Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

The Demon General of the Underworld Sea left behind three bottles of cultivation pills and a large amount of cultivation resources before leading the Underworld Serpent Clan and his eight loyal demon generals away from the Underworld Sea Cave in sorrow.

Chen Yuan borrowed a demon general from the Iron-Winged Demon Commander, wrote a letter, and ordered the general to go to the Thunder Mountain Cave and deliver it to the Thunder Mountain Demon King to report on the establishment of the Northern Underworld Cave.

Iron Wing Demon General vented his anger, but he was not satisfied.

He watched the departing figure of the Nether Sea Demon General and said hatefully, "That old thief is so willing to cut off his tail to save his life. He would rather give up the Nether Sea Cave, which the Nether Serpent Clan has managed for tens of thousands of years, than fight us."

He originally intended to eliminate the threat completely, but the Demon General of the Underworld was too shrewd. Although he gave up the entire cave, he saved his life and took away most of the treasures he had collected.

A hint of regret flashed in Chen Yuan's eyes as he said calmly, "Brother Tie, do not worry. We have already seized the Nether Sea Cave. His foundation has been lost, and he has become a stray dog. His power is hard to recover."

"The time to wipe them out will come when the great war between the two worlds begins."

Although the cultivation resources left behind by the Demon General of the Underworld Sea were plentiful, they were only a small part compared to the accumulation of the Underworld Sea Cave over tens of thousands of years.

However, he surrendered without a fight, leaving behind an intact cave dwelling and nearly a hundred demon generals. According to the rules, he was not required to leave any treasures as compensation.

However, those three bottles of cultivation pills should be all that he had accumulated. Before his physical body breaks through, it would be useless for the Demon General of the Underworld to leave behind any more cultivation pills.

Although the physical bodies of demons are naturally strong, it is extremely difficult for them to break through bottlenecks, and this is especially true for those with higher cultivation levels.

Chen Yuan also possessed a jade pendant, which allowed him to draw upon the power of the stars to temper his physical body. He didn't need to worry about bottlenecks, which is why his cultivation progressed so quickly.

A ruthless glint flashed in Iron Wing Demon General's eyes as he whispered, "Brother Kun is absolutely right. One day, I will personally kill that old thief from the Underworld Sea!"

He will never give up easily, and the Demon General of the Underworld will surely plot a comeback. The two will continue to fight each other in the future.

But today is the day Chen Yuan opens his residence, so the Iron-Winged Demon General quickly changed the subject: "Congratulations, Brother Kun, on opening your residence today. I'll take this opportunity to offer you these three bottles of pills."

Chen Yuan smiled slightly: "Then I shall accept your offer."

He stored the pills left behind by the Demon General of the Underworld into his internal space, while the other cultivation resources left behind by the Demon General of the Underworld were divided equally between the two of them.

Since the Demon General of the Underworld Sea's cave was seized, it naturally wouldn't have left behind any precious treasures. It would only have some low-level cultivation resources suitable for demon generals and low-level demon beasts, which would be useless to the Demon General.

Chen Yuan didn't care at all and generously gave up half of it, making Iron Wing Demon General feel a little embarrassed.

The reason why the Demon General of the Underworld surrendered without a fight was mainly due to the reputation of Chen Yuan, the Demon General of the Holy Clan, and the intimidation of the Thunder Mountain Demon King.

If it were only Iron Wing Demon General issuing a challenge, Underworld Demon General would not back down in the slightest.

If he had actually fought, that would have been one thing, but he avenged his past grievances effortlessly and significantly weakened the power of the Underworld Demon General, which was already a great achievement.

He felt a little ashamed that he could still get a lot of cultivation resources, and he became even closer to Chen Yuan.

Chen Yuan not only didn't care about these cultivation resources, but he also didn't care how many demon generals the Underworld Demon General left behind.

He established his own domain to integrate into the Burning Demon Realm and avoid revealing his identity as a human cultivator. He knew he would eventually return to the Spirit Realm and had no intention of building up his influence in the Burning Demon Realm.

Moreover, with his current strength, no matter how many demon generals he has under his command, they won't be of much use.

His insistence on keeping these demon generals and even using the Thunder Mountain Demon King to intimidate the Underworld Sea Demon Commander and force him to make concessions was a last resort.

Chen Yuan is currently showing signs of wanting to establish his own domain. If the Demon General of the Underworld is allowed to take away his demon generals, it will definitely arouse suspicion in the Demon King of Thunder Mountain, who will worry that he has ulterior motives.

Why not borrow the power of the Thunder Mountain Demon King and use his influence to our advantage?

Even if the Demon General of the Underworld learns the truth in the future, and even pleads with the Demon King of Thunder Mountain, he will not make things difficult for Chen Yuan over such a trivial matter.

Ultimately, a Saint Clan demon general who demonstrates formidable strength is far more valuable than a mid-level demon general whose cultivation has stagnated for a long time.

That's why Chen Yuan had to risk having his identity exposed to disguise himself as a demon general of the Kunyu clan; otherwise, even establishing a government would be extremely difficult.

The demon race did not value elaborate rituals. Chen Yuan simply replaced the stone tablet of "Nether Sea Cave Mansion" with "Northern Nether Cave Mansion," and the demon generals bowed and paid their respects to complete the opening ceremony.

Once the Thunder Mountain Demon King bestows the Demon General's token and acknowledges the Northern Underworld Cave, Chen Yuan will become the ruler of a region, governing a territory spanning millions of miles, with the power of life and death, and none will dare disobey.

As the lord of a prefecture, Ironwing Demon General could not stay away for long. The next day, he took his share of cultivation resources, bid farewell, and returned with his demon generals.

Chen Yuan did not value material possessions, and all the servants of the Underworld Sea Cave had been taken away by the Underworld Sea Demon General, leaving him with no one to use. Therefore, he did not rebuild the cave, but instead moved into the Underworld Sea Demon General's cave.

The Demon General of the Underworld has painstakingly cultivated the island for tens of thousands of years. The island is picturesque with clear waters and lush mountains, and its buildings are densely packed. The cave dwellings are exceptionally luxurious, making it comparable to a giant sect in the human world.

The demon race is naturally not good at this; these were all done by the slaves under the command of the Demon General of the Underworld.

The number of slaves he took away was over a thousand, and the lowest level of cultivation was Foundation Establishment.

Among them were weapon refiners, alchemists, and formation masters, but all of them had been placed under a soul restriction, their lives and deaths in the hands of the demon generals of the Nether Serpent Clan.

Only cultivators in the late Core Formation stage or Nascent Soul stage will have their souls restricted by the Demon General of the Underworld Sea.

Human slaves are a highly valuable resource in the Burning Demon Realm. Demons are naturally unable to take human form, and after undergoing tribulation, they can rule over a region. Even wild demons who are attached to the Demon General of the Underworld Sea will not serve him like human slaves.

Chen Yuan established his own government alone, without any trusted demon generals or human slaves to command. He could only first win over a group of demon generals left behind by the Nether Sea Demon Generals for his own use.

Excluding the eight demon generals who followed the Demon General of the Underworld, there are still ninety-six demon generals remaining on the island.

Chen Yuan spent several days talking with each of these demon generals, gaining a deeper understanding of them.

Among them, seventy-five demon generals ruled over a region, while twenty-one demon generals had no foundation and could only stay in the Nether Sea Cave to cultivate, relying on the Nether Sea Demon Commander.

Of these twenty-one demon generals, half were weaker wild demons, and the other half lost their territories either because they failed in battles with other demon generals or were unable to bear the heavy offerings.

The beautiful woman who was the first to speak and pledge allegiance to Chen Yuan was one of them.

This woman is named Jiangzhu. She is only a low-level demon general. Her original form is a clam in the Nether Sea. She has cultivated for thousands of years and finally managed to survive the tribulation of transformation. However, her strength is mediocre and she can only rely on the demon general of the Nether Sea.

Those demon generals who remained in the Nether Sea Cave, as well as those who ruled over a region, all spoke with considerable disdain for Jiang Zhu.

This woman has mediocre bloodline and is a wild demon with no foundation, so naturally she cannot rule over a region.

However, she was stunningly beautiful, and female demon generals were extremely rare among the demon race. She took advantage of this and had affairs with many demon generals of the Nether Serpent Clan in exchange for cultivation resources to temper her physical body and improve her cultivation level.

Over a thousand years have passed, and she is only one step away from becoming a mid-level demon general, progressing even faster than those low-level demon generals who rule over a region.

In the demon realm, the strong prey on the weak, and power reigns supreme. Jiangzhu, relying on the demon generals of the Nether Serpent clan, held considerable power in the Nether Sea Cave, a position that other demon generals greatly despised, especially the frustrated wild demons. Despite clearly relying on the Nether Serpent clan to achieve his current level of cultivation, he immediately abandoned them when the Nether Sea demon commander lost power, switching allegiance to Chen Yuan, further increasing the contempt of the other demon generals.

Including Jiangzhu, most of the dozen or so demon generals who were the first to pledge their loyalty to Chen Yuan were demon generals without their own territories.

They were initially tempted by the generous rewards promised by the Demon General of the Underworld, but upon learning that Chen Yuan was a Demon General of the Holy Clan and had no trusted demon generals, they immediately switched sides, hoping to seize an opportunity, only to be outmaneuvered by Jiang Zhu.

However, there were four high-ranking demon generals among them, each with a vast territory of 60,000 to 70,000 miles under their command, who had not agreed to continue following the Nether Sea Demon Commander.

Upon learning that the Iron-Winged Demon General would not accept the Nether Sea Cave, they immediately pledged their loyalty to Chen Yuan.

These four high-ranking demon generals are only one step away from becoming demon commanders. They only want to find an opportunity to challenge for the title of demon commander. Each of them has the support of their respective clans and a solid foundation.

Their clan has a profound foundation, with more than a dozen low- to mid-level demon generals, and even more than one high-level demon general.

No other high-ranking demon generals would rashly start a war with it, and its lineage is even longer than that of the Nether Serpent Clan.

The Demon General of the Underworld was originally a demon general under another demon general. After being promoted to demon general, he attached himself to the Demon King of Thunder Mountain. Later, he established his residence here and renamed this great lake the Underworld Sea.

These four high-ranking demon generals would only serve the lord of this place. Although they were extremely respectful to Chen Yuan, Chen Yuan knew very well that these demon generals could only be used, not relied upon as confidants.

The same applies to other demon generals who rule over a region; they have their own foundations, which even Chen Yuan cannot easily strip away.

Only those twenty-one demon generals without territories truly wanted to pledge their loyalty to him in exchange for a chance to defy fate.

However, they didn't even have a territory, so their strength was naturally inferior among demon generals of the same rank, making them unsuitable for important tasks.

Chen Yuan didn't expect these demon generals to be of any use. He summoned all the demon generals and announced in public: "From now on, when I am in seclusion for cultivation, Jiangzhu will handle the various affairs of the Northern Underworld Cave."

The demon generals were greatly surprised, and even Jiangzhu herself was quite taken aback.

She had been trying to seduce Chen Yuan these past few days, but he remained unmoved. Unexpectedly, he granted her the authority over the Northern Underworld Cave.

Jiangzhu, her face beaming with joy, gracefully bowed and said, "This servant will certainly not fail the Demon Commander's trust and will handle the matter impartially!"

Seeing this, the demon generals became even more indignant, but none of them dared to question Chen Yuan's decision in public.

Even the Demon General of the Underworld Sea surrendered without a fight, so how could these demon generals dare to resist?

But Jiangzhu's sudden rise to power led many demon generals to speculate that perhaps she had won Chen Yuan's favor in the past few days.
Looking at Jiangzhu's beautiful face and hot figure, a pang of jealousy welled up in his heart.

This Northern Underworld Demon General is truly indiscriminate in his desires; this woman has undoubtedly slept with countless demon generals of the Underworld Serpent Clan, yet she still manages to catch his eye…

Chen Yuan saw the dissatisfaction in the hearts of the demon generals, and a smile appeared on his lips.

It was his intention to put Jiangzhu in charge of the reins.

Jiangzhu was originally a wild demon with mediocre strength. She also had ties with many demon generals of the Nether Serpent Clan, giving her a terrible reputation. She was despised by the demon generals, and if she suddenly gained power, she would only become the target of everyone's attacks.

But that's precisely why she's even more loyal to Chen Yuan.

Only by relying on Chen Yuan could Jiangzhu continue to hold power in the Northern Underworld Cave and dare not join forces with other demon generals.

Chen Yuan then appointed a low-ranking demon general named Mi Xin, who had always been at odds with Jiang Zhu, as Jiang Zhu's deputy to jointly handle the affairs of the Beiming Cave.

Chen Yuan learned from the other demon generals that this Bewitching Demon General was sinister and ruthless. Jiangzhu had offended him before and had always held a grudge against him, opposing him at every turn.

With the two forces in check and balance, and with many demon generals eyeing the area covetously, even if Chen Yuan remains in seclusion, the Northern Underworld Cave will remain firmly under his control.

However, this kind of political maneuvering, though seemingly sophisticated, is actually just a minor trick.

Chen Yuan seems to have a firm grip on the Northern Underworld Cave, but his foundation is extremely unstable. His demon generals are only superficially united, and the cave will fall apart at the critical moment.

However, his establishment of a residence in the Demon Burning Realm was merely a temporary measure, and he did not need to bother to control this cave dwelling.

After doing this, Chen Yuan then bestowed the vacant territory left by the departure of the eight demon generals upon the eight demon generals who had never had territory before, according to their strength.

These eight demon generals were extremely grateful to him and could barely be considered his confidants.

After they left, apart from Jiangzhu and Mixin, there were still ten demon generals in the Beiming Cave, including seven low-level demon generals and three mid-level demon generals.

Based on their strength, these three mid-level demon generals should also be allocated a piece of spiritual land.

Of the eight vacant territories, four were quite fertile and were acquired by mid-level demon generals.

The remaining four territories were quite barren, and mid-level demon generals wouldn't even consider them; it would be better for them to stay in the Northern Underworld Cave to cultivate.

In the past, most of the 300,000-mile territory directly ruled by the Underworld Demon General belonged to the Underworld Serpent Clan, while the dwelling places of other demon generals were relatively barren.

However, Chen Yuan was all alone and treated his demon generals very generously, allowing them to temporarily use the spiritual veins for cultivation, and also letting them mine the spiritual stone and spiritual material veins, as long as they paid their tributes as before.

These demon generals were greatly encouraged and were willing to stay in the Northern Underworld Cave.

The strongest of the mid-level demon generals is named Rong Gu. Originally a wild demon, he has remained in the Nether Sea Cave after taking human form. He is quite powerful, but has never had the opportunity to rule over a region.

The original form of this Molten Bone Demon General was a Molten Fire Demon Bull, known for its honest and simple nature, immense strength, and mastery of a spiritual fire. In the past, it had fought against several mid-level demon generals under the command of the Underworld Sea Demon General and never suffered a defeat.

However, he preferred quiet and was unwilling to rule over any one place. Instead, he lived in a volcano more than 10,000 miles away from the Underworld Sea, where he slept and cultivated.

The Demon General of the Underworld Sea valued this Bone-Melting Demon General highly and bestowed upon him many treasures. Now that he had surrendered without a fight, he also wanted to take him away.

However, Ironwing Demon General also knew the strength of Melting Bone. In the great battle more than 600 years ago, he had killed three of Melting Bone's mid-level demon generals in succession and forced him to stay.

The Demon General of the Underworld was quite reluctant, but Chen Yuan, taking advantage of the power of the Thunder Mountain Demon King, made him dare not object.

Molten Bones wasn't particularly loyal to the Underworld Demon General, so he simply stayed and continued to live in that volcano.

Chen Yuan spent half a month reorganizing the nearly one hundred demon generals under the command of the Beiming Cave. Most of the rules remained the same, and the tributes paid were unchanged. Only a few territories were redistributed.

While the demon generals didn't claim to be completely convinced, they were all outwardly extremely submissive.

Although they had reservations about Jiangzhu and Mixin's control over the Beiming Cave, they had no right to object and could only accept it, gradually returning to their own territories.

Three days after all the demon generals had left, Chen Yuan was cultivating in his cave when Jiangzhu suddenly reported: "Reporting to the demon general, the Heavenly Hou demon general has come to visit on the orders of the Thunder Mountain Demon King, and has brought with him a hundred human slaves." (End of this chapter)