Volume One, Chapter 12: The Director

“Who’s there?”
Montage was startled, but soon realized the voice sounded oddly familiar. He hurriedly entered his consciousness space.

There, beneath the Myriad Demon Tree, lay a small, pink, and exquisitely carved piglet. The fruit hanging from the tree was radiating a dark, glossy light, as if it might fall at any moment.

“How could there be a pig here?”
Montage gazed with confusion at the little pig on the ground.

“You’re the pig! I am the auspicious beast Dang Kang. I only had to start over because I exhausted my strength before. From now on, I will be your chief steward,” Dang Kang declared with an air of arrogance.

If his body had not been less than a foot tall, perhaps his words would have been more convincing. But as things stood...

Montage picked him up with one hand and examined him closely. Auspicious beast? Wasn’t this just a newborn piglet? He saw no difference.

“Let me go! Release me, you insolent child!”
Dang Kang kicked his little hooves in fury, struggling with all his might. But after a futile struggle, he had no choice but to dangle helplessly from Montage’s hand.

“What do you mean by saying you’ll be my chief steward?” Montage asked curiously.

“My strength is spent, my physical body destroyed. I can only survive by depending on the Myriad Demon Tree. So, how about we strike a deal?” Dang Kang’s beady eyes shifted slyly.

“What kind of deal?”

“I’ll help you manage the Myriad Demon Tree, and in return, you help me restore my physical body. What do you say?”

“Restore your physical body?”
Montage scrutinized him and noticed that Dang Kang did indeed seem incorporeal.

“That’s right. Don’t hesitate—you won’t lose out. Restoring my body isn’t difficult; all I need is a suitable Spirit Essence Fruit.”
Dang Kang pointed to the Spirit Essence Fruit hanging from the tree.

“This thing can restore a physical body?”
Montage was astonished. He had never imagined that the unremarkable Spirit Essence Fruit could be used in such a way.

“It seems there are many unknown functions to the Myriad Demon Tree that I’m unaware of. Maybe I can learn something from him.” Montage pondered for a moment and decided to agree. As for whether Dang Kang would harm him, he wasn’t too worried. After all, the Myriad Demon Tree had been passed down to him by Dang Kang, and every fruit he cultivated bore his own imprint. Once Dang Kang used it, betrayal would be impossible.

“Very well! I can agree to your terms, but you’ll need to prove your worth first.”
Montage nodded in assent.

“Prove my worth?”
Dang Kang was taken aback.

He hadn’t expected Montage to put it this way. Without any specific requirements, being asked to prove himself left him momentarily at a loss.
It was just like going out to eat with your girlfriend and asking, “What do you want?” and she answers, “Anything is fine!” But if you really pick something random, you’re bound to get in trouble.

After pondering for a moment, Dang Kang looked at the fruit on the tree and suddenly had an idea.

“I can teach you how to cultivate a perfect body—one that rivals the ancient gods!”

“Rival the ancient gods? Are there really gods in this world?”
Montage immediately grasped the key point in his words.

“Of course there are,” Dang Kang replied. “They’re all dead now, though. Even if any survived, they’ve entered the cycle of reincarnation.”
As he said this, a trace of sorrow flickered in his eyes.
So many friends, and now he was the only one left. He’d never been the strongest in the Demon Court, but he was certainly the luckiest.
Everyone else had perished; only he had survived.
Since the Myriad Demon Tree had chosen this youth, perhaps he could bring the others back from reincarnation one day.

“What must I do to obtain a perfect body that rivals the gods?”
Montage’s eyes shone at the confirmation.
A body like that—wouldn’t it mean he could dominate this era if he succeeded?

“Don’t even think about it for now. At the very least, you need to nurture the Myriad Demon Tree to its third stage.”
Dang Kang rolled his eyes.
Did he think a divine body was as common as cabbage, something you could just get on a whim?

“...”
Montage was speechless. His rising enthusiasm was instantly doused.

“The Spirit Essence within you is unique. While it can’t move mountains or fill seas, it’s the perfect supplement—suitable for any creature regardless of attribute. Using it to nourish the Myriad Demon Tree is twice as effective with half the effort. Judging by your growth rate, give it a few hundred or a thousand years, and you should be able to cultivate a divine body.”
Dang Kang raised his little hoof as he explained.

“A few...hundred...years...”
Montage’s face darkened.
Did he expect him to become fertilizer for a tree for a millennium?
Absolutely not!
Given that much time, even a pig could become a god! What would he need cultivation for?

Seeing Montage’s expression, Dang Kang quickly added, “That’s under normal circumstances. But with my help, it won’t take that long.”

“What do you mean?”
Montage asked, clearly annoyed.

“If you rely solely on your own Spirit Essence to nourish the tree, it will naturally be slow. But if you can obtain Spirit Essence from others and have the Myriad Demon Tree convert it, you can save a substantial amount of time.”

“Just like when you absorbed the Nine Faces before—let the Myriad Demon Tree transform and feed it back to you, then you nourish the tree in turn. This way, you’ll quickly boost your strength and help the tree grow. It’s a win-win.”
Dang Kang gave an example.

“So you mean...”

“Rob them!”
Dang Kang answered without hesitation.

“That doesn’t sound right. It’s like being a demonic cultivator.”
Montage felt that this self-serving method was questionable. Over time, it might even affect his state of mind.

“Killing one evildoer saves countless good people. Just hold to your principles, and besides, with me around, I won’t let you kill the innocent.”
Dang Kang explained.

“We’ll discuss that later. For now, what should I do about this?”
Montage felt the time wasn’t right to talk about this. After all, he was still just an ordinary person, barely able to protect himself, let alone deal with villains.

“Nine Faces may not be powerful, but he’s adept at stealth. I suggest you make him your puppet servant, since right now you’re just a helpless weakling.”
Dang Kang thought for a moment.

“Uh...you could have left out that last part!”
Montage rolled his eyes.

While they were talking, the fruit representing Nine Faces fell to the ground.
A shadow slowly rose and took on the form of Nine Faces.

“Nine Faces greets his master!”
He walked up to Montage, knelt respectfully, and pledged his loyalty.

The moment Nine Faces submitted, Montage sensed a mysterious connection between them. With a single thought, he realized he could command Nine Faces to do anything—even die—and he would be unable to resist.

“Get up.”
Montage gestured for him to rise.

“Thank you, Master!”

“Don’t call me ‘Master’ anymore—it sounds strange.”

“Then how should I address you?”
Nine Faces looked at Montage in confusion.

Montage thought for a moment and said, “Call me Warden from now on!”
Guardian of the Myriad Demon Orchard—Warden seemed a fitting title.
Montage silently praised his own naming skills.

“Yes, Warden.”
Nine Faces bowed respectfully and stepped aside.