Xiao Lingyu silently assessed the scene before him. The Water Moon Wheel continued to circle his body, emanating a faint blue light.
He had no idea where the previous green mist had transported everyone, but he now found himself at the foot of a mountain. Within sight, a lush, verdant peak rose sharply, dotted with pavilions and terraces. Occasionally, the sound of spring water tinkled. Everywhere he looked, flowers bloomed and willows swayed, filling the air with a pleasant fragrance. Looking up, the sun hung high in a clear blue sky, white clouds drifting lazily, while a few cranes stretched gracefully and danced in the air. Closing his eyes, Xiao Lingyu could even feel the soft breeze brushing against his face.
Suddenly, a faint whistling sound reached his ears. Xiao Lingyu snapped his eyes open. A golden snake, about the thickness of an arm, lay split in two at his feet, crimson blood slowly seeping from its body.
Xiao Lingyu’s expression remained unreadable as Old Ghost snorted lightly, “You wouldn’t be fooled by such a trivial illusion, would you?”
Xiao Lingyu ignored him and instead asked, “What is the Demon Clan?”
Old Ghost was momentarily struck silent by the question, instinctively wanting to divert the topic. But Xiao Lingyu raised his left hand in a seal and said calmly, “If you don’t want to answer truthfully—or lie—then don’t speak for the next ten years.”
For a chatterbox like Old Ghost, this was a serious threat.
Though he didn’t believe Xiao Lingyu would actually enforce ten years of silence, he knew this brat was capable of anything. Even a single year of enforced silence would be unbearable.
Furthermore, this place was filled with danger; any misstep could trap them forever. He sighed internally and finally spoke, “The Demon Clan is one of the three ancient races. In ancient times, it wasn’t like now where humanity dominates alone—humans, demons, and monsters all held sway. The Demon Clan resembled humans in appearance, were extremely powerful individually, and had a nature that delighted in hunting human cultivators. To demons, human cultivators’ essence was a great tonic. Humans and demons constantly opposed each other, always at war.”
Xiao Lingyu murmured, “Humans, demons, and monsters?” Then he asked, “Why does the current cultivation world have no record of them?”
Old Ghost rolled his eyes. “How would I know? When I was alive, the three races were fine. After I awoke and joined you, I haven’t heard a single word—not about the Demon Clan, nor even the Monster Clan.”
“The Monster Clan… the Western Phantom Monster Realm has always been mysterious and isolated. Could they be the monsters living there? As for the Demon Clan, there are no recorded texts. Could something have happened?”
Old Ghost snorted, “What could have happened? Surely it was a great war with humanity. Both sides were severely damaged, and nothing was passed down. I’ve searched the Yun Tian Sect’s records; not only the Demon Clan, but even information on the ancient humans is nonexistent.”
Xiao Lingyu frowned. “Whether anything was passed down or not, what does that have to do with us? Aside from the general knowledge, do you know anything specific about the Demon Clan? For instance, how they hunt human cultivators, or what that green mist was just now?”
This question stirred memories Old Ghost did not wish to recall. After a long pause, he replied flatly, “You saw how they hunt—Demons are cunning and excel at exploiting the desires hidden in human hearts. Their method is to lure cultivators into traps through illusions. As for that green mist, I’m not a demon—how would I know?” He immediately added, “I’ve told you everything I can. Don’t ask about the Demon Clan anymore.”
Xiao Lingyu sensed the emotional shift and, recalling past events, a thought crossed his mind: Could Old Ghost have had ties with the Demon Clan back then? But then he dismissed the thought. For now, the priority was surviving this place. Judging by Old Ghost’s demeanor, the Demon Clan was clearly a taboo topic, so he couldn’t count on any assistance.
Knowing they were in ancient Demon Clan territory, Xiao Lingyu became even more vigilant. The three magical treasures granted to him by Wu Yunzi when he descended the mountain had all been refined by him; now he could wield them at once.
The three treasures were: a Shadowless Dagger for attack, a faint green Lvxie Umbrella of indeterminate material, and a faint blue Mixed Heaven Ribbon.
In his previous life, aside from the Mixed Heaven Ribbon, the other two treasures were already familiar to him, so there was no awkwardness in using them. The Mixed Heaven Ribbon had initially been dismissed for being “too feminine,” but in fact it was the most powerful of the three. In this life, being a compliant disciple, he accepted his master’s gifts without hesitation.
The white Shadowless Dagger and the Water Moon Wheel circled left and right of him, the Lvxie Umbrella spun lightly above his head, and the Mixed Heaven Ribbon was tied at his waist. Even Old Ghost, previously in an unusual mood, couldn’t help but laugh at Xiao Lingyu’s display. “Xiao Yuzi, you’re basically a walking treasure showcase.”
Xiao Lingyu, seeing Old Ghost’s mood return to normal, exhaled lightly but murmured, “You won’t be saying that after these treasures save your life.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than a fierce gust of wind struck from behind. The umbrella immediately radiated a faint green glow, blocking the attack. Xiao Lingyu turned just in time to see the assailant—a monkey-like creature covered in black fur, its eyes glowing red.
Old Ghost whispered, “This is a Demon Monkey, a low-level demon creature favored by the Demon Clan. Their strength is tremendous, and magical weapons rarely harm them. They have no significant supernatural abilities; their weakness is their eyes.”
Xiao Lingyu lowered his eyelids slightly, forming a hand seal. The Shadowless Dagger trembled, and in the next instant, a shrill howl erupted from the Demon Monkey as the dagger pierced its eyes.
He then calmly cast a Water Sphere, enclosing the thrashing Demon Monkey. No matter how it struggled, the sphere held tight, and soon the creature collapsed, lifeless.
Old Ghost watched silently, inwardly musing that the boy should show this to his senior brother.
With the Demon Monkey dead, the Water Sphere dissipated into a puddle of water. Xiao Lingyu moved to collect it, intending to sell it for a good price. After all, these rare demon corpses were highly valuable.
As Xiao Lingyu fought, Chu Mingwei faced a group of human cultivators. These were the ones initially caught in the green mountain. They had now become hostile, surrounding Chu Mingwei with their magical implements, their eyes glowing blood-red.
Above Chu Mingwei floated the Lei Han Mirror, occasionally flashing with blinding sparks.
Seeing the red in their eyes, Chu Mingwei realized they had been ensnared by the surrounding illusions. When he first led everyone into the milky-white mist, it gradually turned green and permeated with sinister energy.
Chu Mingwei initially wanted to retreat, but everyone around him had vanished. He followed the green mist alone, and when it cleared, he found himself halfway up the mountain. Not far away, a white jade palace reflected soft sunlight.
He only glanced once at the palace before summoning the Lei Han Mirror. A deafening thunderclap erupted, dispelling the illusion. Before him stood a black mountain, sharp and bare. Atop it, a black palace pierced the void. Chu Mingwei knew that to escape, reaching the palace would be crucial.
Before he could proceed, the human cultivators leaped out. In their minds, Chu Mingwei had just emerged from the white jade palace, laden with treasures they sought.
Seeing them trapped in the illusion, Chu Mingwei pondered briefly and then gestured with his left hand. The Lei Han Mirror expanded, crackling with sparks as his deep voice commanded, “Great Thunder Technique!” Massive bolts of lightning struck the cultivators, awakening them from the illusion.
Once their minds cleared, Chu Mingwei briefly explained the situation, then ascended alone toward the mountain peak.
The cultivators seemed to want to follow, but Chu Mingwei, wary of forming alliances in such a dangerous, illusion-filled place, preferred to proceed alone. He was grateful his junior disciple remained outside; otherwise, protecting him in such a perilous environment would have been impossible.
With his lightning-based cultivation specifically countering sinister energy, aided by the Lei Han Mirror, Chu Mingwei reached the mid-mountain. As he turned to survey his surroundings, he caught a faint blue figure darting ahead. Almost immediately, he cried out, “Lingyu!”