Chapter 270 - 229: Qiu Yiyang

Chapter 270: Chapter 229: Qiu Yiyang

Tining Realm, Hunran Country.

The country wasn’t particularly large, with a population of less than thirty million, but it was one of the few human kingdoms in this world.

Zhang Ji’s figure appeared in a place called Fenzhuo City within Hunran Country.

Dressed in cyan-gray robes, his appearance and temperament had changed significantly, making him look like a young man from a local wealthy family.

After entering the city, Zhang Ji observed the state of the people living there.

Although it still resembled a human society, most people’s faces were etched with exhaustion. Everyone was on the verge of collapse.

There was only one reason Hunran Country had managed to maintain its human government: every few years, at a set time and place, they would send a number of their people to several nearby great Demon Kings to serve as blood food.

It was similar to a ritual sacrifice.

Unlike demons who enjoyed raising humans like livestock, the ones here were particular. They wanted to eat intelligent people, not beast-like humans who had been raised into a muddle-headed state with only instincts remaining.

The territory of the Demon Race was less than a hundred li from Fenzhuo City, but few demons dared to come and cause trouble.

This was because the entire area was the territory of a great Demon King from Ju Ruo Mountain. For any who trespassed and touched the meat in its mouth, a swift death was the best possible outcome. Being flayed, having one’s tendons pulled out, blood devoured, and soul consumed was the norm.

The more powerful the demon, the more it would project such a ruthless image to solidify its rule.

Thus, while many great demons took on human form, they could never shed the beastly habits ingrained in their very bones.

The reason the people of Fenzhuo City were so weary and on the verge of collapse was that the time for drawing lots to select the sacrifices was fast approaching.

For the sake of fairness, everyone over the age of fifteen, regardless of gender, had to draw a lot. With bad luck, anyone of any status could die.

Of course, that was just how it was said to be. In reality, the administrators who controlled the lottery and colluded with the demons were able to exempt themselves from the process, even moving their relatives to a safe list.

Arriving at an eatery, Zhang Ji casually tossed down a piece of silver, ordered every interesting dish on the menu, and began to eat.

Next, he planned to go to Ju Ruo Mountain and kill the great Demon King there.

His goal wasn’t just to kill the man-eating demon, but also to take the mountain itself.

According to the information he possessed from before he transmigrated, Ju Ruo Mountain was actually a Myth-grade item, the Ju Ruo Divine Iron, bestowed upon the founding patriarch of the Ju Ruo Sect by the celestial gods back when the Heavenly Court still existed.

This Divine Iron was incredibly heavy and could suppress the violent energy of the earth’s ley lines, making it gentle. Thus, the Ju Ruo Sect’s patriarch transformed it into a great mountain to anchor the ley lines, ensuring that no earthquakes or similar disasters would occur within a thousand-kilometer radius.

Later, the Heavenly Court vanished, the Ju Ruo Sect was annihilated by an invading pangolin great demon, and Ju Ruo Mountain was seized. This place then fell and became the demon’s domain.

It called itself the Jueyue Demon King, and it held dozens of cities in Hunran Country under its control.

This Jueyue Demon King also relied on the terrestrial energy suppressed by the Ju Ruo Divine Iron for its cultivation and had been here for over a thousand years.

"Shopkeeper, slice two catties of haunch meat, a pot of wine, no cilantro in the dipping sauce, and a large basin of rice..."

A coarse voice rang out as a rugged, gray-clothed man with two short axes on his back strode in. He was also a generous spender, casually dropping a large piece of silver. After it was weighed and settled, he looked for a seat and sat down in the empty spot next to Zhang Ji.

Zhang Ji glanced at him a couple of times, then thought to himself, ’My luck really is something else.’

This rugged man was a plot character players could interact with, named Qiu Yiyang.

He was originally an escort for a martial arts sect. Later, he got caught up in some conflict, which led to his wife and daughter being murdered by villains. After avenging them, he became disheartened, left the martial world, and became a Daoist. But he wasn’t a Daoist for more than two days before his temple was demolished.

As long as there are people, as long as one is alive, one can never escape conflict and the martial world.

After coming to this realization, he picked up his twin axes once more and began to roam the world, slaying demons and righting the wrongs he saw.

His strength also improved rapidly during this process. Blessed with all sorts of fortuitous encounters, it was as if he were favored by the Celestial Dao.

Previously, Zhang Ji would have been somewhat skeptical of the notion of a "Child of Destiny."

But now that he could perceive a portion of karma, he understood the logic behind it.

’This world is trying to save itself.’

’That’s why some people are chosen, pushed onto the stage by the unseen mechanisms of the world.’

’Whether they can actually save the world is hard to say, though.’

However, under the protection of the world’s laws, they could at least write some extraordinary stories.

In the game’s plot that Zhang Ji knew, when players met Qiu Yiyang, he would be critically injured and near death. He would need the player’s help to recover before they could crusade against the Jueyue Demon King together.

Analyzing the current situation, his severe injuries must be coming up soon.

He would most likely be wounded by the Jueyue Demon King.

Soon, Qiu Yiyang’s food arrived. He immediately held the basin and started eating with rather poor table manners, quickly devouring the entire portion of rice.

The reason this world was overrun with demons was precisely because the natural energy available to ordinary living beings was extremely abundant. Common people could casually farm and at least not starve, so there was no shortage of food.

Zhang Ji ate methodically, not wolfing down his food like Qiu Yiyang.

After finishing his meal, Qiu Yiyang got up and left.

Zhang Ji waited a while before following him out of the eatery.

After leaving the city, Qiu Yiyang began to pick up speed. Running along the ground, he would lightly push off any surface to leap dozens of zhang at an extremely high speed.

However, it was clear he hadn’t mastered a proper Escape Technique. He was using a very rudimentary running skill, not even comparable to a tenth of the speed of Zhang Ji’s incarnation.

After dashing for more than thirty li, Qiu Yiyang suddenly stopped. He looked around in confusion and said, "You’ve been following me for so long. For what purpose?"

He hadn’t found Zhang Ji’s position, but he could feel that someone was tailing him.

’This powerful perception far surpasses that of cultivators at the same level.’

’For someone with such a brawny physique, his Spirit cultivation is actually stronger. His path is truly a bit of a mess.’

’But there’s order within the chaos. He pursues pure practicality, stacking everything into combat power.’

"You’re going to Ju Ruo Mountain, aren’t you?" Zhang Ji appeared on a patch of barren land in front of him and asked.

"It’s you?" Qiu Yiyang recognized Zhang Ji and cupped his fist. "I thought you were just some pampered young master who couldn’t even truss a chicken. I never thought I’d misjudge someone so badly. I am Qiu Yiyang, a Loose Cultivator without a sect. May I ask where you are from, friend, and what your name is?"

In the current era, ordinary humans might be extremely wary of each other, but if cultivators met, most would be quite courteous.

After all, in times like these, internal conflict would do far more harm than good.

"I am Zhang Ji. Where I come from isn’t important; what matters is where I’m going. With your current strength, I’m afraid it won’t be easy to kill that pangolin," Zhang Ji said.

"Oh? From the sound of it, Brother Zhang, you seem to know a great deal about the demon on Ju Ruo Mountain?" Qiu Yiyang asked politely.

"You could say I know a thing or two," Zhang Ji replied. "My destination is also that demon."

"Then that’s wonderful news! If we join forces, we’ll surely be able to slay it with ease," Qiu Yiyang said confidently.

Since Zhang Ji was able to follow him for so long without revealing any trace, his strength had to be comparable to some Demon Kings. Qiu Yiyang naturally felt that victory was assured.

"Actually, it won’t be that easy to kill," Zhang Ji said. "That Demon King’s defense is extraordinary, comparable to a Demon Saint’s. Ordinary attacks can’t even break it. It also has an earth-burrowing Divine Ability. Once used, it can vanish into the ground without a trace and reappear hundreds of li away in an instant. It’s difficult to track with normal methods. Furthermore, after burrowing underground, it can conceal its aura and follow you covertly, making it very hard to detect. It could pop out for a sneak attack at any moment."

"That is a bit tricky," Qiu Yiyang said with a frown. "Brother Zhang, do you have a plan?"

"I have mastered some special techniques. Give me some time, and I can transform the area for dozens of li around into a patch of ground as hard as refined iron, impossible to burrow through. All you need to do is lure it here. Then I will seal off the surroundings. It will be like trapping a turtle in a jar—an easy catch," Zhang Ji explained.

That pangolin was indeed difficult to kill. Zhang Ji’s original plan was to expend some energy and use a big move, but now that he had someone to cooperate with, he didn’t need to be so wasteful.

He could save some energy and also avoid causing too much large-scale destruction.

"Is that so?" Qiu Yiyang pondered for a moment, then said to Zhang Ji, "Then let’s do as you say, Brother Zhang. We’ll give it a try."

Afterward, the two discussed the details and began to implement their plan.

In a valley about seventy-odd li from Ju Ruo Mountain, Zhang Ji began his preparations, while Qiu Yiyang headed toward the mountain to lure the pangolin over.

In the valley.

With a mere thought from Zhang Ji, the elements between heaven and earth were affected. Earth and Fire Elements gathered in large quantities. The ground was subjected to Fire’s Refinement, then infused with Wind and Water Elements. A vast expanse of the surrounding terrain was transformed into a substance as hard as iron. After remodeling an area of dozens of li, Zhang Ji manipulated the Earth Element to cover the hardened ground with a thick layer of soil to avoid detection.

Once this was done, he concealed himself and waited for Qiu Yiyang to make his move.

「Meanwhile.」

Qiu Yiyang had already reached Ju Ruo Mountain.

This place was once a Sect of the Human Race’s cultivators, so there were naturally buildings constructed by humans.

All these years later, the humans were gone, but the place had been filled by demons.

Qiu Yiyang had no intention of being discreet. He planned to fight his way from the foot of the mountain to the peak, forcing the pangolin to come out and battle him.

"Hm? A human has come to Ju Ruo Mountain?" A Wolf-headed Little Demon guarding the mountain gate saw Qiu Yiyang approaching and called out, "Hey, you lout! Where are you from? Don’t you know this is Ju Ruo Mountain?"

SCHLICK!

It all happened in a flash.

No one saw how the two axes were swung. They only saw a flash of red light in the air before the head of the mountain-guarding demon flew from its body.

The pair of Mountain-Opening Axes in Qiu Yiyang’s hands were forged from Nine-Yang Mystic Copper, an extremely hard and yang-aligned material. They dealt critical damage against yin, evil, and turbid energies, making them especially effective against these foul-aura demons that ate anything and everything.

The two axes radiated searing energy as Qiu Yiyang channeled his True Qi, gradually striding up the mountain.