Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

Jiangzhu was quite surprised and said respectfully, "Lord of the Palace, the Burning Demon Realm is so vast, and those escaped human slaves are extremely cunning and adept at hiding themselves."

"Especially Nascent Soul cultivators, they are all like rock rats, why waste energy on them?"

The rock rat she mentioned is an extremely common type of monster on the Tianhai Continent, and its numbers are so numerous that they are almost endless.

However, these demonic beasts have mediocre bloodlines and their strength is generally at the lower level of the first rank. Even the middle level of the first rank is extremely rare. They can only become food for other demonic beasts, and their best skill is digging holes to hide.

As for the title of "Lord of the Prefecture," it was because Chen Yuan disliked the title "General," which made him feel awkward, so he ordered his demon generals to change the title.

The demon generals naturally had no objections. Although the demon race and the human race were mortal enemies, the demon race greatly admired human customs due to the power of the spirit realm. Many demon generals and demon kings were also fond of such refined pursuits and called themselves "Lord of the Palace".

Chen Yuan said calmly, "We will obey His Majesty's orders. There is no need to expend much effort. We can simply keep an eye out while we are searching for slaves."

"Remember, never place a soul restriction on a human slave beforehand."

Jiangzhu smiled and said, "Don't worry, Lord. These human slaves are to fill the Beiming Cave. How dare those demon generals act rashly?"

Chen Yuan nodded slightly and said, "I need to leave the manor for a while. During this time, you will be in charge of handling the affairs of the manor. Mi Xin, assist me and report back to me."

Jiangzhu's eyes lit up, and she immediately agreed. After bowing, she withdrew.

Chen Yuan got up and walked out of the cave. With a flash of light, he determined his direction and flew off the island.

He naturally had no shortage of human slaves under his command, and he ordered his demon generals to search for them only to find Cangsong Daoren and Lu Wangquan.

Upon entering the Demon Burning Realm, the four were scattered within a radius of one million miles, around the Iron Wing Cave.

But this is already an extremely vast distance, comparable to half of the Myriad Demon Continent or the Nine Immortal Continent.

Moreover, after Qin Wuyai's accident and the shattering of Ruyi's clone, Lu Wangquan and Cangsong Daoren will definitely hide, making it as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack to find their whereabouts.

Now that Chen Yuan has transformed into the Northern Underworld Demon General, he cannot openly search for the two's whereabouts, so he can only use the pretext of capturing human slaves to do so incidentally.

The demon race in the Burning Demon Realm maintains extremely tight control over human slaves, but there are always loopholes, and sometimes human slaves escape the demon race's control.

Over time, many human cultivators in the Burning Demon Realm have hidden themselves in various remote and desolate places.

Just like the human cultivators on the continent of ten thousand demons, who were barely surviving at the border of the eight royal clans.

However, the demon race in the Burning Demon Realm is far stronger than that in the Myriad Demon Continent. These human cultivators dare not build cities, let alone openly resist the demon race. They can only try their best to hide themselves and preserve their lives.

The attitudes of the demon race towards these human cultivators varied, with some believing it to be a trivial matter and insignificant.

Some demons also believe that these human cultivators are a major threat and must not be allowed to operate in the Burning Demon Realm, lest they be used by the shadow spy cultivators of the Spirit Realm as internal agents to infiltrate the Burning Demon Realm.

The Demon King of Leishan belonged to the latter category, and his search for these escapees never stopped.

He once issued an edict, specifically targeting human Nascent Soul cultivators, promising to bestow treasures upon anyone who could capture or kill a fleeing Nascent Soul cultivator.

This decree was in effect for a long time, but was rarely carried out.

It wasn't that the Demon King of Leishan was unwilling to give a little reward, but rather that the demon race maintained extremely strict control over human slaves, and very few people could escape.

Very few Nascent Soul cultivators were able to escape the control of the demon race.

Over time, no demon general took the decree to heart anymore, and even the Thunder Mountain Demon King himself probably forgot about it long ago.

……

Inside the Iron Wing Cave, the Iron Wing Demon General was cultivating when a beautiful maidservant came to report that the Kunfeng Demon General had come to visit.

He immediately came out to greet Chen Yuan, leading him into the mansion, and said with a smile, "The Northern Darkness Cave has just been established, and you are not here to manage affairs. Why have you come to find me?"

Chen Yuan said solemnly, "I have gained Your Majesty's favor and have finally been granted the right to establish my own government, fulfilling my wish. I am deeply grateful for Your Majesty's great kindness."

"The swift defeat of the Nether Sea Demon General and the sudden emergence of Kun, along with the renaming of the Nether Sea Cave, inevitably surprised several demon generals near the Northern Nether Cave."

"Instead of letting them investigate in secret and wasting their energy, it would be better for me to visit them personally to put their minds at ease."

"I am new to this place and it might be inappropriate for me to come here so abruptly. I have come to ask you to introduce me to you so as to avoid any misunderstandings."

Ironwing Demon General immediately agreed: "What's so difficult about that? Fellow Daoist, you truly deserve to be a demon general of the Holy Clan. You are meticulous and reliable in your actions. I am far inferior to you."

"However, it is getting late today, so please stay the night, fellow Daoist, and we shall set off tomorrow."

Chen Yuan readily agreed, and that night the two feasted and made merry all night long, with him embracing her on both sides, enjoying her soft and fragrant body.

The next morning, the two left the Iron Wing Cave and went to visit several demon generals near the Northern Underworld Cave.

There are five caves bordering the Beiming Cave, two of which are ruled by mid-level demon generals, and the other three by low-level demon generals. Their territories have remained unchanged for tens of thousands of years.

Ironwing Demon Commander was quite familiar with two of the demon commanders, but not so close to the other three. However, they were all under the command of Thunder Mountain Demon King, and their caves were not far apart, so they had met several times.

His sudden visit with Chen Yuan surprised all five demon generals.

The Demon King of Leishan had already secretly given an order that the demon generals must not fight each other.

However, Ironwing Demon General openly challenged Underworld Demon General, who surrendered without a fight.

The entire Netherworld Cave was taken over by a guest elder of the Iron Wing Cave and established as the Northern Netherworld Cave. This matter had already spread widely among the demon generals under the Thunder Mountain Demon King.

The five demon generals' caves were located near the Northern Underworld Cave, and they had long heard of it, but they were unaware of the background of this Kunfeng demon general.

The two mid-level demon generals were only about as strong as the Nether Sea Demon General, and they were afraid that the Northern Nether Demon General might seize their cave again on a whim.

If the Thunder Mountain Demon King could disobey his own decree and allow the Northern Underworld Demon General to establish his own residence, who knows if he might also grant him a few more cave dwellings?
The other three low-level demon generals were not afraid that Chen Yuan would issue a challenge to them, but they also did not want to offend this mysterious and unpredictable mid-level demon general.

Only after the Iron-Winged Demon General's introduction did they learn about the origins of this Northern Darkness Demon General, who was actually from the Kun Fish clan!
The five demon generals were greatly shocked. In the Burning Demon Realm, the bloodline of the Holy Race was even rarer than that of the Demon Saint.

The twenty-three demon saints under the Great Sage of Moving Mountains are mostly either powerful or have mutated bloodlines, thus becoming demon saints. However, their clansmen are either extremely few or extremely weak, and cannot be called a holy clan. The Bloodtooth Demon Saint is one such example.

Only four demon saints possess the bloodline of the holy race, a lineage with a long history that has consistently produced demon saints.

Among all the holy races in the Burning Demon Realm, the Kunyu race is quite powerful, enough to rank among the top five.

Upon learning that Chen Yuan was a Kunyu Demon Commander, the five demon commanders dared not be negligent, and the three lower-ranking demon commanders even showed some humility.

After Chen Yuan clearly stated that he would be in seclusion for the next six hundred years to cultivate diligently and that he would restrain his demon generals from causing trouble, the two mid-level demon generals breathed a sigh of relief.

Faced with a powerful Saint Clan demon general who was also highly regarded by the Thunder Mountain Demon King, they knew they were no match for him.

If Chen Yuan were an arrogant and domineering person, I really don't know how to deal with him.

But this Northern Underworld Demon General surprised them greatly. Despite his extremely strong strength, even the Iron Wing Demon General admitted that he was inferior to him, he showed no arrogance and acted with such propriety that he made people feel like they were bathed in a spring breeze and developed a great liking for him.

Two months later, Chen Yuan left the cave of the last low-ranking demon general and invited the Iron Wing Demon General to visit Beiming Island.

Three days later, Iron Wing Demon General bid farewell and left. Chen Yuan personally escorted him off Beiming Island and back to his cave.

In the following months, several demon generals came to visit, and Chen Yuan welcomed them all.

The five demon generals had already spread his identity, and many demon generals knew that this Northern Darkness Demon General was of the Holy Clan bloodline and came from the Kunyu Clan, and they had the intention to befriend him.

Among them were several high-ranking demon generals, but regardless of their cultivation level, Chen Yuan treated them with utmost courtesy, showing none of the arrogance often associated with holy demon generals, earning high praise from them. He also activated his Kunpeng True Blood to spar with demon generals who had doubts about his strength, winning each time in just a few rounds, but then stopping short of defeat, further winning the respect and admiration of the demon generals.

When these demon generals come to visit, they will also present congratulatory gifts to Chen Yuan on the establishment of his government.

However, these are all treasures suitable for demon generals; they are not particularly valuable, but they are still presentable.

Gradually, all the demon generals under the Thunder Mountain Demon King learned that the Demon King had recently recruited a Northern Underworld Demon General into his ranks. This general possessed the bloodline of the Kun fish, was incredibly powerful, yet humble, polite, and never fought with anyone.

As Chen Yuan interacted with these demon generals, he gained a deeper understanding of the Thunder Mountain Cave, the surrounding demon kings, the Bloodtooth Demon Saint, and the Silver Tide City.

These demon generals all participated in the war between the two realms and all went to Silver Tide City.

Throughout their long lifespans, they traveled extensively, gaining a thorough understanding of the territories under the command of several demon kings in the surrounding area.

Several months later, no more demon generals came to visit, and Chen Yuan announced that he would go into seclusion to cultivate, and Beiming Island returned to peace.

On this day, Chen Yuan summoned all the demon generals on Beiming Island, took out the congratulatory gifts from those demon commanders, and distributed them as rewards.

These treasures included elixirs, divine weapons, spiritual materials, and even body-tempering herbs, which were of utmost importance to the demon race. All the demon generals were overjoyed.

The molten bone demon general, who had always lived in the volcano, chuckled and raised his two large, fan-like hands, saying in a gruff voice, "Thank you, Commander... for the treasure bestowed by the Lord of the Prefecture. I will definitely cultivate diligently and serve you, Commander."

This Bone-Melting Demon General was three zhang tall, making him stand out even among the generally robust demon generals.

He had no hair on his head and wore a bright red fur coat, made of some kind of monster's hide.

His eyes were as big as copper bells, with a hint of red in his deep yellow pupils, and he had a smile on his face, making him look very honest.

But on Beiming Island, not a single demon general dared to provoke this honest and straightforward big man.

The Molten Bone Demon General is not only incredibly strong, but also possesses a spiritual fire of immense power for a demon general.

His honest and straightforward nature prevents him from easily getting into fights, but once he does, it's a fight to the death.

None of the demon generals who had fought against him in the past survived.

At this moment, all the demon generals looked at the Bone-Melting Demon General with some envy. Chen Yuan had bestowed upon him a thousand-year-old body-tempering spirit herb, which was the most important of all the rewards.

Chen Yuan smiled slightly; he also quite liked this Bone-Melting Demon General.

The Molten Bone Demon General disliked fighting with others. Since taking human form, he had lived in the volcano, abstained from women, and had no servants to attend to him.

He only takes action against other demon generals when ordered by the Demon General of the Underworld, thus earning a reputation for his abilities.

When the Nether Sea Demon General left, he also wanted to take him with him, but Chen Yuan forcibly kept him there. The Melting Bone Demon General did not disobey and seemed to be quite content with his lot.

He may not be very loyal to Chen Yuan, but as long as Chen Yuan remains the master of the Northern Underworld Cave, he will not harbor any disloyal thoughts.

After bestowing numerous treasures, Chen Yuan surveyed the demon generals and said calmly, "From this day forward, I will be in seclusion to cultivate. All matters, large and small, within the manor will be handled jointly by Jiangzhu and Mixin, and there must be no mistakes."

The two demon generals, their faces beaming with joy, stepped forward from the crowd, bowed in agreement, and as they straightened up, they exchanged a glance, their eyes revealing a hint of resentment, which they quickly concealed.

Chen Yuan observed this but ignored it, and said, "Any matter involving the Demon General, or if the two of you cannot reach an agreement, then hand it over to Yun Jinyue, who will present it to me, and I will issue an order."

"You two are not allowed to enter my cave dwelling and disturb my seclusion."

The two demon generals were taken aback, but respectfully agreed again.

Yun Jinyue, Liu Tianhan, and Huan Yu stood aside. Upon hearing this, they bowed gracefully to Chen Yuan and said softly, "We will obey Master's orders."

She smiled, her expression submissive, no different from ordinary slaves. Only when she lowered her head did a hint of determination flash in her eyes, showing that she was different from those slaves.

Liu Tianhan and Huan Yu stood with their hands clasped behind their backs, their expressions respectful and silent, seemingly waiting for Chen Yuan's instructions at any moment.

The demon generals were also somewhat puzzled by the two human slaves, as according to the custom of the demon race, female slaves were usually used to serve them personally.

This Northern Underworld Demon General is accompanied by one woman and two men. Could it be that he has homosexual tendencies?

Some demon generals who knew a great deal about the human race secretly harbored some slightly disrespectful suspicions about Chen Yuan, but dared not reveal them in the slightest.

Chen Yuan dismissed the demon generals and Yun Jinyue and the other two, returned to his cultivation room, took out the three bottles of pills left by the Underworld Demon General, and began to meditate and cultivate.

These three bottles of pills are quite mixed, consisting of seven different types of pills. Two of the seven types are pills for the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, and one type is pills for the middle stage of the Nascent Soul realm.

Even for a mid-level demon general, a mid-stage Nascent Soul pill is extremely precious.

It's already quite remarkable that the Demon General of the Underworld could produce even one bottle.

The remaining two bottles of early-stage Nascent Soul pills contain much less spiritual energy, but they can still improve one's cultivation to some extent, so they should not be wasted.

Chen Yuan spent a month refining four early-stage Nascent Soul pills, which had an effect similar to one mid-stage Nascent Soul pill.

A year had passed since the last time he received starlight infusion. He briefly emerged from seclusion, took out the jade pendant, drew starlight into his body, and then continued his secluded cultivation.

More than a year later, he refined all the remaining twenty-six pills, and his cultivation level increased slightly.

During this period, he did not forget the third Starlight Infusion, and his physical body was also strengthened considerably.

Yun Jinyue also came to the mansion several times to ask him how to handle the affairs of the Beiming Cave Mansion.

Jiangzhu and Mihun had a deep-seated grudge, so they naturally couldn't cooperate sincerely and disagreements frequently occurred. Yun Jinyue could only report to Chen Yuan and let him make the decision.

However, Chen Yuan always consulted Yun Jinyue, Liu Tianhan, and Huan Yu for their opinions, and after the three of them made a decision, they acted accordingly.

Although the three of them were only at the Core Formation stage, Huan Yu was a Ghost Owl Army cultivator responsible for gathering information on the perilous Tyrant Turtle Island. His strength and temperament were both top-notch.

Liu Tianhan grew up in Frostsword City from a young age, and was used to seeing battles between cultivators from both realms. He was resilient and acted with great composure.

Yun Jinyue received teachings from her father, Lianxu, from a young age, gaining extensive knowledge and experience. After experiencing life-and-death crises, her mindset changed drastically, and she became more composed in her actions.

The solutions they devised were sometimes even more appropriate than Chen Yuan's ideas, and far superior to those of Jiangzhu and Mixin, two demon generals whose knowledge was limited to the Northern Underworld Cave.

On this day, Yun Jinyue came to visit Chen Yuan again. It turned out that two of his demon generals from neighboring spiritual lands had gotten into a conflict and came to ask Chen Yuan to make a ruling.

Chen Yuan had already entrusted these trivial matters to Jiangzhu and Mixin, but the two demon generals were evenly matched and could not be determined to win.

However, one of them was involved with Jiangzhu, and the other was close to Mixin. Neither of them could gain the upper hand, so they had to ask Chen Yuan to make a decision.

Chen Yuan summoned Liu Tianhan and Huan Yu as usual, asking the three of them to discuss the matter.

Half an hour later, the three came up with a safe solution, and Chen Yuan asked Yun Jinyue to write it down on a jade slip, which would later be given to Jiangzhu and Mixin for disposal.

The jade slip did not contain Chen Yuan's divine sense imprint. Both demon generals believed that Yun Jinyue had been placed under a soul restriction by Chen Yuan and obeyed his orders without question, never suspecting that it was her own doing.

Just as the three were about to leave, Chen Yuan stopped them: "I need to leave for a while. During this time, the matter of Beiming Island will be handled by the three of you. If there are any disagreements, then it will be decided by young friend Yun."

"If anyone comes to visit, tell them that I am in seclusion and should not be disturbed."

"Remember, never let anyone know that I am not on Beiming Island." (End of Chapter)