Chapter 180: Chapter 169: Two Realms Mountain

WHOOSH!

The light flared for a moment before dimming again. The black pillar fell silent, as if nothing had happened.

"Still not enough power!"

Seeing no particular change in the orb, Nie Yun knew he had failed again.

’Failure is failure. My Cultivation speed is quite fast now, and I have plenty of treasures. I don’t have any extravagant hopes for what’s inside the orb anyway.’

"To think that absorbing the Essence Energy took a full three days..."

The speed of absorbing the Essence Energy was fast, but the transformation of his muscles required a buffer period. By the time Nie Yun had finished his Cultivation, he realized three days had already passed!

"The Liu Mansion, and probably all of Jibei City, must be in chaos by now!"

Liu Chengze was a key figure in the Liu Mansion and the younger brother of City Lord Liu Jifei. His disappearance might not have raised suspicions after one day, but three consecutive days would have definitely caused a huge uproar!

’They haven’t found this place after three days, which means it’s very well hidden. No one should know that I killed Liu Chengze...’

’Since no one knows I killed him, there’s no need for me to wipe out the entire Liu Family just to eliminate all traces.’

Having figured this out, Nie Yun swept his gaze around one more time. After confirming there was nothing of value left in the secret chamber, he stamped his foot on the ground. With a WHOOSH, he dashed forward along another tunnel.

This time, he didn’t use the power of his True Qi for his sprint. Yet, relying on his physical speed alone, he was even faster than Liu Yuan had been when using the Falling Flower Chasing Wind Step!

A short while later, he emerged from the tunnel’s exit.

The exit was no longer within the Liu Mansion, nor was it inside Jibei City. It was hidden in a mountain forest. Stepping out from here led directly to the back mountains.

’The tunnel was so well designed, but sadly, it didn’t save Liu Chengze from death.’

Following the senses of his Beast Taming Dantian, Nie Yun quickly found Hei Yan and the others. With a faint smile, the man and his three beasts flew swiftly in the direction of King Ning, whom he could still sense.

***

Two Realms Mountain. It was one of the three major gathering places for the Demon Race on the continent and the site where the Human and Demon Races of the Divine Wind Empire clashed in a great war long ago. To this day, many remnants of the Demon Race remained, forming factions of considerable strength.

These factions weren’t composed entirely of Demons. There were also quite a few Traitors—humans who sided with them. They used their power to bully others, maneuvering ruthlessly as they burned, killed, and pillaged. They were no different from bandits.

Because Two Realms Mountain was located on the edge of the Divine Wind Empire and deep within the mountain range, the Empire, for cost reasons, had never dispatched forces to exterminate them. This allowed the place to become a sanctuary for fugitive Demons, a place where humans rarely dared to venture.

In the early morning, before the thick fog had completely dissipated, a group of seventeen or eighteen people emerged from the depths of the mountain forest, appearing near Two Realms Mountain.

These men were all burly and brawny, clad in tight-fitting armor. Every one of them wore an expression of calm indifference, a look that spoke of countless life-and-death battles. A single glance was enough to tell they were all seasoned Mercenaries.

"Boss, up ahead is Demon territory. If we just rush in like this, won’t it be dangerous?"

A stout man in the crowd stared ahead, his mind recalling the many legends about Two Realms Mountain.

Legend had it that Two Realms Mountain was a graveyard for humans. Unless you submitted and became a Traitor, the only path was death!

"We have to go even if it’s dangerous. The Purple Extension Fruit is said to be not far into the mountain range. If we’re lucky, we might be able to complete the mission without running into a single Demon!" the middle-aged man called "Boss" said, gritting his teeth.

"I hope so. This mission is dangerous, but the reward is huge. As long as we can pull it off, we’ll be set for life. It’s worth it if it means we never have to live this dangerous life again!"

The stout man who had spoken earlier licked his lips, thinking of the generous reward offered for the mission.

The person who posted the mission was one of the wealthiest men in the Divine Wind Empire. His only daughter had fallen gravely ill, and the life-saving Purple Extension Fruit could only be found in Two Realms Mountain. Desperate to save his daughter, he had put up this astronomically high-priced mission. If they could complete it, the reward would be enough for all seventeen or eighteen of them to live on for the rest of their lives. They would never have to be Mercenaries again!

"Let’s hope so! But... I’ve heard there are countless Demons in Two Realms Mountain. The strongest among them has even reached the Early-Stage Ultimate Venerable Realm! There are over a dozen at the Peak of Qi Sect! That’s precisely why none of the Empire’s Ultimate Venerable Powerhouses ever come here! Sigh... Anyway, let’s be careful. If we run into danger, we run. We run as far as we can. It doesn’t matter if we complete the mission or not; the most important thing is to stay alive!"

another middle-aged man said.

This middle-aged man’s demeanor was clearly different from the others. He seemed to understand the true extent of the danger and didn’t hold out much hope that they could obtain the Purple Extension Fruit.

"That’s for sure. I heard about it too. Last time, a Peak Powerhouse of Qi Sect, overconfident in his strength, came here. In the end... he never returned. No one knows if he’s dead or what happened!"

"You’re talking about that Qi Sect expert, Jii Yue, right? He’s dead! The Demons even sent his corpse back and extorted his family, demanding a huge ’corpse storage fee’ from them!"

"What? They killed him and then demanded a corpse storage fee?"

"Yeah. There was nothing they could do. With Jii Yue dead, the strongest expert left in his family was only at the Early-Stage Qi Sect Realm. But the Demon Race sent three Peak Powerhouses of Qi Sect. The power gap was just too great! The Jii Yue family had no choice but to obediently pay up, and they ended up losing their entire fortune!"

At the mention of how terrifying the Demons of Two Realms Mountain were, the mood of the Mercenaries grew heavy.

The Human and Demon Races were perpetually at war, and mutual hatred ran deep between them. Since Two Realms Mountain was occupied by Demons, they naturally wouldn’t allow humans to enter freely.

"Alright, none of that. Dangerous? When is a mission for us Mercenaries not a life-or-death situation? If you’re afraid of dying, then you shouldn’t be in this line of work. Go home and hug your wives and kids!" Seeing everyone’s morale dip, the Boss let out a hearty laugh.

"That’s right! If we were afraid of death, we’d be at home with our wives and kids! So what if the Demons are strong? What’s there to be afraid of? The worst that can happen is we die. But if we don’t, we’ll have enough money for the rest of our lives! It’s no big deal!"

"Besides, we’re only going to the outskirts of Two Realms Mountain. We might complete the mission and return victorious before the Demons even notice us!"

Every one of the Mercenaries was a bold and straightforward type. Though their mood had been heavy at first, they all soon broke into laughter.

If you were afraid of death, you wouldn’t be a Mercenary!

To be a Mercenary meant facing life and death with composure!

Because of this, even though they all felt this mission was likely a brush with death, they weren’t particularly afraid. Instead, their fighting spirit grew stronger.

THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD!

Just as everyone was feeling relieved and their spirits were lifting, a series of slow footsteps approached from the mist-filled path ahead.

"Everyone, be careful..."

Hearing the footsteps coming from the direction of Two Realms Mountain, everyone’s heart leaped into their throats.

’Coming from inside... and with such steady, unhurried steps... Could it be a Demon?’

SHING!

Everyone drew their weapons!

Although these men weren’t exceptionally strong, most being around the Gang Formation Realm, the sight of more than a dozen of them standing together exuded a grim, battle-hardened aura that was unsettling.

"Huh? It’s a human! And just a boy..."

The figure in the mist grew clearer, and the group finally got a good look. When they saw the person’s appearance, they couldn’t help but be astonished.

The one emerging was not a Demon, but a pure-blooded human who looked no older than sixteen or seventeen. Following behind him were three enormous Demon Beasts. The footsteps they had heard earlier had come from those three beasts.

"Everyone, be careful. Anyone who can walk out of Two Realms Mountain might have already betrayed the Human Race. He could be a Traitor!"

The Boss’s expression turned grim as he said this, having remembered something.

"’Traitor’? Heh, don’t worry. I’m not a Traitor."

The approaching youth seemed to have heard the Boss’s words. He smiled, revealing a set of perfectly white teeth.

Seeing his pure and clear smile, which held not a trace of demonic energy, everyone, for some reason, immediately believed him.

"Little brother, this is Two Realms Mountain. It’s filled with danger. Why did you come here alone? Your elders are really something, letting you come here by yourself..."

Believing the youth was human, the group’s attitude softened considerably.

"Don’t worry, kid. Now that you’ve run into us, you’re safe. Our group isn’t even afraid of a Demon at the Peak of Armor Realm. If you’re scared, just follow behind us..."

one of the Mercenaries said boastfully.

"Heh, thanks!" Hearing the Mercenary’s kind offer, the youth chuckled again and gave a casual wave of his hand. "I just came out of there, so I won’t be going back in. If you want to go in, go ahead!"

With that, he led the three Demon Beasts behind him and strode away.

"Hey, wait, little brother! Are there a lot of Demons inside? Is it dangerous?"

Seeing the youth about to leave, the Boss suddenly remembered his mission and hurriedly asked.

No matter what, this youth had walked out of the depths of Two Realms Mountain alive. His words certainly carried more weight than the rumors they had heard.

"A lot of Demons? Hmm, there were a lot yesterday. Today... they’re all dead."

The youth gave a faint smile, and his figure, along with those of the three Demon Beasts, quickly vanished into the mist, disappearing from sight.

"’There were a lot yesterday. Today... they’re all dead.’ What does that mean?"

Hearing the youth’s ambiguous words, everyone was stunned for a moment. "Whatever. Let’s go in!"

The Boss waved his hand, leading the group deeper into the mist.

The group walked for about half an hour. The sun finally rose, and under its rays, the fog gradually dissipated, revealing the true face of Two Realms Mountain.

"This..."

"How is this possible..."

As the fog cleared, the Mercenaries finally saw the scene before them. They stood frozen in shock, their eyes bulging.

The once-majestic peak of Two Realms Mountain had been cleanly sheared off. The tall buildings the Demons had constructed were now all reduced to rubble. Corpses lay strewn across the ground, looking as if they had been killed by a single sword strike, without even the strength to resist!

"The Demons of Two Realms Mountain... they’re all dead..."

Looking at the scene, everyone understood.

"That boy from before said... ’there were a lot yesterday, but today they’re all dead’... Could it be that he killed all these Demons?"

Recalling the youth’s parting words and the indifferent expressions of the three Demon Beasts, a shudder ran through the Mercenaries. They were utterly dumbfounded.

PS: I’m back from proctoring the college entrance exams. I’ll be releasing eight more Chapters. Wishing all the students taking the exams the best of luck and great scores!

Please keep the monthly tickets coming!! (To be continued. If you enjoyed this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with your recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)