The Myriad Demon Mountain Range stretches from the far west of the Jade Balance Realm all the way southeast to the shores of the East Sea.
More than just a mountain range, this chain serves as a vital corridor for the Demon Race, connecting their holy land in the northwest to the Demon Cultivators of the East Sea. Golden Core Demon Cultivators occasionally traverse its core, while the outer reaches are primarily inhabited by Qi Refining Stage Demon Beasts.
The section of the Myriad Demon Mountain Range nearest Jinyun Immortal City is relatively narrow. Several powerful Merchant Guilds from Great Qian and Great Qin have carved out comparatively safe trade routes through this stretch, facilitating commerce between the two kingdoms.
These routes are considered "comparatively safe" due to regular patrols that clear Demon Beasts within a hundred-mile radius. Foundation Establishment and Golden Core Demon Cultivators discovered along these routes are jointly hunted down. Over time, these higher-level demons have learned to avoid human trade routes, choosing safer paths through the wilderness instead.
Yet, at this moment...
To Yan Bu's astonishment, after escaping Jinyun Immortal City, Han Yi didn't flee south along his original path. Instead, he unhesitatingly activated an Escape Technique and vanished northward.
"The Myriad Demon Mountain Range? This fellow is intriguing."
Yan Bu's face lit up with the thrill of the hunt. The more unpredictable and difficult Han Yi proved to be, the greater the reward upon his capture. This was both his profession and his path of cultivation.
He swiftly activated his Escape Technique and gave chase, but halfway through, he sensed something was amiss. Han Yi's speed was astonishing, barely slower than his own. At this pace, he wouldn't catch up before Han Yi reached the Myriad Demon Mountain Range.
I'm a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator, Yan Bu thought. Even though I only recently advanced, mid-stage Golden Core is still mid-stage Golden Core.
In truth, Jiang Jiuge had paid an exorbitant price to secure a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator from the Black God Tower. To dispatch a cultivator of that level, the Tower required significant compensation. This was because Han Yi had not only escaped Yu Hao of the Southern Dipper Divine Palace but had also killed two mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators under Yu Hao's command.
Considering this display of strength, Jiang Jiuge deemed it too risky to entrust the mission to an early-stage Golden Core cultivator. To be safe, he insisted on a mid-stage Golden Core expert for the job.
This was the context behind Yan Bu's acceptance of the mission.
Now, as Yan Bu observed Han Yi's frenzied escape, he realized the youth's speed was only marginally slower than his own. The Myriad Demon Mountain Range loomed dangerously close. At this rate, Han Yi would slip into the mountains before he could be overtaken.
To prevent any surprises, Yan Bu swiftly released his Immortal Boat. The vessel accelerated, transforming into a streak of light as it surged after its prey.
Three kilometers ahead, Han Yi's face had turned a ghastly shade of greenish-black. The poison had penetrated deep into his bone marrow, threatening his vital organs, the Hundred Meridians in his limbs, and even his Spirit Sea—his Lower Dantian. His entire body was saturated with toxic mana, the effects manifesting physically.
Faster.
Even faster.
Faster still.
Darkness closed in on Han Yi's vision as the poison took full effect, blinding him. He closed his eyes, transformed his Divine Soul into a violently trembling pagoda, and unleashed a torrent of Divine Sense into the Green Ripple Sword, propelling himself forward in a desperate sprint.
At his current frenzied pace, the ten-kilometer distance should have taken only ten breaths—roughly half a minute. Yet to Han Yi, that half-minute stretched into an eternity, each second, each moment, each kshana ruthlessly draining his Divine Sense.
Instead of slowing down due to the poison's effects on his body and the obstruction of his mana, his speed intensified. Fueled by pure Divine Sense and the primal fear of death, the surging power became even more terrifying.
Whoosh!
At the last possible moment, a figure plummeted into the dense forest, using the darkness and towering ancient trees to vanish into the shadows.
Less than a breath later, an Immortal Boat hovered in the air. Yan Bu retracted the vessel, his eyes betraying momentary surprise before hardening with renewed killing intent.
The little rat had actually escaped into the Myriad Demon Mountain Range—quite unexpected.
Still...
Infected with Black Hell Powder, even fleeing into the Myriad Demon Mountain Range only meant certain death.
Yan Bu's Divine Sense swept across a fifteen-kilometer radius, detecting only a handful of Demon Beasts and no trace of cultivators. He frowned.
"This is troublesome. The fellow knows aura concealment spells."
"But with the poison ravaging his body, his mana stagnating, and his flesh rotting, how far can he possibly run? I'll scour every inch of this hundred-kilometer area. I refuse to believe I won't find some trace of his corpse."
"Heh, this is Black Hell Powder. Without a Golden Core, death is inevitable."
Yan Bu silently descended into the forest, clutching his pitch-black short sword. His figure flickered as he began his search.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the forest...
After escaping into the mountains, Han Yi immediately activated his Disguise Technique, suppressing his aura. In a flash of inspiration, he not only suppressed it but also mimicked the aura of the Demon Cultivator he had killed earlier, Que Chen. Of course, he didn't simulate the aura of a Golden Core Demon Cultivator, but merely that of a Qi Refining Stage Demon Beast.
However, his Disguise Technique was still too rudimentary, and such mimicry was purely theoretical. The attempt wasn't fully successful; at best, it added another layer to conceal his true cultivator's aura.
Next, Han Yi began traveling upstream, heading northwest away from the established trade route and deeper into the Myriad Demon Mountain Range.
While the trade route offered safety, its high visibility made it a poor choice for evading his pursuers. Venturing further into the mountains was far more perilous, but it offered a sliver of hope—a classic case of "facing death to find life."
His eyes burned, his body weakened, and his mana flowed sluggishly. He swallowed a Toxin Dissolving Pill every minute to slow the poison's progress, but it was merely a stopgap measure. Given enough time, his body would undoubtedly collapse.
Han Yi's heart raced with anxiety, but with no immediate solution, he had no choice but to press on, one step at a time.
After fleeing over a hundred kilometers upstream into the mountains, a journey that took him more than four hours, Han Yi sensed that dawn had broken. Faint sunlight filtered through the dappled leaves, casting a warm glow on his body.
He breathed a sigh of relief. If they could still catch him now, it seemed fate had sealed his doom—an inescapable death trap.
He scrambled into a narrow tree hollow, too pressed for time to conceal his tracks, and immediately focused his mind inward.
Shit.
The situation was dire, worse than anything Han Yi had ever experienced.
His Divine Sense revealed his Spirit Sea completely blocked, its Mana utterly stagnant, transformed into a lifeless abyss. The fiery red Spirit Light that had once radiated from his Spirit Sea had turned pitch black, devoid of any luminescence.
Beyond his Spirit Sea, the Mana within his meridians was barely functional, and the toxin had thoroughly permeated his internal organs. Were it not for the formidable vitality of a Late Foundation Establishment cultivator, Han Yi would have already perished.
He emptied his Storage Ring of all his Toxin Dissolving Pills. After his frantic escape, only three remained from several bottles. Examining his other Medicinal Pills, he found no similar antidotes, plunging him into despair.
Han Yi then retrieved the Spirit Talismans he had purchased earlier, including about a dozen Healing Spirit Talismans.
He affixed the highest-grade talisman to his body. Instantly, a cool, revitalizing Spirit Light flowed from the talisman into him.
The Mana within his body surged with renewed activity, allowing him to mobilize it slightly.
But less than ten breaths later, the stubborn toxin began seeping outward from his vital organs and Spirit Sea, turning his physical body into a battlefield and rapidly draining the talisman's energy.
Han Yi's expression darkened.
The poison afflicting him was both bizarre and terrifying. Though he possessed numerous Spirit Talismans, they would inevitably run out before he could escape the Myriad Demon Mountain Range and reach the nearest Immortal City.
This predicament left Han Yi utterly helpless.
Yet he was not one to surrender easily.
There has to be a way, he told himself. There simply has to be.
His Divine Sense plunged into his Storage Ring, scanning each item—Spirit Talismans, Medicinal Pills, and more—but found nothing useful. Withdrawing his Divine Sense, he sank his consciousness into the Sea of Consciousness Space, gazing at the black pearl suspended high above. He condensed a Soul Sword and cautiously approached, attempting to touch it.
If this pearl could absorb the Primal Beast Sect's poison, might it also purge the poison coursing through my body?
To Han Yi's disappointment, his Soul Sword shattered upon contact with the pearl, proving utterly ineffective.
After several more attempts, he finally abandoned hope.
The black pearl, obtained from the Ninth Layer Void Domain, seemed to operate autonomously. With his current strength, Han Yi had no means to control it.
It made sense. The pearl's effects were limited to the Divine Soul, offering no aid to the Physical Body or Mana.
Mana and the Divine Soul were the two most fundamental pillars of a cultivator's existence.
Mana and the Physical Body were closely linked to the Spirit Sea.
The Divine Soul, Sea of Consciousness Space, and Divine Sense were fundamentally interconnected.
Que Chen's earlier poison had targeted the Divine Soul, which the black pearl had absorbed. But the poison now afflicting Han Yi was a physical toxin, blocking his Mana and obstructing his Spirit Sea—a completely different matter.
Physical Body... Physical Body...
Han Yi's eyes suddenly lit up.
He probed his Storage Pouch with his Divine Sense and retrieved a piece of Purple Ancient Jade.
Medicinal Pills and Spirit Talismans were proving largely ineffective against the poison. Relying on external aid was no longer an option.
The only path to survival lay within himself.
And the first thing that came to Han Yi's mind was Body Refining.
Body Refiners were formidable. At the pinnacle of their cultivation, they could internally observe and control every minute particle of their physical body. Upon breaking through to the Extreme Boundary, there was even a sliver of possibility to achieve physical immortality. In essence, Body Refining was the ultimate countermeasure against physical toxins.
The ancient jade Han Yi held was called the Hengyuan Ancient Jade. He had spent a fortune acquiring this artifact. Previously, during his cultivation of the Ninefold Soul Tower, Qin Wuxian had used the Hengyuan Ancient Jade to extract the Inheritance Cultivation Technique of the Ninefold Soul Tower and implant it directly into Han Yi's mind.
This Ancient Jade was exceedingly precious, no less valuable than a Foundation Establishment Pill.
Han Yi had paid a steep price to acquire this cultivation technique.
However, he had never found the time to practice it. For him, body refinement had previously been merely a cosmetic addition, offering little practical enhancement to his combat prowess.
But now, everything was different. Mastering this body cultivation technique was a matter of survival, a lifeline in his hour of need.
"I hope it's not too late," Han Yi thought grimly. He applied a Healing Spirit Talisman, and as a sliver of his mana returned, he pressed his palm against the Hengyuan Ancient Jade. Forming a magic seal, he drew forth a stream of Spirit Light from the jade. The luminous thread vanished into his forehead, instantly flooding his mind with the principles of a body cultivation technique:
Ancient God Contemplation Technique.
Legend had it that in an era predating even the ancient times, there existed a race that roamed the primordial Chaos. Their colossal forms rivaled entire worlds, and with a mere gesture, they could shatter Chaos and usher worlds into reincarnation.
These beings were known as Ancient Gods.
Their counterparts were the Ancient Demons and Ancient Immortals.
!
Yet within the Jade Balance Realm, the terms "Ancient God," "Ancient Demon," and "Ancient Immortal" were mere historical labels. The Ancient God Contemplation Technique, however, was a treasured secret of the Profound Pill Sect, acquired centuries ago by a Supreme Elder during his travels through Great Yong.
This cultivation technique involves contemplating the legendary Ancient Gods—entities so profound that they cannot be directly gazed upon, whose names cannot be uttered, and whose forms defy description. Through this inner contemplation, one perceives the minuscule particles within their body, purging impurities, reshaping the physical form, strengthening vital energy and blood, tempering the flesh, and ultimately triggering a transformation of the physical body.
The most precious element of this technique is the visualization diagram itself. It is precisely because of this diagram that a rare spirit jade like the Hengyuan Ancient Jade is required to contain it.
At that moment, Han Yi closed his eyes, his mind sinking into deep meditation. Within this meditative state, he beheld a colossal Ancient God towering between heaven and earth, seated cross-legged amidst the primordial Chaos. From his perspective, he could only discern a hazy silhouette of the deity's back, yet the awe-inspiring presence surpassed even his first glimpse of the Great Qian Immortal Capital.
Overwhelmed by this profound reverence, a primal urge to prostrate himself in worship arose spontaneously. The feeling flashed through him like lightning before fading back to normalcy. Han Yi, still seated, paused briefly before resuming his contemplation.
As he continued to visualize the Ancient God in his mind for another quarter of an hour, his body trembled slightly. It felt as if certain particles within his flesh and blood had formed a faint connection with the deity depicted in the visualization diagram. This connection was exceedingly tenuous, so faint as to be almost imperceptible, yet for Han Yi in that moment, it represented a monumental breakthrough.
Before him, a new line had appeared on the Proficiency Panel:
Ancient God Contemplation Technique (Beginner 1/100)
Han Yi closed his eyes again and resumed his contemplation.
At that moment, his entire focus was on visualizing this body cultivation technique. He remained unaware that when one of the tiniest particles within his body formed a connection with the visualization diagram, the black pearl suspended high above in his Sea of Consciousness Space suddenly paused. It remained still for a full three breaths, as if confirming something, before resuming its absorption of the grey-white qi.
Han Yi noticed none of this. Lost in his visualization, he continued his contemplation, oblivious to the changes occurring within his Sea of Consciousness. Every hour, he swallowed a Toxin Dissolving Pill or applied a Healing Spirit Talisman to alleviate the poison in his body before returning to his visualization.
Half a day later, feeling his current location was still unsafe, Han Yi struggled to his feet again. He ventured deeper into the Myriad Demon Mountain Range, heading northwest along the upstream mountain range. After another half-day of relentless climbing, his strength finally gave out, and he collapsed into a cave to resume his contemplation.
Fortunately, Han Yi hadn't encountered any true Demon Cultivators along the way. He had managed to evade the few Demon Beasts he had come across.
Inside the cave...
"Cough, cough..."
Han Yi coughed up blood. He reached for his jade bottle, only to find it empty of Toxin Dissolving Pills. He then applied a Healing Spirit Talisman to his body, which provided some relief.
He resumed his contemplation.
Three days later...
Han Yi exhausted his last Healing Spirit Talisman. Fifteen minutes later, his body cultivation technique finally broke through.
Ancient God Contemplation Technique (Initial Glimpse of the Dao 1/100)
As the Ancient God Contemplation Technique advanced, every particle in his body began to tremble with faint, imperceptible vibrations.
In body refinement, this trembling phenomenon is known as "awakening."
His physical body had begun to awaken.
As the particles of his flesh vibrated, Han Yi felt a sudden, intense hunger—not for ordinary food, but for spirit energy.
A sudden flash of inspiration struck him. He took out a Mid-Grade Spirit Stone. Within just fifteen minutes, the stone crumbled to dust as his ravenous body devoured every trace of spirit qi.
Far from being alarmed, Han Yi was delighted.
As his body absorbed the spiritual energy from the Spirit Stone, a drop of black liquid seeped from his skin. This bead-like substance dripped onto the ground, corroding a massive pit half a meter deep and releasing a nauseating stench.
Poison. Deadly poison.
This was the poison smeared on the sword that had struck Han Yi's forehead earlier.
Though only a minuscule drop had been expelled, it revealed the correct path to detoxification.
"It's working," Han Yi muttered.
He took out another Spirit Stone, again just one. He feared that using too many at once would create too much spiritual energy activity, attracting passing Demon Cultivators, with unpredictable consequences.
Three days later, Han Yi opened his eyes. His body, no longer needing Divine Sense assistance, could move freely. After a moment's thought, he decided against continuing deeper into the Myriad Demon Mountain Range and instead headed northeast. After a full day's travel, he found another cave, where he settled down to resume his cultivation.
This time, he cultivated for an entire month, pushing his body cultivation technique to a new level before stopping.
Ancient God Contemplation Technique (Hall Entry 1/100)
Having advanced the Ancient God Contemplation Technique to the Hall Entry stage, Han Yi had purged most of the poison from his body. However, the toxin stubbornly persisted in his Spirit Sea, preventing him from mobilizing its Mana and severely diminishing his combat prowess.
He continued northeastward, traveling for several days before stopping to cultivate. After a few days of cultivation, he resumed his journey. This cycle repeated endlessly.
Han Yi moved slowly and cautiously, maintaining his Disguise Technique at all times. The months of sustained effort had unexpectedly propelled the Disguise Technique to a new level. Unnoticed, it had broken through, causing Han Yi's aura to increasingly diverge from that of ordinary cultivators, even acquiring a faint trace of low-level Demon Beast presence.
One year after Han Yi fled into the Myriad Demon Mountain Range, poisoned and desperate, he continued moving and shifting his position as usual. Suddenly, through the sparse foliage, he spotted a clear path beyond the forest. After walking another two hundred meters, a dazzling light abruptly filled his vision.
Dozens of kilometers ahead, a majestic Immortal City stood upon the ancient land, twice the size of Jinyun Immortal City.
"Great Qin, Tiannan Immortal City," Han Yi murmured to himself.
The journey lasted a full year. Before he knew it, Han Yi had traversed the entire Myriad Demon Mountain Range and reached the lands beyond.
In truth, this had been his deliberate plan all along.
After venturing deeper into the mountains, he realized that continuing upward would only increase the danger, making encounters with Foundation Establishment and Golden Core Demon Cultivators highly likely.
Returning southeast toward Great Qian territory carried the risk of being ambushed while still recovering from his poisoning, a situation that could prove fatal.
The best course of action, he concluded, was to cross the Myriad Demon Mountain Range entirely. Even if his pursuers possessed formidable power, they couldn't possibly have spies planted along the Great Qin border.
He needed to escape this potential trap by crossing the mountain range and then finding an alternative route home.
This was the plan Han Yi had formulated as he journeyed upward through the Myriad Demon Mountain Range.
Instead of pressing onward, he retreated several kilometers to the outer fringes of the mountain range. There, he hunted down a low-level Demon Beast, killed it, and claimed its cave as his own.
Inside the cave, Han Yi resumed cultivating his body refinement technique.
Over the past year, his cultivation had advanced to a new level.
Ancient God Contemplation Technique (Masterful 19/100)
Having reached the Masterful stage, the Ancient God Contemplation Technique now caused a faint Spirit Light to emanate from Han Yi's body during cultivation, making him appear almost divine from afar.
At the very center of Han Yi's Spirit Sea floated an irregular, pitch-black stone—the remnants of the poison that had once occupied his Spirit Sea, now compressed by the power of his Physical Body.
This residual poison proved stubbornly resistant. Despite countless attempts, Han Yi had been unable to completely eradicate it. He suspected that advancing the Ancient God Contemplation Technique to the next level might be the key to purging it.
Apart from this lingering poison, Han Yi's Mana had largely recovered. In fact, through a year of rigorous training and the practice of body cultivation techniques, his Mana had grown stronger than before. His overall strength had increased rather than diminished.
However, time remained a limiting factor. Even with his near-complete recovery and enhanced strength, Han Yi calculated that facing a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator would still leave him no choice but to flee.
This was precisely why he had steadfastly pressed onward, toward the Great Qin Immortal Kingdom side of the Myriad Demon Mountain Range, rather than turning back.
One month later.
Han Yi's eyes snapped open. He hadn't achieved a breakthrough; someone was rapidly approaching.