104: Ten Thousand Mountains, the Demon King is hunting

That gaze from the edge of the sky, like a cold needle, pierced deep into Lin Gou's perception.

It held no killing intent, no anger, only pure scrutiny.

Like a high-and-mighty chess player who accidentally discovered an extra piece on the board that didn't belong to him, he cast an interested glance.

This one glance, however, made Lin Gou feel more terrified than any substantial attack.

He turned without hesitation and fled!

He pushed his speed to the fastest he had ever achieved in his life.

The wind tore into a shriek in his ears, and the ground beneath his feet blurred into streaks of light.

He didn't know who the other party was.

Was it the mysterious "Traveler" that Su Meier spoke of, or other pursuers sent by the Chosen Ones Alliance?

The only thing he knew for sure was that the secret of his resurrection had been exposed.

That butterfly of light was a tracking beacon.

He had to be faster!

He had to be stronger!

He had to gain enough power to overturn the entire board before the other party could cast a net of heaven and earth!

He ran wildly, not daring to stop for a moment, until his three-colored Golden Core inside him began to ache from overuse, finally stopping in disarray before a continuous, primitive mountain range.

The night wind blew, carrying the unique dampness and earthy smell of the mountains.

He leaned against an ancient tree that required several people to encircle, panting heavily, his chest heaving like a broken bellows.

Cold killing intent and a sense of urgency enveloped him like an invisible net.

He took out the pale green brocade pouch from his embrace.

Under the cold moonlight, the slightly clumsy herb embroidered with silver thread on the pouch seemed to be tinged with a soft glow.

He caressed the rough stitching, clearly imagining Zhao Linger under the lamp, her delicate brows furrowed, meticulously sewing stitch by stitch.

His heart, which had been stretched to its limit by the escape, quietly relaxed for a moment in this insignificant warmth.

He opened the brocade pouch and poured its contents into his palm.

A warm Jade Slip, and a few crystal-clear dried fruits, as if wrapped in honey.

He picked up a dried fruit and put it into his mouth.

A sweet taste melted on his tongue, carrying a hint of sunshine.

This familiar sweetness dispelled some of the gloom in his heart caused by the unknown powerful enemy.

He once again probed the Jade Slip with his Divine Sense.

"Senior Brother Lin, I don't know what you've encountered..."

"...If you're tired, just crush it, and I... I'll come find you."

"...You must come back."

The girl's voice, filled with worry and determination, echoed in his mind again.

Lin Gou slowly withdrew his Divine Sense, carefully putting the Jade Slip and the remaining dried fruits back into the brocade pouch and placing it close to his body.

That faint warmth was the anchor for his lonely boat drifting in the endless storm of death.

It reminded him that everything he did was not just about surviving.

It was also about protecting.

He raised his head, looking at the mountain range before him, which resembled a crawling giant beast in the night.

Tiannan County, Ten Thousand Mountains.

A forbidden zone of the Cultivation World, a paradise for Yao Beasts.

And it was the second stage of death he had chosen for himself.

Evading pursuit was only one reason.

More importantly, he needed to hunt for a sufficiently powerful Bloodline to complement his increasingly hungry Godfiend Undying Body Cultivation Technique.

He stood up, the last trace of warmth in his eyes completely faded, replaced by the calmness and focus of a wolf.

The second death-defying plan began... In the outer reaches of the Ten Thousand Mountains, the Demonic Qi was already thick as substance.

Towering ancient trees blocked out the sky, shattering the moonlight into fragments.

The air was filled with the sour smell of decaying leaves and unknown wild beasts, mixing into a nauseating poisonous miasma.

An ordinary Cultivator stepping into this place would have their Spiritual Qi eroded by the poisonous miasma within a hundred steps, and then be torn to shreds by lurking Yao Beasts.

Lin Gou, however, walked as if on flat ground.

He activated his Karma Perception.

The entire world, in his eyes, was instantly imbued with new colors.

Every tree, every stone, was entwined with faint or dense gray Qi, which was the Karma accumulated by the existence of all things.

And in certain areas, amidst the gray Qi, there were also shocking, thick black Qi, like congealed blood!

That was the precipitation of slaughter and resentment, the concretization of sin.

He was walking along a small path; the road ahead seemed normal.

But in his vision, at the end of that small path, a huge and viscous mass of black Karma was entrenched, like an open abyss.

He didn't hesitate at all, immediately turning and stepping into a nearby thicket that looked thorny and more difficult to traverse.

Less than ten breaths after he left that small path.

A shrill scream, accompanied by the grating sound of bones breaking, came from the direction he had originally intended to go.

Following that was a series of hair-raising chewing sounds.

Clearly, some unlucky intruder had become the meal of the owner of that black Karma.

Lin Gou didn't look back.

In this jungle of death, Karma Perception was the most accurate navigator.

He could easily avoid all powerful Yao Beasts with heavy slaughter and entangled Karma, choosing only the relatively "clean" routes.

Like a slippery fish, he calmly moved through the rapids full of hidden reefs.

After going a hundred miles deep, he stopped.

In his perception, the entrance to a valley ahead was shrouded by a Restriction that was almost integrated with the surrounding environment.

This Restriction was extremely clever, not only isolating Divine Sense but also distorting light.

The most peculiar thing was that the Karma in this area was excessively clean.

As if it had been cleansed day after day by some pure power.

When things are abnormal, there must be a demon.

Lin Gou's interest was piqued.

He didn't choose to forcefully break it; that would cause a huge commotion.

He walked to the Restriction, extended his finger, and gently touched the invisible energy barrier.

In his Sea of Consciousness, the Heavenly Dao Comprehension Fragment obtained from the Heavenly Tribulation glowed faintly.

Instantly, the entire energy flow network of the Restriction and the nodes of its Law construction became incredibly clear in his eyes.

He found it.

An insignificant weak point, as thin as a strand of hair.

The Spiritual Qi at his fingertip, like the most exquisite key, gently flicked.

Buzz.

The entire Restriction, without making a sound, rippled open before him like water, forming a gap just wide enough for one person to pass through.

He flashed in.

The gap quietly closed behind him.

A vital essence so dense it was almost substantial rushed over him.

Inside the valley, there was a world of its own.

Exotic flowers and rare herbs grew everywhere, and Spiritual Qi condensed into mist.

And in the very center of the valley, a plant, entirely crimson, only about a foot tall, shaped like a miniature coiled and sleeping Dragon, was emitting a captivating glow.

Ten Thousand Year Dragon Blood Ginseng.

Judging by its luster, it was not far from full maturity.

Just then, a A bloody storm is coming.

A Flood Dragon-serpent, covered in pitch-black scales, with a single horn on its head, and in the Middle Golden Core Stage, darted out like lightning from a cave next to the Dragon Blood Ginseng.

Its scarlet vertical pupils locked onto Lin Gou, the uninvited guest, filled with ferocity and killing intent.

Having guarded this place for hundreds of years, with the Spirit Medicine about to mature, it would never allow anyone to covet it.

The Flood Dragon-serpent opened its gaping maw, and a stream of black venom shot towards Lin Gou like an arrow.

Lin Gou's face was expressionless.

He didn't even bother to dodge.

He simply took a step forward, facing the venom, and casually threw a punch.

There were no dazzling lights or shadows.

No vast fluctuations of magical power.

Only pure, condensed Physical Body strength to the extreme.

The air in front of his fist was instantly detonated, forming a visible white airwave.

The venom, capable of instantly killing a Golden Core cultivator, was directly shattered into a sky full of black mist the moment it touched the airwave.

Immediately after.

The Flood Dragon-serpent, still in an attacking posture, froze.

An invisible punch had already pierced through its body.

Its hard scales, comparable to Magic Treasures, and its proud, powerful Physical Body, were as fragile as tofu before this power.

The next second.

Boom!

The Flood Dragon-serpent's entire body exploded from within, turning into a rain of blood and flesh that splattered across the entire valley.

One punch.

Instant kill.

Lin Gou walked to the Dragon Blood Ginseng, pulled it out by the roots, and, without even looking at the bloody scene around him, directly stuffed it into his mouth.

It melted upon entry.

A violent, lava-like surge of hot energy exploded within his body.

The Godfiend Undying Body Cultivation Technique automatically activated.

All the bones in his body let out crackling sounds under the immense pressure.

On the surface of his skin, ancient and mysterious runes flickered in and out of existence, frantically absorbing the potent medicinal power.

Intense pain ensued, but his eyes gleamed with excitement.

After a long while, the medicinal power was completely absorbed.

Lin Gou slowly exhaled a mouthful of turbid Qi; when it landed on the ground, it corroded a deep pit in a bluestone.

His Physical Body strength surged again.

But this was not enough.

The medicinal power of the Dragon Blood Ginseng was like a fire, thoroughly igniting the "hunger" in his body.

He now desperately needed a more powerful energy, a more overbearing Bloodline, to serve as fuel for this supreme Body Refining Cultivation Technique.

He walked out of the valley, his gaze directed towards the deeper parts of the Ten Thousand Mountains.

A Wind Eagle in the Early Golden Core Stage swept across the sky.

Lin Gou's figure flickered, disappearing from his original spot.

When he reappeared, he was already on the back of the Wind Eagle.

The Wind Eagle let out a terrified cry, trying to resist.

Lin Gou's hand was already pressed against its head.

The power of the Ten Thousand Tribulations Undying Demon Soul, like invisible sharp needles, pierced into the Wind Eagle's Sea of Consciousness, brutally plundering all its memories.

A moment later, Lin Gou released his hand.

The Wind Eagle had turned into a living corpse with hollow eyes, falling straight down from the sky.

A hint of satisfaction appeared in Lin Gou's eyes.

He had obtained the information he wanted.

In the deepest part of the Ten Thousand Mountains, there was a Forbidden Ground called the "Rotten Swamp."

There, an ancient variant in the Late Golden Core Stage was entrenched.

The Sky-Devouring Toad.

Its innate Divine Ability was to devour all things. Its territorial awareness was extremely strong, treating any creature that entered its Domain as food.

It perfectly met his death-defying requirements.

Lin Gou identified the direction and sped towards the Rotten Swamp... On his inevitable path to the swamp.

A fierce battle caught his attention.

He concealed his figure and quietly approached.

He saw a team of Cultivators wearing Qingyun Sect Inner Sect Disciple robes being besieged by a pack of pitch-black Demon Wolves with glowing claws in a chaotic forest.

Every Disciple in the team was injured, and their Spiritual Qi was severely depleted; they had clearly reached their limit.

Leading them was a female Cultivator in a blue dress, with a beautiful face, but at this moment, her face was pale, and her eyes were stubborn.

Lin Gou recognized her.

Liu Qingyan.

A proud daughter of heaven among the Inner Sect Disciples, who had once publicly mocked him, an Outer Sect Trash, for not being worthy of being too close to Zhao Linger.

Lin Gou's gaze lingered on her for a moment before moving away.

He hadn't intended to meddle.

But his Karma Perception told him that the Karma entwined around this team of Qingyun Sect Disciples, including Liu Qingyan, was extremely faint.

It was just the faint grayness that ordinary Cultivators would have.

Proving that although they were arrogant, their hearts were not bad, and their hands were not stained with the blood of innocent people.

A hint of calculation flashed in Lin Gou's eyes.

He decided to "pass by."

He did not reveal himself, remaining hidden on an ancient tree several miles away.

He watched his fellow Disciples, who were about to be overwhelmed by the Demon Wolves, and slowly raised a finger.

He didn't mobilize the power of his Golden Core.

He merely condensed the pure Physical Body strength of the Godfiend Undying Body at his fingertip.

Then, he lightly flicked it in the direction of the Demon Wolf pack.

A silent gust of wind shot out from his finger.

The gust of wind caused no ripples in the air, like a drop of water merging into the ocean.

But when it crossed several miles and reached the center of the battlefield.

It erupted with a roar!

Dozens of Demon Wolves in that area, whether low-level or the Wolf King comparable to the Late Foundation Establishment Stage.

Their bodies, at the same time, without any warning, suddenly stiffened.

Then, like watermelons thrown into a meat grinder.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

In a series of dull explosions, all the Demon Wolves were completely turned into a sky full of blood mist and shredded flesh.

The entire process was extremely bizarre.

Liu Qingyan and the others, who were desperately fighting to the death, were all stunned in place.

They watched as the ferocious Demon Wolves turned into a bloody rain before their eyes.

But they had no idea where the attack came from.

Liu Qingyan's body trembled slightly.

It was fear, and even more, shock.

In that instant, she felt an indescribable, incomparably overbearing power sweep across the entire battlefield.

It wasn't a Spell.

It wasn't a Divine Ability.

It was pure, condensed power to the extreme.

For some reason, a figure flashed in her mind without warning.

That inconspicuous Outer Sect Disciple who had also knocked his opponent off the arena with one punch during the Sect Grand Competition.

That Saint who later ascended to heaven, passed through the divine tribulation, but was then infected by a Heart Demon and went down the mountain to travel alone.

Lin Gou.

No.

Impossible.

Liu Qingyan immediately shook her head, casting this absurd thought out of her mind.

He was only in the Early Golden Core Stage, and his Dao Heart was flawed; how could he possess such incredibly terrifying power?

It must have been some passing Senior expert who did it casually.

She looked around at the empty surroundings and bowed deeply.

"Thank you, Senior, for saving my life. Liu Qingyan of Qingyun Sect will never forget this kindness."

And the perpetrator had long since drifted away, deeply hiding his achievements and fame.

For Lin Gou, this action was merely to confuse the public.

A Saint with a "flawed Dao Heart, troubled by love," yet "casually doing good deeds, slaying demons and devils" outside.

If this news spread, it would only make his image more complex and enigmatic.

And it would also be more conducive for him to hide his true purpose... After another half day of trekking.

Lin Gou finally arrived at his destination.

A vast, endless black swamp.

The air was filled with the pungent, sour smell of sulfur mixed with decaying corpses, and large bubbles constantly emerged from the surface of the swamp, then burst with a bang, releasing green poisonous mist.

In the center of this deadly Jedi.

A colossal figure, like a small mountain, entirely gray-black, was lying there in slumber.

Its skin was like cracked rock.

Its back was covered with various sizes of fleshy tumors, like grave mounds.

Each breath it took would stir up gusts of foul wind on the swamp's surface.

Its thunderous snores echoed through heaven and earth.

In Lin Gou's vision, a line of clear text appeared.

[Sky-Devouring Toad (Late Golden Core Stage, Ancient Variant Bloodline)]

The muscles on his face slowly twitched, revealing an extremely satisfied smile.

He stood at the edge of the swamp, looking at the sleeping behemoth as if admiring a peerless delicacy about to be served at the dinner table.

He stretched his limbs, and his bones let out a series of crackling sounds.

"Buffet, I'm here."