Chapter Seven: A Complex Situation

In Li Jianfeng’s eyes, Wu Shu was favored by Zhao Fénxīng. Their earlier tentative duel had made it clear that Wu Shu possessed considerable strength.

Li Jianfeng still showed courtesy, cupping his hands in greeting. “As fellow prodigies of Kun Kingdom’s younger generation, our meeting today must surely be fate. I am Li Jianfeng; may I ask your esteemed name?”

From Wu Shu’s perspective, this was surprising. Just moments ago, Li Jianfeng had been calling himself “the great master,” but after a brief encounter, they were suddenly friends?

Li Jianfeng appeared burly and fierce in temperament but was evidently a shrewd individual. Perhaps his strength even surpassed this—after all, he seemed to know Zhao Fénxīng.

Wu Shu, not wanting to waste words, casually invented a name. “Shu Wu.”

Li Jianfeng had genuinely never heard that name before.

Even so, he laughed heartily. “A misunderstanding—everything that happened before was a misunderstanding. Brother Shu Wu, no offense, but you really shouldn’t have carelessly abandoned such a divine steed as the Nightwalker Beast. To be honest, when I saw you leave it behind, my heart was filled with wails of despair. In our Kun Kingdom, there are many who can be called strong, but among them, if one had a Nightwalker Beast as a companion, I reckon they’d be laughing in their sleep.”

What was this? Was the Nightwalker Beast really so prized in the cultivation world? Owning one was akin to possessing a noble status.

But to Wu Shu, the Nightwalker Beast was no more than a creature slightly more elegant than a donkey or a horse, with no other practical use.

Li Jianfeng continued, “I was worried the Nightwalker Beast might be threatened by scattered war beasts in the mountains. Without informing you, Brother Shu Wu, I took it upon myself to bring the Nightwalker Beast along.”

Li Jianfeng then called out, “Xiao Bai, come out.”

From the forest emerged a tiger-sized dog and a Nightwalker Beast the size of a mountain goat.

Throughout the process, the Nightwalker Beast’s cold eyes seemed to want to swallow Wu Shu alive.

Wu Shu felt a headache coming on. Having spoken ill of the Nightwalker Beast earlier, it surely bore a grudge now, and today he had encountered this meddlesome Li Jianfeng.

At the same time, Wu Shu was perplexed.

Strange indeed—could Zhao Fénxīng and Li Jianfeng really be so closely connected? How else would the Nightwalker Beast willingly follow Li Jianfeng? Could it be that Li Jianfeng’s steed, Xiao Bai, was also a formidable spiritual beast?

Thinking this over, Wu Shu felt quite troubled. He had intended to find a quiet place rich in spiritual energy to cultivate, yet now this meddler had appeared. Wu Shu did not wish to be entangled with Li Jianfeng, so he looked calmly at the Nightwalker Beast and said, “Nightwalker Beast, come here. I will take you elsewhere this time—I promise I won’t abandon you again.”

Seeing Wu Shu attempt to leave, seemingly unwilling to take the Nightwalker Beast along, Li Jianfeng thought that if others saw this, many would want to test their strength against Wu Shu, curious to know how they measured up.

Though the Nightwalker Beast was clearly hostile to Wu Shu’s words, it nevertheless moved behind him.

As Wu Shu tried to depart alone, Li Jianfeng adopted a knowing tone. “Shu Wu, if I’m not mistaken, you came to the Giant Elephant Mountains to cultivate, right?”

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News of the demonic invasion of the Giant Elephant Mountains had been completely sealed off. Li Jianfeng was confident Wu Shu was unaware.

Li Jianfeng added, “There’s been much turmoil recently in the Giant Elephant Mountains. I think it best if we travel together. If something unexpected happens, at least you and I can join forces and stand a chance at survival.”

Wu Shu was determined to travel alone.

Suddenly, an idea struck him—what he lacked most now was spirit stones. Calmly, he said, “Brother Li, that might not be so easy. The Giant Elephant Mountains are vast, and with our strength, we can protect ourselves as long as we avoid the deep areas. However, if you insist on having a powerful bodyguard, ten spirit stones is the minimum.”

Li Jianfeng hadn’t expected Wu Shu to demand spirit stones just to accompany him.

Ten spirit stones?

Ten inferior spirit stones were no small sum. Li Jianfeng carried dozens on him, but only a few medium-grade ones. Considering Zhao Fénxīng’s status, if ten high-grade spirit stones were requested, even emptying his entire fortune might barely buy a handful.

It was a lion’s demand.

Though surprised, Li Jianfeng probed cautiously, “Shu Wu, your strength is indeed extraordinary. Asking ten spirit stones for your service as a bodyguard is justified. With the demon invasion, we—the righteous—must battle them. Brother, I am not stingy. Ten spirit stones it is, and I’ll add a medium-grade one for good measure. How about that?”

Wu Shu was stunned. What was going on? Was it because Dongsu City was remote that cultivators here, whether human or ghost, carried such wealth in spirit stones?

More than the spirit stones, Wu Shu frowned hearing mention of the demons. “Demons?”

The appearance of demons in Kun Kingdom, especially in the Giant Elephant Mountains, was initially known to barely a hundred people—either high-ranking officials or leaders of great families and factions. Few of the kingdom’s prodigies venturing into the mountains had been briefed.

Only two royal family scions had been informed.

Wu Shu, being a native of Kun Kingdom and currently residing in Dongsu City near the mountains, was naturally vigilant.

Seeing Wu Shu’s reaction, Li Jianfeng handed over the spirit stones and cautiously explained, “Shu Wu, let’s walk and talk. I know little about the demons, only what I learned from five others earlier. They said the demon scions infiltrating the Giant Elephant Mountains have been viciously attacking Kun Kingdom’s youth. Recently, the number of Kun citizens dying there has surged, even the war beasts cannot stand it. To resist the demons, these beasts have begun preparing beast tide rituals in different regions. Once these rituals complete, the Giant Elephant Mountains will be engulfed in bloodshed.”

“Beast tide rituals?”

Wu Shu was surprised. Didn’t he know about beast tide rituals? Li Jianfeng inwardly questioned—how could one call themselves a person of Dongsu City and be ignorant of this?

Recalling Zhao Fénxīng’s unusual relationship with Wu Shu—the Zhao family being a colossal force in the Eastern Empire—and how Zhao’s kin had lent Wu Shu the Nightwalker Beast as a mount, Li Jianfeng regarded Wu Shu with newfound respect.

He explained, “Shu Wu, you may not know much about the secrets within the Giant Elephant Mountains. There are many war beasts here, but they serve as guardians of the mountains. Deep within lies a massive formation, so profound that even many of Kun’s formation masters cannot decipher it. The demon invasion has destabilized this formation. To maintain it, the war beasts have traditionally sacrificed through beast tide rituals to stabilize the array. But after a millennium of conflict, demons seem to have made breakthroughs in formation techniques. This invasion may be too much for the beasts to withstand.”

A powerful formation within the Giant Elephant Mountains? The demons had repeatedly invaded because of it?

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This was no coincidence.

Wu Shu believed that without a high reward, demons would not invest such effort in the Giant Elephant Mountains.

A formation—the presence within it must be closely linked to the demons and highly valued by them.

Now armed with eleven inferior spirit stones and one medium-grade one, Wu Shu felt confident.

Thus, he was willing to journey with Li Jianfeng. “With demons invading and the war beasts sacrificing, the situation in the Giant Elephant Mountains is chaotic. As a citizen of Kun Kingdom, I feel compelled to help. Brother Li, do you know the demons’ movements?”

With spirit stones in hand, Wu Shu felt empowered. A formation expert like him would surely assist in repelling the demons.

If the situation worsened, the Wu family of Dongsu City would face grave danger. No one knew what exactly was sealed deep within the mountains—if it were merely a demonic weapon, that might be manageable. But if it were an ancient demon progenitor, once freed, the surrounding cities might be drowned in rivers of blood.

Wu Shu had returned with one goal: to enjoy himself. This expedition was meant to elevate his cultivation. If he could repel the demons while leveling up and make some extra gains, all the better.

Li Jianfeng hesitated before saying, “I’ve heard the demon scions sent this time are all formidable, and many of Kun’s prodigies have fallen. What’s most terrifying is that anyone defeated by these demon scions, even lightly wounded, will become mentally unstable within three days, as if possessed by demons.”

All opponents turned demonic?

So, among the demon scions were those skilled in spiritual attacks?

Fuming, Wu Shu declared, “Damn demons, how dare they be so arrogant! I hope I never meet one, or I’ll show them what it means to cross a tiger’s whiskers.”

His aura was extraordinary.

His outrage at the demons revealed a presence that only an elite could command.

This aura unsettled Li Jianfeng.

For a moment, Li Jianfeng thought Wu Shu was no ordinary man. Perhaps this upheaval in the Giant Elephant Mountains would change because of him.

Still, despite his admiration, Li Jianfeng sighed, “Shu Wu, not to be a pessimist, but the demon scions have already brought some controlled human prodigies into the formation’s core, while others hold the perimeter under control. Without the war beasts’ sacrifices, the formation deep inside might have long since collapsed. Even now, if we cannot produce an unparalleled genius, the Giant Elephant Mountains may be doomed.”

Hearing this, Wu Shu thought: Damn, no way it’s such a coincidence. Am I not that unparalleled genius emerging out of nowhere?

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