The Road to Shu Is Hard

"Harbor a Sword Heart, nurture and temper it; after a thousand grindings and ten thousand trials, Sword Intent is finally born... This is Sword Dao: Sword Nurturing Chapter..."

Within the Ancient Tomb of Mount Ba Ling, Yan Kuan, who had been sitting with his eyes closed, slowly began to move. The instant he opened his eyes, a brilliant streak of sword light swept forth, illuminating most of the underground palace. Even the seven sword lights crisscrossing and slashing within the Stone Chamber at the deepest part of the underground palace resonated with it.

"Unfortunately, my cultivation is still too weak, and my understanding of the Sword Dao is too shallow. It is not yet time."

Yan Kuan cast a deep look toward the Immortal Cremation Tomb Chamber at the very depths of the underground palace. Having inherited the karmic legacy of Great Sage Chisongzi's Sword Dao, he could now be considered that Great Saint's Cross-Generation Disciple. He was already confident that he could pass through the Stone Chamber crossed by seven sword qi without injury and enter the deepest part of the Ancient Tomb.

Yet he had no intention of doing so now. After gathering himself, he raised two fingers like a sword and dug out the entire Sword Sharpening Stone. After sealing it, he sent it into his Wheel Sea, then flashed out of the Ancient Tomb and headed toward Ba-Shu.

After leaving Hubei, Yan Kuan traveled westward. He passed through Shennongjia in Hubei, entering from the east and heading straight into the depths of the Daba Mountains. It was another route into Shu.

The road to Shu was harder than climbing to Azure Heaven. Li Taibai, the poetic immortal of the Tang Dynasty, had laid bare the hardships of entering Shu in his poem "The Road to Shu Is Hard." Even with modern development advancing so rapidly, many places in Sichuan still had difficult roads.

There was even less need to mention the forests of Shenlongjia that Yan Kuan traveled through. Once he ventured deep inside, it became a completely primordial forest landscape. Only a cultivator like him would dare to run around so recklessly. If an ordinary person entered, they would likely be left without even bones after a single day.

The Daba Mountain range referred broadly to the mountains stretching along the borders of Sichuan, Shaanxi, Gansu, and Hubei. Shennongjia in Hubei was part of it, so one could travel through all four provinces amid these endless mountains. Still, almost no ordinary people dared risk their lives like this.

Deep within the Daba Mountains lay a flourishing cultivation lineage. It did not belong to humankind, but to Ten Thousand Demons Valley, foremost among the four great holy lands of the demon race. The Shennongjia Wild Man of legends in this world was connected to the demon cultivators within Ten Thousand Demons Valley.

It was early spring. The ice and snow had melted, tender shoots broke through the earth, and a faint scent of soil lingered in the air. Yan Kuan entered Shennongjia's Uninhabited Region alone, taking in beautiful sights that ordinary people found difficult to behold.

Ancient trees that blocked out the sky had sprouted fresh leaves. Springs babbled softly, and the surroundings were serene. The primal region was thick with shrubs, dense forests, and secluded valleys. Yan Kuan was in no rush to travel, instead stopping and going as he pleased while sensing the spiritual beauty of heaven, earth, mountains, and rivers.

The depths of Shennongjia still retained faint threads of thin spiritual energy, making the air especially fresh. There were no traces of people in the deep mountains and old forests, yet he occasionally discovered old medicinal herbs and even spiritual herbs.

Yan Kuan gained quite a bit along the way. He even felt the impulse to settle into seclusion here for a while.

"Wild Man?"

Yan Kuan suddenly stopped in a mountain ravine. On a ridge near the edge of his vision, he could vaguely make out a black shadow. Straining his sight to its limit, he saw it clearly: it was a strange person covered in long hair.

"Demon aura! An Ape Demon! The Third Valley Lord of Ten Thousand Demons Valley in this generation is an Ape Demon. The ape lineage of Ten Thousand Demons Valley must have gained quite a few benefits!"

Yan Kuan silently approached to observe it. That black shadow was a minor demon whose transformation was incomplete. Covered in long hair, it ran and walked upright, truly looking like a Wild Man.

When it stood upright, it was over two meters tall. It was a wild ape that had gained sentience and transformed. Strictly speaking, it was not all that different from a Wild Man.

Yan Kuan did not disturb this Ape Demon. Instead, he memorized its aura from afar and continued his wilderness treasure hunt. Several days later, perhaps after playing to its heart's content, the Ape Demon finally ran back toward the depths of the Daba Mountains.

The Daba Mountains, broadly speaking, stretched for a thousand kilometers and bordered several provinces. Minor demons from Ten Thousand Demons Valley sometimes secretly slipped out and frolicked their way along the mountain range. Shennongjia was one of their frequent destinations, which was why the legend of the Wild Man had arisen in this world.

Yan Kuan followed the Ape Demon from afar into Sichuan, deep into the Daba Mountains. Along the way, he saw many Hanging Coffins on the cliffs in certain Uninhabited Regions, each steeped in mystery.

The cliff faces rose and fell sharply, while the Coffins in the cliff caves were weathered and mottled. Having endured for thousands of years without decaying, they were nothing short of miraculous.

"What a pity. Those demons from Ten Thousand Demons Valley have already looted them all. How excessive."

Yan Kuan did not follow the Ape Demon too closely. With his speed and tracking ability, trailing it from afar was enough. Naturally, the sight of these Hanging Coffins stirred his archaeological interests, but when he climbed into the cliff caves, he found that nearly every Hanging Coffin had already been visited.

He knew some information and understood that Ten Thousand Demons Valley was responsible. Yan Kuan had come to Ba-Shu this time for Ten Thousand Demons Valley and the Immortal Sword Sky Pool.

Ten Thousand Demons Valley in the depths of the Daba Mountains contained a divine formation that sealed the spiritual energy of the Daba Mountain earth veins, and it was planted with countless spiritual herbs. As for the Immortal Sword Sky Pool, it preserved a further inheritance from Great Sage Chisongzi. He intended to cultivate bitterly in Ba-Shu for a time and properly build up his foundations.

Yan Kuan followed the Ape Demon for more than half a month, gradually entering the deepest reaches of Ba Mountain. Human traces were scarce here. Although the spiritual energy remained thin, all kinds of herbs were more abundant.

He followed the Ape Demon through turn after turn, only for it to suddenly disappear amid a stretch of mountains and enter an even vaster region. He immediately understood that they had arrived.

This was an ancient hidden land. Old cliffs stood everywhere, ancient trees towered into the sky, apes cried and tigers roared, and the landscape was utterly primordial, as though no humans had entered for thousands of years.

Like most hidden cultivation lands, Ten Thousand Demons Valley was also isolated from the mortal world. It was surrounded by an ancient grand formation and located within a vast Uninhabited Region.

In ancient times, a demon god cultivated here, and renowned great demons came to seek refuge here as well. Gradually, it became a holy land of the demon race. The valley was named Ten Thousand Demons because it contained more than one kind of demon; every race could be found there. In every generation, three valley lords were elected, all beings with power reaching Tongtian.

Ten Thousand Demons Valley was filled with talent and countless demon kinds. In terms of pure power, it was actually more prosperous and formidable than the inheritances of the other three great demon gods.

From far away, Yan Kuan saw an enormous valley. Demonic aura surged into the sky there, while bands of Black Mist coiled around it like an unparalleled demon lying dormant.

"This truly is a holy land for demon cultivation."

He observed the terrain of the mountains and rivers. Since beginning cultivation, he had studied geomancy and terrain quite deeply, while the inheritance he had obtained from the Eight Trigrams Sect was especially expert in this field. He could make out some of its mysteries. Based on the information he knew, this land that produced demons was highly likely where an Ancient Demon Emperor had Dissolved into Dao.

Yan Kuan carefully moved through the uninhabited mountain forests outside the valley, observing from afar. He saw many minor demons scrambling and leaping about within the valley in great merriment. There might truly be over ten thousand demons inside.

A great black banner fluttered loudly, bearing the words Ten Thousand Demons Valley. Every time it unfurled in the wind, it seemed to topple mountains and overturn seas, releasing rumbling thunder after thunder with extraordinary might.