Mo Fan concealed everything happening within him, not letting a trace of demonic aura leak out, unwilling to let Bing Qi, who was by his side, know his secret of cultivating through devouring demons.
Bing Qi’s gaze, however, was peculiar.
It was one thing for lesser demons to be devoured, but now even this wolf demon?
This was a powerful Demon Ding-stage demon!
She couldn’t quite grasp the purpose behind Mo Fan’s devouring of these demons. Was it truly just to satisfy his appetite?
“To the next Demon Ding demon!”
Mo Fan spoke calmly.
Bing Qi nodded, leading the way, and soon they arrived at another cell.
Mo Fan’s eyes swept over the writing on the cell door: “Snake Demon, mid-Demon Ding cultivation, once caused seawater to flood a human city, killing over 23,000 people!”
So many deaths?
Mo Fan was shocked. This was the first time he’d encountered a demon with such heavy blood on its hands.
Then he noticed the price tag: “One thousand low-grade spirit stones.”
Seeing this, Mo Fan frowned—not because the price was too high, but because it seemed too low.
A great demon responsible for over 23,000 deaths, yet priced so cheaply?
This puzzled Mo Fan, sparking his interest in the snake demon. He looked inside the cell.
What he saw was a tall woman in white, sitting cross-legged with her eyes closed.
“What a beautiful demon!”
A flash of amazement crossed Mo Fan’s eyes. This female demon’s beauty surpassed even White Snow, the rabbit demon of Black Wind Mountain, making her the most stunning demon he’d seen in this world.
As Bing Qi was about to introduce her, Mo Fan cut her off, “I can read the words. No need to explain. Just open the cell door.”
Bing Qi paused, then nodded, forming hand seals to dispel the cell’s restrictions and open the door.
With a heavy *creak*, the white-clad female demon, who had been meditating, opened her eyes.
In that instant, Mo Fan felt as if she transformed into a massive white python, staring at him with orange-yellow vertical pupils, as if ready to swallow him whole.
But in a blink, there was no python—just the demon’s beast-like eyes, distinct from a human’s.
“You know illusion techniques?” Mo Fan asked directly.
“A little,” the female demon replied, her voice crisp.
She didn’t try to flatter or attack Mo Fan like other demons. Instead, she studied him, then frowned slightly, “You’re a demon too?”
“Is that a problem?” Mo Fan asked.
“If you’re planning to buy me as a spirit beast, I’d advise against it,” the female demon said gravely.
“Why?” Mo Fan’s interest grew. “Don’t all the demons here hope to be bought to escape death?”
“You’re not wrong, but I’m no ordinary demon. Without sufficient strength or backing, buying me will only bring you trouble.”
The female demon met Mo Fan’s eyes calmly, then closed them, saying, “You should leave. I’m not waiting for you.”
“You’re telling me to go?”
Mo Fan’s eyes widened. This was the first time a demon in the Spirit Beast Court had told him to leave, and it seemed this snake demon had no desire to escape her cell.
But she ignored him, as if truly unwilling to leave with him.
“Interesting demon. The more you act like this, the more I want to buy you!”
“Let’s see if you’re playing hard to get or just putting on a show!”
Mo Fan sneered inwardly. If she was acting, he wouldn’t mind devouring her.
“I’ll take this snake demon!”
Turning to Bing Qi, Mo Fan spat out a pile of spirit stones, waving them toward her.
“All the spirit stones are here. Count them.”
Bing Qi nodded, her magic surging to collect the stones. After checking them, finding no discrepancies, she stored them in a storage bag.
“Bai Ling’er, you can go now!”
“From this moment, you belong to this young master!”
Bing Qi spoke, seeming familiar with the snake demon.
“You know what kind of demon I am. Letting me leave will only lead to my death—and his!”
The white-clad female demon opened her eyes, frowning at Bing Qi.
“It’s the rules. This young master has bought you. You’re free to leave now,” Bing Qi said indifferently.
The female demon fell silent, a flicker of thought in her eyes, before asking gravely, “Is this the Spirit Beast Court’s decision, or *that one’s* decision?”
“It’s both the Spirit Beast Court’s and *that one’s* decision,” Bing Qi replied.
At this, the female demon’s gaze returned to Mo Fan, now tinged with doubt.
She studied him again, then stood, walking out of the cell to Mo Fan’s side, giving a slight bow, “From now on, you are my master.”
“You’re called Bai Ling’er?” Mo Fan asked curiously.
From her conversation with Bing Qi, he sensed this snake demon had a significant background, possibly tied to the market’s higher-ups.
“That was the name my former master gave me, but I don’t plan to use it anymore. Master, you may give me a new name,” the female demon said calmly.
“Your true form is a white snake?” Mo Fan asked suddenly.
Most demons fashioned their clothes from their beast hides, so the colour often matched their true form’s skin.
Hence his question.
“Yes, my true form is a white snake with water affinity,” the female demon nodded.
“White snake… In that case, you’ll be called Bai Yao Yao from now on!”
Mo Fan spoke, a smile spreading across his face.
The name Yao Yao came from a line in the *Book of Songs: Peach Blossom*—“Peach trees bloom vibrantly, their flowers radiant”—praising a woman’s beauty like peach blossoms.
The moment Mo Fan saw this snake demon, that line came to mind.
“Yao Yao…” The female demon murmured the name, then smiled brightly, bowing again to Mo Fan, “Yao Yao thanks Master for the name!”
“Mhm.”
Mo Fan nodded. He had planned to devour this snake demon, but after hearing her exchange with Bing Qi, he changed his mind.
His instincts told him this demon’s origins were far from simple. Moreover, she was a water-affinity snake demon!
Such demons were rare on Black Wind Mountain, and Mo Fan wouldn’t pass her up, especially with her decent cultivation. She could handle many tasks for him in the future.
He wanted to ask about her background but held back with Bing Qi present.
“Bing Qi, does this market sell cultivation techniques?” Mo Fan asked suddenly.
“No.”
Bing Qi shook her head, frowning, “Cultivation techniques are a core asset for any cultivation force. No one would sell them. Even rogue cultivators who stumble upon one wouldn’t reveal it lightly, for fear of inviting deadly trouble.”
“Alright then.”
Mo Fan nodded. He hadn’t seen cultivation techniques for sale during his last visit either—only mundane martial arts at best.
His real goal wasn’t a cultivation technique but a technique to conceal his aura, so he could venture into human territory.
The human skin scroll’s Ten Thousand Poisons Body and the beast-hide cultivation manual made him eager to learn human writing.
Bing Qi’s answer was disappointing, though.
