The road is vague

Chapter 299 Sky-High Mountains
There are more than ten transformed great demon kings in the southern barbarian lands.

If these dozen or so great demon kings could unite as one, they would be a regional force that would make even the Qian and Lu kingdoms wary. But unfortunately, the two sides are fundamentally different.

The nine demon kings, led by the Heavenly Longevity Turtle, established a system of offering sacrifices to the gods to protect the humans in this land before the war.

Throughout history, the vast majority of the transformed demon kings chose to leave and go to the ethereal lost lands, while many others died in battle for various reasons. The Southern Barbarian Lands were by no means a peaceful place.

In addition, there are man-eating monsters led by the Mountain-Crushing Giant Ape.

These man-eating monsters not only faced attacks from the gods of the southern barbarian lands, but also had to contend with the attempts to kill them by human cultivators from neighboring countries. For a long time, they had to hide and flee, like rootless duckweed.

The land of the southern barbarians today.

The cannibalistic demon kings that have taken human form, except for the legendary Mountain-Crushing Giant Ape, which is comparable to a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, have basically been wiped out. Only some of their lesser descendants remain, hiding in various places. Because they are aware of human nature, they are not tolerated by humans and are hunted down by various sects.

of course.

Beneath these high-sounding reasons, the deeper cause may simply be the inherent difference between humans and demons, driven by self-interest.

After finishing his bear meat noodles, Li Mo seemed lost in thought the whole way.

Now that Mount Motian is completely frozen and no longer worth exploring, the only way to make things bigger and attract the Sky Bear King to appear is to try targeting its descendants.

Unknowingly.

Li Mo arrived at the east end of the market.

This place has become a temporary team-up spot for disciples from various sects.

"The Qi Refining stage bear-hunting team has a dedicated combatant cultivator. Their objective is to hunt down three black bear demons!"

"We need a Foundation Establishment stage bear-hunting team. We need a cultivator skilled in tracking, preferably a disciple of the Spirit Eye Sect. Our goal is to hunt demon cores!"

"A professional demon-hunting team of martial artists..."

People from the Great Qian Kingdom who travel alone here will form teams and use the special skills of different sects to hunt down the bear demons hidden in the Motian Mountains.

Li Mo vaguely heard that a Foundation Establishment team was recruiting disciples of the Spirit Eye Sect.

He immediately pushed through the crowd and approached with a curious expression.

After all, it's better to join a demon-hunting team to gather information than to wander alone through those unfrozen mountain ranges.

Although the King of Assassins said he had plenty of time to wear down the Sky Bear King and wait for it to appear, Li Mo was not prepared to waste time idly and passively wait for the other party to take the bait.

However, when he arrived in front of the three-person team and noticed one of them, he was immediately stunned.

"Eh, Fellow Daoist Wan!"

This person turned out to be Wan Shun from the Ten Thousand Swords Sect. Ten years ago, when he participated in the Longevity Enlightenment Conference, he had a brief encounter with him in the Heavenly Realm. Both of them were disguised as disciples of the Sword Heart Sect of the Zhao Kingdom, which was quite awkward.

And now we've met again here.

"Fellow Daoist Li!"

Wan Shun is a person with short arms and legs and an ordinary appearance. He is somewhat like Ye Shoutian of the Lingmu Sect and belongs to the type of person who is truly extraordinary but does not reveal his abilities.

He couldn't help but show surprise when he saw Li Mo.

"Could it be that you've come here too..."

"Hehe, weren't you just saying you hoped to have a Lingmu Sect disciple skilled in tracking join you? What do you think of me?"

Upon hearing this, Wan Shun was overjoyed.

"If Fellow Daoist Li could join us, that would be wonderful!"

He then beckoned to the man and woman behind him, along with Li Mo, and led them to a secluded spot in a teahouse, where they introduced themselves to each other with smiles on their faces.

"Fellow Daoist Li, let me introduce myself to you."

Wan Shun first looked at the tall, rugged-looking man.

"This is Zhang Zhenshan, a disciple of the Iron Blood Sect of Qiongzhou. His internal strength has reached the peak of the Innate Realm. He will be able to enter the Golden Core Path and begin the legendary dual cultivation of body and mind. He is a martial arts prodigy that is rare in the Great Qian Kingdom."

Zhang Zhenshan clasped his hands in a fist salute and shook his head in response to Wan Shun's high praise.

"A single step can make all the difference between near and far. I am but a mortal, and my association with these immortal masters can only serve as a deterrent and a warning."

"Master Zhang is too modest. Without your restraint, our previous collaboration would not have been so smooth."

After Wan Shun finished speaking, he looked at the female disciple beside him.

"This is Fairy Liu Lan of the Hundred Treasures Sect. Fairy Liu Lan possesses an endless array of treasures, and coupled with her mastery of the Southern Bright Fire Great Divine Power, she can ensure that our reserves are secure."

Liu Lan had a rosy complexion, exuding the charm of a mature woman, like a vintage daughter's red wine that had been aged for many years.

She smiled slightly, and her gaze towards Wan Shun was full of charm, seemingly revealing deep affection, making Li Mo very suspicious that their relationship had gone beyond that of collaborators.

Li Mo quickly clasped his hands in greeting to the two of them.

"I am Li Mo, a disciple of the Lingmu Sect. I have met Fellow Daoist Wan Shun twice before. I came to the Southern Barbarian Lands this time because I heard that monsters are frequently appearing in the Motian Mountains. I happen to be short of spirit stones, so I came to join in the fun."

"Ha ha!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhenshan laughed and said, "Actually, our task is very simple. We just need to find the bear demon, hold it back for a while, and let Master Wan set up the sword formation. I am physically strong and will be responsible for the direct confrontation, while Fairy Liu has amazing magical artifacts and will be responsible for holding it back. You only need to help us find the trail of that roaming gray bear spirit. This demon must have already developed its demon core!"

"Oh?"

Li Mo looked at Wan Shun with a surprised expression.

"You actually possess the Tai Xuan Sword Formation, a great divine power?"

Wan Shun smiled slightly and did not deny it.

“That is indeed the case. However, I am here to obtain a demon core, which I will use to enhance my magical power after refining it into a pill. I know that Fellow Daoist Li is quite powerful, but since Fellow Daoist Li is only seeking spirit stones, after you have hunted down that gray bear demon, why not give me the demon core? I will make up the difference in spirit stones at market price.”

“No problem!” Li Mo readily agreed.

that's it.

After resting for a while, Liu Lan of the Hundred Treasures Sect summoned a paper kite magic artifact, which carried the four of them towards the depths of the Sky-Piercing Mountains.

Li Mo looked at the frozen main peak of Mount Motian and couldn't help but sigh.

"Truly worthy of being called the legendary Tower of the Ice River. Such a vast mountain peak has been frozen solid. A mighty demon king in his transformed form, with a thousand years of power, has silently perished here."

Even though they were more than ten miles apart, the cold wind from Mount Motian still made Li Mo feel the biting chill.

"Yes."

After making a remark, Wan Shun couldn't help but add another sentence.

"However, this is also because General Chen Youyou herself has profound magical power, which is why she can unleash the power of the Tongtian Lingbao. I heard that the bear king tried to put up a last-ditch resistance and summoned two other demon kings to guard the area together. But demons are demons. Didn't it realize that even the Tianshou Divine Turtle had been defeated and fled? What use was there in putting up a last-ditch resistance? In the end, the three of them were surrounded by the army and were all suppressed and killed here."

Zhang Zhen also felt awe for this, marveling at how terrifying high-level cultivators were.

However, Liu Lan of Baibaomen was somewhat dissatisfied with this.

"I heard that the imperial court has begun to mobilize the second batch of troops. I wonder if the Seven Treasures of the Southern Ming Dynasty from our Baibao Sect will be brought along."

She was quite proud of it.

After a brief exchange of glances, Li Mo and Wan Shun couldn't help but reveal a wry smile.

Neither the Ten Thousand Swords Sect nor the Spirit Eye Sect really had any say in this matter, as the two sects were indeed somewhat lacking in this regard.

However, Wan Shun was quite unperturbed by this.

"I seem to have heard my elders mention the Seven Treasures of Nanming before. Although these seven treasures are not Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasures, they are all extremely powerful sealing treasures. When the seven are combined, they can summon the true Nanming Fire that can burn all treasures and can restrain all kinds of treasures, including Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasures. Is this true?"

Liu Lan beamed with joy.

"exactly!"

Listening to their conversation, Li Mo lamented the Lingmu Sect's two failed attempts to refine the True Yang Cauldron. This cauldron needed to be born from the earth's mother fire, and even if it were successfully refined, he wondered if it would be afraid of the so-called Nanming Li Fire. On the other hand, he thought of the mysterious sword sheath in his hand, wondering if its true level was a replica of a spiritual treasure and what kind of power it possessed.

that's it.

Unbeknownst to them, the four gradually moved away from the main peak of Mount Motian and arrived at this Evergreen Mountain.

Stepping into the forest, Liu Lan retrieved her kite and smiled at Li Mo.

"Fellow Daoist Li, it's up to you now!"

Wan Shun also showed a hopeful expression.

“Fellow Daoist Li, I can almost certainly say that there are at least two intelligent gray bear spirits hiding in this mountain. Some people have also said that they have encountered an intelligent black bear spirit here. Once you find their hiding place, the rest is up to the three of us.”

"it is good."

Li Mo readily agreed.

However, despite this, he was still somewhat puzzled.

"Isn't it said that there might be several bear demons comparable to the Golden Core stage hiding in the mountains? Aren't you worried?"

Upon hearing this, all three of them couldn't help but laugh.

Finally, Liu Lan provided the explanation.

“A few years ago, the demon-hunting teams that came here were naturally filled with anxiety. However, after several Nascent Soul cultivators heard that there were still Golden Core stage bear demons in this area, they have searched this place countless times. After all, it is almost impossible to have the opportunity to hunt Golden Core stage demon beasts within the Great Qian Kingdom. Even if they can’t use those demon cores, they can leave them to their descendants. Otherwise, how could the military feel at ease with only two Golden Core cultivators stationed here? In this way, we naturally don’t need to worry.”

Li Mo suddenly realized.

"I see."

Searching for demonic beasts is no easy task. The bear demons here are almost all highly skilled, having survived the hunts of so many demon-hunting groups. It is normal for demon-hunting groups that enter the mountains to go one or two months without any results.

Therefore, some people have made speculations.

After years of continuous hunting, the number of bear demons in the Motian Mountains is probably less than one-tenth of what it used to be.

Perhaps in two or three years, the entire Motian Mountain Range will be forgotten.

As the saying goes, "all the hustle and bustle is for profit," the market at the foot of the mountain will not last long. Without the threat of the bear demon, this place will gradually become a village and settlement for the human people.

a few days later.

The four-person group, who had been searching for nothing in Changqing Mountain, finally made a discovery that day.

This is a severely damaged trap area. In addition to two skinned bear skins, there are some human remains nearby, truly showing how the roles of hunter and prey are repeatedly switched here.

After a brief investigation, Wan Shun showed disappointment.

"It's been at least three days."

In Wan Shun's view, too much time had passed, and even if Li Mo was a disciple of the Lingmu Sect, it would be difficult for him to track down the bear demon.

However, Li Mo narrowed his eyes slightly and slowly walked in a certain direction.

"Everyone follow me."

His True Spirit Eye, enhanced by the Seven Apertures Returning to Origin Technique, is able to discover many details that ordinary people cannot see.

As long as the bear demon doesn't fly away, the subtle changes in the traces it leaves behind will be a guiding light in Li Mo's eyes, lasting for many days before being gradually covered up by the workings of nature.

Wan Shun, Liu Lan, and Zhang Zhenshan exchanged glances, then their expressions of surprise and delight followed.

(End of this chapter)