Holding the golden pill in his hand, Mo Fan felt an overwhelming excitement in his heart.
The reason was simple, for this pill was the demon core from the Monkey King’s body.
A demon core, a unique item found within the body of all Demon Kings, was somewhat similar to the golden core within human cultivators who had reached the Core Formation stage, serving as the source of their power.
Mo Fan did not know much about demon cores, but he understood their significance, certain that they contained immense energy.
“If I could absorb the power within this core, wouldn’t I be able to break through to the Demon King realm quickly?” Mo Fan’s eyes gleamed, his heart burning with anticipation.
For him, even if he couldn’t reach the Demon King realm, he could at least advance to the peak of the Demon General stage.
After examining the demon core for a moment, Mo Fan hesitated no longer. He immediately activated the absorption technique of the Great Sun Breathing Method, intending to drain the energy within the core in one go.
However, he soon froze.
“What’s going on?” Mo Fan was stunned, his expression turning sour as he realised the Great Sun Breathing Method could not absorb the core’s energy.
“Impossible!” he muttered, frowning. “I must have done something wrong.”
Determined, he tried again with the Great Sun Breathing Method, but there was still no response.
Unwilling to give up, he attempted several more times, even using a spirit stone to test the method. His face darkened completely.
With spirit stones, he could absorb the spiritual energy within them using the Great Sun Breathing Method.
But with the demon core, he couldn’t sense even the slightest trace of energy.
“Could this demon core be fake?” Mo Fan furrowed his brows, but quickly shook his head.
Recalling the earlier battle, he remembered the Monkey King’s final trump card was this very demon core, confirming its authenticity.
Moreover, he could clearly sense the immense energy within the core at that moment.
If the core was real, then there could only be one explanation.
His absorption method was wrong.
Demon cores were different from spirit stones, requiring a specific method to absorb their energy.
Mo Fan’s eyes flickered as he stared at the core for a long while. Finally, gritting his teeth, he swallowed the demon core whole.
He decided to test whether his body’s digestive powers could break down the core and absorb its energy.
Days passed in this experiment.
When Mo Fan emerged from his cave dwelling, he wore a wry smile.
He had failed.
His stomach’s digestive process was utterly ineffective.
He even boldly tried using potent poison to corrode the core, only to trigger a surge of dense energy from within it, enveloping the core and rendering the poison useless.
This was the first time Mo Fan witnessed such a property in a demon core.
With no other options, he decided to leave the cave and seek advice from Bai Yaoyao.
Due to the recent surge in demon numbers at Black Wind Mountain, administrative tasks had become overwhelming. Mo Fan, disliking the hassle, had delegated these minor matters to Bai Yaoyao.
As a result, Bai Yaoyao had been leaving early and returning late, managing trivial affairs at the mountain’s summit square daily.
When Mo Fan arrived at the summit, he saw Bai Yaoyao instructing a group of commanders.
Not wanting to interrupt, he quietly sat beside her, listening to her arrangements and analyses.
Upon his arrival, the commanders greeted him briefly before falling silent, focusing on the meeting.
Mo Fan waited for half an hour until the routine meeting of Black Wind Mountain’s higher-ups concluded.
The commanders, busy with their tasks, left quickly without lingering to chat with Mo Fan.
Even Red Eyes, who had seemingly reformed, nodded to Mo Fan without his usual loud clamour and hurried off.
Surprised, Mo Fan turned to Bai Yaoyao, who remained seated calmly, and said with curiosity, “Impressive, you’ve even tamed a troublemaker like Red Eyes.”
“My King, could you use a better term? Tamed sounds awful,” Bai Yaoyao rolled her eyes before continuing, “Red Eyes may be unruly in your presence because you’re too familiar. I’m different. I maintain a cold demeanour. Last time, I punished him with a beating, so now he dares not cross me.”
“Fair point,” Mo Fan chuckled. “I listened to your discussion with them just now, and it made sense. You’ve done well, essentially breaking the rigid mindset of the demon cultivators in the Hundred Thousand Mountains. You’ve worked hard these days.”
“It’s nothing. I merely applied some human techniques here. Though the Su family had designs on me, I did learn a lot from them,” Bai Yaoyao shook her head, then looked at Mo Fan and asked, “You didn’t come here just to chat, did you?”
“Maybe I came to flirt with you,” Mo Fan teased, winking at her.
“Alright then,” Bai Yaoyao replied unexpectedly, her voice carrying a hint of seductive charm.
But when Mo Fan saw her vertical pupils glowing orange and the snake tongue flickering from her lips, he shivered.
“Ahem, just kidding,” Mo Fan coughed awkwardly before asking, “You mentioned before that a golden core could help you recover from injuries?”
“Indeed. Each golden core is the crystallised power of a Core Formation cultivator, containing immense energy,” Bai Yaoyao’s mischievous smile faded as she nodded seriously.
“How did you absorb that demon core?” Mo Fan probed cautiously.
Bai Yaoyao didn’t answer immediately. She stared at him for a moment, as if piecing something together, then shook her head, “Even if I told you, you couldn’t do it.”
“Why not?” Mo Fan pressed, unwilling to let it go.
“Because it involves Demon King power. Only Demon King power can refine a golden core, and only after refining can it be absorbed,” Bai Yaoyao explained, smiling as she added, “The same applies to demon cores.”
“Demon King power?” Mo Fan frowned. “So only Demon Kings can refine golden cores and demon cores?”
“I’m just giving an example. Human Core Formation cultivators can do it too, as they possess a similar power called Tribulation Power. From my studies among humans, I found that King Power and Tribulation Power are essentially the same force, born the moment a core is formed. So, naturally, you can’t do it,” Bai Yaoyao clarified.
With her explanation, Mo Fan finally understood, though he felt a pang of disappointment.
“Are you alright?” Bai Yaoyao asked with concern.
“I’m fine. Your analysis gave me a deeper understanding of demon cores. Since that’s the case, I’ll give this demon core to you,” Mo Fan forced a smile, spitting out the core and sending it to Bai Yaoyao with his demonic power.
Bai Yaoyao’s eyes lit up, but she didn’t take it immediately. Instead, she looked at Mo Fan and asked, “This is incredibly valuable. Are you sure you want to give it to me? Even if you can’t absorb it now, once you reach the Demon King realm, it could boost your cultivation significantly.”
“What are you talking about? I intended to give it to you all along,” Mo Fan said righteously. “I obtained this by slaying the Monkey King. It’s a fine treasure, but I’ve only recently broken through to the late Demon General stage, and my realm isn’t stable yet. It’s better to give it to you to help you recover your cultivation faster.”
