181: Chapter 181 The Cave World, the Realm of Half-Demons

In the era where Zheng lived, extraordinary talents and monstrous geniuses were by no means few.

Be it the Human Race or the Yao Race,

it was an era where Geniuses walked everywhere and Opportunities were as common as dogs.

Even if your talent was incredibly mediocre, you might suddenly strike it lucky, receiving the favor of the Heavenly Dao and obtaining some extraordinary Opportunities.

Even so, Zheng had never seen anyone who could comprehend all the Yao Race runes in such a short period of time.

Unless they had their spiritual terrace touched by the Ancient God Cangjie, granting them instant enlightenment, comprehending all the runes in such a short time was an almost impossible feat.

Yet, Li Xiuyuan had done exactly that.

Zheng believed that the other party must have used special means, and even relied on a Divine Ability for assistance, but what kind of Divine Ability could possibly achieve this?

No matter how Zheng searched its memories, it could not find any such Divine Ability.

Perhaps it was one it had never seen before?

Zheng was not arrogant; although it had lived for so many years in the Ancient Shan Hai Era and had seen various peculiar Divine Abilities, it also believed that there must still be many Divine Abilities in this world that it had never witnessed.

Through Yin Laojiu's eyes, Zheng watched the figure stepping into the darkness ahead, already certain in its heart that as long as no irresistible danger or accident occurred, Li Xiuyuan would definitely become a top-tier powerhouse of this era.

...

When Li Xiuyuan opened the stone wall, he then threw the clay figurine he had molded into the darkness before him.

After the figurine entered the pitch-black corridor, its body shot up in height, eventually becoming identical to Li Xiuyuan.

As the figurine stepped into the deep darkness behind the stone wall, the light from the stone room was completely swallowed up.

The ground beneath was no longer rough rock, but a smoother, more even material. From within the stone room, Li Xiuyuan controlled the figurine without pause, attaching his Spiritual Sense to it.

Yin Laojiu followed behind him and muttered, "King Zheng said this dark corridor is a teleportation array leading to the Grotto-Heaven, and we'll get out after walking for a bit, but he didn't say how long we'd have to walk."

Li Xiuyuan nodded slightly. This dark corridor was much longer than he had anticipated; he didn't know how long they had been walking, as the passage of time in the darkness became blurry and drawn-out.

Finally, a speck of light appeared ahead.

The speck of light was extremely small, like a star about to rise on the horizon, appearing exceptionally tiny in the boundless darkness, yet incredibly striking. As they continued forward, the light grew larger and larger, turning into the outline of a cave exit.

When Li Xiuyuan and Yin Laojiu emerged one after the other from the narrow cave, daylight poured down in an instant, bright and warm, carrying a vibrant breath of life completely different from the darkness just now.

Li Xiuyuan squinted slightly, then slowly opened his eyes.

Before them was a vast, open world.

A few wisps of white clouds hung lazily in the sky, and sunlight spilled through the gaps in the clouds, falling onto the undulating mountains in the distance and the continuous grassland nearby.

The air was incredibly clean, with an extremely subtle warmth that made one involuntarily want to take a deep breath.

The concentration of Spiritual Qi in this world was much higher than Li Xiuyuan had anticipated, even several degrees richer than those places in the outside world widely acknowledged to be abundant in Spiritual Qi.

Beside him, Yin Laojiu squeezed out of the cave, shook the dust off his body, and was also momentarily dazed by the sight before him. A trace of bewilderment flashed in his amber tiger eyes. "Is... is this the Grotto-Heaven World?"

"It seems so. To think this Grotto-Heaven World could actually become like this."

As Li Xiuyuan spoke, his gaze suddenly froze.

In the distant sky, several figures were rapidly approaching.

Their manner of flight was not like the wing-flapping of birds, nor was it as solid as human Cultivators traveling through the air; it was more like a state between the two, their bodies rising and falling slightly in midair like fish swimming in shallow water.

As those figures drew closer, Li Xiuyuan clearly saw their appearance.

The appearance of those figures was actually half-human, Half-demon.

Their upper bodies were no different from humans, with distinct faces and complete arms, dressed in simple cloth garments. But below the waist, they extended into the lower limbs of beasts.

Some were covered in scales, some had hooves, and some dragged thick tails, their fur gleaming with varying shades of luster under the sun.

The leading half-human, Half-demon landed on the grass, the scales on his lower limbs reflecting a fine, fragmented luster under the sunlight.

He stood up straight, folded his hands in front of him, bowed slightly, and performed a greeting that was neither too solemn nor too casual.

"Guests from afar, our Revered Master instructed us to wait here for you for a long time."

"Revered Master has already prepared a banquet in the Immortal Cave and specially ordered us to come and welcome you both."

Having said that, the several figures behind him also landed one after another, likewise bowing slightly in a perfectly synchronized manner.

Li Xiuyuan did not respond immediately.

His gaze slowly swept across the face of the leader, then across the figures behind him. His Spiritual Sense extended out silently like a fine thread, sensing the aura on their bodies.

The aura of these half-human, Half-demons was indeed different from any Rising Beings he had seen before. It possessed both the pure refinement of human Cultivators and the wild nature of the Yao Race. The two blended so naturally, as if this were the most fundamental state of heaven and earth.

"Your Revered Master knew we were coming?" Li Xiuyuan asked.

The leader nodded, a smile on his face. "Revered Master said that distinguished guests from the outside world would arrive today and told us to wait at the mountain pass. As for where the guests are from or why they are here, Revered Master did not elaborate, only instructing us to receive you well."

Li Xiuyuan fell silent for a moment. Beside him, Yin Laojiu could no longer contain himself. He poked his massive tiger head out from behind Li Xiuyuan and let out a curious low rumble, "My goodness, you're all Half-demons."

"Umm... what is there to eat at the banquet? Is there meat?"

The leader turned his head slightly to look at Yin Laojiu. "Of course. Revered Master specially instructed us to prepare high-quality spiritual meat, as well as several jars of aged fine wine."

Hearing this, Yin Laojiu's eyes lit up. From the time he went to Yunfeng Mountain to when he came looking for Li Xiuyuan, he had barely filled his stomach. At Yunfeng Mountain, he had spent every day sleeping, only eating some wild fruits when hungry, not daring to act presumptuously on Yunfeng Mountain at all.

On his way to find Li Xiuyuan, he had also been solely focused on traveling and had no time to look for food to fill his stomach.

Now, hearing that there was high-quality spiritual meat, his mouth instantly watered with craving.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Yin Laojiu's tail curled high up in the air,

while Li Xiuyuan followed silently behind, a trace of doubt flashing in the depths of his eyes.

Listening to these Half-demons, it seemed their Revered Master knew he and Yin Laojiu would enter beforehand. Could Zheng have secretly informed him?

Although the Half-demons did not show the slightest bit of malice, Li Xiuyuan still felt that something was off.

He looked at Yin Laojiu ahead, who was incessantly asking about how much spiritual meat there was. This silly tiger didn't seem to be acting, and it appeared he didn't know what was going on either.

"I might have been used."

Li Xiuyuan thought to himself.

Then, he looked back at the cave they had come from. The cave was still there and had not disappeared. He left a trace of Spiritual Sense at the cave entrance to remember its location.

Although he was controlling a clay figurine and it wouldn't matter even if it died inside, it was still safer to leave a backup plan.

...

...

Controlling the clay-sculpted duplicate body, Li Xiuyuan, along with Yin Laojiu, followed behind the Half-demons.

After crossing two mountains, his gaze swept past the slowly descending slope ahead and saw the scene at the foot of the mountain, causing Li Xiuyuan to pause.

It was a very typical ancient city. The city's scale was not particularly large, but it was extremely orderly. The city gates were wide open, and above the gateway, several large characters were carved. The brushwork was ancient and rounded, different from the standard Chinese characters of the outside world, and instead bore some resemblance to the ancient runes on that stone wall.

People were coming and going at the city gate—no, to be precise, Half-demons were coming and going.

Some carried goods as they walked along the official road, their lower limbs thick and powerful, leaving deep footprints on the ground. Others rode mounts resembling birds of prey, gliding past at low altitudes.

There were also several young Half-demons squatting in the shade of a tree by the city gate, chatting, their tails swaying lazily behind them, looking almost identical to human youths chatting at a village entrance.

There were also Half-demons flying in the sky, though unlike the ones who had come to guide them, most of them rode a type of pure white, long-feathered bird, drawing smooth arcs across the sky above the city.

The streets were bustling with heavy traffic, and the air was filled with the clamor of voices.

Yin Laojiu's mouth hung open as he stared blankly at the scene before him, his amber tiger eyes fixed on the wide main street inside the city gate. "How are they all Half-demons?"

The city before them was entirely composed of Half-demons, yet their lifestyle was no different from that of humans.

Li Xiuyuan's gaze slowly swept over the architectural outlines of the city, then fell upon the passing Half-demons. Every single aura was a Fusion of human and Yao Bloodlines, indistinguishable from each other and perfectly integrated.

Seeing this, his heart stirred slightly. This Grotto-Heaven World seemed to be entirely populated by Half-demons. If so, the method for the Fusion of the Yao Race and Human Race Bloodlines should also be found here.

Seeing Li Xiuyuan and Yin Laojiu stop in their tracks, their gazes scanning back and forth inside and outside the city gate, the leading Half-demon also slowed his pace and turned around.

"Our Revered Master is named Baili Jin,"

he introduced, his tone carrying a natural sense of respect.

"He is also a Half-demon, a descendant of the Fusion of the Bloodlines of Zheng and a Human Race Cultivator."

"Revered Master once said that Zheng is one of the sources of his lineage. Although that overlord of the Ancient Shan Hai Era is no longer here, its Bloodline and will have been passed down through Revered Master's branch."

"Revered Master is also the strongest existence in this Grotto-Heaven World. This city, along with several surrounding towns, is under his protection. The reason he had us wait here for you both is that the moment you stepped into the Grotto-Heaven, he already sensed the aura of Zheng you carry."

Hearing this, Yin Laojiu couldn't help but chime in, "Sensed us? How did he sense us? We didn't make any noise when we first came in."

"..."

Li Xiuyuan gave him a speechless look. They had literally broken into a Grotto-Heaven World, and he thought they hadn't made any noise?

The leading Half-demon smiled slightly, not answering the question directly. He turned around and raised his hand to gesture toward the city gates. "At this moment, Revered Master is waiting for you in the city. Please follow me."

As they drew closer to the city gate, Li Xiuyuan could increasingly see that gazes from all around were falling upon them like fine needles.

The Half-demons on both sides of the road stopped what they were doing. Some put down the goods on their shoulders, some poked their heads out from behind stalls, and some simply squatted in place, tilting their heads to look over.

Those gazes were filled with curiosity, but carried no malice.

These Half-demons had lived in the Grotto-Heaven World all their lives and had never seen a pure human or a pure demon. Seeing Li Xiuyuan and Yin Laojiu now, they were naturally very curious.

Li Xiuyuan maintained his own pace and walked ahead, looking straight forward.

He had entered this place with a duplicate body in the first place. Although his appearance was no different from his original body, it was ultimately just transformed from a clay sculpture, so he didn't care about the gazes of others.

On the other hand, Yin Laojiu, who followed behind, felt extremely uncomfortable under those gazes.

"Why do they keep looking at me..."

Yin Laojiu muttered in a low voice, lowering his massive tiger head slightly in an attempt to make himself less conspicuous. "Is there something on my face?"

Li Xiuyuan glanced at him, already having the answer in his heart.

Just then, Yin Laojiu noticed several young Half-demons squatting in the shade of a tree by the roadside, pointing at his forehead.

Those Half-demons had amused expressions on their faces, and one of them even stretched out a claw to gesture twice on his own forehead.

Yin Laojiu froze for a moment. Then, he raised a claw and touched his forehead. The patch of fur that Li Xiuyuan had yanked off at the cave entrance had left his originally majestic "King" character pattern missing a corner. Now, only half of its outline remained, turning it into the character for "Earth".

So they were talking about this!

Yin Laojiu's movements stiffened for a moment. Then, he slowly lowered his claw, his ears drooping as he whimpered as if he had suffered a massive grievance.

Walking ahead, Li Xiuyuan did not stop, but he had clearly sensed the commotion behind him. "That tuft of fur will grow back."

"But it still made me lose my majesty," Yin Laojiu said in a muffled, resentful voice.

"That little bit of majesty is no big loss. If you really feel bad about it, go catch a Half-demon and cook it on the spot. They will definitely be awed by your dread majesty again."

Li Xiuyuan joked half-seriously.

His original intention was just to get Yin Laojiu to stop overthinking, but who would have thought this silly tiger was actually considering whether this method was feasible, muttering that catching and cooking one on the spot would definitely provoke public outrage, so it would be better to think of some other way.

Li Xiuyuan noticed that the Half-demons on both sides of the road seemed to have heard his mutterings, and their expressions grew strange. Thus, he immediately covered Yin Laojiu's mouth and told him to stop talking.

Braving numerous strange and curious gazes, they followed the Half-demons into the city, walked through a bustling main street, and soon arrived before the most grand mansion in the city.

On the mansion, however, the two characters "Baili" were written in the ancient Chinese characters of the outside world.

"Guests, our Revered Master is inside. Please follow me."

The leading Half-demon said,

and just as he was about to step up the mansion's stairs, Li Xiuyuan's footsteps suddenly paused.

His gaze fell upon the end of the street on the other side, where an ancient temple was built. Enshrined inside the temple was actually a Buddha statue that bore a striking resemblance to Jingxin.