Golden Radiance Region

Chapter 24: Golden Radiance Region

His cultivation had reached its peak and could not be raised any further for the time being. It wasn't just that He Yu didn't know how to cultivate the primordial spirit; more importantly, he lacked the necessary conditions. At the very least, he would have to wait until the Era of Giant Beasts before he could break through to the primordial spirit realm.

He Yu was filled with anticipation. The primordial spirit realm wouldn't just increase his cultivation and strength; most importantly, it would let him take human form. At the thought of having a human body again, He Yu grew immensely excited, his heart overflowing with emotion.

Once his cultivation had reached a pause, He Yu devoted himself to studying his Demon Summoning Banner and defensive techniques. Just how powerful was the aura of the gods and demons? He had no idea. Though he was confident that his current strength surpassed that of an early-stage primordial spirit cultivator, he was still only at the late stage of the Golden Core realm. The fundamental gap between them remained unchanged.

In between his studies, he also savored the feeling of being above all others. Thousands of feudal lords came to pay their respects and offer tribute, while hundreds of millions of demons bowed before him in submission. It filled He Yu with exhilaration, and a sense of controlling everything and ruling the Primordial World sprang up within him. Though his cultivation was nowhere near that of Dijun or Taiyi, he had attained a position they yearned for but had never reached.

The tributes from the demons no longer caught his eye. Even rare spiritual herbs that had grown for tens of thousands of years were of little use to He Yu. His demon body had already been strengthened to its limit; no matter how many spiritual herbs he swallowed, the spiritual energy they contained would merely be stored deep within him.

"Looks like I can forget about the Demon Summoning Banner. I haven't got the faintest clue!" He Yu had no choice but to abandon his wild idea of making one. For someone who didn't understand artifact refining to try to forge such a supreme treasure was no different from dreaming!

His research into defensive techniques had been a great success. Building on the Celebratory Cloud Green Lotus, He Yu had further refined the technique. Not only could it now defend against attacks from every direction, its power had also doubled. With his current cultivation, he could unleash its full power, making its defenses so formidable that even a mid-stage primordial spirit cultivator would likely struggle to break through. Now he had a thirty-percent chance of surviving the approaching Calamity of Giant Beasts.

"I can control the consciousness origins of twenty-five demons at most. I'll have to think this through carefully." He Yu began to weigh his options. The Demon Summoning Banner was out of reach, so he had to settle for the next best thing. Since he couldn't increase the number, he could only pursue quality. The twenty-five demons under his control had to be powerful cultivators, so they would become powerful Giant Beasts.

He Yu had no intention of helping any other demons survive the Calamity of Giant Beasts. It wasn't just that he might lack the ability; even if he had it, he wouldn't do it. Each additional demon would multiply the burden he had to bear, and in the Era of Giant Beasts, they would still be weak as dregs—not worth the effort. He himself was only doing this because of a fortuitous opportunity granted by the Great Dao. Otherwise, he'd be eager to become a Giant Beast right away. At the very least, his strength would skyrocket!

"Great King! Something's happened!" Just as He Yu was lost in thought, Wolf Two rushed into the great hall in a panic. Amid his alarm, Wolf Two caught sight of He Yu's enormous demon body and was instantly dumbstruck, his mind going blank. It was hardly Wolf Two's fault. He Yu's demon body was now more than ten times larger than before!

A demon's body corresponded to his cultivation. He Yu's demon body was now over ten times its former size, and Wolf Two could hardly imagine what level his cultivation had reached. Before, He Yu had already seemed unfathomably powerful. Now?

Terrifying!

"Why are you panicking? Something happened? What could possibly have happened? Is some Demon King trying to rebel?" Seeing Wolf Two's expression, He Yu felt rather pleased with himself. Then he couldn't help thinking of Journey to the West. Weren't all the demons supposed to say something like this when they ran into Sun Monkey? But this was the dawn of the Primordial World!

Now that He Yu's cultivation had increased so much, he was eager to find a demon to test his strength against. If a Demon King really was rebelling, he'd be more than happy to oblige. The weaker, the better—not! It'd be best if several hundred Demon Kings rebelled all at once, so he could make an example of them and test his strength at the same time!

"Great King! This time, the Hedgehog Demon King and the Violent Crocodile Demon King didn't come to pay tribute. They've both been gravely injured." He Yu's shout snapped Wolf Two out of his fear. He looked at He Yu with awe and dread, then remembered what had happened and hurriedly explained. Both Demon Kings were among the strongest of their kind, no weaker than the Earth Bear King. For both of them to be gravely injured was no small matter!

"Oh? What happened?" He Yu grew interested. He didn't care whether the two Demon Kings lived or died, but whatever could gravely injure them certainly piqued his curiosity.

"This subordinate received word from some lesser demons under their command. Not long ago, they discovered a strange region in their territory. It was about ten li across, located in a canyon, and filled with dazzling golden light. The Hedgehog Demon King and the Violent Crocodile Demon King were injured when they approached the edge of the golden light. They say two streams of pitch-black smoke surged out of the region. They were so fast that neither Demon King could react before being hit. After escaping, the two Demon Kings were surrounded by black smoke, gravely injured, and unconscious. They still haven't woken up!" Wolf Two found it unbelievable. In his eyes, the two Demon Kings were incredibly powerful. How could they have been gravely injured by black smoke?

"Golden Radiance Region? Black smoke?" He Yu's curiosity was thoroughly aroused. Two Demon Kings at the peak of the early Golden Core stage had been gravely injured and knocked unconscious? It seemed this was no simple matter. He'd made no further progress with his self-created defensive technique, so this was a chance to see the place for himself. He might even gain something from it!

"Could it be an Innate Spiritual Treasure?" When he heard that even approaching the region had been difficult, He Yu wondered if there might be a treasure inside. But he immediately dismissed the thought. The sun, moon, and stars were sealed away, and the Primordial Heavenly Dao had yet to emerge and was still incomplete. Even if an Innate Spiritual Treasure had finished gestating, it couldn't possibly appear in the world yet. Still, there was no smoke without fire. Such a wondrous place as the Golden Radiance Region was bound to hold some secrets.

"With my current cultivation and the Celebratory Cloud Green Lotus defensive technique protecting me, I should be able to retreat unharmed even if danger awaits." The Golden Radiance Region might well contain something beneficial. It was worth a visit!

After thinking it over, He Yu decided to go take a look. If he gained anything, it could help him survive the Calamity of Giant Beasts.

"Wolf Two! I'm going to see the Golden Radiance Region. You'll be in charge of Demon King City for now. The other nine Demon Marshals and five Demon Generals will be under your command. Don't let anything go wrong, or I'll punish you severely when I return!" During this time, He Yu had seen what Wolf Two could do. Though his cultivation was on the weak side, he was highly intelligent and cunning, making full use of every wolfish trait. He had become He Yu's most capable assistant, handling all sorts of tedious affairs and earning his favor.

"This subordinate thanks the Great King for your trust. I won't let you down!" Wolf Two knelt and bowed, overwhelmed with emotion. He was now utterly loyal to He Yu. Not only did He Yu hold a fragment of his consciousness origin, but Wolf Two's status—second only to one and above all the rest—was also entirely thanks to him.

After giving his orders, He Yu immediately summoned the demon officials. The officials were once again shocked and awestruck by the size of He Yu's demon body, but that was beside the point. When He Yu announced his arrangements, the Demon Kings were privately unhappy about being under Wolf Two's command. But with He Yu backing him, they had no choice but to accept it.

Once everything was settled, He Yu immediately rode his demon cloud toward the territories of the Hedgehog Demon King and the Violent Crocodile Demon King. Their territories were adjacent, thirty thousand li due west of Demon King City. At the speed of He Yu's demon cloud, it wouldn't take long to reach them.