Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

Chapter 1128 Raising an Army

"Where are the scouts of the Wood Cicada Clan?"

The Heavenly Pillar Demon Saint looked down at his trusted demon king, who was bowing respectfully below, and suddenly his eyes flashed with two beams of light. He spoke each word clearly and coldly, his voice echoing in the hall like muffled thunder.

The Demon King below trembled, knowing that this was the Demon Saint of Heavenly Pillar's extreme anger, and hurriedly replied, "The scout is waiting outside the hall, I will lure him here right away."

He hurriedly bowed, quickly left the hall, and then rode away in a flash of light.

The imposing figure of the Heavenly Pillar Demon Saint sat on a specially crafted, wide jade chair, as majestic as a mountain.

He slowly lowered his head, looking at the small, crystal-clear jade insect in his hand, his eyes filled with a murderous intent that seemed almost tangible, about to burst forth.

Not long after, the demon king landed in front of the palace with a demon general dressed in green.

To save time, he directly enveloped the demon general with his escape light, causing the man to be somewhat disheveled.

The two quickly entered the hall. The Demon King bowed deeply and said respectfully, "Reporting to the Demon Saint, this person is Mu Feng, the demon general and scout of Luo Du Holy City. This shadow insect was presented by him."

Upon hearing this, Mu Feng hurriedly followed suit, bowing deeply as if he wanted to prostrate himself on the ground: "Mu Feng greets the Demon Saint!"

The main hall was filled with the oppressive aura of a fully-formed demon saint. Although it wasn't directed at him, he still trembled all over, as if a huge mountain was hanging over his head, threatening to crush him to pieces at any moment. A deep fear rose from the bottom of his heart.

Mu Feng suddenly regretted it. He shouldn't have been so greedy for the reward in the bounty order and rushed back to pay his respects to the Heavenly Pillar Demon Saint.

He had only seen the Demon Saint twice from afar in the past. If he had known that facing the Demon Saint would involve such pressure, he would never have taken the risk, no matter how many treasures he had.

"Where is Beiming now?" the Heavenly Pillar Demon Saint asked sternly.

Mu Feng's face paled, and he felt the pressure on his body increase, making him hunch over even more. He regretted his actions and said in a trembling voice, "Reporting... Reporting to the Demon Saint, this person should currently be in a dark place some distance away from Luo Du Holy City, between three million and three million two hundred thousand miles southwest."

"Should?" The Heavenly Pillar Demon Saint's voice suddenly turned cold.

Mu Feng felt as if his heart had frozen solid, and he could barely breathe. He could no longer hold on, so he knelt on one knee, supporting himself with one hand on the ground, and managed to speak with difficulty: "I... I discovered this person's whereabouts three months ago, and immediately rushed back to the Holy City. I truly do not know this person's exact location now. I beg the Demon Saint's forgiveness..."

Seeing that he was almost speechless, the Heavenly Pillar Demon Saint's anger subsided slightly, he withdrew his oppressive aura, and regained his composure.

As a dignified demon saint, he would certainly not deliberately make things difficult for a mere demon general.

But his hatred for Bei Ming ran too deep. Now that he finally learned of Bei Ming's whereabouts, he could no longer restrain himself and his anger erupted like a volcano.

"How did you discover Beiming's whereabouts? Explain in detail, without omitting a single detail," the Heavenly Pillar Demon Saint said, leaving no room for doubt.

Mu Feng felt the pressure on him and the demon soul suddenly disappear. He breathed a long sigh of relief and almost collapsed to the ground. He quickly supported himself with his hands and stood up so as not to be impolite in front of the demon saint.

He forced down his fear and replied respectfully, "Reporting to the Demon Saint, three years ago I was ordered to leave the Holy City and travel hundreds of miles to the southwest to search several dark places and investigate the movements of the Spirit Realm cultivators' army, but I have not found anything."

"Until three months ago, when I was patrolling the dark place as usual, I suddenly discovered a human scout at the Core Formation stage. Following the clues, I found a large army of cultivators."

"This army of cultivators numbered in the tens of thousands. They entered the dark place and set up an array at the edge, emitting a hazy spiritual light. It is unknown what their intentions are."

"And in this army of cultivators, I found traces of this person. He was surrounded by many cultivators, like stars surrounding the moon, so his status seemed to be quite high."

"I was alone and dared not linger. After recording the image of this person with the Shadow Insect, I returned to inform the Demon King I was under my command of the information about the enemy I had encountered. I also came to pay my respects to the Demon Saint and told him about the person's whereabouts. I dared not be negligent in the slightest, for fear of delaying the Demon Saint's important matter."

Upon hearing this, the Heavenly Pillar Demon Saint knew that Bei Ming had gone out with the army of cultivators to search for spatial fragments. He was so angry that he laughed: "Very well! What I have been thinking about day and night is how to cut this little thief into a thousand pieces and extract his soul. I was just worried about not being able to find his whereabouts."

"I never expected him to dare enter Turtle Island so openly and without any attempt to conceal his presence. He's truly courting death! What is his cultivation level now?"

Mu Feng sensed the deep-seated hatred in Tianzhu Demon Saint's words and felt a chill in his heart. He quickly replied, "Demon Saint, please forgive me. That army of cultivators was on high alert. After entering the dark place, they sent out hundreds of scouts to search in all directions, and there were also thousands of cultivators patrolling around the great formation at all times."

"I dare not approach, and can only observe from afar with my spiritual eyes. This person has not revealed his aura, so I really do not know his cultivation level."

The Heavenly Pillar Demon Saint frowned and asked again, "How many cultivators in that army of cultivators have reached the Nascent Soul stage?"

Human cultivators are numerous, and when sending out large armies on expeditions, cultivators at the Integration stage are always at the forefront. That is why the Heavenly Pillar Demon Saint asked this question.

Mu Feng replied respectfully, "That army of cultivators has two Nascent Soul cultivators. I have memorized their appearances in the Shadow Insects. Please take a look, Demon Saint."

Having said that, he took out a wooden box from his mustard seed ring. Inside, two crystal-clear jade insects were placed. Mu Feng bowed slightly and presented the wooden box with both hands.

The Heavenly Pillar Demon Saint raised his hand and caught the jade insect in his palm. He probed it with his divine sense, then withdrew it after a moment. Staring at Mu Feng, he asked, "How did you know that these two were Nascent Soul cultivators?"

Mu Feng replied, "These two are alone at a high place, without concealing their aura. Their combined power is exceptionally strong, and the aftershocks can be felt even a hundred miles away. Their cultivation level is obvious at a glance, and there is no mistake about it."

The Heavenly Pillar Demon Saint frowned, no longer as furious as before, and asked thoughtfully, "What is the specific situation of that army of cultivators?"

"Reporting to the Demon Saint, there are two other alien races in that army of cultivators. One resembles a mantis, with a greenish-blue body; the other resembles a human, but its body is covered with dragon scales, and its aura is somewhat similar to that of the Flood Dragon Saint Clan in our Burning Demon Realm..."

Mu Feng told everything he had seen, without daring to hide anything.

At this moment, he no longer dared to covet the treasure; he only hoped not to anger the capricious Heavenly Pillar Demon Saint before him and to save his own life.

The Heavenly Pillar Demon Saint comes from the Boundless Sea, while the Great Saint Luo Du comes from the Burning Wind Continent. The demons in the Luo Du Holy City and the Heavenly Pillar Demon Saint are not of the same origin. According to the rules set by the Great Saints, the Heavenly Pillar Demon Saint cannot arbitrarily dispose of Mu Feng.

But rules are rigid, while demons are flexible.

If Mu Feng, a mere demon general, were to be killed casually by the Heavenly Pillar Demon Saint, the cruel and ungrateful demon king above him would never seek justice for him.

The Heavenly Pillar Demon Saint asked a few more questions, and after Mu Feng ran out of answers, he instructed the Demon King beside him: "Take this person away, settle him properly, and then come back to report."

The Demon King immediately agreed. Mu Feng, trembling with fear, forced himself to speak: "Reporting to the Demon Saint, I am on the duty of a scout and have received orders to continue investigating the movements of this army of cultivators..."

The Heavenly Pillar Demon Saint said, "You are the only one who has seen this army of cultivators. I will soon be heading there to conquer them, and I will need you to lead the way."

"As for your responsibilities, I will negotiate with Luo Du Holy City myself. You don't need to worry. Just rest and recuperate. I will provide all the pills you need."

"If what you say is true, and Bei Ming is indeed in this army of cultivators, I, the Holy One, will reward you handsomely and will certainly help you advance to the rank of Demon General." Mu Feng was half happy and half worried. He bowed and accepted the order, then followed the Demon King out of the hall.

The Heavenly Pillar Demon Saint sat upright on a jade chair, with three shadow insects hovering in front of him, lost in thought.

About half an hour later, the demon king returned to the palace and bowed deeply: "What else does the Demon Saint command?"

Tianzhu Demon Saint said, "Send someone to invite the three Demon Saints, Hanying, Xuechi, and Yanyun, and tell them that there is progress in finding Beiming's whereabouts. I invite them to come and discuss this matter!"

……

Two hours later, in a beautiful garden, the three demon saints, Tianzhu, Xuechi, and Hanying, sat in an octagonal glazed pavilion.

The surrounding lake was a shimmering expanse of clear water, with lotus leaves swaying in the breeze, lotus blossoms like fire, and koi swimming about. The water was crystal clear, and the scenery was so beautiful that one wondered whether one was in a holy city of demons or a major human clan in the spirit world.

Although the demon race and the human race have a blood feud and are constantly at war, they have to admit that the human race is civilized and the demon race is vulgar.

Most demon kings and demon saints with high cultivation levels admire human customs and live in caves and dwellings just like humans.

However, since most demons are tall and robust after transforming, their scale and layout are much larger, adding a touch of grandeur and ruggedness to their beauty, which subtly aligns with the principle of yin and yang, giving them a unique flavor.

But at this moment, the picturesque scene was ruined by the pervasive atmosphere of desolation.

The ripples on the lake disappeared, and the surface of the water became like a frozen mirror. Dozens of lotus flowers were severed at the root, tragically torn apart by invisible sharp blades. One after another, koi carp that had cultivated a faint demonic aura surfaced, only to be directly killed by the killing intent.

A crystal-clear jade-like shadow insect hovered above the stone table. The Cold Shadow Demon Saint and the Blood Tooth Demon Saint probed into it with their divine senses, and the image, which was only thirty breaths long, took them a long time to see before they withdrew their divine senses.

The two men were filled with anger, and the murderous aura in the air grew even stronger, darkening the sky and earth.

Suddenly, a fierce wind arose, and the mirror-like calm pond water was stirred into raging waves that crashed against the pavilion pillars. The red flowers and green leaves in the pond danced and fluttered, turning into a tragic storm that enveloped the octagonal glazed pavilion.

The Heavenly Pillar Demon Saint said, "Hard work pays off. We spared no expense and offered a large reward, and finally found the trace of Bei Ming. This time, we must capture him alive and extract his soul to refine his spirit!"

Bloodtooth Demon Saint coldly said, "That's right! If it weren't for this person, the True Dragon Cave would have been ours long ago. This Bei Ming infiltrated the Bloodtooth Domain, and my demon king was deceived by him, causing me to lose face. The two enemies are now united, and we must avenge him."

The thought of all the treasures he had to bring out to persuade the Dark Demon Guards under the Dragon Fall Demon Saint to help filled him with a burning resentment.

Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. The Bloodtooth Demon Saint has experienced countless failures and humiliations over the past tens of thousands of years since he cultivated to the Demon Saint realm.

But since advancing to the Demon Saint realm, this was the first time he had suffered such a great loss at the hands of a Nascent Soul cultivator. Only by killing Bei Ming could he vent his hatred.

The Cold Shadow Demon Saint's face was as cold as frost, and snowflakes seemed to fall in his azure eyes: "This person destroyed a wisp of my soul and killed Ao Pan, who was under my command. My hatred for him is no less than that for the two of you."

"But Bei Ming destroyed my and Fellow Daoist Tianzhu's divided souls. Knowing that he had offended us, he still dared to enter Tyrant Turtle Island without concealing his appearance. Isn't he courting death? Could there be something fishy about this?"

Bloodtooth Demon Saint shook his head: "Fellow Daoist Hanying is overthinking it. The reason we came to Luo Du Holy City is because the spatial rift is about to appear. How could Bei Ming, who is only a Nascent Soul cultivator, know such a secret?"

"Moreover, he may not know that even though the two fellow Daoists' souls are separated into two realms, they can still transmit images back and record his appearance."

Tianzhu Demon Saint also said, "Blood Tooth Fellow Daoist is absolutely right. Bei Ming may still think that we are being kept in the dark, unaware of his identity as a human cultivator, and unaware that he destroyed the two fellow Daoists' divided souls, which is why he is acting so ostentatiously."

"Let the three of us join forces and lead our demon beast army to conquer that cultivator army, capture this man, and see how he reacts!"

He sneered, his face full of murderous intent, his deep voice brimming with killing intent.

After pondering for a moment, the Cold Shadow Demon Saint nodded slightly: "What you two fellow Daoists say makes sense. I was overthinking it."

“If Bei Ming knew that we were aware of his actions, he would not dare to follow the cultivator army out of the city to search for spatial fragments, or even set foot on Tyrant Turtle Island.”

“He has only been in the Spirit Realm for a little over three hundred years. Even if his cultivation has improved, it is impossible for him to advance to the Integration stage and be unafraid of us.”

The Heavenly Pillar Demon Saint smiled contemptuously: "At most, he has only advanced to the Refinement of Void Realm, or even is still stuck at the Nascent Soul Realm."

"We have asked Fellow Daoist Hanying to intervene and request that Demon Saint Longluo send his Dark Demon Guards into the Spirit Realm to kill this person."

"Those few Dark Demon Guards have been lurking in Donghua City for nearly two hundred years, spending countless treasures and searching everywhere, but they have not found out any news about this person. It can be seen that he is unknown in the Tai Xuan Sect and has no achievements."

Han Ying Yao Sheng's eyes flashed, and he said softly, "But this person has ultimately destroyed our two divided souls, so we cannot take him lightly. We must not let him escape."

Tianzhu Demon Saint nodded emphatically: "That's for sure. Bei Ming seems to have a set of Heavenly Demon Armor, and that Fangtian Halberd is also suspected to be a Heavenly Treasure. We can't let it go."

"He might even have gotten the moon first because of his proximity to the source, and he might have obtained a few of the dragon's treasures. We should interrogate him thoroughly."

Bloodtooth Demon Saint added, "This person possesses the bloodline of the Kun fish, which I personally witnessed under my command, Lei Shan. Yet he can also unleash the divine power of thunder and transform into a giant fire ape, suggesting that he may possess several bloodlines simultaneously. We must investigate this carefully."

The Heavenly Pillar Demon Saint narrowed his eyes: "Indeed, there are many strange things about Bei Ming. If we can capture him alive, it may make up for our losses in the True Dragon Cave."

Bloodtooth Demon Saint sighed, "It's a pity that Fellow Daoist Flame Cloud is not in the city, otherwise the four of us working together would have captured him easily."

Tianzhu Demon Saint said, "According to Mu Feng, that army of cultivators only has two Nascent Soul cultivators. The three of us working together are enough."

"However, Mu Feng encountered this army of cultivators three months ago. They certainly won't stay where they are. We must set off as soon as possible."

"To prevent them from turning back and failing at the last minute, and from having to wait a long time for such a good opportunity again."

Bloodtooth Demon Saint's expression turned solemn: "I will immediately gather the army, and we shall set off in three days, shall we?"

The Cold Shadow Demon Saint also said, "Three days is enough time for me to make preparations."

As she spoke, she stood up.

The Heavenly Pillar Demon Saint suddenly stood up: "Good! We volunteer to lead our demon beast army in three days to crush this cultivator army, capture Bei Ming, and ideally, kill those two Nascent Soul cultivators!" (End of Chapter)