The First Immortal of Destiny-Chapter 510: The Smoke Demon Clan_1
Just as Shen Mo was racing against time to enhance his combat prowess, Waizui and the other five evil cultivators had also gathered considerable information regarding the trade of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures within the small circles of powerful demons.
One day later, Waizui and the other evil cultivators returned to the unnamed hill one after another. They reported their findings in great detail to the "Blood Demon Patriarch."
Shen Mo, however, would not rely solely on these disciples of the Yaksha Path for all his intelligence. In addition to these six, he had also implanted Soul Splitting Runes into ten ordinary evil cultivator Soul Generals. He controlled them to scout the entirety of Golden Light Ridge, using them to gather intelligence and exchange information with other evil cultivators and demons.
His decision not to dispatch the mutated Demon Soul General also stemmed from his inherently cautious nature. Many powerful Heavenly Demons, eager to join the grand feast, had rushed over from the Near Sea Demon Cave and the Black Mountain Demon Suppression Cave. Dispatching Demon Soul Generals exuding demonic breath could easily attract their notice.
Similarly, about forty or fifty Outer Zone demons who had died at his hands were refined into ordinary Soul Generals. He had also issued strict orders forbidding the more powerful Demon Soul Generals within his banner from devouring them; as of yet, none had fully condensed.
After listening to the reports from Waizui and the others, combined with the intelligence gathered by the ten Soul Generals, Shen Mo gained a clearer understanding of the situation.
Currently, the demons arriving at Golden Light Ridge for the grand assembly could be broadly categorized into three tiers.
The first tier naturally comprised beings like the Thousand-eyed and other great demons at Class IV or higher. They congregated at the summit of Golden Light Ridge, an area impervious to investigation by the five senses or spiritual sense, as if shrouded in a dense fog. As for evil cultivators, it was unlikely that any in the Red Flame Zone had successfully condensed a Golden Core to become a Golden Core Realm expert. Consequently, the summit of Golden Light Ridge was occupied entirely by exceedingly vicious and cruel Outer Zone races that preyed upon both immortals and mortals. Whether the instigator of this grand assembly was among them remained unknown to anyone besides the great demons present at the summit.
Shen Mo had no intention of interacting with the great demons of this tier, lest they discern his true nature and plunge him into extreme peril!
The second tier was composed of Spirit Sea Realm evil cultivators and Class III Outer Zone creatures, of which there were also a considerable number. Given the inherently cruel, bloodthirsty nature and intense desires of demons, coupled with the fact that evil cultivators rarely got along with each other, nor with Outer Zone creatures—and even Outer Zone creatures seldom got along amongst themselves—peaceful coexistence was hardly a realistic expectation. Even with the top-tier great demons exerting control, Golden Light Ridge and its surrounding mountains remained rife with intrigue and bloody conflict. Consequently, many local evil cultivators and Outer Zone demons, much like Shen Mo, had sought out other mountains to establish themselves, forming intricate networks and small coteries. Relatively few actually set up stalls at the foot or on the slopes of Golden Light Ridge itself.
Shen Mo’s intended targets for transactions were the evil cultivators and demons of this second tier, particularly those powerhouses at late-stage Class III or above. Such individuals were capable of acquiring Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures and were also suitable targets for him to eliminate.
The lowest tier naturally consisted of Qi Gathering Realm evil cultivators, like Waizui’s group, and Class II Outer Zone creatures. They constituted the largest group, but most possessed nothing of significant value. While they might have needs for trade, they didn’t require a deliberate search for buyers or sellers; they could simply set up stalls directly on Golden Light Ridge. Previously, the majority of demons incinerated by Shen Mo’s Pure Yang Fire belonged to this lowest tier.
As for Body Tempering Realm evil cultivators and Class I Outer Zone creatures, they didn’t even possess the qualifications to attend this grand assembly; unless escorted by more powerful entities, they would be devoured alive by other demons if they ventured too close to Golden Light Ridge.
After some contemplation, Shen Mo commanded a Soul General to generate a turbid cloud of Demonic Qi. It enveloped him, and he then flew towards his predetermined destination.
The demons of the second tier varied in strength; for instance, peak Class III demons and early-stage Spirit Sea Realm cultivators rarely associated, given the disparity in their power. Therefore, the first location Shen Mo headed for was the encampment of several late-stage Class III and peak-stage Class III powerhouses from the Outer Zone’s "Smoke Demon" race.
Smoke Demons, as their name suggested, were peculiar entities resembling wisps of smoke. Before arriving at Golden Light Ridge, Shen Mo had personally slain a late-stage Class III powerhouse of their kind. However, due to its bizarre form, Shen Mo had been unable to retrieve a corpse after vanquishing it, much less refine its soul into a Soul General.
These beings, resembling tendrils of smoke, could morph into countless forms, freely transforming into various living or inanimate objects. When interacting with other creatures, they favored transforming into alluring "beauties" of the opposite sex of the target’s race to create a positive initial impression. However, anyone who interacted with them a few times would soon realize the utterly depraved and sadistic nature of this race.
Their cultivation method involved absorbing the thoughts, emotions, and desires of other beings. The purer and more intense these seven emotions and six desires, the more the Smoke Demons relished them. Consequently, Smoke Demons possessed a strong proclivity for tormenting and toying with other beings. Even Heavenly Demons, considered "purely desirous," could be manipulated in myriad ways if they fell into the Smoke Demons’ clutches, let alone ordinary mortals.
Smoke Demons would exploit the Heavenly Demons’ tendencies toward "Demon-corruption" and "consumption of blood food" to amplify their own desires. They would meticulously prepare suitable blood food for Heavenly Demons, then use various methods to repeatedly provoke their cravings. Alternatively, they might disguise themselves as high-class Heavenly Demons to issue commands contrary to a Heavenly Demon’s nature, and so forth.
If human cultivators fell into their hands, it went without saying that Smoke Demons would employ every conceivable method to ignite the "seven emotions"—joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, disgust, and desire—within the cultivators’ hearts. The more extreme and potent these emotions became, the more the Smoke Demons could strengthen themselves. They would scarcely cease their torment until the cultivator’s soul shattered and their sanity was utterly extinguished.
During Shen Mo’s journey to Zhong State, he had encountered a Smoke Demon that had transformed a small human town into its personal playground. Over ten thousand men, women, elderly, and children in the town were manipulated like puppets, forced to enact countless scenes of human tragedy and joy. Every imaginable scenario that could evoke joy, anger, sorrow, pity, fear, disgust, or lust in humans was played out within that town.
Relying on his resolute Path Heart and the divine soul magics—the Divine Soul Contemplation Scripture and the Great Sun Tathagata Heart Scripture—Shen Mo resisted the Smoke Demon’s insidious methods of manipulating minds and damaging souls, ultimately scattering its smoke-like soul-body completely. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎
After this Smoke Demon was slain, many of the surviving men, women, elderly, and children in the town regained their senses. Tragically, thousands committed suicide on the spot. Had it not been for Shen Mo’s swift intervention, using a Soul Curse to forcibly erase portions of their soul-memories, the town would likely have degenerated into a true Ghost Zone within days.
The depravity of the Smoke Demons was thus made horrifyingly clear!
According to intelligence gathered by Waizui and the Soul Generals, three powerful Smoke Demons had arrived, accompanied by their Class II clansmen for the grand feast. It was still unknown whether a Class IV expert from their race had ascended to the summit of Golden Light Ridge.
These three Smoke Demons—one at peak Class III and two at late-stage Class III—along with dozens of Class II Smoke Demons, were located in a valley tens of miles northwest of Shen Mo. Furthermore, they had spread word that they possessed Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures from both the Inner and Outer Zones, available for trade with various creatures.
