Chapter 191. Demons and Monsters (15) Level 7 Mental Powers and Cat Half-demon

     The number of Yāojing in the nearby forest hadn’t decreased, but their overall strength had significantly diminished. When Ye Mo suddenly emerged from the wetland illusion array, the creatures were startled.  

     “!!!”

     After Ye Mo casually placed a few ordinary “No Entry” small loudspeakers to the east, west, north, and south, she chose an eastward direction and advanced unimpeded.

     It wasn’t until she was a few hundred li away from the base that eight monsters simultaneously stepped forward to provoke her.

     Among them were two plant spirits.

     Fighting one against eight while trying to minimize the waste of space energy was a challenging task.  

 

   【Survivor Ye Mo was detected to have broken through the mental critical value, mental attribute +1.】×n

   【Survivor Ye Mo was detected to have broken through the Agility critical value, Agility attribute +1.】 ×8

   【Survivor Ye Mo was detected to have broken through the Strength critical value, Strengt attribute +1.】×4

 

     Because another three or two monsters joined the fray, Ye Mo fought for over an hour before killing most of them on the spot. The remaining ones were successfully hunted down using mental markers and Hawk Eye tracking.

     After setting her bones and healing her injuries, Ye Mo checked her stats and thought, “Add the 5 free attribute points to my mental attribute.”

   【Detected that survivor Ye Mo’s Spirit attribute has reached a critical threshold. Unlocking in progress… Unlock successful. Mental-based abilities have broken through to Tier 7. Congratulations on completing Hidden Quest E. All attributes +12, free attribute points +9.】

     “Monsters and demons” (魑魅魍魉 – chī mèi wǎng liǎng) is an E-level instance. 6th-order mental power ability is a C-level ability. Ye Mo’s own mental ability level has already exceeded the average of this world.

     After breaking through to the 7th-order mental ability, Mental Manipulation skill is 60% mastered.

     Controlling inanimate objects was like swimming in water for her. She could psychically control nascent life forms without a core, mentally suggest things to non-psychic ability users in the “monsters and demons” dungeon, and her mental domain had also undergone a significant breakthrough.

     The control distance of her mental domain was very short, but even so, it elevated her close-quarters combat prowess to a new level.

     There was also the mental illusion technique she comprehended from the previous dungeon.

     The peach blossom spirit and the illusion array had raised Ye Mo’s understanding of mental illusions by a level, giving her many combat strategies to consider. Currently, the most serious problem lay within herself.

     Because her own psychic ability was high, she could see through her own mentally conjured illusions at a glance. She was accustomed to believing what was real and not what was fake, and in life-or-death battles, she dared not act rashly.

     However, judging from the “Barrage of Arrows” and “Invisible Sword Strike” she had just tried, the effects were surprisingly effective.

     Ye Mo needed more practical combat to improve her skills beyond just her attributes. The moment she thought of battle, the warmongering genes in her blood surged with excitement, showing no sign of backing down.

     “…”

     Calm down.

     Suppressing the joy of victory, she continued forward.

     Ye Mo encountered a rabbit-vine half-demon. The problem was that this rabbit-vine half-demon hadn’t encountered any danger, so it might not be willing to relocate to the half-demon base to survive.

     Therefore, she issued an invitation, a process that resembled a self-directed and self-acted drama.

     At a position about a hundred meters away from the rabbit-vine half-demon, she conjured a winged flower fairy. Using the loudspeaker, she had the flower fairy issue an invitation, also letting other monsters know about the “half-demon base,” firing the first shot in building its reputation.

     “Giving displaced half-demons a homeland for survival and growth.”

      Even the slogan was ready.

     “???”

     The rabbit-vine half-demon, like the other monster, was bewildered. Of course, it wouldn’t agree immediately, and hadn’t even figured out what was happening, which was also related to Ye Mo’s own lack of natural affinity.

     She continued onward.

     Ye Mo didn’t meet the other half-demon, but after playing two more advertisements and fighting the monster twice, she finally met five cat half-demons who were in crisis.

     She observed them quietly for a while.  

     These five Cat half-demons resembled tigers, leopards, cats, or lions, with two or four pairs of unknown bird wings on their backs. They were about two to four times larger than tigers in the modern world.  

     Unlike the little stone monsters and mermaid fry, they have left the category of cubs and are in their prime.

     Moreover, only two of them had awakened metal and wind elemental abilities respectively. However, due to the harsh living environment, their combat power, especially their close-quarters combat strength, was formidable, and their coordination was high. It was a pity that their ability potential was mixed, making the possibility of further awakening very low.

     It’s seems like the only golden elemental tiger half-demon among them had recently developed an inner core, attracting stronger enemies, which led to the battle today.

     One of the key reasons why half-demons struggle to survive is that once they develop an inner core, they immediately face extermination by other races. Without any elders or backing to rely on. Their path of growth is cut short just as they step onto it, doomed to perish prematurely.  

     To Ye Mo’s slight surprise, whether due to the difficulty of escape, bonds of kinship, friendship, or loyalty, or perhaps because those who could flee had already done so, the other half-demons besides the metal-attribute tiger half-demon had not abandoned it.  

     “Barrage of Arrows!” She made a decisive move.

     “!!!”

     Real arrows pierced through three jar demons, while the illusory arrows caused the other half-demons to reflexively hide. Ye Mo had already swung her sword and leaped into the fray, killing a demon that charged towards her blade with a single strike.

     The situation instantly reversed.

   【Main Mission 2: Rescue your fellow Half-demons (11/10000).】

     Ye Mo smiled with curved lips and put the spoils into the space.

     Seeing that Ye Mo had no intention of pursuing them, the leader of the five cat half-demons, the wind elemental tiger half-demon who hadn’t yet formed an inner core, stepped forward. It opening words were an offer of two gold-wood elemental ability plants as thanks for her help.

     Ye Mo accepted them without hesitation and said to the five injured cat half-demons, “The half-demons Base, a paradise for half-demons. Would you like to join?”

     “…”

     The feline half-demons remained on high alert. Their gazes swept over the rainbow deer ears on Ye Mo’s head, and they instantly understood her identity: a bizarre and mysterious half-demons who had suddenly appeared. Her abilities were as mixed as the colorful ears on her head, yet she could kill powerful thousand-year-old banyan tree spirits.

     Indeed, slogans alone were useless.

     Ye Mo took out a pack of high-grade wound powder made by Watson and quickly stopped the bleeding for three of them. At the same time, she pointed out the dangers the metal elemental tiger half-demons would face and sincerely promoted the half-demons base, but without forcing them to join.

     The wind elemental tiger half-demons saw the effect of the unknown plant powder. After a moment of silence, he agreed to go with Ye Mo but didn’t mention joining the half-demons base.

     Unexpected honesty…

     Ye Mo did not catch the loopholes in his words and went home with her new friend.

     On the way back, she didn’t make any particular effort to conceal their presence. A small figure followed by five flying Cat half-demons was quite eye-catching.

     They also encountered several attacks.

     Unlike the cubs, these five Cat half-demons possessed at least some ability to protect themselves and might even be helpful. Therefore, Ye Mo didn’t need to be overly cautious or worried, or even waste space spirit stones. She could just engage in direct combat.

     Perhaps she could give them a few high-level defensive formation to increase their constitution.

     Fighting together was the best way to close the distance between them.

     Although the five Cat half-demons hadn’t completely let down their guard, they were slowly starting to reveal their personalities. Among them, the strongest, the golden flying tiger, had a personality as wild as its messy fur: brave, reckless, and loyal. The wind flying tiger, on the other hand, was very stable and had the air of a leader.

     The names—or perhaps more accurately, the designations—of the giant winged cats were simple: Jīn,(Gold),Yǒng (Brave), Fēng(Wind), Lè(Joy), and Yǒng(Valor), derived either from their abilities or perhaps from hopeful aspirations.  

     Ye Mo decided on her own name: “Jing” (静 – Quiet/Still).

     …

     Sunlight, lake waters, soaring birds, and flower…

     Facing the serene beauty of the wetlands, Ye Mo smiled faintly. “Welcome to the Half-Demon Base.”

     The cats: ???

     “This is an illusion array. Follow me in one by one—don’t misstep.”

     Channeling her Mental energy, Ye Mo shifted the array’s core and, as their leader, leaped first into the tranquil lake. Plunk. Ripples spread across the water’s surface before gradually settling back into stillness.  

     The tiger half-demons exchanged wary glances.  

     The metal-attributed tiger half-demon moved to enter first, only to be halted by a sharp look from the wind-attributed one. Instead, a winged leopard took the plunge.  

     One by one, the other feline half-demons followed, vanishing from the sight of the forest’s remaining spirits, just as Ye Mo had.  

     During her absence, many demons and monsters had ignored the “No Entry” warnings, attempting to breach the array.  

     Some of the monsters who broke in died, some were injured, and some were lost.

     In order to reduce the formation Loss, Ye Mo needs to control the formation immediately.

     That is, from the moment she entered the formation, the formation seemed to have life, and the lethality increased dramatically.

     In the eyes of the five cat half-demons, they saw incredible scenes at the bottom of the lake after jumping into the lake.

     Ordinary small fish tore the huge crow monster apart, sharp stones pierced the inner elixir of the tree spirit, and flying birds pecked the eyes of the snake monster.

     Screaming broke through the sky.

     Horror!

     Ye Mo, who controlled the formation, told them to stay where they were, and the five cat half-demons immediately stayed where they were.

     Half an hour later, Ye Mo had eliminated all the intruding demons and reinforced the defensive arrays. Only then did she guide the five feline half-demons forward—or rather, through the water (swimming?)

     Finally, they arrived at a small, simple cave.

     Ye Mo brought over her other companions as well and held a celebratory feast to get to know each other, exchange information, and introduce the base.

     The base had only one rule for now: internal strife is punishable by death.

     When the flying cats saw the little mermaid and the others, as fellow outcasts, they were emotionally touched. However, their confidence in the base plummeted. In their eyes, the mermaid and the stone monster were too much of a burden.

     As for the little mermaid and the little stone monsters one, they were entirely fearful of the flying cats.

     Even if they were all Being half-demons, it is difficult to eradicate racial vigilance, and there is even innate racial oppression.

     At least they weren’t openly hostile or outright fighting.Ye Mo knew better than to force some kind of harmonious utopia. Even modern humans couldn’t achieve that. This was progress enough.

     She focused on grilling the meat.

     It wasn’t that grilling was the only option, but the process was the simplest. She was grateful for the seasonings cultivated and made by Watson, which were originally intended for the three of them to fulfill their picnic dream.

     The aroma of the meat quickly attracted the attention of all the half-demons. The mutual sense of rejection between the two groups gradually decreased, becoming slightly better than strangers. They even had brief exchanges because of the barbecue.

     “Jin, take this! Yong, peel the fur, let the little stone monster and the mermaid spray water to clean it…” Ye Mo unceremoniously ordered the half-demons to help.

     Good food knows no boundaries.

     For the Cat half-demons who were trying barbecue for the first time in their hundred-plus years of life, weren’t much different from the little stone monster and the others when they first tasted it.

     Some even let out gleeful, unrestrained yowls in delight.  

     With a perfectly straight face, Ye Mo reached out to touch their fur. Most of the half-demons’ coats were rough and bristly, except for one emerald-eyed black panther, whose fur was surprisingly silky and soft.  

     After the feast, everyone’s camaraderie had increased by at least +2 points.  

     Before leaving for the forest again, Ye Mo assigned tasks to the group. The objectives were largely the same for all:  

     First, sort and process the harvested prey, primarily collecting claws, beaks, vines, fruits, flowers, and other usable materials from the kills.  

     Second, learn numbers 1 to 100.  

     Third, practice arranging ordinary basic array diagrams by stacking stones of different sizes and shapes.  

     Fourth, use a knife to carve a simple array pattern as practice.  

     The first task was straightforward, but the others left them baffled, why were they doing this?  

     However, when Ye Mo explained that the illusion array outside was constructed from these very patterns, every half-demon’s eyes lit up with excitement. They stared at the diagrams with such intensity, as if trying to burn the secrets into their minds.