Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

More than six million miles to the east of the Iron Wing Cave, there is a vast lake with a radius of tens of thousands of miles. Standing in it, one is surrounded by boundless blue waves, as vast as the sea.

The lake is dotted with islands, the largest of which is a thousand miles in size.

The island is covered with rolling hills and lush greenery, with a towering peak at its center offering a panoramic view of the surrounding mountains.

In the Demon Burning Realm, there are countless mountains thousands of feet high, but this one stands on an island in the middle of a lake, with a depth of thousands of feet beneath the water.

At the top of this towering peak stands a stone tablet about ten feet in size, inscribed with the four characters "Minghai Cave".

This great lake was named the Sea of ​​Darkness.

This lake was not originally called this, but after the Demon General of the Underworld established his residence here, he began to call it that, and it has been passed down for tens of thousands of years.

But today, all the demon generals and sentient beasts on the island know that this great lake is going to be renamed again.

They all gathered on a dark red sand beach on the west side of the island. The beach was flat and open, and the dark red sand on the ground was fine and round. Under the sunlight, it shone brightly, but it was particularly glaring to the eyes of the demon generals.

The Nether Sea Demon General they served had already sent a letter of surrender to the Iron Wing Demon General, surrendering without a fight and handing over the entire Nether Sea Cave and the million-mile territory it ruled.

Today is the day that Ironwing Demon General will come to accept the surrender, a day agreed upon by the Underworld Demon General in the letter of surrender.

They stood with their hands clasped, stealing glances at the old man in yellow robes standing at the front, their eyes filled with resentment and doubt, yet none dared to question the decision of this demon general of the underworld.

The demon generals clearly remembered that when the Demon General of the Underworld Sea received the challenge letter from the Demon General of the Iron Wings, he was furious and immediately made the challenge letter public.

He issued an edict summoning all his demon generals to fight the Ironwing Demon Commander to the death, seize the Ironwing Cave, and even exterminate the Iron Eagle Clan to settle this feud.

But for some reason, just two months after the Demon General of the Underworld issued his decree, he suddenly issued a second decree, demanding that the Demon General of the Iron Wings surrender the entire Underworld Cave.

The demon generals were shocked and secretly tried to find out why, but none of them knew why the Demon General of the Underworld had surrendered without a fight.

However, the Demon General of the Underworld Sea was the master of the Underworld Sea Cave. He could fight or surrender at will, and the demon generals had no choice but to obey, no matter how unwilling they were.

As for those low-level demonic beasts that have not yet taken human form, they have no choice at all.

Because the two edicts issued by the Demon General of the Underworld were too close together, the demon generals had not yet had time to gather the beast tide.

These low-level demon beasts were still unaware that the two demon generals had almost started a major battle, and remained completely oblivious.

However, this time, the demon generals were also completely puzzled. Only a few high-ranking demon generals from the Underworld Demon General's clan knew the clues. At this moment, they stood behind the Underworld Demon General with deathly pale faces and dejected expressions.

The demon generals had also secretly inquired about them, but after the Demon General of the Underworld issued the second decree, these high-ranking demon generals were vague and did not reveal any information, only inviting them to continue serving the Demon General of the Underworld.

The Demon General of the Underworld personally persuaded the demons to continue following him, making many promises that greatly moved them.

The Demon General of the Underworld surrendered without a fight. Although he would not lose his life, he would no longer be able to rule the Underworld Cave.

However, as a mid-level demon general, the Thunder Mountain Demon King would not let him fend for himself. Instead, he would designate a 100,000-mile-long area within the Thunder Mountain Cave for the Underworld Demon General and his demon generals and beasts to temporarily reside in.

If the Demon General of the Underworld wants to regain control of a region, he can only do so by making contributions in the war between the two realms.

This requires sufficient strength for him to win over these demon generals and beasts.

After losing the Nether Sea Cave, the Nether Sea Demon General no longer needs to pay offerings, but the cultivation resources under his control will be greatly reduced, making it impossible to supply the cultivation of all the demon generals and beasts under his command.

If they continue to follow the Demon General of the Underworld, they will only have to endure stagnation in their cultivation and risk their lives for him in the war between the two realms.

All that could be obtained was a promise from the Demon General of the Underworld Sea that he would bestow great rewards upon him after establishing his own domain, a promise fraught with immense risk.

Under other circumstances, the demon generals would never have agreed; they would have preferred to stay and serve the victorious demon commander instead.

Demon generals and demon beasts are essentially the same as the spirit stone and spirit material mines in their territory; they are also a kind of cultivation resource, and demon generals will not slaughter them without reason.

This is also why it is extremely difficult for the Demon General to reopen his abode after losing it.

Their strength has greatly diminished, and the number of demon generals and beasts loyal to them has decreased significantly. They can only live under the command of the Demon King, barely surviving.

Without the qualifications to fight against the demon generals who have established their own domains, it would be extremely difficult to make contributions in the war between the two realms.

They could only serve the Demon King in exchange for some rewards.

However, they were not the Demon King's confidants, but rather the weak who had lost in the battle. These rewards were merely a drop in the ocean, and they had no hope of ever advancing to the Demon King level.

Therefore, every demon general who wants to advance to the rank of demon king must establish his own domain, rule over a region, wage war in various places, and make contributions in the war between the two realms before he can advance to the rank of demon king.

These are the rules set by the Great Sages, and also the law of the jungle in the Demon Burning Realm.

But this time, it is the Iron-Winged Demon General who will be taking over the Underworld Cave.

He and the Demon General of the Underworld had once fought a great battle, and their enmity ran deep.

Although the Iron-Winged Demon General probably wouldn't exterminate all the demon generals, if they stayed, they would definitely be ostracized everywhere.

The cultivation resources under their control, and even the low-level demonic beasts under their command, would be seized by the demon generals under the Iron Wing Demon General.

In the upcoming war between the two worlds, they can only serve as cannon fodder.

Rather than that, it's better to continue following the Demon General of the Underworld.

The lifespan of demons is inherently long; they can afford to wait over six hundred years.

If he's lucky, the Demon General of the Underworld might be able to make a name for himself in the war between the two realms and reopen his domain.

With such unwavering loyalty, the Demon General of the Underworld Sea will certainly not be stingy with rewards.

As a result, many demon generals chose to continue following the Demon General of the Underworld Sea, even at the cost of giving up more than 10,000 miles of territory.

However, some demon generals had reservations and decided to wait until the Iron-Winged Demon General took over the cave before making a decision.

These are all demon generals with high cultivation levels, mostly mid-level or even high-level demon generals. They are not of the same race as the Nether Sea Demon General, and their territories are quite rich, making it difficult for them to give up.

Faced with these hesitant individuals, the Demon General of the Underworld did not press them any further.

According to the rules, after a demon general is defeated, all demon generals can choose a master to serve.

The Demon General of the Underworld surrendered without a fight, only needing to cede his territory without paying any compensation.

He can take all his treasured possessions with him, but he cannot deliberately damage cultivation resources such as spiritual veins, spiritual lands, spiritual stone mines, and spiritual material mines.

This is also a rule set by the Great Sages, so that after each battle, only a broken territory would be left, which would violate the original intention of the internal struggle of the demon race.

……

At the forefront of the demon generals, the Demon General of the Underworld Sea stood with his hands behind his back, gazing into the distant sky.

He wore a yellow robe, his hair and beard were white, his face was aged, and his expression was ashen. At this moment, a surge of anger was burning within him, but he had nowhere to vent it.

Upon receiving the challenge from the Iron-Winged Demon General, he was furious and issued an edict the next day to summon his demon generals.

But no matter how angry he was, he wouldn't immediately fight back.

More than 600 years ago, he took advantage of the situation to seize a large amount of cultivation resources from the Iron Wing Demon General, causing great damage to the Iron Wing Cave.

With this gain, he devoted himself to cultivation, and his physical body is about to break through the bottleneck, becoming comparable to a high-level demon general. His cultivation level has also increased significantly.

He even asked a demon weapon refiner under the Thunder Mountain Demon King to forge a magic weapon, which greatly increased his strength.

With the balance of power shifting, Iron Wing Demon General was no longer his match.

But since Ironwing Demon General dares to gamble with his entire cave, he must have made thorough preparations.

They must have some extremely hidden trump card to dare to fight him to the death.

Since the ownership of the entire cave was at stake, he dared not be careless. He wanted to find out the Iron Wing Demon General's methods first, and prepare for the battle three years later.

Furthermore, the sudden attack by the Iron Wing Demon General also puzzled him greatly.

With a great war between the two realms imminent, the Thunder Mountain Demon King has secretly issued an edict forbidding the demon generals from fighting each other.

Otherwise, he would have already challenged the Ironwing Demon Commander and even seized the Ironwing Cave.

It's just a matter of bearing an extra 20% of the offerings; as long as you make contributions in the war between the two realms, you can easily offset it.

Meanwhile, the Demon General of the Underworld has greatly improved his strength, and his demon generals and beasts have also made great progress. He is eager to make a name for himself in the war between the two realms.

He refrained from taking action only because of the order from the Thunder Mountain Demon King.

But now that Ironwing Demon General has openly violated the Thunder Mountain Demon King's ban, even if he wins this battle, the Thunder Mountain Demon King will not forgive him.

His actions were tantamount to courting death, which is rather suspicious.

While preparing for battle, the Demon General of the Underworld Sea also immediately dispatched a demon general to pay respects to the Demon King of Thunder Mountain and report the matter.

If the Thunder Mountain Demon King were to be enraged and secretly send out demon generals to aid in the battle, he might be able to seize the Iron Wing Cave without breaking a sweat.

The Demon General of the Underworld Sea didn't have to wait long. The demon general soon returned to the Underworld Sea Cave, followed by Yu Cheng, a low-ranking demon general under the Thunder Mountain Demon King.

It was from Yu Cheng's words that the Underworld Demon General learned that the Iron Wing Demon General had actually invited a Kun Fish Demon General as a guest elder, and had even received the approval of the Thunder Mountain Demon King.

This time, the Iron-Winged Demon General's challenge was tacitly approved by the Thunder Mountain Demon King.

The Demon General of the Underworld was shocked. The Demon King of Thunder Mountain was going to sacrifice him to allow the Demon General of the Kun Fish to open his mansion!
But this was the decision of the Thunder Mountain Demon King; how could a mere mid-level demon general like him possibly resist it?

The Kun fish demon general Kunfeng, who was of holy blood, defeated the Iron Wing demon general in just a few rounds, making him no match for him.

Under Yu Cheng's persuasion, the Demon General of the Underworld finally made a decision, presented a letter of surrender, and temporarily hid in the Thunder Mountain Cave to avoid disaster, waiting for the great war between the two realms before making a comeback.

This was also the intention of the Thunder Mountain Demon King. With a great war between the two realms imminent, he did not want to sit idly by and watch his demon generals die for no reason, so he sent Yu Cheng to persuade him.

Forced by circumstances, the Demon General of the Underworld had no choice but to relinquish his cave dwelling, which he had cultivated for tens of thousands of years. He was filled with grief and indignation, but dared not show it.

If his demon generals knew that the Nether Sea Cave would fall into the hands of a mid-level demon general of the Saint Clan, they would definitely switch allegiance to Kunfeng.

Before this, he had his clan's demon generals win over other demon generals to serve him, so that he could retain more strength and increase his chances of making contributions in the upcoming war between the two realms.

If Yu Cheng hadn't urged him so urgently, he would have dragged it out for three years, inciting his demon generals to move into the Thunder Mountain Cave with him before presenting a letter of surrender.

However, the Thunder Mountain Demon King had already tacitly approved Kunfeng's establishment of his own domain as a reward for his service, so how could he allow the Underworld Demon General to delay any longer?

He could only immediately send out a letter of surrender, agree on the day of acceptance, and do his best to encourage the demon generals to continue following him.

However, given the gravity of the matter, apart from the low- to mid-level demon generals with barren territories and the wild demons who do not yet have territories, the stronger demon generals are still observing.

The Demon General of the Underworld did not dare to push too far, not only to abide by the rules of internal strife among the demon race, but also because he did not want to offend the Demon General Kunfeng too much.

He is about to establish his residence here. If all the demon generals and low-level demon beasts are taken away by the Underworld Demon Commander, he will definitely not let it go.

In order to bring him under his command, the Demon King of Leishan did not hesitate to disobey his own secret decree and tacitly allowed him to establish his own residence, which shows that he valued him highly.

The Demon General of the Underworld Sea harbored even deeper hatred for the Demon General of the Iron Wings. Kun Feng could have established his residence anywhere, but he chose the Underworld Sea Cave Residence by choice, which must have been due to the interference of the Demon General of the Iron Wings.

He did not regret taking advantage of others' misfortune to deal with the Iron-Winged Demon General.

If Iron Wing Demon General knew that he was seriously injured and his strength had declined, he would never have missed such a good opportunity.

The demon race is inherently a dog-eat-dog world, and the threat of a war between the two realms hangs over them like a sharp blade that could fall at any moment.

No demon general would show mercy as long as it increases their strength.

The Demon General of the Underworld Sea regretted that he had been too hesitant back then, fearing that the Demon General of Iron Wings would fight him to the death, and thus did not completely eliminate him, leaving behind future troubles.

This time he was forced to give up the entire cave, but if he can make a comeback in the future, he will definitely tear the Iron Wing Demon Commander to pieces to vent his hatred.

The Demon General of the Underworld was filled with rage, but his face only showed a slightly gloomy expression. The demon generals behind him were also silent and waited quietly.

Suddenly, the Demon General of the Underworld Sea's eyes flickered, and he slowly rose into the air. Seeing this, the demon generals quickly followed.

After a while, more than twenty streaks of light appeared on the horizon and flew toward the island.

The Demon General of the Underworld and his demon generals took the initiative to meet them. Their escape light crossed the lake and came to a stop above the island.

The two leading figures were none other than Iron Wing Demon General and Chen Yuan, followed by more than twenty mid-to-high-ranking demon generals of the Iron Eagle Clan.

Chen Yuan and Iron Wing Demon General did not conceal their auras, and the demon generals were all surprised to see the arrival of the two mid-level demon generals.

The Demon General of the Underworld Sea gave the Demon General of the Iron Wings a cold look, then turned to Chen Yuan, clasped his hands in a bow, and said with a smile, "I am the Demon General of the Underworld Sea. Are you the Demon General of Kunfeng?"

Chen Yuan returned the greeting with clasped hands and said calmly, "Not bad."

When the Demon General of the Underworld saw his calm reaction, his smile froze.

Iron-Winged Demon General sneered: "Minghai, we are here today to accept your surrender. You are to leave this place today. From now on, this territory will be under Brother Kun's rule!"

The Demon General of the Underworld Sea's expression darkened, and the demon generals behind him looked on in astonishment, all turning to look at the unfamiliar Demon General Kunfeng.

Chen Yuan looked at the demon generals and said in a deep voice, "I, Kun, have been invited by the Iron Wing Demon General to serve as a guest elder of the Iron Wing Cave. I will be establishing my own residence here. From now on, you will all be demon generals under my command. Those who disobey will be executed."

"From this day forward, I, Kun, will take the name Beiming and establish the Beiming Cave Abode!" (End of Chapter)