"The people from the Primal Demon Temple are coming!"
"Wonderful! With the Primal Demon Temple here to hold the fort, Tamu Town's crisis will surely be resolved!"
Outside, where Heavenly Shield City's City Guard Army was stationed, everyone's spirits soared.
Whenever anyone spoke of the Primal Demon Temple, supreme reverence appeared on their face, as though it were a place they yearned for without end.
The Beichen Demon Kingdom was subordinate to the Primal Demon Temple. Rumor had it that the kingdom's royal family had come from the temple and served as its agents in the secular world, managing the kingdom's affairs on its behalf.
The Lingyao Realm had two towering giants among its Devil Dao Sects: the Primal Demon Temple and the Baleful Demon Sect.
These two Demon Dao Great Sects were sacred grounds in the hearts of countless young men of the Lingyao Realm. Even in their dreams, they longed to catch the eye of either sect and gain the chance to cultivate in a true great sect with profound foundations.
Most cultivation resources within and beyond the Beichen Demon Kingdom were supplied to the Primal Demon Temple, while a small portion went to sects such as the Crippled Demon Sect and the Ghost-Controlling Sect.
The Primal Demon Temple held a near monopoly over the most gifted young cultivators in the entire Demon Kingdom. Few fish slipped through its net.
The Primal Demon Temple's disciples enjoyed an exalted status and all manner of privileges within the Demon Kingdom, ranking among the most esteemed people in the Lingyao Realm.
Upon hearing that people from the Primal Demon Temple would arrive to help, every member of the City Guard Army felt their blood surge, as though the demon spirit tide crisis were about to be resolved.
Longing shone in Shen Yanrong's eyes. "I heard a formal disciple at the great perfection of the primordial spirit realm is leading them!"
Underground, in the bitterly cold cavern.
"A second-rank spirit beast really is extraordinary!"
Zhao Changfeng felt as though he had acquired a priceless treasure.
He had shattered the ice around a green snake only an arm's length long and placed it across his knees to refine with the Essence-Devouring Demon Art. Its skin and flesh were slowly shrinking and shriveling.
Abundant power and qi-blood streamed endlessly into his two dantians, at a speed that left Zhao Changfeng dumbfounded.
A first-rank spirit beast was worth one piece of spirit jade, while a second-rank spirit beast was worth ten. In theory, the latter contained ten times as much power as the former.
In reality, however, the power within a second-rank spirit beast had already been refined to an extreme degree. It was quick and easy to absorb, requiring no further refinement or tempering from Zhao Changfeng.
The Greenbone Snake's power was filling the sea of spiritual qi in his lower dantian and the qi-blood sea in his middle dantian.
The qi-blood sea in particular was gathering specks of crimson qi-blood and approaching fullness.
"By rights, a second-rank spirit beast has combat strength equivalent to a yuanqi stage cultivator. No wonder its power is so astonishing."
Glancing at the other second-rank spirit beasts, Zhao Changfeng could not help smiling.
He knew that, given enough time, he could use these second-rank spirit beasts to steadily raise his cultivation to the middle yuanqi stage and temper every part of his flesh, bones, and sinews.
If all the spirit beasts here belonged to him, he was confident he could push his cultivation to the late yuanqi stage!
Perhaps even the great perfection of the yuanqi stage!
"Unfortunately, most of the spirit beasts are still in Cui Pinyuan's hands. There's no way he'll give them to me for nothing."
As he thought this, Zhao Changfeng's brows furrowed again.
The Heart-Demon Obsession stemming from Ruan Meizhen flared up once more. He was dragged back into that heart-rending demonic delusion, becoming Xu Lang as he raised his sword to kill Ruan Meizhen.
Having experienced this many times, Zhao Changfeng could now divide his attention. Even while immersed in that human tragedy, he did not let it delay his cultivation.
What puzzled him was that Senior Sister Ruan's Heart-Demon Obsession had been flaring up far more frequently of late.
"The impending arrival of the Primal Demon Temple's people must have unsettled her."
After a little thought, Zhao Changfeng saw straight through to the root of the problem and understood the cause.
Ruan Meizhen feared encountering the people from the Primal Demon Temple, but he, like the City Guard Army outside, was looking forward to their arrival.
The threat posed by Song Zejun and his wife was simply too great. Once those experts from the Primal Demon Temple arrived, his safety would be far more assured.
At the other end.
After Cui Pinyuan left, only two people remained in the underground hideaway, and Chen Jian was also racing against time.
He was using the earth yin cold spring to refine his yin ghosts as quickly as possible, but their power could not be increased in a single leap. By his reckoning, he would need at least half a month to refine all of them once.
Yet the people from the Primal Demon Temple would arrive soon.
"The Primal Demon Temple."
"If they arrive and conduct even a brief search with treasure-detecting artifacts, they'll naturally sense this earth yin cold spring, which hasn't been concealed by an array. When that happens..."
Chen Jian's brows secretly furrowed.
After hesitating for a moment, he came up with a plan and suddenly said, "Zhao Changfeng, would you like to claim all the spirit beasts for yourself?"
This was the first time Chen Jian had spoken to Zhao Changfeng of his own accord.
Before this, Zhao Changfeng had apologized repeatedly, explaining that Song Zejun and his wife were lurking in Tamu Town, that no one could hope to escape disaster, and that he had exposed Chen Jian's identity out of consideration for everyone.
But no matter what he said, Chen Jian ignored him completely, clearly intending to settle accounts afterward.
"Brother Chen, you're joking with me, aren't you?"
Zhao Changfeng's spirits lifted. He paused his Demonic Cultivation Art and asked curiously, "This place belongs to Senior Cui. I bought the spirit beasts I have with hard cash. As for the others..."
As he spoke, he swept his gaze over the many frozen spirit beasts around him, suppressing his longing.
"Once the people from the Primal Demon Temple arrive, he won't be able to keep either the spirit beasts or this earth yin cold spring."
Chen Jian's expression was cold, but a trace of mockery appeared in his eyes. "He's just a rogue cultivator. Since when do sects need a reason to plunder rogue cultivators?"
Zhao Changfeng looked thoughtful.
Chen Jian paused, then continued, "I have a proposal. Hear me out."
"Just say that, in gratitude for your resolving Tamu Town's great calamity, Cui Pinyuan gave you all these spirit beasts, along with the earth yin cold spring, as a reward."
"If these things belong to Cui Pinyuan, the Primal Demon Temple's disciples can take them whenever they please. Cui Pinyuan wouldn't dare do anything but hand them over obediently."
"But if they already belong to you, the people from the Primal Demon Temple will have to weigh the matter carefully. After all, you're a disciple of the Crippled Demon Sect, and you really did render a great service."
Hearing this, Zhao Changfeng frowned. "Why not transfer them to you? Brother Chen, aren't you a disciple of the Ghost-Controlling Sect?"
Chen Jian did not dare oppose the people from the Primal Demon Temple himself and wanted to use Zhao Changfeng as his spear. Zhao Changfeng had no intention of jumping into that so easily.
He naturally knew the Primal Demon Temple's fearsome reputation. It was one of the strongest sects in the Lingyao Realm, and the entire Beichen Demon Kingdom had been built up with its support.
If you don't dare do it, Chen Jian, why should I stick my neck out?
Seeing that Zhao Changfeng refused to fall meekly into line, Chen Jian felt secretly annoyed. But since he wanted to shrink his head into his shell like a turtle while still reaping the benefits, he could only explain patiently.
"The territory around Heavenly Shield City, including Tamu Town, nominally falls under your Crippled Demon Sect's jurisdiction."
"Since this earth yin cold spring appeared in Tamu Town, it theoretically belongs to the Crippled Demon Sect as well. If Cui Pinyuan has given it to you, the people from the Primal Demon Temple probably won't find it easy to seize it openly."
"Besides, your master Teng Kun is only trapped deep within the world membrane. He isn't dead."
"How could the people from the Primal Demon Temple not be wary of your master?"
"Our Ghost-Controlling Sect has nothing to do with this region, and my sect has no experts stationed here. How could I, Chen Jian, have the nerve to take these things?"
Chen Jian laid out the facts and reasoning clearly and logically, determined not to stick his neck out.
Zhao Changfeng remained silent for a long time before suddenly asking, "Brother Chen, what do you get out of this?"
At that moment, Chen Jian's cold eyes actually softened considerably, and even his voice became warm and pleasant. "Afterward, all the spirit beasts Cui Pinyuan has stored will be yours alone. No, you can start enjoying those spirit beasts right now. Refine as many as you like!"
"All I want is to borrow the earth yin cold spring to refine my yin ghosts. I only need half a month. Once I leave, the earth yin cold spring will still belong to Cui Pinyuan!"
Chen Jian grew somewhat excited.
Zhao Changfeng was tempted.
There were enough spirit beasts here to push him to at least the late yuanqi stage-and that was only the minimum!
Chen Jian was clearly determined to keep his head tucked into his shell. The fact that he had stripped off his Ghost-Controlling Sect robes to blend in among the rogue cultivators already revealed his disposition.
If Zhao Changfeng did not agree, Chen Jian would never dare step forward to face the people from the Primal Demon Temple. Every spirit beast, along with the earth yin cold spring, would be swept away by the temple.
As the saying went, riches and honor were sought amid danger. If he wanted to swallow up all the spirit beasts, how could he refuse to shoulder a little risk?
"I'll agree to this!"
Zhao Changfeng gritted his teeth, looking ready to march heroically to his death. "Brother Chen, you must swear an oath that you won't come looking for trouble with me afterward!"
Chen Jian remained silent for a long time. Only after a good while did he put on a reluctant expression and say in a barely audible voice, "Fine."
Like Zhao Changfeng and Teng Kun, he firmly believed that he would one day ascend to the heights of the Demon Dao. He cherished his promises and could not bring himself to break his word, lest someone later dig it up and assail him with tongue and pen.
"Louder! I can't hear you!"
Zhao Changfeng barked softly.
Rage surged in Chen Jian's cold eyes. He abruptly rose to his feet. "Brat, I'm only agreeing not to kill you after this affair! Once we leave Tamu Town and go somewhere else, I'll still kill you if I should!"
Zhao Changfeng bargained, "Heavenly Shield City too! No, we need to set a time limit! You're not allowed to attack me for half a year!"
Chen Jian drew a deep breath, clearly infuriated by Zhao Changfeng, but still agreed. "I, Chen Jian, swear not to kill Zhao Changfeng for half a year!"
"No, not like that!"
Zhao Changfeng shook his head and hurriedly added, "You have to say, 'I, Chen Jian, a formal disciple of the Ghost-Controlling Sect, swear here in Tamu Town that, for half a year, I will not kill Zhao Changfeng, the named disciple of Teng Kun, an elder of the Crippled Demon Sect!'"
"'If I, Chen Jian, violate this oath, I will suffer an inner demon backlash and die within half a year of making my move!'"
Zhao Changfeng spelled out the place, time, and identities clearly, fearing that Chen Jian might find even the slightest loophole.
Chen Jian's handsome face, usually expressionless, suddenly began to twist. He snapped, "Do we need to spell it out so clearly? You actually dare distrust me?!"
Zhao Changfeng sighed and said quietly, "For people like us, it's better to make every detail clear."
Chen Jian's breathing grew slightly ragged. The sinister power within his demonic heart began to waver, actually showing signs that his Demonic Cultivation Art might turn against him.
He exhaled at length, then swiftly swore the oath exactly as Zhao Changfeng had instructed. Afterward, he said coldly, "I'll go speak to Cui Pinyuan. This matter is settled!"
As though afraid that a few more words from Zhao Changfeng would send his Demon Dao state of mind into turmoil, Chen Jian refused to linger even another second. With a whoosh, he shot toward the world aboveground.