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The innate abilities of demons were exceptionally unique.
Every Demon Lord possessed the ability to sow demonic seeds, spreading their bloodline across vast spatial distances to other planes.
Once these seeds matured, they could use the connection between bloodlines to open a Demon Gate, linking the two planes and allowing for an invasion of the target plane.
The key was that the seeds sown by Demon Lords also granted the recipients exceptionally high potential, aiding in their growth.
This mechanism made it incredibly convenient for Demon Lords to invade one plane after another.
And all these planes were connected to the Demon Plane.
From this perspective, the Demon Plane was essentially a massive platform—a hub connecting countless planes!
By establishing a connection with the Demon Plane and gaining control over the Demon Gates, Shrek Academy had indirectly taken control of this platform.
Although they hadn't fully dominated the Demon Plane, Shrek now possessed access to this platform, using it to tap into the resources of numerous planes.
For the soul master system, the resources of other planes offered many benefits.
To name just one, the diversity of spirit beasts and spirit entities was vastly enriched.
Currently, apart from the two smaller continents on Douluo Star that still had spirit beast populations, spirit beasts on the main Douluo Continent were nearly extinct. Beyond that, obtaining true spirit rings or forming spirit entity contracts required venturing into the oceans to hunt sea spirit beasts.
Unfortunately, the ocean wasn't easily accessible—natural disasters and other dangers made such expeditions perilous.
But what if they had the Demon Plane?
Take, for example, the discoveries already made: demons, Hellspawn, dragons from the Dragon Plane, and various other creatures might all be able to form spirit entity contracts with soul masters!
Of course, this was still speculation.
Ya Li knew that demon creatures were highly likely to serve as spirit entities, but theoretically, other beings could as well.
This meant that Shrek now possessed a rich repository of spirit beast and spirit entity resources.
A completely new resource pool!
While the Demon Plane and Hell Plane had relatively monotonous lifeforms, the Dragon Plane did not.
Based on the information Xu Yuan had gathered from Xiao Jia, although the dragon race was the strongest in the Dragon Plane, there were also other races, including branches of the phoenix race, the celestial fox race, the white tiger race, the black tortoise race, and more. These groups had all developed quite prosperously.
"It seems we'll need to increase our investment here," Ya Li said.
She now understood that to fully exploit the value of the Demon Plane, Shrek would need to invest more manpower and resources. For instance, students from the outer court could use the Demon Plane as a training ground, and perhaps the end-of-year assessments could be held there.
Beyond the outer court students, cooperation with the Tang Sect would also be necessary.
As time went on, collaboration with the Spirit Pagoda, the War God Hall, and the major military factions would become inevitable.
Shrek alone couldn't possibly explore the entire Demon Plane.
Though Shrek possessed overwhelming strength, they lacked the capacity to thoroughly map out an entire plane.
"Rather than relying on the Demon Plane as a platform to extract resources from other planes, we should focus on establishing direct connections with those planes through our own means."
Thus, exploring the Demon Plane, uncovering its benefits, and rapidly developing their own strength were the priorities.
"Are you bringing him back with you?" Ya Li asked.
Xu Yuan smiled and nodded. "There are still some issues with Xiao Jia. I plan to have Master and Elder Tree examine him."
Ya Li looked surprised.
"Go ahead," she said without objection, opening the Demon Gate for Xu Yuan.
To ensure the safety of the passage, both sides—Sea God Island and here—had set up large-scale soul-guided arrays, strictly sealing off the entrances and exits of the channel.
With a single step, Xu Yuan entered the channel.
Xiao Jia stared at the channel for a moment before cautiously stepping inside.
After a dizzying sensation, Xiao Jia emerged from the channel, immediately feeling an overwhelming force pressing down on him.
So terrifying!
Xiao Jia was filled with fear.
He looked at the elegant man before him, who appeared calm and composed, yet exuded an immense pressure.
Is this the teacher my benefactor spoke of?
So strong.
Even stronger than a Demon Lord.
---
"Master, this is Xiao Jia, from the Dragon Plane. Due to a catastrophic upheaval, his bloodline was damaged, and his cultivation limit is at the Soul Douluo level."
After hearing Xu Yuan's brief explanation, Yun Ming curiously observed Xiao Jia.
A force quietly entered Xiao Jia's body, but he didn't dare resist.
After a thorough examination, Yun Ming fell into deep thought.
After a long while, he looked at Xu Yuan and said, "I didn't detect any defects in his bloodline. On the contrary, judging by the intensity of his bloodline, he's almost on par with Zhuo Shi and Feng Wuyu. After careful inspection, I also noticed that his bloodline differs from theirs—it lacks oppressive force."
In terms of concentration, his bloodline matched Zhuoshi's, but it lacked the oppressive quality.
---
Consciousness Space
Elder Tree's heart trembled slightly.
He had also examined Xiao Jia's bloodline.
No issues.
But compared to Yun Ming, Elder Tree sensed more.
He could definitively determine that Xiao Jia's bloodline lacked the infusion of laws.
These were the seeds of cultivation bestowed upon lifeforms within a plane by the plane itself.
Xiao Jia's law seeds were diminished.
At most, they could support his cultivation up to Level 80.
The cause of this result was something Elder Tree could guess.
"This Dragon Plane… it's truly a pity."
To recover, it would likely take tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of years.
Over such a long period, any unexpected incidents could hinder the plane's recovery. For example, the current situation—the Demon Plane's occupation of the Dragon Plane—would halt its recovery entirely.
Without top-tier combat power within the plane, it lacked the ability to resist invasions.
Who could have been so ruthless as to forcibly extract such a vast amount of essence from the Dragon Plane?
---
Back at Sea God Island, Xu Yuan prepared to arrange a bloodline baptism for Xiao Jia.
In truth, this was also an opportunity to complete a previously unfinished plan.
"Master, I'll trouble you once again."
After hearing Xu Yuan's request, Yun Ming waved his hand dismissively.
"This is for the academy's foundation. It should be I who thanks you."
Xu Yuan smiled.
He took out an imprint—the Dragon Soul Mark.
"I'll prepare first," Yun Ming told Xu Yuan to wait.
His energy spread out, instantly bringing the surrounding space under his control. Then he said, "Alright, let's begin."
Xu Yuan nodded and activated the Dragon Soul Mark in his hand.
Yun Ming's gaze sharpened.
Xu Yuan activated the Dragon Soul Mark, causing it to hover in midair, while Yun Ming manipulated the forces of heaven and earth to control it.
Though he couldn't harness its power as Xu Yuan did, he could still sense the Dragon Soul Mark's energy and perceive the small world of the Dragon Valley resonating with it.
When his perception of the Dragon Valley's small world reached its peak, Yun Ming let out a loud shout.
"Open!"
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