Demonic Race

Beast God Ridge is a rather peculiar place in the Great Wilderness. Spanning eight hundred li, it's said to be the site where a Beast God fell, its corpse transforming into Beast God Ridge. It's a paradise for strange beasts, inhabited by all sorts of ferocious creatures. The Qi Refiners of my Sword Gate refer to these strange beasts as Demonic Beasts.

On Cloud Canvas, Ting Lanyue said to Zhong Yue, "Junior Brother, Demonic Beasts cultivate from ferocious beasts, but they lack much intelligence. Some Demonic Beasts can transform into humans and are called the Demonic Race. That's quite interesting. Whether it's our Human race or the Demonic race, we are born as either humans or demons. The Demonic Race, however, must cultivate to become so. But those who can become the Demonic Race are all Qi Refiners, possessing vast divine abilities, and are incredibly terrifying!"

Tao Daier chuckled, "But there are no Demonic Race Qi Refiners in Beast God Ridge. I've heard there are Holy Lands of the Demonic Race outside the Great Wilderness, but within the Great Wilderness, it's our Sword Gate's territory. With my Sword Gate guarding the Great Wilderness, the Demonic Race dares not invade. This mission from the Sword Gate is a piece of cake for us."

"Taotao, you said you smelled Junior Brother Zhong. How did you smell him?" Ting Lanyue sized up Tao Daier and Zhong Yue, then suddenly teased.

"Yes, yes!"

The other young girls immediately perked up, all laughing, "Quickly tell us how you two smelled each other!"

"Taotao, what part of Senior Brother Zhong did you smell? His face or his lips? Or somewhere else?"

Tao Daier jumped up, her almond eyes widening, hands on her hips, and said, "If you keep chattering, I'll throw all you little brats off the clouds!"

"Taotao's been caught with her tail between her legs and is starting to get fierce."

A young girl pouted and leaned in front of Tao Daier, giggling, "Is it like this, smelling each other mouth-to-mouth?"

The two girls' lips were almost touching when Tao Daier finally couldn't help but blush, quickly turning her little head away. The other girls burst into laughter, and Cloud Canvas was filled with joyous sounds.

Zhong Yue was also so embarrassed his face turned red. He could only pretend not to hear and said, "Esteemed Senior Sisters, what are the scenes outside the Great Wilderness like?"

The many girls exchanged glances and shook their heads. One girl said, "We don't know either. We've never left the Great Wilderness. But I've heard it's incredibly dangerous outside the Great Wilderness. In the past, some people left the Great Wilderness, but they often never returned."

"More than that! I've also heard that people in the tribes on the fringes of the Great Wilderness often disappear, captured and eaten by demons from outside the Great Wilderness!"

Zhong Yue looked at Yu Feiyan and asked, "Senior Sister, you are knowledgeable. Have you been outside the Great Wilderness?"

Yu Feiyan shook her head, "I have not. However, some Qi Refiners from the Youyu Clan do travel outside. Outside the Great Wilderness... it's not a place for humans to live."

The girls quickly inquired, but Yu Feiyan didn't wish to elaborate. "If you cultivate to become Qi Refiners, you might have a chance to see what it's like outside the Great Wilderness."

"Not a place for humans to live, what kind of evaluation is that?"

Zhong Yue frowned and asked Xin Huo. Xin Huo yawned, "How would I know? All I know is that before I fell asleep, there was no Great Wilderness. The ones ruling here were your Fuxi Divine Clan and other Divine races. Who knew that when I woke up, the Fuxi Divine Clan had already become the Human race. What happened in between, even I want to figure out..."

Beast God Ridge. Majestic mountains pierce the sky like sharp swords, incredibly perilous. Such a treacherous place is uninhabited, with Human tribes only found outside Beast God Ridge. Inside Beast God Ridge, however, Demonic Beasts roam everywhere, with all sorts of Demonic Beasts treating it as a paradise to breed and multiply. Occasionally, Human tribes come to hunt, but they only venture in the outer areas.

There are simply too many Demonic Beasts within Beast God Ridge, and few dare to venture inside.

At this moment, over twenty disciples from the Sword Gate's Upper Court are walking in the deepest part of Beast God Ridge. These disciples summon their Soul Weapons, searching for Demonic Beasts, and slaying any they encounter with a single sword strike.

"Senior Brother Han, something feels a bit off here. The Demonic Beasts seem to have decreased significantly, but each one is very strong!"

The twenty-odd disciples summon their Soul Weapons and fight fiercely, finally slaying a demonic bull.

The demonic bull's strength is astonishing. Its hide is so tough that even Soul Weapons can't easily pierce it. It took everyone a great deal of effort to kill it.

The bull's corpse is as large as a small mountain. The disciples stand on the corpse, gazing into the distance. They see miasma filling Beast God Ridge, like clusters of pinkish-red mushrooms.

A young disciple looks around, frowning slightly, and says to the leading Senior Brother Han, "Senior Brother, it really is a bit strange. This demonic bull is incredibly strong. In a place like Beast God Ridge, there have never been such strong Demonic Beasts!"

Someone beside him laughs, "Junior Brother, you worry too much. Senior Brother Han is the foremost among the male disciples of our Upper Court. What kind of situation hasn't he seen? Even the Zhongshan Clan and Shuitu Clan are merely clowns in Senior Brother Han's eyes, not worthy of the grand stage!"

The Senior Brother Han is indeed the foremost among the male disciples of the Upper Court, as famous as Yu Feiyan. Hearing this, he smiles gently and says, "Senior Brother Shui Qinghe does have strength, possibly even surpassing me. As for the Zhongshan Clan, they still lack some polish."

Suddenly, they see miasma swirling ahead. Beneath the pinkish-red miasma, a beautiful young girl slowly walks towards them. Strangely, the young girl is dressed in pink, holding a wisp of miasma that is thicker at the bottom and thinner at the top, as if holding the handle of an umbrella or a mushroom stem. However, the umbrella-shaped miasma blocks everyone's view, making it impossible to see the girl's face.

Judging by her graceful figure, she should not be old, at most a budding maiden of fourteen or fifteen.

"This Junior Sister, be careful! That's miasma, it's highly poisonous!"

A male disciple quickly shouts, "Hurry and come out from below!"

"Wait a moment, something's strange!"

Senior Brother Han's expression changes slightly. He whispers, "A place like the depths of Beast God Ridge, even for us to enter is difficult. How much more so for a woman? We'd best retreat quickly..."

"Retreat? Where can you retreat to?"

The laughter of the young girl under the large miasma umbrella echoes, giggling, "Humans, the most delicious blood food in the Great Wilderness. I haven't eaten it in a long time..."

"Retreat!"

Senior Brother Han roars. Everyone immediately summons their Soul Weapons, leaps off the bull's corpse, and quickly flees.

The large miasma umbrella suddenly disperses, revealing a young girl beneath it. However, the young girl's neck is a full three feet long, topped with a large snake head. A Human-faced Snake!

The Human-faced Snake speaks with the girl's voice, laughing, "I already said you can't escape, but you didn't believe me!"

Whoosh--

Her neck lengthens in the wind. The snake body emerging from her neck, covered by her clothes, grows longer and thicker, and her head becomes larger and larger. In an instant, the snake head is as huge as a small mountain. It lunges out like lightning, swallowing four Sword Gate disciples in one gulp!

"This snake demon is almost cultivating to become a Qi Refiner. Such a fierce creature shouldn't exist in Beast God Ridge. It must be a Demonic Race from outside!"

Senior Brother Han roars angrily, shouting, "Summon Soul Weapons! Hold it back for a moment. We just need to escape this place!"

The remaining Upper Court disciples urge their Soul Weapons and slash at the large snake. Their Soul Weapons strike the snake's head and its vital spot, sparks flying, but they fail to harm it in the slightest.

"Foolish humans, daring to summon your Soul Weapons so rashly, and such low-grade Soul Weapons at that. Don't you know you're seeking your own doom?"

The large snake chuckles, opens its mouth, and spews venom. The venom rains down. As soon as the venom touches the Soul Weapons, dense green smoke erupts, and they are instantly corroded into a thousand holes.

Screams are heard. The souls within the Soul Weapons are also touched by the venom. The souls cry out, then turn into wisps of green smoke.

Plop, plop. Senior Brother Han and the others stagger and then fall to the ground, one by one.

"They're all dead. These Human race are so weak. No wonder we and the other races consider them food."

The giant snake retracted its neck, returning to normal. It shook its head and suddenly laughed, "Senior Brother, do you want to eat too? I can share a couple of people with you."

"Hmph, who wants that?"

A man as imposing as an iron tower strode over, sneering, "If I want to eat people, I'll catch them myself. There are plenty of Human race tribes outside Beast God Ridge. Last time, I broke into a village and ate to my heart's content!"

The man was over two zhang tall, clad in a thick fur cloak, with dense hair covering his chest. His neck sported a bear's head with a mouth full of sharp teeth.

"I was a step too late and let Junior Sister She get her hands on them."

Another person arrived, moving as fast as lightning. He had a sheep's head and quickly joined the other two, laughing, "Senior Brother Bear, you don't know, but Junior Sister She was just being kind. These people are different from ordinary ones. Ordinary people's meat is tough and mushy, but these guys have cultivated, their muscles are firm, and they have a good chew to them, with excellent flavor. If they were sold in the market, they'd fetch a high price!"

Junior Sister She nodded and smiled, "Human race Qi Refiners are especially valuable. Last time at the Myriad Races Grand Gathering in Xiankong City, I saw someone selling Human race Qi Refiners. The price was so high, you couldn't afford it even if you sold yourself!"

The Black Bear's eyes lit up at this, "I heard Sword Gate is full of Human race Qi Refiners..."

"Don't even think about it!"

Junior Sister She sneered, "Sword Gate guards the Great Wilderness and has existed for ten thousand years. Its strength is truly terrifying. Let alone you not being a Qi Refiner, even if you were, trying to mess with Sword Gate would leave you so dead not even your bear whip would remain! Senior Brother Goat, wouldn't you agree?"

Senior Brother Goat nodded and smiled, "We're here this time to accompany Master in searching for treasures in Beast God Ridge. If Sword Gate disciples come looking for us, we'll just eat them, but we absolutely cannot scheme against Sword Gate. Once Master finds that treasure, we'll leave immediately! Sword Gate's strength is extraordinary. Many major powers outside have tried to annex the Great Wilderness but failed, which shows Sword Gate's unfathomable depth."

Senior Brother Bear nodded and grumbled in a deep voice, "Before we leave, I'm going to round up some humans and sell them outside!"

Junior Sister She suddenly turned her head to look at the sky and said in a low voice, "More people are coming! Hmm, this time there are three groups. We don't need to fight over them now. You and I will each be responsible for one group. Two Senior Brothers, remember, you must kill them all. Not a single one can escape, or we'll alert Sword Gate and ruin Master's important task!"

Goat and Bear Senior Brothers nodded and went their separate ways.

Junior Sister She stuck out her long tongue and sped towards Cloud Canvas where Zhong Yue and Tao Daier were riding. She muttered, "I hope Master finds that treasure soon. If this drags on too long, I'm afraid Sword Gate's next visitors won't be these little guys, but actual Qi Refiners..."