Chapter 68: Subsequent Cultivation and Slapping Away the Rattlesnake

Hosting a banquet for the two subordinate demon corporals served a distinct purpose for Mo Fan.

First, it was a move to win them over and thereby intimidate One-Eye. Letting the other party witness his capabilities would make them think twice before making any rash moves.

Second, he wanted to inquire about the methods for subsequent cultivation.

Ever since Mo Fan broke through to the demon corporal realm, he had discovered that the path of cultivation at this stage differed significantly from that of minor demons. While minor demons relied heavily on spiritual energy, demon corporals depended much more on demonic qi.

However, this was merely his personal deduction. To understand the true path of cultivation, he needed to learn from these two fellows.

After a few cups of monkey wine, both demons had flushed cheeks.

It was actually quite difficult for demons to reach a state of tipsiness because their demonic qi was sufficient to neutralize any alcohol potency.

Yet, to enjoy the drinking to the fullest, neither demon had used their demonic qi to dispel the alcohol this time, naturally leaving them somewhat dizzy.

Following Mo Fan’s deliberate and tactful questioning, the answers he sought gradually unraveled through the two demons.

The reality matched his expectations closely: minor demons cultivated by accumulating spiritual energy, using it to impact their physical bodies and evolve a spiritual form—a process known as demonic transformation.

Cultivation in the demon corporal realm, however, required not only spiritual energy but even more so, demonic qi. The volume of demonic qi directly determined the pace of a demon corporal's advancement.

Furthermore, the demon corporal realm was finely divided into four minor stages: early, middle, late, and peak.

When cultivation reached the peak of the demon corporal stage and the accumulation of demonic qi achieved a certain concentration, the demonic qi vortex would transform into a demonic qi sea—a phenomenon known as the liquefaction of demonic qi. At this juncture, the demonic qi could be termed demonic power, marking the breakthrough to the demon general realm!

Once a demon advanced to the demon general realm, they primarily relied on demonic power—or rather, the size of their demonic qi sea. When their cultivation reached the peak of the demon general stage, a demonic pill would gestate within the demonic qi sea. Once the demonic pill was formed, they would step into the realm of the demon king!

This banquet proved immensely rewarding for Mo Fan, at least providing him with clarity on how to navigate his future path.

Yet, what struck him with emotion was that with every elevation in cultivation, the journey would only grow increasingly arduous.

Back in the minor demon realm, continuous breakthroughs were possible as long as there was sufficient spiritual energy.

Upon reaching the demon corporal realm, however, things were no longer so convenient; it demanded both spiritual energy and vast, formidable demonic qi.

For demons, spiritual energy was mostly accumulated and enhanced by relying on the spiritual treasures of heaven and earth. Although such treasures were rare, they were not entirely out of reach. For instance, Mo Fan had already figured out how to lure and breed dragon loaches in his spring pool, and he still possessed plenty of monkey wine in his possession, ensuring he lacked no spiritual energy.

Demonic qi, however, was a different story. With only a single night each month available for refinement, this limitation would drastically slow down his cultivation progress.

"No wonder this Black Wind Mountain has stood for who knows how many years, yet produced only four demon generals... Advancing like this is truly unimaginably difficult..."

Mo Fan sighed inwardly, feeling the profound hardships of a demon's existence.

With so many demons on Black Wind Mountain, having merely four demon generals over all these years—and not even an overwhelming number of demon corporals—was clearly disproportionate. So, where had all the other demon corporals gone?

The answer was actually self-evident.

Either they perished in the bloody clashes during the trials among the three mountains, or their lifespans expired before they could break through to the demon general realm, leaving them to die of old age...

The answer was cruel, yet utterly realistic.

What surprised Mo Fan even more, however, was something Lu Tantan blurted out under the influence of alcohol, making his scalp tingle. "Actually, dying of old age is not so bad. At least it allows the rest of us to have a hearty meal, which can be considered contributing our bit to Black Wind Mountain!"

He Feifei had departed Mo Fan’s dwelling quite early, but Lu Tantan had proceeded to fall into a deep, heavy sleep right there inside the cave, resembling a dead pig as he spent the entire night in Mo Fan's domain.

Consequently, early the next morning, the minor demons under his command ran all the way to the exterior of Mo Fan's dwelling to pay their respects.

In the end, Lu Tantan had to be carried away by two little deer demons. Before leaving, he deliberately offered an apology to Mo Fan, seemingly feeling that having such a corporal lord was deeply humiliating.

Mo Fan merely chuckled in response. He then retrieved a promissory note from his sleeve, tossed it to the two little deer demons, and said with a beaming smile, "Take this back together with him. Give it to your lord when he wakes up, and tell him he lost it to me playing dice last night."

The two little deer demons were startled upon hearing this. Looking closer, they saw that the so-called promissory note was illustrated with fifty bright red stones—though what they were remained a mystery—and at the bottom was indeed their master's vivid red thumbprint.

Ignorant of whether it was genuine or not, the two little deer demons dared not ask further questions and quickly hurried away.

The corners of Mo Fan’s mouth curled up slightly. Naturally, this wasn't real; he merely intended to use this leverage to secure a favor from Lu Tantan when needed.

In truth, the authenticity of the IOU mattered very little. What mattered was Lu Tantan's pride. As a greedy demon, he undoubtedly cherished his reputation; once his name was ruined, no one would likely be willing to offer him wealth ever again.

And this was precisely the effect Mo Fan desired.

Evening arrived swiftly, and Dali along with the other minor demons had been waiting outside his dwelling for quite some time.

As Mo Fan stepped out of the cave, he once again laid eyes on Red-Eye. Having passed out from terror the previous day, the fellow was now as lively as a dragon and a tiger, bringing a chuckle to Mo Fan's heart.

This time, Mo Fan had no desire to experience the sensation of being tossed about in the wind, so he opted for a different mount, settling onto Dali’s broad, sturdy back.

Though the ascent up the mountain was much slower, it made up for it with supreme comfort.

When Mo Fan and his group had traveled halfway, they crossed paths with a host of demons harboring ill intentions, led by none other than One-Eye!

A throng of minor demons trailed behind One-Eye—all subordinates from his faction—among whom were a few familiar faces Mo Fan recognized.

"Hey! Quick-Witted Rabbit, look over here, Grandpa is right here!"

As One-Eye's faction drew near, a snake demon hailed Red-Eye from behind Mo Fan, his face plastered with a mocking sneer.

"Damn vermin, just you make sure you never fall into my hands!"

Upon seeing the snake demon, Red-Eye's eyes instantly turned an even deeper shade of crimson.

This snake demon was none other than Rattler, who had cheated him in the dice game previously. If not for this snake demon, Red-Eye would never have suffered the punishment of being flayed, naturally driving him to harbor a bone-deep hatred.

"Quick-Witted Rabbit, with just your meager skills you dare fight me? Don't dream. If I ever get the chance, I'll definitely have a hearty feast of rabbit meat!"

Rattler let out a sinister chuckle, showing not a shred of fear toward Red-Eye's threat. Simultaneously, he turned his gaze to Mo Fan, studying him with a puzzled expression for a long moment before exclaiming in feigned surprise, "Oh! Isn't that the toad?"

"It really is..."

"Slap!"

Before Rattler could finish his sentence, Mo Fan struck him fiercely across the face with a lash of demonic qi, sending his entire body hurtling sideways through the air for several yards.

"Damn you, how dare you...!"

Rattler was burning with rage, only for Mo Fan to interrupt him with a calm, indifferent voice.

"As a minor demon, you understand neither your own station nor proper etiquette. You truly deserved that beating!"

"Would you say I'm right about that...?"

"Corporal One-Eye!"