Chapter 144: Chapter 144: 99% of the Work is Done
 

“Where has Little Gold been these past years?”

Zhou Yi put away the Beast Skin Booklet, inquiring about Jin Ang’s experiences over the years.

“Master traveled from north to south, settling wherever he found peace, teaching the Qi-Blood method whenever he encountered humans…”

“During that time, he took on a few personal disciples, and I was the ninth, hence I was named Jin Jiu. After Master turned 130, he secluded himself in Thorn Ridge, a place where humans and demons cohabit.”

Jin Jiu roughly recounted Jin Ang’s eight decades of experiences, “Afterwards, he commanded me and my fellow brothers to spread the teachings, just as he had done.”

“Not bad.”

Zhou Yi nodded in approval, considering the transmission of knowledge to be of greater importance than the martial path.

“You go and spread the Dan-Embracing Method to Moyun City. I will order a statue of Jin Ang to be erected to commemorate his deeds for posterity to admire.”

“Thank you, my lord.”

Jin Jiu now understood why his master often said that King Jinyi Yao was truly different from other demons, treating humans as equals.

…

Zhou Yi had been in charge of Cloud Piercing Peak for a hundred and fifty years, spanning six to seven generations of people, and was already regarded like a deity in the city.

Every family worshipped his statue, offering incense and prayers morning and evening, and holding large-scale sacrifices during festive periods.

Once the Chancellor Turtle spread the word that Zhou Yi appreciated fine wine, the city’s people became keen on brewing fruit wines. After a century of development, there were quite a few exquisite tasting liquors.

Now, with a single command, the stone sculpture of Jin Ang was made overnight and erected in the city center.

After Jin Jiu disseminated the Qi-Blood Cradle the Pill method, the stagnant Cultivation Technique situation in the city was broken; soon, some martial artists had successfully advanced, their powers leaping and soaring.

The emergence of the Cradle the Pill realm brought about a tremendous change in Moyun City.

With combat prowess comparable to that of true humans and great demons, being a master no matter where they stood, they could command the force of thunder, split mountains and rocks, propelling Moyun City into a new phase of development.

At the same time, a class hierarchy also emerged.

“A population explosion, differences in strength, it’s inevitable!”

Zhou Yi did not intervene in the changes within the city, observing with detachment as if he was watching a civilization rise in a sandbox game.

“Those who seek longevity must learn to be the observers of history, witnessing the changes of the Imperial Court, the rise and fall of civilizations, the transition of epochs… Meeting interesting people and accompanying them a while, in the end, a demon walks alone.”

“Even if one wants to change history, there’s no need to get too involved; just plant the seeds at critical junctions and leave the rest to time!”

Zhou Yi had an epiphany, his restlessness from long periods of seclusion slowly turning into serenity.

…

That day.

Cloud Piercing Peak.

Little Whirlwind sat aloft, placing a flag behind his head to flutter in the wind, bragging to his demon soldiers.

“Our place here is nothing like those desolate mountains and treacherous waters. Those so-called Demon Kings claim to have intelligence, but they still live like savages, no different from wild beasts.”

Humph!

The pig demon snorted twice in response, rustling a banana leaf as a makeshift fan to cool himself.

A new demon who, whether interested or not, nodded along in agreement with their leader.

“Don’t take it lightly, do you know how I became the mountain patrol leader?”

Little Whirlwind said, “Twenty years ago, an unusual snake demon in the east, with a bit of strength, fancied taking over Bull God’s territory. I was patrolling the mountains with the leader at the time, and we just so happened to witness the clash. Bull God transformed into the size of a small hill with a shake, and with one stomp turned that snake demon into flesh mud.”

The little demons were immediately puzzled, “What does this have to do with becoming the leader?”

Before Little Whirlwind could boast, the pig demon snorted and exposed the truth: “This guy was so scared he couldn’t tell east from west, ran into enemy territory by accident, and just as the snake demon died, he inadvertently claimed the credit for a charge.”

“Nonsense!”

Just as Little Whirlwind was about to argue, the skies suddenly darkened, and he looked up to find clouds gathering.

“This weather sure changes fast…”

Before his voice had even faded, there was the sound of thunder rolling in, bringing with it a chilling, destructive aura that struck directly at the soul. The fear that arose from the depths of his bloodline made Xiao Zuanfeng let out a strange cry and immediately slip into a crack in the stone, leaving only his tail swishing outside.

The other little demons reacted similarly, trembling with an innate fear of the thunderclouds in the sky.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A vast expanse of dark clouds enveloped Cloud Piercing Peak; strangely, it was only within a ten-mile radius of the peak’s summit, while the surroundings remained clear.

In Moyun City, six martial artists who were practicing the Cradle the Pill method stood atop a building, gazing at the dark thunderclouds in the distance.

The thunder rumbled back and forth within the clouds, oddly loud yet not striking, with hundreds and thousands of bolts gradually merging into one.

“Could this be…”

“Heavenly Tribulation! It must be the legendary Transformation Tribulation!”

“I wonder which of the Seven Sages it is—hopefully, it’s the Golden God or the Bull God. With a Demon King to preside, we might just be able to establish a nation.”

Having ventured out and even traveled around Cloud Continent after practicing the Cradle the Pill method, the few were quite experienced and knowledgeable.

At the sight of the Transformation Tribulation, their eyes gleamed with hope, blessings, and envy. After all, their path forward had been cut off once they reached the stage of Cradle the Pill. Even those with exceptional talents had no chance to transcend the tribulation.

…

Deep within the Jade Fang Cave,

The Demon King was in deep slumber, breathing in and out vast amounts of spiritual energy, his mana unknowingly becoming more formidable.

Creatures like the Jade Fang white elephant, ancient and uncommon, did not need cultivation techniques to practice. Their strength grew in everything they did; they fought not with divine skills but with brute force. A collision from their twenty to thirty-zhang tall demon bodies could shatter a small mountain.

Suddenly,

The spirit vein of Flying Cloud Ridge gave a slight tremor, as if drawn by some force, with wisps of pure spiritual energy flowing northwards.

This subtle change would go unnoticed by ordinary demon kings, but not the Jade Fang Demon King who had been cultivating in the heart of the spirit vein for hundreds of years. Even a whisper of movement was enough to rouse him from his sleep.

“Is this… a great demon undergoing tribulation?”

After pondering for a moment, the Jade Fang Demon King’s body quickly shrank, transforming into a giant of sixteen feet tall with the head of an elephant and the body of a human. He summoned his subordinate demons.

“Prepare a generous gift and summon the Five Demon Soldiers; I will personally go to watch the fellow daoist’s tribulation.”

A demon cautioned, “My lord, shall we send a message to Greenwave Pond?”

“The Dragon Lord has spies everywhere; it wouldn’t take more than a few days for the news to reach him…”

The tone of the Jade Fang Demon King changed, “Still, better to send word now and avoid another reprimand for lack of vigilance.”

Shortly thereafter,

A monstrous cloud carried by the demons rose into the sky, with the elephant-headed giant standing at its fore, clad in armor and brandishing a trident. To his left and right stood dozens of great demons, with thousands of demon soldiers trailing behind, their presence formidable and majestic.

The journey of several hundred miles was traversed by the demonic cloud in a mere moment.

From afar, they could see the mountain peak shrouded in thunderclouds, the sound of thunder rolling continuously, with thick bolts of purple lightning striking down.

Layers upon layers of formations and prohibitions cloaked the mountain summit. A single bolt of lightning shattered a dozen formations, only to trigger the activation of over twenty more. Despite the relentless barrage, the defense seemed precarious but remained as unharmed as a rock in the ocean.

Within the formation stood a yellow ox, with golden horns and towering at over thirty feet tall.

As the Heavenly Tribulation struck down, the aura of the ox exploded in power, and its earthy yellow hide progressively transformed into a golden hue, appearing as if it was cast from pure gold.

“What a marvelous formation!”

The Jade Fang Demon King stood atop the cloud, eyes filled with envy, recollecting his own tribulation that he faced with nothing but his physical might. Even as an ancient and unique species, with his demon body far surpassing other great demons of the same level, he had nearly perished in the tribulation.

The Heavenly Tribulation thundered on for half an hour, with the thunderclouds shrinking until they had exhausted all their energy.

The sky cleared, and a golden divine light descended easily piercing through the formation’s barrier, enveloping the ox.

Moo!

The ox stood up on its hind legs, with its front hooves turning into human hands and its hind hooves into human legs, and its body shifted into human shape, with a cow’s tail swaying left and right behind it.

The Transformation golden light vanished in an instant, leaving behind a colossal, golden-bright, thirty-foot-tall bull-headed giant in its place.