The Road to Shu Is Difficult

"He possesses a Sword Heart, nurtured and refined through countless trials, until Sword Intent is finally born... This is the 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 moment his eyes opened, a dazzling sword light swept out, illuminating most of the tomb's underground palace. Even the seven sword beams slashing back and forth in the stone chamber at the deepest part of the underground palace resonated in response.

"Unfortunately, my cultivation is still too weak now, and my understanding of the Sword Dao is not deep enough. This is not the time."

Yan Kuan cast a deep glance toward the Immortal Cremation Tomb Chamber at the deepest part of the underground palace. Having inherited the Sword Dao karma from Great Sage Chisongzi, he was now considered that Great Sage's disciple across generations. He was confident he could pass through the stone chamber with its seven crisscrossing sword beams without harm and reach the deepest part of the ancient tomb.

But he had no intention of doing so now. Instead, he gathered himself, formed a sword with his fingers, dug out the entire Sword Sharpening Stone, sealed it, and sent it into his Wheel Sea. Then, with a flicker of movement, he left the tomb and headed toward Ba-Shu.

After leaving Hubei, Yan Kuan traveled westward. He passed through the Shennongjia Wild Man region of Hubei, entering from its eastern edge and heading straight into the depths of the Daba Mountains—a unique route into Shu.

The road to Shu is harder than ascending to the blue sky. Li Taibai, the Immortal Poet of the Tang Dynasty, captured the difficulty of entering Shu in his poem The Road to Shu Is Hard. Even with modern rapid development, many places in Sichuan remain difficult to traverse.

The Shennongjia mountain forests Yan Kuan traveled through were even worse. Once deep inside, it was entirely primeval forest terrain. Only because he was a cultivator could he dare to act so recklessly. An ordinary person would probably have been reduced to bones within a day.

The Daba Mountains refer to the mountain range stretching across the borders of Sichuan, Shaanxi, Gansu, and Hubei. Shennongjia in Hubei is part of this range, so one could travel through the endless mountains to reach all four provinces. But basically, no ordinary person would be foolish enough to try.

Deep within the Daba Mountains, there was also a very flourishing cultivation lineage. It did not belong to the human race but to the Ten Thousand Demons Valley, the foremost of the four sacred lands of the Demon Race. The legendary Shennongjia Wild Man of this world was connected to the Demon Cultivators of the Ten Thousand Demons Valley.

In early spring, the ice and snow melted, tender shoots broke through the soil, and the air carried a faint scent of earth. Yan Kuan walked alone into the uninhabited area of Shennongjia, taking in scenery that ordinary people could rarely enjoy.

Ancient trees that blotted out the sky and sun had sprouted new leaves. Springs gurgled softly, creating a tranquil atmosphere. The primeval area was thick with shrubs and dense forests and valleys. Yan Kuan did not rush; instead, he walked and stopped, sensing the spiritual beauty of the mountains and rivers.

Deep within Shennongjia, faint traces of thin spiritual energy lingered, making the air especially fresh. In the remote mountains and old forests, there were no human traces. Occasionally, he could find some old medicinal herbs or even spiritual herbs.

Yan Kuan had gained quite a bit along the way. He even felt the urge to just settle here and seclude himself for a while.

"A wild man?"

Yan Kuan suddenly stopped in a mountain gully. At the edge of his vision, on a distant ridge, he could vaguely make out a dark figure. He strained his eyes and saw clearly—it was a strange man covered in long hair.

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

Yan Kuan silently approached to observe. That dark figure was a minor demon, incompletely transformed, covered in long hair, running and walking upright. It really did look like a wild man.

This creature stood over two meters tall when upright. It was a wild ape that had become a spirit and transformed. Honestly, the difference between it and a wild man was minimal.

Yan Kuan did not disturb this Ape Demon. Instead, he memorized its aura from a distance and then resumed his own treasure hunt in the wilderness. Many days later, that Ape Demon, perhaps having had its fill of fun, finally ran back into the depths of the Daba Mountains.

In a broad sense, the Daba Mountains stretch for a thousand kilometers, bordering several provinces. Minor demons from the Ten Thousand Demons Valley would sometimes sneak out and play along the mountain range. Shennongjia was one of their frequent haunts, which was why the legend of the wild man existed in this world.

Yan Kuan followed the Ape Demon from a distance straight into Sichuan, deep into the Daba Mountains. Along the way, on the cliffs of some uninhabited areas, he saw many hanging coffins, full of mystery.

These cliffs stood sheer and upright. In the cliffside caves, the coffins were weathered and mottled, yet they had remained intact for thousands of years. This was nothing short of a miracle.

"What a pity. They've all been looted by those demons of the Ten Thousand Demons Valley. How excessive."

Yan Kuan did not keep close to the Ape Demon. With his speed and tracking ability, trailing it from afar was enough. When he saw these hanging coffins, he naturally felt the urge to investigate archaeologically. But when he climbed up to the cliffside caves, he found that almost all of them had been visited.

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

Deep within the Daba Mountains, the Ten Thousand Demons Valley contained a divine formation that sealed the spiritual energy of the Daba Mountain range's earth veins and cultivated a great number of spiritual herbs. At the Immortal Sword Sky Pool, further inheritance from Great Sage Chisongzi remained. He planned to cultivate hard in Ba-Shu for a while, allowing himself to accumulate and settle.

Yan Kuan followed the Ape Demon for over half a month, gradually walking into the deepest part of the Ba Mountains. Here, human traces were nonexistent. Although spiritual energy was still thin, there were far more medicinal herbs.

He followed the Ape Demon through twists and turns, then suddenly disappeared from a stretch of mountain ridges, entering an even vaster region. He immediately understood that he had arrived.

This was an ancient, secret land. Ancient cliffs stood tall, old trees reached the sky, apes howled and tigers roared—a completely primeval landscape, as if no human had set foot here for thousands of years.

Like most cultivation secret lands, the Ten Thousand Demons Valley was isolated from the human world, surrounded by an ancient great formation, located in a vast uninhabited area.

In ancient times, a Demon God had cultivated here, and famous great demons came to join, gradually turning it into a sacred land for the Demon Race. The valley was named Ten Thousand Demons because it housed more than one kind of demon—every race was present. Throughout the ages, three Valley Lords would be elected, all beings of immense magical power.

The Ten Thousand Demons Valley was teeming with talent and many demons. If one were to compare by actual power, it was actually more prosperous and stronger than the inheritances of the other three Demon Gods.

From far away, Yan Kuan saw a massive valley. There, demonic aura surged to the sky, and ribbon-like black mist swirled around it, like a peerless demon lurking in ambush.

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

He observed the mountain and river terrain. Since starting his cultivation, he had delved deeply into feng shui and terrain, and the Eight Trigrams Sect inheritance he had obtained was an expert in this field. He could make out some patterns. According to the information he knew, this place where demons emerged might have once been where the Ancient Demon Emperor transformed into the Dao.

Yan Kuan carefully walked through the uninhabited forest outside the valley, observing from a distance. He saw many minor demons climbing and jumping around inside the valley, lively and bustling. There might truly be tens of thousands of demons within.

A large black banner flapped noisily in the wind, inscribed with the words "Ten Thousand Demons Valley." Every time it caught the wind, it seemed to overturn mountains and seas, emitting rumbling thunder, full of imposing momentum.