Returning to his room, Chen Mo did not immediately begin refining pills. Instead, he summoned the Demon Nightmare.
At present, the Demon Nightmare's cultivation had already reached half-step Dou Wang. Its strength increased in tandem with Chen Mo's own power. The demonic aura that once covered its entire body had dissipated greatly, but after spending days being nourished by the Sword Embryo within Chen Mo's body, it had recovered quite a bit.
Chen Mo instructed the Demon Nightmare to return to the Jia Ma Sacred City alongside the Amethyst Winged Lion King. There were two purposes to this trip.
First, he wanted it to inform Ya Fei of his current situation and have her find a way to gather information about Yun Yun. With the Yun Lan Sect now disbanded, no one knew where Yun Yun was.
Second, he wanted to establish a faction.
Chen Mo had already decided on the name — Shadow Pavilion (Mo Ying Lou).
The recent battles had taught him a harsh lesson: relying solely on his own strength, for now at least, was far from enough to protect the women around him.
Once the system bound even more goddesses to him, the situation would only worsen — he wouldn't be able to look after everyone at once. Thus, forming a power base of his own was an urgent matter.
He didn't necessarily aim to unify the entire Dou Qi Continent; as long as he had enough strength to protect the women he cared about, that would suffice.
And then, there was Han Feng. Once he recovered to his peak condition — and once his beloved Queen recovered as well — Chen Mo planned to personally march into the Black-Corner Region and crush Han Feng beneath his feet.
He remembered that the Black-Corner Region was full of powerful experts; he could also take that opportunity to recruit more strong individuals.
But before that, he had to improve his alchemy skills even further.
The soul realm on the Dou Qi Continent was divided into four levels: Mortal, Spirit, Heavenly, and Emperor.
A Soul of the Spirit Realm could refine Tier 8 pills. Those of the Heavenly Realm could refine Tier 9 pills, while Emperor Realm souls could refine Emperor-tier pills.
Currently, Chen Mo's soul had reached the late Mortal Realm, which theoretically allowed him to refine Tier 7 pills. However, his present cultivation still wasn't sufficient to support that.
Nevertheless, refining Tier 6 pills posed no issue at all.
After sorting out his plans, Chen Mo began refining the Serpent Essence Powder.
The moonlight outside was pale and cold.
Whether it was due to the countless lives lost in Qinghong City or something else, the entire city was eerily silent.
Even the torches along the corridors of the City Lord's Mansion had burned out.
Only the faint moonlight flickered on the floor, adding to the unsettling quiet.
At that moment, a delicate figure walked quietly through the corridor. When the moonlight suddenly dimmed, she flinched in fear. If she hadn't remembered that Her Majesty the Queen was resting nearby — and didn't want to disturb her — she would've likely screamed aloud.
Steadying her nerves, she took a deep breath. But just as she passed by Queen Medusa's room, the door beside her creaked open, and a shadow stepped out.
"Ah!"
She screamed, curling up in the corner, trembling like a frightened rabbit.
"Whoa—! You scared me too." Chen Mo rubbed his fingers together, summoning a wisp of azure flame that flickered at his fingertips.
By the light of the flame, he saw a young girl of about ten years old wearing a light-green dress, delicate as a porcelain doll. She was crouched by the door of Queen Medusa's chamber, her small body shaking uncontrollably.
"A human?"
Chen Mo blinked in surprise. As far as he knew, he was the only human in all of Qinghong City. The sudden appearance of another human girl was certainly unexpected.
However, in the next moment, his gaze landed on a patch of emerald-green scales faintly visible on her wrist beneath her sleeve.
"Snake scales…"
His expression shifted. As if realizing something, he quickly asked, "What's your name?"
The girl, startled by his gentle tone, cautiously lifted her head. But when she saw his eyes lingering on her exposed wrist, her adorable face went pale.
She hurriedly pulled her sleeve down, covering her arm, and stepped back two paces, her fear deepening.
"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to scare you…" Her small voice trembled, her tone laced with anxiety and the verge of tears.
Seeing her frightened demeanor, Chen Mo walked over, crouched down, and gently patted her head with a soft smile.
"Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you. Those scales of yours are actually quite beautiful."
The girl froze in shock.
Since her birth, this was the first time anyone had called those terrifying scales of hers beautiful. For the first time, something strange and warm flickered within her fragile little heart.
She hesitated, then whispered timidly, "M-my name is Qing Lin…"
As expected.
Chen Mo's eyes brightened slightly. He intentionally focused on her eyes — they were greenish in hue, and deep within the pupils, three tiny emerald spots shimmered faintly.
"The Three-Flowered Pupils of the Jade Serpent..." he thought to himself.
From his storage ring, Chen Mo retrieved a jade bottle filled with Foundation Elixir, smiling warmly. "My name is Chen Mo. This is a Foundation Elixir — it can help accelerate your cultivation. It's yours."
He handed the bottle to Qing Lin.
"Y-you're Lord Chen Mo?!" she gasped.
"You know me?"
Qing Lin nodded quickly. "Her Majesty said that from now on, I'll be responsible for taking care of your and Her Majesty's daily needs."
"Oh…" Chen Mo chuckled awkwardly. Then, pulling out another jade bottle — one of his last two — he said, "Here, take both as a greeting gift. And don't be so formal in the future. Go on now."
Ruffling her hair again, he stood and entered Queen Medusa's chamber.
Qing Lin stared blankly at the two jade bottles in her hands, then at Chen Mo's departing figure. Her heart felt unexpectedly warm.
Inside the room, Queen Medusa reclined against the bed, reading. She looked up as Chen Mo entered.
"What happened outside?" she asked.
"I met a little girl named Qing Lin," Chen Mo replied truthfully.
Queen Medusa nodded lightly. "When I exterminated a mercenary band earlier, she was among their captives. I noticed the serpent scales on her body, so I decided to take her in."
Chen Mo nodded, sat down beside the soft couch, and casually removed his shoes before lying down as if it were his own chamber. He pulled Die into his arms, letting her head rest against his chest.
Then, from his ring, he took out the freshly refined Serpent Essence Powder, scooped a spoonful, and brought it to Die's lips.
The practiced motion left Die momentarily speechless. Her eyes widened, and it wasn't until the spoon touched her lips that she came back to her senses.
Her cheeks flushed crimson, though a faint delight stirred in her heart. She parted her rosy lips and swallowed the medicine.
[Ding! Gained 2 Affection Points. Intimacy Bonus Triggered: Momentary Enlightenment for one incense stick's duration.]
Queen Medusa frowned, setting down her book, her tone cold. "Are you planning to sleep here tonight?"
Chen Mo blinked. "Isn't it obvious?"
****
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