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Demon Cultivators are different from humans in their cultivation practices. They either gather in groups based on family ties or prefer to be solitary.
Most Demon Cultivators harbor a deep hatred for the Demon Sect, which is related to ancient secrets.
In ancient times, the Demon Sect referred to themselves as the Dao Sect. Their cultivation method involved exterminating demons and harvesting Spiritual Roots to absorb their essence. Eventually, as the naturally occurring spiritual beasts and Spiritual Roots dwindled due to their actions, they turned their attention to cultivating their own kind.
Before this, a deep enmity had already formed between the Demon Sect and the Demon Cultivators. While the Demon Cultivators could tolerate the killing of other species, they placed great importance on their own kind. Many spiritual beasts struggled to reproduce, and seeing their young slaughtered by the Demon Sect for demon pills filled the elders with rage.
However, it would be a mistake to think that this made them friendly towards the Immortal Sect. The actions of the Demon Sect left them with deep-seated fears, causing them to view all humans as enemies.
Subsequently, there were numerous battles between the Immortal Sect and the Demon Sect. In their desperate situation, the Immortal Sect sought out these reclusive Demon Cultivators as potential allies, expending great effort to convince them of the differences between the Immortal Sect and the Demon Sect. Gradually, the animosity of the Demon Cultivators towards human cultivators began to improve.
Some Demon Cultivators openly joined the ranks of the Immortal Sect, while others were swayed by the Demon Sect's allure! The Immortal Sect has always prided itself on moral discipline, but some of the more sinister Demon Cultivators felt that the Demon Sect suited them better.
During each battle between immortals and demons, Demon Cultivators would appear, but their numbers dwindled with each conflict. This decline was primarily due to those who sided with the Demon Sect; after wars ended, they vanished! Once their usefulness was over, they were easily eliminated by the Demon Sect for demon pills.
Rumors spread among the Demon Cultivators. Although fewer and fewer chose to side with the Demon Sect, those who joined the Immortal Sect remained few as well. They believed it unwise to get involved in human conflicts and preferred to hide away and cultivate on their own. Consequently, there were fewer and fewer visible Demon Cultivators in human society, mostly just minor demons without significant power.
Li Hong obtained a map that was drawn six thousand years ago. During the most recent battle between immortals and demons three thousand years ago, there was hardly any sign of Demon Cultivators.
Six thousand years have passed; who knows if those Demon Cultivators still reside in their original hiding places? This will be a significant challenge.
The second major challenge is that even those who once joined the Immortal Sect may not be willing to lend their assistance this time; convincing them will require effort.
These truly powerful Demon Cultivators have cultivated for thousands of years; some possess terrifying abilities and are almost like natural spiritual beasts, born with unique talents. Many have also undergone Transmutation, altering their appearances to resemble humans closely while retaining some strange innate characteristics that set them apart from true humans. They were once revered as seniors by members of the Immortal Sect for participating in past wars against demons and take great pride in being considered "people," particularly despising being called "monsters." A single wrong look could lead to trouble.
It seems that not only luck is needed but also genuine rapport with them. Li Hong began to feel that this mission would not be simple.
Ling Yi Zi coldly smiled and said, "Why overthink it? Whether human or beast, respect is given to the strong. If they refuse to comply, we will beat them into submission!"
Li Hong smiled, but could not stop the internal ridicule. With both the old and the young coming together to attack, could the two of us with four hands really take on a group? We could only rely on our wits, not strength. At a critical moment, the Beast Taming Technique had to be used, but it was essential to avoid using it in front of those old demons who thought they were already "human"! My current Beast Taming Technique was not powerful enough to deal with the elders!
The two of them descended the mountain and flew straight east until they saw the sea before turning northwest towards Middle-Earth, effectively making a large detour. This was necessary to avoid the eyes and ears of the Demon Sect.
The first stop was Mount Fajiao.
There has long been a legend of Jingwei filling the sea. It is said that the daughter of the ancient Shennong Emperor drowned in the Eastern Sea, and her spirit transformed into a Jingwei bird, carrying wood from dawn till dusk to fill the sea. This small bird is determined to fill the vast ocean; such spirit made Tao Yuanming praise: "Jingwei carries tiny wood to fill the Azure Sea. Xingtian dances with his axe, his fierce will remains ever strong." The small Jingwei can be compared to the giant Xingtian, which is quite something to be proud of.
But if Tao Yuanming knew the truth about Jingwei, he would find Xingtian unremarkable.
However, when Li Hong and Ling Yi Zi finally sneaked into the Jingwei Clan's territory, they discovered empty mountains and deep caves, with not a single shadow of a Jingwei in sight. They must have moved as a clan.
Strange sounds echoed deep within the dark cave. This place was too close to the territory of Xiantai Ruyi Hall; this must have been why the Jingwei clan relocated. The two did not dare linger and quickly fled.
The first stop ended in failure.
The two quietly flew back to the seaside. Night had fallen, and a bright moon rose slowly from the sea, casting silver light across the waves like fish scales shimmering. The cold wind blew along the spring night’s shore, where human presence was rare; only the gentle sound of waves lapping against the shore could be heard.
Li Hong and Ling Yi Zi sat cross-legged on the sandy beach side by side, releasing their Divine Consciousness to guard their surroundings while engaging in casual conversation.
"Our expedition has not gone well; our first stop is completely deserted," Li Hong sighed.
"The Jingwei clan must have many members after so many years of reproduction. They participated in that battle between immortals and demons six thousand years ago and even had some ties with our Nine Li Sect. It's truly a pity," Ling Yi Zi said before falling silent.
"Where do you think they might have relocated?"
"I don't know; the world is vast. Perhaps there is a peaceful paradise somewhere, unlike Middle-Earth, where we have to fight every three thousand years," Ling Yi Zi's face turned cold and solemn.
Under the bright moon and gentle breeze, looking at the boundless sea, Li Hong suddenly had a thought, "What do you think is on the other side of the ocean?"
"A land of uncivilized barbarians, living off raw meat and blood, still stuck in the ancient times of our Middle-Earth," Ling Yi Zi replied with clarity.
Li Hong was intrigued and exclaimed, "So it turns out that beyond the sea there are not only immortal mountains but also such desolate places!"
"I once read a travelogue in the Scripture Repository. In the past, a senior from our Nine Li Sect flew across the ocean to that place and recorded what he saw. It is said that this place is quite strange; although the barbarians are uncivilized, there exists a mysterious and powerful force controlling it, making it difficult to interact with them. That senior, even at the Nascent Soul Stage, did not dare to linger there and hurried back after a brief glance."
Hearing this, Li Hong's heart raced with excitement as he stood up and gestured vigorously, "One day I must fly across the ocean to see what lies on the other side!"
A faint smile appeared on Ling Yi Zi's stern face.
The two began discussing their journey through sound transmission. Half an hour later, they set off again, flying northward just after midnight.
The bitter cold land beyond the pass was now full of spring warmth. The clear night breeze carried the fragrance of wood leaves. In the distance, the mountain peaks were still covered in white snow, but below the snow line, blades of grass had timidly emerged from the rich black soil, cautiously peering into this world.
Li Hong chuckled wryly as he contemplated the map. The map was drawn hastily; aside from a few clearly marked locations like that of the Jingwei Clan, many other places were merely indicated with rough outlines. It was only upon arriving here that he realized how vast this mountainous region was. Searching for a deliberately hidden Demon Cultivator in such a large Peak Valley was simply asking too much.
Li Hong touched his Forehead Band and said to Ling Yi Zi, "Let's first use Divine Consciousness to probe around. If we can't find anything this way, then there's nothing we can do; we can't just search blindly."
"Alright, you go east and I’ll go west. We will meet back here in two hours," Ling Yi Zi said as his figure flashed and he headed west.
This mountainous area stretched for thousands of miles; separating to search was indeed the best approach. Watching Ling Yi Zi's figure disappear, Li Hong focused his thoughts and transformed into golden light heading eastward.
After covering a suitable distance, he found an exceptionally high peak and sat cross-legged to release his Divine Consciousness for careful probing.
With his mind focused, he transformed into a gentle breeze sweeping over thousands of mountains and valleys. His Divine Consciousness had grown quite powerful; nothing within a hundred miles could escape his scrutiny. Starting from where he was, he meticulously traced circles inch by inch to expand his search range. Whenever there was any unusual movement detected, he would stop to investigate closely. This way, even two mice fighting in a deep valley could be clearly observed. After thoroughly examining this hundred-mile area, he immediately took off again to fly another hundred miles and continued this careful probing for five hundred miles in total.
Finally, Li Hong opened his eyes in disappointment. He discovered a mountain spirit absorbing the moonlight, two tigers that had just begun to tread the path of demons, and a nest of somewhat unusual vultures, but they were all ordinary demons, not even low-level spirit beasts. What he sought were extraordinary demon cultivators, those born with the ability to cultivate. These tiger and vulture spirits were simply beneath notice.
Time passed, and he flew to the meeting point agreed upon with Ling Yi Zi, sitting cross-legged. However, Ling Yi Zi did not return. Li Hong thought to himself that Ling Yi Zi's divine consciousness might not be strong enough, perhaps only capable of low flying for reconnaissance. There was no rush; they had plenty of time, so he decided to wait there.
The weather was pleasant, and with nothing else to do, he decided to cultivate for a while while waiting for Ling Yi Zi's return.
With a thought, the Golden Core Group began to spin rapidly. But soon Li Hong noticed a strange phenomenon. The multicolored light dots here were scarce—so scarce that it hardly mattered whether he cultivated or not.
He immediately felt something was off. He had never tried cultivating in the Mortal Realm before. Was it just this mountainous area where the multicolored light dots were rare, or were they sparse throughout the Mortal Realm? If they were sparse everywhere in the Mortal Realm, that would be quite unfortunate; it would mean he could only cultivate in the Nine Li Cave Heaven or rely on the Supreme Celestial Stone for cultivation. This would impose some limitations on his practice.
After a while lost in thought, he suddenly realized that two hours had already passed and Ling Yi Zi still had not returned. He quickly flew westward, releasing his divine consciousness as he went to investigate.
Suddenly, he saw a strange sight.
On the hillside ahead stood a large grove of locust trees, blooming profusely in springtime, their white flowers resembling snow in the dim night. Ling Yi Zi stood motionless among the locust trees, like a statue carved from clay or stone, seemingly unaware of what he was doing.
Li Hong was about to fly down when an alarm bell rang in his heart.
Looking again closely, there were no locust trees blooming with white flowers nor any sign of Ling Yi Zi; below was pitch black—nothing at all.
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