Chapter 40: Refining the General's Uniform Pill, A Conclusion

Chapter 40: General's Pill Consumption, A Conclusion

Swish!!

Golden light surged from the ground as two figures appeared before the former relay station.

The boundary marker of Blackwater Village still stood slanted amidst the black mist.

Immortal Yao Zhen looked at Ning Xuan with confusion.

Ning Xuan asked, "Do you think I am a demon?"

Immortal Yao Zhen shook her head and said, "The General is much stronger than I thought."

After a pause, she said indifferently, "That debauched, dissolute manner of yours... it is actually just a mask, isn't it?"

She felt she had finally seen through the youth before her and could finally breathe a sigh of relief. After all, though they had taken a detour, she had ultimately not chosen the wrong partner. Even if the young general wore a mask of unbridled dissipation, he was, in reality, a valiant general capable of decisive action—someone quite reliable in critical moments.

She felt relieved and was no longer so angry.

Ning Xuan was stunned for a moment.

What did she mean by "debauched and dissolute"?

He was simply enjoying life.

Besides, his current persona was the actual mask; he found his present self quite annoying.

However, seeing that the woman's tone had softened, he had no intention of explaining. If she wanted to misunderstand, so be it.

"Ah, yes, yes, you've seen through me," Ning Xuan replied with a smile, thinking he was providing her with emotional validation.

He found it incredibly irritating that this woman always had to talk back and contradict him at critical moments; she never felt comfortable unless she argued with him.

If a misunderstanding could solve this problem, then let it be a misunderstanding.

Immortal Yao Zhen gave a faint smile, looking as if to say, "As I thought, and fortunately so," before continuing, "The General practices endurance and accumulates strength, using the reputation of a playboy to hide in the countryside. I suspect you only fear the surging undercurrents of power, which is why you wear that mask.

However, General, you need not worry in the future. We are all people of His Majesty. With your potential, you will surely become one of the Twelve Divine Generals. General... you can take off the mask now."

Ning Xuan said, "That would be inappropriate."

"Why is it inappropriate?" Yao Zhen asked.

Ning Xuan stopped dwelling on that and asked curiously, "You don't seem curious as to why I could manifest the Golden Body?"

Yao Zhen replied, "Previously, when you asked me about Demon-Plague Warriors and how you cultivate, I brushed you off with excuses. My goal was simply to observe you further. If you couldn't even pass this first trial of deployment, there would be no point in saying more.

But now, you have passed this trial quite successfully. Combined with those mysterious, massive frozen corpses just now, I feel there is no longer a need to hide anything."

Ning Xuan said, "I see. I misunderstood you, Immortal."

Suddenly, Immortal Yao Zhen found Ning Xuan quite pleasing to the eye.

It was a complete reversal of her previous impression.

Before the slaying of the Golden Body Bodhisattva, although she was fulfilling her duties, she had found Ning Xuan problematic in every way. But now, she found him very agreeable—even the way he spoke felt comfortable. She thought to herself, *'So his true self is so composed and polite; he truly is a pillar of our dynasty's future.'*

With that thought, she began to explain the cultivation methods for Generals and Demon-Plague Warriors.

"This is actually a secret known only to veteran Generals. Among Demon-Plague Warriors, anyone who knows of this is a true master.

This cultivation method is called the Pill Consumption Technique.

The 'pill' refers to a Demon Core.

However, one cannot consume them recklessly. One must follow twelve words: 'Same attribute, same category, gradual progression, downward compatibility.'

To put it simply, General, we are the lucky ones who, after coming into contact with demons, possess the innate ability to wield demonic power. This 'innate' ability doesn't mean you were born different from ordinary people, but rather that you suddenly gained demonic power on a certain day after birth.

But you are still human. Therefore, even with the talent to use demonic power, you still require postnatal cultivation to improve, and the method of postnatal cultivation is the consumption of Demon Cores."

She paused briefly before continuing, " 'Same attribute, same category' means that every General has their own innate attribute and category. In terms of attribute, the vast majority of Generals are 'Life-attribute,' while a very small fraction are 'Nature-attribute.'

As for the category, it varies widely, ranging from tigers and leopards to oxen and sheep.

The Demon Cores a General consumes come from demons, which are then refined by a Celestial Master using Dragon Fire to minimize toxicity.

A General can only consume the cores of demons that share their own category and attribute."

Ning Xuan asked curiously, "How can one know what their category is?"

Yao Zhen replied, "There is a Demon-Revealing Mirror in the Imperial Capital. One look and you will know. Once the territory is stabilized, I will apply for an opportunity for you to use it.

As for why I wasn't curious about your Golden Body, it is because I have long known that all Generals possess demonic power. The fact that you can wield the Golden Body proves you are exceptionally outstanding."

Ning Xuan was curious about where the "Demon-Revealing Mirror" came from.

But considering that the Great General Qin's Manor had existed for eighty years, it wasn't that strange.

Demons had existed in this world for a long time, which meant there must be many powerful beings and secrets. He would learn them bit by bit.

Yao Zhen continued, " 'Gradual progression' refers to the method of consumption.

Our Celestial Masters are ranked starting from the First Grade, and demons also have grades.

The difference between a higher-grade demon and a lower-grade demon is obvious.

Let me put it this way: I am a Second-Grade Celestial Master. Even if I completely suppress a First-Grade demon, if a warrior has not reached the First-Grade level, then... even if they strike that demon with ten thousand blades or stab it repeatedly in the eyes, they will not be able to harm it in the slightest.

Similarly, the difference between a Second-Grade demon and a First-Grade demon is vast.

Currently, we cannot categorize the specific traits of every grade of demon because their defining trait is having no specific traits. We can only continuously gather information and report it to our colleagues in the Imperial Capital via the Whisper Chain, who then compile it. As soon as news arrives, we are informed, and all Divine General candidates are notified.

After this battle, your strength has definitely reached the First Grade, and an extremely rare kind at that.

You likely haven't consumed a pill yet. Therefore, your first pill should be a Demon Core of similar strength to your own, the second should be one grade higher, and so on. Furthermore, after each consumption, time must be spent digesting the pill and the demonic power to make it your own."

Ning Xuan asked, "What if I fail?"

Yao Zhen replied, "Failure depends on the situation. Usually, failing up to three times is not catastrophic, but after the third time, problems arise.

Perhaps on the fourth failure, the General will directly transform into a Demon-Plague Warrior. Perhaps on the fifth or sixth. So far, no one has broken the record of six failures.

As for a Demon-Plague Warrior failing, they will become a Human-Demon. Once... as long as a Demon-Plague Warrior fails once, they will become a completely frenzied Human-Demon."

Ning Xuan asked, "Do Human-Demons count as successful pill consumption?"

Yao Zhen said, "In a sense, yes, because they truly obtain greater power. However, because of this, they only have very brief periods of lucidity each day. Their dwellings are nothing more than special prisons or cages."

Ning Xuan asked, "Are there any Demon-Plague Warriors who succeed consecutively?"

Yao Zhen replied, "There are, but extremely, extremely few. I am not yet qualified to access their files."

She then added, "As for 'downward compatibility,' it means that besides category and attribute, demons also have a hierarchical classification. A superior being can devour any pill condensed by an inferior being; this even overrides the rule of 'same attribute and category.'

In other words, as long as you are superior, you can devour anything from the lower ranks—whether it be tigers, leopards, oxen, or sheep, or whether they are Life-attribute or Nature-attribute—and your success rate will be high.

The primary division of this hierarchy is whether one can condense a Golden Body, which we call the 'Incense Grade.'

Therefore, your current level should be called an Incense First-Grade General."

Ning Xuan narrowed his eyes.

He realized that the dynasty's description was identical to the description on his status panel.

Yao Zhen said, "In the past, we were the ones consuming demons to master their power. But just now... I sensed Dragon Qi on that massive frozen corpse. Does that mean demons are also fusing with us to obtain our power?"

As they spoke, both were recovering rapidly. After their exchange, they had both regained much of their strength, as neither had suffered life-threatening injuries.

"Let's go again," Ning Xuan said.

This time, Yao Zhen did not talk back. She grabbed Ning Xuan and used earth-遁 (遁地) to reappear atop the cliff.

As they emerged, the rustling of sinister winds rose again, and massive frozen corpses began to crawl rapidly from the depths of the rock walls.

Ning Xuan said, "Provide cover for me."

Yao Zhen nodded heavily and began observing their surroundings.

Ning Xuan stepped onto the ground and lunged forward. His long blade carved a crescent arc through the air; amidst a piercing whistle, the massive frozen corpse was struck head-on.

The blade passed through the frozen corpse as if passing through air.

The blade's momentum surged upward, creating a loud crack in mid-air, but... the massive frozen corpse remained completely unharmed.

Just as it was about to pounce on Ning Xuan, Yao Zhen summoned her Celestial Seal. With a single shout, the massive frozen corpse was struck as if by a heavy hammer, sent flying backward.

The two had developed a certain rapport. They exchanged a glance, reading each other's thoughts: these frozen corpses were souls, or rather... ghosts.

Demons and ghosts—now the collection was truly complete!

At that moment, more rustling sounds approached. There were over a dozen frozen corpses, and they began to move with increased speed. Surprisingly, they were not heading for Ning Xuan, but for Yao Zhen.

From their accelerating crawling speed, Ning Xuan sensed an intense greed.

Yao Zhen grabbed Ning Xuan and fled through the earth.

The two reappeared before the relay station, watching the distance for a while.

No frozen corpses pursued them.

Yao Zhen said, "It seems they cannot stray far from that area. This must be related to that iceberg north of Ping'an Prefecture that wasn't there before. We should investigate deeper."

Ning Xuan said, "That iceberg doesn't belong to Ping'an Prefecture. For now, we should just mark a restricted zone around the perimeter to prevent anyone from approaching. At the same time, we'll station guards to patrol the boundary, then investigate how many Skin-Demons have infiltrated the prefectural city, counties, and villages, and deal with them one by one.

Also, report the intelligence to the Imperial Capital. Tell everyone to be cautious if they encounter such icebergs. As long as they don't get close, those black heads of smoke won't appear."

Yao Zhen asked, "What about the iceberg?"

Ning Xuan said, "You go seek reinforcements."

"And you?" Yao Zhen asked.

"I'll mark the boundaries, and then... hmm... recuperate and wait for a good opportunity."

At the last moment, he had managed to rephrase "partying and drinking, having a good time, and waiting for a political marriage" into something else.

It was clear that Yao Zhen was quite satisfied with this.

Her indifferent eyes gazed deeply into the distant darkness, and she said, "Fine. We'll do it your way."