Translator: AnubisTL
The Terrorclaw Lizard's furious roar abruptly ceased as a skeletal white hand clamped down on its neck, slamming it onto the sandy ground.
Rustle!
A tall figure rose from the sand, dry grains cascading off his body.
It was Li Qing, who had been buried beneath the sand. His strength had nearly fully recovered, and he had initially planned to rest longer, hoping to repair the injuries to his arm.
During his battle with the Crimson Flood Dragon, he had forcibly unleashed the Kunpeng Heaven-Rending Hand, causing the flesh of his palm and forearm to be almost completely obliterated.
Roar!
The Terrorclaw Lizard trembled in terror. It had never imagined that after digging for so long, it would fail to find the Nether Demon Scorpion and instead encounter what appeared to be a transformed demon beast king!
It continued to growl weakly, its massive body shaking uncontrollably.
The creature that had suddenly seized its neck from the sand bore an uncanny resemblance to the demon beast kings of the demon realm, leaving the Terrorclaw Lizard with little will to resist.
This shouldn't be possible! Only core formation cultivators can enter the Myriad Beasts Secret Realm, and transformed beast kings would face resistance. There's no way one could have slipped in!
Li Qing's human-form assault was overwhelming, nearly robbing the Terrorclaw Lizard of its ability to think.
Seeing the Terrorclaw Lizard's cowardly posture, Li Qing couldn't help but chuckle. Am I really that terrifying? he thought. This big lizard is practically burying its head in the sand.
Still, Li Qing had no intention of letting go. He could use this Terrorclaw Lizard to figure out where exactly he was.
"Answer my questions!" Li Qing coldly transmitted a divine sense command.
He knew this mid-third-tier demon beast possessed decent spiritual intelligence and would understand his divine sense communication.
"Tell me, where is this place?"
The Terrorclaw Lizard visibly startled, then seemed to realize something, its vertical pupils flashing with a ferocious glint.
The being restraining it might not be a transformed demon beast king after all!
After all, how could a demon beast king not know where it was?
Li Qing remained vigilant, immediately sensing the Terrorclaw Lizard's resistance.
In an instant, a terrifying surge of power erupted from within him. Silently activating the Brahma King True Body, his fleshly body transformed into an incomparably formidable vessel.
Bang!
The sandy ground trembled violently once more.
Using only the raw strength of his fleshly body, Li Qing had single-handedly flipped the Terrorclaw Lizard onto its back.
The lizard, dazed by the overwhelming force, hadn't even recovered when Li Qing swiftly drew the Po Jun Blade from his storage pouch and pressed its razor-sharp edge against the creature's neck.
The Po Jun Blade radiated a chilling light. Sensing the icy touch against its throat, the Terrorclaw Lizard immediately surrendered again.
"Master, spare me! Master, spare me!"
Receiving the lizard's divine sense transmission, Li Qing grinned, revealing a flash of pearly white teeth. He spoke with satisfaction:
"Good. Those who recognize the times are wise. If you behave yourself from now on, I might just let you live."
"Now, answer me: what is this place?"
What a joke! Li Qing thought. I've fought a late-stage third-tier Crimson Flood Dragon head-on. Even though I ended up on the losing end, subduing this cowardly lizard should be no problem at all.
"This is the Myriad Beasts Secret Realm, Master!" the Terrorclaw Lizard replied, now much more cooperative.
Myriad Beasts Secret Realm...
Li Qing narrowed his eyes, carefully searching his memories. He couldn't recall any information about this secret realm.
If it's a secret realm with the "Myriad Beasts" prefix, does that mean there are many demon beasts here?
"What exactly is the Myriad Beasts Secret Realm?"
Since he didn't know, pointless speculation wouldn't help. He might as well ask directly.
"The Myriad Beasts Secret Realm is an ancestral land established long ago by the demon realm. Every five epochs, the kings of the major royal clans open it, allowing us demons to enter and obtain the inheritance of the ancient beast ancestors."
In an instant, Li Qing's eyes narrowed.
It seemed the Heavenly Wind had truly brought him to an extraordinary place—the demon realm!
Li Qing now understood that this world was vast beyond measure, containing numerous great domains like the Azure Ridge Domain and the Great Wilderness Domain.
Each great domain possessed unique characteristics. Some were spiritually barren and unsuitable for cultivation, while others overflowed with spiritual energy, their cultivation civilizations flourishing to their zenith.
Having personally visited three great domains, Li Qing was hearing the name "demon realm" for the first time.
Could this domain be one dominated by the demon race?
As for the "kings of the royal clans" the Terrorclaw Lizard had mentioned earlier, they were likely fourth-tier demon beasts capable of transformation.
This realization caused Li Qing's expression to darken.
It meant the Myriad Beasts Secret Realm might harbor fourth-tier demon beasts!
A bitter feeling welled up in Li Qing's heart.
He had barely survived an encounter with a late-third-tier Crimson Flood Dragon, followed by the Heavenly Wind, narrowly escaping disaster with the aid of the Black Furnace. Yet now he might have to face fourth-tier demon beasts!
This voyage had truly been cursed beyond measure!
Observing Li Qing's shifting expression, the Terrorclaw Lizard finally realized that this man was no transformed demon beast king, but a genuine human!
It had heard tales of how the human race dominated nearly all the great domains beyond the demon realm. Yet, in all its years, it had never encountered one. To stumble upon such a powerful human within the Myriad Beasts Secret Realm was utterly unexpected.
The rumors had been wrong. The legends claimed humans possessed frail fleshly bodies, relying solely on external tools and trivial divine abilities.
But this human's strength was astonishing, rivaling even late-stage third-tier demonic beasts and approaching the power of core formation demons from the royal clan!
"Speak," Li Qing demanded. "What exactly were you chasing when you pursued me into this desert?"
The Terrorclaw Lizard, keenly aware of its situation, immediately replied, "I was chasing a Nether Demon Scorpion. It stole a beast ancestor token I discovered!"
"With the beast ancestor token, one can claim a demon race inheritance within this secret realm!"
"If you can gather five beast ancestor tokens, you'll qualify to enter Beast King Mountain and obtain even greater inheritances. Rumor has it that Beast King Mountain contains more than one inheritance from great demons at the transformation god stage!"
Core Formation, Transformation, Transformation God!
These three demon beast realms correspond to the human race's Core Formation, Nascent Soul, and Divine Transformation stages!
Hearing that there might be a Divine Transformation-level inheritance here, Li Qing's breath caught in his throat for a moment.
A Divine Transformation demon beast—that's a Fifth-Tier Demon Beast!
These are beings capable of shattering the void and ascending to the upper realm!
Whether such cultivators even exist in the lower realm anymore is debatable. At least, there haven't been any confirmed sightings of Divine Transformation stage cultivators in the Great Wilderness Domain or Azure Ridge Domain for many years.
Such beings exist almost solely in legends.
"Are the inheritances on Beast King Mountain only accessible to the demon race?" Li Qing pressed.
The Terrorclaw Lizard replied, "At least, I've never heard of any humans entering Beast King Mountain."
"Master, why don't you help me obtain five beast ancestor tokens? I'll enter Beast King Mountain myself. Once I acquire the inheritance, I'll hand it all over to you!"
The human before it possessed immense power. If it could truly persuade him, it might actually have a chance to enter Beast King Mountain and obtain an even greater inheritance.
Hearing this, Li Qing couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
Who says all demons are dimwitted? he thought. This Terrorclaw Lizard might be a bit cowardly, but its spiritual intelligence is surprisingly high. It's even trying to use me against its own kind.
Unfortunately for the lizard, despite his human form, Li Qing had no intention of cooperating with it.
After all, he had Fan Tong and Ninth Insect with him on this journey!
In the next moment, the sand behind Li Qing suddenly began to churn violently. Dozens of tentacles erupted from the ground, one of them coiled around a massive black scorpion—the very Nether Demon Scorpion the Terrorclaw Lizard had been chasing earlier.
"Is this the beast ancestor token you mentioned?"
Ninth Insect manipulated the tentacle holding the Nether Demon Scorpion, shaking it in the air. A bone token, coated in sand, soon fell to the ground.
During the battle with the Crimson Flood Dragon, Li Qing hadn't released Ninth Insect and Fan Tong to assist. The power gap was simply too vast; the two brutes would have been more of a liability than an asset, and likely would have been killed.
However, after burying himself in the desert, he had released Ninth Insect to serve as his guardian.
Ninth Insect was a unique worm-like creature, and this desert environment was its true domain, allowing it to unleash its full combat potential.
The Nether Demon Scorpion, which had just burrowed into the sand, was instantly subdued by Ninth Insect, completely unable to resist.
The Terrorclaw Lizard stared in disbelief. It had never imagined that this human could possess such a bizarre demonic insect. It couldn't even identify the creature's species.
"This token... it's a beast ancestor token!" The Terrorclaw Lizard completely abandoned any ulterior motives.
Since this human had a pet beast, if he gathered enough beast ancestor tokens, he would undoubtedly prioritize letting this strange insect enter to claim the inheritance.
Li Qing stroked the white bone token in his hand, his eyes flickering slightly.
A divine transformation stage inheritance was not to be missed. Even if he couldn't claim it himself, he could let Fan Tong and Ninth Insect enter.
In other words, he now only needed to find nine more beast ancestor tokens for Fan Tong and Ninth Insect to obtain powerful inheritances.
"Now, tell me everything you know about the Myriad Beasts Secret Realm in detail. Don't leave anything out."
"For example, how many beast ancestor tokens can be obtained here, and which powerful demon races should we be wary of?"
The Terrorclaw Lizard quickly and obediently answered Li Qing's questions, revealing all the information it possessed.
"In the Myriad Beasts Secret Realm, the most crucial tasks in the early stages, aside from collecting beast ancestor tokens, are to seek out the rare spirit herbs found here."
"This place harbors many spirit herbs that are nearly impossible to find in the outside world. If you're fortunate enough, simply consuming these herbs can lead to a significant fortuitous opportunity."
"In particular, the Myriad Beasts Fruit that grows on the Myriad Beasts Spirit Tree is not to be missed. This tree has deep roots, drawing essence blood from numerous demon races. It only bears two Myriad Beasts Fruits per epoch."
"You can only consume one of these fruits. Once ingested, it greatly strengthens your fleshly body, making it comparable to that of a royal clan demon beast."
"In the later stages, after collecting enough beast ancestor tokens, you must ascend Beast King Mountain to claim the inheritance of our ancestors."
"As for demon races to be wary of, there are quite a few. For example, the sixth son of the Golden Bear King..."
The Terrorclaw Lizard then rattled off several names, all of them core formation-level demon beasts of immense power.
The Golden Bear King's sixth son had awakened the bloodline of the Ancient Dragon Bear, making him virtually invincible among third-tier demonic beasts.
There was also the white-eyed lion. Though not of royal lineage, this lion possessed terrifying strength, being a late-stage third-tier demonic beast that ruled over vast grasslands in the demon realm.
The strength of the other demon beast royal clans should not be underestimated.
The Azure Wing Rat excels at treasure hunting, possessing a natural affinity for sensing spiritual objects.
The wind ape clan moves with the speed of the wind, a rare wind-attribute demonic beast known for its exceptional agility.
The three-headed profound crocodile is another formidable royal clan. While its combat prowess might be slightly diminished on land, it remains far beyond the capabilities of ordinary demon beasts.
The jade azure serpent, though not a royal clan of the demon realm, gained entry to the secret realm through the Nether Python Clan's quota. Its power should not be underestimated.
After hearing this intelligence, Li Qing fell into thoughtful silence.
Just now, he had dismissed the other demon beasts in the secret realm after witnessing the ease with which the giant lizard and the Nether Demon Scorpion were subdued by Ninth Insect.
But learning about the Terrorclaw Lizard's capabilities naturally dispelled any sense of complacency.
These renowned demon beasts were likely no weaker than the Crimson Flood Dragon he had previously encountered.
Underestimating them could come at a devastating cost.
"Huff! It seems collecting all ten beast ancestor tokens won't be an easy task after all."
"But since we're already here, we should at least explore Beast King Mountain. Otherwise, all that travel and hardship would have been for nothing!"
Li Qing immediately resolved to compete with the great demons.
Even if nothing else, he was utterly captivated by the Myriad Beasts Fruit and determined to obtain one to taste.
"Heh, I've rested enough. Time to see what's really going on here!"
With these words, Li Qing patted the spirit beast pouch at his waist.
Instantly, a massive, sky-darkening shadow materialized.
"Aowwrr!"
It was Fan Tong!
After spending so long cooped up at Lingyun Sect, he finally had a chance to stretch his limbs.
The moment Fan Tong emerged from the spirit beast pouch, he immediately sensed the unusual aura in the air—the scent of various powerful demon beasts.
In an instant, Fan Tong grew restless.
However, when the Terrorclaw Lizard saw Fan Tong appear, it's face turned ashen, radiating extreme fear.
(End of the Chapter)
Translator's Corner
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