Kunpeng Ancestor frowned, unfurling a treasure-radiant scroll above the chessboard. He gently brushed the scroll with his fingertips. As he looked up, a wisp of faint red shadow coalesced in the wind, eventually taking the form of a woman's soul, clad in a red dress, with nine tails swaying behind her. It was none other than Nine-Tails.
"Nine-Tails, greetings, Ancestor…" Nine-Tails' soul was exceedingly weak and ethereal.
"Hmm."
Kunpeng Ancestor said calmly, "Although I've preserved your soul through the technique of stealing heaven and returning the soul, your physical body has completely dissipated. Therefore, even though you are now in the Upper Realm, you can at most maintain a cultivation of the eleventh realm. Cultivate peacefully in the depths of Wuwang Mountain; how much of your past cultivation you can reclaim depends entirely on your own fortune."
"Yes, Nine-Tails obeys."
Kunpeng Ancestor smiled, flicked his sleeve, and a realm encompassing all of Wuwang Mountain appeared, causing this place to vanish from the Upper Realm. He then retrieved a square container, which had been emitting a fiery red glow, from his sleeve.
"Hmm?"
Nine-Tails frowned. Within the container, she could sense an extremely violent and blazing power, a power that even she found detestable and terrifying. Her expression grew solemn as she said, "I heard the Ancestor journeyed beyond the heavens a while ago. It seems you've already crossed paths with the legendary Undefeated Heart Demon."
"Indeed."
Kunpeng Ancestor sneered, "Military cultivators, decisive in their actions, unbound by karma, are indeed an anomaly among cultivators on the mountains. However, for countless millennia, the military path has cultivated a killing aura; how can they truly achieve freedom from karma? They frequently produce figures like 'Man-Eaters' or 'Gods of Slaughter.' These overflows of karma have now become the Undefeated Heart Demons of the outer heavens. Each Undefeated Heart Demon is the externalized demon of a great military cultivator. Now, with the seas flooding back, they wish to make the entire Three Realms pay the price for them. Is anything in this world that easy?"
As he spoke, Kunpeng Ancestor's palm slipped, and the square container clattered onto the stone chessboard, shattering into pieces in an instant. The surrounding air seemed to freeze, and a "whirring" sound, like that of military campaigns, echoed in the wind, as if countless vengeful souls from battlefields were lamenting. Following this, a wisp of the Undefeated Heart Demon within the container transformed into a blood-red ripple, slowly rising.
"Ancestor!"
Nine-Tails was extremely nervous. Releasing an Undefeated Heart Demon into the Three Realms was no trivial matter.
"Worry not."
Kunpeng Ancestor beckoned with a fingertip, slowly drawing the Undefeated Heart Demon from the wind. The ripple descended in the wind, forming a funnel shape. Kunpeng Ancestor then lightly tapped the Four Seas and Eight Desolations Map with his fingertip. Instantly, an abyss appeared within the painting, penetrating from the surface to below.
"Go."
Kunpeng Ancestor waved his finger, and the entire Undefeated Heart Demon seeped into the cracks of the Four Seas and Eight Desolations Map, subsequently falling from the Upper Realm into the Lower Realm.
...
In the human realm, the Southern Wilderness.
"Crack!"
With a deafening roar, lightning split the sky. The Great Wilderness was suddenly engulfed by rolling dark clouds and torrential rain. Within the clouds, strands of black energy began to descend in a funnel-shaped mist, followed by a blood-red ripple that fell into the human world – the wisp of Undefeated Heart Demon stealthily released by the Demon Ancestor from the Upper Realm into the Lower Realm.
In the Great Wilderness, all things seemed to change. The equilibrium of the rules between heaven and earth was shattered by a single wisp of the Undefeated Heart Demon.
"Roar!"
In the mountains, a colossal fierce tiger let out a furious roar. It was already the king of hundreds of miles around, but now it felt the malevolent aura within the raging storm. As the tiger looked into the distance, it saw a blood-red ripple sweeping towards it. For a moment, this king of the jungle seemed to feel fear and turned to flee, but it was too late. The Undefeated Heart Demon swiftly invaded its physical body.
Not long after, the tiger let out a mournful cry, its body collapsing to the ground, utterly unable to withstand the immense malevolence of the Undefeated Heart Demon.
Subsequently, the beings of the Great Wilderness suffered. The wisp of Undefeated Heart Demon continuously sought hosts, causing ancient fierce beasts and spiritual beasts of the wilderness to perish one after another, without exception.
"Swish!"
A pure sword light came from the north, carrying within it an immensely powerful starry intent. It was Su Qingjiu, a Sword Immortal at the peak of the twelfth realm, patrolling from Changming Mountain.
The moment it sensed Su Qingjiu's sharpness, the Undefeated Heart Demon actually went into hiding deep within the mountain forest, motionless. Only after Su Qingjiu rode away on her sword did it dare to reappear.
In the Great Wilderness, living beings trembled.
Within the storm, Su Qingjiu's beautiful eyes gazed into the depths of the Great Wilderness. She seemed to have sensed the change in the rules of heaven and earth; an aura that should not have appeared in the human world had emerged. However, Su Qingjiu was unfamiliar with this aura, only sensing that something was amiss without being able to discern what had happened. Thus, she drew her sword and charged into the depths of the Great Wilderness to investigate.
After Su Qingjiu departed, the blood-red ripple reappeared.
It lingered in the mountains for a long time before finally settling in a desolate mountain forest. It seemed to have discovered something. Shortly thereafter, a majestic figure rose from the mountain. It had slept beneath the mountain forest for an unknown number of years, its body covered in mottled stone skin – the fossilized remains of an ancient deity that had long slumbered. Now, the remains were possessed by the Undefeated Heart Demon, and the spiritual soul, hollowed out by the erosion of time, was refilled.
Soon after, its body trembled violently as it merged with the Undefeated Heart Demon. Strands of chaotic rule-force pulsed on the mountaintop. After approximately the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, with a "swish," it transformed into an old man in a gray-white robe. He opened a pair of hazy, sleepy eyes and looked upon the world with his naked eyes once more, laughing, "From this day forth, my name shall be the Five Peaks Ancestor..."
...
The Ancestral Land of the Demon Race.
Huang Tingyu and Lin Zhujie rode their horses northward. Ahead, a mountain range emanated a powerful demonic aura, so dense that even the two horses were unwilling to proceed further, attempting to break free from Huang Tingyu and Lin Zhujie's restraints.
"We've arrived."
Lin Zhujie looked ahead, frowning. "This mountain is the legendary forbidden ground of the demon race – Demon Soul Mountain. It is said to imprison the sins of the demon race throughout history and seal the souls of countless ancient great demons. Ordinary demon cultivators who step into Demon Soul Mountain are devoured to the bone within seconds. As for you, Brother Huang, with your gaunt appearance, you might last for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea."
Old Huang dismounted, handing the reins to Lin Zhujie.
"What, are you really going into Demon Soul Mountain?"
Lin Zhujie frowned and chuckled. "I'm not joking. Whether you can walk out alive after entering Demon Soul Mountain is a question in itself. Although it's rumored in the martial world that Demon Soul Mountain is a training ground for great demons, throughout history, it has consumed no small number of twelfth and thirteenth realm demon cultivators. Your life, Brother Huang, may not be harder than those great demons."
"It doesn't matter."
Huang Tingyu's gaze was calm. "Little Lin, if I, Huang Tingyu, don't enter Demon Soul Mountain and don't reach the thirteenth realm, what am I to Xueyu Tianchi?"
"That's hard for me to say."
"Then don't say it."
Huang Tingyu frowned. "The twelfth realm sword cultivators at Shanbian Bieyuan already have Zhuanzhi and Tang Guangjun, such outstanding figures of the human race. In truth, they don't really need me, Huang Tingyu. If I truly cannot reach the thirteenth realm, Huang Tingyu is essentially dispensable to Shanbian Bieyuan and to Lin Zhao. I, Huang Tingyu, do not wish to be a mediocre person in this life."
"Understood."
Lin Zhujie nodded, tethered his horse to a tree by the roadside, and then took out his fishing rod. "I'll be fishing down here. Brother Huang, feel free to go into the mountain to cultivate. If you return, we'll have fish and wine together. If you don't return, I'll head back to Xueyu Tianchi and join everyone for the funeral feast."
Huang Tingyu grinned. "Alright, it's a deal."
With that, he slung his sword, Amber, over his shoulder and strode purposefully into the forbidden ground of the Ancestral Land, Demon Soul Mountain.
...
"Swish!"
The moment he entered Demon Soul Mountain, it was as if he had stepped into layered mist. As he advanced into the valley, shadowy figures appeared in the mist. An old man with a sword hanging at his waist stood atop a treetop, squinting as he looked down at Huang Tingyu – a venerable deer demon. There was also a woman holding an infant, weeping tearfully, but with a strange smile on her lips. Furthermore, there were a pair of twin brothers, each carrying a sword, their eyes fixed intently on Huang Tingyu.
All of them were demons, ancient demon souls who had died many, many years ago.
Huang Tingyu frowned, drew Amber, and said calmly, "I need to enter the mountain. Those who block me shall die!"
"Yo~~~"
The old man on the treetop sneered, "What a big mouth. I almost thought Ancestor Qing Kui himself had arrived. Looking closely, it's merely a drowning dog."
"Drowning dog?"
Huang Tingyu scoffed, "Better than a silly fawn that's been dead for years and still haunts the world."
"Are you seeking death?!"
From the treetops, the old man swooped down, his sword light cleaving, aiming straight for Old Huang's neck, swift and fierce. Simultaneously, the woman holding the infant shrieked, throwing the infant like a stone towards him. With a gaping maw, a "ding xiang" shaped tongue, dozens of meters long, licked towards Huang Tingyu. The twin brothers also drew their swords, one attacking Old Huang's left leg, the other his right leg.
Without a word, they unleashed their killing moves!
In the forbidden ground of the Ancestral Land of the Demon Race, Demon Soul Mountain was a place truly devoid of rules. The only rule was that anyone encountered could be killed. Only the living were qualified to leave, otherwise, they would all become another demon soul within the forbidden ground.
Facing multiple killing blows, Huang Tingyu felt a surge of bloodlust. This was the slaughter he craved. He instantly spun his body, unleashing a torrent of sword intent, and fiercely struck the old man's sword with his own. He then swept his sword out, bisecting the infant thrown by the woman. With a flick of his wrist, he slashed horizontally, severing the woman's tongue. Finally, he imbued his feet with sword intent and, with a series of kicks, sent both twin brothers flying.