A few days later, at the peak of Black Wind Mountain.
Mo Fan, clad in a black robe, stood before the forest of tombstones, gazing at the dozens of graves in silence.
By his side stood He Feifei and Bai Yaoyao.
The rabbit demon Bai Xue, along with Erha and other demon minions, stood together, casting somewhat jealous glances at the two women beside Mo Fan.
Behind the group of demon minions, nearly two hundred lesser demons stood in neat rows.
“From this day forward, this day every year shall be known as the Demon Soul Day of Black Wind Mountain. Regardless of rank, all demons of Black Wind Mountain, unless under special circumstances, must come here to pay respects to the spirits of the demon souls! Anyone who disobeys, no matter who they are, will be turned into a feast!”
Mo Fan’s voice rang out, echoing across the mountain peak, causing the demons to perk up and listen attentively.
They understood that their king was serious this time.
As Mo Fan spoke, demonic energy surged around him. In the next moment, he soared into the sky, riding the clouds, and spat out a massive stone tablet.
The tablet, over twenty zhang in size, resembled a small mountain.
With a wave of Mo Fan’s hand, demonic power enveloped the tablet, and it plunged straight into the ground before the forest of tombstones!
A deafening roar echoed, followed by tremors in the earth and flying dust and stones!
After a long while, the terrifying commotion finally subsided.
Mo Fan took a deep breath, spitting out a beam of golden light that transformed into a flying sword. With it, he carved three large characters onto the tablet: Demon Soul Monument!
Then, one by one, the names of demons were etched onto it.
These names were plain and unremarkable, belonging to ordinary demons who had achieved little in Black Wind Mountain.
Yet, at this moment, they shone brightly, becoming the focus of every demon’s attention.
Because their owners had fought for Black Wind Mountain in their final moments!
After Mo Fan finished carving the names of the fallen lesser demons onto the Demon Soul Monument, Bai Yaoyao suddenly asked, “Is this meaningful? These demons don’t even know how to read.”
“It may not mean much now, but that doesn’t mean it won’t in the future,” Mo Fan murmured, gazing at the names on the monument. He then turned to Bai Yaoyao, smiling, “Similarly, they may not know now, but that doesn’t mean they never will.”
“Are you planning to teach them to read?” Bai Yaoyao asked, surprised, looking at Mo Fan.
He Feifei, standing nearby, also lit up with anticipation, her eyes fixed on him.
“Indeed, writing is the foundation of a clan’s cultural continuity. However, I don’t plan to teach them human writing. Instead, I intend to create a unique demon script!” Mo Fan’s eyes gleamed. In truth, he had been considering this since he began learning to read in the southern border.
Human writing in this world was overly complex, far less simple than the simplified characters of his previous life. If he could promote simplified characters in this world, it would surely become a unique cultural system.
And the demon clan was the perfect group to spread it!
“Create a demon script?” Bai Yaoyao was stunned, then frowned with a bitter smile, saying, “That’s impossible! Do you know what creating a script means? Even human writing evolved over countless years. Writing is the foundation of a civilisation’s survival! Creating a few characters might not be hard, but creating a script capable of carrying a race, a civilisation, is far too much. Only a sage could achieve that!”
“Hey! I haven’t even started, and you’re already throwing cold water on me?” Mo Fan rolled his eyes, then smiled, “Of course, I’m just talking for now. Creating a script will take time, but this matter is inevitable. The importance of writing is obvious. It might even become the key to our demon clan’s prosperity in the future!”
Mo Fan smiled, not elaborating further. He had plans, and he could implement simplified characters now, but that would be too shocking.
As Bai Yaoyao said, creating a script to carry a race’s civilisation was a task for sages!
Moreover, perfecting a script required time to develop.
Mo Fan lacked both, at least on the surface.
He had only been in Black Wind Mountain for a short year, and his cultivation was already extraordinary. If he created a script distinct from human writing now, it would be too terrifying.
Being too exceptional might not be a good thing for Mo Fan.
After leading the demons in paying respects to the Demon Soul Monument, Mo Fan returned directly to the Spring Pool Cave.
“Are you really planning to fight that demon king?” Bai Yaoyao asked, her face serious, as she looked at Mo Fan back in the cave.
A few days ago, she had learned about the peach grove from Mo Fan’s conversation with the monkey demon, as well as the dangers hidden there.
“Of course, I made a bet with that guy!” Mo Fan nodded with a smile.
“Are you trying to use this opportunity to subdue the entire monkey demon clan?” Bai Yaoyao looked at Mo Fan, understanding his intentions.
“That’s part of it, but not the whole story,” Mo Fan said, pausing briefly before continuing, “I’ve sensed the bottleneck. I’m just a step away from breaking through to the late Demon General stage. I have a feeling this will be the key to my breakthrough! Moreover, the monkey clan’s spirit wine pool is rich in spiritual energy. If I can obtain it, the strength of Black Wind Mountain’s demons will see a huge boost! And that mysterious space, aren’t you curious about it?”
“I see!” Bai Yaoyao nodded, relieved. She had been worried that Mo Fan was getting carried away by small victories, but it seemed he had his own calculations.
“Do you know how vast the gap is between a Demon King and a Demon General?” she asked. “If you really intend to fight that monkey demon king, you must be fully prepared!”
Realising she couldn’t dissuade Mo Fan, Bai Yaoyao began explaining the basics of Demon Kings to help him understand the gap.
The difference between a Demon King and a Demon General was like night and day.
First, in terms of demonic power, if a Demon General’s power was like a thin thread, a Demon King’s was like a sturdy vine, incomparable.
Second, the density of demonic aura. Demon Generals relied on the demonic liquid lake in their bodies to supply aura, but Demon Kings used a demonic core, which was far more robust and pure!
Finally, the strength of their true forms. Demon Kings underwent a lightning tribulation when forming their demonic core, making their true forms exceptionally powerful, with physical strength capable of moving mountains!
A single punch could kill a peak Demon General!
Moreover, Demon Kings had the ability to project their divine sense, a far more direct and powerful ability than demonic aura detection.
In short, Demon Generals were easy to cultivate, but Demon Kings were rare!
Even among the entire demon clan, Demon Kings were true great demons, capable of ruling a region.
Bai Yaoyao’s words brought some pressure to Mo Fan, so after some thought, he decided to make further preparations.
The greatest boost he could gain now was from his Ten Thousand Poison Spirit Body, or rather, the poison pearl within him!
“If even poison liquid can be used as a weapon, why can’t the poison pearl?” he mused. “Demon Kings are powerful. Though I’m confident I can fight one, caution is best! Compared to a Demon King, my cultivation and physical strength are far inferior, so my only winning cards are the Heaven-Devouring Technique, the poison pearl in my body, and the techniques granted by Senior Red Moon!”
“The Heaven-Devouring Technique has too many drawbacks. Unless I severely injure the Demon King, I can’t devour it with my current cultivation. The techniques from Senior Red Moon require time to master, which I can’t do in the short term. So, for now, I must focus on the poison pearl!”
With that thought, Mo Fan took a deep breath and summoned Bai Yaoyao, Erha, and other trusted aides, informing them he would enter secluded cultivation.
After delegating all tasks, Mo Fan officially began his seclusion!
