The oldest spirit beast on Spirit Dream Mountain?
But the old stone's voice was displeased, "I am not a demon, but a spirit monster. Little lion, I am different from you."
The lion cat raised its paw and scratched its head, "What's the difference? They're all demons anyway."
The old stone seemed insulted and stopped talking, stomping its feet in anger.
Immediately, a thunderous roar echoed, and the surrounding rocks shattered, trees fell.
The lion cat cowered, trembling. It was becoming more and more useless.
It was Qin Yexuan who spoke up for it, "Old stone, this lion is already my pet, don't trouble it."
Only then did the old stone spare the lion cat. It looked at the mountains and flowing water, "Why can't I sense the aura of my kind?"
The lion cat said cautiously, "Those guys from Shituo Ridge have been preparing for so many years. To leave Spirit Dream Mountain and deal with humans, it would require immense spiritual energy support. I suspect all the spirit monsters have been refined by the demons."
This was also Qin Yexuan's conjecture.
The old stone's temper flared, "My friends, my subjects, all harmed by those demons. They broke their promises. We agreed to mind our own business."
Its voice roared, shaking the mountains.
Qin Yexuan rubbed his ear, "Old stone, keep your voice down. The demons are not what they used to be. They are no longer simple demons, but are being used by certain humans."
The two giant stones made a creaking sound. They began to shrink, as if transforming into some strange substance. The mottled moss on the stones fell off piece by piece.
As moss and shrubs piled up on the ground, the giant stones seemed to have completely disappeared.
And a tall figure appeared in front of them!
With bronze skin, a small mustache, a square face, and no clothes, but draped in moss and leaves, he looked like a wild man.
He looked at Qin Yexuan, "Boss Qin, are you here to retrieve those weapons to fight us demons?"
Qin Yexuan stroked his chin, "My main targets are the demons and the humans behind them. Whether the spirit monster race is willing to be my enemy or wants to be my friend, that depends on your decision."
The conversation between the man and the monster left Wang Jiaqian utterly confused.
First, what was the difference between a demon and a monster?
And why was this old stone clearly helping Qin Yexuan guard the treasure vault, yet talking about demons breaking their promises in such a strange way?
The old stone was already looking at her, frowning, "Human? Why is a human here?"
Qin Yexuan introduced calmly, "Teacher Wang, this is the leader of the spirit monsters. He once led the monsters in a great battle against the demons. Both sides had victories and defeats. Therefore, demons and monsters are different, and can even be considered sworn enemies."
The old stone sighed, "Later, Boss Qin appeared and helped us resolve this matter. The demons and monsters signed an agreement, and no longer waged war, but lived in peace. To repay Boss Qin, I willingly guard the treasure vault for him."
Qin Yexuan looked at his old friend, "So, what is your choice now?"
The old stone became furious again, "I can't defeat you, and I can't stop what you want to do. But the demons, I'm not finished with them. It's a pity that Spirit Dream Mountain has also been polluted. Even if we win, we will have no place to live."
Qin Yexuan pondered for a moment, "There might be a better solution to this. The future of Spirit Dream Mountain doesn't necessarily have to be destruction."
The old stone was overjoyed, "You are willing to help?"
Qin Yexuan patted the lion cat, "There is something special inside its belly, which might be useful. It's a separate world, an independent space, completely isolated from the human world."
The old stone, a stone spirit who had attained enlightenment over millennia, had wisdom that surpassed any human. At this moment, he understood the meaning of Qin Yexuan's words and couldn't help but laugh heartily, "Then I am willing to help you."
Turning, he stomped his feet on the ground and called out something in a unique rhythm.
From the mountain stream, a brook suddenly soared into the air, transforming into a white dragon in mid-air, slowly hovering before the old stone.
"Spring Immortal, how many of our kind are left in the mountain?" the old stone asked.
The monster formed from spring water made a ding-dong sound, gradually turning into a human voice, "Since a group of strange humans came from Shituo Ridge, our kind have all been captured and devoured. During this time, many human leftovers were infused with spiritual energy and became new kinds, but they are too fragile."
As the Spring Immortal spoke, clusters of strange things began to gather towards them.
Wang Jiaqian was stunned.
She saw monsters made of plastic bags, swollen like balls and emitting buzzing sounds.
There were also fragments of various manufactured items, and even a dismantled off-road vehicle appeared...
"These are all man-made things. Some were left by people who secretly came to explore. That car was left behind by an off-road vehicle that mistakenly entered Spirit Dream Mountain and had an accident. They passively received spiritual energy and have not yet fully transformed into our kind."
The old stone looked heartbroken, "Mountains and rivers, essence of sun and moon, transformation of flowing water, purple energy from the east, those purest spirits took millennia of fortune to transform successfully. Now only these incomplete man-made spirit monsters remain? The actions of the demons are truly unforgivable."
The surrounding monsters let out low whimpers.
Wang Jiaqian held Qin Yexuan's hand and asked in a low voice, "What exactly is the difference between demons and monsters? I'm still confused."
Qin Yexuan smiled, "Demons are divided into two types. The first type are animal-based demons, closest to humans, and most likely to gain humanity, led by Shituo Ridge. They are the core elite and leaders of the demon race."
"The second type are insects and plants, mixed together. They are more difficult to cultivate into human form and have no humanity at all. Most of them are cannon fodder, soldiers."
"What I mentioned above are demons. Besides demons, there are monsters. Remember, monsters and demons are two different things. Demons are naturally living species, while monsters are inanimate things."
"For example, the old stone, strictly speaking, is a stone monster. Monsters are also divided into two types. The first is formed by natural spiritual energy, such as mountains, rocks, flowing water, and even land and air that have gained the essence of the sun and moon."
"The second type passively gains spiritual energy. For example, if a demon fails in cultivation and its inner core bursts, all the spiritual energy it cultivated spills onto a stone. That stone itself has no chance to gain the essence of the sun and moon, yet it becomes a monster."
"Natural monsters are the leaders and elites, while passive monsters are their subjects."
Wang Jiaqian listened, spellbound.
The old stone clasped its fists in a salute to Qin Yexuan, "Boss Qin, what should we do next? I hope you can help us."
Qin Yexuan thought for a moment, "To win this great battle, first, you must cooperate with humans. For now, I hope you can serve as a teacher at Chaoge Academy, teaching the students some basic knowledge about demons."
Ah?
Let alone the stone monster and the others, even Wang Jiaqian was dumbfounded, "Can... can this be done?"