Chapter Ten: The Celestial Dragon Mountains

A dozen days after he had finished his daily practice, Chen Yi had already mastered both the Splitting Light Sword Technique and the Golden Swallow Nine Steps. In his spare moments, he had also brought his Thunderclap Palm to the level of three successive strikes, a sign of significant progress. He now felt that, at this stage, he had pushed his swordsmanship and footwork to their limits. Moreover, after absorbing the energy from nine spirit stones, his cultivation had reached the peak of the fourth level of Qi Refinement, only to encounter an impassable barrier that prevented further advancement.

With this in mind, Chen Yi decided to venture into the Tianlong Mountains to hone his skills. He intended to hunt demon beasts, hoping that the life-and-death struggles would awaken his latent potential, break through his current bottleneck, and simultaneously temper his swordsmanship and real combat prowess.

From the sect’s mission hall, he selected a task to hunt the Golden Jiao Serpent, a fourth-level Qi Refinement demon beast. Each kill would earn him two contribution points—hard currency within the sect, equivalent to its money. A single contribution point could be exchanged for a spirit stone or ten thousand taels of gold and silver, though few would ever trade such valuable points for mere coin.

To complete such a hunt, it was unnecessary to bring back the entire beast; the sect only required the beast’s inner core as proof. The inner core, formed by the condensing of a demon beast’s spiritual energy, was the source of its power, akin to the dantian in humans. The violent energy inside was unsuitable for direct absorption by humans, but alchemists could refine potent pills from these cores. Such medicine, rich in spiritual energy and easily absorbed, was rare since the refining process was difficult and the yield low, making inner cores highly sought after.

Other beast parts—pelts, bones, flesh—could also be used in alchemy and artifact crafting, but they contained less essence and were cumbersome to transport. Sacrificing the chance to collect more inner cores for the sake of hauling back a massive beast carcass was not worth it, so the sect accepted only the inner core as proof.

Only demon beasts of at least the fourth Qi Refinement level could form inner cores; lesser creatures, lacking sufficient spiritual energy, could not. Such monsters were simply known as wild beasts, while only those with condensed cores were worthy of the name demon beast.

To prepare for his journey into the Tianlong Mountains, Chen Yi needed a variety of supplies—maps, tools for making fire and cooking—all of which he had yet to gather. He had visited the outskirts of these mountains before, but never dared penetrate deep within. Without formidable cultivation, venturing into the heart of the mountains would be perilous.

The Tianlong Mountains soared skyward, their peaks lost among the clouds, stretching for tens of thousands of miles in majestic grandeur. From a distance, their end could not be seen. Shrouded year-round in mist, the mountains were thick with ancient, towering trees, their branches intertwined with lush, verdant vines resembling coiling dragons. Countless demon beasts roamed these wild lands, lending the Tianlong Mountains an untamed, primeval air.

The outer regions of the range were home to few powerful demon beasts or rare spiritual herbs. Most were wild beasts below the fourth Qi Refinement level and mere decade-old medicinal plants, nothing of real value for cultivators above the fourth level. Those with higher cultivation would always venture deeper, often in groups.

At his current peak fourth-level cultivation, Chen Yi was unlikely to encounter true danger in the outer mountains, which conflicted with his purpose. After all, he sought the perils of life and death to force a breakthrough, complete his mission, and gain real experience—there was no point journeying to a place without either danger or opportunity.

Chen Yi had purchased a bestiary of demon beasts at the market near the Five Elements Sect, paying a precious Earth Yellow Pill for it. The book contained illustrations and detailed notes on the habits of most demon beasts in the Tianlong Mountains, an invaluable resource for his training. Though he had felt the sting of spending such a pill, Chen Yi believed he would earn back its value—and more—on this trip.

In addition, he bought a herbal compendium, a map of the Tianlong Mountains, and ten Spirit Replenishing Pills, spending a total of twenty Earth Yellow Pills—about the value of five spirit stones. He had acquired these pills by force from Wang Hu and his gang, and since his cultivation had hit a wall, more pills would be of no use, so he had saved the lot for this expedition.

The Tianlong Mountains soared up into the clouds and stretched endlessly. Viewed from above, they resembled a five-clawed golden dragon leaping skyward, with the Five Elements Sect nestled where the dragon appeared to spew a pearl. Legend held that the range was formed thousands of years ago when a celestial dragon from the upper realm fell to earth. It was said that a dragon clan in the tribulation stage resided at the head of the range, though no one knew if this were true. What was certain was that many demon beasts with dragon bloodlines lived in these mountains, including his current target: the Jiao Serpent. This creature, with a single horn and golden scales, resembled a golden flood dragon and, possessing dragon blood, was known as the Golden Jiao Serpent.

The mountains were thickly forested, many trees hundreds or thousands of years old. In the deepest recesses, there were even trees said to be ten thousand years old that had gained consciousness and taken human form.

Sword in hand, Chen Yi advanced carefully through the dense, overgrown forest. Around him, darkness reigned; not even sunlight could penetrate the thick canopy. The air was heavy with the damp, rotting scent of fallen leaves. Luckily, with his refined cultivation, his vision had sharpened to the point that he could see in the dark, making him less reliant on sunlight to discern his surroundings.

At some point, unfamiliar roars echoed through the woods—sometimes near, sometimes far—constantly reminding Chen Yi of ever-present danger. Hidden among the towering trees lurked all manner of threats: giant snakes as thick as a man’s thigh, brightly colored venomous insects, and vividly hued spiders, any one of which could spell death.

Chen Yi circulated his true energy to shield his entire body, remaining alert and ready to strike, both to guard against demon beasts and the bite of venomous creatures. Though this consumed a great deal of energy, he felt it was worth the risk for the sake of safety; any depletion could be compensated with a Spirit Replenishing Pill.

Any carelessness would bring grave peril. Here in the perilous Tianlong Mountains, danger could descend at any moment.

After several hours of travel, Chen Yi leaped onto a tall tree, checked his map and compared it to his location, discovering he stood on the edge of the mountain’s deeper regions. By now, the sun was sinking in the west and darkness was falling. He decided to find shelter for the night, as night was when demon beasts hunted. Being alone at such a time would be extremely dangerous.

He moved toward the nearby mountains, knowing from past experience that many natural caves could be found there, suitable for rest.

As he neared the foot of a peak, he heard a faint sound behind him. Though barely audible, his heightened spiritual awareness made it clear as day.

Chen Yi knew something was following him. He slowed his steps, swiftly drew the Changhong Sword at his waist, and slashed at a large tree behind him.

With a thunderous crash, the tree was cleaved in two. Behind it emerged a fierce wolf, two meters long and a meter tall. It bared its fangs, saliva dripping from its jaws, while its hungry green eyes glared viciously at Chen Yi. A bleeding wound, twenty centimeters long, cut across its side—a wound inflicted by Chen Yi’s own sword.

This wolf was clearly a former pack leader, now alone and wounded, its body marked by scars left by the claws of another rival. Such a recently dethroned lone wolf was not much trouble for Chen Yi. Though it possessed the strength of the fifth Qi Refinement level, if it had still led a pack, Chen Yi would have fled at once, for the pack alone could wear down any foe.

Yet this lone wolf, despite its strength, did not frighten him. With his mastery of sword and footwork, Chen Yi was confident he could either defeat it or at least outrun it if necessary.