Ying Ying’s sudden ability to breathe fire startled Mo Fan considerably, and he could tell that the flames the little creature produced were no ordinary fire.
After all, they were at the bottom of the spring pool, surrounded by water.
Yet, despite this, the flames persisted for several moments before gradually extinguishing, which was enough to prove their extraordinary nature.
To understand this, Mo Fan placed his hand on Ying Ying’s forehead and used his divine sense to probe the creature’s body.
He discovered that Ying Ying’s internal condition was somewhat similar to his own, containing two types of energy.
One was demonic energy, the other spiritual energy.
However, unlike Mo Fan’s demonic and spiritual energy rivers, Ying Ying’s had already transformed into seas.
Their vastness left Mo Fan astounded.
“No wonder this little guy could contend with the Monkey King. The spiritual and demonic energy in his body is so dense, it’s almost at the peak of the Demon General stage,” Mo Fan thought, shocked.
Above the sea of spiritual energy, he noticed a massive fireball, undoubtedly formed from the fire spiritual energy.
Nearby, there was also a large water orb, with water spiritual energy even more potent than the fire energy.
After examining Ying Ying’s condition, Mo Fan withdrew his divine sense, looking at the little creature with a complex expression.
He had initially worried for Ying Ying’s safety, but now it seemed his concerns were unnecessary.
As for why Ying Ying could withstand the fire spiritual energy without harm, Mo Fan was unsure, attributing it to the creature’s unique bloodline.
Having clarified everything, Mo Fan patted Ying Ying’s head and said, “No more sneaking food. I’ll have Big Head feed you some dragon loaches daily, and I’ll give you some spirit stones too.”
“Yay, Daddy’s the best,” Ying Ying cheered, swimming joyfully in the water.
Mo Fan then gave Big Head some instructions and spirit stones before leaving the spring pool with Ying Ying.
The cultivation of dragon loaches had to continue. To Mo Fan, they were not only sustenance for Ying Ying but also spiritual medicine for Black Wind Mountain’s lesser demons.
As for himself, Mo Fan no longer needed the loaches.
Having broken through to the late Demon General stage, neither low-grade spiritual medicine nor dragon loaches could significantly boost his cultivation.
Unlike other demons, Mo Fan required both his demonic and spiritual energy to reach perfection before he could break through again.
This was a drawback of his Heaven-Devouring Divine Ability, but Mo Fan saw it as an opportunity.
It made his cultivation path akin to a half-demon’s, allowing him to pursue both demonic and spiritual cultivation.
This gave him an extra option and trump card.
However, Mo Fan had no intention of using spiritual energy to practice human techniques. Instead, he planned to store it for his “Regeneration” divine ability.
Nor did he have time to learn human techniques.
With his “Deprivation” divine ability, he saw no need for it.
Back in his cave, Mo Fan entered his seclusion chamber and sent Ying Ying to guard him.
What he told Bai Yaoyao was true; he genuinely intended to seclude himself seriously.
With his cultivation unlikely to progress quickly, he planned to digest what he had gained so far.
Of course, he could break through rapidly by recklessly devouring other demons.
But such reckless actions would be his downfall.
The Demon Saint Kings of the Hundred Thousand Mountains were not to be trifled with.
After much thought, Mo Fan decided to play it safe.
He closed his eyes, sifting through his memories, and settled on two things: the alchemy technique taught by Red Moon and the Seven-Star Dragon Step.
Alchemy wasn’t particularly important to Mo Fan, as his cultivation method required little use of pills. Still, believing in the value of versatility, he decided to practice it.
More crucially, he wanted to master the Flesh Cauldron Alchemy Technique.
This method might be key to breaking through to the Demon King realm.
Though that realm was still distant, Mo Fan understood the importance of preparation.
The Flesh Cauldron Alchemy Technique required a foundation in basic alchemy, or it would be impossible to succeed.
This was the real reason Mo Fan wanted to practice alchemy.
As for the Seven-Star Dragon Step, it was a movement technique ideal for combat. Little Yellow’s victories over lesser demons were largely due to this technique.
However, in the small room, Mo Fan couldn’t practice the movement technique, so he set it aside to focus on alchemy.
He met two of the three requirements for alchemy.
First, a pill furnace. He had acquired over a hundred in the Broken Temple Market and later obtained more as spoils.
Second, spiritual herbs. Mo Fan had plenty, both purchased from the market and gathered from the Land of Immortal Fall, enough for his current needs.
His only lack was a suitable fire for alchemy.
But Mo Fan wasn’t in a rush. Before refining pills, he needed to master the steps and memorise the pill formulas to minimise losses.
This process took two months.
One day, Mo Fan emerged from seclusion, visibly excited, feeling he had grasped the essence of alchemy. He planned to seek Bai Yaoyao’s help, as she had impressive fire techniques.
Though Ying Ying now had fire abilities, Mo Fan didn’t dare involve him, fearing he might accidentally get refined.
Little Yellow also knew fire techniques, but they were attack-focused, lacking Bai Yaoyao’s control, making her unsuitable.
However, upon emerging, Mo Fan learned Bai Yaoyao was in seclusion, likely absorbing the golden core to recover.
She had already arranged all affairs on Black Wind Mountain.
Mo Fan admired her organisational skills, which rivalled his own.
Since she was in seclusion, he didn’t disturb her. After some thought, he summoned Black Wind Mountain’s higher-ups to inquire about Earth Fire locations.
From the inherited alchemy technique, he knew there were three types of fire in the world.
First, gentle fire, cultivable by practitioners. Bai Yaoyao, Ying Ying, and human fire techniques fell into this category.
Second, Earth Fire, born from the earth’s veins, a natural fire.
Third, Heavenly Fire, though the alchemy records were vague, describing it as immortal fire, rare in the world.
As Mo Fan searched for an Earth Fire location, a wolf-like howl echoed from an unnamed cave in the Hundred Thousand Mountains.
“Hahaha, I’ve finally broken through,” the voice roared.
