction deep within his demon soul would immediately erupt! The other party was definitely not joking.

Time seemed to have passed for a long time, yet it also seemed to have only been a moment.

Finally, the undulating aura around the Shadow Python gradually subsided. The arrogance and coldness in its eyes were gradually replaced by a deep-seated submission.

He stepped forward, knelt on one knee, lowered his effeminate head, and spoke in a hoarse, cold voice, like the flicking of a viper's tongue:

"...Shadow, I am willing to serve my master. I will obey your every command without any disloyalty."

"very good."

Zhou Yuan didn't care about his attitude, as long as the result was the same.

Subduing such ferocious and sinister monsters requires primarily using intimidation.

"Your true form is a Shadow Python, skilled in stealth, ambush, and poison; let's call you 'Shadow Slayer'."

"Thank you, Master."

Ying Sha stood up and silently stood on the other side of Zhou Yuan, standing to the left and right of Yan Xi, like two silent shadows.

His figure seemed even more slender than that of an ordinary person; if one did not pay special attention, one would almost forget his existence.

Zhou Yuan looked at his two newly recruited humanoid subordinates beside him and felt quite satisfied.

Including the previous Beast Demon and Gale, he now has four Nascent Soul level warriors under his command!

Moreover, each has its own strengths: the Beast Demon is fierce and immortal, the Gale is swift as the wind, the Rock Rhinoceros has defenses as solid as a mountain, and the Shadow Blade is unpredictable as a shadow.

Such a force, if placed in Tiannan or Luanxinghai, would be enough to support a mid-to-high-level sect!

And he was just a person.

"It's not safe to stay here any longer."

Zhou Yuan's gaze swept over the small island, which had experienced two tribulations of transformation and whose aura had not yet fully subsided, and he pondered in his heart.

The successive appearances of celestial phenomena that transform into human forms must have already attracted the attention of the demon race and even some human cultivators in this sea area.

This time it was the Lan Clan's Twin Demons, but if next time it's something even more powerful, or a whole group of transformed demons, even with his current strength, he would find it troublesome.

It's time to move to a new place.

For the next two weeks, Zhou Yuan rode his escape light, carrying the newly acquired Rock Rhinoceros, Shadow Blade, and other demonic beasts from his spirit beast bag, traversing the vast and boundless outer sea.

He deliberately avoided some of the known powerful demon territories, and finally found a more remote island, but with a decent amount of spiritual energy, nearly a million miles away from the original island.

Upon arriving on the island, he once again created a temporary cave dwelling, set up restrictions, and settled down.

The years do not live, the seasons flow.

Several more years passed on this new, secluded island.

On this day, tribulation clouds gathered again over the island, accompanied by thunderous roars.

With ample resources and Zhou Yuan's protection, the Earth-Splitting Turtle also triggered a heavenly tribulation!

The Earth-Splittering Turtle is inherently highly defensive.

In addition, there is the Cold Marrow Bead as an aid.

There is no danger!

As the last ray of shaping light dissipated, six figures stood in neat rows in front of Zhou Yuan's temporary cave!

Gale, Rock Rhino, Shadow Blade, and the three newly added characters:

After the Thunder Whale couple transformed into human form, the man was named "Lei Zhen". He was tall, with a slightly blue complexion, a square face, thick eyebrows and tiger-like eyes, and short hair like steel needles with faint sparks of electricity. His personality seemed to be quite bold and straightforward.

The woman's name was "Lei Long". She was tall and slender, with a beautiful face that also had a heroic air. She had blue skin and wore a silver-blue outfit. There was a hint of lightning between her eyebrows and eyes, and she had a cool and aloof temperament.

The two were connected by their breaths, accompanied by a faint rumble of thunder.

After the Earth-Splitting Turtle transforms into human form, it becomes an old man with a sturdy build, a kind face, and earthy yellow skin, resembling a weathered farmer, named "Thick Earth".

His movements seemed somewhat slow, but every step he took gave people a sense of steadiness and unshakeability, and his defensive capabilities were probably the strongest among the six.

Six demon cultivators, each with a different form and imposing aura, stood before Zhou Yuan. Although they had all concealed their demonic energy, the combined, subtle pressure they exuded was still chilling. This was a formidable force capable of dominating the outer seas of the Chaotic Star Realm!

Zhou Yuan's gaze slowly swept over the six people, a satisfied expression appearing on his face.

After many years and countless resources, his "Monster Legion" plan has finally taken shape.

"very good."

Zhou Yuan nodded. "From today onwards, you will be the first batch of members of my 'Mystic Beast Guards'. Lie Feng will be the leader of the Wind Division, Yan Xi the leader of the Mountain Division, Ying Sha the leader of the Shadow Division, Lei Zhen and Lei Long the leaders of the Thunder Division, and Hou Tu the leader of the Earth Division. Specific duties will be assigned later."

"As you command, Master!"

All six bowed in unison in agreement.

Having learned from the precedents of Yanxi and Yingcha, Lei Zhen and the other two did not have much psychological barrier to being driven by Zhou Yuan. On the contrary, they vaguely felt a sense of belonging to having the title of "Department Head".

"Go back to the spirit beast pouch to cultivate in peace and stabilize your realm."

Zhou Yuan waved his hand, putting the six people back into the spirit beast bag.

After all, it would be too conspicuous to parade through the city with six demon cultivators in human form.

Having dealt with matters in the outer seas, Zhou Yuan did not linger. He determined his direction and sped towards the sea area where Biling Island was located.

Several months later, at the cave dwelling on Biling Island.

Zhou Yuan's figure reappeared in that familiar teleportation room.

Afterwards, he arrived at the depths of the cave, at the giant warehouse protected by a restriction, which was specifically used to store the mined spirit stones.

Pushing open the heavy stone door, the sight that came into view made Zhou Yuan's breath catch in his throat slightly, even though he was mentally prepared.

The interior space of the warehouse was greatly expanded, reaching a height of ten zhang and a length and width of over one hundred zhang.

At this moment, on the warehouse floor, neatly stacked "small mountains" shimmering with various colors of light are arranged in categories!

The largest quantity consisted of dozens of piles of mid-grade spirit stones, each pile reaching a height of about ten feet, with a rough count totaling over 300,000 stones!

Converted to low-grade spirit stones, that's over thirty million!

At the innermost part of the warehouse, on several jade platforms made of the finest jade, were carefully placed small piles of high-grade spirit stones, each only the size of an egg, yet radiating astonishing spiritual energy fluctuations!

The quantity reached over three thousand! At a ratio of one to ten thousand, that's more than thirty million low-grade spirit stones!

"Over 300,000 mid-grade spirit stones, and over 3,000 high-grade spirit stones..."

Zhou Yuan's mind raced with calculations, his eyes gleaming. "Adding those low-grade spirit stones... the total amount of spirit stones mined on Biling Island over the past few decades, converted to low-grade spirit stones, is probably close to... or even exceeds seventy million!"

Seventy million spirit stones!

This is a number that could drive any sect mad!

And this is just the output of the super-large high-grade spirit stone mine on Biling Island over several decades!

At this rate, in a few decades, it will be no pipe dream to gather 100 million spirit stones to upgrade the equipment slots!

What would happen if the equipment slots were upgraded by one level?

Zhou Yuan was filled with anticipation.

He had a vague feeling that in the human realm, the equipment slots could probably only be upgraded once more.

But the changes brought about by this upgrade may be his key to facing challenges in the future, such as ascending to the spirit world or even higher levels!

Suppressing his inner turmoil, Zhou Yuan left the storeroom and went to the main hall of the cave dwelling.

Sensing his return, the five women—Yuan Yao, Yan Li, Zi Ling, Ouyang Qing, and Mei Ning—quickly gathered around.

"Brother Zhou, you've been gone for so long this time!" Yuan Yao, being the most lively, rushed over and grabbed Zhou Yuan's arm.

"Is everything going smoothly?" Yanli asked gently, her beautiful eyes filled with concern.

Zi Ling, Mei Ning, and Ouyang Qing also looked at him with smiles.

"all the best."

Zhou Yuan smiled slightly, recounted the events that had transpired since their separation to the five women, and inquired about their cultivation progress over the years.

When Zhou Yuan mentioned his intention to return to Ling Shu Mountain in Tiannan to live permanently, Yuan Yao and the other girls exchanged glances, and finally Yuan Yao spoke up:

"Brother Zhou, this time... we'd like to accompany you to Tiannan. We've cultivated here for many years and also yearn to explore a wider world!"

"And...we don't want to be separated from you for long anymore." Her voice trailed off at the end, and her pretty face flushed slightly.

Yanli, Ziling, Ouyang Qing... nodded vigorously, their eyes full of anticipation.

Zhou Yuan looked at the four women, pondered for a moment, and then nodded with a smile: "Alright, let's go together then. The cave dwellings in Tiannan have already been built, but they're lacking in people. It's good that you're going."

The four women were overjoyed upon hearing this.

After several days of preparation, Zhou Yuan, along with Yuan Yao, Yan Li, Zi Ling, and Ouyang Qing, arrived once again at the teleportation array leading to Tiannan Ling Shu Mountain.

Check the formation, fill it with spirit stones, and activate it.

The blinding white light once again engulfed the five figures.

After the familiar dizziness and spatial disorientation subsided, the scene before my eyes changed, and I had moved from the damp overseas cave to a dry and refreshing mountain cave.

"We've arrived. This is our cave dwelling in Tiannan—Lingshu Mountain."

Zhou Yuan was the first to step out of the teleportation room.

Yuan Yao and the other three girls curiously examined the newly built cave dwelling.

Just as Zhou Yuan was about to show them around, his consciousness stirred slightly.

They sensed a sealed communication talisman somewhere within the protective array surrounding the cave.

It was clearly left by someone who visited while he was away.

He raised his hand and unleashed a burst of magical power that pierced through layers of restrictions, capturing the communication talisman in his hand.

As magic was infused, the sound transmission talisman was activated, and a familiar middle-aged man's voice, tinged with expectation and politeness, resounded in the quiet room:

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, I apologize for disturbing you. I recently stumbled upon a cave dwelling that appears to have been left behind by an ancient cultivator. The restrictions within are quite profound and cannot be broken by one person alone."

"I have come to invite you to go together. I wonder if Fellow Daoist Zhou is available recently and would like to accompany me? If we find anything, we can share it equally. I await your good news."

The sound ends here.

"The Marquis of Nanlong?"

Zhou Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly.

This is the voice of the Marquis of Nanlong.