I have Immortality In The Cultivation World

Chapter 153 Scrambling to be the First

The Four Sacred Beasts enjoy illustrious reputations among the demon clans, known to all without exception.

Their descendants are widespread, with lineages such as the Bibo Pool Dragon Palace and the winged tigers of White Tiger Ridge having blood of the Azure Dragon and White Tiger in their ancestry.

While it may just be a boast for the winged tigers, it could very well be true for the Dragon Palace, given that dragon family trees tend to be quite extensive.

"The divine skills of the Ancient Demon Saints are profound and mysterious, with formations and prohibitions outside the Saint Hall that are difficult to break through. Even the joint effort of the four ancestors can only open a small entrance,"

Ao Cang continued, "Therefore, for the spiritual objects obtained within, each ancestor will first take one item. What do you all think of this arrangement?"

"It should be so."

The crowd of demons agreed thunderously, as the most precious treasure within the Saint Hall was the inheritance of the bloodlines of the Four Sacred Beasts, with the value of spiritual objects being secondary.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yi's brows furrowed slightly. The Demon Emperor could resist the temptation of the Four Sacred Beasts' inheritance; the danger inside was one thing, but it was more likely that he knew it was impossible to surpass the Demon Gods, with only life-extending spiritual objects being of any use.

The level of a Demon God was equivalent to the Divinity Transformation Realm. As long as Zhou Yi could live a stable life, he would one day face this bottleneck.

"There is also another matter; no one knows what dangers lie within the Saint Hall, nor how long it will take to refine the ability to enter and exit the prohibitions."

Ao Cang spoke again, "To prevent the human race from taking advantage of this opportunity to invade the Hundred Thousand Mountains, after deliberation among the four ancestors, it is necessary to leave half of the Demon Kings to guard the Spirit Vein.

If, after ten years, no demon has inherited the Saint Hall, the ancestors will once again join forces to open the formation, and the Demon Kings inside and outside will rotate."

The group of demons fell silent. Since the Saint Hall was a place of inheritance for the bloodlines of the forebears, even if there were dangers, they were meant to test one's aptitude and understanding, and it was absolutely impossible for it to deliberately trouble future generations.

In this way, the Demon Kings who went in first would scoop up all the benefits, while those guarding outside could only dryly look on.

Ao Cang's gaze swept over the crowd, seeing the demons' indescribable expressions, and continued, "This king also understands the disparity. However, it is vital for the stability of our race and must not be neglected. If it weren't for the Righteous and Demon Sword Duel currently preoccupying the humans, not even half would be permitted!"

"The poor Daoist supports the ancestor's decision. I am willing to guard the Spirit Vein, monitoring the movements of the human race day and night."

Zhou Yi was the first to declare his stance, standing up and saying loudly, "Dragon Lord has exhausted his mind for the rise of our demon race. The Saint Hall of the Four Sacred Beasts is a godsend opportunity. If a demon must sacrifice their interests, let it start with the poor Daoist!"

"..."

Jade Fang Demon King's eyes bulged, looking at Zhou Yi in disbelief.

Usually sly as a ghost, this fellow was able to utter such bold and powerful words, stirring a trace of blood hotness in the weary-of-centuries Jade Fang Demon King.

Of course, giving up the opportunity was absolutely impossible!

"He who knows me, Jin Yi does!"

As if finding a kindred spirit, Ao Cang said, "The demon race will not mistreat its meritorious subjects. Those who choose to guard the Spirit Vein may send their formidable demons under their command into the Saint Hall to explore."

The concept of clan and kinship is nebulous among demons, yet this does not mean they lack bloodline descendants. For example, under the command of Jade Fang Demon King are over a dozen elephant demons of the same lineage, although they have not awakened their unique ancestral bloodlines.

As these words were spoken, two more Demon Kings expressed willingness to guard the area. Among their clan members were top-tier demons that might, with the help of the Saint Hall, transcend tribulations and transform their shape.

The remaining ten Demon Kings like the ox demon remained confidently seated, waiting for Ao Cang to arrange a solution. In their eyes, the inheritance of the Four Sacred Beasts was thousands of times more important than the greater good of the demon race or kinship. Besides, what chance would the great demons have in competing for spiritual objects and inheritance in the Saint Hall?

To emerge alive would already be considered lucky.

Ao Cang had already anticipated this and took out a golden bottle magic artifact, which contained ten jade tokens.

"Then let fate decide. Who will go first?"

The Demon Kings scanned with their divine senses, secretly casting deduction spells, but no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't see through the golden bottle, so they took turns drawing spirit tokens.

The ox demon's spirit token had a golden mark on the other end, and he joyfully said, "Big Brother, why don't I give my chance to you?"

"You go ahead and scout the path. It won't matter if I enter after ten years."

Zhou Yi had expected this outcome and cautioned, "Your third, fourth, and fifth brothers will accompany you. Remember, safety comes first, inheritance second. Do not forcefully contend for spiritual objects."

Of course, these words were an excuse. Demons like the ox with a map guide were bound to be the fastest in reaching the core area of the Saint Hall and obtain the Four Sacred Beasts' inheritance.

After ten years, Zhou Yi had no intention of visiting the Four Sacred Beasts' Hall. If he couldn't find a suitable excuse, he would prefer to fake his own death and assume a new identity. Setting aside whether the Saint Hall would reject the presence of humans, the demons who entered to search for spiritual objects would inevitably fight and scheme against each other.

Spiritual objects belong to the strong!

Having heard Zhou Yi's concerned words, Ao Cang nodded in satisfaction. A subordinate who valued relationships and righteousness would never disappoint, and he must be heavily relied upon in the future.

He then turned to look at the three Dragon Children, pondering for a moment before speaking.

"Elder Brother, Third Brother, for the time being, stay in the palace and guard it. I'll take General Wu, General Jin, and explore ahead!"

"Everything shall be as Father King commands,"

The Great Crown Prince and the third Crown Prince dared not have any objections. Even though they were both Transformed Demon Kings, the Dragon Lord commanded the respect of both a sovereign and a father. Any lack of reverence now would ensure they had no chance of inheriting the throne later.

If one could not respect their sovereign father, how could the ancestors rest assured in entrusting the Dragon Palace to such a person?

Observing this scene, Zhou Yi lowered his eyes and smirked.

Previously, seeing the True Monarchs and ancestors appearing detached and like carefree immortals, now, with the emergence of the Four Spirit Sanctuary, their mortal nature was exposed.

"After all, they are not immortals!"

...

Several days later.

Near the Four Sacred Halls.

Three swaths of demonic clouds—azure, white, and black—floated in the sky, positioned in a triangular standoff, their chilling murderous intent undisguised.

The myriad mountain demons were united against outside forces, but internally they were engaged in open rivalry and secret struggles. Unlike humans, who shared common ancestry, many demon clans were natural hunters and prey to one another.

For instance, sheep demons, whose parents were killed by wolf demons, how could there be no enmity recalling the past despite both being Demon Kings?

Fortunately, demon clans did not place much importance on bloodline, otherwise, there would be no need for human invasion; they would have settled matters of life and death amongst themselves long ago.

On normal days, constrained by the ancestor's repression, they had to suppress their conflicts, but now that the opportunity had arisen, they would settle their debts once inside the Formation.

In the distance, various figures were hidden among the mountains, Loose Cultivator Demon Kings, who usually stayed out of worldly affairs, couldn't help but covet the Four Spirit Sanctuary.

"Why hasn't that old worm arrived yet?" the Tiger King stood high on the clouds, his cold gaze sweeping over the fox den atop the azure cloud, cursing the shamelessness of frolicking with favored male consorts in broad daylight right in front of the Sanctuary.

"That fellow has always been troublesome, with ambition bigger than talent!"

The speaker was Wu Tianxiu, the Lord of Soup Valley, with a crow's head around his neck and bird claws for hands, and a pair of pitch-black wings on his back.

At that moment,

a hearty laugh rang out.

"Haha, I was handling some clan matters, I apologize for making my three esteemed brothers wait," Ao Cang said, arriving in a dragon chariot, flanked by over a dozen Demon Kings riding demonic clouds, followed by a hundred greater demons carrying banners, canopies, and other regalia.

"There's no need for such fuss, just hurry up and open the Sanctuary's prohibitions!" Wu Tianxiu urged in a cold tone. The Golden Crows viewed dragons as food, and naturally opposed each other in water and fire attributes, with deep-seated enmity between the two clans from ancient times.

"Let's do it together."

Ao Cang agreed generously, opening his mouth to release a Jade Ruyi. Without the need for casting spells, the Ruyi took to the air on its own; vaguely, the shadow of a dragon could be seen moving around it.

The Lord of Qingqiu, Hu Jiuhan, took out two treasure beads, one green and one red, while the Tiger King summoned a Mysterious Black Seal, and a golden bell flew out from Wu Tianxiu's hand. Discover stories at m,v l'-NovelBin.net

The four Supreme Treasures radiated dazzling divine light, and the terrifying aura was vast and immense, silencing the myriad sounds between heaven and earth, forcing all demons to descend from the clouds to look up.

Divine lights intertwined and slowly converged into a single ray, striking the water curtain Formation like a falling star.

Hum!

A sound like the faintest murmur broke out, pulverizing the flora, rocks, and stone within dozens of miles. Ripples spread across the water curtain, eventually cracking open a slit three to four feet wide.

"Now is the time!"

Ao Cang was the first to transform into a ray of light, slipping through the crack in the Formation, with the Tiger King and Wu Tianxiu following closely behind.

Only Hu Jiuhan remained on the clouds, his clansmen, and Demon Kings, not daring to procrastinate, rushing into the Four Spirits Sanctuary before the Formation closed up.

The four Supreme Treasures, having completed their task, flew towards the heavens and disappeared from sight.

As the formidable presence gradually dissipated, Zhou Yi finally exhaled a sigh of relief, experiencing the Nascent Soul ancestors' power at close range for the first time.

"No wonder there's never been a record of a Golden Core going against a Nascent Soul. Even Xiao Tiezhu had to form his Nascent Soul before he could slay the Zhen Yang Demon Venerate. In the realm of immortals, each step is as different as earth and heaven, a chasm that can't be measured in mere miles!"