Chapter 379: Ancient Mountain Demon Saint and Peacock Saintess [Combined in One]

"Now that the two main materials for refining the Nascent Soul Condensation Pill, the Embryo-Nurturing Fruit and the Shape-Shifting Demon Grass, are in hand, we have taken a major step closer to gathering all the required spiritual materials."

"As for the remaining three main materials—the Five Elements Spiritual Ginseng, the Taiyi Bodhi, and the Evergreen Yearly Spirit Saliva—I believe they too can be fully collected before I reach the peak of the Jin Dan realm."

"Moreover, Hua Tianxiong's Thousand Mechanisms Merchant Guild and Su Yuqing are also helping to gather them secretly."

"With these two major forces collecting, obtaining the remaining three main materials and the auxiliary ingredients is merely a matter of time."

"Fortunately, I came to Great Jin to travel and seek opportunities; I never expected to secure several Nascent Soul opportunities so quickly, nor to establish connections with a fourth-rank Demon Saint like this. This journey has truly been worthwhile."

Qin Ming pondered thus silently, then followed behind Yue Lingyan as they walked out.

Outside Muxia Mountain today, the azure sky was as clear as washed silk, without a single cloud for ten thousand li; truly, it was fine weather.

Within the Fox Clan's sacred lands, an atmosphere of celebration and liveliness pervaded everywhere.

Demonic beasts from all paths gathered together to jointly witness and celebrate the grand ceremony for the newly promoted fourth-rank Demon Saint of the Beast Cry Mountain Range.

At the foot of the mountain, demonic beasts arrived in continuous streams, moving in groups and carrying box after box of congratulatory gifts.

Only powerful demon clans ranked within the Beast Cry Mountain Range could be invited to attend the ceremony as observers.

Qin Ming transformed into a third-rank late-stage Thunder Crocodile demon beast, using a Jade Leaf to mask his human aura.

Following behind Yue Lingyan, he then released the Sky-Devouring Mouse, the Profound Water Crocodile, and the Silver-Yin Yi Shuangfeng.

As soon as these three fellows emerged, seeing the lively scene of surrounding demons dancing wildly, they became extremely excited.

In just half a day, Qin Ming had already seen numerous third-rank Demon Kings shuttling through Muxia Mountain, their auras truly not weak.

Great demons that were normally impossible to see were, on such a day, visible everywhere.

He knew that for the demon clans, such a grand celebration would even see the appearance of fourth-rank shape-shifted great demons.

This Demon Saint Grand Ceremony was held on a vast Bai Yu plaza halfway up Muxia Mountain, capable of accommodating tens of thousands of demonic beasts simultaneously.

Furthermore, within the ceremony grounds, the area was divided into various large and small zones based on the hierarchy of demon clan powers and the order of cultivation levels.

When nearby demon clans saw Yue Lingyan appear dressed in palace attire, exuding a tremendous spiritual pressure from head to toe like a monarch descending to gaze arrogantly upon the world,

those Demon Kings possessing spiritual intelligence and capable of speaking human language hastily bowed their heads and proclaimed:

"Congratulations to Senior Silver Moon on being crowned Demon Saint!"

"Joy to our clan for producing another fourth-rank Demon Saint! The revitalization of the demon clans is imminent!"

"We welcome Demon Saint Silver Moon! May you endure for a thousand autumns and ten thousand years, living forever without end!"

Countless streams of colorful light suddenly bloomed atop Muxia Mountain, accompanied by mountain-toppling, sea-overturning cheers of congratulations from the demon clans, creating an imposing momentum! Qin Ming and his Sky-Devouring Mouse and the others, experiencing such a grand spectacle for the first time, immediately felt their blood boiling with excitement.

"Master, this is too spectacular!!" the Sky-Devouring Mouse, immersed in the scene and feeling the bustling atmosphere of the Fox Clan's sacred lands, exclaimed involuntarily, "Good heavens, with a display like this, if I ever have such status on the day I ascend to Demon Saint, I can die without regrets!"

"Second Brother, Third Brother, don't you agree?"

The Profound Water Crocodile and the Silver-Yin Yi Shuangfeng, following behind, heard this and immediately shook their heads and wagged their tails in various ways, expressing strong agreement with its idea.

Qin Ming curled his lips and sneered, "What are you dreaming about? You haven't even broken through to the late third rank yet, and you're already thinking about becoming a fourth-rank shape-shifted Demon Saint."

"Once you return, you had better tighten your cultivation efforts."

"Ehehe! Master's lesson is absolutely correct!"

"I will definitely work hard and strive to become a Demon Saint, fighting for you in this lifetime, Master!"

Two incense sticks later.

The Grand Ceremony for Ascending to Demon Saint began solemnly; several highly respected senior great demons within the demon clans began chanting the Demon Canon.

They announced the promotion of the Silver Moon Sky Fox, Yue Lingyan, to the position of Demon Saint.

Then, under the gaze of ten thousand demons, Yue Lingyan, clad in her palace robes, stepped slowly up the long staircase and took her seat on the high throne, resembling an empress.

After she briefly spoke a few words, the celebration officially commenced.

Next came

the banquet session that the Sky-Devouring Mouse had been longing for.

Simultaneously, down below, demon clans continuously presented congratulatory gifts, with the sounds of announcing and singing praises rising one after another without cease.

Various treasures from among the demon clans were displayed in dazzling profusion, too numerous to take in all at once.

Since this was a Demon Saint Grand Ceremony, the lowest-tier gifts were all third-rank spiritual objects and materials, with rare treasures of all kinds from the Beast Cry Mountain Range being everywhere.

There were even a small number of fourth-rank spiritual materials appearing, all offered as tribute by the stronger clans among the demons.

This caused exclamations of surprise to rise from all the factions.

Qin Ming and his three spiritual pets were arranged by Yue Lingyan at the table closest to the front.

"This brother, I see you came out together with Senior Silver Moon; it seems your relationship is quite profound, eh? Hehe!"

"May I ask how we should address you?"

"This humble one offers you a toast!"

At the banquet, sitting at the same table as Qin Ming and his group were several other third-rank late-stage great demons.

These few had just witnessed Qin Ming and his four Demon Kings emerging from the rear mountain together with Yue Lingyan, and thus treated them with extra courtesy and respect.

The one currently offering the toast was a Jin Gang Giant Elephant Demon King, like Qin Ming at the half-shape-shifted realm of the late third rank.

"Hehe, this humble one is Xuan Tong of the Black Sea Profound Water Crocodile clan; this is my clan brother, Xuan Bing," Qin Ming said, rising and raising his cup with a smile.

"Oh! I did not expect Your Honor to be from the Black Sea demon clans; my apologies, my apologies!"

"No wonder Senior Silver Moon values you so highly."

At this, the other several great demons also rose one after another to offer toasts to Qin Ming.

The Sky-Devouring Mouse, however, paid them no mind at all; it simply opened its belly wide, threw itself heart and soul onto the table, and began to gorge itself.

"Eh? Sky-Devouring Mouse? You're actually not dead yet?!"

"And you didn't even notify this old man; you wasted my friendship in vain, and I even burned quite a lot of spirit paper for you!"

"You've actually silently broken through to the mid third rank without making a sound!"

As an aged voice sounded, a silver-haired elder with deer antlers on his head, his face showing astonishment, paced over.

Everyone at the table immediately turned to look in the direction of the sound.

Upon seeing this person, the Shi Tian Shu couldn't help but exclaim, "Old Yangjiao, long time no see."

Qin Ming also recognized this person's identity; he was one of the three Great Demon Kings who, driven by the Green-Faced Poisonous Flood Dragon back then, had besieged and launched the beast tide.

At that time, it was the Earth-Shaking Giant Bear, the Horned Deer clan, and the Shi Tian Shu—these three demons—who had jointly attacked the Yunze Xiancheng.

On that day, the Shi Tian Shu was severely injured by the combined efforts of four human Jin Dan cultivators, and the Horned Deer clan had assumed it had died in some obscure corner.

Speaking of which, the old man before them was actually the Shi Tian Shu's old comrade-in-arms from back then.

"Alas! Who would have expected this!"

"In the blink of an eye, several decades have passed; things remain the same, but the mouse is different. It seems your fortune is quite substantial! Not only has your cultivation advanced greatly, but you've actually become a honored guest of Lord Silver Moon Demon Saint."

"Did you encounter some fortuitous opportunity? Tell this old man about your experiences over these years."

"Otherwise, this old man will be quite unhappy, you know!"

Yang Jiao sighed repeatedly, then walked over, sat down beside the Shi Tian Shu, and began reminiscing about the past.

Seeing this, the Shi Tian Shu secretly glanced at Qin Ming, seeking his opinion.

Qin Ming nodded slightly and transmitted his voice secretly, "Just make up some experiences; fobbing him off will suffice."

Actually, back then, the Horned Deer clan, just like the Shi Tian Shu, had been coerced and persecuted by the Green-Faced Poisonous Flood Dragon; otherwise, this clan was not warlike but loved peace.

Launching the beast tide was truly done out of helpless compulsion.

Now that the Green-Faced Poisonous Flood Dragon was dead, the several demon clans oppressed by him had regained their freedom and no longer needed to fear his threats or enslavement. Immediately, the Shi Tian Shu displayed its sharp eloquence, speaking with flowing tongue and boasting extravagantly to the several demon beasts nearby.

After three rounds of wine, the demons were in the midst of lively celebration.

Suddenly.

A tremendously vast fluctuation of demon power surged between heaven and earth.

Above the Bai Yu plaza, ripples spread out in concentric circles, and two striking figures appeared as if out of thin air.

One of them, a man, resembled an iron tower, revealing bronze-like, sinewy muscles; his eyes were extremely sharp, emitting a brilliant light as if intending to pierce through everyone, exuding an overwhelming domineering presence.

Beside the iron-tower-like burly man was a young woman draped in seven-colored rosy ribbons, wearing a set of rainbow skirts and feathered robes; her figure was graceful, her eyebrows like distant dark mountains, her skin fairer than snow, resembling a colorful phoenix.

Her exquisite facial features seemed carved from mutton-fat Bai Yu, her entire being radiating a noble and mysterious aura, like a fairy stepping out of a painting, carrying endless celestial elegance.

This woman's temperament and appearance were in no way inferior to Yue Lingyan, who sat at the head of the table.

Upon seeing the appearance of these two, Qin Ming's pupils couldn't help but contract sharply.

Immediately, the small demon responsible for announcing the congratulations shouted at the top of its lungs, "From the Lei Shan, the Mountain Giant Ape Wang Zu, Demon Saint Gushan and Demon Saint Silver Moon wish eternal longevity, presenting one piece of fourth-tier mid-grade Emerald Scenery Crystal Stone!"

"From the Chaoyang Cave, the Seven-Colored Kong Que Wang Zu, the Kong Que Saintess congratulates Demon Saint Silver Moon on her great cultivation advancement, ranking as a fourth-tier Demon Saint, presenting half a bottle of fourth-tier mid-grade Cold Essence Tears!"

Whoosh! The appearance of these two renowned Demon Saints among the demon clans caused all the demons below to rise and welcome them respectfully.

Yue Lingyan also stood up, smiling as she welcomed the two Demon Saints to the seats beside the head of the table.

"Welcome, two fellow Daoists, to observe the ceremony; please, take your seats quickly."

Subsequently, the banquet resumed its lively atmosphere.

However, what puzzled Qin Ming was that it seemed one demon beast Wang Zu had not yet arrived.

Just as he was about to ask the several Demon Kings present, he saw the Giant Elephant Demon King lower his voice and speak first, "Do you know why the Lie Feng Diao clan, one of the four great demon beast Wang Zu, did not send a Demon Saint to offer congratulations?"

Hearing this, everyone perked up. "Brother Elephant, what do you mean by this?"

"Hehe! It is said that previously, before Senior Silver Moon of the Fox clan achieved the status of Demon Saint, she was secretly plotted against by the Great Black Heaven Demon King of the Lie Feng Diao clan."

"But not long ago, Senior Silver Moon not only eliminated those several demon clans but also severely injured the Great Black Heaven Demon Saint of the Lie Feng Diao clan!"

"Therefore, at this Demon Saint grand ceremony, the Lie Feng Diao demon clan, one of the four great demon clans, only sent lower-ranking Demon Kings to attend."

"Hiss~"

The mid-tier demons present inhaled sharply in shock.

"Is Senior Silver Moon's strength really that formidable? She just broke through to the fourth tier and already severely injured the Great Black Heaven Demon Saint?"

"Although the Great Black Heaven Demon Saint also broke through not long ago, isn't this gap in strength truly terrifying to hear?"

"That's right; I heard that among fourth-tier Demon Saints, it is very difficult to severely injure or kill another of the same tier unless the difference in divine abilities is truly immense."

"Mm, that's how it is; I heard that before Senior Silver Moon broke through to the fourth-tier Demon Saint realm, she seemed to be severely injured under the siege of several demon clans, already facing the threat of death, but later she must have encountered some tremendous fortuitous opportunity, allowing her to survive the Lei Jie of transformation and break through to the fourth-tier realm in one go."

"Her divine abilities consequently increased greatly; there is likely this factor involved."

"However, this matter is extremely secretive; probably only Senior Silver Moon herself knows the truth."

"We should not rashly speculate or discuss it further."

The Jin Gang Giant Elephant Demon King spoke mysteriously, causing a wave of astonishment among the demon beasts present.

Qin Ming, of course, knew very well how Yue Lingyan had broken through to become a Demon Saint; that day, she had nearly drained him dry, but he merely drank wine and ate dishes, pretending to know nothing.

"By the way, it is rare for us fellow practitioners to gather together like this; why not take this opportunity to exchange some cultivation resources, sharing what we have and obtaining what we need? How about it?"

At this moment, Yang Jiao, sitting beside the Shi Tian Shu, made the suggestion.

"Excellent! Fellow Daoist Yang Jiao's words align perfectly with my intentions."

"Hehe! This humble one also has some spiritual materials that are of no use to me, which I can exchange with everyone."

"Fellow Daoist Xuan Tong, what about you?" Demon King Yang Jiao asked with a smile, turning to Qin Ming.

Just now, while reminiscing and chatting freely with the Shi Tian Shu, he learned from it that this powerful third-tier late-stage Black Water Crocodile before him actually hailed from the demon clans of the Black Sea, leaving him extremely surprised and naturally daring not to underestimate the other party.

Within the Black Sea, there was no lack of powerful sea beast demon clans, ones that even the human and demon clans dared not provoke lightly.

Hearing the other party's invitation.

Qin Ming was naturally more than willing; these old monsters from the Beast Cry Mountain Range might very well possess the spiritual materials he needed for refining pills, so he might as well exchange for them all at once.

Perhaps it would save him a great deal of trouble.

The demons reached an agreement and immediately began displaying their treasures, starting the exchange meeting with great enthusiasm.

……

On the other side.

At the foremost seats of the celebration, the three Demon Sages from the Demon Race capable of swaying the situation in the Immortal Realm were also exchanging words and chatting.

"Fellow Daoist Gushan, Fellow Daoist Kong Que, this is Bai Yulin Wine; although its grade is merely second-tier spiritual wine, its flavor is rare in the world. I went through great trouble to obtain some from the Human Race, and I am taking this opportunity to let you two taste it." Yue Lingyan smiled faintly as she poured spiritual wine for the two Demon Sages.

Gushan, the Demon Sage of the Mountain Ape Clan, lifted his cup and drained it in one gulp. Immediately, a glint of light flashed in his eyes, and he praised with considerable surprise, "This wine is truly quite interesting. I did not expect that among the Human Race, there are still cultivators so proficient in the art of brewing."

"Compared to the Monkey Spiritual Wine of my own clan, its flavor is even superior."

When Gushan spoke, his voice was full of vital energy, loud as a great bell, and brimming with domineering power.

"Oh? Since Fellow Daoist Gushan is so generous with his praise, then this palace must also have a taste." The Peacock Saintess beside them also lifted the spiritual wine before her, slightly parting her Zhu Chun lips to take a delicate sip.

Subsequently, a trace of surprise also rippled within her eyes.

"It is indeed fine wine!"

"Fellow Daoist Lingyan, could you possibly part with some and share it with me?"

Having gained the approval of the two, the smile on Yue Lingyan's face grew even brighter. "Naturally. If you two fellow daoists like it, you may take two jars back with you."

"Then this Gu shall not refuse. Hahaha!" Gushan laughed heartily.

Yue Lingyan also held considerable respect for Gushan, the Demon Sage of the Mountain Ape Clan.

This demon was公认 the strongest among the four Wang Zu of the Beast Cry Mountain Range, his cultivation having already reached the mid fourth stage.

The Mountain Ape Clan inherited its lineage from ancient times and was renowned for its formidable physical bodies. As for Gushan the Demon Sage's divine abilities, if fully unleashed, it was said he could match late-stage Nascent Soul experts of the Human Race.

Previously, when she sought revenge within the Demon Race, it was thanks to his intervention that matters proceeded smoothly.

"Fellow Daoist Lingyan, on the day of your ceremony to ascend as a Demon Sage, the Wind-Splitting Condor Clan actually sent only some subordinates to observe the rites. Those two black condors were truly too disrespectful, were they not?" the Peacock Saintess said while drinking her wine.

But at this moment.

Amidst their conversation, Demon Sage Gushan suddenly waved his large hand, casting a barrier between the three of them. With a grave expression, he said:

"Two fellow daoists, there is a matter I must inform you about."

Yue Lingyan and the Peacock Saintess exchanged glances. Seeing that even Demon Sage Gushan was so serious, they could not help but feel astonished.

"Fellow Daoist Gushan, has something happened?"

"In the coming period, there may be a major upheaval within the Human Race's Immortal Realm."

"The Great Zhou Immortal Realm, which neighbors the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty, will likely be annihilated as a nation before long."

Boom! At this explosive news, even the two women, both fourth-stage Demon Sages with profound self-control, nearly lost their composure.

"Fellow Daoist Gushan, such significant news is no child's play! Is the intelligence reliable and authentic?" the Peacock Saintess could not help but ask.

Yue Lingyan also spoke: "Indeed. Is not the Great Zhou Immortal Realm governed by the Profound Clear Observatory? Furthermore, there is the Nascent Soul-stage Elder Han Ya presiding over it. That old fellow is an ancient monster who has lived for over two thousand years; his divine abilities and methods are considerable. How could he be destroyed in such a short time?"

Demon Sage Gushan immediately began explaining the matter secretly to the two: "This matter concerns the demonic path of Great Li..."

(End of Chapter)