"Oh... encapsulating Mount Sumeru within a mustard seed is indeed an apt expression!"

A strange glint flashed in Shen Mo's eyes. He then sat back down atop Coral Mountain and, as if nothing had happened, continued to recover.

The Smallest Space still contained nature's spiritual energy, no different from the Outer Realm. It didn't hinder him from breathing and circulating his Spiritual Qi, refining it into Mana, and gradually gathering it in the Spirit Sea within his Dantian.

As for his lost vitality and blood, he currently had no demonic beast corpses, Demon Cores, or soul cores, so he couldn't use the "Dragon Elephant Blood Fiend Body" to absorb vital essence for his own use. However, Shen Mo still had many Red Sun Pills in his Universe Bag, elixirs that could replenish vitality and blood; taking one or two would be enough. As for his soul power, he naturally recovered it by circulating the "Divine Soul Contemplation Scripture".

As Shen Mo meditated and regulated his breath, he also began to ponder. To be honest, I'm somewhat envious of Clam Girl Ming Yu's... Skill! Having a small space of one's own means one could hide inside to escape danger when facing perilous situations. Moreover, for routine secluded cultivation or recovering after a battle, hiding in this Smallest Space is far safer than in any hastily established cave mansion. One could even build pavilions and gazebos here, using it as a proper cultivation cave mansion. The benefits are indeed numerous. The only issue is that Ming Yu and her elder sister, Ming Zhu, are the daughters of the Class IV Clam Girl, Demon Lord Ming Cang. If I were to take her as my Spirit Pet... I'm afraid it wouldn't be long before Demon Lord Ming Cang comes knocking! This Smallest Space can't evade the sense probes of Class IV experts. Normally, I would just need to retreat to Qing State. The Supreme Elders of the Riverside Sect wouldn't allow Demon Lord Ming Cang to enter and leave Qing State as he pleases. But that's not an option now! Human Cultivators have formed an alliance with the Marine Race. As a Demon King of the Marine Race, Ming Cang would be warmly welcomed by any major sect he visits. If I dared to forcibly take Clam Girl Ming Yu as my Spirit Pet, I'm afraid even the sect wouldn't let me off easily! Signing a Spirit Pet Contract is out of the question! Even if fellow daoist Ming Yu willingly agrees, it wouldn't work. After all, the dignity of a Demon King is at stake. But why must I make Ming Yu my Spirit Pet? I just need to interact with her as an equal. If the opportunity arises, I can persuade her to stay by my side. Then, when I want to use The Smallest and The Largest Skill, I just need to call her.

Shen Mo glanced at Ming Yu.

He saw her lying on the jade bed, absorbing nature's spiritual energy and the essence of rosy clouds and moon dew, continuously increasing her demonic power. The Clam Girl race naturally possesses female human-like bodies beneath their crystal shells. Therefore, they don't need to reach Class IV to take human form. They only need to shrink their two shell halves and hide them on their backs to walk freely on land. Low-class Clam Girls, without their shells for support, would indeed be boneless and unable to move. However, Ming Yu was already a Class III great demon; doing so only made her body a bit more supple, otherwise she was no different from an ordinary person. Shen Mo had seen her walk about on the island in human form more than once.

Besides, if she felt uncomfortable staying on land for too long, she could always hide back in The Smallest Space. She would just need to lock its Anchor Point onto me. A Spirit Pet Bag wouldn't even be needed!

Having figured out these key points, a sly, fox-like smile appeared on Shen Mo's face.

From now on, I plan to treat Clam Girl Ming Yu even better!

「On an island three thousand li from Sea State.」

Seabirds circled and chirped overhead. Under the caress of the sea breeze, waves crashed against the island shore, the tide rushing with a WHOOSHING sound. On a nearby cliff face, various flowers, grasses, and trees grew in lush profusion. Sunlight filtered through, casting dappled, hazy shadows on the white sandy beach.

Shen Mo stood silently on the beach, his eyes half-closed, as if waiting for something.

Clam Girl Ming Yu, meanwhile, had shrunk her two shell halves to the size of a palm and hung them on her back. She was even wearing a Human Cultivator's robe, though it had been refashioned from Shen Mo's own robes, making it look a bit too large and not quite a perfect fit. Over the robe, she also wore many crystalline pearls, adding a touch of exotic charm.

Ming Yu seemed a little bored and was picking up conches and shells on the beach to amuse herself.

Shen Mo found it rather amusing. A great demon who has cultivated for over a hundred years is actually entertaining herself by picking up shells like a child, he thought. But on second thought, the Clam Girl race possesses an incredibly long Lifespan, and their development is extremely slow; they generally need one hundred and fifty years to reach adulthood. Converted to human years, Clam Girl Ming Yu would only be about fifteen. Moreover, the body beneath her shell is that of a sixteen-year-old maiden. It's not surprising she has such a childlike disposition. It's also fortunate that she possesses The Smallest and The Largest Skill, allowing her to hide in The Smallest Space when encountering danger. Otherwise, her mother, Demon Lord Ming Cang, and her elder sister, the great demon Ming Zhu, would definitely not have let her come out to help me slay Heavenly Demons!

After a moment of contemplation, Shen Mo asked her again, "Fellow Daoist Ming Yu, the place I'm going might be fraught with danger. Are you sure you want to accompany me? You can go home first. After I return, we can team up to slay demons then..."

Hearing this, Clam Girl Ming Yu tilted up her small face and shook her head vigorously like a pellet drum. "My mother and sister both told me to assist you properly. How could I leave just because there's danger? Besides, if I go home, Mother will definitely hound me to cultivate every day and won't let me go near any dangerous or secret places. That would be too boring! I finally got a chance to go out and gain experience; I don't want to go back so soon! Don't worry, Shen. I have The Smallest and The Largest. If there's danger, you can escape first; you don't need to worry about me."

Having grown familiar with Shen Mo, Ming Yu was no longer as reserved as before and unintentionally revealed a bit of her true nature.

Shen Mo considered it for a moment. She has a point. Ming Yu can hide in The Smallest Space at any time; she's much safer than I am. Even if the place we're going to is the Heavenly Demon Realm in the Lower Realm, as long as she doesn't provoke the Class IV Heavenly Demons there, her life won't be in danger.

He had always intended to foster a good relationship with her, hoping to entice this great Clam Girl demon to his side. Thus, he decided not to persuade her further and let her have her way.

After waiting for another two Shichen, a large ship sailed in from the horizon. Its speed was not much slower than the Flying Escape of an early-stage Spirit Sea Realm cultivator. In just a few breaths' time, it appeared before Shen Mo and Clam Girl Ming Yu.

"Fellow Daoist Shen, sorry to have kept you waiting!"

Wei Ye, the Sect Master of the Gold Toad Tower, stood at the bow of the ship, greeting Shen Mo with a friendly fist-and-palm salute.

Previously, when Shen Mo was serving as the Commander of the Defense Division in Hongye City, he had made an agreement with Wei Ye. Once Shen Mo broke through to the Spirit Sea Realm, they would journey together to the island said to possess an ancient magic altar and investigate its secrets. However, not long after Shen Mo's promotion, he was appointed to the position of Deputy Envoy for a diplomatic mission, so he didn't contact Wei Ye immediately. Meanwhile, Wei Ye, as the Sect Master of the Gold Toad Tower, had also shouldered the responsibility of patrolling the demonic cave at Wolf Howling Ridge. It wasn't until today that the two of them managed to find the time to prepare to head to that Altar Island.

Once Shen Mo and Clam Girl Ming Yu boarded, the large ship moved on its own without any wind, cleaving through the seawater and speeding towards the distant horizon.

"The other day, fellow Daoist Shen, you successfully advanced to the Spirit Sea Realm," Wei Ye said. "I was only able to send a congratulatory gift and couldn't share a drink with you to celebrate. It was truly a pity. Today, there are several other fellow daoists on board as well. We must drink to our hearts' content!"

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