Chapter 1088
Pacifying the Demonic Disaster
"Wang Zaixing, the Lord of the Demon Subduing Hall, pays respects to True Lord Zixu."
Upon hearing that Song Changsheng had come in person, Wang Zaixing immediately put down what he was doing and rushed over to pay his respects as quickly as possible.
At this critical juncture, he could more or less guess the other party's intentions, and he had made thorough preparations on his way here.
"No need for formalities. I have some questions about the demonic calamity that I need to ask Lord Wang."
Without much small talk, Song Changsheng got straight to the point.
Wang Zaixing thought to himself, "As expected," and then respectfully replied, "I will certainly tell you everything I know without reservation."
"The source of the demonic calamity has now been extinguished. With the Myriad Manifestations Palace Ancestor Xuanlei and the True Monarchs personally taking action, the large-scale demonic tide should be quelled soon."
But through this period of contact, Palace Master Wang should also understand where the truly troublesome aspect of this demonic calamity lies, right?
"Yes, Your Majesty." Wang Zaixing took over the conversation and recited the prepared speech: "With the help of you Your Majesties, a large-scale demonic calamity can be quelled with a flick of the wrist."
However, if you don't cut the weeds at the root, they will grow back in the spring.
If we cannot completely eradicate the demonic energy, the demonic disasters will definitely recur, continuously consuming our human and material resources.
There are dozens of cultivation worlds in the border regions, with a population of hundreds of millions. In addition, there are those homeless and unruly rogue cultivators. It is almost impossible to manage everything.
In addition, there is demon blood.
Our investigation revealed that demonic blood not only pollutes the soil and damages the environment, but if not dealt with promptly, it will continue to spread under the nourishment of spiritual energy. Once it reaches a certain area, it will even pollute the air.
The most terrifying thing is that once demonic blood comes into contact with a place like a spiritual vein, which is rich in spiritual energy, it can completely pollute the entire spiritual vein in less than an hour!
In Wang's view, compared to those potential enemies, the demonic blood is the most pressing problem that needs to be solved right now.
The demonic energy will continue to consume the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and grow stronger. As one thing diminishes while the other grows, the land beneath our feet will become even more barren!
Once the rate of destruction exceeds the rate of repair, the loss is irreversible.
Upon hearing this, Song Changsheng was not surprised but delighted. Wang Zaixing's ability to understand so clearly and thoroughly indicated that he had been paying close attention to this demonic calamity. Moreover, the Demon Subduing Hall had done considerable research on demonic matters and probably already had a solution.
"In that case, what insightful opinion does Palace Master Wang have?"
"To be honest, Your Majesty, the moment I learned of the demonic calamity, I immediately began contacting the headquarters." As he said this, Wang Zaixing's tone carried a hint of shame.
"As you may know, our ancestor was only an outer disciple of a branch hall. Although he gained the recognition of the main hall after establishing the branch hall, he was not highly regarded."
In addition, the distance was too far, and the communication costs were high while the failure rate was extremely high. Since the establishment of the branch temple, it had only been able to make contact a few times, and this time was no exception.
As the demonic calamity intensified, Wang used a communication altar left by his ancestor that allowed him to communicate directly with the main headquarters. Three days later, he successfully received a reply.
The headquarters promised to send demon-slaying envoys, but did not specify a timeframe.
However, the Demon Subduing Hall's consistent philosophy is that it's better to teach someone how to fish than to give them a fish. The elders at the main headquarters said they are consulting relevant texts to find a solution, and they will send a message as soon as they have a result.
Wang had originally planned to report the matter after receiving a reply, but he never expected the True Lord to arrive in person.
"Does Palace Master Wang also have no feasible solution?" Song Changsheng's tone betrayed his disappointment.
While it was certainly gratifying to have made contact with the Demon Subduing Hall headquarters, as Wang Zaixing said, the distance between the two places was simply too great, and no one knew how long it would take. What he wanted more was a method that could be implemented immediately and would be effective.
Moreover, he didn't know if the Demon Subduing Hall headquarters knew the details of the Abyss. If they didn't know this, they might not pay enough attention to it.
Wang Zaixing hesitated for a moment, then took out a jade slip from his sleeve and presented it to Song Changsheng, saying, "I have been consulting ancient texts recently and have discovered a method, but it has not yet been tested."
"What method do you have? Palace Master Wang, please speak frankly."
If you have a solution but are still hesitant, it's probably not a conventional method.
"Our temple once accidentally discovered a secret realm that is extremely ancient. We obtained some ancient texts from it, one of which recorded a demonic calamity that affected a very wide area."
Because of the passage of time, most of the ancient texts have decayed, but some details of that demonic calamity can still be glimpsed.
The two demonic calamities are somewhat different, but the descriptions of the demonic blood are almost identical.
The method of resolving this problem recorded inside is related to the Merfolk. Based on my guess, it is most likely [Mermaid Tears].
According to the "Ten Thousand Treasures Classic", "Mermaid Tears" is the purest and cleanest thing in the world, with the power to ward off all evil and a natural restraint on demonic energy.
However, Wang did not have the "Mermaid Tears" in his possession, so verification was impossible.
Furthermore, ordinary quality [Mermaid Tears] are probably useless, as their range is too broad; a conservative estimate would be a level five or higher.
Wang Zaixing became less and less confident as he spoke. He himself knew how demanding the condition was, as Mermaid Tears had always been an extremely scarce resource.
After numerous bloody hunts, the Merfolk population dwindled, with almost all remaining members residing in the Sea Clan Royal Court located in the far sea.
【Mermaid Tears】 are treasures formed from the tears shed by mermaids after their emotions have reached their peak, fused with the laws of heaven and earth. A mermaid may not even have such a moment once in their lifetime.
Therefore, in ancient times, people often used love and deception or cruel means to coerce others into giving them "mermaid tears".
These methods might be effective against low-level merfolk who are inexperienced in the ways of the world, but fifth-level merfolk are powerful beings comparable to human True Monarchs. Having experienced countless storms, how could they easily shed tears?
To put it extremely, killing a fifth-tier merman is easier than obtaining a fifth-tier [Mermaid Tear], which is why he has been hesitant.
The cost of verifying this hypothesis was far too high, and he couldn't afford the consequences of failure.
If Song Changsheng hadn't spoken up himself, he would have kept all of this to himself.
Little did anyone know that after hearing his proposal, Song Changsheng, who appeared calm on the surface, was actually experiencing a huge upheaval in his heart.
As a weapon refiner, he understood the value of the fifth-tier [Mermaid's Tears] better than anyone else.
However, he happened to possess one, and it was personally given to him by a member of the merman royal family before the demonic calamity erupted. (See Chapter 5 of this volume for details)
Is it a coincidence, or did Kong Sang Lingxi foresee the existence of this demonic calamity long ago?
Even if she did deduce something, as an elder of Kongsang Lifeng and others, why would she help them, who are their enemies?
trap?
That seems unlikely. Mermaid Tears are extremely pure and clean, and any method used would leave a trace, but the one in his hand didn't show any problems.
With a thousand thoughts racing through his mind, he silently picked up the jade slip presented by Wang Zaixing, carefully read through it, and quickly made a decision. This concerned the lives of hundreds of millions of people; he couldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater. He could use it on a small scale first, and then promote it further after confirming there were no problems.
Looking at Wang Zaixing's anxious expression, Song Changsheng said gently, "If this matter succeeds, the Demon Subduing Hall will deserve the greatest credit."
Now it was Wang Zaixing's turn to be surprised. Could it be that the Song family really possessed a fifth-level [Mermaid Tears]?
Although he was curious, he knew that these were not matters for him to concern himself with, and respectfully replied, "Compared to the contributions of you True Lords, my few suggestions are not worth mentioning."
"If there is any news from the Demon Subduing Hall headquarters, please convey it to Hall Master Wang in a timely manner. This item can be used to contact me or the deputy patriarch of our clan directly."
Song Changsheng left behind a communication compass, and then took the jade slip and flew away.
After leaving the Demon Subduing Hall, he didn't linger and went directly to the Myriad Manifestations Palace to meet up with Ancestor Xuanlei and the others...
He has been traveling around for a long time, and he has passed by his home three times without going in.
With the lives of hundreds of millions of people in dozens of cultivation worlds weighing on his shoulders, he could not afford to rest for even a moment.
At this moment, he found himself somewhat nostalgic for the days when he was just an ordinary cultivator in his family.
Aside from cultivation, he doesn't have to worry about anything else. Even if the sky were to fall, he would still have the elders, his grandfather, and even the Golden Crow Sect to hold him up.
But now, there are few people who can stand in front of him anymore, and more and more responsibilities are being placed on his shoulders.
Ancestor Xuanlei and True Lord Leixiang personally took action, and all demonic calamities involving more than ten people have been eradicated, with millions of demon slaves killed, including many fourth-tier beings.
With such a massive number of people, if cultivators were to launch a siege, it would require countless sacrifices and resources.
But how long did it take Master Xuanlei and the others?
Less than five days.
This is because those small-scale demonic calamities were too scattered, and considering that demonic blood would damage the ecosystem, the demonic slaves they eliminated were reduced to ashes, and the whole process was bloodless; otherwise, it would have taken even less time.
The visible demonic calamity has been quelled, but how to restore the environment and eradicate the demonic energy has become a headache.
While the southwest and southeast regions hadn't yet felt the effects, the cultivation world in the central regions, severely ravaged by demonic calamities, was already showing signs of trouble. Initially, the air became polluted, and later, the concentration of wandering spiritual energy in the world began to decrease.
Although human cultivators do not directly absorb the spiritual energy circulating between heaven and earth, the growth of wild spiritual plants, the regeneration of certain special mineral veins, and even cultivators' battles all require the participation of spiritual energy.
Putting aside everything else, in areas with sparse spiritual energy, the spiritual power required for cultivators to control their swords increases exponentially, not to mention the bottomless pits that are formations and warships.
This is also the main reason why Wang Zaixing prioritized the treatment of demonic blood.
The southwest is already impoverished and cannot withstand any more turmoil.
The cultivation communities in the central region have a stronger foundation. Although they have been affected, they can still recover as long as the problems are addressed in time.
However, there is simply too much polluted land. Even if Ancestor Xuanlei and Song Changsheng and others work together, it will still take at least several years.
Compared to the vast area of the border region, a few years is not a long time, but they cannot afford to wait.
Moreover, the contaminated land will continue to spread, and if it contaminates the spiritual veins, it will be a permanent loss.
Humanity today can no longer live without spiritual veins.
Just when they were at their wits' end, Song Changsheng arrived at Wanxiang Palace without stopping, pushed open the door and went straight to the point: "I have a solution."
……
"Yes, it is indeed a fifth-tier [Mermaid's Tear], and it hasn't been tampered with."
After careful examination, Master Xuanlei gave an affirmative answer.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, as this would allow for further verification.
They already knew what had happened, but they still couldn't understand Kong Sang Lingxi's motives.
However, as long as the problem can be solved, other things don't need to be of too much concern.
"According to the method given by the Demon Subduing Hall, all you need to do is soak this [Mermaid Tears] in ordinary spring water, and the resulting spiritual spring will be enough to purify the demonic energy in a mortal's body."
"We'll have to experiment to find out exactly how much to drink. I suggest we immediately send someone to find a few mortals who have been infected by demonic energy to test it," Song Changsheng said casually.
"With so many people, even just using ordinary spring water would require an astonishing amount of water. Moreover, the distance must be taken into account. Based on past experience, if the time is too long, the spring water will become ineffective."
"I suggest that it be refined into a medicinal powder, which would be more convenient to use and carry," said an elderly man in a green robe with white hair and a youthful face.
He was the most senior alchemist in the Myriad Manifestations Palace, only one step away from the fifth rank. Even Yi Tianzheng and others respected him greatly.
Upon hearing this, Ji Shinian frowned and asked, "Can you control the costs?"
Since the other party has said that, there must be no problem with the technology. The issue that needs to be addressed is the cost, especially the cost of human resources.
"It's not difficult to refine the medicinal powder. A first-level alchemist can refine thousands of doses a day, and for fourth-level alchemists like us, tens of thousands of doses a day is a piece of cake."
As for the cost, there's no need to worry. Are you planning to give it away for free?
Don't say I didn't remind you, the compensation and honors for these major battles have not yet been distributed.
If these medicinal powders prove effective, I suggest selling them to the public for one low-grade spirit stone per dose.
This price is acceptable even to the poorest rogue cultivators. As for ordinary people, one dose of the medicine powder can be used by at least a thousand adults. It would only cost a thousand spirit stones to feed a million people.
Even if you don't have spirit stone reserves, you can use merit points to offset it.
"Doing this will not only save on costs, but also generate some profit," the old man in the green robe said slowly, stroking his long, white beard.
The group exchanged glances and all agreed that the plan was feasible.
There are simply too many independent cultivators in the border regions. Even if they were given away for free, it would be impossible to deliver them to everyone, since there aren't enough people to handle them. Selling them in shops would be much simpler, and the price would be no different from giving them away for free.
In addition, they can use this opportunity to expand their respective influence, achieving multiple benefits in one fell swoop.
"Let's do it this way." Yi Tianzheng made the decision immediately.
...(End of this chapter)