Mo Fan had his own motives for hosting the two close demon captains.
Firstly, he aimed to win them over to intimidate One-Eye, showing his capabilities and ensuring One-Eye wouldn’t act rashly.
Secondly, he wanted to inquire about cultivation methods for his next steps.
Since breaking through to the Demon Captain realm, Mo Fan had noticed that cultivation at this level differed from that of a minor demon. Minor demons relied heavily on spiritual energy, while captains depended more on demon energy.
But this was just his own speculation. He needed these two to clarify the true cultivation path.
After a few cups of Monkey Wine, both demons’ cheeks were flushed.
For demons, getting tipsy was rare, as their demon energy could easily dispel alcohol’s effects.
But to enjoy the moment, neither used their demon energy to counteract the wine, so their heads naturally grew a bit fuzzy.
Through Mo Fan’s deliberate probing, the answers he sought gradually emerged.
It wasn’t far off from his guesses. Minor demons cultivated by accumulating spiritual energy to evolve their demon bodies into spiritual bodies, achieving demon transformation.
For Demon Captains, cultivation required not just spiritual energy but also demon energy, the quantity of which directly determined progress.
The Demon Captain realm was divided into early, middle, late, and peak stages.
At the peak, when demon energy reached a certain density, the demon energy vortex would transform into a demon energy sea, a process called demon energy liquefaction. At that point, demon energy became demon power, marking the Demon General realm!
Once a demon reached the Demon General realm, cultivation depended mainly on demon power, or the size of the demon energy sea. At the peak of this realm, a demon core would form within the sea, and with that core, one became a Demon King!
This feast proved highly rewarding for Mo Fan, at least clarifying the path ahead.
But he sighed at how cultivation grew increasingly difficult with each level.
As a minor demon, breakthroughs came with enough spiritual energy.
But at the Demon Captain realm, it wasn’t so simple. It required not only spiritual energy but vast amounts of demon energy.
For demons, spiritual energy came from gathering and refining heavenly spiritual items. Though hard to find, it wasn’t impossible. Mo Fan, for instance, had discovered ways to trap and cultivate dragon loaches in the spring pool, and with plenty of Monkey Wine, he wasn’t short on spiritual energy.
Demon energy, however, was different. There was only one night each month for tempering, which would greatly slow his progress.
“No wonder Black Wind Mountain, standing for who-knows-how-long, has only four Demon Generals… This cultivation path is incredibly tough…”
Mo Fan sighed inwardly, feeling the hardships of demon life.
With so many demons in Black Wind Mountain, only four Generals and few Captains over the years seemed unreasonable. So where did the other Captains go?
The answer was obvious.
They either died in trials during battles between the three mountains or ran out of lifespan without breaking through to Demon General, dying of old age…
This truth was harsh but realistic.
What shocked Mo Fan even more was something Deer Greedy, emboldened by drink, revealed, making his scalp tingle: “Dying of old age isn’t so bad. At least it lets us have a feast, contributing to Black Wind Mountain!”
Crane Fly-Fly had left Mo Fan’s cave early, but Deer Greedy, drunk as a dead pig, spent the whole night there.
The next morning, his minor demons came from another mountain to pay respects outside Mo Fan’s cave.
Deer Greedy was carried away by two small deer demons, apologising to Mo Fan as they left, seemingly embarrassed to have such a captain.
Mo Fan just smiled, then pulled out an IOU and tossed it to the deer demons, grinning, “Take this back. When your master wakes, give it to him. Say he lost it betting dice last night.”
The deer demons were startled. The IOU listed fifty bright red stones—unknown items—but bore their master’s red fingerprint.
Unsure if it was real, they didn’t dare question and hurried off.
Mo Fan’s lips curved slightly. The IOU was fake, but he used it to secure a favour from Deer Greedy.
The IOU’s authenticity didn’t matter; Deer Greedy’s reputation did. As a greedy demon, he valued his name, for a ruined reputation meant no more tributes.
That was the effect Mo Fan wanted!
By evening, Mighty and other minor demons were already waiting outside his cave.
When Mo Fan emerged, he saw Red-Eye again. Fainted from yesterday’s Sunfire Competition, the rabbit demon was now lively, making Mo Fan chuckle.
This time, Mo Fan didn’t want to experience the chaotic feeling of riding through the air, so he switched mounts, sitting on Mighty’s broad back.
Though slower, it was far more comfortable.
Halfway up the mountain, they encountered a group of unfriendly demons, led by One-Eye!
Behind him were his minions, including a few familiar faces Mo Fan recognised.
“Hey! Sprightly Rabbit, look over here, your grandpa’s waiting!”
As One-Eye’s group approached, a snake demon called out to Red-Eye behind Mo Fan, smirking mockingly.
“Damn pest, don’t ever fall into my hands!”
Seeing the snake demon, Red-Eye’s eyes grew even redder.
This was Rattlesnake, who had cheated him in a dice bet before, leading to Red-Eye’s punishment of being skinned. Naturally, he hated him to the core.
“Sprightly Rabbit, you think you can take me? Dream on! If I get the chance, I’ll feast on rabbit meat!”
Rattlesnake sneered sinisterly, unfazed by Red-Eye’s threat. Turning to Mo Fan, he studied him with surprise, “Yo! Isn’t that the toad?”
“It really is…”
*Slap!*
Before Rattlesnake could finish, Mo Fan struck him with a burst of demon energy, sending him flying several yards.
“Damn you, how dare…!”
Rattlesnake roared, but Mo Fan cut him off calmly, “A mere minor demon, ignorant of your place and manners. You deserve a beating!”
“Isn’t that right?”
“One-Eye Captain!”
