Lin Shuguang, Are You Still Human?

Su Beichen's silence had left Lin Shuguang completely unaware of the secrets behind Demon Mountain.

However, these "secrets" were probably secrets only to a pure newcomer like Lin Shuguang. Someone with Su Beichen's background had likely turned Demon Mountain inside out long ago.

As for Su Beichen stubbornly wanting to enter Demon Mountain, either he had definite leads, or he was simply looking for trouble.

Still, seeing the "sincerity" Su Beichen was willing to offer, Lin Shuguang hid the fact that he wanted to investigate as well and pretended to agree reluctantly.

Several young geniuses gradually appeared in the first round of the competition. Unfortunately, their attacks did nothing to improve Lin Shuguang's Dao Patterns.

"Let's go. It's time to climb Demon Mountain." Su Beichen signaled to Lin Shuguang.

Afterward, the disciples of the various sects who had successfully entered the second round were led by Jade Void Palace toward the legendary Demon Mountain.

Most of the participating disciples, like Lin Shuguang, were visiting Demon Mountain for the first time. Their expressions were more or less filled with anticipation.

Jade Void Palace's methods were truly formidable.

Nearly a thousand people were teleported elsewhere in the blink of an eye. All around them lay a desolate wilderness. The entire mountain was a scene of devastation, filled everywhere with ancient, decayed traces of aura.

"Although the divinity here has been completely lost, it really is just as Su Beichen said. Demon Mountain is hiding a secret..."

Standing at the foot of Demon Mountain, Lin Shuguang saw the Gray Seal of the Beast God Soul begin to shrink. The reduction was slight, but it truly corroborated Su Beichen's guess.

Lin Shuguang released his perception, trying to investigate Demon Mountain more carefully.

However, his perception was blocked by some strange force, making it impossible for him to display his usual strength.

"Using perception?" Su Beichen came over with a sly grin. "Demon Mountain came from the ancient era, yet it has survived until today. Even if it really lost its divinity as the legends say, it isn't some scrap of broken metal. There are countless strange places inside Demon Mountain. Some traps are hidden within, and the slightest carelessness could drag you into some kind of formation."

Lin Shuguang raised his brows. "A formation can still exist after losing its divinity?"

Su Beichen nodded. "It does, but it's extremely well hidden. Most of the formations here now were personally laid down by Jade Void Palace's experts. They call it a trial, but in my view, it's also meant to conceal Demon Mountain's secrets."

"The truth you mentioned?" Lin Shuguang asked.

Su Beichen nodded again. "Demon Mountain has stood here for so many years without collapsing..."

"If you can think of it, do you really think no one else can?" Lin Shuguang suddenly interrupted.

Su Beichen stiffened and was rendered speechless.

After a long while, he spoke through an iron-gray face. "Give me my money back!"

Lin Shuguang turned around and left without hesitation.

Su Beichen: "..."

Wang Yuanzhi and the elders had not come to this place for the second round.

Once Lin Shuguang learned from Su Beichen that this was nothing more than a farce, he was completely unsurprised that Wang Yuanzhi and the others had not appeared.

"Hey, puffed-up bun, how are we getting in later?" Lin Shuguang asked quietly while the Jade Void Palace examiner explained the rules.

Su Beichen was completely dumbfounded by the nickname, then flew into a rage. "You bastard!"

However, he seemed afraid that others would hear him, so he lowered his voice as well. "Stay behind me later. I'll set up the formation. During that time, disciples from other sects or Beast Souls may attack you, so do your best to hold them off."

"Beast Souls?" Lin Shuguang's heart stirred, but he asked aloud, "You know my cultivation. If the enemy is too strong, I won't be able to hold them off."

Su Beichen pondered for a moment, then took out three blood-colored banners. "This is one complete middle section of the Blood Spirit Soul Sacrificing Banner. It's enough for you to resist a powerful enemy from the Sixth Heaven, but only for thirty seconds at most. It's a little tight, but that should be enough."

Lin Shuguang accepted the three Blood Spirit Soul Sacrificing Banners and raised a brow as he looked at them. "Sounds pretty good. You're giving them to me?"

"Dream on. I'm lending them to you!" Su Beichen stressed the word "lending."

Lin Shuguang chuckled, unconcerned. "You trust me enough to give them to me? Aren't you afraid I'll take them and never return them?"

Su Beichen smiled faintly with complete confidence. "The Blood Spirit Soul Sacrificing Banners have already been sealed with a restriction. Let alone you—even a high-level Core Realm cultivator like Qi Tianming couldn't open them. If I have the confidence to give them to you, I naturally have the confidence to take them back."

Lin Shuguang weighed them in his hand twice. "Is this thing really that miraculous?"

"Thing?" Su Beichen disliked Lin Shuguang's choice of words more than anything. He grumbled several times, muttering about how he didn't know good stuff when he saw it, and then ignored Lin Shuguang.

Lin Shuguang settled down and secretly began studying the Blood Spirit Soul Sacrificing Banner.

Su Beichen had said that there was a complete set of Blood Spirit Soul Sacrificing Banners, and these were only one portion.

Yet even this portion allowed Lin Shuguang to resist powerful enemies from the Sixth Heaven. He had to admit that this thing was indeed a treasure.

"What a pity... It can only deal with a mid-level Core Realm cultivator."

Hearing Lin Shuguang mutter, Su Beichen's face flushed red. He turned around and glared fiercely at him. "You bastard!"

He was actually still ungrateful.

If I had really brought the complete set, let alone the Core Realm, I would even dare to fight a Spirit Transformation Realm expert. But a supreme treasure like that would inevitably draw Spirit Transformation Realm experts out to snatch it. By then, I really might end up drawing water with a bamboo basket.

Su Beichen's lips twitched, but he remained silent.

When the examiner gave the order, the numerous disciples rose and charged toward the mountain summit.

The reason Demon Mountain was called Demon Mountain lay in the word "demon."

Its origins had long been shrouded in vagueness. Some powerful figures had even tried to deduce its secrets, only to suffer heavenly punishment because of it. This alone showed how extraordinary Demon Mountain's origins were.

The person who had possessed Demon Mountain back then must have been an unparalleled expert of the world.

Luo Zixu exerted all his strength and frantically charged toward the mountain summit. He wanted to soar to the heavens in a single bound!

In his eyes, this State Selection was his only path out!

Scorching flames erupted from the void on Demon Mountain's slopes at any moment. Disciples who failed to dodge in time often cried out in agony, and participating disciples kept sliding down the mountainside.

Luo Zixu quickly leaped over these disciples.

Some disciples tried to drag Luo Zixu down with them. As they tumbled downhill, they attempted to obstruct him, but none succeeded. Luo Zixu struck with decisive brutality, grievously injuring everyone who dared attack him.

As a result, the others hesitated even when they wanted to ambush him.

After all, Luo Zixu was not weak, and his methods were vicious.

After the time it took an incense stick to burn, Luo Zixu had already pulled far ahead of most people. He looked back and spotted Lin Shuguang in the distance.

"With this level of ability, you still want to compete with me?"

He sneered disdainfully.

But when he noticed Su Beichen in front of Lin Shuguang, this Senior Brother Luo of Fire Sword Peak could not help frowning. "When did these two get together?"

He disliked both of them without exception and had not the slightest favorable impression of either.

One was Lin Shuguang, and the other was Su Beichen. Neither had ever taken him seriously.

Su Beichen had a powerful backer, so that was understandable. But Lin Shuguang—what gave him the right? Where had he found the nerve to look down on Luo Zixu?

He cast a cold glance at the two of them.

Luo Zixu resumed his rapid climb. Several hundred meters away, every advance made by Qi Tianming and the other Heavenly Prides of the Ninth Heaven seemed capable of stirring the Gale Force throughout Demon Mountain.

That powerful reaction made quite a few disciples panic.

Was the Ninth Heaven truly that terrifying?

"Do you think they know the truth about Demon Mountain?" Taking advantage of everyone's distraction, Lin Shuguang and Su Beichen quietly circled around to the rear of Demon Mountain.

Su Beichen gestured toward Lin Shuguang and also noticed Qi Tianming's group of powerful experts.

Lin Shuguang was likewise shaken by the methods of a high-level Core Realm cultivator.

"Perhaps."

"You'd better hurry. It's entirely possible that even these Heavenly Prides have guessed something about Demon Mountain. If you fall a step behind, you'll be the one hurting more than I am."

Lin Shuguang offered a warning.

Su Beichen found his words reasonable and hurriedly searched for a suitable location on Demon Mountain.

"What are you looking for?"

"A place suitable for breaking through Demon Mountain's barrier. Jade Void Palace's experts laid formations around this mountain, but more than a thousand years have passed, and some places have already begun to loosen. Keep watch for me. There are Beast Souls inside Demon Mountain. You've seen the Ox Demon. These Beast Souls are the lingering souls of powerful vicious beasts. Some are strong and some are weak, but given where we are now, we shouldn't encounter any powerful ones."

As he spoke, Su Beichen glanced at the Blood Spirit Soul Sacrificing Banners hidden at Lin Shuguang's waist. "With those, you should definitely be able to handle them."

Lin Shuguang, however, was wondering whether these Beast Souls could help him quickly unlock the Beast God Soul.

The two of them stealthily searched around for quite some time. They encountered some lone disciples along the way, but most were afraid of Su Beichen and did not dare approach.

Some came seeking help, hoping to cling to Su Beichen's coattails, but Su Beichen sent them all flying with a single sword strike. He did not take their lives, but it was enough to make them wary.

Su Beichen's young master's temper was well known.

His actions now only made the title more fitting.

Lin Shuguang quietly kept watch nearby.

"I'm about to begin. Be careful." Su Beichen turned to look at Lin Shuguang.

The two were in a sheltered area on the rear mountain.

Lin Shuguang watched as Su Beichen patted the object in his pocket. A streak of light instantly flew out. Before Lin Shuguang could see what it was, the streak of light merged into the mountain.

Su Beichen's qi and blood resonated... Lin Shuguang guessed that he was using some technique that consumed an enormous amount of mental energy. Blue veins writhed along Su Beichen's neck like swimming dragons.

A black thread of light burst from Su Beichen's fingertips.

With a puff,

it was as if something had begun leaking.

A crack had just appeared in the mountain when a sinister wind suddenly rushed toward them.

A soul-form Spirit of the Grizzly Bear emerged.

Lin Shuguang swung his blade.

The blade passed through the Spirit of the Grizzly Bear without the slightest resistance. Aside from the Gale Force it unleashed, which merely pushed the spirit back a fraction, the blade had caused no damage at all.

"Infuse... your martial technique... with qi and blood!"

Su Beichen roared with all his might.

The veins on his forehead bulged.

His voice was hoarse and strained.

The Spirit of the Grizzly Bear's explosive force even made blood seep from the corner of Su Beichen's mouth.

"Damn it, you should've said so sooner!"

Lin Shuguang's mind stirred, and his qi and blood surged throughout his body.

Even Su Beichen was startled by him.

This guy really does have a trump card.

I didn't choose the wrong person...

"Bang!"

Just as he was thinking this, Su Beichen was struck by the stones blasted apart by the impact. He grunted, and blood once again seeped from the corner of his mouth.

"Damn it!"

He glared furiously at Lin Shuguang.

Can you actually do this or not? If this keeps up, sooner or later this young master is going to be killed by you!!!

The Darksteel Blade in Lin Shuguang's hand had already snapped. This Spirit of the Grizzly Bear had definitely been an existence beyond the Core Realm when alive. Lin Shuguang had also suffered some backlash, but fortunately, his internal organs had undergone extremely powerful tempering, allowing him to escape unscathed.

"Didn't you say we wouldn't encounter any powerful enemies here?"

Lin Shuguang glared back angrily.

Su Beichen was rendered speechless.

After a long while, he cursed.

"How the hell was I supposed to know there was a Spirit Transformation Realm Grizzly Bear hidden here? It's only a soul now, so its strength has been greatly reduced. You..."

Before he could finish, Lin Shuguang threw out the Blood Spirit Soul Sacrificing Banners.

Blood qi erupted and enveloped the three Blood Spirit Soul Sacrificing Banners. In an instant, the surrounding atmosphere underwent a heaven-shaking change.

The atmosphere grew terrifying and overbearing along with Lin Shuguang's blood qi.

A razor-sharp storm of blood qi followed Lin Shuguang's downward slash with two fingers.

"Puff!"

"Roar!!!"

The Spirit of the Grizzly Bear let out a silent roar of rage. Flames surged from its soul, and it rapidly dispersed.

Terrifying waves of air sent sand and stones flying in every direction. The scene was horrifying!

"Su Beichen, you bastard!"

"Lin, you bastard!"

The two furious voices rang out simultaneously.

Crackling!

The formation patterns shattered.

Su Beichen's face lit up with joy. Ignoring the dust Lin Shuguang's battle had splattered across his body, he hurriedly called out, "Quick, follow me inside!"

A vortex appeared.

Lin Shuguang glanced at the section of Gray Seal that had diminished on the Pay-to-Win System. This showed that these Beast Souls were indeed useful for improving his Dao Patterns.

Following closely behind Su Beichen, the two of them charged into the vortex and vanished from the spot in the blink of an eye.

"Where are they?"

"I sensed people fighting here just moments ago..."

Several figures appeared in the rear mountain where Lin Shuguang and Su Beichen had just been. They looked at one another in bewilderment.

They had just sensed a battle here, so how had the people disappeared so quickly?

"Could they have been... killed?"

"That shouldn't be."

"Senior Brother, look. The traces of battle here... I'm afraid this isn't something we can interfere with. Let's withdraw quickly."

Lin Shuguang and Su Beichen could clearly perceive everything happening outside.

There was another world inside the mountain.

It seemed to be equivalent to another world, yet they could clearly see the outside world within the mountain.

"Did you sense anything?" Su Beichen turned to Lin Shuguang, his expression solemn.

Lin Shuguang's expression remained unchanged. "The stench of rotting corpses. This place is probably a mountain of corpses!"

"Not bad."

Su Beichen took a pill Lin Shuguang had never seen before from his pocket and popped it straight into his mouth.

Lin Shuguang arched a brow. "Hey, give me one too."

"Are you sure you're injured?" Su Beichen's face darkened.

"Can I still spit it out now?"

"..."

You're still human!!!!