Chapter 18: Black Corpse Mountain

"Huff, huff, this is the Black Corpse Mountain."

The next day, at noon, the scorching sun was high in the sky, and cicadas in the forest were chirping incessantly, adding to the sweltering heat. The Yan River, rolling and surging, flowed out from a massive mountain range. This mountain range was pitch black and deep, with treacherous peaks everywhere. The tall trees formed a dense canopy, blocking out the sky, and the occasional roar of fierce beasts from the forest sent shivers down one's spine.

A cold wind blew out from the mountain range, making people shiver and their skin prickle. At the source of the Yan River, in the turbulent waters, one could occasionally see the massive bodies of water monsters rising and falling, their scales and claws faintly visible. The aura of ferocity and evil rose to the sky, and the deep pools and rapids could engulf even the most accomplished qi practitioners, leading to their demise.

Yang Qi stood at the entrance of the "Black Corpse Mountain," gazing at the endless, perilous mountain range, and couldn't help but marvel at the wondrous creation of nature.

The "Black Corpse Mountain" was over two thousand miles away from Yan Capital, and it was filled with many desolate and dangerous areas. Ordinary people would need to endure a ten to fifteen-day arduous journey to reach it. However, with Yang Qi's current level of qi cultivation, he had arrived after just a day and a night of intense running.

He sat down cross-legged, rested for a while, and then took out a bundle from his chest. Inside were several Qi Gathering Pills. They were crystal clear, emerald green, and emitted a medicinal fragrance that invigorated the spirit just by smelling them.

The Qi Gathering Pill was created by a sage on the Fertile Continent long, long ago. It could strengthen the body, unblock meridians, and consolidate the foundation. One pill could sustain a person for a whole day without the need for food. It was made from a mixture of various herbs, the essence of the sun and moon, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Over time, it became a form of currency on the continent, replacing the previous gold and silver.

People used Qi Gathering Pills to purchase various items, such as weapons, armor, silk, and even slaves and treasures. This pill also provided convenience. For example, Yang Qi didn't need to carry any provisions for his journey into the "Black Corpse Mountain" to cultivate and hunt beasts, saving him a lot of trouble.

After swallowing a few Qi Gathering Pills, Yang Qi circulated his qi, and his muscles and bones crackled like fireworks. A circle of qi vortexes formed around him, blowing down the surrounding grass and trees.

"I have ten days left before I return to participate in the gathering. I want to see what Lord Yan Gufeng has in store for me. No matter what, I must revitalize my family, avenge the humiliation, challenge Yun Hailan and Song Haishan, and clear my name. I must become powerful! I hope that within these ten days, I can reach the Seventh Stage of Qi Cultivation."

With a swoosh, he darted into the dangerous Black Corpse Mountain, activating his "Protective Qi" and leaping between the trees, quickly entering the dense forest.

He wanted to reach the Seventh Stage of Qi Cultivation, the "Elephant Qi," as soon as possible. At that stage, his combat power would increase tenfold, allowing him to condense qi into shapes and even manifest abilities like "Demon Wings" and "Nether God Protection." Even Eighth Stage qi practitioners would find it difficult to deal with him.

Once he could manifest "Demon Wings," he could glide through the air freely, at least avoiding being pursued at will. He admired the flexibility and agility of Yan Feixia's "White Crane Wings," which allowed her to dodge arrows and fly through the sky.

The power and flexibility of "Demon Wings" would definitely surpass "White Crane Wings." The Divine Elephant Imprisoning Hell Technique was an extremely advanced qi cultivation method, and he couldn't determine its exact level yet.

By mastering the "Nether God Protection," he could stand invincible, challenging higher levels, which was not just empty talk.

In addition, once he advanced to the Seventh Stage of "Elephant Qi," he would gain various abilities like "Aerial Object Retrieval," making his entire body a weapon, and providing many options and changes in combat.

In the dense forest, some towering trees reached dozens of feet high, piercing the sky. The ground was covered with withered branches and leaves, and a decaying, dangerous aura permeated the air. Occasionally, one could see extremely powerful magical beasts wandering around.

Even leaping from tree to tree, Yang Qi was not safe.

He leaped over a thousand trees, gradually penetrating deeper into the mountain range. When he ran out of breath, he stopped to rest on a tree. Just as he settled down, a gust of foul wind hit him from behind.

Turning around, he saw a giant python, its body thicker than his waist, opening its massive mouth and lunging at him. The stench from its mouth was overwhelming, and its teeth glinted with a blue light, clearly poisonous.

"Damn!"

Yang Qi's body flickered, and he jumped to another tree, evading the python's bite.

What a ferocious python! Its scales were a pale iron blue, smooth and glossy, seemingly impervious to weapons. Its triangular eyes looked at Yang Qi with a cunning intelligence. After seeing him dodge, the python opened its mouth again, and a stream of qi condensed into a poison ball the size of a human head, shooting at Yang Qi like an arrow, causing a buzzing sound in the air.

It was a unique qi technique, containing potent poison. This python had already become a magical beast, its qi cultivation far surpassing the Fifth Stage of "Explosive Qi."

Magical beasts, due to their large size and transformation, could also cultivate various qi techniques. Some of their qi techniques were even more profound than those of humans, inherited from ancient memories.

Legend had it that in ancient times, the entire continent was dominated by demons, and humans were practically their slaves. These demons were incredibly powerful, capable of moving mountains and filling seas, and they created the qi cultivation techniques.

Later, numerous sages emerged among humans, breaking the balance and gradually driving away and suppressing the demons, leading to the current situation.

However, in the current mountains, many beasts still retained ancient memories in their bloodlines. Once awakened, they naturally understood various qi cultivation techniques.

Clearly, this python was a magical beast that had awakened some ancient memories.

"Beast!"

Facing the poison ball, Yang Qi roared, grabbing it with his fingers and sending out a larger wave of qi, shattering the poison ball.

The python was startled, its eyes showing surprise as it realized its opponent was far superior. It immediately coiled its body and fled down the tree, displaying a level of intelligence comparable to that of an eight or nine-year-old child.

However, just as it fled, a true qi spear instantly pierced its body, pinning it to the tree trunk, killing it instantly.

Normally, such a large python would have a strong will to live and could still fight even if pinned. However, the "Nether God Spear" was too powerful, and even a slight wound could be fatal. It contained boundless hellish will, directly destroying the soul of living beings.

The moment the python was hit by the "Nether God Spear," its soul was destroyed.

After pinning the python, the true qi of the "Nether God Spear" gradually dissipated, and the python's body fell to the ground, scattering withered branches and leaves.

Yang Qi jumped down and looked at the python's body. He gathered true qi in his hand, condensing it into a sharp blade, and began cutting the python's skin.

In no time, he had stripped the python's skin and made it into a large bundle. Then, he turned his blade and extracted a pale blue crystal from the python's gallbladder, like a gem. This was the "Demon Core."

All demons, upon reaching the Fifth Stage of "Explosive Qi," would form a "Demon Core" in their bodies, which contained the essence of their qi cultivation.

A single Demon Core, depending on its grade, could be sold for a considerable number of Qi Gathering Pills on the black market.

Therefore, many people ventured into the mountains to hunt magical beasts and obtain "Demon Cores" for huge profits. The Yang family's autumn hunt was similar, with young disciples competing to see who could kill the most magical beasts and obtain the most Demon Cores, earning rewards from the family.

Each autumn hunt by the Yang family could yield Demon Cores worth millions, a significant fortune, and also a way to test the martial prowess of the family's disciples, achieving multiple goals.

Yang Qi was quite experienced in this. Now that his family had no money, hunting magical beasts for profit was essential. In the past, killing such a large python would require the combined efforts of many family disciples, and even then, they might suffer injuries. But now, with his full strength, he could kill it with one strike of the Divine Elephant Imprisoning Hell Technique.

Moreover, Yang Qi discovered that this technique seemed to have a natural advantage against magical beasts.

In this situation, Yang Qi could hunt magical beasts faster than some Eighth Stage qi masters in the family.

After killing the python and obtaining the "Demon Core," he immediately stood up, activated his protective qi, and leaped onto a tree, heading deeper into the forest, fully engaging his senses.

Various sounds entered his mind, forming a three-dimensional picture.

"Hmm, not far away, there are dozens of Silver-Backed Demon Wolves! There's a scent of blood?"

His nose twitched.

He leaped down from the tree, charging into an open area in the forest, where he saw over a dozen silver-furred, sleek wolves feasting on several corpses.

These corpses were human, and one could still see armor and weapons scattered nearby.

Clearly, they were adventurers like Yang Qi who had entered the area and fallen victim to the Silver-Backed Demon Wolves.

Silver-Backed Demon Wolves were even more formidable than the python. They were well-known magical beasts, moving in organized packs, swift and agile in the forest. Each adult wolf could awaken qi cultivation, making them extremely terrifying. Their fur was impervious to ordinary weapons and highly valuable.

Encountering a pack of Silver-Backed Demon Wolves in the forest was the beginning of a tragedy, akin to offending a powerful noble family in the real world.

The intelligence of these wolves was no less than that of humans.

According to legend, their ancestors were a famous demon sage from ancient times, and the memories in their bloodlines were extraordinary.

As Yang Qi descended to the ground, the ears of the dozen wolves feasting on the corpses twitched, and they all turned their heads.