The arrival of the Calamity Bat made Mo Fan aware of Black Nether Mountain’s surveillance. Though he outwardly acted indifferent, he was secretly on guard, assigning Chirp full responsibility for patrolling the mountain.
If anything happened, there was no need for direct confrontation—just report to him immediately.
This way, unnecessary losses of forces could be avoided.
However, to Mo Fan’s surprise, several days passed without any demons from Black Nether Mountain attacking.
After careful consideration, Mo Fan gradually understood why.
In the battle of Demon Spirit Valley, all three mountains suffered heavy losses. Even if Black Nether Mountain hadn’t been razed like Black Wind Mountain, their situation likely wasn’t much better.
From the Calamity Bat, he learned that the Blood Bat King was in seclusion, leaving only Green Bat, a single Demon General, in charge of Black Nether Mountain. Naturally, Green Bat wouldn’t dare leave easily.
Understanding this, Mo Fan didn’t dwell on it too much. If they came, he’d deal with them accordingly. With his current strength, he had no reason to fear Green Bat.
As for the Blood Bat King, he was indeed a significant threat. But after the Demon Spirit Valley battle, he was likely heavily injured and wouldn’t be a concern in the short term.
“Black Wind Mountain is severely short of demon soldiers. Relying solely on the Fierce Pig Camp’s Zhu brothers to find beasts suitable for demon transformation is unreliable and too inefficient…”
In the Spring Pool Cave Mansion, Mo Fan furrowed his brow, pondering Black Wind Mountain’s future development plans.
In essence, to grow and strengthen Black Wind Mountain, one issue was unavoidable: demons!
It was akin to human sects needing to search for children with spiritual roots to recruit and train as disciples.
The same principle applied to demon mountains. Lesser demons were the foundation of a demon clan’s growth.
“Should I go to the Broken Temple Market to buy some demons and forcibly subdue them?”
Mo Fan considered a quick solution to the demon soldier shortage but soon shook his head, dismissing the idea.
After all, the demons in the Broken Temple Market were mostly man-eating fiends. Mo Fan didn’t care whether they had eaten humans, but he was concerned about whether these wild, unruly demons could be disciplined.
Though he could control them with venom, it wasn’t a long-term solution. With too many demons, there was a risk of backlash if things went wrong—a significant hidden danger.
At this thought, he recalled the horn Zhu Vanguard used to summon demon hordes.
But Zhu Vanguard had been killed by human cultivators, his body taken, along with all his treasures.
So, Mo Fan sought out Bai Yaoyao to ask if there was a way to craft a Demon King Horn.
“The crafting method is simple, not much different from refining demon soldiers’ weapons. But the key is needing a Demon King’s corpse.
And it must be a recently deceased corpse, so the Demon King’s aura hasn’t fully dissipated. Only then is there a chance to create a Demon King-level treasure.
It doesn’t necessarily have to be a horn. Demon King skin or bones can also work. Different parts of the corpse can be used to craft different artifacts,” Bai Yaoyao explained.
“That… forget it then. Where am I supposed to find a Demon King’s corpse?”
Mo Fan gave a wry smile. Let alone a Demon King’s corpse, he didn’t even have a Demon General’s.
Though he had devoured several Demon Generals, their bodies were completely broken down by the invisible force in his inner space, not even a strand of hair left.
“Actually, recruiting lesser demons isn’t that complicated. You could have your demon soldiers go to Yunrou’s market to recruit.
That place has the most stray demons passing through. They need cultivation resources and a relatively safe cultivation environment.
And those are things our Black Wind Mountain can provide!” Bai Yaoyao suggested after a moment of thought.
“That’s a great idea!”
Mo Fan’s eyes lit up, and he quickly added, “And we don’t necessarily have to recruit only full demons. Half-demons would work too!”
“Half-demons?”
Bai Yaoyao was taken aback, then frowned, “Half-demons are a special group. Both demons and humans hold deep prejudices and hostility toward them. Are you sure you want to recruit half-demons to Black Wind Mountain?”
“What’s wrong with that?” Mo Fan countered.
“Well… as far as I know, no demon mountain has ever truly recruited half-demons.
Some demon mountains capture half-demons to enslave them as mine workers, but they never treat them fairly.
Look at Yunrou, for example.
Her cultivation is at least at the Demon King level, and she’s even been taken as an adopted daughter by the White Tiger Holy King. Yet, she doesn’t live on White Tiger Holy Mountain. Instead, she opened a small market on the outskirts of the Hundred Thousand Mountains to avoid affecting her adoptive father’s reputation.
If you openly recruit half-demons, it’s essentially challenging the entire demon clan’s rules.”
Bai Yaoyao’s words made Mo Fan frown. He hadn’t expected the situation to be so complex. But after a moment of thought, he said, “Half-demons still have half demon blood. What’s wrong with that?”
“To reform the demon clan, we can’t cling to old ways. Only by breaking the old rules and establishing new ones can we break through and rebuild!”
“Since no demon mountain has ever recruited half-demons, let Black Wind Mountain be the first!”
“But…”
Bai Yaoyao wanted to say more, but Mo Fan cut her off, “No buts. You said it yourself—there’s no rule against recruiting half-demons as mountain members.
This so-called rule isn’t set by any Holy King. It’s just that everyone does it, so it’s considered an unbreakable tradition.
But in reality, no Holy King has ever said demons can’t recruit half-demons.”
With that, Mo Fan smiled and made his decision, “It’s settled then. I’ll personally handle this matter shortly. You stay and guard Black Wind Mountain to deter any troublemakers.”
“Alright.”
Bai Yaoyao nodded, no longer arguing with Mo Fan.
Soon, Mo Fan summoned Erha and Big Head, the captain and vice-captain of his personal guard camp, to accompany him to the Broken Temple Market for recruitment.
As the three demons flew out of Black Wind Mountain, Mo Fan, looking down from above, noticed several unfamiliar demons around the mountain.
These demons were not weak, all at the demon soldier level, hiding beneath the branches of large trees, all looking up at Mo Fan’s group.
Mo Fan withdrew his gaze, noticing that the two demons beside him hadn’t detected the anomaly below. After some thought, he realized these demons were likely spies sent by nearby demon mountain forces. He didn’t pay them much mind, pretending not to notice, and flew past.
However, this incident made Mo Fan realize the importance of an intelligence network. He felt it was necessary to form a team dedicated to gathering information from all directions.
In the past, it took Mo Fan several incense sticks’ worth of time to reach the Broken Temple Market. Now, riding the clouds, he arrived within the market’s range in just one incense stick’s time.
Looking down, Mo Fan saw that the market hadn’t opened yet, but the stray cultivators in the dense forest were more numerous than ever before, mostly demon cultivators, with very few human cultivators.
This wasn’t hard to understand, given the destruction of two major human mountains, which had left the Hundred Thousand Mountains with hardly any foothold for human cultivators. The few human stray cultivators below were quite bold.
Without hesitation, Mo Fan descended from the sky in full view of all the cultivators in the forest, causing their pupils to shrink in shock!
Clearly, the arrival of a Demon General sparked panic among the stray cultivators.
“I am Laibao, the Lord of Black Wind Mountain. I come today with no ill intent, only to recruit demon followers!”
“Black Wind Mountain welcomes all demons of the world. As long as you carry a trace of demon blood and belong to no faction, regardless of cultivation level, we will not refuse!”
“Those who join Black Wind Mountain will receive its protection, no longer wandering!
Those who join Black Wind Mountain will receive its demon resources, cultivating without worry!
Those who join Black Wind Mountain will learn its combat techniques, fearless among peers of other mountains!”
