Xuanjian: I am the tenth son of Zhenchi, and I plot to seize the throne from Zhenlong.

Six days later in the icy pool...

Minghua had completely refined the flesh and blood obtained from the catfish. After all, it was a demon at the second level of Qi Refining, and the spiritual power within its body was purer than that of broken spirit stones and other impure spiritual objects.

She was able to refine it much faster, and in just a few days she had transformed it into pure spiritual energy and stored it in her body.

She roughly estimated that she had only obtained about one-third of the catfish's spiritual power, which greatly increased the thickness of her own spiritual power.

Perhaps with the essence of two or three more demonic creatures of the same level, one can break through again. And if one has the opportunity to possess an entire demonic creature, this time can be shortened.

While she was pondering, she transformed into a stream of water and left the icy pool again. She then found the half-fish belly that she had buried and concealed nearby. This was the bait she had prepared, and her target was the clam demon.

Minghua had already discovered that the clam demon seemed to be very sensitive to the fluctuations of spiritual energy. Whenever she made a commotion by stealing spiritual items over the past few months, it was always the first to arrive, and it even managed to ruin her plans by taking advantage of her misfortune once.

The demon's strength was also at the second level of Qi Refining. Due to its body shape, its strength was even weaker than that of the catfish. Its shell was a bit of a problem, but it was already the best target in the vicinity.

The other two nearby demons were the three-legged toad and the old turtle, one with three layers and the other with five layers. In addition to having higher cultivation levels than her, they also had the natural advantage of being able to go ashore.

Although she won't die now that she's on land, she's almost completely immobile, and no attack methods can render her incapacitated instantly, so we have to give up.

……

Minghua concealed her presence and made her way through a maze of rocks to a cove where clam demons were often active. After carefully planning, she pretended to bury half of a fish's belly in the pile of rocks, leaving only a small piece of flesh exposed, as if it had been accidentally washed out by the water.

Then Minghua manipulated the water flow to spread out wisps of blood energy, while she herself hid in a crevice in the rocks and waited patiently.

However, two days passed, and the blood energy dissipated and the fish meat lost its spiritual power, but the clam demon did not appear. Minghua assumed that it had seen through the plan or had not discovered the meat at all, so it had no choice but to hide its aura and swim away.

Unexpectedly, the moment he emerged from the crevice, the water around him was disturbed. Minghua sensed something, twisted his body abruptly, and a burst of blood erupted behind him.

"Snap!"

The tip of her tail fin was bitten off, and the moment she twisted away from the attack, Minghua transformed into a stream of water, quickly creating distance between them.

A clam the size of a millstone appeared where she had just been, swallowing her small tail fin whole.

"Very keen perception."

The clam demon slightly opened its shell, and the water around it trembled for a moment. A childish voice rang in Minghua's heart.

"You can talk?" Minghua's heart sank. The intelligence of this clam demon was somewhat beyond her expectations. She replied casually, while carefully scanning her surroundings with her spiritual sense. She had to make sure there were no other demons lying in ambush nearby.

"You really know how to talk. I noticed that a long time ago. You're very smart." The voice that echoed in Minghua's mind again filled her with surprise.

"My name is Yunzhu. Where are you from? Why were you released when you're still so weak?" Seeing that Minghua could speak, the clam demon seemed to have no intention of attacking again, but instead locked onto her with its spiritual sense.

After waiting for a while, and seeing that the black carp in front of it had no intention of answering, a sudden aura appeared on its body—the fifth level of Qi Refining.

Then the clam shell opened completely, and a layer of light appeared, blocking the water flow. A little girl, about one or two years old, wearing a white dress and holding a bead in her hand, sat cross-legged inside, her eyes filled with some hostility.

Seeing this, Minghua smiled bitterly to herself. She had been hunting geese all day, but today she had been pecked in the eye by the goose. She never expected that a demon who could transform into human form at the fifth level of Qi Refining would pretend to be a demon at the second level of Qi Refining to deliberately lure her into a trap.

"Minghua, which family are you from...? My family told me not to say." She had no idea what mountains were nearby, but making up a story was a piece of cake for her.

Having a background is always better than having no background. Since this clam demon asked such a question, it's highly likely that it has already determined that she is a demon with a powerful backer. Such an ambiguous answer is the most appropriate.

"You're lying to me! If you don't tell the truth, I'll eat you up."

Unexpectedly, upon hearing the news, Yunzhu's expression suddenly turned hostile. She shouted sharply, and the bead in her hand began to emit a faint light. Minghua could feel that the surrounding water flow was blocked by it, and a murderous intent surged within it.

She hesitated for only a moment, then, after scanning the area with her spiritual sense, she replied in a more resolute tone: "Eat it, believe it or not, I've lost today."

Having been tempered overseas since childhood, Minghua knew that she absolutely could not show weakness in this situation. After all, things couldn't get much worse, and this demon shouldn't be able to figure out her background in just a few words.

The next instant, the water around Minghua suddenly surged, and the pearl in Yunzhu's hand began to glow. She could feel that an attack powerful enough to tear her to shreds was brewing in the water around her.

The murderous intent emanating from Yunzhu grew stronger and stronger, and Minghua's heart sank to the bottom. She knew she couldn't win in a fight, and she was even unsure if she could escape.

Just before Minghua was about to turn into water, a sly glint flashed across Yunzhu's face. She stopped urging the pearl and chuckled, "You're really bold, daring to sneak out."

Minghua couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. The pressure from the water flowing around her had almost made her think she would be crushed into mincemeat in the next second.

"Follow me." The clam demon closed its shell, the information transmitted through its spiritual sense leaving no room for doubt.

Feeling the faint pressure from the water flowing around her, Minghua had no choice but to follow.

……

The clam demon led it to an underwater cave, manipulated the water flow to seal the entrance, and then triumphantly transmitted its message:

"You're both clever and foolish. After only a few tests, you've come to believe that all the monsters in this river are idiots who don't know how to hide themselves. You're not as good as me, Lord Yunzhu!"

Then came a long speech boasting about itself. Minghua was speechless. It seemed that in the eyes of this clam demon, it was very cunning to pretend to be at the second level with the fifth level of cultivation and deceive the little demon.

However, the clam demon was indeed right. She had underestimated the intelligence of demons, which is why she became meat on the chopping block.

The demon boasted about itself for a while before finally stopping, still not quite finished. It glanced at the black carp standing blankly at the cave entrance, seemingly lost in thought, and then the precious pearl in its hand suddenly burst into light, sweeping across the shimmering water.

"Alright, regardless of whether you snuck out or not, according to the rules set by each family, you are now my slave. Do you understand what a slave is? It means you do whatever I say!"

"Be grateful, if it weren't for your intelligence, I would have eaten you long ago."

Minghua felt a slight stirring in her heart as she sensed the mark within her body that she could erase at any time, but her spiritual awareness remained unwavering: "Minghua greets Lord Yunzhu."