Journey to the Demonic Beast Forest

Lu Chen felt the power coursing through his body and punched the massive boulder before him. The boulder shattered into fragments. That single punch carried the force of ten thousand jin. Just as Lu Chen was rejoicing over his advancement, he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. The blood instantly corroded the ground.

Feng Tiancheng hurriedly supported Lu Chen and examined him.

"I temporarily used my spiritual energy to imitate the Yin Sea Pearl and maintain the Twin Fish Yin-Yang Balance. But the Yin Sea Pearl within the White Fish is ultimately just an imitation. The Fire Toxin accumulated in the Yang Sea Pearl within the Black Fish has only been temporarily neutralized. It is still building up through each cycle. If we cannot find the real Yin Sea Pearl, then when it erupts next time, even if I exhaust every last ounce of strength, I will have no way to save you."

Feng Tiancheng redirected the spiritual energy within Lu Chen's body. Pressing his palms together, he bent his index and middle fingers slightly and recited an incantation. He inscribed a Sealing Array Formation at Lu Chen's Celestial Lake, reinforcing and stabilizing the yin-yang balance in his body.

"So we have to find the Yin Sea Pearl. That is our next goal, isn't it?" Lu Chen said weakly.

Feng Tiancheng helped Lu Chen onto the bed. "Yes. Not only must we recover the Yin Sea Pearl, we must also retrieve the other fragments. The Primal Yang Twin Fish Compass is a whole. Missing even one piece will throw its yin and yang out of balance. I fear the problem will only grow more serious."

Lu Chen stared at the ceiling, thinking about everything he had experienced over the past few years. He was now fifteen. His carefree days seemed to have changed ever since he was nine.

That day, after failing the test at Celestial Lake, his life had taken a turn. He had failed the test, possessed no talent, and endured several years of mockery and gossip. In the end, he had finally become a cultivator, but the price had been the lives of his entire village. Now that his cultivation had just improved, he had discovered a tremendous flaw. He had to hasten his progress, raise his cultivation, and seize treasures if he wanted to survive.

He thought of the tales he had heard storytellers tell when he was young: young masters of great Lineages whose engagements were broken, useless trash who rose against all odds to become clan heads. Lu Chen now felt that everything in his life seemed like a script planned out by some storyteller, except there had yet to be a happy ending.

As he thought, Lu Chen gradually drifted off to sleep. Feng Tiancheng tucked the blanket around him and watched the black and white twin fish continuously transform spiritual power within Lu Chen's Celestial Lake, raising Lu Chen's realm without pause.

"This child truly has a bitter fate. He clearly possesses the greatest talent, yet he has suffered such trials in these past few days."

With that, Feng Tiancheng returned to the Twin Fish Plate to continue restoring his spiritual power. The space within the Twin Fish Plate had already expanded nearly tenfold. With the addition of the Yang Sea Pearl, the Fire Attribute Spiritual Energy inside had also noticeably increased. This time, Feng Tiancheng could clearly sense just how quickly his spiritual power was recovering.

Looking at the speed at which his realm was recovering, Feng Tiancheng estimated that after a few more months of accumulation, his cultivation would more or less return to the great completion of the Breath Regulation Realm.

Feng Tiancheng then looked toward another area within the Twin Fish Plate. It was a plot of land that had opened due to the Yang Sea Pearl's addition. Looking at this Spirit Field, Feng Tiancheng transplanted several important Spirit Plants into it. Spirit Plants grew more than ten times faster here than outside, and they might grow even faster in the future.

After finishing everything, Feng Tiancheng sat cross-legged and restored his spiritual energy. He always felt as though something were urging him to recover it as quickly as possible. Such a feeling was extremely important to cultivators. It might be a portent of something yet to happen appearing in advance.

Time flew by. Since Lu Chen had fused the Twin Fish Token into his body, his cultivation had risen greatly. Yet with no news of the next fragment, Lu Chen could only begin tempering his techniques.

Besides cultivating with the Heavenly Net, the Eastern Pole Continent had also developed a great many Cultivation Techniques and Magic Treasures. These were divided by power into Mortal Tier, Human Tier, Earth Tier, and Heaven Tier. Heaven Tier items possessed enormous power but rarely appeared in the world. Mortal Tier items were the weakest, yet also the most commonly used by cultivators. Often, a single Human Tier Cultivation Technique or Magic Treasure could draw countless people into a struggle.

Every day, Lu Chen faced wooden stakes and practiced how to exert force, how to dodge, and how to swiftly defeat the stakes before him.

During this period, Lu Chen had successfully reached the second transformation of the Nine Transformations of the Golden Serpent: Silver Serpent Emerging from its Lair. This was an attacking Movement Technique. Staring at the wooden stake, Lu Chen circulated the spiritual power within his body. His body gradually turned incorporeal, then two serpent-shaped figures burst from the ground and smashed the stake before him to pieces. The two phantoms vanished, and only then did Lu Chen's figure appear two meters away.

Lu Chen had already become extremely familiar with this move. Although the Nine Transformations of the Golden Serpent was a Mortal Tier cultivation technique, its upper limit was incomparably vast. If one mastered all nine transformations, its power could rival even a Heaven Tier cultivation technique. One might even comprehend the Great Art of Nine Dragon Clones from it.

The first transformation of the Nine Transformations of the Golden Serpent, Star Serpent Hidden in Clouds, was purely a dodging Movement Technique. Once used, the body would turn incorporeal and evade an enemy's attacks by retreating backward. The second transformation was Silver Serpent Emerging from its Lair. Lu Chen was already exceptionally skilled in using it, yet he always felt that something was not quite right.

That same wrongness also appeared in another palm technique—the Six Yang Palms that Split the Heavens. Feng Tiancheng had specifically taught it to Lu Chen. It was an Earth Tier Martial Skill Feng Tiancheng had acquired in the past while fighting others for resources. It was said that once cultivated to the end, it could split open the heavens with a single palm. Although this was only an incomplete portion, when combined with the Yang Sea Pearl in Lu Chen's body, it could release roaring flames to burn everything away. Its power was still quite impressive.

This cultivation technique had run into problems as well. After Lu Chen successfully cultivated it, every time he unleashed a palm strike, all of his spiritual energy would be drained, leaving him unable to continue. No matter how much his spiritual power grew, that one palm would completely exhaust it.

All this left Lu Chen unbearably anxious. He gradually felt that he had reached a bottleneck. Every day, he practiced Movement Techniques and punched wooden stakes, yet his movements only felt increasingly awkward.

His grandfather was still waiting for him to save him, and the other fragments still needed him to find them. But now, his martial progress had ground to a halt. What was he supposed to do?

That day, Lu Chen sought out Feng Tiancheng, voiced his doubts, and asked for his advice.

Feng Tiancheng explained, "Although your cultivation has surged by leaps and bounds thanks to several fortunate encounters, cultivators cannot roam the world relying on cultivation alone. They also need Martial Skills and Movement Techniques, so that they can move with ease when facing enemies. But true Martial Skills and Movement Techniques are often forged through the tempering of life-and-death trials."

"If you continue practicing as you are now, you will only become more familiar with Martial Skills and Movement Techniques. But when you truly face other cultivators or Demonic Beasts, you will often find yourself stretched thin, unable to cover all sides. Therefore, if you wish to advance further, you must temper yourself through Life and Death Combat."

Hearing this, Lu Chen immediately gained some insight. "Then, Grandpa Feng, let's go outside. I asked around before—if we travel onward for a while, we will reach the territory under Fengtian Prefecture's influence. There is a Demonic Beast Forest there. We can hunt Demonic Beasts there to temper our Martial Skills, and perhaps find a chance to join Fengtian Prefecture and see whether anyone knows anything about the token."

Feng Tiancheng nodded in approval at Lu Chen's suggestion. He was still unfamiliar with the distribution of powers across the continent. If he wanted to learn what had happened on the continent, they could only take it one step at a time.

The next day, Lu Chen stored all the medicinal herbs, Spirit Plants, and Magic Treasure Manuals from the Secret Realm into the Twin Fish Plate for future use. Thus, the old man and the youth set out toward the Demonic Beast Forest.

Lu Chen and Feng Tiancheng traveled in fits and starts, asking about Blind Lu along the way, but they found no reliable news. Still, they eventually reached the Demonic Beast Forest.

Lu Chen entered a nearby Tea Stall and ordered a pot of tea. Four or five groups of cultivators were eating dry rations and drinking tea there.

At that moment, Lu Chen heard the people around him discussing something strange. For some unknown reason, the Demonic Beasts in the Demonic Beast Forest had begun to riot. It seemed that a Secret Realm would open in several days, and cultivators from all the major sects were rushing over.

Listening nearby as they discussed the turmoil in the Demonic Beast Forest, Lu Chen knew he was about to enter the forest himself. He had to ask around carefully.

So Lu Chen spoke up. "Fellow Daoist, what happened in the Demonic Beast Forest? Could you explain it in detail?"

The cultivator glanced at Lu Chen and continued, "I heard that someone obtained Yin-Yang Sand outside a Secret Realm within the Demonic Beast Forest. You know what Yin-Yang Sand is, right? Just one grain can raise the power of a magic treasure to the next level."

"For some reason, word spread immediately. Fengtian Prefecture invited everyone to head for the Secret Realm together. Cultivators from all over are gathering at the Demonic Beast Forest now. I heard Purple Flame Fortress and Medicine King Villa have already arrived as well. Treasures like this are bound to be fought over by everyone. We probably have no chance."

Cultivators at another table also joined in. "Fellow Daoist, you cannot put it that way. There are so many cultivators now, and the weakest are all in the Breath Regulation Realm. If we slip in amid the chaos after the Secret Realm opens, they will not be able to stop us. Wealth and honor are sought amid danger. Perhaps we can obtain some resources. As long as we succeed this once, we will surely soar high and flourish in the future."

The people around them voiced their agreement. After saying this, the two groups of cultivators left directly, ignoring the remaining people as they headed for the Demonic Beast Forest.

The other cultivators hurried after them as well, afraid of missing the time when the Secret Realm opened.

Watching the cultivators leave one by one, Lu Chen also wanted to visit the Secret Realm. But the weakest cultivators going this time were all in the Breath Regulation Realm, while he was only at the fifth layer of the Qi Gathering Realm. Going there would likely be nothing more than throwing his life away. Still, he had to enter the Demonic Beast Forest. Watching high-realm cultivators battle from afar would also be a fine source of insight for him.

After saying this, he conveyed his plan to Feng Tiancheng. Feng Tiancheng's voice traveled from the Twin Fish Plate into Lu Chen's mind. "This is your first time entering the Demonic Beast Forest. You must not venture deep inside. You must proceed with caution."

"I will, Grandpa Feng," Lu Chen replied to Feng Tiancheng. Then he continued drinking tea and resting, considering his current circumstances.

Lu Chen was now eighteen years old and already at the fifth layer of the Qi Gathering Realm. He had to raise his cultivation as quickly as possible, then join a sect to investigate the identity token. His grandfather was still waiting for him to rescue him, and he still had to search for the remaining fragments of the Primal Yang Twin Fish Compass. Otherwise, one day, his Fire Toxin would erupt again.

A mountain of matters was constantly forcing Lu Chen to grow stronger quickly. He did not have much time left. Thinking of this, Lu Chen no longer had the heart to rest. He wanted to head for the Demonic Beast Forest immediately to temper himself.