Conquering That Great Demon Lord [Xian Ni Fan Fiction] - Chapter 2: Co-habitation

Chapter 2: Co-habitation

After flying for two days through the layered mists of the Sea of Demonic Cultivation, the two finally found an abandoned cave residence. Wang Lin was the first to descend before the stone entrance of the mountain cave, retracting his sword as he landed.

Li Muwan followed closely behind. After observing the surroundings, Wang Lin confirmed this would be their cultivation spot and focused his mind to open his Storage Bag. Several Flying Swords shot toward the mountain wall, but after the impact, the rock remained intact with only some scattered debris.

His gaze firm, he smirked contemptuously as the flying swords transformed into over thirty smaller blades. Li Muwan couldn’t help but marvel from behind: “His Divine Sense can actually control over thirty flying swords simultaneously.”

Having witnessed Wang Lin using the Fire Beast to deal with Core Formation cultivators, escaping the Fire Beast himself, and simultaneously eliminating three Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators of the same level with the Death Curse Technique, she had already gained some understanding of his abilities.

His Divine Sense was so powerful it surpassed what should be possible at the Foundation Establishment Stage.

After successfully breaking through the mountain rock, Wang Lin used Top-Grade Spirit Stones to set up a Formation. Li Muwan initially felt surprised, but when the Formation took shape, she dismissed her earlier thoughts.

In fact, she found it unbelievable – despite his formidable abilities, his Formation was…

Li Muwan lowered her head and muttered quietly to herself, “This Formation seems rather ordinary, only capable of resisting average Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators…”

Wang Lin, who had just withdrawn his Magic Art after concentrating on setting up the Formation, had been monitoring Li Muwan with his Divine Sense all along – part of his meticulous caution to promptly respond if she attempted any tricks.

With his back to her, Wang Lin had consistently presented an image of immense strength before Li Muwan throughout their journey. The authority and intimidation he had established worked effectively on her, yet he hadn’t expected her casual remark to trigger his instinct to protect his pride.

“I plan to reside in this cave long-term. If intruders come, I can simply leave. As for you, your survival depends on yourself,” he said coldly, never once looking at Li Muwan from beginning to end.

[Soul Pearl: Detected Fiend’s favorability decreased by 50%]

[Li Muwan: …So petty?]

The Fiend is powerful, but the Fiend is easily provoked!

The constant roars of Demon Beasts from the sea caused Li Muwan’s heart to tremble violently. Even lower-grade Demon Beasts could fight evenly with Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators. What if she wasn’t killed by the Fiend but ended up eaten by these Demon Beasts instead?

She also discerned another piece of information about the Fiend – his Formations were lacking.

He probably specialized in Death Curse Technique at the War God Hall. If she could demonstrate value beyond alchemy in front of him, perhaps the Fiend would be more willing to protect her.

Having made up her mind, Li Muwan wasted no words. She flew up and hovered mid-air at the mountainside, taking out a small flag from her Storage Bag. The flag instantly divided and positioned itself in eight directions. Then she patted her Storage Bag again, revealing a beast bone that she promptly divided into several segments.

Her skirt hem and wide sleeves fluttered with the fluctuations of her Spiritual Power, forming several beams of light. White and purple halos circled around her, the swaying skirt accentuating her delicate figure, slender waist, long graceful legs, and flowing hair – resembling a pure lotus blooming from connected ponds.

“Qian three unbroken, Kun six broken, Zhen like an overturned bowl, Gen like an inverted cup, Li empty in the center, Kan full in the middle, Dui broken above, Xun broken below,” she chanted the mnemonic. The process lasted three hours, and setting up the Formation exhausted both her physical strength and Spiritual Power. Li Muwan descended back to the ground, lifting her sleeve to wipe the sweat from her forehead.

“This formation is the Nine Li Corpse Bone Formation, composed of 214 individual formations. To make it more secure, we need to find more beast bones to strengthen its defenses.”

Wang Lin watched her setting up the formation. Since this woman was skilled in formation arrangement, her alchemy techniques wouldn’t be poor either.

[Soul Pearl: Detected change in Fiend’s favorability, -48%]

[Li Muwan: Just as I thought. As long as I show the Fiend my value, I can increase his favorability. But I mustn’t say anything he doesn’t want to hear, or all my previous efforts will be wasted.]

[Li Muwan: Soul Pearl, how did the other cultivators you absorbed the Soul of Life from manage to conquer their Fiends?]

[Soul Pearl: Each cultivator faced Fiends with different attributes and personalities, so their methods naturally differed. However, I must remind you – this Fiend is cold-natured and difficult to break. This is challenging. You have one opportunity to change your target. Do you wish to switch?]

Change Fiends? Li Muwan shook her head. At this moment, she couldn’t escape anyway. Where could she go to find another Fiend?

[Li Muwan: No change. Continue the conquest.]

Li Muwan looked at the motionless Wang Lin, fearing he might suspect her.

“You go first.” Wang Lin’s expression remained icy as he left a strand of Divine Sense on her. Only after Li Muwan stepped through the formation’s light ripple and confirmed it was safe did he follow at a distance.

The two entered the cave residence and surveyed its interior. There were several stone chambers inside, all appearing aged and worn, clearly indicating previous cultivators had lived here – it was an abandoned cave residence.

Li Muwan felt that with some tidying up, it would be perfectly fine. With her skillful hands, she could restore even the most dilapidated scene to a brand new condition.

Wang Lin didn’t care about any of this. All he wanted was a temporary shelter where he could safely achieve Core Formation without disturbance. Other requirements were optional.

To show sincerity, Li Muwan behaved quite obediently and proactively asked: “Senior Brother, should I refine the Sky Sundering Pill for you now?”

Wang Lin ignored her, turning his back to her without any concealment and bluntly stated: “I don’t dare consume any elixirs you refine!”

[Li Muwan: The Fiend is cautious, with impenetrable defenses. Trying to play tricks definitely won’t work. The current strategy should focus on winning his heart.]

[Soul Pearl: You’re using your brain. There’s hope.]

Her voice carried a weak, pitiable quality, but unfortunately, the Fiend before her wouldn’t be swayed by anything.

“Senior Brother, what must I do to make you trust me?”

This question hit right at Wang Lin’s intentions. He then said: “I want you to surrender your soul blood.” But I won’t make it too difficult for you – just refine enough elixirs for me. Once I successfully achieve Core Formation, I’ll let you go.”

Let her go? But with her cultivation level, returning from the Sea of Demonic Cultivation to the Luoshui Sect wouldn’t be easy.

Li Muwan didn’t overthink it and decisively surrendered her soul blood. She pressed her fingertip to her brow, extracted the soul blood, and presented it to Wang Lin.

[Soul Pearl: Favorability -40%]

Although Li Muwan had surrendered her soul blood, the favorability change detected by the Soul Pearl instantly ignited her confidence. So the Fiend liked obedient women.

Li Muwan’s first step in conquering the Fiend: Be obedient and useful.

After accepting the soul blood, Wang Lin generously tossed out over a dozen storage bags – all gains from the war between the two nations. Since he couldn’t refine pills, these medicinal materials were useless to him.

“All the medicinal materials are here. See what kind of pills you can refine from them?Li Muwan closed her eyes and used her Divine Sense to explore the storage bags, scanning each storage space. The contents made her eyes light up, and her face revealed delight.

【Li Muwan: For the fiend to achieve Core Formation, he needs a large quantity of elixirs. I must make him see and firmly believe that I can refine the required elixirs for him. Providing precise quantities will help gain his trust.】

Li Muwan hesitated for a moment before speaking, “Senior Brother, may I freely use all these medicinal herbs?”

Given her reaction, she would certainly utilize these herbs effectively. Wang Lin had been observing her closely all along. Although he had taken her soul blood, his vigilance remained undiminished. “I only care about the finished elixirs. As for the process, you may proceed as you wish.”

This was the first time Wang Lin had seen Li Muwan’s picturesque face break into a spring-like smile one completely untainted by calculation, so genuine it felt unreal to him.

She roughly calculated the quantity of each type of elixir that could be refined based on the available herbs, and Wang Lin listened attentively.

“Senior Brother, rest assured. With these herbs, I can roughly refine three hundred Yellow Ling Pills to enhance cultivation, fifty Poison Avoidance Pills, and various other elixirs with different effects for you.”

【Soul Pearl: Detected change in favorability, -30%】

【Li Muwan: It actually works!】

“Senior Brother, look at this Demon Blood Vine it’s one of the main ingredients for refining the Sky Sundering Pill. However, the alchemy process requires considerable time. I’m afraid the Nine Li Corpse Bone Formation won’t hold that long. I…”

“I’ll venture out today to search for beast bones to reinforce the magic array,” Wang Lin granted Li Muwan time. At the very least, he considered their current relationship as allies, and certain matters needed to be communicated clearly.

“I’ll return in at least three days, no more than seven.”

【Li Muwan: The fiend actually reports his movements. He’s somewhat reasonable.】

Li Muwan had initially been hesitant inwardly. She didn’t know when Wang Lin would require the Sky Sundering Pill, but it was better to be prepared. However, she lacked a pill furnace capable of refining the Sky Sundering Pill. There was a reason she hadn’t disclosed this to Wang Lin earlier.

But continuing to conceal it now would be inappropriate. By surrendering her soul blood, she had shown Wang Lin considerable trust though she knew he likely didn’t view it the same way.

“Senior Brother, could you help me find another pill furnace?” Li Muwan mustered her courage to ask, though fear lingered in her heart.

Wang Lin glanced sideways, his sharp gaze seeming capable of slicing through the frigid ice of the Sea of Demonic Cultivation. Li Muwan immediately lowered her head, her instinctive evasion becoming almost reflexive.

【Li Muwan: …The fiend’s moods are unpredictable. Since I need to refine the Sky Sundering Pill, a suitable furnace must be prepared in advance. This conquest mission is far more complicated than I imagined.】

She explained: “The pill furnace I carry can only refine ordinary elixirs. Previously, the final refinement of Sky Sundering Pills was always completed using the Heaven and Earth Furnace of the Luoshui Sect.”

Wang Lin pondered briefly without responding, then decisively left the cave residence. Li Muwan watched his disappearing figure and heaved a deep sigh.

***

With the fiend away, she now had time to herself. The cave residence was littered with broken stones.

Wang Lin aimed for Core Formation, yet the fastest recorded Core Formation in the Fireburn Kingdom had taken decades. Barring accidents, this meant they would likely reside in the Sea of Demonic Cultivation for at least several decades, possibly even a century.

Decades… Although the fiend was cold and ruthless, Li Muwan still maintained some confidence.

At least based on the changes in favorability, the fiend could be conquered. But making him fall in love with her? Li Muwan shook her head, not daring to entertain the thought further.

【Li Muwan: Why is the Soul Pearl’s mission so absurd?】

【Soul Pearl: …】

【Li Muwan: Is it possible to change the conquest approach? For instance, through gratitude rather than love wouldn’t that work?】

【Soul Pearl: As long as the favorability is completed whether through affection or gratitude so long as the Soul Pearl absorbs the remaining three emotional attributes, the conquest will be considered successful.】

Joy, anger, sorrow she couldn’t imagine to what extent a person would simultaneously unleash these three emotions to their peak.

When her brother was nearly killed by the Fire Beast during the attack on the Fireburn Alliance, her grief was beyond words. Yet, with a great battle imminent, she had to suppress her emotions.

【Soul Pearl: Throughout history, most cultivators whose Souls of Life were absorbed by the Soul Pearl relied on emotions to survive, enabling them to overcome the final hurdle.】

【Li Muwan: Relying on emotions to survive… But that fiend is cold-blooded and ruthless, killing without hesitation, and even cultivating the Death Curse Technique…】

Li Muwan gradually lamented the plight she was about to face, wondering if he, who practiced the Death Curse Technique, would lose control like a beast…

At this thought, she couldn’t help but shudder. However, she quickly composed herself, retracted the Soul Pearl, and used magic to clear the rubble from the stone chamber out of the cave entrance. Not far from the cave residence, she gathered some corals of various colors, perfect for decorating the barren stone chamber.

She also collected shells and exotic flowers for decoration but dared not venture too far. After gathering enough, she returned to the cave residence and resealed the formation. She wouldn’t easily open it until Wang Lin returned.

The cave residence had three stone chambers in total. She conscientiously reserved the innermost, more spacious one for Wang Lin, while she kept the outer chamber for alchemy, leaving the third one vacant for now.

After she finished decorating the cave residence, the once barren dwelling was transformed, taking on a semblance of a home.

Looking at her day’s work, she leaped with joy like a child, spinning around unabashedly. Her skirt fluttered, her hair danced, and she smiled radiantly, completely forgetting the peril she was in and the mission she had to accomplish.

As the sun set over the Sea of Demonic Cultivation, Li Muwan selected over a dozen candles from her Storage Bag and lit them with a spell. The candlelight reflected off the corals, casting a warm glow on their vibrant colors.

She thought to herself, if only she had a luminous pearl it would emit light without the need for candles.

Li Muwan sat cross-legged, having set up a wooden desk and chair in the outer chamber for alchemy.

For several days, she focused solely on refining elixirs. Cultivators who reached the Foundation Establishment Stage no longer needed food or sleep, and rest usually involved meditation and breathing exercises.

Calculating the days, if Wang Lin returned at the earliest in three days, Li Muwan wanted to prepare some elixirs by then as a gesture of sincerity.

Previously, to secure his help, she had made empty promises one after another, and it was clear Wang Lin’s patience was wearing thin hence, when she asked for the Pill Furnace, his favorability dropped again.

If he didn’t see any value in her, he wouldn’t be willing to carry a burden.

Li Muwan was acutely aware of her situation. She immediately patted her Storage Bag, selecting the required herbs from the dozen or so Storage Bags Wang Lin had left behind, and used her own ordinary Pill Furnace to refine the elixirs.

She had long memorized most of the Luoshui Sect’s elixir recipes, and concocting them according to the records was not difficult for her.

Over these days, every time she finished refining a batch of elixirs, Li Muwan would unconsciously glance toward the cave entrance.

“He said he’d return in seven days, but it’s already been ten…” Li Muwan sighed inwardly, holding a jade slip in her hand as she prepared for the next round of refining.

Ten days had passed since Wang Lin departed. He had promised to return within seven days at the latest, and Li Muwan worried whether he might change his mind and abandon her to seek another place.

But she quickly dismissed this thought. Wang Lin would not give up on her, a living Pill Furnace. Her Soul of Life blood was still with him; if he were in mortal danger, she would perish as well.

Thus, assured that Wang Lin was safe outside, she set aside her concerns after some reflection and continued refining pills.

Suddenly, she sensed a fluctuation of Spiritual Power approaching the Formation from outside. Her mind raced with possibilities. Just then, Wang Lin’s voice pierced through the Formation: “Open the array!”

Li Muwan joyfully rushed out of the cave. As she steadied herself, the ground trembled, revealing a thousand-zhang Flood Dragon before her. Her delight vanished, replaced by wide-eyed shock.

“Will its beast bones be sufficient to set up the Nine Li Corpse Bone Formation?” Wang Lin’s figure emerged from behind the Flood Dragon’s body, while Li Muwan remained stunned.

As Wang Lin drew nearer, she nodded woodenly, “Mm.”

Her mind was in turmoil. She had only read about such Flood Dragons in ancient texts and had no idea how Wang Lin had managed to hunt and haul it back. This Fiend had grown even more terrifying.

Li Muwan inwardly sighed: Winning him over is hopeless in this lifetime.

Ignoring her tangled thoughts, Wang Lin tossed the Flood Dragon before the Cave Residence and paid it no further mind. Li Muwan, still dazed, was snapped back to reality by the glaring wound on Wang Lin’s chest.

He was injured!

“Senior Brother,” Li Muwan called out instinctively. From her readings, she knew that every part of a Flood Dragon was a treasure, especially its Flood Dragon Core and Dragon Marrow.

Without waiting for Wang Lin’s response, she knelt, drew a dagger, and deftly extracted the Core and Marrow.

Hearing the commotion, Wang Lin watched her movements with a trace of confusion but made no move to intervene.

After a moment, Li Muwan rose, holding the Flood Dragon Core and Dragon Marrow in each hand, and approached Wang Lin standing nearby.

“The Flood Dragon Core and Dragon Marrow are natural Elixirs. Dragon Marrow is a supreme treasure with healing properties,” she explained, lifting her hands toward him and gazing up with sincere eyes.

Wang Lin stared into her clear eyes, searching for deceit but finding none. He had been unaware of these treasures within the Flood Dragon; had Li Muwan chosen to conceal them, he would never have known.

Yet she had not.

Wordlessly, Wang Lin retrieved both treasures from a distance and turned to enter the Stone Chamber.

Li Muwan swallowed hard. The Fiend’s gaze seemed less icy now, and she felt an illusory sense of relief.

[Soul Pearl: Fiend favorability change, -20%]

[Li Muwan: I know how to win him over now.]