Chapter 21: Four-Armed Demon Bear
Chapter 21: Four-Armed Demon Bear
The streets of Duanjian City spread in all directions. Shops stood like a forest, dazzling and magnificent, mostly buildings five to ten or more stories tall, grand and imposing. There were even towers completely made of jade. Palaces more spectacular than an Imperial Palace could be seen from time to time, especially one at the city center. Its walls were taller than a five-story building, with golden walls and silver tiles, immensely majestic.
The streets were packed with people. There were elegant young masters, rough men in torn clothes, armored soldiers, and merchants in all sorts of strange attire. They all had one thing in common: they were all cultivators.
“Compared to Duanjian City, Red Cloud City is like a village next to a palace. Even the White Jade Dynasty empire probably can’t match a fraction of Duanjian City’s grandeur.”
After walking around, Ye Yun felt a bit overwhelmed. He sighed, thinking Duanjian City was ridiculously large.
“Young brother, your cultivation is too low, and you have no weapon for self-defense. I have many fine items here, even some magical ones. How about picking a few?”
A middle-aged merchant draped in animal hide, smelling of fire and smoke, suddenly blocked Ye Yun and began introducing the oddly shaped weapons on his cart.
“This person is actually at the Ninth Layer of Flesh Immortal… Hmm!” Ye Yun unintentionally sized up the merchant and discovered he was at the Ninth Layer of Flesh Immortal. He was speechless with embarrassment. A glance at the cart confirmed these were no ordinary mortal weapons; most were made primarily of rare metals.
“Don’t you have any demon cores? Qi Condensing Pills will do too… If not, even mortal gold and silver are fine.”
Seeing Ye Yun remain silent for a long time, the merchant seemed to sense something.
Demon cores?
Qi Condensing Pills?
These completely unfamiliar terms left Ye Yun confused.
“It seems you are visiting Duanjian City for the first time, young brother, and know little about the cultivator world. I advise you to return home. For a weakling like you, the deadliest threat isn’t demon beasts, but other cultivators.”
The merchant shook his head, quite disappointed, and prepared to leave.
Ye Yun grabbed the merchant’s arm and pulled out a gold ingot from his person: “Big brother, I don’t want weapons. I hope you will finish what you were saying.”
Taking the gold ingot, the merchant looked around, then leaned close to Ye Yun and whispered, “Demon beasts aren’t fools; why would they stand there waiting to be killed by humans? Many cultivators use the corpses of their own kind to lure demon beasts out. They first kill weaker companions, then use the bodies as bait. Someone like you often ends up dead by the hands of your own kind.”
Whoosh!
Ye Yun felt as if he were standing in a heavy winter snowstorm. His body shook, and his hairs stood on end.
“I’ve seen too many young fools like you who don’t know the danger, enough to fill countless carts if not thousands. I disdain using money from the dead. Take this gold ingot back. You can use it to buy some basic books about the cultivator world. Take care.”
The merchant actually returned the gold ingot to Ye Yun, then pushed his cart away, continuing to hawk his wares.
“Don’t know the danger?”
Hearing these words, Ye Yun initially wanted to rush forward and argue, but he knew the other meant well.
He instantly understood that without formidable strength, there was no place for him anywhere.
After searching several main streets, Ye Yun finally found a merchant selling books. That large gold ingot could only buy a few books. Afterwards, Ye Yun found a secluded spot and immediately began to expand his knowledge.
To enter the Broken Sword Mountain Range, one must first pass through Duanjian City.
Duanjian City was like the throat of the Broken Sword Mountain Range, situated in treacherous terrain. Behind it lay the vast, seemingly endless mountain range, forests, and rolling sea of clouds.
Several days later, Ye Yun left Duanjian City early in the foggy morning. Not detecting any hidden, ghostly eyes watching him, he strode swiftly towards the Broken Sword Mountain Range.
“What a huge tiger corpse!”
Amidst the towering mountains, Ye Yun appeared in a wetland. He hadn’t walked far when he saw a five-meter-long giant tiger skeleton lying in the mud. Its skin had been stripped, and there was a fleshy hole in its lower abdomen. Its demon crystal core had already been taken.
This giant tiger probably hadn’t been dead long; its flesh had just begun to rot.
“This giant tiger is valuable, but unfortunately, I can’t transport it out…!”
The thought of moving the giant tiger suddenly occurred to Ye Yun. He was very reluctant to leave it, but considering the forest was full of dangers everywhere, he had to give up.
Ye Yun was like a country bumpkin who suddenly sees fine clothes and delicacies. He couldn’t bear to eat them right away; he needed to pocket them and eat secretly to savor the flavor.
Hiss!
Suddenly, ripples spread across the muddy water surface covered in rotten leaves from the wetland. Something burst from the water about a meter away from Ye Yun. It was a red-armored giant serpent.
This red-armored giant serpent was slightly thinner than a water bucket. It was estimated to be about fifteen meters long. The serpent seemed clad in crimson battle armor, looking majestic and awe-inspiring. Its scales bore some eerie black patterns, densely packed.
“Red armor, black patterns? Right, it’s a Black Stripe Demon Serpent!”
Retreating onto a rock, Ye Yun exclaimed. He instantly recognized the serpent’s origin: “Black Stripe Demon Serpent, a low-level demon beast. And this demon serpent hasn’t reached the state of emitting demonic energy yet; it should still be in its low-level juvenile stage, roughly equivalent to a Flesh Immortal Fifth Layer cultivator.”
Through several days of studying, Ye Yun had gained a general understanding of demon beasts.
Demon beasts were classified by strength into low-level and high-level segments, further divided into juvenile stage, growth stage, adult stage, and mature stage.
Low-level demon beasts were very common, living in the outer areas of the Broken Sword Mountain Range. However, their strength should not be underestimated. A low-level juvenile stage demon beast had strength similar to a human cultivator at the Flesh Immortal Fifth Layer. Demon beasts were born with several times the strength of humans and, without cultivation, grew stronger as they matured.
From birth, demon beasts grew a grain-like substance resembling red crystal in their lower abdomen. This was the source of their power, the treasure humans desired most: the demon core.
As demon beasts continued to grow, the hardness and power of their demon cores also changed.
Low-level demon cores were generally used for forging weapons. High-level demon cores were used in formations, cultivation, and other aspects, extremely precious to cultivators.
“Hmph, Black Stripe Demon Serpent, meeting me today is your misfortune. You shall become the stepping stone for my Ye Yun’s ascension to cultivator!”
Splash! Splash!
The Black Stripe Demon Serpent seemed to sense Ye Yun’s weakness. It violently swung its back and fiercely pounced at Ye Yun.
Ye Yun gave a cold laugh. His body moved, and in the blink of an eye, he leaped nimbly over several rotten logs. He soared high from in front of the serpent’s gaping maw and slammed a fist onto the top of the Black Stripe Demon Serpent’s head.
Boom!
The Black Stripe Demon Serpent’s head seemed as fragile as a cucumber. Unable to withstand Ye Yun’s punch, it shattered like a slapped cucumber. Flesh fragments and brain matter flew everywhere.
“Juvenile demon beasts are too weak.”
Ye Yun strode towards the lower abdomen of the Black Stripe Demon Serpent, his confidence in his own strength brimming.
“Is this a demon core?”
Ye Yun forcibly tore open the demon serpent’s lower abdomen and pulled out a red crystal from within. It was slightly smaller than an eyeball, transparent and shimmering with layers of eerie light. A strong demonic energy emanated from it, seemingly trying to devour Ye Yun.
After examining it for a moment, his initial excitement faded. Ye Yun stored the demon core and ventured deeper into the wetland.
Over the next few days, Ye Yun effortlessly killed over a dozen low-level juvenile stage demon beasts. He encountered no real trouble along the way. He killed demon beasts during the day and cultivated discreetly at night. Not only did he harvest demon crystal cores, but his strength also greatly increased. His body felt the urge to break through to the Flesh Immortal Fourth Layer.
Ye Yun knew his limits. He kept to the outer areas of the Broken Sword Mountain Range to kill demon beasts, never entertaining thoughts of venturing into the inner mountains.
On a mountainside, a figure flashed rapidly past.
“What huge palm prints. Must be from a demon beast like a tiger or elephant.”
Ye Yun appeared on a grassy area beneath the forest, drawn by palm prints the size of heads: “The outer mountains have only low-level demon beasts. A low-level mature stage demon beast is equivalent to a Tenth Layer of Flesh Immortal. As long as I avoid mature stage and adult stage demon beasts, I can kill them.”
Following the palm prints, Ye Yun stealthily advanced.
After skirting several groves, he suddenly entered an area of chaotic rocks and thickets. Ye Yun’s nose twitched, catching a strong scent of blood. He immediately scrambled onto a large boulder and spotted a huge dark shadow moving slowly in the grass several dozen meters away.
“The demonic energy isn’t strong!”
Ye Yun hid for a moment, then quietly moved closer to the shadow.
Under dappled light, a black bear was eating a large piece of fresh meat. This black bear sat on the grass, its two eyes glowing like red lanterns, emitting strange, demonic light from its pupils.
Swish!
Ye Yun suddenly leaped high from the grass behind it. Without ceremony, he raised his fist and smashed it down towards the black bear’s head.
The black bear’s two arms were holding the meat. Its blood-red pupils suddenly widened. Beneath its arms, two more arms actually grew out, reaching for Ye Yun with an unpredictable, mysterious speed.
“What?”
Ye Yun abruptly twisted mid-air, landing on the grass ten meters away. He stared at the now-standing black bear. It actually had four arms. Ye Yun’s expression changed instantly: “It’s actually a Four-Armed Demon Bear!”
The Four-Armed Demon Bear was a peculiar type of demon beast. Among countless demon beasts, it was one of the few that could evolve into a high-level demon beast.
Ordinary low-level demon beasts, no matter how much they grew, would always remain low-level. But the Four-Armed Demon Bear was different; it would evolve into a high-level demon beast, becoming the terrifying Eight-Armed Demon Beast.
However, this kind of Four-Armed Demon Bear rarely appeared in the outer mountains. They would find hidden caves deep within the mountain range to grow slowly, only emerging to hunt after transforming into high-level Eight-Armed Demon Beasts.
“Today is not a good day for travel!”
Ye Yun helplessly spat out these six words, then sized up the Four-Armed Demon Bear’s massive body: “Such strong demonic energy. Low-level growth stage, roughly equivalent to a Seventh Level of Flesh Immortal. But this Four-Armed Demon Bear’s demonic energy is so vast, its strength is probably extraordinary and formidable.”
Roar!
The Four-Armed Demon Bear charged at Ye Yun with a momentum that could sweep away a thousand troops, as if wanting to tear him apart alive. The large rocks under its feet were crushed to dust or kicked flying.
Ye Yun dodged the flying rocks. When the Four-Armed Demon Bear’s giant palm swiped down, he evaded with his remarkably swift movement technique. He immediately condensed the inner essence in his dantian, attacking the Four-Armed Demon Bear with the strongest power of the Flesh Immortal Fourth Layer: “Overlord Issue!”
Overlord Fist. With one punch, it was as if a war god possessed him.
Thud!
Four heavy punches struck the Four-Armed Demon Bear. Ye Yun was forcefully repelled. The Four-Armed Demon Bear swiftly turned around, two of its arms sweeping towards Ye Yun.
“Damn!”
Normally, he would only need to react to one hand, but this demon bear had two arms. Ye Yun’s thigh was struck by a bear paw. The entire force sent him flying. He crashed through three giant trees before stopping.
“So strong. With my full power, even a Flesh Immortal Fifth Layer would die, and a sixth-layer expert would struggle. Yet this Four-Armed Demon Bear remained unmoved.”
Ye Yun held his breath. His thigh throbbed with pain, going numb. An ordinary cultivator would have been shattered by the demon bear’s swipe earlier. But Ye Yun, in that instant, immediately activated his thigh’s vitality, averting disaster. Still, his thigh felt as if it might break.
“I must kill you, surpass you, surpass myself!”
In that moment, Ye Yun had not a single thought of escape. Instead, his mind was filled with the startling idea of taking down this Four-Armed Demon Bear.