Sage waved to them and leapt into the air, stepping on the open air and propelling himself away. As a Soul Clone, it shared Sage’s will, and their minds were connected. They could access all the knowledge and memories of the other, while also being able to act independently. These two newlyweds would be pretty busy for quite some time, but eventually they would realize they had no control over the Human Seal and he would use that leverage to gain their loyalty. He didn’t intend to turn them into soldiers like the Dragoons that would gladly sacrifice their lives. He didn’t need them to do any fighting at all for the most part. He was mainly interested in cultivating Demonic Plants using his Inner World.

The Seed of Life was rumored to be able to create the perfect conditions for any Demonic Plant. They were said to need special conditions to thrive, and given how long they took to mature, it was no surprise that they were rare. On the other hand, they were many times more valuable than other natural treasures. The fruits and other products from Demonic Plants were all those of the highest levels. The problem being that they would gain intelligence and even forcing them to give up their fruits was extremely difficult. Many of them would rather die than hand them over.

Unfortunately, the Cauldron Plant was not a perfect fit for his desires. It was not known for any special fruits, and it was also a Demonic Plant with the most lax requirements to grow. Even so, it was still quite special. The Cauldron Plant didn’t just look like a cauldron, it was a perfect natural cauldron. The Cauldron Plant could be used in Alchemy or Blacksmithing and it could resist any flame under the heavens. Not only did it resist them, it gained nourishment from flames. If an Alchemist could convince a Cauldron Plant to partner with them, it could support them through their whole careers and help concoct potions and elixirs of any rank. The stronger the Cauldron Plant got, the more its intelligence would increase and it could even assist the Alchemist in their pill concocting to increase the quality and success rate.

That was why, when Sage returned a few months later he made a bold request of the Crab Spider, “Pang Xie, you will work for me as an Alchemist. I will teach you to have full control of your Human Seal, and give you a great Alchemy Manual to guide the way. In return you will be paid well and protected here.”

The manor they lived in was upon the peak of one of the mountains next to the Poison Miasma Valley. Sage wasn’t feeling particularly inspired and almost called it the ‘Cobra Sect’, but then he thought better of making it so obvious and changed it to ‘Purple Mist Sect’. He didn’t have to create ancestral memories to teach them to fight in unison or invent weapons and gear to equip them. All he had to do was give them Human Seals and make them fight to prove their loyalty in return for benefits. The Seething Purple Cobras were tier 5 beasts at maturity and with the poison miasma they had a good chance to grasp venom and poison laws to break into tier 6. Demonic Beasts took a very long time to mature and required the consumption of other beasts to build their power, but they also didn’t face any bottlenecks. As long as they could keep eating other Spirit Animals and accumulating energy they continued to mature.

Human Cultivators, on the other hand, had to learn suitable cultivation techniques for their natural aptitudes and train hard. They would also face bottlenecks in their cultivation which stopped their progress unless they could accumulate enough strength and will to break through. In return, a Human with good talent might break through to form their Core in their forties to fifties, while a beast might take six centuries to accomplish the same thing. Said beast would also be very deficient in intelligence, relying upon their innate physical abilities, while the human would wield powerful weapons and techniques.

While they might not mature any faster, by using Human Seals, Sage could teach his Demonic Beasts to use weapons and techniques like humans did. The only downside, time, could be overcome by the accelerated pace of the Inner World. Sage’s Soul Clone spent quite a few years building up a handful of loyal subordinates chosen from the hundreds of captured Cobras. He used a combination of the carrot and the stick, offering them access to new techniques, better food, and control over some of their own Human Seals. At the same time, those who didn’t follow the program would be punished, with the worst repeat offenders being killed and their bodies used to create weapons and equipment. With the Human Seal they were unable to use their powerful bodies and venom. Even the stronger ones with understanding of the laws were helpless as most of them used venom and poison type laws, which Sage was basically immune to.

After a few decades, dozens of the Seething Purple Cobras had been turned into loyal members of the Purple Mist Sect and were trusted with full control over their own seals. With access to their beast bodies, the others had no chance against them. Even a tier 6 with access to laws had a hard time against a tier 5 in beast form. Unlike human cultivators, they didn’t know any techniques or carry weapons and even if they knew how others of their kind fought, it was still an uphill battle. It was only a matter of time before more and more of the Seething Purple Cobras converted to his side. Especially when those who converted weren’t only treated well, but became many times more powerful than they used to be by using weapons and learning techniques.

Sage returned to the pair of Pang Xie and Pang Jiangbei, the crab and the plant, visiting them many times over the next few years. Each time he tried to tempt them more. What finally worked was giving them Memory Spheres with many films about human culture, with a high percentage of them being love stories that included grand and extravagant wedding scenes. Then, he ‘innocently’ asked them about when they planned to hold a wedding. With that in, he got the Prosperity Company involved and turned the two of them into public figures on the Inner World with news stories and propaganda, then threw them a huge wedding that they made into a big event in the largest city in the Inner World.

It took a few years of effort and there were a few hiccups along the way, but Sage handled it. He was not an omniscient god of the Inner World, but he was still an Overlord. Even without the newly established Purple Mist Sect, no one could stand against him here. All they could do was hide from him. The humans had built up their own society over the thousands of years since he’d first released them into his Inner World, and he didn’t spend his time trying to control them all. All he had to do was back the Prosperity Company to ensure that the people of this world knew them as invincible. Then he could use them as his agent to make money and exert influence. The wedding was a good excuse to make the company more impressive so he didn’t hesitate to beat up the leaders of the local powers and make it known to all that the Prosperity Company was run by the ruler of this world.

The many Core Formation Cultivators that Sage released into the real world after that huge battle had already become legends from thousands of years ago. Hou Hei, the young rank 4 Fire Eater that had helped Sage in the belly of the Living Disaster, had already advanced to rank 5. He was one of the most prestigious and powerful local figures, the head of a giant sect and also a supporter of the Prosperity Company. Core Formation Cultivators could live up to five thousand years, and there were still a few that were around from that time that chose to return to the Inner World. Most of them were old, having reached their peaks and cared only about their families and legacies, but a few were young like Hou Hei and had survived to this day. They were great assistants to Sage in establishing the power and prestige of the Prosperity Company and so they were greatly rewarded.