"What? Lotus roots!"
"We can't let this one go either. Eating it can expand the Innate Acupoints, making it easier to comprehend the Great Dao!"
Di Jun and Taiyi launched into another frenzied scramble.
"The rest are good stuff too. There are all kinds of vegetable spiritual roots and fruit spiritual roots. The master calls these vegetable salad and fruit salad."
"What? Salad?"
Di Jun and Taiyi immediately started tasting them.
The two were overjoyed.
These so-called salads were all made from spiritual roots!
Though they had been cultivated after the primordial age, their effects far surpassed those of Innate Spiritual Roots.
Every kind was brimming with spiritual power, and nearly all of them contained Dao Principles!
What an astonishing display of wealth!
Using spiritual roots as feed!
Spiritual roots were only taken during crucial moments in cultivation or when advancing to a higher realm.
You people were far too extravagant!
Even we, the Demon Emperor and Eastern Emperor, wouldn't squander things like this.
No wonder you refused to go to the Heavenly Court. Just looking at this food, neither of us could bear to leave!
"Are you fellow Daoists going to eat any more?"
"I imagine you don't care for it, and you may already be full."
"Then we won't hold back."
As soon as Di Jun and Taiyi finished speaking, they began gobbling it down.
Demon Emperor and Eastern Emperor or not, they didn't care about their status in the slightest.
The feed in the big basin was swept clean by Di Jun and Taiyi in just a few breaths.
After eating, they made their way to the small pond, their minds full of questions.
They were about to ask Kunpeng for a detailed explanation, hoping to clear up their confusion.
But Taiyi's eyes suddenly widened in disbelief.
The small pond contained an immense, dense concentration of Spiritual Energy!
Why hadn't they noticed it before?
Di Jun took a closer look and was even more astonished.
It wasn't merely dense. The pond water was Spiritual Energy so concentrated that it had turned into Spirit Liquid!
Taiyi shook his head again. No, even the most powerful formation couldn't condense energy into liquid like this.
There had to be some hidden mystery here.
After carefully sensing it, the two stood dumbstruck.
Buried beneath this small pond was a Primordial Spirit Spring!
No wonder the pond could nurture a Twenty-Four Petal Green Lotus!
No wonder Kunpeng and the others had advanced so quickly in cultivation!
They ate spiritual roots every day and drank from a spiritual spring at every meal!
With resources like these, even a pig could soar into the Heavenly Court and become a Demon Saint!
But why was there an ordinary creature living in the courtyard?
It made no sense. Even if its natural aptitude was utterly poor, with such opportunities it should at least have reached the Golden Immortal Realm, perhaps even the Grand Unity Golden Immortal Realm!
Di Jun and Taiyi racked their brains, but they couldn't figure out the key to it.
They could only seek answers from Kunpeng and the others.
"Fellow Daoists, we're truly puzzled. Could you explain things to us in detail?"
With a splash, Kunpeng emerged from the water.
"Di Jun, Taiyi, I told you long ago that my master has profound, unfathomable powers. He lives in seclusion here, experiencing the hardships of comprehending the Great Dao as an ordinary creature. Yet you insisted on coming here to cause trouble."
"Fortunately, you knew when to stop. If you had disturbed or ruined my master's important plans, think carefully: would either of you have made it out alive?"
The more Di Jun and Taiyi thought about it, the more alarmed they became. Cold sweat trickled down their backs.
A Hidden Great Power!
A Peerless Expert!
That was the only possible explanation!
Now everything made sense.
If he didn't possess an unfathomably high level of cultivation, how could Kunpeng, now nearly at the peak of the Quasi-Saint realm, with his proud nature, willingly bow his head and call him master?
And why would these powerful members of the Demon Clan willingly live in seclusion in this little courtyard?
Most importantly, all these extraordinary things—the spiritual roots, the Primordial Spirit Spring, the four gods and demons Gui Che had mentioned earlier, and even the Three Pure Ones and Zhen Yuanzi—had all secretly visited the courtyard.
Every sign pointed to this so-called ordinary creature.
There was no doubt he was a Peerless Expert!
What a shame that even an expert can overlook something. Every gesture of yours is extraordinary. Even if you take the form of an ordinary creature, how could you truly hide your identity?
In an instant, Di Jun and Taiyi silently communicated and understood the whole situation.
They immediately changed their minds and stopped trying to persuade Kunpeng and the others to join the Demon Clan Heavenly Court.
They decided to build a good relationship with the expert. If they could gain his help, wouldn't everything become much easier?
"Fellow Daoists, we're all members of the Demon Clan, yet you kept us in the dark!" Di Jun complained.
Kunpeng gave a cold snort. "If you weren't members of the Demon Clan, do you think you'd still be here, alive and well, babbling away?"
Taiyi chuckled, then turned serious. "May I ask where this expert comes from? Could you tell us his name?"
Kunpeng's expression turned icy as he warned them sternly, "Don't ask questions you shouldn't. It won't do you the slightest good. On the contrary, it could bring about an unwarranted calamity."
Taiyi's heart tightened. He gave a couple of dry coughs. "You're right, Daoist Kunpeng. The Demon Clan has many affairs to attend to, so we'll take our leave for now. Would it be all right if we came again in the future?"
Kunpeng thought for a moment, then shook his head. "It would be best if you didn't. My master has always preferred peace and quiet."
"That's a shame. I was hoping to come by often and discuss the Dao with you fellow Daoists," Taiyi said regretfully.
Da Huang chuckled. "Taiyi, you just can't bear to give up all those benefits, can you? You're hoping to drop by for free food and drink."
Taiyi was mortified.
Kunpeng considered it, then said, "Taiyi, Di Jun, since we're all members of the Demon Clan, you may visit from time to time—as long as you follow the rules, don't reveal my master's identity, and promise not to disrupt his plans."
Di Jun and Taiyi were overjoyed to receive Kunpeng's permission.
They thanked them happily. "Many thanks, fellow Daoists. We'll take our leave now and visit again in the future."
After bidding farewell to Kunpeng and the others, Taiyi and Di Jun hurried back to the Heavenly Court.
On the way, Di Jun asked in confusion, "Eastern Emperor, why were you in such a hurry to leave? Why not wait for the expert to rest, then find a chance to curry favor with him? Wouldn't we have gotten even more benefits that way?"
Taiyi shook his head. "We already ate so many spiritual roots, drank from the Primordial Spirit Spring, and ate lotus roots and Lotus Seeds. Do you think we could even digest it if the expert offered us anything else?"
"Besides, I hurried back because I was thinking of the Demon Clan as a whole."
"Oh? What do you have in mind, Eastern Emperor?"
Taiyi's gaze was deep and distant. Looking into the distance, he spoke slowly. "The Demon Clan's future doesn't really depend on the strength of its top-tier fighters, though that's certainly important. What matters most is having a steady stream of fresh blood to keep replenishing our ranks."
"If we want the entire Demon Clan to develop steadily over the long term, we need to help low-rank demons transform faster, so they can quickly become our mid-tier fighting force."
"They will become the backbone of the Demon Clan. As long as this force survives, the Demon Clan won't face the danger of extinction."
Di Jun pondered his words, impressed and a little ashamed. The Eastern Emperor really did think further ahead. Di Jun had only been thinking about eating. If he'd known, he would have let the Eastern Emperor eat a few more bites. After all, he had the interests of the entire Demon Clan at heart.
Before you continue