Chapter 673: Great Demon 36

"In the end, if it had just stayed in that little courtyard at the foot of the mountain, none of this would be happening now."

"Mother, I’m going back to cultivate. I really can’t be of any help, so I’ll take my leave."

Shi Qi left as well, leaving only Shi Yuan and Shi Miao in the cave residence. Shi Yuan looked at Shi Miao, terrified of her mother. She was even more afraid Shi Miao would blame her for being the root of all their problems. After a moment’s hesitation, Shi Yuan said, "Mother, I’ll be heading back, too. My chest is hurting right now. You should get some rest. I’ll take my leave."

In the blink of an eye, the place was empty. Shi Miao looked around the deserted cave residence and suddenly let out a cold laugh before closing her eyes to enter a meditative trance once more. ’No matter what others think of me, I’ve come this far, and I don’t regret a single thing!’

’It’s just a small, second-rank demon beast. Even if its talent is exceptional, what kind of trouble could it possibly stir up? If it could cause a storm like that Golden Ring Snake, I might actually give it a second thought.’

"Worthless demon beast!" After spitting out the curse, Shi Miao closed her eyes and gradually sank into her meditative trance.

「Demon Market.」

Inside Tan You’s cave residence, she looked at the little green snake before her, a small mushroom perched on its head. Tan You arched an eyebrow. "Have you made up your mind?"

Qing Ming flicked his tongue. "I’ve made up my mind. I don’t have the patience to wait that long. Since I have a chance, I want to take the gamble. No matter how hard it is, I’ll see it through."

Peacock beamed. "I knew this little guy had spirit from the start. See, my judgment was spot on, wasn’t it? Jin Huan, why don’t you just let him have his wish?"

Tan You said, "I’m not against it. I just hope you’ve thought it through yourself. After all, you only get one life. You should cherish it."

Qing Ming said, "Lady, in your eyes, life may be the most important thing, but some things are more important than life. The humiliation and grievances I’ve suffered, and the blood feud from my father’s death—these are far more important than my own life."

Tan You’s logic was almost cruel. "Have you considered this? If you don’t make it through, you’ll be gone. No one will remember your hatred. Demon beasts only ever look out for themselves; none of them will help you."

"Let’s say... let’s say you do make it through and completely integrate the Great Demon bloodline. Your progress will still be limited. At most, it can only raise you to the Seventh Rank. There will still be a massive chasm between you and Shi Miao."

"Seeking revenge on her then would still be like throwing an egg against a stone."

Qing Ming shifted. "I know. I’ve thought about it. I won’t go looking for revenge right away. My most urgent need right now is to grow stronger, but the time it takes to go from the second rank to the Seventh Rank is immense. I can’t wait that long."

"Lady, I promise you, I will cultivate until I reach the Body Integration Realm before I seek revenge."

’Tan You understood. This little cub knew there was a shortcut to a bright future—a bumpy one, sure, but the destination was promising. That’s why he didn’t want to stick to the slow and steady cultivation path anymore.’

’In short, he had a serious gambler’s mentality. But thinking about it from his perspective, Tan You would have done the same. Take a risk, and you might just trade your bicycle for a motorcycle.’

"Fine. Since you’ve already made up your mind, I won’t try to talk you out of it. It’s your life, after all." Tan You smiled and agreed to it. ’If one succeeds,’ she thought, ’the rest of these little cubs will likely follow their example.’

’Hardly any of the Half-demons had lived happy lives. Hadn’t every single one of them arrived at the Demon Market covered in wounds? Now they wanted to become stronger, and Tan You couldn’t say they were wrong for it.’

Demon beasts were, at heart, very solitary creatures, unlike in the Demon Market, where everyone did things together. The demon beasts of the Ten-Direction Great Mountains rarely visited each other, so they paid little attention to news from the Demon Market.

They didn’t know that Tan You had taken in so many little demon beasts, nor did they know about the pact between the little demon beasts and the clan of plant spirits. They were even clueless about the little demon beasts fusing with Great Demon bloodlines.

Tan You had no intention of broadcasting it, either. It was essence blood that the Great Demons had discarded. How she used it was naturally none of their business.

So when Qing Ming entered the Array to fuse with the Great Demon bloodline, the only ones watching nearby were Tan You, Bai Ze, Old Niu, Peacock, and the other Great Demons. The rest of the crowd was made up of the former Half-demons and the plant spirits.

The little demon beasts were mainly there to watch and learn. If Qing Ming succeeded, they would naturally want to try it too. Besides, fusing with a Great Demon bloodline offered them immense benefits.

Most importantly, a Great Demon’s bloodline contained immense power. If they successfully fused with it, their combat strength would immediately jump by several levels. All in all, it was a deal with no downsides, aside from having to endure a bit of suffering.

Qing Ming thought the same way. As he went to challenge the fusion with the blood of the Great Demon Qing Ming, Xuezhi couldn’t follow and could only wait outside the Array.

Tan You held the little mushroom on her finger. "Worried about Qing Ming?"

Xuezhi’s childish voice replied, "I’m not worried. He’ll make it through. Qing Ming said not to give him an opening, because if you give him one, he’ll seize it and never let go."

Tan You smiled. "Well said. I hope he can do it, too. Speaking of which, cultivation is really difficult for the plant spirits. The main problem is that so many of them are illiterate."

Xuezhi was completely bewildered. "Lady, what’s ’illiterate’?"

Tan You felt a headache coming on. "It means being unable to read. I’m starting to think... should we open a sort of kindergarten? Specifically to teach little ones like you who have just awakened your consciousness?"

Bai Ze chuckled. "That’s a great idea. We could also teach these little demon beasts how to cultivate. If they’re just fumbling around on their own, their progress will always be limited."

Peacock was full of enthusiasm. "I... I can teach them! I can read too!"

Tan You frowned in thought. "That could work. The main thing is to teach everyone how to cultivate properly. Many members of the Demon Clan waste their lives simply because they don’t have a Cultivation Method."

Old Niu huffed out, "It feels like we’re becoming a sect, guiding and teaching disciples to cultivate."

Tan You said, "Though I dislike this world’s Cultivators, I have to admit the Human Clan has some good ideas. Education, for example. And the passing down of a legacy."

"If the Human Clan can pass on education, why can’t the Demon Clan?"

Bai Ze thought for a moment. "You’re right. The Demon Clan can certainly pass down Cultivation Techniques as well. The Human Clan... sometimes they are incredibly inclusive, and other times, they are unbelievably insular."

Tan You snapped her fingers. "Then... let’s start with the Demon Market’s first library."

’She knew everyone was more accustomed to terms like "Book Pavilion" or "Sutra Repository," but Tan You herself preferred the word "library." Because it was a name that, to her knowledge, existed only in her homeland.’

Bai Ze was no longer paying attention to Qing Ming, who was roaring and writhing in the Array, but asked enthusiastically, "What books are you planning to put in the library?"

Tan You glanced at the Array. "Let’s start with the inherited memories of the Golden Ring Snake. I’ve always believed that if knowledge is only known by one person, it’s meaningless. Knowledge only gains greater value when more people know it."