High-level martial arts: Long spear with black flames to suppress demons.

Cang Gu stepped aside and said, "Let's go, we can enjoy the scenery along the way."

Du Yue stepped onto the cloud steps. They looked light and airy, but they were very stable. She didn't sink when she stepped on them. She tried taking two steps before confidently following along.

Once everyone had boarded its back, the cloud staircase slowly dissipated. The dragon beast raised its head, stomped its four claws into the void, and the surrounding clouds sank down. Its massive body then rose steadily, passing over the mountain peak beside the stone platform and flying north.

The gateway between the two realms shrank rapidly and was soon hidden by the mountain ridge.

Cang Gu came to his side and said with a smile, "No human has ever ridden on its back before. You are the first time."

"So particular?"

"It usually only picks up and drops off the Demon Emperor and members of the royal court who are allowed to accompany him."

Cang Gu looked at Du Yue, who was looking around, and said, "It came here on its own when it heard that it was here to pick up His Highness."

Shen Chang'an smiled and said, "Then I've benefited from Du Yue's influence."

The dragon was much faster than it appeared.

The nearby mountains recede into the distance, and soon the undulating forest underfoot transforms into a vast grassland. Looking down from above, large tracts of grassland undulate with the wind, their color gradually deepening from light green, while wetlands stretch out along both sides of the riverbank.

Groups of demonic beasts migrated across the grassland. Some were shaped like oxen with thick armor plates on their backs, pressing wide paths through the grass as they passed. Others had long limbs and forked horns on their foreheads. They paused briefly by the water's edge before nimbly leaping across the tributaries.

In the distance, there was a herd of grayish-white beasts, so numerous that they were difficult to distinguish, and they kicked up a light dust as they ran.

At the confluence of rivers, cities and villages gradually emerged.

Some cities are built with huge stones, with walls that are dozens of feet high and wide gates that can allow large monsters to pass through. Others are built against towering ancient trees, with wooden houses hidden in the canopy, and drawbridges passing through the branches and connecting several neighboring ancient trees.

Several small buildings floated in mid-air, with glowing array plates hanging below them, slowly moving along the river. Shen Chang'an noticed that the edge of one of the buildings was filled with goods, and birds were flying around nearby, making it look like a mobile market.

Du Yue was so engrossed in watching that she barely had time to speak. Her gaze had just shifted from Shucheng when it was drawn to another massive figure by the river.

It was a tortoise-like beast carrying the village on its back.

Houses and fences were built on the heavy tortoise shell, and several flat plots of land were planted with crops of different colors. It moved slowly along the riverbank, with smoke rising from the chimney on its back. Several small figures stood by the fence, looking up at the dragon beast passing overhead.

Du Yue couldn't help but ask, "They live up there?"

Qing Ge nodded and said, "Yes, some tribes are used to migrating and will travel with gentle monsters like these. When they reach a place with abundant water and grass, they will stop for a while and do not have to stay in the same place all the time."

As the dragon continued its northward journey, the terrain to the west gradually rose, with continuous mountain peaks overlapping one another, their colors transitioning from lush green in the foreground to deep blue in the distance, eventually disappearing into thick clouds and mist.

That is the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain.

Compared to the open Wan Yao Plain, that mountainous area appeared much more secluded. The canyons were like dark fissures hidden among the mountains, while some of the mountaintops were brightly lit by the sunlight, revealing patches of trees of various colors.

Further to the west, several snow-capped peaks stand faintly, their white bodies peeking out from between the clouds. The summits are still not hidden in the dark clouds high in the sky, making it difficult to determine their exact height.

Shen Chang'an stared in that direction for a moment, then suddenly remembered Li Ya.

"Chief Qingge, where is the territory of the Qingfeng clan?"

Hearing this, Qing Ge turned around and followed his gaze to a mountain forest shrouded in blue mist to the west: "At the border between Ten Thousand Demon Mountain and Ten Thousand Demon Plain, there is a large forest there, where we have lived for generations."

After he finished speaking, he asked with some curiosity, "Why did Inspector Shen think of asking this?"

"I'm somewhat interested and would like to find an opportunity to go and take a look, but I don't know if it's convenient."

"Of course it's convenient."

Qing Ge immediately laughed: "Just tell me whenever you want to go. There are several scenic spots in the clan, such as the Qingwu Ancient Forest, Luoxia Spring, and Qifeng Terrace, all of which are worth visiting."

He became more and more enthusiastic as he spoke, even considering where they should stay and which place to look at first.

Shen Chang'an could tell that this enthusiasm wasn't just for him. Du Yue liked to follow him, and if he went to the Qingfeng Clan's territory, Du Yue would most likely go with him.

The fact that the phoenix had personally visited their ancestral homeland meant something that was self-evident to the Azure Phoenix Clan. Qing Ge had clearly already considered this, and when he introduced the clan's territory, he was even more energetic than before.

He didn't point it out, only agreeing to visit when he had the chance. Qing Ge didn't press him for details about what he wanted to know. After noting the matter down, he went back to look for Du Yue.

The girl had somehow already reached the vicinity of the dragon's head.

The passageway extending from the front of the pavilion connects to the platform on the side of the neck. The dragon beast sensed her approach and lowered its head.

Du Yue walked along the platform, carefully sat between the two long horns, tried it out, and found it to be very stable, so she gently swung her legs.

The area was still under protection, with only a gentle breeze ruffling her hair.

There were no more pavilions or railings to obstruct her view; a sea of ​​clouds stretched out beneath her feet, and mountains, rivers, and cities gradually came into view from afar. She looked up, watching the thin clouds drift by and disperse beside the long horn, and reached out to touch them, only feeling a slight dampness.

The conversations of the people behind him became indistinct.

Du Yue sat quietly for a while, gazing at this world that was both unfamiliar and new to her.

Later, Jin Yao and Qing Ge walked to the platform in front and drew her attention back to it.

The two were very familiar with the mountains and rivers along the way. They could tell you about almost everything, which mountains produced spiritual minerals, which lakes produced rare spiritual herbs, and which rivers would flow backward every few decades.

As Du Yue listened, she asked more questions. Tu Shan Fei Yue also came to the side and occasionally added a few words, talking about the food and festivals in a certain city, which aroused her more interest than spirit ore and medicinal materials.

As they passed through several large cities, bells rang out one after another below. Powerful demons took to the air, recognized the dragon beasts and the royal emblems on the pavilions from afar, and stopped in place to pay their respects without approaching.

The sound of wind and conversation from ahead returned. Du Yue seemed to have seen something again, pointing to a lake below that shimmered with a pale blue light, and asked Qing Ge for answers. Qing Ge stood aside and answered her questions one by one.

The dragon continued northward, the sun gradually rose higher, the mist on the grassland dissipated, and the river appeared even brighter in the sunlight. The further they went, the more densely populated the cities became, with wide ancient roads connecting them, and they could see giant beasts carrying goods and caravans coming and going.

Occasionally, flying demons would pass by in the distance, recognize the Royal Court Dragon Beast, and then deliberately walk around it. The demons in the pavilion were already used to this, but Du Yue would still peek out to look, only turning her gaze away when those figures disappeared.

After flying for half a day, the endless grassland in front of us finally began to change.

The terrain gradually rises, and several great rivers converge in the same direction. In the distance, through the clouds, a silhouette even more majestic than the mountains along the way is faintly visible. At this moment, the dragon beast lets out a low roar, and the clouds that were originally scattered around gradually retreat to both sides.

Cang Gu stood up from the pavilion and walked to the front.

"We're almost at the Ancient Demon King's Court."