15 The Dark Edge Mountains

Towards the northern side of the Brightmoon country lay the Dark edge mountain range.

From west to east, it spanned hundreds of thousands of kilometres. It was part of the Desolate mountains which spanned over the majority of this world.

The mountains were filled with thick demonic energy, and were thus, home to all different kinds of beasts, be it animals or men who were worse than them.

Filled with rare spiritual herbs and metals, the mountains promised huge rewards to those who dared to venture them. As such, it had become a hunting ground where the beasts and the humans lusted after each other's lives and resources.

The deeper one went, the thicker the demonic energy and stronger the beasts. Naturally, the resources there would also be better.

However, at some point, the creatures could no longer be simply termed as beasts, but rather as abominations that even the rulers of Holy Suzaku wouldn't want to cross paths with.

Unlike the other stellar bodies which were spherical, the ten worlds were huge landmasses floating in the void. The mountains were at the edge of this world.

Those who came here could be broadly grouped into three categories:

Independent cultivators who acted like hunters and gatherers.

Convicts and Bandits who couldn't and wouldn't go outside.

And finally, rich young masters and mistresses from prestigious clans who wanted to temper themselves in the wilderness.

"Woohoo! We are finally here!" The voice wasn't loud but those who heard it would sense that the speaker was a young maiden.

"We need to find a cave-dwelling." Her companion was a youth of average looks. However, his eyes were unusually bright.

Wearing hunter's uniforms and carrying large baggage with them, the two looked like any other cultivator.

Their only distinctive features were that the lady was unusually fair-skinned and wore a veil to cover her face, while the male had a head full of white hair.

It was the group of Long Qingxue and Yun Tianlong.

The latter was given a Facial Transformation art that could help him change his facial features up to some degree. As for the dragon scales and horns, he could fuse them with his skin now that he had become a cultivator.

Long Qingxue didn't possess such kind of art. More accurately, her mother didn't possess it. As for her father, he was still in isolation as usual. She had to hide her face with a veil like everyone else.

With their looks, they would quickly draw attention wherever they went. While in the clan it was still manageable, in the place they were currently in, it would bring endless trouble.

"It'd be even better if there's a water source nearby." She said through her veil.

As the two of them continued going deeper into the mountain, the number of humans they encountered became lesser and lesser until they were only surrounded by the huge trees.

A breeze blew across their faces bringing with it a strong primitive fragrance. The occasional cries of beasts broke the silence surrounding them.

Tianlong kept looking for any markings while using his tracking skills to look for beasts. As for Qingxue, she swept her eyes across the vegetation looking out for potential medicinal herbs.

"If we can't kill a demonic beast today, you'll have to sleep hungry." He said while scanning the area around him with his heightened vision.

"No worries. We have enough ration to last us a few days. Also, why is it only me that'll go hungry? As a man-"

"Shh! Looks like I've found our first target!"

Becoming quiet, she ran after Tianlong who had managed to find the traces of a demonic beast.

After running for about five minutes, they slowed down their pace and neared a natural stone cave. There was a faint stench in the air and paw markings could be seen on most trees surrounding it.

The beast had marked its territory.

"It's an early Rank one beast." Qingxue sensed its aura. Her spirit sense was stronger than his due to her superior cultivation base.

Beasts were ranked just like cultivators.

A rank one beast was equivalent to a Qi condensation cultivator; A rank two beast was equivalent to a Yin Yang Cleanser and so on. Furthermore, they were divided into early, mid and late stages.

Due to not having a cultivation system, the beasts were difficult to categorise as Qi, Body or Soul refiners. Usually, they were a mixture of these aspects which made them slightly stronger than the usual cultivator of the same stage.

"Then there's no need to worry. I'll handle it alone. Don't help me unless needed."

"Understood."

With that, he stepped into the beast's territory while channelling his blood energy to his limbs.

An angry howl sounded from inside the cave as a humongous black bear emerged out from it.

Standing over four meters tall, the beast's claws and teeth shone with a dark metallic lustre. There were bits of flesh and blood sticking to them which painted a very sinister picture.

Incidentally, it had just finished a hunt when suddenly two cultivators came to disturb him. After killing them, he would have two more bodies to feast on.

"An Irontooth Bear." The two simultaneously said.

The huge beast was known for its sharp metallic claws and teeth. Combined with its monstrous strength, it could destroy most beasts with ease.

However, they weren't worried in the slightest. The beast might be strong, but it was lacking in both speed and defence. For a wind cultivator like Tianlong, it was a breeze.

Moreover, with the defensive treasures that they possessed, unless it was a late Rank two beast, nothing could harm them.

While the two were observing the bear, the bear was also observing them. Bestial instinct told him that the two individuals in front of him were very dangerous. Yet, he could also feel a strong desire to consume them, especially the man in front of him.

With a growl, it closed the distance between them and leapt on him.

Facing the larger opponent head-on, Tianlong didn't get flustered and chose to have a close showdown.

As the bear tried to rip him to shreds with its teeth, he sidestepped and sent a punch to its neck. Infused with the power of wind, the speed it reached couldn't be followed by most

The bear's skin split apart as the punch connected. Enraged by the pain, it let out a deep howl. Changing its direction, it attacked him with its forelegs all in an attempt to pin him down.

Unfortunately for the beast, Tianlong had learned the footwork given by his father. After getting the manual for Galewing Shift, Tianlong noticed that the set of footwork techniques was something he had practised during his physical training. To execute it, all he needed was to infuse his blood energy in a certain pattern along his feet.

Whenever he moved, it looked as if he was floating and being blown by the air. Due to his extreme speed advantage, it was practically impossible for the bear to even touch him.

He continued to trade blows with him while dodging the beast with incomparable grace. His movements made others feel as if he was under no pressure at all.

Yet, as Qingxue watched from a distance, this was only possible after an arduous amount of training. She wondered how he could make time for martial training while simultaneously acing in academics.

Five minutes later, the bear had multiple broken bones all over his body. It lay on the ground in an extremely miserable state and kept growling in misery.

"Let me send you off."

With that, he conjured a curved transparent blade from thin air and sent it to the nape of the beast. Blood spurted out like a fountain as it breathed its last.

The hunter had become the hunted. Tianlong suddenly had a feeling that men and beasts weren't so different after all. They were all connected in a food chain, where one hunted the other for survival.

*Clap**Clap**Clap*

"That was a beautiful victory!" Qinngxue's sweet voice sounded behind him.

"Don't worry, once we encounter stronger beasts, you'll get to fight too."

"But I don't want to!" Walking up to him, she wrapped her hands around his chest and rested her head on his shoulder. "All manners of fighting will be done by you, while I'll stay at home and support you with my medicinal pills and concoctions."

"Don't think that excuse will work with me." Pinching her nose, Tianlong shook his head. "Even if you are an alchemist, you need to possess some sort of capability to protect yourself. My mother said that in terms of cultivation talent, you surpass our patriarch."

The Long clan's patriarch was over three hundred years, and at the peak of the Jade core stage. Just half a step away from reaching the Nascent soul stage. It was the highest level of cultivation anyone possessed in this country.

However, he was stuck on that step for an unknown amount of decades. This half a step was something that he couldn't breach no matter how much he tried.

If he could take that final step, not only would he become the strongest in the country, he would also elevate the status of the country to Rank four.

Unfortunately, ever since the creation of the clan, no one had managed to reach that stage.

Whenever someone of the younger generation reached the level of the patriarch, the patriarch would step down and try to go to other countries searching for opportunities.

The previous patriarch had also gone outside similarly but he never returned. His life and death were unknown.

"Mother-in-law said that about me? I can surpass the patriarch?" She became very excited when she heard that his mother had praised him. Long Qianmei was the idol of most females in the clan after all.

If she said that Qingxue's talent was greater than the patriarch, it was definitely true.

"Indeed. So, don't even think about slacking off in my presence!"