When They Both Suffer Heavy Losses...

In the grotto of the side hall where the aquatic clans resided within the Xuankong Temple, the clam tribes had opened their shells, their massive pearls casting a soft glow that shimmered across the winding river's surface. Floating on the water were patches of duckweed, each bearing an array of exquisite dishes—a feast of dazzling variety, though no one knew who had prepared them.

The aquatic clans were hosting a flowing banquet.

By the time Li Mo arrived, the demons had already submerged themselves in the water, dining while discussing the matter of the Celestial Jade from beyond the heavens.

The Heavenly Serpent, Li Mo, curiously picked up a slice of sashimi.

"Boss Mo, don’t you wash your claws before eating?"

Wu Dameng, being a cultured serpent, always washed his claws before meals.

"No need for that."

Li Mo grabbed the sashimi and devoured it in one bite.

The taste was exceptional—tender, fresh, and melting on the tongue—likely from a silver-scaled fish. Even the silver-scaled tribe would approve.

Hmm...

Li Mo watched as a silver-scaled fish demon nearby feasted heartily, wondering if this counted as a "Diary of a Mad Demon."

In the demons' understanding, those without awakened intelligence weren’t considered true demons, merely beasts.

Then there were the calamity beasts.

Among demons, calamity beasts were akin to the most vicious criminals among humans—not only despised by humans but also shunned by proper demons, relegated to the category of mere beasts.

The Ming Serpent tribe was often cursed as calamity beasts (mostly by the avian clans), but they didn’t truly belong to that classification.

The demons sat around the flowing banquet, chatting freely.

Li Mo couldn’t help but feel a sense of déjà vu, as if he’d returned to his past life attending a rustic village feast.

"If our aquatic clans obtain the Celestial Jade, I’ll surely awaken the ancestral dragon-whale bloodline. Then I’ll carry a piece of land on my back—if any humans want to live there, they’ll have to pay rent. I hear human rent is outrageously expensive."

The voice, brimming with heroic ambition, unmistakably belonged to Guo Jing.

"What do you think our shrimp tribe would become if our bloodline grew stronger?"

"Speaking of which, Boss Mo already has true dragon blood. If he touches the Celestial Jade, wouldn’t he actually transform into a dragon?"

"If our aquatic clans produce a true dragon, wouldn’t we dominate the Southern Frontier? We could strut sideways!"

"Aren’t you a crab?"

"Don’t get hung up on details. The point is, we must keep the Celestial Jade within the aquatic clans!"

"Right! We must unite and support Boss Mo with all our strength!"

The water demons grew increasingly fervent in their discussion, seemingly more confident than the Heavenly Serpent himself.

Li Mo: "..."

How had the conversation inexplicably circled back to him?

The Celestial Jade...

Even if he obtained it, he wouldn’t keep it for himself.

Gazing at the eager, clear-eyed anticipation in the faces of the aquatic clan’s prodigies, Li Mo’s conscience twinged slightly.

He was bound to disappoint them.

For some reason, the weight of their expectations pressed upon him.

Of course.

If he didn’t claim the opportunity, the aquatic clans would likely still miss out on the Jade Phoenix’s divine favor.

But he had given them hope—hope to witness the birth of a true dragon.

Later, he’d find another way to compensate them.

With this in mind, Li Mo spoke:

"Countless clans are vying for the Celestial Jade. The competition is fierce, and I can’t guarantee victory."

"Today, I encountered many formidable demon prodigies. If we face them, we must be cautious."

He shared the intelligence he’d gathered about the other powerful demon talents.

The aquatic clans listened in awe, increasingly convinced that their Heavenly Serpent was not only mighty in bloodline but also astute—able to uncover such precise information.

"What about the Qingluan Goddess? Boss Mo, do you know anything about her?"

The aquatic prodigies believed the only one who could threaten Li Mo was the Qingluan tribe’s maiden, rumored to possess true phoenix blood.

"A little, but not much."

Li Mo paused before nodding.

"What kind of information?"

The water demons leaned in intently, some even pulling out notebooks to jot down notes.

"Her footwork is excellent."

"????"

The demons were baffled.

Did that mean the Qingluan Goddess was incredibly fast?

Well, she was.

The Qingluan tribe could traverse the "Azure Void," achieving the effect of spanning vast distances in a single step.

Truly, their Heavenly Serpent Boss Mo was extraordinary—had they not been cultured demons, they might not have grasped his meaning.

"By the way, many half-demons have arrived at Xuankong Temple this time."

Guo Jing produced several jars of wine and poured them into the flowing banquet, inviting everyone submerged in the river to partake.

"Really?"

Li Mo raised an eyebrow. He’d wandered the temple for hours, yet his Heavenly Eye hadn’t detected any half-demons.

"They arrived late."

Guo Jing, reeking of alcohol, said, "You threw me pretty far, you know. I only made it back to the temple by evening and saw them then."

"They didn’t seem weak."

"Half-demons..."

Li Mo couldn’t help but think of Murong Xiao.

Murong Xiao had been targeted by the Summoning Demons Sect precisely because of his half-demon heritage, nearly forced into becoming some kind of "Chosen One."

Could these half-demons be connected to that?

"I’ll check with the Heavenly Eye tomorrow."

Li Mo made a mental note.

Then he brought out some fine wine, shattered the jars with a pulse of energy, and let the liquor spill into the water.

"This is human wine. Enjoy."

"Thank you, Boss Mo!"

"Ah, this aroma—time to show off my sea-worthy capacity!"

The aquatic clans’ tolerance for alcohol seemed lacking.

Before long, the river was littered with demons floating belly-up.

......

Meanwhile, in another grotto of Xuankong Temple’s side halls...

Eight half-demons, including Zhi Duoluo, sat around a single table. Their demonic traits were bizarrely varied—some had gills on their necks, others tiger-striped skin, enormous frames, or multiple fox tails...

Yet they shared one common trait:

Their expressions were ice-cold, devoid of almost all human emotion.

"That Li Mo... does he truly possess true dragon blood?" The half-demon with qilin traits licked his lips.

Zhi Duoluo narrowed his golden eyes. "Nothing else explains his overwhelming strength."

"If we capture him, for Great Shang’s grand plan to revive the true dragon..."

"Not just him. That Qingluan—her true phoenix blood is even more crucial!"

"But those two are the pinnacle of demonkind, far surpassing others of their rank. Capturing even one would be difficult."

The half-demons fell into contemplation.

"You don’t understand."

Zhi Duoluo smirked.

"Li Mo and Luan Bing have already clashed. I saw them confront each other—they’re bound to fight to the death over the Celestial Jade."

"We should wait until they’ve weakened each other, then strike. Not only will we claim them, but the jade as well."

"A plan to kill two birds with one stone!"

The half-demons agreed—Zhi Duoluo’s scheme was flawless.

It was decided.