As Yang Hong departed, Lan Faxuan and Lu Baoshan approached Lian Yuanming.
However, neither of them reached out to help Lian Yuanming up.
"Old Lian, you truly are audacious! You not only courted death yourself but also dragged the entire sect down with you!" Lan Fangxuan shook his head in exasperation.
"Hmph, you old fool. You only bully the weak and fear the strong. Have you forgotten that this person could eliminate three seventh-tier Demon Lords? Have you forgotten how he casually killed over a dozen Golden Core humans with a single move? Do you think he has infinite patience?" Lu Baoshan sneered contemptuously.
"I... I know I was wrong. But I am also human, I just..." Lian Yuanming, still pale, struggled to stand.
"You just still want to die! Stay away from me in the future." Lu Baoshan glared at the idiot and turned to leave, no longer wishing to associate with Lian Yuanming. He was afraid of becoming stupider by proximity.
"Old Lian, have you forgotten that this person has ten subordinate sixth-tier Nascent Soul stage demon kings by his side?" Lan Fangxuan reminded him before also turning to leave.
Lian Yuanming still hadn't grasped the gravity of the situation, thinking he could guilt-trip Yang Hong. Such a person deserved to die.
"I... I..." Lian Yuanming's face turned even paler. Yes, while Yang Hong was human and protected humans, he also had demon subordinates. He wasn't an indiscriminate protector of humans; he had his limits.
"From now on, I need to be more honest." Lian Yuanming wiped the blood from his lips, his expression growing more bitter. He understood that Yang Hong now disliked him. He decided to organize a comprehensive collection of his sect's alchemy techniques and recipes to present to Yang Hong.
...
Having gathered the alchemy inheritances, Yang Hong turned to collect other cultivation skills from the remaining cultivators. While Qi Refining stage cultivators typically had no specialized skills, all Foundation Establishment stage cultivators who survived possessed at least one talent. The demon race did not tolerate idlers; cultivators without value were long ago turned into food.
The twenty-five Foundation Establishment cultivators provided Yang Hong with eight alchemy inheritances, six artifact refining inheritances, and five talisman crafting inheritances. The remaining six were for other skills like formations and spirit cuisine.
"As I expected, I can't form skills for any of the hundred arts of cultivation. I'll have to learn and comprehend them myself." Despite his photographic memory, which allowed him to retain everything after a single glance, no skills appeared on his status panel. To truly master these arts, he would need constant practice.
"Never mind, I'll take it slow." With a sigh of resignation, Yang Hong temporarily gave up on learning a second profession. Just one formation would be enough to occupy him.
Walking along the coast of Ren Dao Island, gazing at the boundless sea, Yang Hong's mood brightened, and his spirits lifted. The trees on the coast had all been replaced with tall coconut trees, all of which were spirit plants capable of resisting a certain degree of storms and downpours. Beneath the coconut trees, spirit plant Wiregrass was planted to stabilize the island's soil and prevent it from being washed away by storms. The entire coastline teemed with vitality.
Yang Hong strolled leisurely as the sun began to set. The golden sunset cast its glow upon the vast expanse of the sea, making it look as if it were paved with gold, a truly magnificent sight.
"So beautiful. This is the new starting point for humanity in the Myriad Demon Sea Domain." He sighed, concluding his rare moment of relaxation, and used an Earth Evasion Technique to return to the ruins of the former Mad Serpent City. After two months of dismantling and relocation by Yu Kewei and the other demons, Mad Serpent City was reduced to ruins.
"Master, you've arrived." Yu Kewei rushed over as Yang Hong appeared.
"It's Kewei. Is it your shift today? How are things today?" Yang Hong asked casually, glancing around.
"Hehe, it's my turn to be on duty again. No demons have visited today. The demons in the nearby waters have been almost completely wiped out by our two months of sweeping. Those further away have likely received the news and won't dare approach Ren Dao Island for now."
"Good. We need some time to develop properly. Starting tomorrow, there's no need to go out sweeping." Yang Hong smiled in satisfaction as he surveyed the clear, ship-free waters.
In contrast to Yang Hong's joy, Yu Kewei was deeply worried. "Master, by sweeping the nearby waters like this, we are bound to attract the attention of those high-tier Demon Lords. If an eighth-tier Demon Lord appears, Ren Dao Island will be very dangerous." Yu Kewei had traveled for over six years and knew the terror of a Demon Lord's power, which was why she had desperately tried to prevent Yang Hong from losing his temper and acting on Mad Serpent Island. Unfortunately, Yang Hong had annihilated the entire Mad Serpent Island in his rage.
"I'm aware of that. That's why I sent the ten of them out to sweep, only eliminating the islands of useless demon kings. The message I want to send is that a powerful force has come to develop in this sea domain, deterring weaker demon kings and lords from acting rashly." Yang Hong wasn't reckless; he had a plan.
"But what if those demon lords don't comply?"
"Heh heh. As long as it's not an eighth-tier Demon Lord, I can kill as many seventh-tier Demon Lords as they send. As for eighth-tier Demon Lords, do you think this spirit-energy-deficient region would attract one willing to come here?"
"Hmm." Yu Kewei pondered Yang Hong's analysis. Indeed, as far as she knew, within a radius of millions of miles, Mad Serpent Island was the strongest island, and its seventh-tier late-stage Mad Serpent King was the nominal overlord. It was also the reason why nearby humans were captured and sold there.
"But Master, what if those demon lords gather at the outer edges of the Myriad Demon Sea Domain, like where the Golden Star Black Fish tribe is?" Yu Kewei was still uneasy.
"That's why we need to grow stronger as quickly as possible. Worry is the most useless response; diligent cultivation is the proper mindset." Although Yang Hong also worried about the eighth-tier Demon Lord of the Golden Star Black Fish tribe, he believed that with his disappearance, the Golden Star Black Fish tribe would face a period of turmoil. They wouldn't stand idly by while their super source of profit vanished into thin air; they would search everywhere. As long as he stopped brewing spirit wine, raising spirit fish, and setting up formations that defied common sense for a while, those arrogant demons wouldn't think to look for him right under their noses. The Golden Star Black Fish tribe would undoubtedly search the deeper seas.
After explaining his plan to Yu Kewei, Yang Hong added, "During this time, the ten of you will undertake the simple reconstruction of this Mad Serpent City. You will be in charge here and can also begin normal trade appropriately. Especially if any demons try to sell humans, you are to buy all of them."
"We will handle this matter carefully and will not disappoint you, Master," Yu Kewei agreed.
"But, what will we use for trade with the outside world? The largest trade revenue of Mad Serpent Island was eating... we can't do that anymore. What will we use to trade now?" Yu Kewei asked cautiously.
"We'll trade with spirit stones for now. I still have over a hundred million spirit stones, which can last for a long time. Also, I found quite a bit of mineral ore on the island that can be traded, as well as spirit fruits below fourth grade." As he spoke, Yang Hong handed Yu Kewei several storage rings and bags. The spirit stones were traded on Jade Stream Island and not spent. The ores were discovered during the 'Moving Mountains and Seas' process and collected by him. These would all be put to use. As for the output of human alchemists and artifact refiners, for a long time, it could only be used by humans themselves. However, Yang Hong had already begun to consider new sources of wealth and commodities.