Not long after, Mo Fan emerged from the cave of the Bull Demon Da Li, his ears still echoing with the warning the demon had given him.
“Lai Bao, I can see you’re an honest demon, so let me warn you: don’t get too close to that dead dog. It’ll bring you trouble later.
Oh, by the way, your predecessor’s death was caused by that dog demon.”
“Predecessor?”
“That’s all I’ll tell you. Your predecessor was also a demon transformed from a venomous insect. I reckon Hei Zi Ding Mu took you in because of the venom in you.”
Mo Fan reached the cave entrance, gazing at the blazing sun in the sky, his brows slightly furrowed, feeling a touch of discomfort.
As an amphibious demon, he wasn’t suited to such scorching weather.
“Lai Fu, huh…” Mo Fan muttered, his gaze growing colder.
When Mo Fan returned to the cave by the spring pool, he found Lai Fu fast asleep. He stood at the entrance, staring at the dog demon for a long while before turning to leave.
Unbeknownst to Mo Fan, the moment he left, the supposedly sleeping dog demon’s eyes snapped open.
On days without tasks, the lesser demons of Black Wind Mountain had little to do, and Mo Fan was no exception. Unlike Lai Fu, who slept the day away, Mo Fan headed straight to the back gate and leapt into the spring pool.
The Bull Demon’s words had sparked a sense of crisis in Mo Fan, urging him to seize every moment to do something beneficial for himself.
Previously, he’d diligently used the golden coin in his mind to duplicate the milky-white stones, but since arriving at Black Wind Mountain, he’d held back, fearing discovery and the trouble it might bring.
Now, with a growing sense of urgency, Mo Fan refused to waste any more time.
Though he didn’t know what the milky-white stones were, the old hunter had said they were linked to immortals, so they were surely no ordinary objects. Duplicating more would only be advantageous.
As he entered the water, a cool, moist sensation washed over him, calming his mind. He dove deep into the spring pool.
The pool was incredibly deep, too much for Mo Fan to see the bottom. The deeper he went, the darker it became. He chose a spot on a stone wall about three zhang from the surface.
This depth was enough to block prying eyes from above while still allowing him to surface for air.
As an amphibian, Mo Fan could perform limited skin breathing underwater, but it paled in comparison to lung breathing on the surface, requiring him to periodically resurface.
After becoming a demon, his underwater breathing had improved, but he still needed to surface for air.
Mo Fan had once tested this: before transforming, he could stay underwater for about half an hour; after, he could manage for the time it takes to burn an incense stick, greatly enhancing his underwater endurance.
Sitting cross-legged on a protruding stone wall, Mo Fan took three milky-white stones from his inner space and held them in his mouth, waiting quietly.
Three stones were the most he could hold, as duplication would fill his mouth with six.
After a quarter of an hour, Mo Fan felt the golden coin in his mind emit a faint golden glow, and three more milky-white stones appeared in his mouth, stuffing it completely.
To save time, Mo Fan spat out three stones, piling them beside him, and began a second round of duplication.
At a rate of three stones per quarter hour, within half an incense stick’s time, Mo Fan had amassed twelve milky-white stones.
The twelve stones, stacked together, emitted a faint white glow, shimmering like treasures.
Just as Mo Fan prepared to duplicate again, a fish caught his attention.
It was a silver fish, about a foot long, resembling a loach, far larger than any fish he’d seen in the pool.
More crucially, this silver loach was nibbling at the milky-white stones piled beside him, rapidly stripping the surface of one stone.
“Damn thing, daring to steal your Grandpa Mo’s stuff? You’re tired of living!” Mo Fan fumed, storing the three stones in his mouth back into his inner space. His mouth opened, and his tongue shot out like an arrow.
*Swish!*
In an instant, the silver fish was ensnared by Mo Fan’s tongue and dragged into his mouth.
“You dare eat my stuff? Then I’ll eat you!” Mo Fan thought coldly, sprouting sharp fangs and tearing into the silver fish, devouring it alive.
As the fish’s flesh entered his stomach, Mo Fan felt a surge of heat, as if an energy had burst forth, reminiscent of the Heavenly Spirit Fruit’s potency.
Or rather, spiritual energy!
This discovery thrilled Mo Fan. He hadn’t expected the tiny silver fish to have such an effect.
A rough sense told him the spiritual energy in the fish was modest, equivalent to a jug of Bone-Forging Wine.
Even so, Mo Fan was elated, as this suggested he’d found a path to rapid demon transformation!
After the excitement, Mo Fan calmed down. He picked up the nibbled milky-white stone, examining it closely, wondering, “Is the spiritual energy from the stone or the fish?”
Uncertain, Mo Fan was willing to experiment further.
Clearly, the silver loach had been drawn to the stones.
So, Mo Fan placed more stones beside him, narrowed his eyes, and pretended to cultivate.
After waiting about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, a second silver loach emerged from the dark depths of the pool.
As if intelligent, the fish didn’t approach immediately, instead observing Mo Fan for a while before cautiously edging closer.
Seeing no reaction from Mo Fan, it boldly swam to the stones, ready to feed.
At that moment, Mo Fan’s tongue shot out, instantly pulling the silver loach into his mouth.
He quickly devoured it, feeling another trace of spiritual energy, though weaker than before.
Undeterred, Mo Fan continued his “wait by the stump” strategy. Over time, a third and fourth silver loach fell into his mouth.
After four experiments, Mo Fan reached a conclusion.
The silver loaches themselves contained some spiritual energy, comparable to Bone-Forging Wine, though in small amounts.
But after eating the milky-white stones, their spiritual energy became much richer, surpassing Bone-Forging Wine, indirectly proving these stones were imbued with spiritual energy!
“Could these be the so-called spirit stones?” Mo Fan mused, having long suspected as much but hesitant to confirm. Even now, the realisation felt surreal.
Mythical items from folklore appearing before him?
Yet, considering he’d been reborn as a toad, Mo Fan’s doubts vanished.
Certain these were spirit stones, his interest in the book’s contents grew.
Spirit stones were valuable, but he needed a way to absorb their energy, or they were just ordinary rocks to him.
For now, Mo Fan could focus on the silver loaches in the pool.
