Chapter 6

From the jade slip obtained from the thin cultivator, Chu He learned about the general situation in Qingzhou:

Qingzhou is home to demonic beasts, which are bloodthirsty and cruel, with a fearsome reputation that rivals the sea demons in the Black Sea of the Southern Sky. The flesh of demonic beasts is extremely tough; even when facing a first-tier demonic beast, Chu He admitted that without the aid of a magical artifact, he would find it difficult to withstand them in a direct confrontation.

Whether it's demonic beasts or sea demons, they all belong to the demon race, which is a mortal enemy of human cultivators. At the same time, they are also each other's prey: demon cultivators covet the Dao bodies of human cultivators, while human cultivators desire the inner cores of demon cultivators. The bloody history of conflict between humans and demons can be traced back to ancient times, with deep-seated hatred that is hard to resolve.

When it comes to the demonic beasts of Qingzhou, one cannot help but mention the place where they reside: the Demon Cloud Mountain Range. The Demon Cloud Mountain Range is one of the five great evil lands in the world, located in the northern part of Qingzhou. Its shape is bizarre and defies reason, being oval in shape and spanning several thousand miles. It is always shrouded in a gray demonic aura of unknown origin, and the deeper areas are filled with layers of demonic clouds, which are strange and ever-changing, hence the name "Demon Cloud."

According to legend, in ancient times, the Demon Cloud Mountain Range was a blessed land of a major sect in the Southern Continent. One day, a powerful demon opened a spatial passage to this place. As a result, a great battle ensued, with heavy casualties on both sides. This battle caused the spatial fabric to shatter and disperse, and the barrier between the two worlds was damaged. The essence of the demon realm and demonic beasts took advantage of this to cross over, gradually accumulating over time to form today's Demon Cloud Mountain Range.

Qingling Mountain is located over a hundred miles southeast of the Demon Cloud Mountain Range, still within the range where demonic beasts can venture. Therefore, Chu He planned to reach his destination during the day when there were more people around.

With the paper crane and a sufficient supply of spirit stones, the journey of over two hundred miles was effortless for Chu He. With nothing to do along the way, he rummaged through the items in his storage bag to count his spoils.

In the storage bag, in addition to the items obtained from the fat cultivator, there were several dozen low-grade spirit stones, two small porcelain bottles, and some miscellaneous items. One bottle contained mid-grade Qi-enhancing pills, while the other was a bit peculiar. When opened, a pungent and foul smell rushed out, making Chu He feel a bit dizzy.

It turned out to be a bottle of poison, used by the Hundred Toxins Sect to aid in the cultivation of poison techniques. This item was of no use to Chu He, but it might be useful for future underhanded tactics or to enhance the power of the Cleansing Fire.

What made Chu He happy was the bottle of mid-grade Qi-enhancing pills. They were much more potent than low-grade pills, and the quantity in the bottle might be enough to help Chu He break through to the third level of the Qi Condensation stage, reaching the fourth level where he could wield a magical artifact.

What surprised Chu He was that, despite the thin cultivator's ability to wield a low-grade magical artifact, no such item was found in the storage bag. It seemed that the thin cultivator had only recently broken through to the fourth level of the Qi Condensation stage and had not yet found a suitable magical artifact, or perhaps he was financially strained (as evidenced by the dozen low-grade spirit stones he possessed).

It was fortunate that he did not have a magical artifact, otherwise, Chu He would have been doomed in their battle. The power of a magical artifact is immense, capable of slicing through metal like butter, striking with pinpoint accuracy, and moving as fast as lightning. Although it is not as powerful as a magical talisman of the same rank, it can be used continuously, unlike a magical talisman which can only be used once and has a time limit. As long as there is enough spiritual energy, it can maintain its power steadily.

Therefore, a fourth-level Qi Condensation cultivator with a low-grade magical artifact has the combat power equivalent to a dozen third-level cultivators combined, and killing Chu He would have been effortless. It was fortunate that there was no magical artifact in the storage bag. Chu He found this conclusion somewhat amusing.

As he flew further south, he encountered more fellow cultivators along the way. These cultivators were likely heading to the Demon Cloud Mountain Range to seek opportunities and fortune, and they could be called "demon hunters."

The Demon Cloud Mountain Range is one of the five great evil lands in the world, but in the eyes of many cultivators, it is no different from a blessed land. A significant portion of these cultivators are unaffiliated wandering cultivators.

Wandering cultivators have the advantage of being free and independent, but they lack support and must do everything themselves. To advance in cultivation, resources are essential. With the current state of the world, the major sects have already divided and firmly controlled the majority of resources, leaving very little for wandering cultivators. Among these few, the Demon Cloud Mountain Range is one.

The Demon Cloud Mountain Range not only has demonic beasts that are valuable from head to toe but also offers opportunities that can change one's life. In the battle with the demon race, the major sect in ancient times was almost completely annihilated, and some powerful figures left behind legacies, hoping that future worthy individuals could inherit them.

These legends are not baseless; among those who obtained great legacies in the Demon Cloud Mountain Range is the founding patriarch of Qingling Mountain, Qingling Zhenjun. In the past, Qingling Zhenjun was just a wandering cultivator at the innate stage, considered ordinary in Qingzhou. Later, he obtained a great legacy in the Demon Cloud Mountain Range, achieving the rank of Zhenjun after several hundred years and founding Qingling Mountain, making it one of the major forces in Qingzhou.

However, this kind of great fortune was not limited to Qingling Zhenjun; there were other examples. Naturally, this has attracted many cultivators to enter the Demon Cloud Mountain Range without fear of danger. Even if they do not find a great legacy, hunting a few high-quality demonic beasts would still be a fruitful journey.

After understanding the information in the jade slip, the terrain began to change, and Chu He encountered various mountains, making his flight more difficult. The paper crane could not easily fly over the mountains and had to go around them.

According to the jade slip, he should be approaching Qingling Town. Indeed, after half an hour, the outline of a town, glowing with spiritual light, appeared in the distance.

The town was built on a mountain that seemed to have been cut in half, still towering over the surrounding mountains. Its population was likely in the tens of thousands. The city walls were at least several dozen feet high, with large and conspicuous talisman patterns that could be seen clearly even during the day. There were also several dozen talisman towers, much higher than the city walls, all black in color, giving a cold and eerie feeling.

Such a large town is common in the vast Yuan Continent, with at least thousands in Qingzhou and Zezhou, but a town with such unique features, built halfway up a mountain, is rare.

Qingling Town is a major town under the jurisdiction of Qingling Mountain and serves as a supply and trading point for demon hunters entering and exiting the Demon Cloud Mountain Range.

To the southeast of Qingling Town, not far away, is a mountain range spanning several hundred miles. This mountain range is filled with towering peaks that reach into the clouds, exuding a grand and majestic aura, but it still falls short compared to the mountain range to the north.

Needless to say, the mountain range to the south is the location of the Qingling Mountain sect, while the more massive range to the north is the Demon Cloud Mountain Range.

Although Qingling Town was in sight, Chu He still had to figure out how to get there.