Demonic Ruins' Abnormality

"Mutated Abyssal Demons are incredibly valuable. A normal Upper Court disciple would need to kill a hundred Abyssal Demons to earn one Feather Spirit Pill, but killing just one Mutated Abyssal Demon earns a hundred Feather Spirit Pills!"

Ting Lanyue said with envy, "Moreover, the bones of Mutated Abyssal Demons are made of the purest Mysterious Iron, far more refined than the Mysterious Iron in ordinary Abyssal Demon bones. They're perfect for forging Soul Weapons! Two thousand catties of Mysterious Iron can be used to forge over ten Soul Weapons, and they'd be top-tier ones!"

Zhong Yue's heart pounded. A hundred Feather Spirit Pills were an absolute fortune, a godsend for him!

Soul Weapons were also incredibly tempting, capable of greatly enhancing his combat power.

The remains of this Abyssal Demon could be used to forge over ten Soul Weapons; it was an unimaginable fortune!

"Many Upper Court disciples possess Soul Weapons, but most are low-grade ones made from ordinary metals, barely capable of Soul Sacrifice. The Mysterious Iron within them isn't pure either."

Ting Lanyue closed her eyes and meditated for a moment. Suddenly, a raging fire ignited before her, engulfing the Mutated Abyssal Demon's corpse. She was visualizing a fire-elemental cultivation technique. "Even low-grade Soul Weapons are not to be underestimated. Once summoned, they move like lightning, making them impossible to defend against. High-grade Soul Weapons are free of impurities, and very few Upper Court disciples can possess such weapons. Only core disciples from the Great Wilderness's Ten Great Tribes might have such divine weapons!"

The flames burned, and in a short time, the corpse turned to ash, leaving only the gleaming, fire-hardened Mysterious Iron skeleton.

Ting Lanyue closed her eyes again and meditated for a moment, visualizing a torrential downpour with her Spiritual Power, cooling the Mysterious Iron skeleton. "Forging Soul Weapons is beyond the capabilities of disciples like us; only Qi Refiners have the means. Whether you sell these bones or have them forged, I have connections. Although my Dating Clan isn't one of the Ten Great Clans, we have our own foundations. There are Dating Clan Qi Refiners within the Sword Gate!"

The rain washed over the Mysterious Iron skeleton, which hissed with steam as it finally cooled down.

Zhong Yue nodded. He indeed had no connections within the Sword Gate. The Zhongshan Clan was in decline, and no elders had become Qi Refiners. Furthermore, although Zhong Yue knew Zuo Xiang Sheng, their relationship wasn't very close.

If Ting Lanyue had connections, selling the Mysterious Iron skeleton to the Dating Clan wouldn't be a significant loss for him.

Ting Lanyue continued, "Junior Brother, I've already cleaned the remains for you. Carry it on your back, and let's go search for our other senior brothers and sisters immediately. The Sword Gate Demonic Ruins are extremely dangerous. If we get separated and encounter Abyssal Demons or Spider Demons from larger tribes, our chances are slim!"

"Alright!"

Seeing her ability to conjure fire and rain at will, Zhong Yue was deeply impressed. "Senior Sister, you've mastered multiple cultivation techniques simultaneously; it's truly admirable."

"Visualizing water and fire are essential minor arts for training expeditions. They aren't grand techniques, but they are very useful. If you have to camp outdoors, without such minor arts, you'd suffer greatly," Ting Lanyue said with a smile.

Zhong Yue's mind stirred. He visualized the Dragon Totem Body Coiling Art. His Spiritual Power transformed into a dragon, which bit down on the Abyssal Demon's corpse. Zhong Yue, with empty hands, walked alongside Ting Lanyue.

Ting Lanyue glanced over and secretly praised, "Junior Brother Zhong's Spiritual Power has astonishing tenacity. He can lightly lift the two-thousand-catty Abyssal Demon corpse with the dragon formed by his Spiritual Power, as if it were nothing. No wonder he could kill a Mutated Abyssal Demon; it was no fluke."

The two moved swiftly. Ting Lanyue climbed a high mountain and visualized flames. A pillar of fire shot up over twenty feet high, forming a large character "Cattail" in the air.

Before long, He Chengchuan and ten other disciples arrived at the mountain, meeting up with Zhong Yue and Ting Lanyue. They were all astonished to see the Abyssal Demon corpse held in the mouth of the dragon behind Zhong Yue.

"Junior Brother Zhong, you killed that Mutated Abyssal Demon?" He Chengchuan exclaimed.

Zhong Yue shook his head and chuckled, "I'm ashamed. I was only trying to escape in the wilderness and tripped, falling. When I got up, I found this Abyssal Demon corpse. It must have died of old age in the wilderness. I didn't expect to find it."

He Chengchuan and the others were envious, repeatedly saying, "Junior Brother Zhong has heaven-defying luck! How come I don't have such good fortune?"

The other disciples under Elder Pu hadn't gone far. Upon seeing the character "Pu" visualized by Ting Lanyue, they each found their way there. After half an hour, everyone had been gathered.

Seeing the Mutated Abyssal Demon corpse on Zhong Yue's back, everyone was greatly surprised. He Chengchuan quickly recounted the story, and everyone else was filled with envy.

Ting Lanyue coughed and said, "Junior brothers, we lost two disciples during this expedition into the Demonic Ruins, so we cannot continue. Let's leave immediately. Something astonishing must have happened in the Demonic Ruins, otherwise, a small Abyssal Demon tribe like this wouldn't produce a Mutated Abyssal Demon! This matter must be reported to the sect immediately for investigation!"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Mutated Abyssal Demons could only appear in Abyssal Demon tribes of a million strong. How could a small tribe of only two hundred Abyssal Demons spawn such a ferocious beast?

There was definitely something fishy going on.

Just as they were about to descend the mountain, they heard a commotion from afar. A vast, dark cloud rolled in from the depths of the Demonic Ruins, growing larger and approaching them. In front of the cloud, dozens of Sword Gate Upper Court disciples were desperately fleeing!

"Those are... disciples under Uncle Jin Hong!"

He Chengchuan, who had extensive connections, immediately recognized the fleeing Upper Court disciples and wondered, "What are they running from?"

"It's Eagle Demons!"

Everyone on the mountaintop's faces changed drastically. A female disciple cried out, "So many Eagle Demons!"

The dark cloud in the sky was not a cloud at all, but an astonishing phenomenon formed by over a thousand giant eagles spreading their wings!

Zhong Yue focused his gaze. The so-called Eagle Demons had human torsos and bird-like bodies, with giant claws and wings. Their mouths were filled with sharp teeth. Countless Eagle Demons swooped down, attacking the Upper Court disciples below!

Suddenly, an Upper Court disciple was grabbed by the shoulders and lifted into the air. Several Eagle Demons pounced from the side, tearing the disciple to shreds in an instant, blood and flesh flying everywhere. However, not a single drop of blood or piece of flesh fell to the ground; it was all devoured by the Eagle Demons in mid-air!

"Lin Shu Ping is dead!"

He Chengchuan's eyes widened as he saw the disciple being devoured by the Eagle Demons. He gasped and murmured, "Lin Shu Ping, a disciple under Uncle Jin Hong and a member of the Yulin Clan, one of the Ten Great Clans. Lin Shu Ping's strength was astonishing; he was hailed as one of the Sword Gate's top ten Upper Court disciples, only half a step away from becoming a Qi Refiner. How could he have been killed by Eagle Demons like this?"

"It's a Mutated Eagle Demon!"

Ting Lanyue's face turned pale. She made a decisive command, "Quickly descend the mountain and leave the Demonic Ruins! A tribe of a thousand Eagle Demons, and yet a Mutated Eagle Demon has appeared. The Sword Gate Demonic Ruins are definitely in trouble!"

Zhong Yue also knew something was terribly wrong. The appearance of a Mutated Abyssal Demon in the first small Abyssal Demon tribe could be considered a coincidence, but the appearance of a Mutated Eagle Demon in a small Eagle Demon tribe meant something was amiss!

Everyone rushed down the mountain. Ting Lanyue walked side-by-side with Zhong Yue. "Junior Brother Zhong, if we encounter danger later, please lend us a hand..."

Hearing this, He Chengchuan was puzzled. Why would Senior Sister Ting say something like that?

He didn't know that Ting Lanyue had witnessed Zhong Yue's abilities and knew his combat power was even greater than hers, hence her plea.

"Don't worry, Senior Sister. Although I'm not Elder Pu's disciple, I will naturally work together with all of you senior brothers and sisters through thick and thin!"

As soon as Zhong Yue finished speaking, dust kicked up in the distance. Hundreds of pitch-black giant spiders were driving dozens of Sword Gate Upper Court disciples towards them!

The spiders scuttled on their eight legs, each over six feet tall and spanning over ten feet wide. Their backs had human torsos, both male and female. They were the Spider Demons of the Demonic Ruins!

The leading Spider Demon was the most terrifying. It spat out a gleaming strand of silk, instantly sticking an Upper Court disciple. With a sharp tug, the disciple was pulled uncontrollably into the spider swarm, let out a scream, and then fell silent, leaving nothing but bones for the Spider Demons to devour!

"A Mutated Spider Demon!"

Ting Lanyue, He Chengchuan, and the other Upper Court disciples turned pale, immediately changing direction and fleeing the area.

"Those are Uncle Cang Song's disciples, they're in trouble too, encountering mutated spider demons!"

Just as everyone had fled several miles, they encountered another wave of fleeing Upper Court disciples, being pursued by hundreds of demons from the Demonic Ruins, scrambling to escape!

"Something big must have happened in the Demonic Ruins!"

"We're trapped in the Demonic Domain. By the time the Qi Refiners from the Sword Gate get the news, we'll probably all be dead and buried!"

"What exactly happened? Why are there suddenly so many mutated demons here?"

Zhong Yue and the others ran continuously, but more demons from the Demonic Ruins appeared, led by mutated demons, surrounding the Upper Court disciples within a hundred-mile radius.

"Heh heh, the human race bullied us demons, trapping us here and raising us like livestock for their juniors to practice on. Today, their retribution has come."

Outside the encirclement, mutated demons appeared one after another, their auras wild and unrestrained, filled with malevolent energy. They were leaders of the million-strong great tribes among the demonic race. Among them, some demons had already sensed the Demonic Spirits and combined their souls with the Demonic Spirits of the Demonic Ruins, becoming Demonic Race Qi Refiners!

"Our demonic races have toiled for so many years, secretly sacrificing to this land, and finally, Demonic Spirits have been born in the land of the Demonic Ruins!"

The leading Demonic Race Qi Refiner, shrouded in a black robe, let out a hearty laugh as the hurricane blew, rustling his clothes. "Today, we will treat these human juniors as livestock, sacrificing them to our ancient ancestors, awakening their spirits, breaking out of the Demonic Ruins, and reclaiming the Great Wilderness that originally belonged to us! I will let the blood of these humans nourish the spirits of our ancient ancestors and awaken them!"

Behind him, Demonic Race Qi Refiners took to the sky one by one, shouting loudly, "My children, obey my command, do not devour them, capture them!"

"Spare their lives, to be used for sacrifice, offered to the spirits of our ancient ancestors!"