Chapter 26: Fame in an Unusual Way

Demon-Suppressing Ridge.

Outside a cave near the summit, a crowd had gathered.

Ling Chen, young master of the Radiant Sun Sect; Tang Qingxuan and Chu Wanqing, both direct disciples of the sect master Ling Jinsong; their junior uncle Xuan Xiao; and two other elder martial uncles from the same sect were all present. There were also several inner disciples from the Lingyun Sect: the brothers Huo Qing and Huo Tong, as well as Tian Ying and Chen Xuan. In addition, disciples from other great sects and top holy lands had assembled, numbering forty to fifty in total.

This group had spent over two months searching in vain for Feng Qianning, the Saintess of the Heavenly Net Sect. Her two brief appearances had been mere chance encounters with itinerant cultivators and bounty hunters, and she had vanished without a trace each time.

Previously, an elder from the Radiant Sun Sect had confidently asserted that Feng Qianning could not possibly suppress the auras of two powerful artifacts, only to be proven wrong. At first, upon entering the Beast Valley, they could barely sense her presence; but very soon, all traces disappeared completely.

They debated two possibilities: either Feng Qianning possessed some artifact capable of masking her presence, rendering her undetectable when activated; or, more frighteningly, she had already refined the two artifacts as her own. If the latter, even with her injuries yet unhealed, her strength would now be truly formidable.

One way or another, they had lost their quarry. Though a vast net had been cast outside the valley, and great sea beasts patrolled the surrounding oceans day and night, escape was nearly impossible. Yet the colossal mountain range connecting to the Thousand-Mile Icefield stretched for tens of thousands of miles from north to south; to find a single person there was no different from searching for a needle in the sea. Especially since she could simply flee north into the Icefield, a place of deadly cold—a forbidden land for humanity, where none were willing to venture in pursuit.

Helpless, the group decided to make the best of the situation: letting their young disciples temper themselves in the wilderness, while they themselves quietly probed the secrets of the Beast Valley.

“There are traces here of human habitation—could it be that demoness Feng Qianning?”

“Hey, here’s a shredded cultivation manual… It’s been torn so finely not a single character is legible. Could this have belonged to a Radiant Sun Sect disciple killed by Feng Qianning?”

Someone had found the remnants of a dual cultivation manual in the cave, but it was shredded beyond recognition.

Ling Chen’s face darkened. Their sect’s flying vessel had been attacked while gathering ice lotuses at the Abyss, and so many had died—a blow to the prestige of the so-called foremost sect in the realm. The junior uncle Xuan Xiao, Tang Qingxuan, Chu Wanqing, and the two senior martial uncles all looked equally grim, but none spoke a word.

At that moment, someone grumbled, “Senior Xuan Xiao, don’t you think the great demons of the Beast Valley are being a bit too overbearing? Even we, with all our numbers, are trapped here and not allowed to leave!”

“That’s right! The Radiant Sun Sect leads all the sects under heaven—shouldn’t you negotiate with these demon kings and have them let us out?”

“Negotiate? Are we, the Radiant Sun Sect and the other holy lands, supposed to fear a bunch of monsters from Beast Valley? I’ve had enough of this godforsaken wilderness, eating and sleeping out in the open. They’d better drop the barrier soon, or else we’ll join forces and attack their territories!”

Xuan Xiao glanced at the speakers, recognizing most as influential young disciples from the top sects and holy lands. He replied coolly, “Fear is too strong a word. My Radiant Sun Sect has never feared anyone, past or present. But you all know the situation here: so-called demon kings like Xuan Cang, Jin Claw, and Wind Sigh are not truly frightening. If it really came to a fight, who would win is anyone’s guess. But if the true demon kings of the Overturning Sea Cavern, Ancient Peak, Burning Marsh, Devouring Moon Cliff, and Bloodthroat Ravine were to be roused, I need not tell you what the consequences would be.”

A hush fell. For their various motives, most had entered the Beast Valley with little preparation, never dreaming the monsters would imitate humans and cut off all retreat.

The barrier was a wretched thing—one could enter, but not leave. Only those at the Profound Micro realm might force their way out, but most who’d come from the ten great holy lands were only at the peak of Qi Absorption to Void Perception.

Suddenly, someone remarked, “A few days ago, a newly transformed minor demon told me a rumor: it seems a human cultivator has somehow become an honored guest of Wind Sigh and Jin Claw, those demon kings.”

“I’ve heard that too. Supposedly his name is… Mister Qin? Not sure what his background is.”

“Could he be some human collaborator, giving those demons advice?” someone speculated.

The Huo brothers, Tian Ying, and Chen Xuan exchanged glances. The name Mister Qin sounded familiar—could it be Qin Yue?

Another voice spoke up, “I actually know a bit about this.”

All eyes turned to the speaker: a strikingly handsome man in his late twenties, clad in gray, with a prominent nose, large eyes, and sword-like brows. Huo Qing recognized him as Bai Feng, a disciple of a major sect from the Luminous Sanctuary, on par with the northern grandmaster An Miaochu, his cultivation at the fourth or fifth stage of Void Perception.

Bai Feng said, “Just yesterday, I fought a match with White Shard, a great demon under Jin Claw. By luck, I won narrowly, and we struck up a grudging acquaintance. From him, I learned this Mister Qin is skilled in cultivating rare medicinal herbs. He originally served Wind Sigh but has now been recruited by Jin Claw to tend their treasured plants.”

“So we, disciples of the ten holy lands, are bullied by these monsters, yet someone among us thrives in their midst. Which sect claims such a disciple?”

“Skilled in herb cultivation… Could he be from that mysterious agricultural sect in the Mighty Sanctuary?”

“You mean Green Bamboo Garden, famed centuries ago? I thought their lineage was wiped out ages back—how could there still be disciples?”

“If a true heir of Green Bamboo Garden has emerged, all factions will compete to win him over. We can’t let these monsters profit alone,” someone murmured.

Many—including those from the Radiant Sun Sect—wore expressions of deep thought.

Tian Ying quietly sent a voice transmission to Huo Qing: “Qin Yue’s aura and bearing mark him as someone extraordinary. When we met, I sensed his quiet, uncontentious nature—he really could be a Green Bamboo Garden heir.”

Huo Qing replied without betraying emotion, “We’re on good terms with him. Didn’t Junior Sister Xuan leave him a message stone? We’ll seek a chance to contact him secretly. If he’s truly a Green Bamboo scion, we must draw him into our sect!”

Tian Ying agreed: “That’s exactly my thought. When the spirit vein suddenly dried up before, if we had a Green Bamboo heir’s help, there might still be hope!”

…

Ancient Peak—Broken Spine Gorge.

Within the lair of the demon king Jin Claw, a grand banquet was underway.

Qin Yue had just arrived, astonishing Jin Claw by extracting the essence from a thousand-year-old ginseng and leaving the ancient root “weeping with joy” and bursting with vitality.

Jin Claw was delighted! He ordered his finest wines brought forth. Unlike Wind Sigh, who disdained meat, Jin Claw was a carnivore through and through.

All manner of fresh seafood and wild game filled the feast.

“My worthy brother, how do you find Broken Spine Gorge?”

“Your majesty’s domain is truly a blessed land!” Qin, quiet and uncontentious by nature, knew how to please his host.

Jin Claw beamed with joy. “Indeed! When I was just a cub, not yet transformed, I followed my king here. We toiled to excavate this cavern and fought off invaders in bloody battles—only then did we secure it…”

Qin Yue asked curiously, “What makes this Beast Valley so extraordinary that so many powerful demons choose to settle here?”

Wind Sigh, that cunning demoness, was not one to be questioned carelessly. Jin Claw, by contrast, was hearty and open, allowing Qin Yue to probe for secrets.

Jin Claw replied, “I don’t know the full story. They say some mighty beings made an agreement with us to guard this place. In any case, it’s far from humans, so we live freely.”

“Your majesty, have you ever heard of an underground city deep within the Thousand-Mile Icefield to the far north?” Qin Yue asked.

Jin Claw laughed. “You mean the Ice Abyss? That’s no city, but an underground prison, home to a luckless human clan. Who knows how their ancestors offended the Radiant Sun Sect, but their descendants have been imprisoned there for generations.”

“Even a demon king like yourself, with centuries or millennia of experience, knows nothing more of this?” Qin Yue lifted his cup in a toast.

“Truly, I don’t know. Perhaps my own king might know a bit. But such things are hardly rare…” Jin Claw drank deep from a great bowl, clinking it lightly with Qin Yue’s. “You humans are all the same: either you annihilate your enemies to the last, or you imprison their descendants forever, never letting them rise again. Wicked, every one of you!”

Qin Yue nodded. Though his doubts remained unresolved, he had not come away empty-handed.

The ancient being beneath the ice, the great demon who migrated there years ago, and the clan imprisoned for generations in the Abyss—there was likely a connection between them.

Even a demon king like Jin Claw, with centuries of cultivation, knew little of the truth. One day, Qin Yue would have to seek answers from the true demon kings behind the scenes.

To change the fate of those in the Ice Abyss, he must learn what truly happened in ages past—only by tracing events to their source could the problem be solved.

This world of gods and demons was surely more complex than it appeared. As his master believed, killing the Radiant Sun Sect might not be enough to free the people of the Abyss—at least, Qin Yue thought so.

…

In the days that followed, Mister Qin made his way across the territories of the various demon kings in Beast Valley.

Yet he did not greedily plunder all the finest medicinal plants in the domains of Jin Claw, the panther lord, the wolf king, or the bear king.

On the one hand, he did not wish to go too far and make eternal enemies of these great beasts; on the other, it was simply impossible to absorb it all—there was too much!

The demon kings of Beast Valley were truly wealthy.

Whether tending the precious herbs kept for their kings, or within their own gardens, each medicine contained unimaginable vitality. With his present cultivation, the essence of a dozen great herbs would be enough to raise him a level.

There was no need to fleece a single sheep bare.

However, when he came to Xuan Cang the demon king’s domain, he made no such restraint, staying for more than half a month.

He absorbed the vitality from several precious herbs, pushing his cultivation from mid-Void Perception to the very edge of the Profound Micro realm.

Just as he prepared to break through in one great effort, Qin Yue was suddenly seized by a powerful premonition—

A calamity was approaching!