Fire Tian Venerable's Cultivation had stagnated for hundreds of years. Without a great Opportunity, it would be difficult for him to Breakthrough to the Void Refining Realm. He had spent his life's effort and a massive amount of wealth to finally find a seventh-order Fire Phoenix Yao Beast egg, intending to use it for Cultivation and Breakthrough to the next great Realm.
However, it was stolen by that little thief. Besides the seventh-order Fire Phoenix Yao Beast egg, there was also a precious six-order nine yang spirit grass, and a large amount of fourth-order and fifth-order fire-element Spiritual Plants, all of which were completely plundered by that little thief.
That little thief's actions completely cut off Fire Tian Venerable's path of Cultivation. Without those Spiritual Materials to assist in Cultivating Immortality, no matter how he Cultivated, it would be absolutely impossible for him to take that final step in the remaining hundred years.
As soon as he thought of this, boundless rage immediately surged in Fire Tian Venerable's heart. His face was sinister, and he wished he could immediately capture that treasure-stealing little thief, devour his flesh and blood, refine his soul, and torment him for a hundred, even a thousand, years.
Venerable Tianyin looked at Fire Tian Venerable's terrifying face, and a chill ran down his spine.
This old fellow truly hated Li Jianxian to the extreme! This point could be used!
Venerable Tianyin remained calm and continued to transmit his voice to the two: "Fellow Daoists, we are gathered here, and we all understand the Ji Family's plot. This time, we joined forces to suppress Li Jianxian, but unexpectedly, a Void Refining Realm powerhouse was involved. Clearly, among those who stood with Li Jianxian, there must be a Void Refining Realm Cultivator, or a powerhouse who can rival him."
"The Ji Family, coming from the medium spirit stones Domain, is prosperous and vast, with strong clansmen like a forest. Soul Transformation Stage Cultivators are naturally not few. However, Honorable Being Ji Yun deliberately sought us to participate in the pursuit. Her intention is clear: she wants us to become cannon fodder for her use. Since we have seen through her plan, we naturally cannot let her have her way. Our goal is that 'Li Jianxian,' so we need to act quickly, eliminate the target, and immediately withdraw without leaving a trace."
"If the Ji Family questions us, we will claim that the target was a Nascent Soul True Lord. As for the Void Refining Realm dispute, it is not something we can get involved in, so we should stay away." Venerable Tianyin transmitted a detailed plan and arrangement.
"Fellow Daoist Tianyin is absolutely right!"
Venerable Linhai and Fire Tian Venerable deeply agreed, nodding in approval.
...
On the other side.
At the edge of the sky, a wisp of smoke and cloud flashed by like a dream.
The tianyun spirit ship, traveling at a speed of a thousand li per day, had sailed for three days after leaving the Yu Ling Sect. Li Mu and his group flew to the outskirts of the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range, about to enter it.
The Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range is located in a desolate area and is a Holy Land for the Yao Race. Thousands of great Yao Beasts are entrenched there. Ancient trees reach high into the sky. As far as the eye can see, mountains rise and fall endlessly, as if one is in a prehistoric world, unable to see any sign of Human Race activity, only ancient trees and Spiritual Qi that is much denser than in the Human Race's territory.
Li Mu stood on the spirit ship's deck, gazing at the scenery ahead.
However, when they flew halfway, the clouds ahead suddenly dispersed, and countless dense, dozens of zhang long, or a few zhang short, fierce wind blades suddenly attacked.
"What?" Li Mu focused his gaze. After the clouds dispersed, thousands of third-order and fourth-order fierce wind Snow Yao Beasts were actually hiding in the clouds, launching a surprise attack.
Countless blades directly struck the tianyun spirit ship, and the Formation instantly activated. The fierce wind blades struck the Formation, causing ripples, but could not affect its forward speed.
"The fierce wind Snow Yao Beasts' territoriality is truly strong!" Tianshang Honored One sensed the energy fluctuations from outside and slowly walked to Li Mu's side.
Li Mu asked, "Senior, aren't you going to kill them?"
"You can't kill them all!" Tianshang Honored One shook his head and said with a smile, "The reason the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range is called the Yao Race Holy Land is because it has a desolate aura. The speed of Yao Race reproduction here is much stronger than outside. Coupled with the extremely fast reproduction speed of these Snow Yao Beasts, if you kill this batch, another batch will soon come chasing fearlessly, which will affect our travel speed. As long as we stay away from their territory, they will leave."
Li Mu listened from the side, thinking that this Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range was not Human Race territory. He wanted to gather more information to avoid taking wrong turns. He had three purposes for this trip with Tianshang Honored One to the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain.
First, to fulfill his promise to Xue'er and send her back to the Snow Fox Clan. Second, to hunt a high-order wood-element Yao Beast that needed outstanding Aptitude; such wood-element Yao Beasts could only be found deep within the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range. Third, to find some high-order Spiritual Plant seeds, which also required entering the depths of the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range.
Li Mu looked at Tianshang Honored One and asked with concern, "Senior, can you tell me about the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range? I am going to the Snow Fox Clan, and perhaps your guidance along the way can help me avoid some trouble."
Seeing Li Mu so humbly seeking advice, Tianshang Honored One smiled slightly and said with pleasure, "This Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range is far from as simple as you think. Although the Yao Race's wisdom is not as good as the Human Race's, the intelligence of high-order Yao Beasts is the same as the Human Race's. High-order Yao Beasts that transform into human form are even more sinister than Human Race!"
"The Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range's myriad Yao Beast forces are complex. The ethnic groups are mainly controlled by Heavenly Yao Beasts, Yao Emperors, Yao Kings, ..., these high-order Yao Beasts. Each ethnic group forms its own domain. They have strict territorial boundaries. The outer regions of the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range are almost all ordinary Yao Race members with mediocre strength. The fierce wind Snow Yao Beasts we just encountered are among them..." Tianshang Honored One looked at Li Mu and began to explain voluminously.
"Low-order Yao Race members are not individually powerful, but their reproductive ability far exceeds that of the Human Race."
"Human Race pregnancies last ten months, often only producing one child, or rarely, twins, which is the limit. But the Yao Race is different, especially low-order Yao Race members; their birth numbers are astonishing. A single pregnancy can produce more than a dozen, or at least four or five. Coupled with the Yao Race's inherent strong Physical Body and extremely low mortality rate, this has caused the number of Yao Beast ethnic groups in the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range to grow daily to a terrifying extent."
"The number of these low-order Yao Beasts in the outer regions of the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range alone is already enough to cover and destroy the Human Race's living areas. Fortunately, our Human Race also has powerhouses. These powerhouses will not allow such things to happen; they will act to protect the Human Race."
"While low-order Yao Beasts themselves don't pose much threat, if they are controlled by high-order Yao Beasts, that becomes terrifying. Once these high-order Yao Race members have the idea of annihilating the Human Race, they can drive large numbers of low-order Yao Beasts into Human Race territory. At that time, a cruel war between the two races will break out..."
...
Listening to Tianshang Honored One's narration, Li Mu frowned, and his mood became heavy.
The terrifying existence of the Yao Race is awe-inspiring. Li Mu couldn't help but think of the future scenes he had glimpsed, those scenes where billions of lives were extinguished, as if the Yao Race also participated in them.
After a brief moment of distraction, Li Mu looked at Tianshang Honored One and continued to press, "May I ask, Senior, has such a thing ever happened in history?"
Hearing Li Mu's question, Tianshang Honored One smiled slightly and recalled, "Of course it has. The last invasion by the Ten Thousand Yao Race was about six thousand years ago! At that time, I only had Foundation Establishment Cultivation! I once heard elders in my clan talk about a large-scale beast tide that erupted in the Southern Spirit Great Wilderness. Billions of Yao Beasts swept across countless Human Race territories, causing hundreds of millions of casualties. Many Sects near the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range were completely destroyed overnight, and nearly a hundred million Human Race members were eaten, leaving no bones."
"That great war lasted for three hundred years. Finally, the Four Great Immortal Sects joined forces, killed the Yao Race Emperor, and deterred the Yao Race. They then fought their way through thorns and slaughtered until all Yao Beasts were driven to the current Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range, and a large number of high-order Yao Beasts were killed before they ceased."
"It was also during that great war that the Central Spirit Domain united all Cultivators from various continents to form an Alliance army and launched a surprise attack on the Yao Beast Race. Ultimately, this allowed the Human Race to enter the Southern Spirit Great Wilderness."
"After that, it took thousands of years of management for us to gain a foothold in the Southern Spirit Great Wilderness!" Tianshang Honored One sighed, speaking with emotion.
Li Mu was deeply shocked after listening to Tianshang Honored One's narration, able to imagine how terrifying that great war was; countless Cultivators and Yao Beasts perished in that war, their blood staining the earth.
"After thousands of years of reproduction and recovery, the Yao Race in the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range must have regained its strength, and it is even possible that a new Ten Thousand Yao Emperor has been born in the new era, leading all Yao Beasts!" Tianshang Honored One slowly said.
Li Mu nodded slightly, indicating agreement.
The vitality and reproductive ability of the Yao Beast Race are extremely strong. Even after such a great war, they can quickly recover their strength.
"To prevent the Yao Race from making a comeback! The major Immortal Sects are highly vigilant, employing a large number of other forces from outside the Central Spirit Domain to set up strongholds at various key points in the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range. Once there is any disturbance, the news will immediately be transmitted to the major Immortal Sects and great factions in the Central Spirit Domain."
Tianshang Honored One looked at Li Mu and slowly introduced.
"Guarding the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range?" Li Mu recalled the Loose Cultivator Alliance. Back then, Celestial Evolution Divine Lord also formed an Alliance with Venerable Tianyin and others to guard the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range, fearing the Yao Race, to prevent the Yao Beasts from counterattacking.
"That's right, look! Ahead is a stronghold!"
Tianshang Honored One smiled and gestured forward, controlling the tianyun spirit ship to slow down its flying speed.
Li Mu looked in the direction Tianshang Honored One was pointing.
A hundred li ahead, a giant city surrounded by several spiritual mountains appeared, like stars holding up the moon, grandly presenting itself before their eyes.
The city walls were mainly brownish-gold, cast from a large amount of fourth-order profound black stone, making them incredibly sturdy and effective in warding off evil and Yao Beasts. It covered an area of about ten thousand mu, located between two giant spiritual mountain passes. The spiritual mountains were dotted with many bunker-like structures, with numerous openings from which countless giant spiritual cannons protruded. The dark muzzles gleamed with a faint, deadly light under the illumination.
On the giant city's upper docking platform, hundreds of giant spirit ships of various sizes were moored. Each spirit ship was enormous, including fourth-order soaring spirit ships, fifth-order thunder spiritual ships, fourth-order flame spirit ships, fifth-order giant spirit ships, and so on.
Tens of thousands of Cultivators shuttled between the giant city and the spiritual mountains and spirit ships. Compared to the desolate area they had passed through before, there was more human activity and a chilling aura here.
Li Mu and Tianshang Honored One piloted the tianyun spirit ship, arriving and slowly reducing speed.
Inside the city, three figures flew out. They stood in the air, blocking the tianyun spirit ship's path.
"May I ask which Senior from the Kun Family is on the spirit ship?" The tianyun spirit ship had just stopped. The people blocking the way saw the flag fluttering on the tianyun spirit ship and immediately knew that this spirit ship belonged to the Kun Family, one of the Eight Great Families of Central Continent, and asked respectfully.
"I am Tian Shang! Why are you blocking the way?" Tianshang Honored One frowned slightly, asking with a hint of displeasure.
"So it's Senior Tian Shang, please forgive us! This interception is because recently, the Nine Demon Sect has deliberately disguised themselves as Righteous Path Cultivators and entered the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range, burning, killing, and plundering, intentionally stirring up conflict between the Human Race and the Yao Race; this city belongs to the jurisdiction of the Tai Xuan Sword Sect, and under instructions from above, we must strictly supervise every person entering the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range. We have no choice but to act this way, please forgive us, Senior!" The leading Soul Transformation commander quickly saluted and explained.
Tai Xuan Sword Sect?
This stronghold actually belonged to the Tai Xuan Sword Sect's jurisdiction?
Unexpectedly hearing news of the Nine Demon Sect, Li Mu frowned, feeling a bad premonition in his heart. This trip might not be so simple.
Inside the cabin, Kunling Honored One flew out. After understanding the situation, his face darkened.
Among the three Soul Transformation powerhouses, the one on the right, a slightly plump Soul Transformation Cultivator with a fan-shaped weapon on his back, stepped forward and suggested, "Two Seniors, the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range is a bit chaotic right now. Not only is the Nine Demon Sect mixed in, but several Yao Emperors are also stirring. If you venture deep inside, it will be extremely dangerous. Please enter the city and wait until the intelligence is clear before going!"
"No need for more words, just clear the way!" At this moment, Kunling Honored One was feeling frustrated. Revered Qing Wei had already entered the Void Refining Realm, while he was still stuck in place. Now, he only wanted to obtain the po mo xin fruit as soon as possible and Breakthrough to the Void Refining Realm.
The three Soul Transformation powerhouses exchanged glances and obediently made way. Although they were directly managed by the Tai Xuan Sword Sect, the Kun Family was one of the Eight Great Families, and the power behind them was also extremely terrifying, second only to Immortal Sects. They could not afford to offend them, so they voluntarily opened the passage.
The tianyun spirit ship started again. Li Mu's heart was heavy, feeling that this trip might not be so smooth!
Li Mu couldn't help but smile bitterly. He had thought this trip, escorting the little Snow Fox back to its clan and capturing a wood-element beast for taming, would be a simple journey. He never expected that the Nine Demon Sect would be so persistent!
The Nine Demon Sect first destroyed three Sects, and now they ran to the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range to stir up trouble. The matter was probably not that simple. If they encountered them, the trouble would certainly not be small.
Kunling Honored One seemed to have noticed the worry on Li Mu's face and understood his concerns.
"Little Friend Li, how about this: you come with us to the Soul-Devouring Demon Clan first. After we get the po mo xin fruit, we will accompany you to the Snow Fox Clan. This will also avoid unnecessary trouble along the way." Kunling Honored One came to Li Mu's side and suggested.
Upon hearing this, Li Mu pondered for a moment and was moved!
Now, with people from the Nine Demon Sect active in the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range and the situation unclear, he was alone. Who knew what he might encounter? Having two powerhouses, one Void Refining and one Soul Transformation, lead the way would invisibly save a lot of trouble.
"Then I trouble you, two Seniors!" Li Mu bowed in salute and readily agreed.
Seeing Li Mu agree, Tianshang Honored One stroked his beard and smiled, very satisfied.