Chapter 18: The Ten Thousand Demon Ridge
As Yin Li observed the anxious expression on Changshou’s face, she managed to calm herself down gradually.
Her master was right, the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge was too dangerous for her.
If she were to venture there alone, not only would she struggle to find her senior brother, but she would likely become a meal for the savage beasts lurking within the moment she set foot inside.
She couldn’t afford to act recklessly.
“Master, we must carefully consider our approach,” she said.
…
“Is that the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge up ahead?” Xu Yi stood at the bow of the divine vessel, gazing at the towering mountains before them, her heart filled with anticipation.
Whether it was her imagination or not, she sensed an ominous aura emanating from the place, gradually dissipating the restlessness within her.
Lu Zaiye softly replied, “Indeed, that is the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge.”
It had been a long time since he last set foot here.
Yet, the putrid stench that lingered in the air remained as repulsive as ever.
Xu Yi piloted the divine vessel downwards, explaining to Lu Zaiye, “The divine boat is too conspicuous, so it would be easy for others to target us. Therefore, we must stealthily infiltrate the area.”
Xu Yi’s serious expression pleased Lu Zaiye, who listened attentively.
She couldn’t help but feel a tinge of jealousy towards Qingfeng, as his disciple was always obedient.
In order to set a good example as his senior, she insisted on taking the lead instead of Lu Zaiye, who wanted to be at the forefront.
She remained vigilant, carefully surveying her surroundings.
She would protect Lu Zaiye at all costs.
Furrowing his brows, Lu Zaiye silently watched Xu Yi’s back.
It was the first time he had ever been protected by someone else, and it felt strange.
Considering Xu Yi’s strong-willed nature, Lu Zaiye believed he should quickly adapt, as such scenes were likely to occur more frequently in the future.
With this in mind, he allowed his spiritual awareness to spread out in all directions, never relaxing for a moment.
After passing through a desolate forest, they soon arrived at a plain in front of the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge.
Xu Yi and Lu Zaiye looked at the scattered crude stalls, their eyes filled with astonishment.
Sensing their hesitation, a sharp-faced cultivator with a monkey-like appearance approached them with a flattering smile, whispering, “Esteemed seniors, is this your first time visiting the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge?”
Xu Yi’s eyes darted around as she lowered her voice, “Indeed, why are there so many stalls here? Isn’t the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge filled with danger? Aren’t they afraid of encountering trouble by setting up stalls here?”
As she spoke, Xu Yi took out a middle-grade spirit stone from her storage ring and slowly rotated it in her palm.
The cultivator with the sharp face brightened his eyes upon seeing the translucent middle-grade spirit stone, his smile becoming even more radiant.
“I am Hou San, and I am willing to tell you everything, esteemed seniors.”
Having received the spirit stone, Hou San immediately became enthusiastic in explaining to Xu Yi and Lu Zaiye.
It turned out that long ago, cultivators began exchanging goods here, and later, some greedy individuals started conducting business.
These people never ventured into the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge themselves, only setting up stalls on the outskirts.
They sold valuable spirit herbs and plants at exorbitant prices, while purchasing valuable materials from the corpses of demonic beasts or the beasts at low prices, thus earning substantial profits.
Many individuals earned so much money overnight.
The allure of wealth was irresistible, which led to an increasing number of cultivators setting up stalls here.
“If you need to buy something, esteemed seniors, you can go to the stall of the square-faced cultivator. His prices are the most favorable among these people,” Hou San recommended, clearly benefiting from the square-faced cultivator.
Xu Yi had already purchased a large number of items before coming here, so she immediately declined Hou San’s offer.
However, Hou San remained undeterred, as most cultivators who came here to make purchases were either injured or in urgent need of treatment after leaving the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge.
They were willing to accept high prices or had no choice but to do so.
Xu Yi and Lu Zaiye were clearly not both of them.
“Oh, by the way, if you two are new here, you can purchase a copy of ‘The Survival Guide in the Ten Thousand Demon Peaks’ from me. It will greatly increase your chances of survival,” Hou San exclaimed, patting his head and pulling out a thick booklet from his pocket.
He enthusiastically recommended the book, praising it to the skies.
“May I examine it first?” Xu Yi expressed great interest in the survival guide.
“Of course, but you can only flip through the first few pages,” Hou San readily handed the book to Xu Yi.
Casually flipping through it, Xu Yi immediately decided to buy the book.
“Since senior desires it, I will give you the lowest price,” Hou San sincerely said, “Ten medium-grade spirit stones.”
Xu Yi smiled with equal sincerity, “Do I look like a gullible fool to you?”
His smile carried a subtle hint of threat.
Ten medium-grade spirit stones were enough to sustain a Golden Dan cultivator’s cultivation for a month.
Yet, this book seemed to be mass-produced with low-quality paper, and one could buy a stack of them for just one medium-grade spirit stone.
Hou San’s smile froze.
In the end, after negotiating, Xu Yi purchased the survival guide at the price of five low-grade spirit stones.
Under Hou San’s tearful gaze, the figures of Xu Yi and Lu Zaiye gradually disappeared into the Ten Thousand Demon Peaks.
Once the two were gone, Hou San, trembling, approached the square-faced cultivator and sat down heavily.
His forehead was covered in large beads of sweat, as if he had just emerged from water.
The square-faced cultivator had seen Hou San chatting happily with the two young cultivators earlier and assumed he had struck it big this time.
However, seeing him drenched in sweat, he was quite surprised.
“What happened to you? Weren’t you fine just now?”
Hou San had no strength left to speak and could only raise his sleeve to wipe away the sweat.
It took him a while to regain most of his energy.
Then, he grabbed the square-faced cultivator and began to complain incessantly.
“Brother Fang, you have no idea. I just went through hell and back, it was terrifying.”
Fang thought Hou San was exaggerating, “Really? I saw that female cultivator smiling the whole time, seemed quite easygoing.”
“No, it wasn’t her,” Hou San forcefully swallowed a mouthful of saliva, his eyes still filled with fear.
“It was the man beside her, he… he…”
Hou San couldn’t find words to describe the man’s gaze.
At first, he hadn’t paid much attention to him, but when the man spoke up, their eyes accidentally met, and it felt as if he was being dragged into an abyss by some horrifying presence, unable to break free.
It was only when the man looked away that he snapped out of that powerless state.
He was certain that the man was not a man to be trifled with.
So horrible.
He almost died.
Fang tried to recall the appearance of the young male cultivator, but couldn’t match it with Hou San’s description.
Seeing Hou San in such a terrified state, he could only pat his shoulder forcefully to offer comfort.
Hou San was truly frightened, and for the next few days, he remained well-behaved until he encountered the next customer, then he returned to his usual self.
Only he knew that deep within his heart, there was now a forbidden presence.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone