Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

The Leishan Cave was shrouded in dark clouds, with flashes of lightning and rumbling thunder.

At the foot of Leishan Mountain, in the main hall, the Leishan Demon King sat at the head of the table, holding a jade slip in his hand, probing it with his divine sense.

The Heavenly Hou Demon General stood with his hands at his sides, his head slightly bowed, a hint of doubt in his eyes.

Beside him stood a demon general in a yellow robe, his body ramrod straight, his expression respectful yet subtly revealing a hint of indignation.

After a while, the Thunder Mountain Demon King withdrew his divine sense, raised his head, looked at the yellow-robed demon general, and frowned: "Shi Mu suspects that the man in black is a demon general under my command?"

The yellow-robed demon general clasped his hands in a bow, saying neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Your Majesty's words are all contained in the letter. This junior is merely presenting it to the Demon King and dares not speak presumptuously."

A hint of displeasure flashed in the eyes of the Thunder Mountain Demon King. He tossed the jade slip over and said indifferently, "If I wanted to deal with the Corroded Wood, I would do it myself. I wouldn't use such clumsy methods."

"Go back and tell Shi Mu that the man in black has nothing to do with me, and I will not go out of my way to deal with a few mid-level demon generals."

"With the war between the two realms imminent, I have no intention of making things difficult for him, nor can I hand over that man in black."

The yellow-robed demon general caught the jade slip with both hands, seemingly having anticipated the Thunder Mountain Demon King's reaction, and said, "Even Your Majesty does not believe that the Demon King would be such a despicable person, but the heavenly lightning summoned by that man in black is extremely fierce."

“Apart from the Demon King’s subordinates, there is no other demon general who is so skilled in the divine power of thunder.”

"The man in black attacked and killed four mid-level demon generals in my Wood Erosion Cave, causing everyone to live in fear."

"They were short-sighted and mistakenly believed that it was the work of a demon general under the Demon King. They were indignant and reported to the King, requesting a large-scale attack on Leishan Cave to demand an explanation from the Demon King."

"The king had no choice but to send his junior to pay respects to the demon king and explain the matter in person."

"If that man in black is indeed not under the Demon King's command, could you please send a demon general to join my Wood-Eroding Cave in hunting him down?"

The Thunder Mountain Demon King's face darkened, and the Heavenly Hou Demon Commander understood, immediately replying, "Fellow Daoist Abandoned Soul, you are mistaken. That man in black has no connection with my Thunder Mountain Cave. Why did Your Majesty send a demon commander to hunt him down?"

"The Demon Realm is not only home to the demon generals of my Thunder Mountain Cave who can wield the divine power of thunder."

"Since that man in black is targeting the Wood Erosion Cave, you should go back and ask the Wood Erosion Demon King if he has offended someone and brought about this disaster today."

The yellow-robed demon general, despite being mocked, remained unperturbed and looked at the Thunder Mountain Demon King, saying neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Whether or not to send a demon general to pursue that man in black is entirely up to the Demon King."

“But the demon generals of my Wood-Eroding Cave all mistakenly believe that the man in black is under the command of the Demon King, and Your Majesty cannot go against their wishes.”

"If the Demon King stands idly by, and my king is unable to appease the demon generals and is forced to issue a challenge to the Demon King, thus disrupting the Demon King's preparations for war, then it is not my king's fault."

Thunder Mountain Demon King narrowed his eyes, and a trace of his demon king's aura slowly spread out, landing on the yellow-robed demon general: "Are you threatening me?"

The yellow-robed demon general's straight body hunched slightly, his face paled, and he spoke with difficulty: "This junior dares not. These are the words of His Majesty himself. This junior is merely relaying them on orders."

The Thunder Mountain Demon King stared at the yellow-robed demon general, his body trembling slightly, his face growing paler and paler, revealing a hint of pain.

He suddenly withdrew his imposing aura and said calmly, "I have no demon generals under my command who are skilled in tracking techniques, so I'm afraid I can't help you."

The yellow-robed demon general let out a soft sigh and straightened up again, his expression respectful.

He flipped his hand and took out another jade slip, presenting it with both hands: "This is the second letter that the King asked me to give to the Demon King. I respectfully request that the Demon King take a look."

The Thunder Mountain Demon King's eyes flashed, and with a wave of his hand, he snatched the jade slip away. He probed it with his divine sense, and his expression immediately turned gloomy.

The next moment, he withdrew his divine sense, stared at the yellow-robed demon general, and said coldly, "Erosion Wood has quite the appetite!"

"That man in black killed four of his demon generals, yet he demands that I provide cultivation resources as compensation. What kind of logic is this?"

"Four hundred top-grade spirit stones, ten bottles of late-stage Nascent Soul pills, and spiritual materials and herbs—does he think I'm weak and easy to bully?"

Upon hearing this, the Heavenly Hou Demon Commander's expression changed drastically. He clasped his hands in a salute to the Thunder Mountain Demon King and said sternly, "Your Majesty, the Wood-Eating Demon King is going too far! Why not summon your demon commanders and fight him!"

The yellow-robed demon general ignored the Heavenly Hou demon general and said respectfully, "Whether to fight or make peace is entirely up to the demon king to decide, but I believe that we should not take the initiative to start a war over this matter."

The Thunder Mountain Demon King said calmly, "What, are you afraid of the Wood Erosion?"

The yellow-robed demon general spoke eloquently: "In terms of strength, my king and the demon king are evenly matched, but the number of demon generals under his command is slightly better."

"Although my Wood-Eroding Cave lost four mid-level demon generals, it did not affect the overall situation,"

"If a conflict breaks out, it will most likely be the same as before, with no clear winner and losses on both sides."

"My king doesn't care, but in over six hundred years, the Demon King will enter Turtle Island."

"If we were to suffer losses and jeopardize the great war between the two worlds over such a trivial matter, it would be a loss that outweighs the gains."

Thunder Mountain Demon King narrowed his eyes: "Do you think I wouldn't dare to fight the Wood-Eater?"

The yellow-robed demon general shook his head: "How dare I? This is what the King said before I left, and he asked me to pass it on to the Demon King."

"Of course, if the Demon King insists on taking action, please write down a challenge and give it to me, so that my king can prepare in advance and compete with the Demon King."

A cold glint flashed in the eyes of the Thunder Mountain Demon King: "Last time we fought, Shi Mu suffered a great loss at my hands. Isn't he afraid of repeating the same mistake?"

The yellow-robed demon general said solemnly, "The demon king's thunderous might is indeed quite restrained by my king's true form, which is made of spirit wood."

"If a fight really breaks out, my king may suffer some losses, but the demon generals under the demon king will definitely suffer even greater losses."

“My king only needs to recuperate for a few hundred years, but the demon generals lost under the demon king’s command cannot be replaced in a short time.”

The Heavenly Hou Demon General roared, "Nonsense! When has my Thunder Mountain Cave ever feared your Eroding Wood Cave? Today I will learn from Fellow Daoist Abandoned Soul's methods!"

The yellow-robed demon general smiled slightly: "Fellow Daoist Tianhou's Gengjin Divine Thunder is incredibly powerful, and I am naturally no match for it."

"But the Demon King only has five demon generals under his command who wield the power of thunder. Among the other demon generals, I wonder how many other skilled ones there are?"

The Heavenly Hou Demon General was speechless for a moment. The Thunder Mountain Demon King had no clans under his command and focused on cultivating his demon generals. He had spent a lot of treasures on the five Thunder Path Demon Generals.

Since the treasures of the Thunder Path are extremely precious, the treatment of other demon generals is inevitably somewhat worse.

The Wood-Eating Demon King has an exceptionally long lifespan and has been running his abode for an even longer period. The number of high-ranking demon generals under his command is twice that of the Thunder Mountain Cave.

In the past, when the two cave dwellings fought, the demon general of the Corrosion Wood Cave usually gained the upper hand.

However, the Thunder Mountain Demon King was stronger than the Wood-Eating Demon King, and the Thunder Dao Divine Power naturally restrained the Wood-Eating Demon King who had transformed from spirit wood, which is why the battle was evenly matched.

But the Yellow-Robed Demon General had already come knocking on their door, so how could the Heavenly Hou Demon General back down? He coldly said, "Whether we win or lose, we'll know after one battle..." The Thunder Mountain Demon King said calmly, "The Abandoned Soul has come on the orders of the Corrupting Wood, so we must not be rude."

The Heavenly Hou Demon General immediately shut his mouth, but still stared intently at the Yellow-Robed Demon General.

The Thunder Mountain Demon King looked at the Yellow-Robed Demon General: "I still need to consider today's matter. I will give you an answer in three days. You may leave now."

The demon general in yellow robes clasped his hands in a bow and said, "This junior takes his leave."

The Thunder Mountain Demon King summoned a human slave to lead the Yellow-Robed Demon General away, leaving only the Heavenly Hou Demon General in the main hall.

After pondering for a moment, the Thunder Mountain Demon King summoned several human slaves to gather his demon generals for a meeting.

Half an hour later, four demon generals arrived in the main hall. They were all confidants of the Thunder Mountain Demon King and, like the Heavenly Hou Demon General, their blood contained the power of thunder.

The demon generals were somewhat puzzled, but the Heavenly Hou demon general explained the reason, and they were all furious.

One of the demon generals, a burly man with purple eyebrows and sharp eyes, spoke first: "Shi Mu is clearly using this as an excuse to cause trouble. It was clearly his demon general who was attacked and killed, yet he demands that the king provide treasures as compensation. This is outrageous and absolutely cannot be agreed to!"

This purple-browed demon general is named Youji. He is the head of the demon generals under the Thunder Mountain Demon King. He has already cultivated to the perfection of the demon general level and his demon power is extremely strong.

His innate supernatural power can even condense a kind of Yin lightning, which is specifically designed to attack the soul. It is extremely strange and rarely matched by a demon general of the same level.

However, he was focused on advancing to the level of a demon king, and usually stayed in seclusion in his cave to cultivate, rarely showing himself or taking control of the Thunder Mountain Cave.

With his strength, he could have easily ruled a region on his own, but he remained in the Leishan Cave to cultivate. Firstly, he was grateful for the kindness of the Leishan Demon King, and secondly, he had no clan behind him and did not want to cause trouble. Therefore, he never established his own abode.

Another demon general frowned and said, "But a great war between the two realms is imminent. If the Great King does not agree, and the Wood-Eating Demon King issues a challenge to the Great King, how should we deal with it?"

This demon general had a figure that was no different from that of a human. He wore a white robe with wide sleeves, white hair, a face full of wrinkles, and slightly cloudy eyes. He looked to be very old.

His name is Xiang Qing, and he is also a high-ranking demon general. He has followed the Thunder Mountain Demon King for 30,000 years. His lifespan is almost over, and he is deeply trusted by the Thunder Mountain Demon King. He is in charge of all affairs of the Thunder Mountain Cave and has always been mature and prudent.

The Heavenly Hou Demon Commander replied without hesitation, "Why should we fear that rabble from the Wood-Eating Cave?"

Demon General Xiangqing shook his head: "We are naturally not afraid, but the other demon generals under the Great King are difficult to contend with. If we suffer too many losses, my Thunder Mountain Cave will inevitably suffer losses in the war between the two realms."

The Demon General Youji coldly said, "A bunch of useless trash. They're fine as long as they're dead. Otherwise, they wouldn't be of any use on Turtle Island anyway."

Knowing this, the Demon General Xiangqing did not argue with him. He clasped his hands and bowed to the Demon King of Leishan: "Your Majesty, even if they die, they should not die in vain at the hands of the Demon General of the Corrosion Cave. Please reconsider, Your Majesty."

Thunder Mountain Demon King frowned and said, "Are you asking me to bow down to the Wood-Eating King?"

Xiangqing Demon General said, "Your Majesty's strength surpasses that of the Wood-Eating Demon King; how can you bow down to him?"

"But the Wood-Eating Demon King's attack this time is most likely an attempt to provoke the King and start a war with him."

"According to the rules set by the Great Sages, no one is allowed to issue a challenge to the Demon King who enters Turtle Island five hundred years before the start of the war between the two realms."

"There are still more than a hundred years before the Great King enters Turtle Island. Shi Mu must be trying to take this opportunity to weaken the Great King's strength."

"So that Your Majesty might gain merit in the war between the two realms, receive treasures from the Bloodtooth Demon Saint, improve your cultivation, and thus surpass him even further."

The Thunder Mountain Demon King nodded slightly: "My purpose in entering Tyrant Turtle Island this time is to obtain the Cheng Ying Flower from the Demon Saint. I must make meritorious contributions. If too many Demon Generals die, I'm afraid it will be difficult to achieve anything."

Xiangqing, the demon general, said, "That is precisely why Your Majesty cannot allow the Wood-Eating Demon King to succeed."

"He hasn't directly challenged the king yet because he was defeated by the king more than seven hundred years ago."

"Under the witness of the Bloodtooth Demon Saint, he was forced to agree not to wage war against the King without cause, and that's why he used the incident with the man in black to cause trouble."

"The Wood-Eating Demon King must know that this matter has nothing to do with Your Majesty, yet he still sent Abandoned Soul to demand the treasure. This is a strategy of first being courteous and then resorting to force."

"If the king refuses, he can then link the matter of the man in black to the king."

"Issuing another challenge would be perfectly logical, and the Bloodtooth Demon Saint would be unable to interfere in this matter."

"For the sake of the greater good, we have no choice but to ask Your Majesty to take out some treasures first to quell this matter. Once the war between the two realms is over, we will take them back tenfold or a hundredfold."

The Thunder Mountain Demon King frowned and said, "If it is only a few treasures that can settle this matter, I will naturally not be stingy."

"But the man in black is of unknown origin. If he continues to attack and kill the demon generals under Shi Mu's command, and then uses this opportunity to launch another attack, will I have to bow down to him again?"

Xiangqing, the demon general, said solemnly, "Your Majesty is overthinking it. Four mid-level demon generals have already died at the hands of that man in black, and we don't even know his identity or background. The people in the Corrosion Wood Cave are already in a state of panic."

"The Wood-Eating Demon King tried every means, but still could not find the trace of the man in black, and lost face greatly."

"In my opinion, that man in black is probably backed by a demon king, which is why he dares to act so recklessly."

"If this person continues to make a move, the Wood-Eating Demon King will only be more overwhelmed and will certainly have no time to make things difficult for Your Majesty."

Several demon generals clapped their hands in delight, celebrating that the demon generals had taken charge of all affairs of Leishan Cave, including the spies planted in the Erosion Wood Cave, and were well aware of all the news about the Erosion Wood Cave.

Only the Demon General Youji remained silent, but suddenly spoke up: "Since that's the case, why should Your Majesty agree to Shimu's request?"

"He has already offended some demon king. If he were to start a war with the Great King, wouldn't that be courting death?"

Xiangqing Demon General paused for a moment: "That man in black is ultimately of unknown origin. It's best not to create any complications before the war between the two realms."

"If we give the Wood-Eating Demon King a way out, he should stop fighting the Great King..."

The Thunder Mountain Demon King interrupted, saying, "Youji is right. I will never bow down to the Eroding Wood."

"If Shi Mu dares to issue a challenge, I will risk losing Cheng Yinghua to teach him a lesson!"

The Demon General Youji's expression turned solemn: "I am willing to serve as Your Majesty's vanguard!"

The Heavenly Hou Demon General said, "Although the Corruption Wood Cave has many demon generals, their strength is insufficient, and they are no match for my Thunder Mountain Cave!"

Xiangqing, the demon general, sighed inwardly: "Since the king has made a decision, we should obey. However, there are many high-ranking demon generals in the Erosion Wood Cave. We need to make preparations as soon as possible."

The Thunder Mountain Demon King's eyes flashed with a cold light: "I will issue an edict tomorrow, instructing all the demon generals to prepare."

"Seven hundred years have passed. I'd like to see how much the corroded wood has improved!" (End of Chapter)