The rarely trodden Great Wilderness held many rare spirit medicines. With a little luck, one might dig up a priceless medicinal treasure that had grown for countless years.
Of course, the deeper one ventured into the Great Wilderness, the greater the danger, for terrifying savage beast kings might lurk within, every bit as strong as the mighty cultivators of the Human Race.
Members of the Demon Race generally followed one of two paths in cultivation. The first was naturally the path taken by the Peacock King and the Azure Flood Dragon King: assuming human form and living among humans, appearing almost indistinguishable from them in everyday life.
The second was the path of savage beasts. They disdained taking human form and living in a society dominated by humans.
From the beginning of their cultivation to the end of their lives, they never transformed, evolving entirely in their beast forms. The Black Emperor was one such example. Even after learning the Human Race's Nine Secrets: Xing, he still walked on two legs as a dog, never assuming human form.
Neither path could be called stronger or weaker. Both had produced sovereigns who attained the Dao.
"Roar!"
Suddenly, while traveling through a stretch of the Great Wilderness, Lu Chen, Yan Ruyu, and the others encountered a Divine Tiger. Its body was as enormous as a mountain, golden light flowing over it as though it had been cast from gold. A pair of immense wings grew from its back, giving literal form to the saying, "a tiger given wings."
Although it was still more than ten miles away, its roar made their hearts pound with fear. This savage beast king stood at the mighty cultivator level, powerful enough to rival the Peacock King.
Whoosh!
The Peacock King released a trace of his terrifying aura and faced off against the enormous Divine Tiger King. In the end, neither side attacked, and Lu Chen's group passed through its territory.
Beast kings as powerful as the Divine Tiger were neither plentiful nor particularly scarce in the Great Wilderness. Human cultivators entering these regions had to avoid them.
Following an ancient road into a primeval forest, they crossed ridge after ridge and valley after valley, entering the heart of another stretch of the Great Wilderness.
Whoosh!
A streak of golden radiance suddenly flashed across the sky, moving so fast that neither Lu Chen nor Yan Ruyu could make out what it was.
"To think we would see a Lightning Phoenix Bird!" The Peacock King gazed up at the sky, surprise showing on his face.
Lightning Birds were powerful, unusual birds blessed with extraordinary speed. Their bodies were golden and wreathed in lightning, making them ideal battle companions for cultivators, yet very few people ever succeeded in taming one.
Among these unusual birds was a breed with a special bloodline and even more terrifying innate gifts. With phoenix crowns growing from their heads, they were known as Phoenix-Crowned Lightning Birds. Most cultivators had to give them a wide berth upon encountering them.
Their kings were rarer still: Lightning Phoenix Birds. Their bloodlines had undergone ancestral reversion, granting them a portion of the immortal phoenix bloodline. Their potential was frighteningly immense, giving them the makings of Demon Saints.
Finding even two or three such Lightning Phoenix Birds in the entire world would be difficult. Their existence was enough to astonish even the Peacock King.
"A Lightning Phoenix Bird. It seems the map was right. We're almost at the Feathered Immortal Valley." Upon hearing what the bird was, Lu Chen knew their destination was close.
Unless something unexpected happened, this very Lightning Phoenix Bird would become a king a little over a decade later. It would then enter the Feathered Immortal Valley to contend for the Demon God Flower, only to be slain by a Quasi-Emperor Ghost Statue.
Its offspring, however, would be adopted by Ji Ziyue and raised with the Demon God Flower, eventually becoming a terrifying existence.
But now that Lu Chen had come ahead of time to dig up the Demon God Flower, this mighty cultivator-level Lightning Phoenix Bird would no longer die fighting for it. Naturally, its offspring would no longer accompany Ji Ziyue, Ye Fan, and the others either.
Between that gain and that loss, who could say whether the outcome was good or bad?
If Lu Chen did not come, the bird would die, but its offspring might reach an extraordinary height, becoming a Great Saint or even a Quasi-Emperor.
With Lu Chen here, the bird should survive and might itself become a Demon Saint, but the future of its offspring was uncertain.
"No immortals walk this world. True dragons, immortal phoenixes, and the like have all faded into legend. Lightning Phoenix Birds are already among the finest divine birds under heaven," Yan Ruyu sighed.
"That Lightning Phoenix Bird is terrifying. Even I would probably come off badly against it!" the Peacock King said gravely. "Let's avoid provoking it if we can."
"All right."
Lu Chen and the others continued onward. After traveling tens of thousands more miles, they finally reached a range of snow-covered mountains. The Feathered Immortal Valley lay here.
Within the mountains, they found a stone forest. Its jagged formations interlocked like a hound's teeth, creating a wondrous sight. Wild ginseng, orchids, and spirit herbs grew abundantly within, suffusing the air with auspicious mists.
"Be careful. There should be a mighty cultivator-level centipede guarding this place," Lu Chen warned.
If he remembered correctly, a supreme treasure of the Ancient Heavenly Court lay buried at the entrance to the Feathered Immortal Valley: a battle formation stone statue refined by a Quasi-Emperor over an entire lifetime.
The complete set consisted of nine statues, capable of killing a Quasi-Emperor when deployed. Even though only one remained now, and it was severely damaged, it could still kill a king if activated.
"Stay behind me." The Peacock King took the lead, remaining alert. Even as a mighty cultivator, he dared not grow careless in the depths of the Great Wilderness.
After advancing several dozen more miles, they finally saw a valley. Countless streams of auspicious mist drifted through it, spirit birds wheeled overhead, and wondrous beasts roamed below. It resembled an immortal realm.
An ancient stone tablet stood at the valley entrance, engraved with four ancient characters: Feathered Immortal Valley.
"This is a rare pure land, more precious than my own little world. Its atmosphere helps one comprehend the Dao. It's just too remote." Even the Peacock King could not help praising it.
The place carried an aura that brought one into harmony with the Dao, leaving the mind clear and tranquil.
"What a rich floral fragrance!" An entranced expression appeared on Yan Ruyu's exquisitely beautiful face.
"What are those ancient trees?" several old demons asked in surprise.
A grove of ancient trees stood at the valley entrance. Each resembled a coiling dragon, its branches twisting around one another in strange patterns. Their translucent blossoms looked like tiny purple qilin, extraordinary beyond compare.
"Those are Qilin Orchid Ancient Trees. They were rare even before the age of Desolate Antiquity. Cultivating among them can soothe the mind and make it easier to resonate with the Dao," Lu Chen said.
"You even recognize ancient trees from before Desolate Antiquity, young friend..." The Peacock King shook his head with a sigh, finding Lu Chen increasingly unfathomable.
They followed a bluestone path into the immortal valley, as though entering an immortal haven beyond the mortal world. Several miles later, a simple thatched cottage appeared ahead. A small river flowed before its door, crossed by a stone arch bridge.
It was a scene of a little bridge, flowing water, and a home; an ancient road, a west wind, and a lean horse.
Of course, the lean horse was still missing here.
Having reached this place, they saw nothing unusual. It truly seemed as though they had entered a peaceful immortal valley.
But at that moment, Lu Chen grew more cautious than ever. He even took out the Immortal-Slaying Gourd and held it in his hand. "Princess, please lend the Emperor Weapon to our senior as a precaution. Otherwise, if something goes wrong up ahead, all of us will die."
Hearing this, Yan Ruyu and the Peacock King sensed how terrifying the danger ahead must be. Otherwise, Lu Chen would not have been so cautious.
Whoosh!
A translucent green lotus appeared in Yan Ruyu's hand, radiating gentle light. Although it released no imposing aura, everyone could already faintly sense its terrifying power. It was the Green Lotus, an Extreme Dao Emperor Weapon.
The Peacock King stepped forward and accepted the Demon Emperor's weapon, remaining highly alert to any danger that might arise.
Lu Chen cautiously followed the Peacock King to the thatched cottage. With a sweep of his broad sleeve, he sent the entire building flying.
"Young friend, what are you..." The Peacock King was puzzled, but a moment later, he sensed something wrong. Black mist lingered beneath the cottage, radiating a startling baleful aura that chilled everyone from head to toe.
"What's down there?" Yan Ruyu asked with a frown.
"A stone statue!" Despite the wisps of baleful aura spreading through the air, Lu Chen breathed a deep sigh of relief. The Quasi-Emperor Ghost Statue beneath the cottage had not yet been activated. Otherwise, they would have faced enormous trouble. That battle formation could kill a Great Accomplished God King.
He released a surge of divine power and lifted the ground away. Instantly, a terrifying baleful aura shot into the sky, raising goosebumps and chilling them to the bone. A black stone statue appeared beneath the foundation.
It resembled a malevolent ghost, hideous and terrifying, its surface black as ink. An ominous aura clung to it, making even the Peacock King uncomfortable.
"A ghostly stone statue? What is it used for?" Yan Ruyu asked. The others were equally puzzled.
The black ghost statue was covered in cracks. It looked as though a touch would shatter it, and it could not remain intact much longer.
Lu Chen, however, knew how terrifying it was. It still held the power for one strike. Once activated, it could slaughter even ten great accomplished kings without fail. Now, though, it could become a life-saving trump card for him.
It was a formation of boundless power, all its mysteries carved into the stone statue. Once activated, it would be terrifying beyond measure.
It could animate corpses, turning them into the strongest weapons. It could kill holy lords, slay kings, destroy Saints, and execute Quasi-Emperors, seizing the creative power of heaven and earth.
It was a humanoid formation into which a Quasi-Emperor had poured a lifetime of painstaking effort. There were nine in total. Legend held that, when complete, they had once killed a powerful Saint Spirit. They were among the supreme treasures of the Ancient Heavenly Court.
Lu Chen carefully activated the Immortal-Slaying Gourd and drew the Quasi-Emperor Ghost Statue inside. Only then did he say, "There are some formations inscribed on it. It has its uses, but not many."
How could he possibly tell everyone the whole truth about something that served as his trump card?
Seeing this, the Peacock King, Yan Ruyu, and the others asked no further questions. Even if the ghostly statue had some use, it was almost shattered. Their objective this time was the Demon God Flower; nothing else mattered.
They continued onward into the depths of the Feathered Immortal Valley. The Demon God Flower lay in its central region.
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