The Evil Demons present, including the Smoke Demons and their ilk, all fell silent, not daring to continue their chatter.
This wasn’t because the reasons Shen Mo gave were sufficiently compelling and irrefutable; rather, the strength he displayed was so overwhelming that it intimidated these Evil Demons.
The strong reign supre. This is an undeniable truth in this world and others alike. However, among evil cultivators and Outer Zone Demons, this principle is displayed even more directly and unashadly.
Shen Mo summoned a Demon Soul General from his Soul Refining Flag. He revealed to the Demons present that he had slain nurous powerful Heavenly Demons and refined them into Soul Generals. This provided tangible evidence for his claim of having "a grudge against the Celestial Demon Clan."
Although his claim was backed by evidence, this was rely a secondary point. More critically, the Ghost Bride and several other peak Class III Demon Soul Generals he possessed were enough to slaughter all the Demons in the valley.
Such a display of power naturally made the assembled Evil Demons hold their tongues. They feared that if this "powerful evil cultivator" took offense to their words, his anger would be vented upon them, leading to a senseless death.
As for the mutated Heavenly Demon that had been killed, its death was insignificant. Around Golden Light Ridge, constant battles and slaughter among evil cultivators and Demons were the norm. Even the great demons at the ridge’s peak couldn’t manage it all. The explanation provided by this powerful evil cultivator was "convincing" enough for them; why would they stir up more trouble?
After a brief, deathly silence, the group of evil cultivators resud their revelry. Those eating at continued to eat, those drinking wine continued to drink, and those chatting and laughing returned to their previous unrestrained rrint.
Shen Mo, this "top-tier expert among evil cultivators," was invited to take a seat of honor near the hosts—the three Smoke Demons in their transford states.
A stunning woman, a Class II Smoke Demon in disguise, cautiously approached and inquired about his preferred delicacies.
Shen Mo naturally wouldn’t eat human hearts and flesh, or drink spiritual wine brewed from human blood. He simply requested so "light" fare, such as Spirit Fruits and spiritual tea.
Monts after he took his seat, the middle-aged man—a peak Class III Smoke Demon in disguise—spoke with a smile, "Although there was a minor disturbance earlier, it doesn’t affect the grand sche of things. Fellow daoists, please continue with your unfinished transactions."
"Oh, there’s one more thing..."
"This new friend, why not introduce yourself to everyone? And while you’re at it, tell us what items you’re looking to trade here, and what you have to offer in exchange?"
The Smoke Demon spoke in the common tongue of humans in this world. Of course, to accommodate the other Outer Zone Demons, his voice still carried a wisp of Divine Sense to facilitate communication.
Perhaps due to their racial traits and cultivation thods, the Smoke Demon clan seed to possess a profound understanding of the languages, cultures, and customs of all races. After all, this clan of Demons preys on the emotions and desires of various creatures; it’s understandable they would absorb such knowledge and abilities from their sustenance.
Hearing this, Shen Mo put down his tea cup and said indifferently, "I am known as the Blood Demon Patriarch, a rogue cultivator from the Qing State region. As you’ve all seen, I specialize in soul-refining and Imperial Soul techniques."
"I ca to Golden Light Ridge this ti to gather all kinds of resources to boost my strength!"
"The items I am seeking include: Rosy Cloud Grass, Gold Tear Bamboo Juice, Chaotic Yuan Fruit, Fire Lotus Seed; the corpses and souls of various Class IV and above powerhouses; Red Heaven Gold; Colorless Jade; White Feathered Earth Spirit; True Dragon’s Inverse Scale Blood; Clear Spirit Qi; various kinds of Qi from Primal Spirits; and true flas with a quality surpassing that of various Spiritual Fires..."
What Shen Mo most urgently needed were the Chaotic Yuan Fruit, Clear Spirit Qi, and other Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures that could help him improve the quality of his Core Formation.
However, out of caution, he mixed these crucial items among a long list of other spiritual dicines and spiritual materials to prevent these Demons from discerning his true intentions. The high-class resources he requested were all genuinely useful to him, and the list even included the various spiritual dicines needed to concoct a Grade V Chaotic Yuan Pill.
"As for the resources I can offer, you can check them yourselves. I won’t list them one by one!"
With that, Shen Mo took out a blank jade slip, recording on it both the items he sought and those he could offer in trade.
Most of the items he could offer in trade to evil cultivators and Outer Zone Demons were "resources" he had plundered from other demons and monsters he had slain. These included demonic artifacts, Flesh and Blood Elixirs, spiritual wine, and even Soul Generals refined by evil cultivators, such as minor Heavenly Demon Soul Generals and mutated Demon Soul Generals, all captured within his powerful soul flag.
Furthermore, Heavenly Demon Li Zhong, who had died at his hands, had been Demon-corrupted for so long that his Soul Body and physical shell had fused into a chaotic whole. Consequently, when he was refined into a Demon Soul General, no physical remains were left. Only its magic artifacts and spiritual items, including the resources it had prepared to exchange for living creatures’ blood and flesh, fell into Shen Mo’s hands.
Except for items heavily imprinted with Li Zhong’s original aura, which he planned to use for a cenotaph upon returning to the subsidiary courtyard at Chong’a Mountain, the rest could be traded.
This alone, however, was not enough to truly entice the Demons present.
Therefore, Shen Mo added another bargaining chip: if any Evil Demon could provide him with the spiritual items he needed, he would, in turn, help them concoct an Elixir capable of significantly boosting their cultivation level.
After communicating with Flower Fairy Ami, Shen Mo discovered that the Dao of external aids—such as Elixirs, talismans, artifacts, and arrays—was universal, applicable even to races from the Outer Zones. However, due to differences in race, cultivation thods, and world of origin, the specific forms these external aids took and the proficiency in their application varied trendously. Essentially, however, the underlying principles were not vastly different.
Shen Mo was unaware that this similarity stemd from the fact that the myriad ’world-leaves’ had once grown upon the sa Cosmic Tree.
The shape, patterns, and size of these ’leaves’ might differ, but their fundantal composition, basic venation, thods of nutrient absorption, and cycles of growth and decay were all the sa!
This could be partly glimpsed from the list of spiritual plants Flower Fairy Ami had given him. Many exotic flowers and strange herbs from the Outer Zones, despite their vastly different appearances, shared characteristics remarkably similar to spiritual dicine found in the Red Fla Zone. To a certain extent, they could even be used as substitutes when concocting Elixirs.
Moreover, because humans originated as mortals and relied on various external aids, this world’s cultivators excelled in the thods of employing such items, like Elixirs, talismans, artifacts, and arrays. Only so Outer Zone creatures with specific racial talents could surpass the proficiency of Human Cultivators in these areas.
For instance, Flower Fairies like Ami did not need to specifically concoct Elixirs. By consuming the leaves, flowers, nectar, and dew of various spiritual plants in specific proportions, they could induce incredibly magical changes within their bodies, achieving effects no less potent than ingesting refined Elixirs.
Similarly, Outer Zone creatures like the Fla Worms were innately proficient in crafting various puppet armors and profound artifacts. Much like mortal soldiers equipping themselves with armor and weapons, they could significantly enhance their combat power.
This was why Foreign Realm Demons, after Demon-corrupting Human Cultivators, would continue to use their talismans, magic treasures, and robe armor.
A considerable number of Outer Zone creatures were quite unskilled at using external aids to enhance themselves. To put it another way, their general proficiency in aspects related to Elixirs, talismans, artifacts, and arrays lagged far behind that of Human Cultivators.
In conclusion, Shen Mo’s offer to help concoct Elixirs held imnse appeal for many Outer Zone Demons and evil cultivators.
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