Start from Wusheng

Chapter 971 Elevated to a Strategic Level

"This is a demonic mine!"

When Mu Sigui introduced these powders, although everyone heard the words "demon ore," they did not associate them with weapon forging.

Although demons are omnivorous, eating everything from meat to soil and corpses, they are ultimately made of flesh and blood, which are digested and stored within their bodies as flesh and blood, while other waste is expelled.

Therefore, it's normal for the demon essence extracted from the demon corpse to be a liquid. As for the powder, hmm, could it be bone ash?

"...The purpose of demon ore is similar to that of metals; it can be used to forge divine weapons!"

Upon hearing this, the master craftsmen all said it was impossible. They could accept using the scales, teeth, fur, and feathers of demons as materials to refine and strengthen divine weapons, but the demon corpses had all been burned to ashes, so how could they still be used?
A master craftsman reached out to take it, thinking that a small pinch of powder would be effortless, but he ended up making a fool of himself.

He stumbled, and the jade basin seemed to drop heavily, revealing that the mineral deposit was far more substantial than he had imagined.

It's not ashes, because ashes don't have such a heavy weight; no living being could achieve that.

Two more master craftsmen stepped forward, one on each side, and together with him, Jiang managed to lift the jade basin, preventing the demonic ore from spilling onto the ground.

They spent their days surrounded by fire and ore, and their arms were at least thousands of pounds strong. Yet, even with the combined strength of the three of them, they could barely lift this insignificant amount of powder.

Seeing this, everyone was convinced that this thing was extraordinary.

The three master craftsmen each picked up a grain of ore, which shone with a metallic luster under the sunlight.

"This item might be useful, and very useful indeed!"

Below us is Mount Huoguan, where flames of all colors and temperatures erupt from the earth.

They selected a nearby fire pit to test the material, and tried several colors of flame, with temperatures ranging from low to high. In the end, even real gold could be melted, but the ore still showed no signs of melting.

When hammered again, the ore did not deform, but the hammer surface was riddled with tiny pits.

In addition, more than a dozen other attribute verifications were conducted in succession.

With each completed task, the master craftsmen exclaimed in amazement, their faces beaming with even greater joy.

By the end...

"Congratulations, Your Excellency. Although these demonic ores are not among the known five metals, their material is extraordinary and can be used to repair the Hun Tian Axe."

There was a hint of regret in his words, "It's a pity. If the grade were higher and the purity were improved, I can guarantee that the grade of the Hun Tian Axe after reforging would not decrease but increase."

"It's good enough if we can keep the grade from dropping."

The Great Gentleman nodded, "I would like to trouble you all to estimate how much demon ore is needed to repair the Hun Tian Axe!"

"We will certainly do our utmost!"

Although the gentleman was satisfied, Mu Sigui felt that he could try to persuade him further.

He suggested, "According to those pharmacists, the stronger a demon was in life, the higher the grade of the demon essence and ore extracted from its corpse will be!"

"The two great demons slain by the Great Gentleman might be useful!"

In the recently concluded great battle, the Great Gentleman wielded the Hun Tian Axe to kill two of the Ten Demons of the Southeast. Most of the losses were incurred during that battle, and he thought it was a losing proposition, but unexpectedly, there was a turning point.

"Okay!"

The Great Gentleman waved his hand, "Mu Sigui, later you will transport the corpses of two great demons for the other party to refine!"

“Great Gentleman, it seems we will have to ask Governor of Li Huo Prefecture to use the Power Cauldron!” Mu Sigui explained, “The corpse of the great demon can only be refined by the Mother Cauldron, and the remaining materials will require at least two Demon Transformation Cauldrons running day and night.”

The Demon Transformation Mother Cauldron is the Governor's Power Cauldron, and the right to use the three thousand cauldrons that flowed out of Juding Mountain is still in the hands of the Governor's Mansion.

Such a large-scale requisition must be approved by Governor Zhou Nanwang.

By taking precautions and offering advice in advance, Mu Sigui has fulfilled his duty as a loyal minister.

The gentleman closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, then suddenly spoke, "Isn't the governor himself in charge of this matter?"

Mu Sigui suddenly felt a jolt, and his mind suddenly cleared up, connecting many things together.

He understood immediately and respectfully bowed, saying, "Your Excellency is wise. The one who invited the Golden Immortal Daoist Xiaoyaozi is Zhou Daqian, the son of the governor. He studied seal script in the capital and established connections there!"

"Zhou Daqian has always been in charge of borrowing bronze vessels from all over the place to transport them to Juding Mountain."

"The Bitter Soup Pharmacist who recruited pharmacists from all directions and verified the Demon Transformation Cauldron has a dual identity: he is Zhou Daqian's personal guard and retainer, and also the mentor of Zhou Daqian's son!"
At this point, Mu Sigui affirmed, "The key to this matter is Zhou Daqian, the son of the governor. The role of the governor of Li Huo Prefecture is more about being aware of the situation and then delegating authority to Zhou Daqian!"

"Even the people stationed at the corpse-piling site, and those coordinating with the pharmacists, were Zhou Daqian's trusted bodyguards!"

"The Zhou family's western branch has unexpectedly produced a prodigy!"

The Great Gentleman sighed, "I heard that Zhou Daqian is at the seventh level of the Martial Realm, yet he is able to maneuver among various forces and accomplish such a sensational feat!"

He himself is a Heavenly Sect member, and he has many capable generals around him, including those from the Earthly Sect and the Human Sect. There are quite a few of them, even those at the late stage of the Strong Martial Realm. Eighth and Ninth Heaven Realms are everywhere.

However, the great lord cherishes talent, and he even entrusted important responsibilities to a mixed-blood sorcerer like Mu Sigui, thus gathering a group of loyal and devoted retainers around him.

With his keen eye, he immediately recognized that Zhou Daqian was undoubtedly the governor's most trusted and capable right-hand man.

In determining the future situation of Lihuo Prefecture, this governor's son will undoubtedly play a crucial role, and interactions with him will certainly be frequent.

"In other words, the demon mines we need must be obtained through cooperation with Li Huo Prefecture, by borrowing their Demon Transformation Cauldron!"

"Indeed, I've heard that making a cauldron isn't difficult; all you need is a cauldron vessel. However, the 'Transformation of Demons' document must be passed through the Mother Cauldron, which is the one authorized by the Governor's Power Cauldron!"

The three thousand cauldrons of Juding Mountain were the first to be granted seals, but things changed afterward. Although there were many cauldrons, the difficulty of transforming them into demon-transforming cauldrons was vastly different.

The authority is in Zhou Nanwang's hands; without his approval, the Demon Transformation Cauldron cannot be widely promoted.

"The current situation is that we have demon corpses, and they have the Demon Transformation Cauldron. We can cooperate!"

As soon as the Great Gentleman finished analyzing the net, the pharmacists swarmed over, "Great Gentleman, is there any more Demon Essence? The effect is truly amazing. If we can maintain a continuous supply, our dependence on the herb field will be halved!"

The fierce battles with the demon race largely revolved around the protection and competition for medicinal fields, with human lives being exchanged for rare and precious treasures.

Although the Northland region organizes regular sales of storage bags, it is far from meeting the needs of the southeastern states.

Once the medicinal fields are destroyed, the stable production channels will be cut off, and the supply of rare and precious herbs will be disrupted.

Just now, the ninth-grade grand alchemist tested his skills by using demon essence to replace several scarce rare and precious herbs, and the resulting medicine was even more effective, causing a sensation.

In this way, not only demon ore and demon essence also become strategic resources.

The magistrate spread his hands, "It seems I need to find some time to see the governor of Li Huo and have a proper discussion with him."

"Hmm, while I'm at it, I'll also meet that governor's son and see what he looks like!"

(End of this chapter)