The old man’s words made Mo Fan frown. Although the old man appeared to be an ordinary mortal, Mo Fan remained wary.
After all, this was the Black Water River, deep in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, far from the human race’s southern border. With demons abundant, how could a mortal suddenly appear?
Especially an old man who seemed so frail and powerless.
Mo Fan didn’t respond, instead focusing on the iron pot.
Indeed, fish soup was simmering inside, and the tantalising aroma was coming from it. Yet, no matter how Mo Fan probed, he couldn’t detect anything wrong with the soup.
“Young man, what’s the matter?” the old man asked, noticing Mo Fan’s silence.
“Sir, what kind of fish soup is this? Is there anything special about it?” Mo Fan asked calmly.
“Fish soup is just fish soup. There’s nothing special about it. It’s just finished cooking. Would you like a bowl, young man?” The old man shook his head with a smile, then reached out, conjuring an earthen bowl from nowhere. He scooped a full bowl of fish soup and looked at Mo Fan.
Seeing the old man’s almost magical sleight of hand, Mo Fan’s scalp tingled.
This was no mortal; this was a powerful being of unknown cultivation!
It was unclear whether he was human or demon.
“Sir, can I not drink it?” Mo Fan asked after a moment, his voice slightly stiff.
“Of course, but this soup is one of a kind in this world. If you pass it up, you won’t have such luck again. Besides, the girl you’re carrying could use a bowl of this soup right now.” The old man smiled, waving his hand. The earthen bowl filled with fish soup floated to Mo Fan.
“Drink without worry! It’s not poisoned. To deal with a minor demon general like you, I wouldn’t need to resort to poison, would I?” The old man’s words made Mo Fan give a wry smile. He thought, “Didn’t you just say I could choose not to drink? Now you’re insisting I do. I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place. Can I really refuse?”
Feeling frustrated, Mo Fan understood the old man was likely at least a Demon King. Not daring to act rashly, he took a deep breath, grabbed the bowl, and drank it in one gulp.
The moment the fish soup touched his tongue, Mo Fan activated his Heaven-Swallowing Divine Ability.
Though the old man’s words seemed reasonable and he appeared to have no need for trickery, Mo Fan remained uneasy. He planned to store the soup in his internal space using the divine ability, so even if there was something wrong with it, it wouldn’t affect him.
But soon, Mo Fan’s eyes widened in shock.
His divine ability had failed!
“No, it’s not that it failed; I can’t activate it at all!” Mo Fan’s pupils shrank, his heart reeling with shock as he looked at the smiling old man across from him.
Could this old man have tampered with it?
Mo Fan’s expression darkened, his heart racing with alarm. Instinctively, he tried to use his Charm Divine Ability, but despite straining his eyes until they ached, the ability wouldn’t activate.
“It’s over. This old man must have done something,” Mo Fan thought bitterly. But seeing the old man showed no intent to attack, he forced a wry smile and drank the fish soup in the bowl.
As soon as the soup hit his tongue, Mo Fan’s taste buds came alive.
It was the most delicious thing he had ever tasted.
Though it was just simple fish soup, it was bursting with umami, as if a thousand flavours exploded the moment it hit his tongue, reminding him of all the delicious foods from his past life.
Then, a warm current surged through his body, spreading to every cell in an instant.
A tingling sensation came from his chest. Looking down, Mo Fan saw his previously pierced chest healing at a visible rate, scabbing over and then flaking off, leaving no trace of a scar.
“This…” Mo Fan was stunned, about to speak, when a roar erupted within him. A massive wave of demonic energy surged back from his limbs, converging into the demonic liquid pool within him.
Rumble!
The demonic liquid pool churned, as if countless black waves were crashing, transforming the once small spring into a vast lake in an instant.
Boom!
The moment the demonic liquid lake formed, Mo Fan’s body shook, and a powerful aura burst forth.
Mid-stage Demon General!
Mo Fan never imagined that a single bowl of fish soup would heal his injuries and push him to break through a minor realm. It was utterly unbelievable!
This fish soup was incredibly potent!
After a long moment, Mo Fan came to his senses and quickly bowed to the old man. “I, Mo Fan, thank you for your generous gift, Senior!”
“No need to thank me. Your achievement comes from your own deep foundation. The bowl of soup merely unlocked your body’s potential, acting as a catalyst to burn the sealed energy within you,” the old man said calmly, waving his hand. Another earthen bowl appeared, filled with fish soup, and floated to Mo Fan.
“Give the girl a bowl too. It’ll warm her stomach.”
“Thank you, Senior!” Mo Fan thanked him again, knowing the soup’s value was extraordinary. He quickly withdrew the demonic energy sealing He Feifei’s body.
Without the suppression, the restless demonic energy in He Feifei’s body surged.
Almost instantly, He Feifei opened her eyes, waking from her coma.
But upon waking, she felt dizzy and weak, as if recovering from a severe illness.
“Laibao, I… what’s wrong with me?” He Feifei shook her head, asking in confusion.
“It’s fine. You’re just a bit oxygen-deprived,” Mo Fan said with an awkward smile, handing her the fish soup. “Drink this, and you’ll be fine.”
Trusting him, He Feifei drank it in one go.
After drinking, her eyes widened. The demonic energy in her body grew wild, pushing her to the peak of the Demon Soldier realm in an instant.
But it didn’t stop there. Mo Fan saw a nine-coloured halo appear around He Feifei, and her aura reached the Demon General realm!
After breaking through, the wild demonic energy in her body calmed down.
“I… I broke through to Demon General?” He Feifei looked stunned, hardly believing such an incredible thing could happen.
“Congratulations, He Feifei, on reaching the Demon General realm!” Mo Fan said with a smile, then looked back at the old man, his gaze lingering on the iron pot for a moment.
“No need to keep looking. This stuff works once. Drinking more won’t do much,” the old man said with a smile, seeing through Mo Fan’s thoughts but not calling him out. He continued calmly, “An old friend told me I’d find the answers I seek here. I’ve waited a long time, and now you’ve arrived. You must be the ones who can give me those answers.”
“So that bowl of soup was your payment. Now, I need you to tell me the answers. If you can’t provide what I want, I’m sorry, but you’ll both die here, a pair of fugitive lovebirds.”
