Translator: AnubisTL
The danger of the Heavenly Wind lies in its extreme velocity. This is a wind that carries immense destructive power, capable of overwhelming even third-tier demonic beasts.
Forming over the ocean, the Heavenly Wind whips up vast quantities of seawater. The gale-force winds carry this water, further amplifying its destructive force.
Once caught in its vortex, one would feel as if their body were being spirally sliced by countless razor-sharp water blades, ensuring a gruesome fate.
Though Li Qing considered his fleshly body exceptionally robust, he dared not attempt to withstand this terrifying maritime calamity with his bare flesh.
The moment the chaotic hurricane engulfed him, Li Qing immediately took countermeasures.
Buzz!
An ancient, pitch-black forge materialized mid-air. Without hesitation, Li Qing dove headfirst into the Black Furnace.
During this maneuver, the hurricane-whipped seawater lashed at him like sharp knives, leaving shallow bloody streaks across his body.
Though the injuries were minor, they served as grim proof of the Heavenly Wind's truly terrifying destructive power.
Li Qing's fleshly body was already remarkably robust, yet even so, a brief brush with the Heavenly Wind, laden with seawater, left him with minor injuries.
Had he remained exposed for longer, he would have undoubtedly met a violent end!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The moment he retreated into the Black Furnace, a dense barrage of sharp, piercing collisions erupted against its surface.
Soon, the seawater swept in by the Heavenly Wind surged into the furnace, instantly filling the entire chamber and completely engulfing Li Qing.
"This natural disaster is truly terrifying," he thought. "For that brief moment I was caught in it, I felt as if I had lost all control."
"Thank goodness for the Black Furnace. Without it, today would have been a near-death experience."
Li Qing breathed a sigh of relief. At least this mysterious, ancient Black Furnace provided him with absolute security.
After all, the Black Furnace's track record in his hands was nothing short of spectacular. Not only had it withstood void turbulence during his journeys through space, but it had even endured the destructive force of spatial collapse completely unscathed!
Given its defensive capabilities, with the Black Furnace's protection, the Heavenly Wind, carrying tens of thousands of hectares of seawater, posed no threat to him.
Thank goodness I reacted quickly enough, Li Qing murmured to himself. I wonder how the Crimson Flood Dragon fared. It was quite a distance behind me, but it's slower than I am.
Though he had escaped immediate danger, Li Qing knew he wasn't entirely out of the woods yet. His primary concern now was to determine where the Heavenly Wind was carrying him.
From an outside perspective, one could clearly see an ancient, black forge filled with seawater being violently tossed around by the hurricane. The forge spun rapidly around the storm's eye, leaving a dark, swirling shadow in its wake.
Given the Black Furnace's terrifying material and hardness, combined with the Heavenly Wind's rotational speed, even a fourth-tier demon beast struck by it would likely suffer fatal injuries!
Vast, surging hurricanes swept across the sea, leaving tens of thousands of miles of turbulent waves in their wake.
Inside the Black Furnace, Li Qing sighed softly, silently praying for the Heavenly Wind to subside quickly and not carry him too far from his intended destination.
Lost in these thoughts, Li Qing completely forgot about the Jade Pendant tucked in his robes.
At that moment, within the Jade Pendant etched with the star map of the Soul Nurturing Secret Realm, a brilliant point of light raced along a designated path, hurtling toward the central region of the pendant's star map.
The sky grew dim as twilight descended upon the demon realm.
Yes, this vast domain, saturated with demon aura, was indeed the demon realm—or, as it might more accurately be called, the Myriad Demon Realm!
As the name suggested, this realm teemed with great demons and served as the heartland of the demon race.
The domain's terrain was extraordinarily complex, encompassing savage mountains and forests, boundless grasslands, and steaming marshes.
Yet throughout these lands, no trace of human presence could be found—only the roaming demon beasts.
In a region of jagged, rocky ridges, a labyrinth of interconnected caves and tunnels stretched deep into the earth. Any ordinary person who stumbled into this maze would inevitably become hopelessly lost.
Within these caves, strange blue lights glowed like luminous gemstones.
But anyone who saw them would quickly realize these radiant objects were no mere gems.
For in the pitch-black depths of the mountain's interior, these gem-like blue lights began to move, creating an eerie spectacle in the profound darkness.
These glowing azure orbs were actually the eyeballs—or rather, the pupils—of demon beasts!
The sheer density of demon beasts packed into this dark cavern was astonishing.
Within the cavern, a pair of particularly bright blue pupils began to move rapidly.
Squeak!
As the sound echoed through the cavern, an even larger pair of glowing blue eyes suddenly lit up the pitch-black space.
These creatures with glowing blue eyes were none other than bat-winged rats!
Any cultivator familiar with demon beasts would have been both shocked and delighted by this sight.
These bat-winged rats were no ordinary demonic rodents; they were an extremely rare species known as the Azure Wing Rat!
These rats possessed wings, allowing them to soar through the skies and burrow freely underground.
What made them truly remarkable was their innate sensitivity to treasures.
This species had long been extinct in human-inhabited regions like the Azure Ridge Domain and the Great Wilderness Domain.
Only in ancient times and even earlier would cultivators raise these demon beasts as treasure-seeking rats.
No one could have imagined that so many Azure Wing Rats would be living in this dark mountain ridge cave!
This was a gregarious demon beast. Once their numbers reached a certain threshold, it meant a Rat King was definitely present.
Sure enough, the demon rat with the massive blue eyes slowly closed its eyelids. Its body rapidly transformed, shrinking until it became a diminutive old man draped in blue fur.
"Hmm, is the Golden Bear King opening the Myriad Beasts Secret Realm again? It hasn't been long at all."
This was a transformed Azure Wing Rat King—a fourth-tier demon beast!
"By my reckoning, it's been less than three epochs."
The demon realm's method of calculating time differed slightly from that of the human race. Demons generally had long lifespans, especially those with spiritual intelligence.
Thus, they didn't measure time in human-style years, months, and days, but rather in epochs.
To put it in human terms, one ji was equivalent to twelve years!
Before the Azure Wing Rat King, the burly Azure Wing Rat who had just delivered the message responded with divine sense:
"The Golden Bear King's sixth direct offspring has also formed an inner core. It seems he intends to send them all into the secret realm together to seek the inheritance of our ancestors."
Demon beasts at the second-tier possess an irregularly shaped Crystal Core within their bodies. To break through to the third-tier, they must refine this core into a perfectly round, flawless sphere.
This refined core becomes the priceless demon beast inner core, somewhat analogous to the human concept of the Golden Core.
The transformed Azure Wing Rat King remained silent for a long moment before speaking in a hoarse, deep voice:
"They breed even faster than my Azure Wing Clan. Six direct offspring already?"
"Very well. Have any new cores been formed within the clan recently?"
The burly Azure Wing Rat replied:
"Ancestor, one of our kin successfully formed a core a ji ago and has since claimed territory in the Heavenfall Mountain Range."
The human-shaped Azure Wing Rat King nodded. "Then let it enter the Myriad Beasts Secret Realm. Whether it gains anything will depend on its fate and good fortune!"
Such conversations were happening across the demon realm.
For example, deep within a desolate forest, a colossal, pitch-black python, spanning thousands of zhang in length, slowly coiled its massive body.
Around it, dozens of smaller pythons, each measuring tens or hundreds of meters, slithered through the forest. Yet these ordinary-sized snakes paled in comparison to the gargantuan, thousands-of-zhang-long behemoth.
"The Nether Python Clan has no newly advanced core formation members to enter the Myriad Beasts Secret Realm."
"The Nether Python Clan rejects the Golden Bear King's proposal!"
The thousands-of-zhang-long Nether Python King spoke in human tongue!
Needless to say, this was a transformed Demon Beast King, a being comparable to a nascent soul realm cultivator!
As the resounding rejection echoed through the forest, the surrounding pythons began to slither and coil in response.
The demon realm is also known as the Myriad Demon Realm, a testament to its vast diversity of demon beast species.
Unlike the solitary demon beasts of other great domains, many powerful demon beasts here form clans and tribes.
Naturally, the demon beast ancestors of these clans were typically fourth-tier demon beasts that had achieved transformation, earning them the titles of "king of beasts" and "clan leader."
In a vast swamp, the water suddenly churned violently, and a muffled voice echoed from within:
"Hmph, the Golden Bear King is playing a shrewd game. His sixth son's bloodline is terrifyingly pure—rumor has it he even awakened a trace of the Ancient Dragon Bear's bloodline!"
"Why is he so eager to open the Myriad Beasts Secret Realm? Is he trying to ensure his sixth son inherits the ancestral inheritance?"
"This matter requires careful consideration!"
"..."
On a sprawling grassland teeming with life, a magnificent male lion with a thick, white mane stood out prominently, tearing into the carcass of a Triangular Azure Rhinoceros.
From the massive blue rhinoceros's body, a perfectly round, jade-green inner core floated out and was immediately swallowed whole by the white-maned lion.
"Roar!"
"The Myriad Beasts Secret Realm... If I can obtain the bone marrow and inheritance of the ancient Nine-Headed Lion King, my transformation will finally be within reach!"
After swallowing the Triangular Azure Rhinoceros's inner core, the white male lion's aura intensified, becoming even more ferocious.
"This secret realm is not to be missed. I must find a way to enter. The Golden Bear King's sixth son? I fear no mere Blind Bear!"
Although the demon realm was inhabited solely by demon beasts, information spread just as swiftly as in human society. Each race had its own methods of receiving and disseminating news.
Normally, the Myriad Beasts Secret Realm opened only once every five epochs, a grand event across the entire demon realm.
Within this realm lay a place of inheritance jointly established by ancient powerhouses of the demon race.
It contained numerous powerful demon beast inheritances, including the bones, blood, and spiritual essence of ancient strange beasts!
One could imagine the immense benefits a demon beast could gain by entering this realm!
However, not every demon beast was qualified to enter. Only select elite demon beast clans were granted entry quotas!
And only the clan leaders of these elite groups possessed the ability to open the Myriad Beasts Secret Realm.
Solitary demon beasts seeking entry into the Myriad Beasts Secret Realm would need to devise their own methods.
The Golden Bear King's proposal to open the secret realm early was undoubtedly part of his own scheme.
However, the Myriad Beasts Secret Realm didn't belong solely to his clan. Opening it required the consensus of other major demon beast clans and the combined power of at least four transformed demon beasts.
The Demon Bear Clan dwelled in a primeval forest in the northern demon realm, a land brimming with spiritual energy and crisscrossed by numerous spiritual veins.
Normally, Demon Bears weren't social creatures. After reaching core formation, they would typically leave the clan to claim their own territories.
But this generation was different. The Demon Bear Clan had produced a transformed being who proclaimed himself the Golden Bear King!
The Golden Bear King possessed immense power and was in his prime. Even the most formidable demon beast clans in the Myriad Demon Realm had to show him respect.
Within this primeval forest, a burly man wearing a golden vest sat upon a throne carved from a colossal tree. He cradled a skull in one hand, guzzling crimson liquid from it with gusto.
"Hahahaha! This Monkey Wine brewed by the Wind Apes is truly exceptional!"
The burly man roared with laughter, his face scarred with three shocking gashes that stretched from the corner of his eye, making him appear even more ferocious and terrifying.
Moments later, a white ape as swift as the wind swung down from the ancient trees.
"Great King Golden Bear, the Azure Wing Rat Clan has agreed to the early opening of the Myriad Beasts Secret Realm."
Hearing the consent from various clans, the Golden Bear King, now in his human form, wore a shifting expression of anger and calculation. His massive hand tightened around the skull goblet, crushing it into dust.
Fine bone powder mixed with the crimson Monkey Wine, scattering across the earth.
A terrifying aura swept through the primeval forest, silencing every insect and beast into trembling stillness.
"The Nether Python Clan dares to reject my proposal?"
"Hmph, it seems I'll need to find another way. This time, I'll send Liu'er into the secret realm no matter what. The stakes are too high."
The Golden Bear King narrowed his eyes, his gaze flickering with calculation.
Beneath his brutal, savage features, a surprising hint of cunning and treachery flickered.
(End of the Chapter)