Plant VS Cultivation

Chapter 167: Slaying the Demon King

Seeing that Gu Mo refused to relent, the Dragon Demon King no longer hesitated. It immediately resorted to a life-or-death technique, greatly enhancing its power at a tremendous cost. With a surge of strength, the Dragon Demon King broke free from the entangling water vines.

"Slash the heavens!"

At the same moment, Gu Mo launched his own attack. This time, his Slash of the Heavens was far more powerful than before. With the addition of the Golden Dragon Scissors in his hand, the sword light seemed as though it could truly slice through the heavens themselves.

"Roar!"

The Dragon Demon King, facing the dazzling sword light, was filled with fear. But driven by the desperate desire to survive, it injected all of its demonic power into its body, preparing to use its formidable physical form to withstand the blow.

"Poof!"

The Golden Dragon Scissors slashed through the Dragon Demon King's mighty form, and the illusion of a dragon on the blade flickered before the blade easily severed the head of the Dragon Demon King.

"This..."

Gu Mo was slightly taken aback upon seeing this. From the Dragon Demon King's reaction, he understood that the Golden Dragon Scissors had a restraining effect on it, but he hadn't expected the effect to be this potent.

Of course, to achieve such a restraining effect, an equally powerful attack was required. If Gu Mo hadn't activated his Immortal Power and had only relied on his Golden Core strength, even with the restraining effect, the outcome wouldn't have been as drastic.

"Trying to escape?"

While Gu Mo was momentarily stunned, a phantom of the Dragon Demon King shot out—it was its demon soul. Human cultivators had Nascent Soul, and similarly, demonic beasts at the same level had demon souls.

Although demon souls didn't possess the same profound abilities as human Nascent Souls, they could still perform simple soul possession. However, the physical strength of demon beasts was their greatest asset, so when a demon soul performed possession, the demon king's power would significantly decrease compared to human Nascent Soul possession.

But even so, Gu Mo didn't want the Dragon Demon King's soul to escape. He knew the importance of eradicating the root of the problem.

Without hesitation, Gu Mo employed his Sword-Control Technique and transformed the Golden Dragon Scissors into a flying sword, chasing after the fleeing demon soul of the Dragon Demon King.

The Dragon Demon King, feeling the attack from behind, had not reached the level of Nascent Soul and let out a slight sigh of relief, thinking that as long as the attack wasn't at the Nascent Soul level, his demon soul couldn't be destroyed.

"Not good!"

However, as soon as this thought crossed the Dragon Demon King's mind, a surge of terrifying fear instantly overwhelmed it. The demon soul quickly dodged, narrowly avoiding the Golden Dragon Scissors' attack.

But before the demon soul could rejoice, the dragon illusion on the Golden Dragon Scissors flashed and immediately absorbed the Dragon Demon King's demon soul into the blade.

A powerful 4th-stage demon king had thus fallen.

"Is it going to give birth to a spirit?"

Gu Mo summoned the blade back, carefully sensing its changes. After absorbing the Dragon Demon King's demon soul, he noticed subtle alterations in the Golden Dragon Scissors. This made him wonder if the demon soul might help the scissors give birth to a spirit.

Of course, this was only a guess. The changes in the Golden Dragon Scissors were still minute. If given the chance in the future, Gu Mo might try slaying a few more dragons to absorb their demon souls. With the Golden Dragon Scissors as his weapon, he would find it easy to slay dragons, unless he encountered a much stronger one.

"We won, we won!"

As Gu Mo analyzed the changes in his weapon, the cultivators of the Giant Crab Archipelago, far away, stared at the enormous Dragon Demon King's corpse, which still radiated its demon king's aura. Everyone was stunned into silence.

A powerful 4th-stage demon king had been directly slain.

They had always believed that the "great being" among them was a Nascent Soul true cultivator, and the attack that slew the demon king must have been at the Nascent Soul level. Furthermore, it wasn't just any Nascent Soul true cultivator—after all, the Dragon Demon King was quite powerful, and the speed with which Gu Mo had killed it suggested that his strength far exceeded that of an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator.

With such a powerful Nascent Soul true cultivator guarding them, the future of the Giant Crab Archipelago's cultivators seemed much brighter.

"I hope this can intimidate the other demon kings of the sea," Gu Mo said calmly, despite the excitement of the archipelago's cultivators.

He knew that his ability to kill the Dragon Demon King came from the Golden Dragon Scissors, which were a spirit treasure specifically crafted to counter dragons. If another demon king came, even one weaker than the Dragon Demon King, Gu Mo knew he would stand no chance of killing it—he might only be able to force it to retreat.

Understanding that his true strength wasn't sufficient to kill a demon king, Gu Mo abandoned the temptation to seize the Dragon Demon King's spiritual land.

The land occupied by a demon king was always a 4th-tier spiritual land, which was incredibly valuable. If Gu Mo could take over such land, he could cultivate 4th-tier solar flowers and, with the help of 4th-tier solar essence, greatly increase his chances of reaching the Nascent Soul stage.

However, Gu Mo knew that he wasn't strong enough to protect a 4th-tier spiritual land, so he chose not to fight for the Dragon Demon King's territory.

By not seizing the 4th-tier spiritual land, Gu Mo had already taken a diplomatic step in easing the tensions with the other demon kings in the sea.

Having the ability to slay the Dragon Demon King but not competing for the 4th-tier land made it clear that Gu Mo wasn't a threat. The other demon kings had no reason to trouble him. If he had aggressively taken the land, it would have sparked the jealousy and suspicion of other demon kings, leading them to question whether Gu Mo, as a Nascent Soul true cultivator, might target them next. In that case, multiple demon kings could join forces to deal with him, which would be troublesome.

Though he couldn't take the Dragon Demon King's spiritual land, the demon king itself was still incredibly valuable. A 4th-tier Dragon Demon King had immense worth, with its entire body being a treasure.

The 4th-tier demon core, in particular, was worth a small fortune. Gu Mo even considered using his avatar to refine the demon core to see if it could raise the avatar's combat power to the level of a Nascent Soul true cultivator.

But this idea was quickly dismissed. Foundation Establishment cultivators refining a demon king's demon core was essentially courting death.

The greatest use of a demon king's demon core was in alchemy, forging, or formations. The core could be used to create high-quality newborn infant pills, and it would be invaluable in refining weapons or controlling puppets. With the demon core, one could also sustain large formations with continuous energy.

Unfortunately, with the Dragon Demon King's soul absorbed by the Golden Dragon Scissors, the demon core could no longer be used in conjunction with the soul to create a spirit tool.

Using the demon core for formations or puppets was still a great option, especially for high-level formations that required a steady energy source, which the demon core could provide for an extended period.

The demon king's body, bones, muscles, and skin were also worth a lot of money, but Gu Mo would have to wait until he entered the cultivation world to sell these valuable materials—no one on the Giant Crab Archipelago could afford to purchase a 4th-tier demon king's body parts.

After the battle, Gu Mo cleaned up the battlefield. He then activated the Cloud Illusion Array once more, enveloping the entire island in mist.

But now, the cultivators of the Giant Crab Archipelago viewed the array with a much more solemn attitude. After all, the presence of a Golden Core great being and a Nascent Soul true cultivator was a completely different concept.

At the same time, word of Gu Mo slaying the Dragon Demon King spread like wildfire.

Upon hearing the news, the large demons in the sea that had once followed the Dragon Demon King trembled in fear. These great demons no longer had any intention of troubling the Giant Crab Archipelago. Their main concern now was how to survive.

In the end, the larger demons elected Lord Chisha Grand Demon to represent them and visit Gu Mo.

"Esteemed true cultivator, I greet you!"

When they met again, the Demon Chisha was incredibly respectful.

"As long as you don't slaughter mortals, all is well," Gu Mo accepted the gift presented by the Demon and waved his hand. He had no intention of exterminating all the large demons in the sea. Doing so would stir up the enmity of other demon kings.

Gu Mo's decision to abandon the Dragon Demon King's spiritual land had already greatly alleviated the hostility of the other demon kings, and he had no desire to provoke them further.

After all, Gu Mo couldn't possibly remain here forever. If he pushed those sea demons too hard, once he left, those great demons might retaliate, and the Giant Crab Archipelago would be in serious danger.

Of course, Gu Mo only offered protection to mortals. As for the cultivators, they were safe as long as they stayed within the archipelago. But if they ventured out to explore, the risks were theirs to bear.

"Thank you, True Lord!"

The Demon bowed once again, exhaling deeply in relief. Thinking back on what had just happened, she still felt a lingering sense of dread—this True Lord had been toying with her from the start.

Luckily, she had retreated when she did. Had she stayed any longer, she would probably be nothing more than a corpse by now.

"Another windfall."

Gu Mo was inspecting the tribute presented by the Great Demon. The offerings were pooled together by several great demons—mostly third-rank spiritual materials and rare ores. After all, these were gifts for a Nascent Soul cultivator. If the offerings were too low in quality, it wouldn't be seen as an apology or a show of submission—it would be viewed as an insult.

Among the third-rank materials, there were even a few fourth-rank spiritual items. Combined with some materials Gu Mo had taken from He Shaogang's storage ring, he had managed to gather a complete set of ingredients for crafting a Nascent Soul Pill. And with the demon core from the slain demon king, these ingredients could produce a top-grade Nascent Soul Pill at the very least.

"Not bad at all."

Gu Mo nodded in satisfaction. He still didn't know exactly what effects the solar essence from the fourth-rank Sunflower would have, but with these guaranteed top-grade Nascent Soul Pill materials in hand, his path to Nascent Soul would be far smoother.

Giant Crab Archipelago, the Martial Arena.

The tournament, which had been interrupted by the demon king's assault, had now resumed. But this time, there was a slight difference—Shi Yuwei had appeared on behalf of Gu Mo to observe the matches and had even brought along a portion of the demon king's flesh as an additional prize.

Seeing the fervent excitement on the faces of the contestants below, Shi Yuwei felt somewhat dazed. Reflecting on the senior's recent actions, she had come to a realization: the senior was preparing to leave.

But then again, it made perfect sense. He was a Nascent Soul cultivator, and the Giant Crab Archipelago was clearly not a place suited for someone of his level. His departure was only a matter of time.

Although Shi Yuwei didn't know how the senior had gone from newly advancing into the Core Formation stage to displaying the power of a Nascent Soul cultivator the very next moment—that didn't really matter. What mattered was, it seemed the senior didn't intend to bring her along.

"Maybe I'm just too weak," she murmured.

She was not the senior's disciple—just a regular girl he had saved. It was sheer luck that she'd received his blessings and been able to embark on the path of cultivation.

And that alone was already an extraordinary stroke of fortune. Shi Yuwei told herself not to be too greedy.

"What a perceptive girl," Gu Mo thought as he looked at her, noting how much harder she was working than before. Having slain the Flood Dragon Demon King, Gu Mo had now firmly established the Giant Crab Archipelago's foothold in the sea.

Now that the archipelago was truly secure, it was time for him to leave—for Shennong Valley.

After all, Gu Mo's next-stage cultivation techniques had to be obtained there. As for Shi Yuwei, Gu Mo didn't plan to bring her along. Traversing the vast ocean was full of unknown dangers. He could manage alone, but taking her along would be a liability.

That said, Gu Mo wasn't planning to abandon this spiritual land. To conceal his departure from the sea demons, he would leave behind the Mist Veil Illusion Array. If he took the formation with him, others would immediately realize he had left.

In addition, he planned to leave some plants behind as well—plants that also needed the array's concealment to remain hidden.

As for whether leaving the formation would have any drawbacks, Gu Mo wasn't concerned. His next destination was Shennong Valley, whose resources and expertise surely included far superior arrays.

With both the array and the plants left behind, the Giant Crab Archipelago would have another layer of protection. The shock and deterrence of Gu Mo's slaying the Flood Dragon Demon King would last for a while, but once his prolonged absence became apparent, some demons might start getting ideas. Those plants would then serve as hidden defenses.

Both the array and the plants would require someone to tend them—and that person would be Shi Yuwei.

Of course, Gu Mo wasn't in a rush to leave. The archipelago would remain peaceful for a while. He planned to wait until Shi Yuwei broke through to the Golden Core Formation stage before setting off.

Right now, she was still in the Foundation Establishment stage—too weak to handle things on her own. Gu Mo also intended to recruit a few helpers. He happened to have three demon cores on hand, which could be used to create three External Core cultivators to assist her.

As for who those three would be, Gu Mo planned to let Shi Yuwei decide after she reached the Core Formation stage.

"You're getting close too."

Gu Mo turned to the nearby Little Carp. She had now reached the peak of the second rank—just a step away from becoming a third-rank demon beast.

Her rapid growth was thanks not only to the oceanic environment but primarily to the solar essence Gu Mo had been feeding her.

Currently, with no urgent cultivation plans and his plant upgrades slowing down—especially since there was no longer the threat of another demon king—Gu Mo had the luxury to be patient.

So with solar essence in abundance, he started feeding it to Little Carp, eager to see what changes would occur once she reached the third rank.

(Show your support and read more chapters on my Patreon: [email protected]/psychopet. Thank you for your support!)