Mo Fan led a group of demon generals and demon soldiers out of the ancient peach tree.
As soon as he appeared, the lesser demons knelt and shouted in unison, “Greetings, Great King!”
Mo Fan paused, turning to look at the two demons, Sun Bai and Sun Hei. Sun Bai immediately smiled and said, “Great King, we have already told the young ones about the Monkey King’s matter, and now they are all willing to accept you as their new king!”
“Well done!”
Mo Fan nodded. He had initially thought he would need to persuade them himself, but it seemed Sun Bai was quite capable.
“I know that even though you now acknowledge me as your king, many of you demons are still unconvinced. That is fine, time will prove everything!”
“Now, I will give you your first task. Follow the seven demon generals into the Land of Immortal Fall, or rather, the space where the Monkey King once secluded himself!
I previously discovered that there are still many low-grade spirit herbs in that space. You may go and collect them, then hand them over to me as a sign of your loyalty!
Of course, I have said I will not be stingy with rewards.
If you can collect more than two spirit herbs, I will allow you to keep one for yourself!
If you can collect more than five spirit herbs, you may keep two!”
Mo Fan’s words sent the monkey demons into a frenzy of excitement.
During the Monkey King’s reign, that space was an absolute forbidden zone. After a few terrifying experiences, the Monkey King banned them from entering the Land of Immortal Fall, sealing the entrance with crystals.
This effectively cut off the monkey demons’ cultivation resources.
Although the monkey wine within the ancient peach tree allowed them to cultivate, they could not drink it freely. They needed permission from the demon generals.
The demon generals, to secure their own cultivation, were naturally unwilling to share their resources with the lesser demons.
Though the monkey wine was a low-grade spirit liquor, it was better than nothing for them. However, they needed more to advance their cultivation.
They also had to occasionally reward the demon soldiers to ensure their loyalty, so despite seeming abundant, the monkey wine was actually quite scarce.
Thus, there was hardly any left to distribute to the lesser demons.
Upon hearing Mo Fan’s words, the lesser demons were naturally overjoyed, but the seven demon generals wore bitter expressions.
“Great King, cultivation resources are hard to come by, and these lesser demons lack ability. I think there is no need to waste spirit herbs on them!”
“Moreover, that space is extremely strange. In the past, some of our clan entered it and soon died from festering bodies or sudden death, in horrific ways.
Even demon soldiers and generals were no exception!
If these lesser demons go in, few will likely come out alive. Would it not be better for us seven demon generals to go and collect the resources for you?” Sun Hei stepped forward, speaking to Mo Fan with apparent sincerity.
Hearing this, the lesser demons were both angry and afraid, yet ultimately helpless.
“You insolent fool, are you questioning my decision?”
Mo Fan glared coldly at Sun Hei, exuding a powerful aura that frightened him into kneeling and shaking his head, saying, “I dare not!”
“I know your thoughts, but in my Black Wind Mountain, whether lesser or greater demons, all are treated equally. I will not disregard the lives of lesser demons just because their cultivation is weak!
In short, those who are loyal to me and serve me well will never be mistreated!
Conversely, anyone who dares to scheme behind my back, I will not hesitate to turn them into a feast!
I killed even the Demon King Monkey King without hesitation, so do not test my limits!”
“I dare not!”
The demon generals, terrified, paled and knelt on the ground.
This scene secretly delighted the lesser demons.
Though all were monkey demons of the peach grove, the outdated rules and mindset of the demon clan meant the lesser demons were always oppressed.
On the surface, they dared not show dissatisfaction, but inwardly, they had accumulated much resentment.
Seeing Mo Fan reprimand the demon generals for their sake naturally filled the lesser demons with joy. They began to feel that joining Black Wind Mountain might not be so bad, perhaps even more promising than staying in the peach grove!
After the appropriate reprimand, Mo Fan waved his hand, signalling the seven demon generals to rise, and transmitted, “Mere low-grade spirit herbs, what use are they to you demon generals?
As long as you serve me well, I guarantee each of you will have a chance to become a Demon King in the future!”
Mo Fan’s transmission made the demon generals’ eyes light up, nodding eagerly with excitement.
Seeing this, Mo Fan turned to the lesser demons again and said, “The Land of Immortal Fall is indeed full of mysteries, with ominous substances attached to the spirit herbs within, which is why you faced terrible fates when consuming them before.”
The demons’ expressions shifted slightly, thinking, if you know there are ominous substances that cause us harm, why send us to collect the herbs?
But they dared not voice this.
Then they heard Mo Fan continue, “Of course, as long as you do not consume those spirit herbs privately, you will be fine. This is why I asked you to hand them over after collecting.
I do not want you to die needlessly. Instead, I plan to have them processed specially to remove the ominous substances, so you can consume them safely for cultivation!”
“So, do you have any questions?”
Mo Fan looked at the demons, but none responded, all showing excited expressions.
Initially, they feared Mo Fan was sending them to their deaths, but after this explanation, their worries and fears faded. Only a few self-proclaimed clever demons had flickering gazes, seemingly plotting something.
“Since there are no issues, begin!”
Mo Fan waved his hand, signalling the demons to enter the tree hollow space, the Land of Immortal Fall.
At the same time, he said to Sun Bai and the other demon generals, “There are many remains of your monkey clan in the Land of Immortal Fall, killed by the Monkey King’s persecution. You may bring those remains out for burial!”
“Yes!”
The demon generals nodded in unison, then turned and entered the tree hollow space without hesitation.
This time, Mo Fan did not follow.
Though the Land of Immortal Fall was vast, he had explored it thoroughly and found no other dangers, so he had no concerns.
It was precisely because of this that he discovered the many spirit herbs, mostly low-grade, with a few yellow-grade ones, all blood-red, as if grown from absorbed blood.
Mo Fan had not collected those herbs earlier for this very moment.
To subdue the monkey demon clan, he could not rely solely on force; he needed to offer some benefits.
The spirit herbs were one such benefit, while also allowing him to identify which monkey demons still harboured disloyalty, a two-fold strategy.
He flew alone to the top of the ancient peach tree, overlooking the entire peach grove, then faced east, wondering about the current state of the human race in the Southern Border.
Logically, after the White Tiger Saint King’s battle, with two of the human race’s great mountains destroyed, their protective barrier was gone, leaving them vulnerable to annihilation.
Yet, when he pursued Qin Changsheng and Poison Fang last time, he found the human race still safe, merely migrating further east.
The imagined demon clan invasion, devouring humans en masse, had not occurred.
“Have the demon clans not fully reacted yet?”
“Or is there some hidden secret at play?”
Mo Fan murmured to himself, uncertain.
He shook his head, then sat cross-legged on the tree trunk, beginning to take stock of his gains. In his view, having obtained so much “immortal liquid” this time, his cultivation should advance further.
But when he truly examined the situation in his inner space, he cried out in shock.
“How can this be?!”
