Two Demons Talk and Seek Allies!

A few days later, at the Purple Firmament Peak, a sea of clouds churned.

On the white jade table, two cups of fragrant tea steamed.

Shi Jian's aura became increasingly restrained, making him look more and more like a seeker of the Dao, a strategist, and an observer.

His sharp edge receded, and the Lei Ming subsided, as if he had fallen into hibernation.

He became more peaceful and more open-minded; ever since he saw the edge of this world clearly, he gradually became more peaceful.

It is neither like a demon nor a human; it is more like a detached observer, and more like a player in a game of chess.

This change is silent and imperceptible, yet clearly visible.

As always, White Crane waved his folding fan, wearing a white feather cloak, his face ruddy, and his aura several times deeper than a few days ago.

"How was the old Daoist priest from Yun Du?" Shi Jian picked up his teacup and took a sip.

White Crane chuckled lightly, closing his folding fan. "Exquisite! Five strands of Cloud Dao energy have saved me at least three hundred years of arduous cultivation."

"This human flesh furnace is more effective than any heavenly materials and earthly treasures!"

"The old Daoist priest wailed in the furnace for three days, his soul being refined inch by inch by the true fire; finally, it condensed into that Dao Pill, and when he swallowed it, the pure essence within was simply intoxicating."

"It tastes absolutely amazing! I think I'm almost addicted!"

Shi Jian nodded, his eyes calm. "Human Race are known as the most intelligent of all beings, and they certainly have some expertise; by the way, what about your newly taken-in child servant?"

"They're being raised on White Cloud Peak."

A glint of greed flashed in White Crane's eyes. "Dual Spirit Roots, decent aptitude; I plan to feed him top-tier resources, and in a hundred years, he will surely become another excellent Dao Pill."

"We feel safe eating animals that we raise ourselves."

Shi Jian smiled. This old bird is even more ruthless than him.

However, his own Dao Pill Lu Xun, is now almost at the Golden Core Late Stage; he needs to nurture it well for a few more years to make its Qi even more abundant.

At that time, we will push him to the Nascent Soul Middle Stage in one fell swoop!

"The method of Dao Pill alchemy is excellent, but it also requires considerable mental effort."

Shi Jian put down his teacup and tapped his fingertips on the table. "Now that our cultivation is stable, the Myriad Demon Domain can be considered to have a firm foothold."

"But to say it has a monopoly is still a long way off."

Upon hearing this, White Crane nodded slightly, his smile fading, "That Flood Dragon Clan has a profound foundation, having occupied the South Sea for thousands of years."

"Now that they've established the Flood Dragon Domain on land, their influence is considerable."

"Those old mudfish have lived for a thousand years; although the Grand Purity and Supreme Purity Human Race are in decline, even a starved camel is bigger than a horse."

"And ultimately, our top fighting force consists of only the two of us."

"Therefore, a third Nascent Soul is needed." Shi Jian's gaze was profound.

White Crane paused, fanning himself. "You've got it figured out?"

Shi Jian's gaze swept across the Myriad Demon Mountain Range: "Among the bears, Shi Pan is the most composed, but he has been stuck in the Golden Core Middle Stage for many years, lacking the ruthlessness to fight to the death. His Dao Path has come to an end."

"Flame Brown Bear is not bad, but his foundation is too weak, and his temperament is too impetuous. He is also a junior with no hope of reaching the Nascent Soul stage, which is quite a pity."

"On the contrary, there are some opinions about the Kuang Dou."

"That Sun Devourer Hound?"

White Crane raised an eyebrow; he had a very deep impression of Kuang Dou.

"He's utterly loyal to you, and he's caused quite a stir in the Profound Truth Kingdom these past few years in the west; but his bloodline is too mediocre, can he really handle it?"

Shi Jian smiled and shook his head, "I can't say for sure. Who can predict the best when it comes to the Nascent Soul stage?"

"However, Kuang Dou is Qi-less Core Formation cultivator with an extremely solid foundation; his temperament is also quite good. If he can find a glimmer of opportunity, breaking through to the Nascent Soul is not impossible."

"Moreover, his loyalty to me means that if he were to Nascent Soul the Nascent Soul stage, it would greatly benefit my Myriad Demon Domain and prevent internal divisions."

"Besides him, that Shu Baoshan is not bad either."

White Crane added, "I heard he made a great contribution, obtaining the Space Dao inheritance and a fourth-tier spiritual item. If he can cultivate the Metal Dao to perfection, he might very well reach the Nascent Soul."

Shi Jian shook his head. "Baoshan is clever but lacks foundation; we shouldn't count on him for now, at least not for the next two or three hundred years, his chances are slim."

"But regardless of who breaks through first, the Myriad Demon Domain needs time; and what we lack most right now is time."

The White Crane took a sip of tea and silently looked down at the myriad mountains.

"The Grand Purity Sect has closed its gates, Supreme Purity Sect has shut its doors."

"The Flood Dragon is too powerful; we cannot resolve this yet."

"The situation appears calm on the surface, but undercurrents are still turbulent; the Flood Dragon is still at its peak, and I fear they will strike first."

"Good."

"I share this concern. Although the two of us have stirred up Wind and Cloud on the continent over the years, we have still been unable to resolve the Flood Dragon Clan."

"Once they are determined to create a breakthrough, we will find it difficult to cope and will need to find a way to break the deadlock."

How to solve this?

"Form alliances and counter-alliances." Shi Jian gave his answer, then pointed to the north and the east.

"The Grand Purity Sect is in the north, locked in a fierce battle with the Heavenly Ape Domain."

"Yuan Shan of the Heavenly Ape Domain fought alongside us against the Grand Purity back then, so we have a bond; moreover, they've retreated to the North Sea and are having a tough time, so they desperately need allies."

"Adding the Heavenly Ape, there are only three Demon King, whose strength is not much different from yours or mine."

White Crane pondered, "Yuan Shan is a clever demon. But his two subordinates, Mountain-Moving and Sea-Overturning, have rather bad tempers. Can they be won over?"

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

"As long as the Grand Purity Sect Indestructibility, the Heavenly Ape Domain will be restless and unable to eat or sleep; as long as we offer them substantial rewards, we have no trouble getting them to join us."

"The Grand Purity Sect has seized control of the southern part of the Heavenly Ape Domain, Yuan Shan dreams of taking it back."

"And what about the east side?" the White Crane asked.

"East Sea, the Eight-Tentacled Giant Beast Clan."

"Shu Baoshan is located in the East Sea and Demon General of the Eight-Clawed Giant Beast; we can use this opportunity to establish contact with the Eight-Tentacled Giant Beast Clan."

"The Eight-Clawed Giant Beast are equally dissatisfied with Human Race and act without restraint; they dwell in the deep sea, yet also covet land resources."

"Furthermore, their clan did not gain any advantage in the last war, and it even led to the death of the Demon King Hairi."

"They are also dissatisfied with the Flood Dragon Clan; trying to win them over might be worth a shot."

White Crane clapped his hands with his folding fan. "Not bad. The Heavenly Ape Domain can restrain the Grand Purity Sect, Eight-Clawed Giant Beast can restrain the Righteous Qi Gate."

"If we turn against the Flood Dragon Clan, our three-way alliance will give us the confidence to confront them. Even if the Flood Dragon Clan Flood Dragon Clan wants to make a move, they'll have to think twice."

"It's not just about containment, it's about cooperation."

"What we want is to completely bind them to the war machine of the Myriad Demon Domain."

"Once the time is right, we will join forces to devour the Human Race and then pacify the Flood Dragon Domain; on the Profound Spirit Continent, there can only be one voice."

"That's a place for all demons, not a one-man show by the Flood Dragon Clan."

White Crane clapped his hands and laughed, "Brother Shi, you've certainly planned this well. Such a move is worthy of the title of Lord of Ten Thousand Demons."

"It's still far from certain; it's merely an imagined ending."

"We also need to win over both sides and make plans accordingly."

"What I fear most is that the Flood Dragon Clan will strike first, or that the various Human Race will completely set aside their differences and unite against a common enemy."

Shi Jian sighed. The current situation was still not a long-term solution.

As the saying goes, "The world, after a long period of division, will unite; after a long period of unity, will divide again."

He made a plan for temporary stability, but it was merely a prelude to the final outcome; ultimately, he had to find a way to unify the continent.