102: Refining spiritual weapons

The Black Shark Demon King's sudden outburst made Gu Yuchuan a bit flustered for a moment. However, he had actually anticipated this scenario, so he didn't panic excessively. He had no legs, only a tail, so he couldn't kneel down even if he wanted to.

"Azure Scale Demon General, you're just a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator, yet you dare to stir up such a storm. Do you realize that if this matter isn't handled properly, it will cause internal strife in the Cloud Sea Marsh? If the Lord Demon Venerable is enraged then, how miserable will your end be? Not just you, but even us managers and the inner Demon Emperors will be blamed. Do you admit your guilt?"

In fact, when Gu Yuchuan decided to wage a war of public opinion, he had already thought of this point—that public opinion has the potential to spiral out of control. In his past life, many celebrities and influencers had perished under the backlash of public opinion. If you manipulate and toy with public opinion for a long time, your ultimate end will inevitably be to be consumed by its backlash.

"Your Highness, I know that what I did was indeed detrimental to the Yao Race. But I had no choice. A Demon King was plotting against me and trying to kill me; I could only use such weapons to protect myself. But a mistake is a mistake. I am willing to plead guilty and accept punishment."

This attitude satisfied the Black Shark Demon King quite a bit. If Gu Yuchuan had persistently tried to shirk responsibility, he would have certainly punished him severely. As it was, he felt a bit better.

"This King knows you are the Black Tortoise's man and an Earthly Fiend Dao Foundation Genius, so you are barely considered part of my subordinates. If you encounter such things in the future, you can come to me first. Do you have any idea how long I was scolded by the higher-ranking Demon Kings because of your business? If this isn't handled well, I won't be able to continue as the General Manager Demon King of the Cloud Sea Marsh periphery. Tell me, can I not be angry?"

Gu Yuchuan's mind whirled, and he thought of a good idea.

"Your Highness is so good to me, so I naturally must repay you. I am now a Grade 2 Artifact Refiner, and my shop will be opening soon. Why don't I operate under Your Highness's name? I'll pay you a ten percent tax, and this money will be my way of showing filial respect to Your Highness."

This was absolutely a win-win situation. He knew very well how much money Artifact Refining could make. A Grade 2 Artifact Refiner was the only one in the periphery of the Cloud Sea Marsh, so the products would definitely sell well. Ten percent would bring him a lot of profit. The key was that he didn't have to do anything; he just had to lend his name. His tone softened considerably.

"It is naturally good that you have such a heart. Then this matter is settled. Go and properly calm the aftermath of this incident. As for your shop, notify me before it opens. I will personally attend on the opening day. At that time, I believe no one in the entire periphery of the Cloud Sea Marsh will dare to lay a hand on you."

This was exactly what Gu Yuchuan wanted. He had long seen in the Simulations that his shop would arouse greed in others. Now, with the background of a Demon King, this danger could be greatly reduced. He was extremely happy.

"Good, thank you, Great King. I will go back now to handle the public opinion and ensure there are no issues."

He returned to the Flood Dragon Palace and began recording a new shadow recording stone. This time, the main goal was to resolve the issue of public indignation. He used his magic power to make his face pale, looking very haggard, and then the shadow recording stone was released.

He looked at the shadow recording stone and began to speak: "First of all, I want to apologize to all the friends following this matter. Because of my personal business, I have taken up public resources and kept everyone focused on this lately. It is my fault. I should not have let my private affairs disturb everyone's cultivation. I sincerely apologize to everyone here."

He bowed respectfully and continued: "Next, I want to apologize to the Other Shore Demon King. I acted on hearsay and believed rumors, causing a very negative impact on you. Please forgive me. This matter was actually the work of the Crocodile Demon King. He is a spy planted by the Yellow Springs Sect within our Yao Race, and he came out this time specifically to stir up internal strife among us. It was my stupidity that allowed the Human Race to succeed."

Speaking to this point, he pretentiously shed two tears and bowed in apology again: "I hope you all do not follow in my footsteps and be plotted against by the Human Race. The Human Race is truly too cunning. Even a Yao like me who has been on the battlefield couldn't help but fall for it. I hope my compatriots will have a little more trust in each other when encountering such things in the future. Let's not fall for the Human Race's tricks again. Let this matter end here. Thank you all for your love for me."

With that, it was over. He watched it once, felt it was good, and had the news spread. The next day, he went to the Tidal Palace again and met the Other Shore Demon King.

The Other Shore Demon King threw a Storage Pouch at him, her tone very unpleasant: "Everything you wanted is in here. See for yourself."

Upon opening it, he saw countless spiritual lights. What he valued most were the ten refining diagrams for Spiritual Artifacts. His spear was called the profound water violet lightning spear, a Medium Grade Spiritual Artifact, and he was very satisfied. Among the remaining nine, only the defensive Magical Artifact, the taiji purple gauze smoke, was a Medium Grade Spiritual Artifact. The rest were Low Grade, including four offensive Spiritual Artifacts, four defensive Spiritual Artifacts, and two flying Spiritual Artifacts.

The Materials needed to refine them were also packed to the brim. These Materials were worth over five thousand Spirit Stones. Further back were bottles of Medicinal Pills: ten bottles of yuhua pills and ten bottles of Purple Bamboo Pills, all common Medicinal Pills for the Foundation Establishment Stage. All these things added up to over ten thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones. Even for a Golden Core Stage Cultivator, it would be somewhat painful; at the very least, the current Other Shore Demon King's heart was bleeding.

"Thank you, Demon King. Now that the matter of public opinion has been resolved, we are even. However, please remember your Heavenly Dao oath and do not do such sneaky things in the future. This little Yao will take his leave; there are still many things to do at home."

He got up and left. The Other Shore Demon King's face turned pale with anger, but this was the Black Shark Demon King's Tidal Palace, and the other party's strength and status were both greater than hers. She really couldn't say anything and could only leave without a word as well.

Thus, the matter finally came to a complete end. Due to the restrictions of the Heavenly Dao oath, the Other Shore Demon King couldn't do anything to him anymore. The outcome of the matter was very good—fame and fortune combined, truly wonderful.

He returned to the Flood Dragon Palace and began preparing for Artifact Refining. At the very least, he had to refine two of each of these Spiritual Artifacts so they could be sold when the shop opened. By then, with over twenty Spiritual Artifacts, it wouldn't seem petty. Combined with some Magical Artifacts, the Linlang Pavilion would be established, and its reputation would naturally be good.

He tidied up and entered the Artifact Refining room. This time, he intended to go into seclusion here for a period.