112: Chapter 112 The Rise of Humanity, the Decline of Demons!

...

Just after receiving the message from Perfected Qing Shan, a white light broke through the Formation and landed on the mountain peak. The visitor was none other than Daoist Yun Du.

Immortal Master Daoist Yun Du stepped forward with a calm expression.

"Fellow Daoist Shi, news has come from Qingguang Sect."

"The old ghost Qing Shan is ready. The water-repelling beads, trapping Formation, and Yao-luring incense are all prepared. He's urging us to depart immediately."

Shi Jian stood up, his massive frame shaking off the lightning fluid. His body then rapidly shrank, transforming into the size of an ordinary Black Bear.

"That old thing is more anxious than we are."

"Naturally. With his Lifespan nearly exhausted, who wouldn't be anxious?"

Daoist Yun Du stroked his beard and smiled faintly. "However, once we leave, the internal defenses of Baiyun Prefecture will be empty. I'm afraid the Fenghe Sect might take the opportunity to cause trouble..."

"In a few days, you and I will both publicly announce that we are entering closed-door cultivation."

"The forces under White Cloud Temple's jurisdiction will continue as usual, maintaining a strong stance. This way, the Fenghe Sect won't be able to tell the truth from the lies. With Old Monster Mu's steady character, he would never dare to act rashly."

"This will also allow us to slip away."

Hearing this, Shi Jian nodded slightly in agreement. Daoist Yun Du was indeed quite resourceful.

...

Two days later.

News spread from White Cloud Temple that both the Temple Master and Ancestor Shi were entering closed-door cultivation. The protective Sect Formation shone brightly, maintaining a state of slight alertness.

However, the elite Disciples out on trials and the various forces in Baiyun Prefecture continued their activities as usual, showing no signs of anything unusual...

At the same time.

An inconspicuous green flying boat silently sailed out of the Yunjian Mountain Range, heading straight for Qingzhou County...

Three hundred miles outside Qingguang Sect, atop a desolate mountain peak.

Perfected Qing Shan had already been waiting for a long time.

He wore a green robe, and his figure was even more hunched than half a year ago. His exposed skin was covered in brown patches.

His entire body exuded a decaying Death Qi that could not be concealed.

Seeing Shi Jian and Daoist Yun Du appear, a glint flashed in Perfected Qing Shan's cloudy eyes. He only had thirty or forty years of Lifespan left; he had to hurry.

"Fellow Daoists, you've finally arrived."

Perfected Qing Shan's voice was slightly hoarse, and his condition did not seem very good.

"Old Immortal Master, your state is such that I'm afraid we can't delay any longer."

"Let's not waste words. Everyone, board the boat."

With a wave of his sleeve, Daoist Yun Du summoned a silver feather boat, nine zhang long and entirely silver-white, which hovered in mid-air. It was currently their fastest Magic Treasure for travel.

The two men and the bear boarded the boat, and Daoist Yun Du performed a hand seal.

The silver feather boat emitted a clear, high-pitched hum and turned into a silver meteor, streaking across the firmament and heading straight for the northern horizon!

Baiyun Prefecture was located in the remote southwest of the Wei State, while the North Sea was at the extreme northern end of the Wei State.

This journey required crossing more than half of the Wei State's territory, a distance of hundreds of thousands of miles. Even with a flying boat Magic Treasure, it would take ten to fifteen days.

On the flying boat, the gale howled.

Shi Jian sat cross-legged at the bow, looking down at the mountains and rivers rapidly receding below.

The first three days were calm and uneventful.

As the flying boat delved deeper into the heart of the Wei State, the scenery below underwent a radical change. Second-grade Spiritual Veins, which were rarely seen in Baiyun Prefecture, were as dense as bamboo shoots after a spring rain.

Mortal cities were massive in scale, often housing millions of people.

In the sky, various streaks of light and flying boats shuttled back and forth in an endless stream.

"So this is the heart of the Wei State."

"I didn't expect that just a tip of the iceberg would be so prosperous."

Shi Jian sighed inwardly, feeling somewhat bitter.

The Yao Race lived a difficult existence on the Xuanling Continent. All the good Spiritual Veins and blessed lands were occupied by various human Sects and families.

If he didn't have a Golden Core cultivation, he wouldn't have dared to fly so openly through the heart of human territory. He would have long since been attacked by those Cultivators who called themselves the Righteous Path, who would have flayed him, pulled out his tendons, and gouged out his Yao Core!

And this was just the Wei State; the Jin State and Liang Kingdom were also under the full control of the Human Race.

In the entire Xuanling Continent, high-level Yao Beasts were almost extinct. The few existing Yao Beast mountain ranges were all like the Dafeng Mountains—Mushou Mountains raised by various forces...

Truly tragic and lamentable!

Shi Jian even felt lucky. Perhaps his ability to make it this far wasn't because of his strength, but because the various human factions had never truly looked him in the eye.

Even though he was already a Level 5 Yao General, in the human-dominated Xuanling Continent, he was but a drop in the ocean...

The Sun Clan accepted him because they needed a Yao Beast for support.

White Cloud Temple accepted him because they needed a Golden Core combatant to help balance the Fenghe Sect.

The Shangqing Sect also wanted to accept him, but that was due to the selfishness of Nascent Soul True Monarch Luan Yuan, who coveted his power to have him serve his interests...

It wasn't that the Shangqing Sect truly couldn't do without him.

From beginning to end, he, Shi Jian, was merely the result of selfishness and the balancing of various forces. If he hadn't worn the mantle of a Guardian Spirit Beast...

He probably wouldn't have seen this day.

Instead, he would have died long ago in White Cloud Temple during the previous Qing Shan Yao-slaying operation.

His thoughts gradually returned to the present, and Shi Jian stopped overthinking.

"We're entering the territory of the Xuanqing Sect ahead."

At this moment, Daoist Yun Du stood to the side, pointing at a vast, endless mountain range in the distance that was surging with spiritual light...

Xuanqing Sect, one of the three major Sects of the Wei State!

It was also a Nascent Soul-level power, with several Nascent Soul True Monarchs within the Sect.

Shi Jian gazed into the distance. In that mountain range, several heart-palpitating auras were faintly dormant. Any one of them far exceeded his current Realm.

Shi Jian didn't dare look further and lowered his head in silence.

When the flying boat passed through the Xuanqing Sect's territory, Daoist Yun Du deliberately lowered the flight altitude and slowed down to show respect.

Along the way, they didn't see even a shadow of a rogue cultivator. The jurisdiction was stable and peaceful, incredibly so—a true age of prosperity!

Another five days passed.

A strong, salty, and fishy scent began to permeate the air, and the temperature dropped sharply.

"We've arrived."

Perfected Qing Shan opened his eyes from meditation. A sickly flush appeared on his lifeless face, and his emotions fluctuated slightly.

When the silver feather boat passed through a layer of thick clouds, the view suddenly opened up!

Ahead was a black ocean that stretched as far as the eye could see.

The seawater was as black as ink, and the gale whipped up waves dozens of zhang high, crashing violently against the rocks on the shore with a deafening roar.

At the very front of the coastline stood a colossal structure.

Zhenhai Immortal City!

This was one of the largest and most magnificent cultivation hubs in the Wei State's cultivation world.

The city walls were hundreds of zhang high, like mountains, constructed entirely of black gold profound iron, with dense Formation runes carved into the surface.

On the city walls, every thousand zhang...

...stood a stone monument emitting terrifying spiritual power fluctuations. Intricate spiritual patterns were carved upon them, and their tops were hollowed out, containing floating spherical Magic Treasures that could trigger Restrictions at any moment!

They were enough to kill any Golden Core-level existence.

A massive semi-transparent light shield was inverted over the entire Immortal City, enveloping it.

At the top of the light shield floated an ancient Bagua copper mirror, emitting a terrifying pressure that suppressed all things. Judging by its aura, it was clearly a top-grade Magic Treasure serving as the Formation eye!

At the Immortal City's port, hundreds of massive deep-sea spirit ships were moored.

Countless Cultivators shuttled through the city like ants. The clamor, shouting, and beast roars merged into a single sound—it was incredibly prosperous!

"Let's go. We'll rest in the city and inquire about the recent situation at the Black Wind Abyss."

Daoist Yun Du stowed away the silver feather boat.

The two men and the bear landed outside the city, paid the entry fee, and stepped into Zhenhai Immortal City.

As Shi Jian walked down the street, he immediately drew the attention of the surrounding Cultivators, but no one dared to step forward and provoke him.

A Level 5 Yao Beast was nothing to be trifled with!

A genuine Golden Core Great Yao. While the Golden Core Realm wasn't the very top tier of existence, it was the backbone of major powers.

Their numbers were extremely scarce. Adding them all up across the entire Wei State, there were only a few hundred Golden Cores, placing them at the upper-middle level of the pyramid.

In this cultivation world, strength ultimately reigned supreme.

...