Chapter 956: Black Soul Valley

Yi Geng saw Lei En's mysterious expression, and because he didn't know the details, his cautious nature made him hesitate again.

"What are you still hesitating about?" Lei En pretended to be a bit impatient.

Hei Long's face turned uneasy, "Boss…"

"If it's a money issue, you don't need to worry." Lei En saw at a glance that this guy was about to haggle again, and asked directly: "Now that you're refining Black Soul Elixir alone, after costs, how much can you earn per year? It shouldn't exceed four hundred thousand Gold Shields, right?"

"Yes." Yi Geng nodded in acknowledgment.

He had been trading with Lei En for several years, and both sides were well aware of the transaction amounts.

In fact, this was his most stable and comfortable money‑making period; to seize the chance, he cultivated Black Soul Mushrooms and refined the elixir day and night, with a year's profit matching the past seven or eight years, but the output had reached its limit.

Lei En had guessed this and said, "If you cooperate with me and contribute the Black Soul Mushroom cultivation technique, I will give you one million Gold Shields each year for the next ten years. This ten‑million Gold Shield sum will buy out your technique. How does that sound?"

"Fine!"

Yi Geng finally felt satisfied, then rubbed his hands, "Boss, the Black Soul Elixir production performance you mentioned…"

"Naturally it counts; that's your extra income," Lei En said with a grand gesture, extremely generous.

"Boss, you are wise and mighty!"

Hei Long's eyes lit up, and he immediately flattered him.

One million Gold Shields per year plus performance pay totals at least two million Gold Shields, and from Lei En's words his demand for Black Soul Elixir output is huge; multiplying it a few more times wouldn't be a problem!

If he could produce five million doses of Black Soul Elixir annually, the money earned in a year would equal the wealth that took decades of hard work to swindle in the Bu Lantaiya Knight Kingdom.

Yi Geng seemed to see himself lying on a massive golden treasure, his whole body trembling with excitement, and shouted, "I am willing to work with you, Boss!"

Lei En nodded in satisfaction.

He stood up, gathered the Demon corpses on the ground, and walked toward the cabin door, "Then come with me."

"Where are we going?"

Yi Geng was momentarily stunned, followed outside and looked at his meticulously built cabin and the surrounding rune array; a batch of Black Soul Mushrooms was about to mature, and he felt reluctant, asking, "Boss, aren't we cultivating Black Soul Mushrooms in the Deep Mud Swamp?"

"The Deep Mud Swamp is unsafe," Lei En shook his head, "I need a cultivation ground that is undisturbed and sufficiently hidden."

"But other places might not be suitable for Black Soul Mushroom growth," Yi Geng reasoned.

"That's why I need you to come with me," Lei En laughed, "I have several candidate sites and need you to judge whether Black Soul Mushrooms can be grown there. If none work, the Deep Mud Swamp will be the last resort. Besides, didn't you already want to leave the Deep Mud Swamp to evade the Bu Lantaiya people's pursuit?"

Hearing the Bu Lantaiya people made Yi Geng clutch his head, his face clenched in teeth.

"All ears, Boss."

He no longer clung to hope and asked curiously, "Where is the location you chose? Environments suitable for Black Soul Mushroom growth are hard to find."

"You'll know when you get there," Lei En thought, leaving a phase beacon in the cabin, then grasped Yi Geng's shoulder and performed interdimensional teleportation.

Hei Long's world in front of him twisted.

He felt the heavens spin and the earth whirl; everything he saw became bizarre and surreal, his body unable to find footing, limbs flailing instinctively, streams of light and shadow streaked across his vision, seeming to be the Void Plane and the Star Realm, each instant spanning an immense distance.

He didn't know how long had passed, perhaps only a brief dozen seconds, and the teleportation ended.

Yi Geng felt the world stabilize again.

But before he could discern his location, he inhaled reflexively and was immediately choked; the air was filled with endless corrupt energy!

"Abyss!"

Yi Geng let out a startled cry.

He could guess that Lei En might choose to plant Black Soul Mushrooms in the bottomless Abyss, but he didn't expect that, in such a short time, Lei En could transport him from the distant Prime Material Plane to the Abyss—this must be the terrifying power of a Holy Soul Wizard?

Then he realized he was high above, with an endless alluvial plain below.

Looking toward the horizon, the plain was surrounded on three sides by massive, unending mountain ranges shrouded in dense gray‑white mist, obscuring the scenery within.

Not far beneath his feet stood a steel fortress built into a canyon.

Countless Demons toiled inside the fortress, hauling Demon corpses onto the plaza, piling them like mountains, while Demons cleaned the blood‑stained ground.

Clearly, a brutal battle had just ended here.

"Those Demon corpses are the substrate you use to grow Black Soul Mushrooms," Lei En said, "There must be at least two hundred thousand, perhaps even more."

"Huh…"

Yi Geng let out a long breath, barely adapting to the Abyss's environment. Hei Long, born with mastery of shadow power, has a very strong spirit and high resistance to corrupt energy erosion, so he won't, like ordinary humans, be easily polluted in mind and become a fallen one.

"Boss, this is the Abyss Level 435 Misty Mountains, right?" Yi Geng asked confidently.

Lei En's eyes widened instantly, praising, "Your insight is impressive."

"Hehe…"

Yi Geng was rather proud, "I just happen to know this level of the Abyss." Then, curiously looking at the Demons in the fortress, he asked, "Do those Demons obey your orders? Has this fortress already been under your control?"

Lei En nodded.

Hei Long's eyes widened, eager to know how Lei En did it, but Lei En declined to explain, "I will continuously supply Demon corpses for you to grow Black Soul Mushrooms; you don't need to worry about anything else."

"Yes, Boss!"

Yi Geng responded appropriately, shifting to his expertise, "I must study the various Demon corpses to pinpoint the exact timing for sowing mycelium. These corpses have been dead for almost a day, so they must be used quickly; we can't delay further."

"Moreover, as substrate, once placed at a suitable site, the corpses should not be moved until they fully rot and decompose."

"Otherwise, it will reduce Black Soul Mushroom yield."

Lei En always adhered to a principle of leaving professional matters to experts, so without a moment's delay he again seized Yi Geng's shoulder and began teleporting.

Before seeking Yi Geng, he already understood Black Soul Mushroom cultivation.

The optimal growth environment is a humid swamp.

Most of the Misty Mountains plane is mountainous, but the overall geography is complex, with countless lakes, canyons, basins, and, of course, swamps.

On the map he drew himself, he marked dozens of larger swamps.

The next second.

Lei En appeared in the mountains with Yi Geng, standing over a swamp, and said, "Take a look—does this work?"

Yes.

Yi Geng flew up by himself, circled the swamp, and quickly returned, shaking his head: "The temperature of this swamp is too low. Although we could solve it with a temperature‑control rune array, it would cost an extremely high price and be hard to maintain. Moreover, the soil is too hard, unsuitable for Black Soul Mushroom growth."

"Then let's try another place." Lei En immediately teleported with him, heading to the next destination.

In two or three hours, the two surveyed over a dozen swamps.

But none were suitable.

Some were too hot, some too cold; some too moist, some too dry. The soil requirements were strict, as were water quality, area, climate variations, and so on—overall each had flaws.

Lei En then realized how demanding the Black Soul Mushroom's growing conditions were.

Yi Geng carefully explained that this was why he could not leave the Deep Mud Swamp.

The All-Seeing Eye confirmed he was not lying to stay in the Deep Mud Swamp; indeed those swamps were unsuitable. Nevertheless, Lei En was very patient—such a vast Mist Mountain Range, he refused to believe there was no place to plant Black Soul Mushrooms.

Afterwards they continued scouting multiple swamps; the remaining candidate sites were few, and Lei En was prepared to return to the Deep Mud Swamp.

Another teleport brought the two to a swamp.

"Hm?"

Looking at the swamp shrouded in white mist, Yi Geng's eyes lit up slightly, exclaiming with delight, "This place… feels so familiar. Apart from the mist, the other conditions are very close to those of the Deep Mud Swamp!"

He landed directly, his feet sinking into the filthy water; he scooped a handful of sludge, examined it closely, and even tasted a bit.

"Pah…" Yi Geng spat out the sludge, shouting, "Boss, this should be fine!"

Lei En remained calm, "Go check the surroundings."

"Yes!"

Yi Geng flew up into the mist, surveying the whole swamp.

Lei En's mind leapt to the heights, the All-Seeing Eye operating at its limit, his gaze piercing the mist to see the situation dozens of miles around.

This swamp lies within a valley, shaped like an irregular rectangle about thirty li long and six li wide. Its total area isn't huge, but it's sufficient. The opposite end of the valley isn't swamp but a dense black forest, whose terrain gradually rises and connects with the mountains on both sides.

The valley is about 1,300 li south of the Gamma Lan Plain, situated on the eastern side of the Mist Mountain Range, belonging to the fringe region of this plane.

Within the valley and the surrounding mountains, a group of Demons lurked.

Their number was modest, only two or three hundred, clearly under the same leader—a large Demon‑level "Shadow Mother".

This Demon's appearance was hideously grotesque: over five meters tall, fat and plump, with several lumps on its chest indicating female organs, swaying as it moved; its massive head bore distorted features that would give mortals nightmares.

The Shadow Mother's fertility was prodigious, capable of birthing dozens of lesser Demons each year.

Most Demons that mated with it could also produce offspring, making it a relentless breeding machine, contributing indelibly to the Abyss Demon population growth.

Lei En spent a dozen minutes circling the outer area of the valley; within a hundred li there was no Demon lord, only a few large Demons that divided the mountain region, including the swamp, posing almost no threat.

The nearest Demon lord lay over four hundred li away, a "Sart Demon", which could be eliminated with a casual swipe.

Yet Lei En did not disturb it.

Returning to the swamp to find Yi Geng, the black dragon beamed with joy and reported, "Boss, this swamp is perfect! Temperature, humidity, water quality, soil—all match the Deep Mud Swamp. Moreover, the climate is extremely stable, with no winter, so we might not need to set up rune arrays to control temperature or airflow, saving a lot of cost."

"Very good!"

Lei En was also delighted, immediately deciding, "Then we'll set the Black Soul Mushroom planting site here."

"Does this swamp have a name?" Yi Geng looked around excitedly, knowing he'd be living here for a long time.

"No." Lei En thought for a moment, "Then we'll call it Black Soul Valley."

"Uh…"

Yi Geng's face froze; the naming was too casual. He wanted to criticize Lei En's naming skill, but didn't dare to speak.

Lei En ignored his thoughts, opened a teleport gate and stepped through. Yi Geng hurried after him, discovering that opposite the gate lay the western forest of Black Soul Valley; not far ahead was the entrance to a cavern, guarded by a few idle lesser Demons, from which a nauseating stench wafted.

The lesser Demons saw the two sudden strangers, let out strange cries, and lunged forward with gnashing claws.

More Demons surged from the cavern.

Lei En raised his hand and unleashed the spell—Nine-ring Technique: Spiritual Energy Storm!

An invisible psychic force suddenly manifested, sweeping the space within several hundred meters. It seemed weak and the scene calm, yet any Demon caught by the psychic storm instantly exploded, falling silently to the ground.

The Shadow Mother and the other Demons in the cavern didn't escape a single one.

The forest fell silent at once.

Yi Geng's scalp tingled watching the scene, fully witnessing the terrifying power of the Holy Soul Wizard; wielding the Nine-ring Technique so casually, killing so many Demons was easier than crushing ants.

Lei En smiled, "We can't waste these Demon corpses either."

Yi Geng nodded listlessly.

After a while, he saw Lei En standing still after killing the Demons and couldn't help asking, "Boss, what shall we do next?"

"Wait."

Lei En replied with only one word.

Yi Geng was a bit confused, "Wait for what?"

Lei En turned his head, glanced at him, "Of course we wait for the Demon corpses to be delivered, and the manpower I assigned to help you plant the Black Soul Mushrooms will arrive as well. Black Soul Valley also needs some renovation—at least an alchemy chamber, a teleport array, and housing for you and the assistants, plus a concealment rune array to mask the valley's situation."

"Oh, oh." Yi Geng, as if waking from a dream, was shocked by Lei En's work efficiency.

Yet more questions arose; Lei En had been right beside him—when did he issue orders to his subordinates?

How will the Demon corpses be delivered? And those helpers—how were they gathered so quickly?

Those questions soon received answers.

A moment later.

A massive roar echoed over Black Soul Valley; Yi Geng looked up and saw the silhouette of a colossal object emerging from the mist, descending toward the swamp, lowering until it hovered about a hundred meters above the ground, deactivating the Invisibility Field.

"Th‑this‑this‑this…"

Yi Geng's jaw nearly hit the ground; he couldn't utter a full sentence.

The Star Destroyer's four hangar doors opened simultaneously, and the Extreme Warriors pushed the mountain‑piled Demon corpses out, dropping them onto the swamp like rain.

Three hundred took off their armor, transformed into Thundercast Celestial Soldiers of sorcerers, chaotic princes, dream demons, and vampires, and flew out; some landed in the swamp to scout the terrain, preparing to set up rune formations, while others entered the forest to begin building housing bases.

The remaining Thundercast Celestial Soldiers flew to Lei En's rear, awaiting orders.

Lei En laughed: "Yi Geng, it's time to work."

(End of chapter)