Immortality by Merit and Sin Coins

Chapter 255: Chapter 133: Third Refinement of the Mud Pill, a Fool Comes Seeking

Indignation filled the demons’ faces. Demon General Fei Huang’s betrayal meant they could no longer stay here.

Fortunately, this young Demon Monarch had intervened, giving them a brief chance to catch their breath.

”Alright. Go about your business.”

”Don’t worry. I’ll be staying here for a few days.”

Lin Shu strode into the cave residence.

At this, gratitude welled up in the demons’ eyes, and they bowed low once more. ”Thank you for your aid, Demon Monarch!”

Demons were known to be far more united than Immortal Disciples. Still, in such a tense situation, for this stranger to resolve their lord’s lingering troubles without revealing his own identity or asking for anything in return... this was an immense act of grace.

Given their humble status, they could hardly repay a Demon Monarch, even if they gave everything they owned.

They could only wait for their master to return. Only he was qualified to speak of repayment.

...

Lin Shu entered the cave residence and glanced around.

With a wave of his sleeve, he used his Spiritual Power to extract the blood from the mangled flesh, storing it for later.

He settled into the main seat.

’Revealing my status as a Demon Monarch was to help Elder Xu better integrate with the demon groups around Anren Prefecture. It was also a warning to the other demons that Demon General Duan Yue isn’t some unsupported Scattered Demon, but has a Golden Core Cultivator backing him. I omitted the name ”Moon-Devouring,” though, out of concern that interested parties might connect me to the Mountain God Mirror.’

’After all, in the public eye, the Mountain God Mirror is already considered lost. It’s either in the hands of the Great Shun Dynasty or held by one of those three ”Unparalleled Fierce Demons.”’

After briefly experiencing the power of his Demon Lion Suppressing Treasure Body, Lin Shu did feel a faint urge to challenge a proper Golden Core Cultivator.

’But with my current foundation, even if I went up against the weakest Early-stage Golden Core Cultivators—those who’ve formed a Spirit Firming True Pill—I’d probably lose more often than not.’

’The simplicity and brute force of a Body Tempering Technique are its advantages, but they’re also its flaws.’

’Other than my vast Qi and Blood Power and the Mountain God Mirror, which I don’t dare use lightly, I can’t even produce a single proper Golden Core-level technique.’

’Bullying a few Junior Core Formation Cultivators is one thing, but what could I possibly use to fight a Great Cultivator in Magical Combat?’

”I still need to train more.”

Lin Shu quickly adjusted his mindset, dispelling the arrogant feeling of omnipotence and world-suppressing power that had just swelled within him.

’My path to becoming a Great Cultivator is still a long one.’

With a flicker of his thoughts, a savage, blood-stained Profound Sword, controlled by his Soul-Splitting technique, shot back toward him. The Demon-slaying Bureau Captain in charge of guarding the mountain had already fallen to its blade.

The Sin Coin tally quickly appeared.

Fei Huang, Lu Chengyu, and the cultivator known as Senior Brother Liu were all at the Core Formation Perfection Realm, yielding a total of three thousand Sin Coins.

The six remaining Vice Generals yielded over eighteen hundred.

There were also five Captains at the Early-stage of Core Formation, worth almost eight hundred Sin Coins. When combined with the dozens of Mountain Guard Captains, the total from them was eleven hundred.

”Insane.”

Lin Shu was stunned for a moment. ’I hadn’t realized until I did the math... Five thousand nine hundred Sin Coins?’

’Aside from the Karma Fire Gold Essence, this is about what Zhao Zhiyue was worth!’

He shook his head and began to tally his Merit Coins.

The eight Demon Generals were of varying strength, ranging from the early to the late stage of Core Formation, totaling only twelve hundred Merit Coins.

The two hundred Demon Soldiers were all in the Foundation Establishment Stage, totaling eight hundred Merit Coins.

It was the group of demon people, however, that gave Lin Shu a big surprise.

Previously, Elder Xu had mentioned that they all cultivated Spirit Formulas, but Lin Shu hadn’t thought much of it. He had assumed that even if all seventy or eighty thousand of them were like the Border Guards—worth five or six cash each—at the highest estimate, it would only amount to five hundred thousand cash, converting to just five hundred Merit Coins.

But now it seemed that Demon Monarch Bi Hai had not only set up a great formation but was also training this group of refugees to be Demon Soldiers.

They weren’t practicing some crude Spirit Formulas at all, but a genuine Cultivation Method!

Lin Shu took a quick look.

The most valuable among them was worth twenty cash—the same value as an Early-stage Qi Cultivation Cultivator!

Of course, not all of them were valued that highly; the majority were worth around ten cash.

But with so many of them, it all added up, unexpectedly yielding another twelve hundred Merit Coins.

”Three thousand two hundred Merit Coins... I wonder how far that can advance my realm.”

...

Lin Shu regulated his breathing and converted all the Merit Coins into white light, pouring it into the Calamity-Crossing Cyan Simurgh Illusion.

Within the Mountain and Sea Immortal Mansion, heaven and earth seemed to invert.

Beneath the ”Star Fighting” phenomenon, a sky full of crimson veins pulsed erratically, like bulging blood vessels.

A monstrous sea of crimson flowed into the Immortal Mansion and once again began to wash over the Mud Pill.

When a thousand Merit Coins had been consumed, another obscure Dao Pattern formed on the Mud Pill, bringing it to the Second Transformation.

’Continue.’

Feeling the aura surging within him, Lin Shu did not stop the infusion.

Another thousand Merit Coins flowed in.

The instant the third Dao Pattern appeared, the entire Mud Pill seemed to be reborn. Its surface became smooth and flawless, and a vibrant spiritual aura burst forth from within!

Hah!

Lin Shu felt that with a single thought, he could shatter the impurities on the Mud Pill’s surface, draw out the spiritual essence within, and let it sweep through his body. From that moment on, his spirit would be firmly established, and he would transcend the mundane.

It was an impulse etched into the very instincts of a cultivator.

A struggle appeared in his eyes. He found it difficult to resist the temptation.

The Guarding Essence Root activated once again, forcefully suppressing the restless impulse in his heart.

’Stop!’

He bit the tip of his tongue.

’The Golden Core represents my future path on the Dao.’

’I’ve built a flawless Dao Foundation and am using rich Dao Essence to form my Core. How could I be willing to walk the most mediocre path, becoming mere ”fodder”?’

’If I encounter danger, I can break through to the Golden Core at any moment. Why be in such a hurry?’

The remaining thousand-or-so Merit Coins quickly transformed into Dao Essence and washed over the Mud Pill, but they failed to make another Dao Pattern appear on its surface.

’Clearly, now that it involves the level of a Sixth-Transformation Dragon Tiger Treasure Pill, the price has gone up.’