After being reborn, the villain comes with a spoiler tag.

Long Yucheng, who had remained silent until Chi Shao's figure had completely disappeared, finally spoke.

He lowered his voice, his gaze still fixed on the direction the other person had left in:

"Senior brother, what realm is that female general at?"

He had already learned from Liu Shi that the purer the bloodline of the Spirit Clan, the more imposing and astonishing their physique. Therefore, although Long Yucheng was still somewhat surprised to see a woman who required him to look up to meet his gaze, he quickly accepted this fact.

Compared to the other party's unusually tall stature, what truly alarmed him was the aura emanating from the other party—a scorching sense of oppression that, even though Chi Shao did not deliberately release, still made his mind tremble slightly.

Huo Yu knew he was asking about the realm classification of human cultivators, not the ranks of demons, and said calmly:

"Distraction period".

Upon hearing this, Long Yucheng frowned deeply:

"If a deputy general has the cultivation level of the Nascent Soul stage, then the general she mentioned must be... at the Mahayana stage?"

Huo Yu shook his head, his tone remaining calm:

“The Demon Realm is different from the Spirit Realm. All the Mahayana stage demons have already ascended to the Demon Immortal Realm. The only Mahayana stage demons remaining in the Spirit Realm are the three ‘Marshals’ they mentioned.”

Upon hearing this, Long Yucheng's expression softened slightly—after all, in his mind, his senior brother was already an existence that no one below the Mahayana stage could rival.

But the worry in his eyes did not immediately disappear:

"Xuandu is filled with demonic energy, unlike this barren and desolate Black Mountain. If we were to face that general in Xuandu, our spiritual power would be completely suppressed by the demonic power, leaving us at his mercy."

"It doesn't matter."

Huo Yu looked at him, his gaze unusually gentle.

"Although they don't recognize spiritual power, they do recognize the immortal power within me."

He raised his hand, and a cluster of pure white flames suddenly leaped from his palm.

The flames were not ostentatious, yet they shone like solidified sunlight. As they burned quietly, they emitted a heart-pounding heat, but also gave people a sense of pure and austere coolness.

"Moreover, nowadays, demonic power is also my sustenance."

This Vermilion Bird Sacred Flame was the key to Huo Yu's return and change of mind.

After reuniting with Long Yucheng, the young man couldn't wait to share this amazing discovery with him—after absorbing this fire, he could actually draw upon the demonic power of this realm and transform it into a source of cultivation.

Long Yucheng had already refined half of the Vermilion Bird Sacred Flame using the "Twenty-Three Returning to One Method of Fire" he had cultivated, while Huo Yu didn't even need any cultivation techniques to assist him. With a slight thought, the half of the Vermilion Bird Sacred Flame returned to its origin and gently merged into his soul.

The instant the sacred flame entered his body, Huo Yu clearly sensed the faint yet omnipresent demonic energy in the surrounding environment. Now, with just a slight thought, he could absorb it and transform it into his own power, much like absorbing spiritual energy.

Upon hearing this, the last trace of worry between Long Yucheng's brows vanished like mist, leaving only complete trust and reassurance in his eyes:

"I'll listen to my senior brother!"

As if a huge weight had been lifted from his heart, when he looked at the trembling Hou beast cub still lying on the ground, his tone became lighter, even carrying a hint of mockery.

"These deer in the demon realm look really strange. Senior brother, what should we do with them?"

The beast seemed to understand Long Yucheng's words, and it trembled violently, almost shrinking its not-so-small body into the crack in the ground.

Huo Yu glanced at it, his gaze calm and undisturbed, yet it made it feel as if it were facing the mighty power of heaven—a sense of awe and fear that came from the deepest part of its bloodline, leaving it no choice but to submit.

Driven by this extreme pressure, it cowered and almost instinctively took a few steps toward the young man in black.

A familiar aura also lingered around the young man in black.

However, unlike the powerful sense of oppression emanating from the man in white, this aura was warm and inviting, drawing it involuntarily closer.

Seeing this, Long Yucheng was somewhat surprised, and simply bent down and picked up the slightly trembling cub. This little thing's cultivation level was only equivalent to a Foundation Establishment cultivator, posing no threat to him at present.

The dark scales on the Hou beast's body carried the high temperature of the flames within its body, but Long Yucheng only felt as if he were holding a warm and smooth stove. The unique texture of the scales rubbed against his palm, bringing a novel tactile experience.

"Senior brother, how come it seems to understand what I'm saying?"

Long Yucheng touched it a couple more times before looking up at Huo Yu, his tone tinged with surprise.

"The beastmen are not intelligent and do not understand human speech, but their instincts are sharper than those of ordinary wild beasts."

Huo Yu explained calmly, his gaze sweeping over the Hou beast in Long Yucheng's arms.

The latter trembled violently the moment his gaze fell upon her, and then desperately shrank into the depths of Long Yucheng's arms, wishing she could hide herself inside his clothes.

"If you like it, you can stay."

Upon hearing this, Long Yucheng laughed and gently lifted the trembling cub in his arms:

“Great! It just so happens that you raised a little yellow eel, so I’ll keep this long-armored deer. That way, we can have a pair!”

Huo Yu did not answer, but a smile flashed in his eyes before he turned away.

"Let's go."

Long Yucheng nodded, put the Hou beast down, and walked side by side with Huo Yu.

As soon as the little beast landed, it clung tightly to his leg, neither daring to get close to the white-clad figure in front of it that made its blood tremble, nor daring to stray too far from Long Yucheng. It could only follow him closely, like a shadow.

Meanwhile, the mixed-race Gu Long, who was silently following behind Huo Yu, gritted his teeth in anger:

"You're the eel! Your whole family are eels! I'm a dragon! A dragon!"

……

In the valley, dusk settled and the light of day gradually faded.

The Red Feather Army under Chi Shao's command had completed its reorganization and stood solemnly under the dim sky, silently awaiting the order to return.

The once orderly military formation now appeared much sparser—the army had lost a third of its men, and most of the remaining soldiers were wounded. Bloodstains and scorch marks mingled on the tattered armor, reflecting the last rays of daylight and gleaming with a dull metallic sheen.

Many soldiers had shattered shoulder armor and dented breastplates, with blade marks and claw marks covering their armor, silently telling the story of the fierce battle that had taken place not long ago.

Those with minor injuries recovered their ability to march after half a day of rest and were able to rejoin the ranks, though their faces remained pale. Those who were too badly injured to walk were carried by the reserve team on makeshift stretchers and silently lined up at the end of the ranks.

The entire valley was filled with a silence that was a mixture of blood, scorched earth, and heavy weariness, with only the howling wind sweeping over the broken rocks and cliffs.

As Huo Yu and his group approached, Chi Shao's gaze lingered briefly on the Hou beast at Long Yucheng's feet, but she didn't ask any questions. Instead, a flash of light appeared in her hand, revealing an ancient silver ring.

The silver ring had a minimalist design, adhering to the consistent aesthetics of the Spirit Clan. It seemed to be cast in one piece, with no carvings or patterns on the ring and no trace of seams.

"This is the Beast Taming Ring."

She looked at Long Yucheng, her voice calm and steady.

"Any beastman can be put into the space within the ring once he puts on this ring."

Long Yucheng looked slightly surprised upon hearing this, then smiled and accepted it readily.

"General, your generosity is too kind; it would be impolite to refuse. Thank you!"

Chi Shao simply nodded slightly, said nothing more, and then raised her right arm and made a gesture.

The entire Red Feather Army immediately moved upon receiving the order, slowly advancing towards the outside of the valley.