Chapter 586 Enlightenment in the First Celestial Realm (Part 2)

Taking the long way around meant traveling through the territory of the Primitive Ancient Forest. There was clearly a map for that, and with countless members of the Demon Race to provide directions, how could they possibly fail to reach Tai Lake?

It would take longer, but at least the path existed and wouldn’t just disappear. Their current situation was completely different. They had wanted to cross the Beimu Mountain Range but couldn’t find a path, getting trapped deep within its peaks. Now, they couldn’t even find the way back!

At this thought, Jiang Qiu took a deep breath. He couldn’t just sit here and wait for death. He once again tried to sense any nearby signs of life. He had to seize this opportunity and find at least one Exiled Great Demon. ‘The priority right now is to find an Exiled Great Demon. They must know the Beimu Mountain Range better than we do. If we find one, we’ll have a chance to get out!’

He no longer held any extravagant hopes of crossing the Beimu Mountain Range to get to Tai Lake. After all, they had been walking for three years and still had no idea where they were. They might have even been going in circles, never truly heading deeper north.

In a situation like this, making a decisive choice was what mattered most. He had to abandon this wasteful endeavor and choose the safe, reliable path from the start—which was taking the long way to Tai Lake.

And this time, Jiang Qiu finally sensed a faint life signature. It meant there truly was a Demon Race member with a Spiritual Awakening nearby—and it was a Great Demon. Its aura was far more powerful than even the Celestial Wolf Ancestor, who had already broken through to the True Body Realm. It felt like it possessed a foundation built over tens, or even hundreds, of thousands of years.

A look of delight spread across Jiang Qiu’s face. He pulled up Ah Xiong, who was still lying by the edge of the pool, and started moving. “Let’s go. I’ve found the aura of an Exiled Great Demon.”

In truth, he had tried to scan the area countless times over the past three years. This wasn’t his first attempt to locate an Exiled Great Demon; this result came only after tens of thousands of tries.

But a result meant hope. He now planned to find this first Exiled Great Demon and strike a deal. As long as the demon was willing to help them leave the Beimu Mountain Range, he was naturally willing to offer some help of his own in return.

In his view, the Exiled Great Demon might not be able to break through the Barrier to return to the Primitive Ancient Forest, or perhaps it didn’t dare to head north and offend the Tai Python. But at the very least, it had to know a way out of the Beimu Mountain Range. Otherwise, how did they get in here in the first place?

Did they come in and decide they never wanted to leave?

Therefore, finding an Exiled Great Demon was crucial!

Holding on to this thought, Jiang Qiu led Ah Xiong and One-tailed toward the source of the Exiled Great Demon’s aura. As they went deeper, the aura grew stronger, while the number of living creatures nearby dwindled until there were none at all. It was as if they had entered a dead land.

Most crucially, even the primitive ancient trees disappeared. Looking down from the sky, it was like a brown patch had been carved out from a vast, verdant sea of green. This patch was a mountain canyon—the territory of the Exiled Great Demon.

Walking across the rugged terrain, One-tailed noticed many buildings. While they weren’t exactly exquisite, they possessed a certain artistic quality—a rough, domineering presence that washed over them. “Did they build a city here too, just like Nine-tailed Fox City?”

It was no wonder she would say that. Although this place was just a small patch between two mountains in the vast Beimu Mountain Range, in reality, it was large enough to contain the entirety of Nine-tailed Fox City!

That’s right. A place the size of a mere speck could actually house a million members of the Demon Race, and with quite a spacious living area per capita. However, the number of demons walking its streets was zero. It was completely empty. A cold wind howled, making jarring, strange cries as it swept through the streets.

Jiang Qiu couldn’t help but frown. He already sensed a gaze directed at him from the center of the city. Someone was watching him—undoubtedly the Exiled Great Demon who lived here. “How did you get here?”

The voice was majestic and ethereal, like an old man from a bygone era asking a question. The oppressive feeling it carried was subtle, yet profound. It wasn’t actively trying to intimidate, but it inspired a sense of hesitant awe.

One could tell its Realm was very high. The pressure it exuded was completely natural, far stronger than the Celestial Wolf Ancestor, who had just entered the True Body Realm. And this was the oppressive feeling it possessed after being worn down for tens of thousands of years.

However, Jiang Qiu, who was only just above the initial Transformation Realm, answered unhurriedly, “We walked.”

It was the truth, of course. They had walked in of their own volition. It was only because they ran into trouble midway, finding themselves unable to tell which way was which, that they had been forced to come here.

However, you don’t lay out your demands right at the start, especially when facing someone whose Realm was so high. It was best to say nothing of his needs for now.

“Heh, interesting. Your Realm doesn’t seem very high, yet you managed to make it all the way here,” the ancient voice mused, its interest seemingly piqued. “You sensed my aura and came looking for me. Aren’t you afraid I’ll swallow you whole?”

To be honest, it really did eat members of the Demon Race. If it didn’t, how could there be no trace of any other demons nearby? Clearly, this entire area had been eaten clean. Even the thousand-foot-tall primitive ancient trees had been devoured, which was why the aura of death was so heavy.

It was understandable, though. If it didn’t eat, how could it have survived for so long? The Heaven and Earth Spirit Charm here was thin, and resources were scarce. It could be said that besides the flesh and blood of Demon Beasts, there was truly nothing else for it to eat. In such circumstances, it had to eat whatever it could.

Furthermore, as an Exiled Great Demon that once reached an incredibly high Realm, its appetite was naturally incomparable to that of ordinary demons. It was perfectly normal for it to crave some higher-Realm beings for a meal now.

After all, in all these years, it hadn’t seen a single being that had managed to reach a level of Cultivation above the Transformation Realm. No weak creature could possibly make it this far, and more importantly, such beings had no reason to come to such a remote place.

It had only been eating Demon Beasts with no Realm, which it could barely stomach. Now, it was truly craving some food with a bit of flavor.

Jiang Qiu acted as if he didn’t feel the killing intent filling the air, but One-tailed, who was traveling with him, furrowed her lovely brow. The faint, illusionary image of a Nine-tailed Fox’s True Form flickered into existence behind her. A bewitching and proud aura descended, instantly dispelling the strange energy of the dead city, like a supreme Divine Spirit looking down upon mortals of clay.

The illusory figure that appeared behind her was none other than her third avatar, the Nine-tailed Fox God, which had surprisingly become her True Form.

In a sense, although One-tailed hadn’t officially reached the True Body Realm, her unique situation at the Half-Step True Body Realm allowed her to exhibit traits of that Realm, such as summoning the illusion of her True Form to protect herself. In fact, because the Nine-tailed Fox God’s essence was one with her own, she was essentially able to summon the Nine-tailed Fox God directly, making her stronger than most of those who were supposedly in the True Body Realm!

The brief flash of the illusion she had casually summoned caused the pervading killing intent to instantly vanish. A loud BOOM erupted from the dead city, and an old man flickered into view from the distance. He smashed a large crater into the street when he landed, sending wind and dust swirling like furious waves. The white-haired old man stared at the group in terror, his cracked lips trembling. “A Divine… a Divine Spirit?”

THUD. He fell to his knees without a moment’s hesitation. There was none of the dignity of a reclusive master, none of the ancient dominance of an Exiled Great Demon. He just knelt, his body trembling as if in a daze. “One hundred thousand years… it’s been at least one hundred thousand years! I can finally feel the aura of a Divine Spirit from the High Heavens again! I was presumptuous just now. Please, may I ask if you are Celestial Spirits, or perhaps beings who have achieved Enlightenment in the First Celestial Realm?”

Hearing the old demon’s words, Jiang Qiu thought for a moment before turning to look at One-tailed’s lovely face, not offering an answer himself. She hesitated for a second before her delicate lips parted. “We have achieved Enlightenment in the First Celestial Realm.”