863: Chapter 864 Another Demonic Cultivator

The a mythical beast's taut nerves relaxed slightly. So, this was what he was asking about? The hand holding his wine cup paused for a moment, then he drained it in one gulp, organized his thoughts, and respectfully said:

"Reporting to Milord, in this humble Hou's opinion, this... is nothing more than a struggle for territory." A hint of the Yao Race's unique ruthlessness flashed in his eyes. "For us of the Yao Race to advance to the Yao Emperor Realm, the resources required are immense! Whether it's rare treasures, or Blessed Lands, we must rely on strength to contend for and seize them! The Nine Infant lineage has occupied the Great Desolate Forest for many years. This Beast Tide is most likely an attempt to expand their sphere of influence, plundering the Human Race's territory and resources."

Yao Delong nodded slightly. This explanation was reasonable and typical of the Yao Race. But he keenly caught the fleeting hint of "of course" in Sky-Splitting's eyes, and the underlying approval of the law of the jungle in his words. He continued to ask:

"Then why did this Beast Tide coincidentally erupt when the Demon Cultivators attacked the northern border of the Ba Xia Dynasty? Is the timing such a coincidence?"

Upon hearing this, the a mythical beast's golden vertical pupils sharply contracted! He had only focused on the Beast Tide itself before and hadn't thought deeply in this direction. With Yao Delong's prompting, a chill instantly crept up his spine! If it truly was a coincidence, then so be it, but if... there were Demon Cultivators behind it? Then the nature of the matter would be completely different!

His expression instantly became solemn. After pondering for a moment, he seemed to have made up his mind, leaned closer to Yao Delong, and lowered his voice:

"Milord... To be frank, a little over a month ago, a Demon Cultivator did approach this humble Hou!"

As soon as these words were spoken, even Xue Li, who was still "focused" on gnawing on spirit fruits below, perked up her small ears and looked over curiously.

The a mythical beast's face showed a trace of lingering fear and relief: "That Demon Cultivator was secretive, with a strange aura. He offered great benefits, even promising to help me break through to the Yao Emperor Realm! The condition was for me to lead my demon army to cooperate with their actions, attacking the Human Race's territory from the direction of the Demon Transformation Mountain Range, forming a pincer attack with the Demon Cultivators in the northern border!"

He paused, his voice carrying bone-chilling coldness: "Hmph! These shadowy rats also want to use this Venerable One? What wishful thinking!" Then, his face instantly switched to one of extreme "loyalty" and "seeking credit," as he patted his chest and said:

"Milord, you know! This humble Hou is now your subordinate! Your loyal confidant and minion! How could I be bewitched by those demon brats? I sternly refused on the spot! Not only that, I issued a strict order! Any Yao Race member who wishes to pass through my Lietian Peak territory to respond to the Nine Infant Beast Tide or the Demon Cultivators' summons will be killed without mercy! I will not let a single one pass to cause trouble for Milord!"

Yao Delong understood. So that was it! No wonder the Demon Transformation Mountain Range was calm; those Yao Race members who wanted to fish in troubled waters were all blocked by Sky-Splitting, like a wall in his own backyard. This was an unexpected pleasant surprise. It seemed the deterrent power of the Heart Sword Restriction was even more effective than anticipated.

"Mm." Yao Delong responded indifferently, acknowledging Sky-Splitting's "merit." "You did well."

Just four words of praise made the a mythical beast feel as if he had eaten a ginseng fruit, every pore on his body opening in comfort! He grinned, and even the ferocious demonic patterns at the corners of his eyes relaxed quite a bit: "It is this humble Hou's duty to share Milord's worries!"

Yao Delong changed the subject: "However, I came here for other matters." He flicked a finger, and a phantom list, shimmering with nine-colored light and imbued with complex medicinal fragrance patterns, floated before the a mythical beast.

"I need the nine main ingredients on this list."

The a mythical beast quickly focused his gaze—

crimson sun soul fruit! nine yin soul condensing grass! star tear crystal! earth vein dragon marrow! Styx Nether Epiphyllum! ten thousand year blood jade marrow! Earth Core Fire Lotus Seed! Yellow Springs Shore Flower! nine nether earth core milk!

Hiss—!

Even with Sky-Splitting's abundant wealth, he couldn't help but gasp, his pupils contracting violently!

Good heavens! All of them were peerless treasures starting from the Eighth Order! Among them, three ingredients like the "nine yin soul condensing grass," "ten thousand year blood jade marrow," and "nine nether earth core milk" were only heard of in legends, considered Peak Eighth Order existences! This wasn't a medicinal list; this was clearly asking for his old life!

The a mythical beast's face instantly collapsed, as if he had swallowed ten catties of Coptis chinensis, utterly miserable! He looked at Yao Delong for help, his voice almost tearful: "M-Milord! These... these medicinal ingredients are too precious... This humble Hou... even if I sold everything I own, I only have... a portion of them..." He felt his heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys all aching!

"It's fine," Yao Delong seemed to have anticipated this, his tone still calm. "Bring whichever ones you have."

Sky-Splitting Yao King's gaze swept downwards. "Azure Dragon."

Azure Dragon, who had been standing respectfully with hands at his sides like a withered tree, trembled violently! He quickly stepped forward and bowed deeply: "This subordinate is present!"

"Go to the treasure vault and immediately retrieve the medicinal ingredients on this list." The a mythical beast seemed to grasp at a last straw. He quickly imprinted the phantom list, which pained his heart, onto a Jade Slip and handed it to Azure Dragon, his voice urgent: "Go and return quickly! No mistakes allowed!" His eyes seemed to say: Hurry! If you're any slower, my precious treasury will be emptied!

Azure Dragon took the Jade Slip and, feeling the shocking names on the list, his heart was stirred by a tempest. He dared not delay for a moment, transforming into a dark green streak of light and instantly vanishing from the main hall, speeding towards the treasure vault. 'This Baleful Star's appetite is too great! The Great King is probably going to bleed heavily this time!' He secretly clicked his tongue as he flew.

Watching the disappearing figure of Azure Dragon, the a mythical beast felt as if a large piece of his flesh had been cut off. He wilted a bit, and even the crunching sound of Xue Li gnawing on his "Dragon Spine Blood Ginseng" nearby didn't seem as grating.

Just as Sky-Splitting was in unbearable heartache, Yao Delong's voice rang out like heavenly music:

"Sky-Splitting."

"Milord?" Sky-Splitting weakly looked up.

"I won't take your medicinal ingredients for free." Yao Delong flipped his palm, and a warm, white jade bottle appeared in his hand. The bottle was carved with profound runes, isolating the astonishing medicinal power fluctuations within.

"This pill is called the 'great void spirit nurturing pill'."

The a mythical beast's ears instantly perked up!

Yao Delong casually tossed the jade bottle to Sky-Splitting, as if throwing only an ordinary object:

"Although it cannot help you break through major Realms like the nine aperture spirit nurturing pill I intend to refine, it also has miraculous effects on nourishing and strengthening the Yao Race's Primordial Spirit. This pill's greatest value lies in its ability to repair damage to the Primordial Spirit's Origin."

Boom!

Yao Delong's words exploded in the a mythical beast's mind like a clap of thunder!

Nourish the Primordial Spirit! Repair Origin damage?!

This... this was simply... too timely! As a royal mutated Bloodline, his Primordial Spirit strength had always been a weakness, and he had suffered hidden injuries in early conflicts. Although he had recovered now, he understood the preciousness of this item even more! More importantly, within the Demon Domain, those skilled in Alchemy were few and far between! High-grade Medicinal Pills that could repair Primordial Spirit injuries were even rarer treasures! The value of this Medicinal Pill... was simply inestimable!

The a mythical beast took the jade bottle with slightly trembling hands, carefully pulled out the stopper, not even daring to use his Divine Thought to probe, only daring to bring it close to the opening and inhale a minute wisp of the escaping pill fragrance!