Chapter 42 Part 2

The island raised many demon beasts. Some carried deep-sea demon race bloodlines, while others were exotic demonic beasts found by sect disciples during travels and brought back to the palace for taming, making them available for junior disciples.

It was said that the strongest demon beast on the island was a Nascent Soul Stage Demon Butterfly. Its wings were like transparent curtains and were said to blanket the entire Flowfire Island. Ordinary cultivators could not even see the Demon Butterfly.

If the Demon Butterfly wished, it could plunge low-rank cultivators into illusions, draining all their essence blood and cultivation until they withered into human husks and died.

Most of the time, the Demon Butterfly slumbered, awakening only on days when the Flowfire erupted. It would release vast amounts of phosphor powder and feast on heavenly treasures with the other demon beasts before sinking back into slumber and cultivation.

Since the Demon Butterfly’s phosphor powder could induce illusions, when some demon beasts went berserk due to their nature, Silent Night Palace disciples would seek phosphor powder from around the Demon Butterfly’s magic flower to refine Illusion Pills.

However, ordinary Silent Night Palace disciples rarely encountered Demon Butterfly Senior, as this senior was very indolent and seldom appeared. Disciples simply asked respectfully outside the magic flower and carefully scraped a bit of crystallized phosphor powder from the outer petals.

This was practically basic work for every menial disciple who went to Flowfire Island.

Xie Linlang finished skimming the basics of Flowfire Island and then looked at the overview of Senior Fang given by the guarding senior brother.

Senior Brother Fang oversaw the western side of the island, where there was a tidal flat mainly used to raise and care for demonic crocodiles, sea lions, penguins, and similar demon beasts.

Demonic crocodile hides could be made into armor, while the oils accumulated by sea lions, penguins, and the like could be extracted for pill refining, ink making, or soaking special fibers and materials to craft outer robes—indispensable resources for the sect.

Beasts like sea lions did not stay long-term on Flowfire Island; they only came to rest for three months each year before returning to the depths of the South Sea. They were migratory demon beasts.

Xie Linlang read with great interest. He had lived long-term on Jiuxia Mountain and knew that sea demon beast oils had wonderful uses, but he had never known the specifics of their raising.

This Senior Fang commanded a type of avian demon called the red-beaked sparrow, as they could conveniently clean the skin and parasites of large demon beasts like demonic crocodiles, making them very popular with the beasts.

A single red-beaked sparrow was nothing special, but a flock of them was extremely formidable.

Xie Linlang noted these details. He rummaged in his storage bag and pulled out some Advanced Feed Pellets. After a moment’s hesitation, he also took out a slender white porcelain bottle.

Inside was a portion of Night Lily, harvested with Shen He from the secret realm.

Night Lily could be used to make Harmonizing Pills, essential materials for healing medicines. But if refined into flower honey and combined with other ingredients into a honeyed liquid, it might win the Demon Butterfly’s favor.

Xie Linlang had too many questions. Learning Silent Night Palace’s secrets from the Demon Butterfly’s mouth would be far better than prying from Senior Brother Fang.

In any case, he would prepare for both possibilities.

Xie Linlang was meticulous and never acted without certainty.

Without such a precise temperament, he could not have meticulously refined pill formulas to produce Immortal Feather Pills in his Late Soul Transformation Stage that even Mahayana Stage Cultivators praised endlessly.

Just as Xie Linlang rose to head to Flowfire Island, in a seaside water pavilion on the western side of Flowfire Island, someone else mentioned him.

“The Mission Hall dispatched a new menial disciple?”

A lanky middle-aged man bowed toward a mirror. “Shizun, do you mean… this is a spy deliberately sent by that usurper?”

On the other side of the mirror, a hazy figure appeared. The cultivator’s face was sinister, his tone icy.

“No matter who sent him, the arrow is now on the string—this rare opportunity cannot allow any mishaps!”

This lanky middle-aged man was none other than Senior Brother Fang.

He lowered his head in acknowledgment, pondered briefly, and said, “Lately, the tooth fish in the western Cold Pool are in mating season, restless and unaffected by Demon Butterfly Senior. I’ll have him feed them. A moment’s carelessness and he’ll fall into the Cold Pool, gnawed to bits by the tooth fish. Even if Senior Brother Zheng comes to investigate, there’ll be no flaw.”

The person in the mirror said flatly, “Handle it yourself.”

The figure in the mirror soon vanished. Senior Brother Fang put away the mirror and headed to the western Cold Pool on the island to make some preparations in advance.

However, just as he arrived at the Cold Pool and before he could toss in any drugs, a menial disciple reported that the new menial from the Mission Hall had already arrived on Flowfire Island and gone to the water pavilion to pay respects.

Senior Brother Fang’s heart sank. He had come so quickly!

The sect’s sea turtles only ran every three days—how had he arrived the same day?

Senior Brother Fang first sent a message instructing Xie Linlang to wait in the water pavilion, review the demon beast feeding logs, and familiarize himself with the work processes. Then he hurriedly tossed some special feed into the Cold Pool and removed some runes from the protective hanging box overhead.

The Cold Pool teemed with eerie, icy spiritual energy mixed with demonic qi and the demon qi leaking from the tooth fish. These three forces formed a special restriction above the pool that even Nascent Soul Stage cultivators would find uncomfortable.

As long as the new menial disciple entered the hanging box and the runes failed, there was a high chance he would plummet into the Cold Pool and become tooth fish food.

Senior Brother Fang felt this plan was foolproof. Only then did he slow his pace and leisurely return to the water pavilion.

The Flowfire Water Pavilion was large, with layers of hanging curtains in the center. Several menial disciples processed the daily food needs for the demon beasts here.

After Xie Linlang arrived at the water pavilion, a menial disciple invited him to wait by the edge railing and brought him some daily work logs from Flowfire Island to review first.

Xie Linlang had been flipping through them when suddenly a flock of red-beaked sparrows landed around him.

At first, Xie Linlang thought this flock was Senior Brother Fang’s eyes and ears, but soon he realized they had mistaken him for one of their own.

It must have been due to the Crane Demon Bone from the Tribulation Transcendence Realm used in reshaping his true body.

“You turned into a human.”

One red-beaked sparrow, apparently the leader, hopped around Xie Linlang in a circle.

“You’re stronger than us.”

Xie Linlang found it amusing and did not refute. He said candidly, “Yes, I’m stronger than you.”

The red-beaked sparrow then hopped onto his palm, pecked lightly, and whispered, “Help Fang Fang out—he’s so anxious his feathers are falling out!”