I have Immortality In The Cultivation World

Chapter 137 The Hundred Thousand Mountains

From north to south, he left the bounds of Cloud Continent.

The plains became less frequent, the mountains and rivers more plentiful.

Until amidst the myriad of mountains with their layered ridges and peaks, deep forests and secluded valleys, not a trace of human population could be seen.

The sun blazed fiercely in the sky.

Screech!

A piercing eagle cry echoed through the mountains, its wings spread wide, four to five zhang across, the bright yellow feathers reflecting the sunlight, seeming as if they were coated with pure gold.

The eagle's talons gripped a wild boar, circling twice in the air before descending into the canyon.

At the bottom of the valley, the river water surged fiercely, the waves roared angrily, within it a single flat-bottomed boat.

The Golden Eagle tossed the wild boar onto it, the three to four hundred catties weight landed firmly without causing any shake to the small boat.

The one steering the boat was an old man, carrying a dark green turtle shell on his back. He appeared short and frail, but with a gentle push of his long pole, the boat moved upstream against the current.

A young man in green robes stood at the bow, his figure tall and straight, his looks handsome, yet bizarrely, he bore a pair of golden feathered wings on his back. A black cat crouched at his feet, staring intently at the river surface below, reaching out its paws to play with any fish that passed by.

"Such beautiful scenery, it's a pity I can't compose poetry!"

The youth was none other than Zhou Yi, who had transformed into this form upon entering the vast mountains.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do; with an extra pair of wings, no one would consider Zhou Yi as of the human race.

The demon race, seldom seen by the common folk of Cloud Continent, could be found everywhere in the vast mountains, but that did not mean the place was particularly conducive to their growth.

The core reason was the lack of human sects, which meant that the Spirit Veins in the mountains were not restrained, and the continuously seeping Spiritual Energy nurtured the demon race. Secondly, human power was weak, and the status of demons was revered, so there was no one to slay demons and exorcise evil spirits.

"As we go deeper into the mountains, nearing the area of the Spirit Veins, the Spiritual Energy becomes increasingly rich."

Zhou Yi did not choose to fly using his light-riding abilities but opted to navigate through the mountains in a flat-bottomed boat, rushing along the path indicated by the Blood Covenant. Now, he was only three to four hundred miles away from Mo Cloud Cave.

"Without the exploitation and constraints of sects, the mountains nurture strange flowers and exotic herbs, rare birds and beasts—it's simply a paradise for cultivators..."

Before he could finish his sentence.

Splash!

A strange fish a zhang long burst out of the water, large-headed and slim-tailed, with a gaping mouth full of sharp teeth, it targeted Zhou Yi's head.

Before Zhou Yi could react, the black cat at his feet leapt into action first, growing in the wind into a black tiger three to four zhang long, its huge paddy-sized paws shattered the strange fish's head with a slap.

The black tiger, holding the fish in its mouth, landed back on the boat, wagging its tail for praise.

Zhou Yi was already well accustomed to such sights. Whether crossing hills in the forest or traveling by boat on the river, he would always encounter unintelligent demon beasts that were all too eager to become a delicious meal.

"Eh? This fish is a bit unusual!"

He saw that a metal chain was attached to the tail of the strange fish, with a palm-sized golden plaque hanging from it, inscribed with two lines of demonic script.

——Underling of Yanjiang Dragon King, Ninth Division, Number Two.

"This fish is actually a demonic soldier; I must consult the oracle!"

Zhou Yi took out the divination tube and shook it, only to see the divination sticks fall to the ground, flashing a few times with golden light.

A positive divination!

"Can it be that some good fortune is at hand? Since there's no danger, this so-called Yanjiang Dragon King is probably just a straw boss."

In Cloud Continent, "Demon King" refers to those in the Golden Core Realm, also known as those who have withstood the Minor Forty-Nine Heavenly Tribulation and can truly transform into human form, also known as the Transformed stage.

Those below, like greater demons and lesser demons, need either to consume strange flowers and exotic herbs or possess the innate talent for change through Illusion Techniques to transform into human form.

However, the vast mountains were different. Due to the abundance of mountains and demons, great demons that occupied mountain peaks or controlled rivers took the title of Demon King for themselves.

They were like Well Dragon Kings as told in storybooks, strong in title but weak in actual power.

At that moment.

The water stirred once more, creating ripples that spread outwards, as a blue-scaled python emerged, speaking in human tongue.

"What mountain does this fellow daoist cultivate on?"

Zhou Yi clasped his hands together in greeting, "This daoist goes by Jin Yi, a mere loose demon of the mountain wilds."

The python's eyes flashed with intelligence, and with a smile, it said, "I am Ao Dian, the Yan River Dragon King. Today is my two-hundredth birthday feast. How about it, Daoist Jin Yi? Would you do me the honor of joining in the celebrations?"

Zhou Yi declined, "This daoist has urgent matters to attend to, and would not dare to trouble the Dragon King."

A small measure of divination had not foreseen any danger, but that didn't mean there was none. One could use divination to avoid disasters, but one must never become reliant on it!

Merely a possibility of "fortuitous opportunity," attending an unknown banquet of demons, unless Zhou Yi had lost his senses.

Ao Dian looked up at the circling Golden Eagle, then at the black tiger on the boat, and said with understanding, "No worries, no worries, when Golden Core has some free time in the future, come to the Dragon Palace for a chat."

After speaking, he didn't ask for the return of the Demon Soldier corpses and disappeared into the river waters.

"Who says the demon race is simple-minded? Live long enough, and you'll understand human sentiments and the ways of the world just the same."

Zhou Yi patted the Beast Controlling Bag, and the turtle and tiger demons burrowed into it, then he leaped onto the back of the Golden Eagle.

"After killing their Demon Soldiers, to go for hot pot and singing would be somewhat improper; better to go see Niu Er sooner!"

Screech!

The Golden Eagle's wings flapped vigorously, fast as lightning, flying toward Mo Cloud Cave.

...

Mo Cloud Cave.

Located in the northern section of Flying Cloud Ridge, its peak reached high into the clouds.

Afternoon.

Outside Mo Cloud Cave, more than two hundred people gathered, both men and women, who under the village chief's leadership were practicing martial arts.

The adults, realizing how difficult survival was, had a serious and solemn expression, and the children, influenced by this, also reined in their playfulness and mischief.

The village chief was not an old grandfather, but a man wrapped in beast skin, with muscles and sinews exposed, which under the sunlight shone with a pale golden hue. If a human martial arts expert had seen this, they would have exclaimed in surprise, as his physical cultivation had reached the limit.

After one hour, the martial practice concluded.

The village chief led everyone to bow three times and kowtow nine times in front of Mo Cloud Cave, their expressions serious and even somewhat fanatical.

At that moment.

An eagle's cry came from the sky, and the Golden Eagle slowly descended.

Zhou Yi appeared in front of the village chief in a flash, took a careful look, and exclaimed in admiration, "What a strong man, these muscles and bones are no worse than a demon beast's!"

"This... Demon King, sir."

The village chief stood at the entrance of Mo Cloud Cave and asked, "May I ask what brings you to Mo Cloud Peak?"

"Interesting, interesting!"

Zhou Yi prevented the Yellow Ox from coming out to greet him through their soul contract and with a hint of coldness in his voice, directed a wisp of mana onto the village chief.

"According to the rules of the Great Thousand Mountains, the human race must submit to the great demons. Not to mention questioning, even speaking requires permission, or else it is considered disrespectful!"

The term 'great demons' referred to Foundation Establishment demon race, and below them were smaller demons, whose intelligence was dim, and very few could actually understand speech.

"Please forgive me, great one!"

The village chief's muscles and veins bulged with blue veins. While asking for forgiveness and bowing politely, his right hand was pressing on the hilt of a knife at his waist.

Surrounding villagers silently watched Zhou Yi, and the children, even those around ten years old, were also clutching black iron daggers.

Zhou Yi withdrew his mana and asked, "You're quite something, what's your name?"

The village chief replied, "Niu Yong."

Zhou Yi asked, "Your surname is Niu? Or do you all take the surname Niu?"

Niu Yong answered, "We originally didn't have surnames, or we'd pick one at random, but now, under the protection of the Bull God, we finally live like humans, so we all changed our surnames to Niu."

"My surname is Jin, remember that."

Zhou Yi patted Niu Yong's shoulder and entered Mo Cloud Cave with the Golden Eagle.

Niu Yong stood bewildered for a moment, then as realization dawned, his face brightened with joy as he shouted. Explore more adventures at m,v l'e-NovelFire

"Sir, I will definitely remember!"

...

Mo Cloud Cave.

Initially, it was just a cave about thirty or forty feet deep, inhabited by a group of fox spirits.

After Yellow Ox took over, he dug two additional layers on this basis: the second layer for cultivating Spiritual Medicine, and the third for cultivation.

The cave was not a straight simple shape, almost turning the entire Mo Cloud Peak into a honeycomb structure. Even if a Transformed Demon King came to attack, as long as Divine Sense didn't lock on to them, they could use the complex cave network to escape with their lives.

"Such caution, planning for defeat before battle, my earnest teachings were not in vain!"

Zhou Yi followed the Blood Covenant connection with the Yellow Ox, wandering through the caves until he finally arrived at a spacious hall.