Chapter 395 The Northern Demon Clan's First Arrival at the Ancient Beast Ancestor Mountain!
This mountain is so high that its peak is invisible, soaring into the clouds, its depth unknown.
It stands firm like a pillar supporting the sky!
The ancient beast ancestral mountain is as if it were carved by a knife and axe, presenting a completely vertical facade. Although it is called a mountain, it is actually a square stone pillar.
The stone steps wind their way up the mountain, with a black stone platform every so often, shrouded in mist and light, appearing hazy and mysterious.
Giant animal heads are carved on all four vertical cliff faces.
—A six-horned dragon head!
Looking directly at the stone carvings, one can almost feel the divine power of the ancient beast god, making one's hair stand on end and不敢对视 (dare not meet his gaze).
There is an eighteen-story tower at the foot of the mountain.
Lei Yao pointed to the tower and said, "That place is called the [Heart Beast Tower], which is in charge of all matters concerning the Ancient Beast Ancestral God Mountain. It is managed by highly respected elders of the Northern Demon Clan."
"The Demon King's banquet is being held on the Tianpeng Clan's airspace platform. Let's follow Senior Hei and the others to familiarize ourselves with the route first, and then we'll bring Brother Dao over later."
Wang Yu nodded and said.
"That's how it should be."
The demons in the Northern Broken Realm Mountains are called the "Northern Demons," and the demons in the Southern Broken Realm Mountains are called the "Southern Demons." The two groups do not actually communicate with each other.
They even harbored mutual hatred, which stemmed from a long-standing feud, so much so that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them sworn enemies.
therefore.
The northern demon race's selection of a Holy Lord and nine demon kings is ineffective in managing the southern demon race. Once news of the demon king's banquet spreads, the south will surely follow suit.
The conflict between Taihu and Chiyuan requires crossing the North-South Boundary Mountain Range, making the relationship with the indigenous demon race quite important.
If you offend them rashly, they might suddenly retaliate severely, and you'll suffer great losses.
Even just leaking information and location would cause huge trouble, so both Taihu and Chiyuan are actually trying to win over the demon clans of the North and South.
Otherwise, the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect would not have tacitly allowed the sect's guardian demon dragon to do business with these "poor relatives," and would have even specifically instructed the sect's fourth-tier alchemists to ensure the supply of demon elixirs no matter how busy they were.
"He who eats another's food is bound to him," and that's how alliances are formed.
After passing the Ancient Beast Ancestral Mountain, the Cat Flying Car headed northwest. Along the way, Wang Yu met many other demons, and Lei Yao introduced them to him.
"In the Northern Broken Realm Mountains, there are mainly four demon clans with stable Earth-grade bloodlines and more than two dozen transformed demon kings."
"They are the Tianpeng Clan, the Leilin Clan, the Huoya Clan, and the Yaojiaolu Clan. They are the four clans that are most likely to seize the position of Holy Lord."
"Below the four races are the races that only those with excellent bloodlines can reach the Earth-grade bloodline, totaling eight races: Dragon Python, Flame Lion, Giant Ant, Demon Tree, Vajra Ape, Shadow Mastiff, Evil Dragon Spider, and Mountain-Splitting Beast."
Of the four upper clans, only Tianpeng sounds impressive; the others seem like good-for-nothings. The eight lower clans, on the other hand, are all incredibly arrogant.
The positions of the Northern Holy Lord and the Nine Demon Kings, totaling ten, will almost always come from these clans. Clans like the Demon Cat Clan will be ranked even lower.
The two-tailed shadow cat, who is in the mid-stage of the fourth rank and is known as "Brother Black" by Wang Yu, is the strongest member of the demon cat clan, roughly at the fourth level of the Nascent Soul stage.
Barely standing on the edge of being top-tier.
This Demon King Banquet was hosted by the Tianpeng Clan, who are the most vocal contenders to become the Holy Lord of the North. Wang Yu is puzzled because he has never heard of any Nascent Soul Demon Venerables in the North.
Theoretically, it should exist, but it's quite well hidden.
Having almost no information on this matter, Wang Yu pretended to be unaware and, unusually, obediently followed the others into the cloud path.
Not long after.
A giant building floating in the sea of clouds appeared at the edge of the field of vision. It was simple and elegant, and the overall shape was a circular field, like a colosseum, with gradually increasing and expanding steps around it.
The central arena was furnished with low tables, and the place was decorated in a luxurious manner, transforming what should have been a battleground into an open-air banquet venue.
The spectators were all at least third-tier demon race members. They could freely control the size of their bodies, making them look like a zoo. There were also quite a few transformed great demons.
A rough estimate suggests there are at least a hundred people.
These are hundreds of Nascent Soul experts, far more than the number of Nascent Soul experts in the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect. The vast majority are in the early stages and come from various races.
It is impossible to get them to unite completely and work together towards a common goal; the inherent predator-prey relationship makes unity impossible.
Just like people are differentiated by region and race.
Internal strife is a classic element that has allowed various ethnic groups to thrive for so long.
besides.
Wang Yu also saw many other Nascent Soul cultivators like himself, including people from Taihu Lake and Chiyuan. He even sensed a familiar aura from the Yellow Springs.
A late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator from Huangquan Temple!
He was probably here to support the struggle for the Nine Kings. Wang Yu didn't recognize this person and was chatting with a transformed demon from the Evil Dragon Spider clan. He seemed to have noticed the gaze that had lingered for too long.
As he turned around, he nodded to Wang Yu as a greeting.
Wang was embarrassed.
He quickly looked away, surprised that the great cultivator's senses were so sharp. The other party's attitude was a bit strange, and it was also strange that he appeared at the Demon King's Banquet of the Northern Demon Clan.
The chaos in Fengzhou was partly caused by the Huangquan Temple.
He couldn't help but recall his previous speculations about the Yellow Springs Temple.
If we consider the Ice Prison Realm as a prison, releasing the ancient demons would be tantamount to inciting prisoners to rebel, which would easily be defeated by the guards. This path has been proven to be unworkable time and again.
Currently, only the Refining Heaven Demon Sect is still attempting this.
Wang Yu guessed that Huangquan Temple's method was to destroy the entire Ice Prison Realm, as they had previously targeted spiritual energy, and the existence of the Dead Desert was irrefutable proof.
There is still no sign of it stopping, and at the same time, it is unknown what new method they have found. It is a situation where two lines are running in parallel, and the lineage of Elder Ksitigarbha is the main person in charge.
The Yellow Springs Temple can be found in various parts of this world, seemingly searching for something. They have also assisted the Joyful Union Demon Sect in releasing the Desire Demon Ancestor.
The method used by the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect to break the deadlock was even more peculiar. Based on intelligence and after witnessing the ancient historical secrets recorded on the black stone tablet, Wang Yu felt that it was as if they wanted to steal the power of the "prisoner".
You can either kill the "prison guards" or become a "prison guard" yourself!
Of the five major sects of the demonic path, he had relatively little contact with the Underworld Mountain Sect, and its purpose was unclear to him. He knew the ultimate goals and plans of the other four sects.
It's all about breaking free from the cage!
Everyone shares this goal, and the Nascent Soul Venerable is the most prominent among them.
The presence of the Yellow Spring Grandmaster here did indeed make Wang Yu overthink things. After a moment's consideration, the matter came to an end, and he decided not to make any contact with him.
After the flying cat car came to a stop, Wang Yu followed the black and white couple to the Tianpeng Clan's functional department and obtained a temporary pass for guests, allowing them to move freely in this area.
There's no need to worry about causing any unnecessary trouble.
"Fellow Daoist Wang, the Demon King Banquet will last at least two months just for the banquet stage. At that time, there will also be a competition among these hundreds of transformed demons. I will inform you again when the treasure exchange event begins."
"Can."
Wang Yu had no objection; it was something that had been agreed upon long ago.
"By the way, inform me in advance before the battle for the Holy Lord begins."
"No problem."
After reaching an agreement with Brother Hei, Wang Yu looked at Lei Yao, who was staring blankly at the field, coughed to bring her back to her senses, and then spoke.
"Thanks to Miss Lei for this trip. Shall we go to the Ancient Beast Ancestral God Mountain?"
"--good!"
After helping Wang Yu pull strings and act as his guarantor to secure his climbing qualification, she will leave alone to continue her journey to Fengzhou to fulfill the ideal she set out for in the past.
When they returned to the vicinity of the Ancient Beast Ancestor Mountain.
Lei Yao suddenly said.
"Brother Dao, is it still true that you promised to help me back then?"
"certainly."
Although Wang Yu had some doubts, he didn't say much and readily agreed. This attitude is the source of his reputation as the "Honest and Trustworthy Young Master"!
Lei Yao has been incredibly devoted to him lately.
Help if you can.
A small favor in return, nothing to brag about.
"After the Demon King's Banquet ends and you have made progress in climbing the Ancient Beast Ancestral God Mountain, could you come here to find me?"
The other party handed over a sachet containing a piece of fragrant jade, and the location was recorded on it.
This request was rather strange. While Wang Yu nodded in agreement, he still gave a heads-up beforehand: "Miss Lei, although it is not difficult to do this, I will not do something that would be like throwing an egg against a rock."
"I know, you'll understand how to help when the time comes."
"good!"
After they finished speaking, the two landed in front of the Heart Beast Tower outside the Ancient Beast Ancestral God Mountain. The gate was wide open, and it was quiet inside.
Lei Yao looked around and called out loudly into the tower.
"Junior Lei Yao has come to pay her respects to Third Master!"
At that moment, a lively argument erupted inside the tower.
"Lei Yao? A cultivator from Lei Huo Temple?"
"She calls him Third Master, but who is Third Master?"
"I'm the third child in my family, so that means you're calling me?"
“You dead crow, get out of here! This is my fourth brother’s junior.”
After a period of chaos and confusion...
An old man with white beard and gray hair emerged from the darkness. He was tall and sturdy with long limbs, a dark complexion, and a row of black feathers near his temples.
There is a black mark resembling a trident between his eyebrows.
It's easy to tell at a glance that it's a bird-like demon race. There's not much information about its characteristics, and it doesn't seem to be one of the Upper Four Races or the Lower Eight Races.
It is very likely a variant of a certain population.
While Wang Yu was sizing up the old man, the old man was also sizing him up.
"Little Lei Yao, is this the guy you mentioned before who wanted to break into the Ancient Beast Ancestral God Mountain?"
"Yes, Third Master. Fourth Master asked me to give you his regards."
The old man waved his hand helplessly.
"I know my fourth brother's personality well, there's no need to speak up for him. How is he doing?"
Lei Yao heard this.
It seemed a little difficult to say, and after a long pause, I finally found the words to describe it: "having a harem of wives and concubines..."
"--really!"
After hearing this, Third Master spoke with great interest.
"Have you been able to reproduce?"
"Yes, one of them is very similar to you, but he chose the path of the savage beast. He is too big and Lei Yao did not bring him this time."
"It's alright, it's alright, as long as there's a successor."
After exchanging pleasantries, Third Master then spoke to Wang Yu.
"Have young people ever heard of the Ancient Beast Ancestor Mountain?"
"Ms. Lei has told me everything that needs to be said, and I understand the basic situation."
"Alright then."
Without wasting any time, the old man simply took out the True Spirit Contract, which contained the terms of inheritance sharing, with all other gains belonging to Wang Yu personally.
The huge contract sheet contained only a few lines of characters.
After confirming that there were no problems, Wang Yu signed it and received another token, the old man explained.
"This token ensures that you can stop and rest for a while when you climb to those platforms."
"Even if you leave halfway, as long as you don't fail the challenge, you can directly insert yourself from the platform and continue climbing."
In other words, the platforms in the middle of the winding mountain path and stone steps are checkpoints, and the situation is quite clear.
Even if he climbs halfway and then goes to participate in a treasure exchange event, as long as he leaves the platform, he can start over from the same point next time.
"Everyone has three chances to challenge. Remember, you must not leave the stone steps on the mountain path. Even if you use a teleportation technique to fly, you cannot leave the area of the stone steps."
Wang Yu translated it as follows: It can move up and down, but not left and right, because the stone steps of the Ancient Beast Ancestor Mountain are less than one meter wide, which is very narrow.
If he encounters an "enemy" on the road, his fighting space will be severely compressed, and he will most likely have no choice but to fight it head-on.
The old man gave Wang Yu a few words of advice and then stopped paying attention to him. Perhaps he didn't have much hope, since he had obtained most of the inheritances he could over the years.
Even the vast ocean cannot withstand the power of time.
What's lacking are the very top-tier ones; to obtain them, one must reach the very top. A word more or a word less makes little difference.
Instead of wasting time, you should talk to Lei Yao more.
These old folks, whose cultivation level is at least at the mid-stage of the fourth rank, have experienced too many things in their long lives. They are lucky to have one or two people accompany them to the end.
After exchanging pleasantries, they asked all sorts of strange questions, mainly inquiring about the old man's fourth brother, who seemed to be serving as a guardian spirit beast and gatekeeper at Lei Huo Temple.
Seeing that the two were having a great conversation, Wang Yu walked alone toward the Ancient Beast Ancestral Mountain. At the entrance, there was a red pillar with blue background and gold characters on the archway, which read: "Stairway to Immortality"!
"Such arrogance."
I had some complaints in my mind.
Wang Yu stepped in. Although he had been mentally prepared, the moment he stepped onto the stone steps, it felt as if a heavy hammer had struck his heart.
It was a truly devastating blow.
It was a rather rare mental attack. If it weren't for his mastery of the Mind Dao at the [Emptiness Realm], Wang Yu would have been stunned for a long time before recovering.
Now... adjust your breathing slightly.
He decisively stepped onto the second stone step, and this time he felt an endless pressure descending upon him, trying to crush him to the ground. This force was similar to gravity.
But it is also different; it not only affects the whole body, but also puts pressure on the internal organs.
Wang Yu still managed to overcome this challenge with ease.
As he stepped onto the third step, his body was suddenly covered in flames. The raging fire seemed to want to burn his flesh to ashes, but unfortunately, it was not powerful enough.
It can stop Core Formation cultivators, but it absolutely cannot stop Nascent Soul cultivators.
The entrance to the Ancient Beast Ancestral Mountain is on the east side. It takes a total of 1,080 steps to climb up this side before you will enter the first rest platform.
Further on, there are stone steps leading to the mountain path to the north.
The same 1,080 steps, then turn west, then south, spiraling upwards. Due to the near-cubic structure on all four sides, there is a resting platform at each turn.
Wang Yu's climbing speed was incredibly fast, immediately attracting the attention of the old men in the Heart Beast Tower.
First update!
To reiterate, previously, the update schedule was packed with new chapters, 12,000 words per day. Whether it was four chapters or three, the word count remained the same; there was no question of it gradually decreasing.
Now that we've entered 2025, the period of frequent updates has ended, so the word count of 8,000 words a day, or two chapters a day, hasn't actually decreased by much.
It's almost Chinese New Year, so I'll take a break and rest for a while. I'll also stockpile some drafts; you guys don't want to stop updating during the holiday, right?
--hey-hey!
P.S.: Thank you so much to all the readers for your monthly tickets and donations!
(Keep up the good work in the new year!)
(End of this chapter)
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