But Tara was different. He was, after all, a Highgod Fiend. He had experienced countless missions and seen quite a few powerful experts.
Yet even when facing the legendary Seven-Star Fiends, Tara could sense their strength and roughly gauge their level of power.
After all, his strength had already reached the Four-Star Level. The reason he was still a Three-Star Fiend was that he wanted to accumulate more experience and improve his strength further before taking on more dangerous Four-Star Missions. Like the Laws of Water he cultivated, Tara was rather conservative by nature.
But when facing Simon, he had no clue at all. Simon clearly had the aura of a Midgod and looked harmless, modest, and polite.
Yet Tara could not see through him in the slightest. It was precisely this utterly unfathomable feeling that made him deeply wary.
That was also why he no longer dared call Simon brother. Simon probably would not care, but Tara was cautious by nature and unwilling to gamble.
What if?
What if Simon was the petty sort? Then Tara would be in danger.
Cautious Tara never gambled on such things.
After this incident, everyone aboard the Metal Lifeform regarded the room where Simon and Fanny stayed as a "restricted area."
Normally, they did not even dare pass by it. Even when approaching it, they would unconsciously lower their voices.
That was the invisible intimidation of the strong.
Especially in a place like Hell, where the strong were revered.
Fortunately, Napote and the others adjusted after only a few days. The people aboard the Metal Lifeform also began treating them with respect.
Hamut felt this especially deeply.
Now, no one even dared interrupt him when he bragged.
It felt fantastic to Hamut. He also came to understand that he did not need to be strong himself, so long as his friends were strong enough.
The rest of the journey was uneventful, and they did not encounter any more foolish bandits. Tara was more than enough to deal with minor thugs.
Simon could finally cultivate in peace.
After returning to his room and continuing his secluded cultivation, Simon broke through his bottleneck in just three months, successfully completing the separate fusion of Wind Space with Profound Mystery of Speed and Profound Mystery of Slow.
Simon could now begin the overall fusion of the four Profound Mysteries: Profound Mystery of Wind Element, Profound Mystery of Speed, Profound Mystery of Slow, and Wind Space.
After all, he had already successfully fused the first three as a whole.
While Simon's Wind Element Divine Clone fused those four Profound Mysteries, it also searched for points of compatibility between them and the Profound Mysteries of Dimension, Sound Waves, and Sound Music.
As for the remaining Wind Element Profound Mysteries, Wind Movement Technique and Clone Technique, Simon planned to rest properly after reaching Lier City and try to gain an initial understanding of them during that time.
Simon's true body continued advancing the fusion of Wind Space and Water Element Essence.
After understanding the characteristic of "space," Simon now found it easy to handle both the fusion of identical Profound Mysteries and Heterogeneous Profound Mysteries.
Simon had to admit that this feeling was wonderful!
The Water Element Divine Clone had not been idle during this time either. It successfully completed the separate fusion of Profound Mystery of Roundness and Softness with Water Element Essence and Mist Illusion, then embarked on the path of overall fusion for those three Profound Mysteries.
Shoring Up His Weaknesses
At the same time, the Water Element Divine Clone continued advancing the pairwise fusion of Sharpness of Ice with Profound Mystery of Roundness and Softness, Water Element Essence, and Mist Illusion.
Once all the pairwise fusions were complete, it could begin the overall fusion of those four Profound Mysteries.
As the fusion of Profound Mystery of Roundness and Softness with Mist Illusion neared completion during this period, Simon's soul defense was greatly enhanced. Now, he no longer needed to worry about encountering Six-Star Fiends who were exceptionally skilled in Soul Attacks.
The so-called Six-Star Fiends who were exceptionally skilled in Soul Attacks were people whose three fused Profound Mysteries or comprehended Laws were all related to the soul, allowing them to develop powerful ultimate Soul Attack techniques.
Such people were extreme. Their speed, material attacks, and material defense were often very weak, but they were especially effective against those with weak soul defenses. Once they caught an opening, they could usually kill with a single blow.
Now Simon no longer had to worry about encountering such people.
With the powerful soul force brought about by his Soul Mutation, along with the upgraded version of the Wall of Illusion, Simon would have no problem defending against the Soul Attacks of Six-Star Fiends who were exceptionally skilled in them.
Moreover, the successful fusion of Profound Mystery of Roundness and Softness with Water Element Essence further strengthened Simon's material defense.
Although Simon was extremely fast and had Ice Wind Space and Ice-Wind Prison at his disposal, ordinary people could not touch him at all.
But there were always exceptions. There was never any harm in raising one's defenses as high as possible.
A true expert had no obvious weaknesses. Otherwise, once others figured them out, they could easily be targeted.
Simon could now be considered a Hexagonal Warrior.
Other than being somewhat weak in Soul Attacks, he could be said to have no weaknesses at all.
Several more relatively peaceful months passed.
That day, Kenchi stopped the Leopard-shaped Metal Lifeform above a tribe.
After sensing that the Metal Lifeform had stopped flying, Simon and the others all left their rooms.
"We've arrived at the Dat Tribe. I expect to stay here for two months. We'll set off again after two months, then head straight for Lier City!"
Kenchi looked at everyone as he spoke.
"Lord Simon, you may all move about freely. Just gather again when it is time to depart."
Kenchi respectfully addressed Simon and the others.
"Go handle your own business, Kenchi. No need to worry about us."
After riding the Metal Lifeform for so long, Simon also wanted to get out and stretch his legs.
Besides, he had noticed that the scenery around the Dat Tribe was quite nice.
After sending Kenchi away, Simon's group entered the territory of the Dat Tribe.
The Dat Tribe's patrolling warriors were nervous when they suddenly saw so many unfamiliar faces. In their panic, they hurriedly went to find the Highgod captain responsible for the tribe's security. But when the captain saw Kenchi flying toward him, he relaxed.
"Haha, it's been a long time, Kenchi. You finally remembered us this time."
The capable Highgod captain with short brown hair greeted Kenchi.
The patrolling warrior who had delivered the report also breathed a sigh of relief after seeing that the newcomers were acquaintances of the captain.
"Wasn't I missing my old friend? I came specially to see you."
Kenchi said warmly.
"You sly fellow. If you put the same enthusiasm you have for business into cultivation, you would have become a Highgod long ago."
The brown-haired Highgod, Fevad, laughed as he scolded him.
Of course, he knew that this fellow, who had once passed the Fiend Examination alongside him, never acted without profit.
He had most likely come this time to purchase the Dat Tribe's specialty, Green Spirit Flower Liquid.
Sure enough, after only a few pleasantries, Kenchi steered the conversation toward Green Spirit Flowers.
"Fevad, the Green Spirit Flowers here should be nearing maturity, right? Has anyone already reserved this batch?"
Kenchi asked, rubbing his hands together.
The Green Spirit Flowers produced exclusively by the Dat Tribe were excellent goods. Once mature, they secreted a fragrant liquid.
This liquid was Green Spirit Flower Liquid. In the hands of master alchemists, it could be combined with other materials to refine medicine that rapidly restored a Divine Body, making it especially useful in prolonged battles.
Green Spirit Flower Liquid was one of the indispensable ingredients.
Fevad, whom Kenchi knew well, was currently serving as the captain of the guards in the Dat Tribe, so Kenchi had come here to make a deal.
They had already made such transactions several times before.
"You should ask Chief Date directly. I generally do not concern myself with such matters."
Fevad waved his hand.
"However, there is still a month before the Green Spirit Flowers mature. No one else has come to the tribe recently, so they probably have not been reserved yet."
"Hehe, then thanks."
As they spoke, the two flew toward the place where the chief of the Dat Tribe was staying.
Along the way, Fevad also instructed his subordinates not to provoke the nearby Fiends. They would leave after accompanying Kenchi to finish his business.
The tribal warriors were familiar with this sort of thing and readily agreed.
At this time, the other Fiends in the caravan each found somewhere to sit, either cultivating or relaxing.
They had little interest in entering the tribe.
As for Simon, Fanny, and the others, they had arrived at the Dat Tribe's back mountain, where the scenery was even more distinctive.
Below the mountain lay a sea of flowers that stretched for hundreds of miles.
Simon had seen these flowers in books before. They were Green Spirit Flowers.
At that moment, the patrolling warrior who had received the instructions came over and politely addressed Simon's group.
"My lords, these flowers have not matured yet and currently only serve as scenery. Please do not damage them."
Seeing how polite the man was, Simon replied politely as well, "Don't worry. We only came to admire them. We will not damage your tribe's property."
"Thank you for your cooperation, my lords. Then I shall not disturb you."
With that, the tribal warrior withdrew.
"These Green Spirit Flowers really are beautiful when they cover such a large area."
Fanny said.
Lona and the others nodded in agreement.
"The Soul Golden Beads I refine can repair powerful souls, while Green Spirit Flower Liquid can be refined into precious medicine that restores Divine Bodies. The two are quite compatible."
Well-traveled Elno naturally recognized this precious flower.
"They really are compatible. But Green Spirit Flowers are produced in very few places. I never expected Kenchi to find them. Just collecting this flower liquid means his trip has not been in vain."
Lona also spoke. She had once seen shops in the city purchasing Green Spirit Flower Liquid, and because she had been desperately short of Inkstones at the time, the sight had left a deep impression on her.
After chatting for a while, everyone fell silent and quietly admired the sea of flowers below.
A gentle breeze swept past, and the flowers rose and fell together, forming rolling waves of blossoms.
Beneath the Blood Sun, the green flowers reflected dazzling light. Combined with the rolling flower waves, they were even more beautiful.
"Unfortunately, the Green Spirit Flower fields here are still not large enough. If they covered an area of tens of thousands of miles, they would surely be even more magnificent—enough to rival the Purple Spirit Flower Sea, one of the Bifu Continent's ten great wonders."
Before you continue