Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

On Fulong Island, the atmosphere was heavy and somber.

Following the orders of their clan leader Ao Cang, the Jiaolong clan spared no effort in rescuing the Blood-Eyed Spirit Serpent clan, leaving behind only a high-ranking demon general from the Azure Jiao lineage and several mid- to low-ranking demon generals to guard the clan.

The few demon generals who remained behind were somewhat disappointed. They had heard that the Kunyu and Frost Bear clans would also join the battle. Xiong Tunhai and Kun Chenglie would fight alongside their clan leader, ensuring the battle would be foolproof and there would be no danger whatsoever.

Those who remained on Fulong Island undoubtedly lost the opportunity to make meritorious contributions. Although they would be rewarded after the battle, it would not be as rewarding as those demon generals who went to rescue the Blood-Eyed Serpent Clan.

That is probably why the clan leader sent the Third Elder along instead of leaving him to guard Fulong Island.

Everyone in the Jiaolong clan knows that the clan leader is extremely fond of the Third Elder, Ao Qingsong, and even intends to groom him to be the next clan leader.

After Ao Cang took over as clan leader, the Azure Dragon lineage flourished, with more demon generals than the other four lineages. Ao Qingsong's strength was unmatched in the Azure Dragon lineage, and his actions were extremely calm, which allowed him to stand out.

The few demon generals who remained behind knew very well that if this battle hadn't been so easy, the clan leader would have had the Third Elder guard Fulong Island to prevent it from encountering danger.

After the clan leader led the dragon clan demon generals away, the remaining demon generals stayed in the cave to cultivate, and everything on Fulong Island remained the same.

Even though Fulong Island has become extremely deserted, they do not believe that anyone would dare to run wild on Fulong Island and offend the dignity of the Jiaolong clan.

The next few days were indeed as peaceful as ever, with even patrols less frequent than before.

While the demon generals of the clan left in large numbers, the spiritual energy became richer, and the demon generals who remained all went into seclusion to cultivate, not letting go of any opportunity to increase their cultivation.

But this peaceful period lasted only a few days before it was shattered by the demon general guarding the Yuandeng Hall.

When the demon generals gathered together and looked at the dozens of natal lamps that had been extinguished, especially the leading lamp of Ao Cang, they all fell into a daze.

The clan leader and all the demon generals had only been gone for a few days, how could they all have perished?
No, not all of them perished; the Third Elder's life-giving lamp is still shining brightly.

One of the blue dragon demon generals immediately reacted and shouted, "Our clan leader's strength is unparalleled in the Ten Thousand Demon Continent, and he is also assisted by dozens of elders of our clan. How could he perish so easily?"

"Those two Nascent Soul cultivators from the human realm must have used some means to sever the connection between the clan leader and the clan elders and their natal lamps!"

The demon generals suddenly realized what was happening, and all breathed a sigh of relief, echoing each other's sentiments.

Ao Bai, the high-ranking demon general who was temporarily in charge of Fulong Island, immediately decided: "Although this is a trick by human cultivators, we must not spread this matter to avoid chaos within the clan."

“From today onwards, we must strengthen our defenses, as cultivators from the human realm may take this opportunity to harass Fulong Island.”

"We must not lose our composure. If Fulong Island is lost and the clan leader and elders return, we will be held accountable even if we die a thousand deaths."

The demon generals immediately agreed, but as they dispersed, a question lingered in their minds.

Are the life-bound lamps of the clan leader and the elders truly just severed from their connection with their souls?

If that's the case, why is the Third Elder's life-giving lamp unaffected?

No demon general knew the answer, but no demon general dared to question it either.

At this critical juncture, anyone who dares to raise objections is tantamount to hoping for the death of the clan leader and all the elders.

Ao Bai, who is now in charge of Fulong Island, is Ao Qingsong's confidant. He has received many favors from Ao Qingsong and has no doubts about him whatsoever.

The demon generals dispersed, not daring to return to their caves to cultivate, and instead remained on guard at the edge of Fulong Island.

However, for the next few days, the area around Fulong Island remained calm and peaceful. The low-level dragons on the island were oblivious to the dangers, and apart from the departure of the clan leader and a group of demon generals, there was nothing unusual about them.

However, the life-force lamps that the clan leader and the demon generals had extinguished still could not be restored.

Only Ao Qingsong's natal lamp remained bright as ever, standing out conspicuously among the dozens of lamps that had fallen into silence.

Seeing this, even Ao Bai was somewhat shaken, let alone the other demon generals.

Several demon generals gathered in a grand hall to discuss this matter.

A red dragon demon general spoke up: "Even if human cultivators use some kind of supernatural power or secret technique, it is absolutely impossible to sever the connection between the clan leader and the elders and their life lamps indefinitely."

"If the clan leader and the demon generals were to meet with misfortune... how should we respond?"

One of the earth dragon demon generals said, "The clan leader and the elders may have entered a secret spatial realm..."

Before he could finish speaking, Ao Bai interrupted him: "In ancient times, there were several secret realms in the Myriad Demon Continent, but they were all taken away by cultivators from the human realm."

"After that, my demon race lost the inheritance of creating spatial secret realms and refining spatial magic treasures, and there are no more spatial secret realms in the Myriad Demon Continent."

These low- to mid-level demon generals were originally unaware of the affairs of the human realm, but now that human cultivators have returned to this realm, and the Howling Moon Silver Wolf and Blood-Eyed Spirit Serpent clans have been wiped out one after another, war has broken out again, so Ao Cang no longer hides the matter.

Over the past few days, the demon generals have read the ancient texts passed down by the clan leader and have gained a good understanding of the ancient war and the human world.

The Earth Dragon Demon General said unwillingly, "Those two Nascent Soul cultivators may have brought a spatial secret realm from the human realm, leading the clan leader and elders into it..."

The Crimson Flood Dragon Demon General shook his head: "Our patriarch is wise and mighty; how could he easily enter the spatial secret realm of a human cultivator?"

Ao Bai looked around and said, word by word, "Let's stop deceiving ourselves. I've never heard of a secret technique that can sever the connection between the soul and the natal lamp." "The clan leader and the elders are likely already dead. What should we do?"

The hall fell silent again. No demon general spoke, their faces filled with confusion and fear.

This was a question they had never considered before, but in the past few days, this terrible thought had involuntarily arisen in their minds.

The earth dragon demon general said in a hoarse voice, "If... if even the clan leader and all the elders were to die, it would not only be a calamity for my dragon clan, but for the entire demon race."

"The cultivators in the human realm are definitely far more than just two Nascent Soul cultivators. The Kunyu and Frost Bear clans won't be much better off either. The entire Ten Thousand Demon Continent is likely to change hands."

The hall grew even quieter, falling into a deathly silence.

The Earth Dragon Demon General uttered the thoughts that they dared not say, or even dared not think.

If the cultivators of the human realm were merely stronger, it would be impossible for them to completely wipe out all the demon generals of the Flood Dragon Clan.

Only when the human cultivators had a complete advantage could they kill the clan leader and almost all the demon generals, with hardly any escaping.

Under these circumstances, the Kunyu and Frostbear clans, even if not completely wiped out, would likely be close.

The Howling Moon Silver Wolf and Blood-Eyed Spirit Serpent clans had already been wiped out by the human race, and the demon race may indeed be facing its end.

A golden dragon demon general looked at Ao Qingsong's natal lamp and asked with difficulty, "If what Elder Ao Bai said is true, then why hasn't the Third Elder's natal lamp gone out?"

Several demon generals turned their heads, their gazes falling on the quietly burning natal lamp.

After a long pause, Ao Bai lowered his head: "The Third Elder is quite powerful, but the clan leader and all the elders are dead. How could the Third Elder possibly escape unscathed? He's probably... he's probably..."

Ao Bai didn't finish speaking, but the demon generals all understood what he meant, and the atmosphere became even more somber.

Suddenly, Ao Bai raised his head, a resolute look in his eyes, and said in a deep voice, "No matter what, we are ordered by the clan chief to stay in the clan and bear this heavy responsibility. We cannot sit here idly."

"The situation has changed. The fate of the clan leader and the elders is unknown. Our dragon clan has reached a critical moment of life and death. Everything must be done with the continuation of the clan in mind."

"My mind is made up. I will gather the younger generation with pure bloodlines in the clan, retrieve the clan's treasures, and have the three elders, Ao Leng, Ao Qianshan, and Ao Ren, lead us away from Fulong Island, just in case..."

The demon generals' expressions changed; Ao Bai's words almost confirmed that the dragon clan was about to be wiped out.

But the life-giving lamps of the clan leader and the elders have all been extinguished. How can these few demon generals defend the vast Fulong Island?
Several demon generals looked sorrowful, and the three demon generals he had singled out stood up and responded in a somber voice.

Ao Qianshan of the Earth Dragon lineage looked worried and asked, "Before the clan leader left, did he hand over the magic seal to the Eighth Elder?"

Ao Bai paused for a moment, then shook his head: "The three clans joining forces to rescue the Blood-Eyed Serpent Clan would seem foolproof to anyone. How could the clan leader hand over the magic seal to me? He only asked me to take charge of the array plate."

"That medicinal herb garden..."

"Before the Third Elder left, he sealed off the Spirit Herb Garden, and no one can enter it."

Ao Ren of the Golden Dragon lineage frowned deeply: "So, we can only take out some low-level cultivation resources from the treasure vault?"

The Jiaolong clan has a history spanning tens of thousands of years, possessing profound cultural heritage and accumulating numerous precious treasures, which naturally cannot be stored in one place.

The clan's treasure vault is divided into layers, each shrouded in arrays. The more precious the treasure, the more tightly it is guarded. Without the clan leader's seal, even the clan leader himself cannot collect it.

Although the Spirit Herb Garden is not as heavily guarded as the Treasure Vault, it still requires a specific token to open, and that token is in Ao Qingsong's possession.

Ao Leng of the Blue Flood Dragon lineage hesitated for a moment before saying, "It seems we have no choice but to forcefully break through the formation and retrieve the spiritual herbs and treasures..."

Ao Bai said decisively, "Impossible! The situation is unclear. Although the life lamps of the clan leader and the elders have been extinguished, it cannot be concluded that they are all dead."

“I was ordered by the clan leader to guard Fulong Island, but I have violated the clan rules without authorization. If the clan leader and the elders return safely, how am I supposed to explain this to the clan leader?”

The demon generals remained silent. Although they all felt that the clan leader and the group of demon generals were likely to be in grave danger, none of them dared to make a definitive statement.

Ao Bai said, "This matter should never be mentioned again. The treasure vault and the spirit herb garden are connected to the spiritual veins on the island. To break them would be to destroy the foundation of our clan. I cannot be a sinner to my clan."

"I'll go to the treasure vault right now and take whatever treasures I can."

"You shall now gather the clansmen with the purest bloodlines of the five lineages. This must be done in secret, without alerting the other clansmen."

The demon generals immediately agreed, got up and left the main hall to carry out their tasks separately.

But just as they activated their escape light, a figure suddenly appeared in front of them.

The demon generals were shocked. They looked closely and saw that the person was dressed in white, with wings on his back, a smile on his lips, and a leisurely expression. His eyes swept over them, revealing a hint of scrutiny.

While the other demon generals were still wondering, Ao Bai's expression changed: "You are... True Person Xinghuo!"

As a high-ranking demon general, he had read She Zhelin's letter, which included a portrait of Xinghuo Zhenren.

The white-robed cultivator nodded with a smile: "Since you recognize me, why don't you surrender?" (End of Chapter)