At this moment, Mo Fan was bathed in a mysterious silver glow, or rather, the radiance of moonlight.
Glancing sideways, he noticed thin strands of moonlight swirling around Cha Cha on his shoulder, though they were faint. The same was true for Da Li, Lai Fu, Red Eye, and other lesser demons nearby.
Further ahead, the moonlight around Demon Ding Hei Zi was much denser, as if his entire body was immersed in silver light. Far from exuding a demonic aura, he seemed cloaked in mystery and sanctity.
“Bloody hell, I’m actually seeing something holy on a demon…” Mo Fan shook his head, then looked further into the distance. Almost all the demons on the mountaintop were similarly bathed in moonlight, with some powerful ones visibly drawing strands of it into their mouths and noses.
The scene at the peak was even more striking.
The three demon generals were practically silver figures, their bodies enveloped in dense moonlight energy.
As for the Black Wind Mountain Demon King, it was even more terrifying. A massive vortex swirled above his head, and a silver beam of light descended from the sky, completely shrouding his body.
That beam was actually moonlight energy, so thick it became strikingly visible.
Mo Fan watched enviously for a moment before snapping back to focus, beginning to actively absorb the moonlight drifting around him.
As he breathed slowly, specks of silver light gradually entered his mouth and nose. Soon, Mo Fan sensed a unique power within him—moonlight energy.
The moment it entered his body, it intertwined with his internal spiritual energy, merging without any need for Mo Fan to guide it.
The moonlight and spiritual energy fused, gradually forming a new kind of power.
This power was thicker than spiritual energy, more ferocious than moonlight energy, and it left Mo Fan feeling invigorated, as if every pore on his body had opened. It was like soaking in a cool spring pool on a sweltering summer day or enjoying a sauna in the depths of winter.
Even Mo Fan couldn’t quite describe the sensation, only that his mind felt clearer.
Through inner vision, he saw this new power, black in colour, swirling in his dantian, with traces drifting toward his mind.
“Is this demon energy?”
“Black as it is, it feels bloody amazing!” Mo Fan thought, but then he noticed something surprising.
Some of the demon energy drifting into his mind was drawn to the golden coin, bathing it in the energy and making it appear even more mystical.
Mo Fan wasn’t sure if this was good or bad, so he could only watch helplessly.
When he saw the demon energy didn’t seem to harm the coin, he let it go and focused on breathing, guiding his spiritual energy to merge with the moonlight to speed up the creation of demon energy.
After most of the night, Mo Fan was thrilled to find all his spiritual energy had transformed into demon energy. The demon energy then began intertwining with the absorbed moonlight, undergoing a second refinement.
After this refinement, the initially thin demon energy grew denser.
Mo Fan guided it wholeheartedly, noticing that the energy wasn’t just flowing to his mind but also to his arms, making them stronger.
He became completely immersed in refining his demon energy.
“The sun’s rising! Wake up, all of you!”
After an unknown time, a loud shout from the mountaintop startled Mo Fan, snapping him out of his ethereal state and halting his cultivation.
Irritated, he opened his eyes to find the moonlight had vanished.
Looking up, he saw the moon fading into the clouds, while a fiery red glow appeared in the east, signalling the sunrise.
“Kids, today’s cultivation gathering is over. Go back to your caves and mess about!”
The Black Wind Mountain Demon King stood, said a few ceremonial words, and soared off on a cloud, leaving the lesser demons envious.
After the Demon King left, the three generals departed, followed by the demon lieutenants, leaving the lesser demons to chatter and descend the mountain.
“Hey, Lai Bao, don’t be upset. The first cultivation’s always like this. Not sensing moonlight energy is normal!” Sparrow Cha Cha, seeing Mo Fan’s silence, offered comfort.
“Yeah, when this little sparrow on your shoulder started, it took me two years to truly step onto the cultivation path. No rush! Not every demon has my talent to sense moonlight energy in just a few months!” Lai Fu grinned, ostensibly comforting but mostly showing off.
“Enough, you bloody idiots, shut it! Want to eat boiled fish again or not?” Da Li snapped, shooing them away. He leaned his massive head toward Mo Fan, saying gruffly, “Lai Bao, don’t take it to heart. Their words are harsh, but that’s the truth… don’t let it get to you.”
“Uh… I’m not taking it to heart. I’ve already refined demon energy,” Mo Fan said, blinking.
“Right, don’t take it to heart…” Da Li nodded, pleased, but then froze, eyes widening. “What did you just say?”
“I said, I’ve refined demon energy,” Mo Fan replied honestly.
“What… you’ve already refined demon energy?!”
Da Li’s eyes bulged, his mouth agape in disbelief.
Not just him—Lai Fu, Cha Cha, and Red Eye were equally stunned by Mo Fan’s words.
Mo Fan sighed helplessly, then exhaled a wisp of demon energy, guiding it with his aura to swirl around his body before swallowing it back.
Since refining demon energy, he’d discovered he could control it easily, though only within a zhang of his body. Beyond that, it would disconnect from his aura, dissipating into the heavens, unable to be recalled.
Seeing Mo Fan had truly refined demon energy, the four demons finally believed him.
“Tch, tch… didn’t see that coming, Lai Bao! You’re bloody brilliant on this cultivation path!”
“Exactly! First time I’ve seen a demon sense moonlight and refine demon energy in one night!”
“First time seen? First time heard!”
The demons marvelled, even Da Li nodding repeatedly, grinning, “If you keep up this brilliant pace, Lai Bao, in twenty years, you could be Black Wind Mountain’s new Lieutenant Lord!”
“Brother, you flatter me. I’m just a toad demon, no such talent!” Mo Fan gave an awkward smile, but inwardly thought, “With those dragon loaches in the pool, my progress will be lightning-fast. Twenty years? No need for that long!”
Compared to refining demon energy on his first try, Mo Fan valued the dragon loaches in the pool more—they were key to his future!
With that in mind, he itched to check on them, but before parting with the demons, he asked Da Li about the “Body Separation Technique.”
It was a simple technique, easy to learn with demon energy, so Mo Fan mastered it quickly.
Curious, he also asked why the Great King had woken everyone during cultivation. Since demons could absorb moonlight, couldn’t they absorb sun essence too?
Da Li solemnly told him, “Demons cultivate moonlight energy. Absorbing sun essence would burn you to death with True Solar Fire. Never cultivate during the day, or you won’t know how you died.”
