Chapter Four: The Terrifying Demonic Beast

Deep within the wilds lay one of the two most perilous regions in the cultivation world—a land shrouded in mystery, dread, and danger, its very name enough to make even seasoned cultivators shudder. Even those who had reached the Golden Core stage dared not venture here alone.

“What a fool, what are you daydreaming about?” Caiyi huffed at his side, snapping Lin Feng out of his reverie.

Before them, a colossal stone peak soared into the clouds, sprawling across dozens of miles. The front face was sheer as if hewn by a blade, with only a few tufts of green clinging to its cracks. At its summit, several rocks naturally formed a platform, resembling a massive cap.

“The Purple Buddha Ganoderma must not leave the soil nor touch yin energy. I’m just a girl—it’s all up to you!” Caiyi shot him a sly glance, clasped her hands behind her back, and began admiring the scenery.

Lin Feng felt his head throb. To scale such a cliff would likely take an entire day, yet he was too embarrassed to ask Caiyi for help. He simply mumbled a response, disassembled his three-section spear, strapped the pieces to his waist, and strode toward the mountain’s base.

Caiyi had hoped Lin Feng would beg for her assistance so she could mock him further, but to her annoyance, the fool began climbing alone. Frustrated, she sat down on the spot and ignored him.

The mountain path was elusive, and the ground near Mushroom Cloud Peak was littered with jagged stones and sparse vegetation. The rocks were a strange, blood-stained orange-red, lending the landscape a desolate, eerie air.

Lin Feng studied the cliff for a long while before selecting a somewhat flatter route upward. The rocks were steep, and his wounds from the whip had not yet healed. Clinging to the vast mountainside, he seemed no bigger than an ant, struggling arduously upward.

Though Mushroom Cloud Peak was not as vast as Heaven’s Gate Summit, it was far more treacherous. By the time he reached halfway up, dusk had already fallen. Not far above was a narrow ledge where Lin Feng planned to rest for the night. When he finally hauled himself onto the platform, darkness had swallowed the forest below. Old crows cawed in the distance, and strange cries echoed through the mountains, weaving a tapestry of unease.

“Phew, I’m exhausted.” The world around him was pitch black; distant undulating shadows loomed like slumbering beasts, and the barren wilds brimmed with a chilling sense of menace. Looking down into the fathomless darkness below, he felt a surge of fear.

“Hey!” A sharp voice rang out behind him. Lin Feng jolted, nearly tumbling from the cliff, a cold sweat breaking out across his body.

“Are you trying to scare me to death?” Lin Feng’s face had gone white as he glared at Caiyi.

“Pathetic—more timid than me,” she scoffed, seating herself beside him.

The narrow space, just big enough for half a person to lie sideways, instantly became cramped.

Breathing in her sweet fragrance, the young man blushed, unsure how to break the silence.

“Hey, are you really planning to sit here all night in this wilderness?” Caiyi asked softly in the dark, her bright eyes flickering.

Lin Feng was about to reply when a blood-curdling howl suddenly rose from somewhere unseen. At its sound, the mountains fell deathly silent; it was as if every creature bowed to that voice in terrified submission.

The pair froze in alarm. In these wilds, wild beasts and monsters roamed unchecked, many of them so fierce that even true immortals would struggle to survive an encounter.

“Can’t you fly? Why don’t we return to the valley and come back at dawn?” Lin Feng ventured, afraid of another round of ridicule.

As expected, Caiyi snorted, shot him a cold glance, and whispered icily, “Didn’t you hear that howl? If we run into whatever made that, neither of us will make it out alive.”

Lin Feng stood stunned for a moment before murmuring, “Who… what was it?”

“Shh… keep your voice down.” Caiyi’s eyes darted around anxiously as she whispered, “It’s not safe here. Let’s get to the summit and gather the herb as soon as day breaks.”

Fear clutched Lin Feng too; the two of them flitted like ghosts to the mountaintop, coming to rest atop the great mushroom-shaped boulder.

Moonlight poured over their shoulders and cheeks, casting a tranquil, harmonious glow.

Lin Feng looked at the figure beside him—her enchanting presence made his heart flutter, an unspoken feeling quietly blooming within.

A thunderous roar erupted from the distant peaks, as if the very heavens would be devoured.

“This is bad! Run!” Caiyi cried, seizing Lin Feng and hurling them both into the darkness.

Amid boundless black mountains, a gigantic shadow blotted out the moon, radiating an overwhelming aura that pressed down on the land like a suffocating shroud.

The night wind howled in their ears, their eyes could see nothing, but the terrifying howls pursued them relentlessly, threatening to shatter their courage.

Caiyi exerted all her strength, dragging Lin Feng along for hundreds of miles before finally halting atop a peak, gasping for breath. In their panic, they had lost all sense of direction and had no idea where they were. Before them yawned a bottomless abyss.

A piercing screech slashed through the air ahead, a hideous roar filling the night with the stench of blood.

Almost simultaneously, the monstrous beast that had chased them drew near, its howl echoing at their backs.

It was over! Lin Feng felt as though he had plunged into an icy lake. Seeing Caiyi trembling, despair filled his gaze.

Suddenly, a glimmer of hope appeared—a deep cave not far along the cliff, just large enough for a person to squeeze through.

“Hurry inside! I’ll distract it!” Lin Feng gestured toward the cave, grabbed a large stone, and dashed away.

“Idiot! It’s after me!” Caiyi tried to catch him but missed; his swift figure darted resolutely in the other direction.

A heart-rending howl burst through the night, so close it seemed to shake the very sky.

Biting her lip, Caiyi dove into the narrow crevice, her eyes brimming with tears of anxiety.

On the cliff, the youth strained his arms and hurled the boulder into the abyss.

Clouds swallowed the moon; a massive shadow, borne on the bitter wind, crested the peak. At that moment, the youth felt as though struck by lightning.

In the pitch-black night, a gigantic form swayed in the eerie blue glow. It turned its head—an enormous wolf, terrifying and grotesque.

Its scarlet eyes fixed coldly on the human before it. The beast, rippling with corded muscle and draped in blue mane, stood upright, bristling with fury.

Lin Feng’s knees nearly buckled, and if not for the last vestiges of survival instinct, he would have collapsed.

Suddenly, the stifling air shifted; two golden lanterns flared in the darkness, the stench from the cliff below rising to meet him.

A serpent! A monstrous python, its length impossible to gauge, and thick enough that two men would have to join hands to encircle it, appeared on his other side.

Its bizarre crown gleamed like a crimson diadem, its cold golden eyes utterly devoid of emotion. It fixed its gaze on the blue-maned wolf behind Lin Feng, ignoring the boy entirely.

Heaven help me! This serpent was a hundred times more terrifying than any crested silver-ring python. The towering red crown signaled lethal venom. Judging by its appearance, this monster was close to transforming into a flood dragon—at least fourth rank in power.

Lin Feng felt his scalp tingle and silently despaired.

Suddenly, the brown python let out a furious roar, scattering stones as it lunged at the blue-maned wolf a dozen meters away. Its vast maw, bristling with fangs, gaped wide as flames billowed out, painting the sky red.

Lin Feng rolled frantically along the ground, narrowly escaping the crossfire. Looking up, he saw the two monsters locked in savage combat—one breathing fire, the other lashing out with lightning. The spectacle shook the entire mountaintop, bizarrely beautiful in its ferocity.

The spot where Caiyi hid was just behind the wolf; Lin Feng dared not glance that way, praying only that the two beasts would destroy each other.

Sheer cliffs hemmed him in on all sides; he could only cower as far away as possible, watching the bloody contest in terror.

A pained howl split the night—the wolf’s left eye burst under the flames, red and white fluid streaming down its face in a gruesome torrent.

The agony only inflamed its savagery. Blue lightning crackled around it, piercing through the fire and slamming into the python’s swollen muscles. The sizzle of burning flesh and the stench of char filled the air as the two monsters rolled and thrashed in the cramped space. Stones shattered, and the serpent’s tail struck the rocks with thunderous force, the sound echoing for miles.

“Yes, left! Now right—closer!” Lin Feng silently cheered, urging them on in his mind. The snake and wolf were locked together, teetering on the edge of the abyss, just a step away from plunging to their doom.

Perhaps his muttered encouragement had worked, or perhaps fate had decreed it so, but after a desperate struggle, the two monsters, tangled together, finally rolled into the chasm.

But before Lin Feng could celebrate, the blue-maned wolf leapt back out, its fur standing on end like a porcupine. Fixing its single eye on Lin Feng with vicious intent, it lunged.

A thunderclap split the sky. The youth, resolute, hurled himself into the boundless darkness below.

A heartbeat later, a flash of pink soared after him, tracing a beautiful arc through the air as it plunged toward the valley floor.

The blue-maned wolf threw back its head and howled in frustration, pacing the cliff edge. Seemingly wary, it did not risk leaping after them, but slunk away into the fine night rain.

As Lin Feng plunged into the abyss, a smile lingered on his face. All he could think was that if the wolf gave chase, Caiyi would at least be safe.

In the endless darkness, he squeezed his eyes shut.

Gritting her teeth, Caiyi mustered the last of her strength and dove after her plummeting companion, clutching his hand tightly. She could not spare the energy to fly; her final reserves faded along with the relieved smile on her lips.

Lin Feng felt the warmth of her hand in his own, but try as he might, he could not open his eyes. As consciousness slipped away, their hands remained tightly entwined, neither willing to let go.

In the eternal embrace of darkness, a golden halo quietly bloomed, like the eye of the night.

The next moment, boundless darkness swallowed everything.