Ten Thousand Demons Valley was truly magnificent. The surrounding cliff walls soared into the clouds, vast and majestic, and the enormous valley they enclosed could have held several super-sized cities.
Yan Kuan took advantage of a moment when a demon soldier relaxed his guard to slip into Ten Thousand Demons Valley. The moment he entered, he saw several waterfalls stretching thousands of feet, cascading down from the valley walls in a vast expanse of white. They were incomparably spectacular, and under the sunlight, rainbow mist swirled through the air.
This place remained verdant throughout all four seasons. Wonderful sights filled the way: Stone Forests, clear lakes—it was like entering a Small World that had formed its own heaven and earth.
Deep within the valley lay stretches of orchards. Golden and crimson fruits covered the branches, their fragrance drifting through the air. There were also medicinal fields planted with precious spirit herbs such as Solomon's seal, fleeceflower root, and ginseng. To Yan Kuan, it was practically Heaven.
"Slurp... Mine, it's all mine. I need to think of a way to make these demons willingly trade all these spirit herbs to me!"
Yan Kuan's eyes nearly went straight at the sight of so many spirit fruits and spirit herbs. For an alchemist to advance in rank, aside from spiritual power and fire control, the most important thing was alchemy experience. There were no shortcuts in such matters; one had to gain proficiency through repeated practice.
He was now considered a Rank Four alchemist, but that did not mean this was his limit. The greatest restrictions on alchemists were spiritual power and cultivation, and he had already met the requirements in both respects. What he lacked was spirit herbs for refining, which made it difficult for his alchemy skills to improve rapidly.
Now that he had discovered Ten Thousand Demons Valley, Yan Kuan felt he should find a way to help these "backward and pitiful" demons. How wasteful it was to chew spirit herbs raw. Handing them all over to him for pill refinement was the proper path.
Half a month later, in a forest outside Ten Thousand Demons Valley, several Ape Demons carried a cloth bundle fragrant with herbs as they moved through the woods, stopping beneath a great tree.
"Brother Li, Brother Li, a few of us brothers have come to trade for pills."
The black Monkey Demons called out softly. A shadow suddenly flashed above their heads, and a short figure abruptly appeared.
"Brother Horse Monkey, let's inspect the goods first."
Yan Kuan spoke little. Although this was not his first transaction with these Ape Demons, he still did not dare let down his guard. This place was too close to Ten Thousand Demons Valley, and he was currently no match for the Dragon Transformation Realm experts within the valley.
"Sure!"
The leading black horse monkey spread open the cloth bag. It contained spirit fruits and spirit herbs, none with medicinal properties exceeding a hundred years, but they were already sufficient for Yan Kuan's current needs.
"These are Beast Spirit Pills I refined. After taking them, you can unleash strength far greater than usual. Once the temporary burst fades, the degree of your bloodline awakening will also increase. Check them if you like, or take them on the spot to verify the effects."
Yan Kuan handed the pills over to the Ape Demons. The so-called Beast Spirit Pill was a pill he had derived by combining the materials available to him and extrapolating from the Rank Six Demon Transformation Pill and Rank Four Beast Transformation Pill.
The medicinal properties of this pill were violent, and the process of assisting bloodline awakening and drawing out one's latent potential was painful. Only demonkind and those with certain special constitutions could withstand such potency.
"There's no need for all that trouble. We brothers trust Brother Li's character."
The leading horse monkey smiled at Yan Kuan and accepted the Jade Vial. After carefully smelling the pill fragrance, he asked, "Brother Li, when should we hold our next trade? Just tell us whatever spirit herbs you need, brothers. We can all help think of a way."
"Brothers of the monkey clan, I'm afraid pill trading won't be possible for some time. I'll be returning to Shu Mountain for a while. I don't know when I'll leave the mountain again, so let us meet again if fate allows."
After saying this, Yan Kuan exchanged a few more pleasantries with the Monkey Demons before his figure vanished into the forest. The Monkey Demons looked at one another for several breaths, then returned to Ten Thousand Demons Valley.
The Monkey Demons made it back to Ten Thousand Demons Valley without incident and went to the deepest part of the valley to pay respects to a Monkey King with an extraordinary bearing.
The Monkey King was dozing, half asleep and half awake. With every breath, he radiated astonishing demon aura. His entire body was covered in glittering golden fur, and he possessed Fiery Golden Eyes and a thunder god's beak-like mouth, resembling Sun Wukong from Journey to the West. His name truly was Sun Wukong, and he was the current Third Valley Lord of Ten Thousand Demons Valley.
"You little monkey brats are back!"
The instant the Third Valley Lord opened his eyes, golden light shot out inch by inch from his golden pupils. With a mere wave of his hand, the Jade Vial in the horse monkey's grasp flew into his palm.
The Third Valley Lord removed the stopper and took out a Beast Spirit Pill for careful examination. A moment later, he laughed smugly. "That kid really is an alchemy genius. This batch of pills is of much better quality than the last! Did Li Feiyu say when the next trade would be? And what spirit herbs does he need?"
After hesitating for a moment, the horse monkey stepped forward. "Third... Third Valley Lord, that man... that man said he was returning to Shu Mountain for a time. He said that in the future... we would meet again if fate allowed."
The Third Valley Lord's expression changed upon hearing this. "Returning to Shu Mountain? That kid does have a fairly strong sword aura on him, but he shouldn't be a sword immortal. Could it be that he discovered something?"
The horse monkey cautiously asked, "Third Valley Lord, should we pursue him?"
He paced back and forth for a long while before finally putting away the Jade Vial. "Since he has already left, forget it! Ten Thousand Demons Valley isn't some force that forces people into buying and selling. What kind of sense would it make to stop someone from leaving? Consider it the forging of a good bond. It would be fine if we met again someday by fate."
The Third Valley Lord had his reasons for making this decision. When Yan Kuan had first secretly traded with the lesser demons of Ten Thousand Demons Valley, the greater demons within the valley had already noticed something was amiss. Yet separated by the forest, both sides could sense a threat of death from the other, so they never met face-to-face.
During the subsequent transactions, both sides gained something and gradually established trust. Thus, the higher-ups of Ten Thousand Demons Valley had tacitly approved of the matter.
"Ten Thousand Demons Valley is a force I can trade with, but I'll need stronger trump cards before I'm qualified to speak with them as an equal."
Inside a valley a hundred li from Ten Thousand Demons Valley, Yan Kuan stopped and waited for half the night. Only after finding no one following him did he finally set his mind at ease and continue on his journey.
The spirit herbs he had obtained from these several trades were enough to last him for some time. To refine higher-grade pills, he would need more precious spirit herbs. He would definitely have to negotiate with the higher-ups of Ten Thousand Demons Valley then, but his current strength was insufficient. He could only increase his strength first and acquire more trump cards.
After leaving the Daba Mountains, he entered Sichuan and headed toward Mount Emei. Mount Emei was a range of layered peaks, grand in terrain and divine in scenery, with countless magnificent vistas.
Shu Mountain referred to the collective mountain ranges around Mount Emei. Ancient trees towered into the sky there, clouds broke around connecting bridges, ravines ran deep and valleys lay secluded, streams flew through countless gorges, and the sound of water murmured endlessly.
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