Free Web NovelChapter 226: Chapter 225: [Kun]
Jiang Qiu didn’t get too close, afraid he might startle the two demons and miss what they said while slacking off.
The two patrolling Northern Boundary Mountain demons chatted for a little longer before leaving upon receiving some kind of signal.
A moment later, Jiang Qiu stepped out of the white mist and, sure enough, found a river—the very spot where the two demons had been.
’The Celestial Chosen Demon of the Northern Boundary Mountain Demon Clan, [Extreme], has already perfectly inherited the bloodline of their Ancestor?’
Mumbling to himself, Jiang Qiu’s brow furrowed. It reminded him of his own inheritance from the North Sea Palace.
’Tier Two Luminous Blood could also be considered a perfect inheritance of an ancestral bloodline, but such an advantage isn’t enough. For the most part, the Human Race’s strength isn’t determined by bloodline.’
’But the Demon Race is different. If their bloodline is pure enough, they can become incredibly strong. The closer the bloodline is to their ancestors, the more terrifying their oppressive power.’
’And the bloodline [Extreme] had perfectly inherited was from none other than the Ancestor of the Northern Boundary Mountain Demon Clan—[Kun].’
This [Kun] was a master of transformation and was once the strongest Demon Emperor in the Northern Boundary. One could even say the entire Northern Boundary was just a corner of [Kun]’s Realm. The legacies of other demon clans were merely sparks casually scattered by their own ancestors; perfect inheritances were rare.
According to the legends of the Northern Boundary, an immeasurably powerful True Dragon of the Demon Race, gravely wounded, once arrived near the territory of Demon Emperor [Kun]. This attracted numerous enemies, forcing the True Dragon to fight. The battle shattered the original Great Realm, causing the Northern Boundary to break off. It was then sealed by four Human Race Ancestors who were cleaning up the aftermath, all to protect the inhabitants of this fragment of the world.
Some of the Demon Emperors who followed the True Dragon also met their end here, leaving their legacies behind.
Therefore, [Kun] was the original master of the Northern Boundary, making the Northern Boundary Mountain Demon Clan the most powerful race here. Their lineage is well-ordered; the Ancestor’s blood flows in the veins of every clan member, awakening unique Talents, such as the Kunpeng Transformation.
Even without Spirit Charm for Cultivation, the Kunpeng Transformation allows the Northern Boundary Mountain Demon Clan to achieve unparalleled flight speeds, putting them in a completely different league from the avian demons of Cold Heaven Cliff!
’The Northern Boundary has no Spirit Charm left. Most of the hoarded Spirit Charm was secretly left by the ancestors and cannot be used for Refinement. Did [Kun] leave behind a refinable supply of Spirit Charm for a future Celestial Chosen Demon who could perfectly inherit his Talent?’
Jiang Qiu grew suspicious. He wasn’t sure just how powerful [Extreme] was now, or if he could even face him.
But at least he now had some information about [Extreme]. When the battle for the Chosen began, he wouldn’t be caught off guard by any unexpected powers.
With that, Jiang Qiu lingered no more. He followed the river and, in the blink of an eye, vanished back into the white mist.
Not long after he left, the two Northern Boundary Mountain demons who had been talking returned to the riverbank. The illusory wings on their backs beat, stirring up a great wind as they slowly landed.
The two demons said little, both looking in the direction Jiang Qiu had gone. Their forms were quickly obscured by the white mist. Dimly, one of them waved a hand. The wings dissipated, and a gale began to blow.
The white mist on the riverbanks parted. The two demons were gone, leaving only the illusory figure of a humanoid demon on the shore. His blue hair cascaded down his back like a waterfall, and a blue mark symbolizing [Kun] rested between his brows. Dressed in a pale, light robe, he clutched a formless ball of Spirit Rhythm Qi in his left hand.
"So this is the successor chosen by those four venerables?"
His voice was like the call of a blue whale, his aura like a long, ghostly wind.
"How interesting. I’ll gladly accept this gift."
In the blink of an eye, he dissolved into mist and vanished from the riverbank.
...
Following the river, Jiang Qiu quickly emerged from the white mist. In what seemed like an instant, the world cleared up, though heavy snow continued to fall as always.
After scouting the terrain in this small section of the Northern Boundary Mountain, he quickly found a suitable path up the mountain. Unfortunately, it was near an outpost of the Northern Boundary Mountain Demon Clan. They soared through the skies, patrolling the area for many miles around.
Once the white mist cleared and the battle for the Chosen began, their party would most likely have to attack from this direction, leading to a brutal fight against the Northern Boundary Mountain Demon Clan.
After all, while the base of the Northern Boundary Mountain looked flat, once the slope reached a certain steepness, it was impossible to ascend without taking one of the special routes.
Even those who could fly would be battered down by the gales on the mountainside, their wings broken as they plunged to their deaths.
The Northern Boundary Mountain Demon Clan guarded the passes on these special routes, leaving a frontal assault as the only option when the time came.
Returning to the party’s temporary encampment, Jiang Qiu began discussing how to break through the Northern Boundary Mountain Demon Clan’s strongholds with [Hunt] and the others. The discussion lasted for three days without resolution.
"We can’t throw everything at a single stronghold! The Northern Boundary Mountain Demon Clan is too strong. Just as [Hill] saw, a single stronghold has over a hundred patrolling Warriors. More than half of them are in the Iron Flesh Realm, and they have speeds surpassing the Steel Bone Realm. The moment we attack one location, the demons in the other strongholds will react!"
[Wall] argued vehemently, spittle flying from his lips.
"The Northern Boundary Mountain is no joke, and the Northern Boundary Mountain Demon Clan didn’t earn its fearsome reputation for nothing. Without the Witch Priests getting involved, the fighting force from a single one of their strongholds is enough to severely cripple a Main Vein Tribe."
"And by a conservative estimate, there are over a thousand such strongholds."
The Northern Boundary Mountain Demon Clan truly possesses the power to overwhelm every other living being in the Northern Boundary. It’s only for some particular reason that they’ve always remained at the foot of the mountain, never initiating attacks on the outside world.
They act like guardians, protecting the Northern Boundary Mountain. Each stronghold is positioned at a critical pass on the way up, intended to block any Human Race party.
For tens of thousands of years, with every battle for the Chosen, a new path up the mountain had to be found. There were even instances where a party spent five years detouring around the Northern Boundary Mountain to assault the Northern Boundary Peak from the other side, only to be discovered by the demons. They paid a heavy price just to get their Chosen One onto the slopes.
"So [Wall]’s idea is for the main force to act as a diversion, luring away the powerful demon Warriors from a few strongholds. This would allow him, [Hill], and [Fan]—the three Chosen Ones—to ascend the mountain smoothly, avoiding combat and conserving their strength."
The bloodshed in the battle for the Chosen is a trial, but is the climb not a trial as well?
Very few make it through the clouds to the peak; most Chosen Ones die on the mountainside. It’s best to conserve strength wherever possible.
But [Hunt] disagreed with [Wall]’s view, insisting they all charge the mountain together. "If we’re going to act as a diversion, the main force needs the power of a Chosen One to even be convincing! Otherwise, the demons from a single stronghold could easily slaughter every last one of us!
In that scenario, why would they abandon their posts to chase us?"
"Tsk," [Wall] said, crossing his arms with a cold snort. "You all got plenty of things from the West Ice Tribe. You don’t have anything that can put up a convincing bluff?"
"If we had a treasure like that, we wouldn’t be having this argument!" [Hunt] shot back, his gaze firm and unafraid. "If a Chosen One such as yourself were willing, you wouldn’t even need to bluff!"
Listening to the two factions argue inside the wooden cabin, Jiang Qiu silently tapped his fingers on his knee.
Just then, the sound of hooves echoed from outside. The party from the East Shore Tribe had arrived.
