8: A glimpse of something! Something's amiss on the other side of the river!
At this moment.
A glimmer of light on the horizon, like a sharp sword, pierced through the heavy night that enveloped the world.
The originally dead silent world seemed to come alive in an instant.
Smoke rose from the distant village, men sharpened knives and prepared arrows to enter the mountains, and women hurried to the stove to prepare dry rations.
The barking of hounds, the crying of children, and the scolding of adults merged into a single soundscape, a vivid picture of human life.
However.
None of this concerned Xu Qing.
He coiled on the small mountain, staring at the village at its foot, calm and detached.
After a final glance, his emerald-green snake body turned and burrowed back into the mountain forest.
The System's prompts continued.
It seemed to sense Xu Qing's powerful aura, and the Female Snakes began to lay eggs one after another.
Xu Qing's Cultivation Level began to surge.
"My body is too big now, it's a bit inconvenient."
Xu Qing was a little worried; he was no longer something an ordinary Female Snake could bear, and a slight carelessness could crush them to death.
"After I've collected this wave of rewards, I'll have to consider the matter of the other side of the river."
Xu Qing looked towards the opposite bank of the river.
The other side of the river was not within the scope of the Taihang Mountains; it belonged to Profound Yin Mountain's territory.
A snake demon reigned supreme there.
According to the wolf demon's memory, that snake demon was much stronger than it.
Not only that, but the snake demon also had many minor demons under its command, mostly from the snake clan, and they all had decent strength.
"There must be Female Snake Demons on the other side."
Xu Qing pondered secretly; he felt a sense of urgency in his heart.
This world was fraught with dangers. His current strength was fine on the periphery of the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, but if he ventured deeper, he would likely immediately become a snack for some great demons.
Examine oneself three times a day: be careful, be cautious!
The plan to find a demon-transforming wife must be put on the agenda!
Following the wolf demon's memory, Xu Qing arrived at the main peak of the Taihang Mountains.
Upon reaching the summit, gusts of cold wind blew.
A wolf den, piled high with bones, appeared before his eyes.
Among them were the bones of wild beasts, and also many human bones.
Xu Qing flicked his forked tongue, instinctively feeling a sense of disgust for this place.
In the unseen, a sharp howl seemed to echo.
Xu Qing felt his body itch, as if bedbugs were trying to shake his body.
"Filthy things, you dare try to harm me."
Dark light glowed in his golden vertical pupils.
Under Soul Seizing, all the lonely ghosts and wild spirits in the wolf den revealed themselves.
Clusters of hazy black mist filled the wolf den, and dozens of these black mists were clinging to Xu Qing, trying to burrow in and devour his flesh and blood.
With a thought from Xu Qing, the black mist on his body immediately dissipated.
The remaining lonely ghosts and wild spirits looked at Xu Qing in horror, not daring to approach further.
"Trapped here, it's better to reincarnate early. I shall grant you liberation."
Xu Qing thought to himself, then opened his large mouth.
The next moment.
"Boom!"
A dazzling, scorching electric light flared.
Thunder eradicates evil demons!
Lightning not only restrains great demons with physical bodies, but it is also a natural enemy to ethereal soul bodies!
A cold wind swept through the wolf den, and theghosts (Yin Souls) were purified in their wails.
Not long after.
All the bones and Yin Souls disappeared, and a large, clean nest appeared before Xu Qing.
After clearing it, the feeling of disgust also vanished.
Xu Qing was finally satisfied. The Taihang Mountains were blessed with spiritual land and beautiful waters, and the Spiritual Qi here was much denser than in other places, which was why the wolf demon had chosen to build its nest here.
His thirty-meter-long green body coiled within the nest, and Xu Qing slowly closed his eyes.
He no longer needed to sleep; closing his eyes was merely to better listen to the System's wonderful voice.
Over the past nearly half a day, new offspring were constantly being born, increasing at a rate far exceeding the past.
"Your 1500th offspring is born, with a weak Physique. You gain three months of Cultivation Level."
"Your 1501st offspring is born, with a moderate Physique. You gain one Bloodline point!"
"Your..."
After a long while.
"Your 1612th offspring is born, with a mutated Bloodline, having a high probability of transforming into a demon. You gain thirty years of Cultivation Level!"
"Detected that the number of demon-transforming offspring has reached ten. You receive a reward: Spell - Spirit Eye!"
"Spirit Eye: Can see through illusions and observe the Luck, Cultivation Level, and lifespan of living beings!"
There are also rewards for the number of demon-transforming offspring!?
Xu Qing opened his eyes, slightly surprised.
The translucent System panel appeared.
The method for using the Spirit Eye was already imprinted in his mind.
He immediately tried to cast it. The gold in his vertical pupils became more condensed, and the surrounding terrain and features came into full view.
The Spirit Eye could not only see living beings but also mountains and terrain.
In the Spirit Eye's vision, the surrounding mountain peaks faintly exuded a certain 'momentum'.
This 'momentum' connected into a single whole, jointly guarding the Taihang Mountains where Xu Qing resided!
Because of this, the Taihang Mountains became the place with the densest Spiritual Qi in the mountain range.
Cultivating here seemed to yield twice the results with half the effort, saving a lot of time.
Xu Qing's golden vertical pupils surveyed his surroundings, very satisfied with this Spell.
Although it wasn't an Earthly Fiend Technique, it was still very good.
With the Spirit Eye, he would know his enemies' Cultivation Levels in the future.
No need to worry about pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger.
Even less need to worry about letting go of some Child of Luck and causing a 'thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river' situation.
If an enemy in his growth period possessed great Luck, he would choose to kill them on the spot.
With a thought from Xu Qing, the translucent System panel appeared.
[Name: Xu Qing]
[Identity: Lord of Taihang Mountains]
[Bloodline: Ancient Return (80/1000)]
[Body Length: 38.4 meters]
[Cultivation Level: 661 years]
[Number of Descendants: 1612]
[Earthly Fiend Techniques: Light Generation, Soul Seizing]
[Spells: Spirit Eye, Divine Movement Technique, Five Thunders Incantation]
After inspecting the Taihang Mountain Range, his identity changed from 'Mountain Snake Demon' to 'Lord of Taihang Mountains'!
The System recognized his new identity, indicating that Xu Qing was now the strongest existence in this area.
The Bloodline points didn't increase much.
Xu Qing discovered that at least 'moderate Physique' offspring were likely to reward Bloodline points.
His Cultivation Level increased by nearly two hundred years, neither too much nor too little.
The recently born offspring generally had poor Physiques, so the Cultivation Level rewards were small.
The accumulation of nearly two hundred years of Cultivation Level was still due to the sheer quantity.
His body length was close to forty meters, not a significant increase.
However, Xu Qing's Bloodline was vastly different from before, and his body's strength far surpassed the past, so a slow increase was normal.
Overall, his strength was increasing every day.
Life was full of promise, and Xu Qing was not anxious; his method of becoming stronger was very simple anyway.
Just as he was about to retract the Spell.
His gaze suddenly paused, staring at the border between the Taihang Mountains and Profound Yin Mountain.
In the Spirit Eye's vision, several unusual light clusters appeared on the other side of the river, moving towards the Taihang Mountains!
Those coming were not mortal beings; they must possess Cultivation Levels!
What's going on?
Could it be that the battle with the wolf demon was noticed by the other side, and they want to come and snatch his spoils?
Xu Qing's eyes instantly turned cold.