Chapter 165 – Ten Thousand Miles of Shanhai Realm, Three Thousand Rare Beasts

“Wow, is this the Mountains-Seas Realm? It’s truly extraordinary!”

After passing through the two-realm gate of Qingzhou Shanhai Division, Mu Xiaoye was quickly stunned by the scenery before her eyes and exclaimed in amazement.

What lay before them was a massive primeval forest.

Not only was the vegetation lush, but the surrounding trees were generally over tens of meters tall, creating a spectacular view.

Moreover, the distant mountain forests faintly revealed the presence of some rare and exotic beasts, making the Mountains-Seas Realm appear incredibly mysterious.

For Mu Xiaoye, who had lived for years in the steel jungle of the Immortal Alliance’s cities, this was undoubtedly a unique and special experience.

In fact, within the Mountains-Seas Realm, besides the existence of Classic of Mountains and Seas Mythical Beasts, there were also many ordinary Spirit Beasts living there.

Although these Spirit Beasts didn’t possess the exclusive destiny of the Classic of Mountains and Seas Mythical Beasts or their immortal ability to live as long as the heavens,

they still possessed considerable strength.

The reason why the Shanhai Bureau set such high thresholds for Mountain and Sea Walkers

was largely due to concerns that the Agents might not adapt to the environment within the Mountains-Seas Realm.

After all, only those Classic of Mountains and Seas Mythical Beasts had reached agreements with the Shanhai Bureau.

The ordinary Spirit Beasts within the Mountains-Seas Realm hadn’t.

Although under the deliberate suppression by both the Shanhai Bureau and the Classic of Mountains and Seas Mythical Beasts, there were no Spirit Beasts at the Golden Core Stage or above within the Mountains-Seas Realm, the uniqueness of Spirit Beasts destined them to possess strength far surpassing that of ordinary Cultivators.

Therefore, if Mountain and Sea Walkers weren’t outstanding among their peers, not to mention gaining the recognition of Classic of Mountains and Seas Mythical Beasts,

whether they could even escape alive from these Spirit Beasts was uncertain.

Fortunately, the Shanhai Bureau had considered this issue.

They would prepare some teleportation talismans for every Cultivator entering the Mountains-Seas Realm.

These teleportation talismans could instantly transport Cultivators within a certain range to the nearest Mountains-Seas Realm gate.

That was exactly where Lu Chen and Mu Xiaoye were currently standing.

But even the most perfect preparations could encounter unexpected situations.

Every year, among the Agents entering the Mountains-Seas Realm, there would always be some unlucky ones who, driven by greed for achievements, advanced recklessly and failed to teleport in time,

thus leaving their lives in the Mountains-Seas Realm.

This was also why, when Lu Chen was outside the realm gate earlier, the Mountain and Sea Walker guarding the gate kindly reminded him not to be too fixated on high-destiny Classic of Mountains and Seas Mythical Beasts.

After all, the vast majority of Agents who died in the Mountains-Seas Realm were those who, failing to find ‘satisfactory’ Classic of Mountains and Seas Mythical Beasts, actively ventured into areas not covered by the realm gates.

This caused their teleportation talismans unable to immediately transport them to nearby realm gates, instead randomly teleporting them to places far from their starting point.

Subsequently leading to fatal injuries that couldn’t be treated, or other unexpected situations, resulting in their demise here.

The Mountains-Seas Realm was no amusement park after all – certain dangers still existed here.

However, after so many years of exploration, most areas of the Mountains-Seas Realm had been thoroughly mapped by the Shanhai Bureau.

Which Classic of Mountains and Seas Mythical Beasts lived in which areas, along with these beasts’ abilities, destinies, and temperaments,

were all recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas Bestiary.

Only some Classic of Mountains and Seas Mythical Beasts, due to special reasons, had no fixed territories, making encounters with them entirely dependent on luck.

“Xiao Lu, where should we go later?”

After briefly admiring the beautiful scenery of the Mountains-Seas Realm, Mu Xiaoye turned to ask Lu Chen.Lu Chen pondered for a moment, then took out the Classic of Mountains and Seas Bestiary and pointed at the map on it. “Let’s check this place first.”

“Tianshan? Is the mythical beast you’re interested in living there?”

Lu Chen nodded.

Mu Xiaoye said with some surprise, “Coincidentally, the mythical beast I want to find also lives in Tianshan. This works out perfectly.”

Lu Chen wasn’t surprised by Mu Xiaoye’s words.

Although the Mountains-Seas Realm was vast, there were only a few famous regions.

Tianshan was one of the more well-known ones.

Many special Classic of Mountains and Seas Mythical Beasts lived in Tianshan and its surrounding areas.

Considering Mu Xiaoye’s situation, Lu Chen quickly guessed which mythical beast she wanted to find in Tianshan.

If his guess was correct, it should be the Bifang Crane that had been spotted near Tianshan.

Actually, Lu Chen thought the most suitable mythical beast for Mu Xiaoye should be the ‘Three-Legged Golden Crow’.

This was one of the rare ‘Sixth Bureau Level’ mythical beasts currently detected by the Shanhai Bureau.

However, the Three-Legged Golden Crow was elusive and inherently proud, unwilling to be tamed.

So far, no one had managed to bring a ‘Three-Legged Golden Crow’ out from the Mountains-Seas Realm.

Perhaps knowing this, Mu Xiaoye didn’t prioritize the Three-Legged Golden Crow, leaving any encounter to chance.

After all, compared to the Three-Legged Golden Crow, the Bifang Crane—also a fire-type divine bird—was much easier to approach.

Although the Bifang Crane possessed the ‘Fire Calamity’ attribute and had a fierce temperament,

with Mu Xiaoye’s Phoenix Calamity Fire, this ‘Fire Calamity’ would likely struggle to harm her.

So subduing this Bifang Crane shouldn’t be problematic.

As for the mythical beasts Lu Chen had in mind, they were mainly ‘Dijiang’ and ‘Lu Wu’, which primarily roamed Tianshan.

These two mythical beasts were both ‘Sixth Bureau Level’, and their destinies had no specific elemental requirements.

This suited Sword Cultivators like Lu Chen who maintained balanced Five Elements.

Whether it was Dijiang’s ‘Earth-Shrinking Golden Light’ or Lu Wu’s ‘Ten Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains’, both could elevate his strength to new heights.

The former represented extreme speed, while the latter was a Domain-like ability.

These were undoubtedly the kinds of power Lu Chen needed, capable of significantly enhancing his current capabilities.

Besides these two, however, Lu Chen was actually quite interested in another Sixth Bureau Level mythical beast that had once appeared in Tianshan—Diting.

Unlike Dijiang and Lu Wu, Diting, like the Three-Legged Golden Crow, was elusive.

Moreover, due to Diting’s unique nature, if it didn’t want to appear, no one could encounter it.

Therefore, Lu Chen didn’t consider Diting as his primary target, instead focusing on ‘Dijiang’ and ‘Lu Wu’, whose activity ranges were relatively fixed, as the main objectives for this Mountains-Seas Realm journey.

Yet, compared to ‘Dijiang’ and ‘Lu Wu’, Lu Chen was actually more intrigued by ‘Diting’.

According to the records in the Classic of Mountains and Seas Bestiary, Diting’s core ability was called ‘Nine Qi’.

Namely: ‘Spiritual Qi, Divine Qi, Fortune Qi, Wealth Qi, Sharp Qi, Luck Qi, Vigor Qi, Strength Qi, and Integrity Qi’.

This represented a highly balanced capability.

The core reason Diting could distinguish truth from falsehood was its ability to perceive the Nine Qi of all things.

Lu Chen felt that if he could obtain Diting’s Nine Qi ability,

it would greatly assist him in achieving his Golden Core Dharma Body, Nascent Soul Law of Heaven and Earth, and constructing the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation in the future.Not to mention, if Diting were around, he could easily identify the Immortal Fiends hidden among the crowd.

For Lu Chen, this was undoubtedly an extremely useful ability.

But whether they would encounter the elusive Diting at Tianshan was entirely a matter of luck.

After all, Lu Chen couldn’t afford to waste too much time in the Mountains-Seas Realm for the sake of a mythical beast that might or might not appear.

Yet, looking at Mu Xiaoye standing beside him, Lu Chen couldn’t help but feel that this trip to the Mountains-Seas Realm might yield unexpected gains.

After all, whenever luck was involved, Mu Xiaoye always seemed to encounter the most improbable outcomes.

It was entirely possible that her rapid breakthrough this time was fated to bring her into the Mountains-Seas Realm with him.

People often said that those who relied on luck wouldn’t go far, but if someone consistently thrived on luck, wasn’t that, in a way, a talent in itself?

Perhaps noticing Lu Chen’s gaze, Mu Xiaoye confidently held up the Classic of Mountains and Seas Bestiary in her hand and declared, “Don’t worry, Little Lu! With me here, there’ll be no mishaps. This time, we’re both sure to find suitable mythical beasts!”

As she spoke, she produced a fiery red Spirit Sword.

Lu Chen froze at the sight of it.

This was unmistakably a three-realm Spirit Sword.

Wait, I worked myself to the bone just to upgrade the Ink Dragon Sword to a three-realm Spirit Sword. How come Little Yezi gets a three-realm Spirit Sword handed to her the moment she breaks through?

Then, recalling Mu Xiaoye’s identity as a Phoenix Calamity Cultivator and her future role as the Young Sect Master of the Myriad Enterprises Immortal Sect, Lu Chen wasn’t all that surprised she could produce a three-realm Spirit Sword.

Little Yezi had the backing of one of the Four Great Sacred Grounds of the Immortal Alliance—a mere three-realm Spirit Sword was nothing out of the ordinary for her!

Still, even with this rationalization, Lu Chen couldn’t help the envy in his eyes as he looked at Mu Xiaoye.

Having your entire future laid out so neatly—wasn’t that just utterly devoid of dreams?

Where was the sense of accomplishment from striving on your own?

“What’s wrong, Little Lu? Why do you look so strange? You’re not jealous of my three-realm Spirit Sword, Firefeather, are you? Don’t you have a three-realm Spirit Sword too?”

Seeing Mu Xiaoye’s “sincere” expression, Lu Chen felt an inexplicable blow to his pride.

Knowing her personality well, he was aware she was deliberately flaunting this in front of him.

Otherwise, why would she make the Firefeather Spirit Sword flutter back and forth before his eyes?

Almost without thinking, Lu Chen retorted irritably, “Little Yezi, don’t you think your future sounds utterly boring?”

“With your situation, aside from inheriting the Myriad Enterprises Immortal Sect’s vast Spirit Stones, countless Elixirs, endless enterprises, and tens of thousands of disciples at your command, what else can you even do yourself? Doesn’t it feel terribly uninteresting?”

Hearing this, Mu Xiaoye’s eyes sparkled with amusement as she feigned regret. “You’re right, Little Lu. Others have to undergo trials to cultivate, seek out their own resources for breakthroughs, and check if their Cultivation Manuals and Divine Abilities suit them.”

“But I don’t need any of that. My predecessors have already paved the way for me.”

“All I have to do is follow the steps, and the Nascent Soul Stage is just the starting point for me.”

“Thinking about it, I really do lack that sense of achievement you get from striving step by step on your own.””Compared to you, my life really lacks a lot of fun.”

Though Mu Xiaoye pretended to be dejected, Lu Chen could clearly sense the laughter in her words.

Was she showing off?

She was definitely showing off!

Was this the humblebrag of an Immortal Sect disciple?

As a representative of the “common folk,” Lu Chen felt for the first time what it meant to be “doted on by all,” and the terrifying resources available to Immortal Sect disciples.

This subtle humblebrag left Lu Chen without any grounds for rebuttal.

After all… everything Mu Xiaoye said was true.

Seeing the rare “envious” expression on Lu Chen’s face, Mu Xiaoye smiled even more happily.

After all, showing off in front of one’s childhood sweetheart was a completely different experience from showing off in front of strangers.

But Mu Xiaoye didn’t actually intend to provoke Lu Chen.

Looking at him, she said casually, “Alright, aren’t my things yours too? If you ask, a mere third-realm Spirit Sword is nothing. I can get one for you from the Myriad Enterprises Immortal Sect later.”

“Let’s go, let’s go. Tianshan is quite far from the Qingzhou Realm Gate where we are. Even with Flying Swords, it’ll take nearly half a month to get there. We shouldn’t waste time here.”

As she spoke, Mu Xiaoye put away her Spirit Sword.

Seeing this, Lu Chen asked curiously, “Why are you putting away your Flying Sword?”

Mu Xiaoye said matter-of-factly, “I just had my Breakthrough and haven’t learned to ride a Flying Sword yet. You’ll have to take me with you.”

“???”

Lu Chen looked at Mu Xiaoye, feeling like she wasn’t telling the truth.

But her reason was perfectly reasonable, and he couldn’t find any grounds to refute it.

“You really don’t know how to ride a Flying Sword?”

“O-of course not!”

Lu Chen studied Mu Xiaoye carefully for a few more moments before finally nodding. “Fine, then get on.”

With that, Lu Chen summoned his Ink Dragon Sword and stepped onto it directly.

Seeing this, Mu Xiaoye immediately jumped on and wrapped her arms around Lu Chen’s waist, as if afraid she might fall off.

Lu Chen acted as if he didn’t notice and directly flew on his sword toward Tianshan in the Mountains-Seas Realm.

Some things were just understood without being said.

I understand your reserve, and you understand my ulterior motives.

See through it, but don’t say it out loud!

Mountains-Seas Realm, Tianshan.

A chubby little white dog, resembling a Chow Chow, stood on a large rock.

It raised its head to look at the bright moon above, lifting its paws as if performing some kind of ritual.

“Bright moon shining, bright moon vast. All my Disciples, woof woof woof woof!”

The next moment, a beam of clear moonlight shone down on the little white dog.

Immediately after, a special power emanated from the little white dog and flowed into the canine Spirit Beasts before it.

After receiving this special lunar baptism, the canine Spirit Beasts immediately showed expressions of comfort, and their Auras grew noticeably stronger.

Once the baptism ended, the canine Spirit Beasts looked up at the little white dog on the rock with admiration, barking “woof woof woof!”

Mixed in were a few “awoo” sounds.

Seeing this, the little white dog looked very pleased.

“Disciples, today our Bright Moon Woof Woof Sect will storm Tianshan! Let that headless freak bird Dijiang know that our Woof Woof Sect is not to be trifled with!”

“Did he really think I, Truth Listener, have no friends and like to bully the few with many?””Today I must make it understand what it feels like to be surrounded by a pack of wolves.”

“Let’s go, teach it a lesson!”

As the words fell, Diting jumped down from the rock and directly mounted a silver-backed spirit wolf. With a wave of his paw, he led his Woof Woof Brigade charging toward a certain location on Tianshan.

Woof Woof Brigade, attack!

Moments later, in a cave somewhere on Tianshan, a Classic of Mountains and Seas Mythical Beast with six feet and four wings, resembling a mass of crimson flame, seemed to sense something and looked helplessly toward the cave entrance.

There, a little white dog had already appeared outside its cave with numerous canine spirit beasts.

Diting looked at Dijiang inside the cave and said with great pride: “Dijiang, after five years of enduring hardships, I’ve finally gathered such a large group of brothers today.”

“Don’t think you’re the only one with helpers – I have them now too!”

Hearing this, Dijiang stood up.

Then his completely flame-formed body shifted and transformed, eventually taking the shape of a naked human form.

Following this, a helpless voice emerged from within him.

“Diting, driving you away wasn’t just my decision, but the collective will of all the mythical beasts on Tianshan.”

“After all, you keep eavesdropping on everyone’s inner thoughts and spreading them around.”

“As long as you don’t break that bad habit for even one day, we won’t allow you back on Tianshan.”

“Go back, otherwise when the other mythical beasts learn you’ve come again, they’ll quickly drive you out.”

Upon hearing this, the little white dog Diting said quite proudly: “Eavesdropping on thoughts isn’t something I do intentionally – I was born this way.”

“And where do I like spreading your thoughts around? I only ever whisper them to one mythical beast and tell it not to spread them.”

“Can I be blamed if they spread the words around? They’re the ones who broke their promises!”

“Dijiang, I’m not fighting alone anymore. See the followers of my Bright Moon Woof Woof Sect around me?”

“With them here, you Tianshan mythical beasts can’t drive me out!”

“I’m putting my words here today – I’m definitely coming up this Tianshan, and no one can stop me!”

As he spoke, Diting jumped down from the silver-backed spirit wolf.

The next second, nine types of special energy emerged from his body and spread in all directions.

Under the enhancement of these energies, the aura of the canine spirit beasts around him instantly surged.

Along with this, their fear toward Dijiang, this Classic of Mountains and Seas Mythical Beast, completely disappeared.

Seeing this scene, Dijiang immediately sighed and said: “Diting, go back. You’re no match for us.”

As he spoke, several mythical beasts emerged from the depths of the cave behind Dijiang.

Seeing this, Diting seemed to recall the scene when he was brutally driven out before, immediately taking half a step back.

But after seeing the numerous followers around him, Diting suddenly felt confident again.

That’s right, he wasn’t fighting alone now – he still had his loyal Bright Moon Woof Woof Sect followers.

“Little ones, attack for me!”

“Awooo!”

Receiving Diting’s command, the surrounding spirit beasts immediately charged toward Dijiang and the other Tianshan mythical beasts.

However, very quickly, these spirit beasts, including Diting, were all blasted out together.

Diting looked at the mythical beasts inside the cave and said unwillingly: “Just wait, you just wait! I’ll be back sooner or later!”

Some Classic of Mountains and Seas Mythical Beasts have elusive whereabouts because they prefer solitude and dislike living in groups.Some Classic of Mountains and Seas Mythical Beasts remain unsettled because they get driven out shortly after arriving anywhere.

Diting belongs to the latter category.

The reason he’s recorded as having no fixed abode in the Classic of Mountains and Seas Bestiary isn’t because he enjoys wandering, but purely because other Mythical Beasts… can’t stand him!

Though Tianshan had been where Diting stayed the longest.

But now it seemed even Tianshan might be growing intolerant of him…

(End of Chapter)