Chapter Forty-Seven: The Cloud-Mist Mountains, Devouring!

Qin Feng left, his mood far from light.

Never before had he so fervently yearned for greater strength as he did at this very moment. His master had spoken truly: the most pressing matter now was to raise his cultivation. Without a firm foundation of power, all else was mere empty talk!

After using Qin Tianshu’s token to collect a cloud tiger beast and the necessary equipment from the Dragonstride Office, Qin Feng set off on his journey.

At the gates of Tianfeng City, he tossed the elder’s token to a steward on duty, knowing the man would deliver it back to Qin Tianshu for him.

“I will return!”

Lifting his gaze to the floating city of Tianfeng in the sky, Qin Feng let out a fierce roar, mounted the cloud tiger beast, and with a leap, sped away.

Now, he was like a tiger unleashed, no longer restrained by anything or anyone on his path to power.

The cloud tiger beast was swift; at its current pace, the journey from Tianfeng City to the Qin family in Luoyang Town would take no more than three days—provided nothing unexpected happened.

Yet Qin Feng had no intention of returning home just yet. Once he’d traveled beyond the sphere of Tianfeng City’s influence, he turned his mount’s head toward the direction of Yunmang Mountain.

Yunmang Mountain—a name that encompassed dozens of massive ranges and the surrounding forests in southern Yunqi Nation. The trees here were so tall and dense that sunlight rarely reached the forest floor; the heavy moisture often shrouded the woods in mist, and to the outside, the mountains appeared swathed in a white haze.

Thus came the name Yunmang Mountain.

Qin Feng journeyed for another day before reaching the foot of these mist-laden peaks. Gazing at the veiled mountains, he sighed inwardly, certain he’d chosen the perfect place.

He had come here for a single purpose: to hunt demon beasts, so that his bloodline spirit could devour and evolve.

Within Tianfeng City, his master Qin Aotian’s means were limited; the beasts procured for him were all below the sixth rank—sufficient for the needs of his bloodline spirit at the time.

Through continual evolution, his body’s ability to absorb profound energy had recovered to about half its former speed. More importantly, as he refined the beasts’ blood, his cultivation had also advanced.

But over the past two months, the appetite of his little black serpent had grown insatiable; ordinary demon beasts below the sixth rank could no longer satisfy its hunger.

That was why Qin Feng had set his sights on the demon beasts of Yunmang Mountain.

To speak of demon beasts, one must understand their ranks. Demon beasts were a special kind of profound beast, born with innate spirit. Upon maturing, they could slowly absorb the world’s energy to strengthen their bodies, a slow but steady path of cultivation.

There were five stages: Demon Birth, Demon Transformation, Demon Core, Demon Infant, and Demon God, each divided into ten ranks, corresponding to the human stages of Mortal Steel, Human Steel, Earth Steel, Heaven Steel, and God Steel.

Yet demon beasts were far less intelligent than humans, and their cultivation was slow—requiring several times as long as a human cultivator to reach the same level.

That was not absolute, however. Once a demon beast reached the Demon Infant stage, its intellect would blossom, rivaling that of humans. Some could even take human form and adopt human cultivation techniques, advancing rapidly from then on, and in terms of supernatural powers, they often surpassed human cultivators.

Yet reaching the Demon Infant stage was a near-impossible feat. Most demon beasts encountered by human cultivators met with slaughter; only those dwelling in the deepest, most ancient forests had any hope of surviving to such heights.

Yunmang Mountain was deep, but not truly ancient. It was unlikely even a Demon Core beast dwelled here, and if any did, they would be found only in the most remote depths. For now, Qin Feng intended only to hunt Demon Birth beasts on the outskirts to feed his bloodline spirit.

With his resolve set, Qin Feng urged his mount into the forest.

The mist was thick, sunlight seldom pierced the canopy, and a heavy chill pervaded the air. Yet such was the environment in which demon beasts thrived.

Not long after entering the woods, Qin Feng stowed away his cloud tiger beast. Though technically a demon beast, it was a domesticated breed—tame, docile, bred and raised for travel.

When he’d collected the cloud tiger with his elder’s token, he’d also claimed a beast pouch—an item his own family produced and sold, used to store and transport profound beasts. He hung the pouch at his waist, ready to release the beast whenever he needed it.

He had a reason for proceeding on foot. He had not come to sightsee, but to hunt. For that, stealth was paramount; charging through the forest would only attract the attention of stronger demon beasts, and even if he could escape, he’d pay dearly for it.

Advancing cautiously, Qin Feng unleashed his powerful senses, remaining alert to his surroundings.

The benefits of cultivating the Tai’a Perception were immediately apparent; within several meters, nothing escaped his notice.

Soon, his first prey entered his perception.

With a faint smirk, Qin Feng slipped behind a tree.

Moments later, a grotesquely large creature came into view—a boulder-like beast, moving of its own accord. Though it appeared to be made entirely of stone, it nonetheless advanced steadily. Judging by its aura, it was a seventh-rank Demon Birth beast.

Qin Feng frowned, sifting through his mental store of knowledge.

Could it be a Stone Parasite Beast?

As the name suggested, this beast parasitized rocks, feeding on stones and seeking out rare minerals for sustenance. The surplus stones it carried as armor. Its most fearsome feature was a set of steel-like fangs.

“Seventh rank—perfect,” Qin Feng decided, preparing himself.

When the creature came within a few meters, Qin Feng sprang into action.

“Great Dragon Mountain-Splitting Force—go!”

A clear, cold shout echoed through the trees. Qin Feng’s agile shadow darted between thorns and brambles, which offered no impediment. In a flash, he came to a halt before the stone beast, twisted his feet, turned his body, and drove his elbow hard into its rocky shell.

A muffled crack—debris flew as spiderweb cracks spread from the point of impact.

A harsh, guttural screech erupted from the creature as it split apart, and a round, strange gray mass shot out from within. As it neared Qin Feng, the mass writhed, splitting open to reveal twin rows of interlocking steel fangs, which snapped toward him.

Good, Qin Feng thought with a grin. The beast neither fled nor hesitated, acting on brute instinct alone.

As the Stone Parasite lunged, the little black serpent on Qin Feng’s right arm manifested, coiling twice around his forearm before launching itself at the demon beast.

The beast, oblivious to its doom, swallowed the serpent whole, and, undeterred, lunged at Qin Feng once more with a guttural cry.

Qin Feng shook his head and waited.

Before the beast could reach him, it shriveled before his eyes. It struggled to spit out the serpent, writhing in agony, but to no avail. Eventually, the little black serpent devoured it completely, leaving only a hard shell that clattered to the ground. As the serpent returned to Qin Feng, a warm current surged through him, as if basking in sunlight, suffusing every cell with comfort.

The little black serpent had grown slightly larger.

By now, it was twice the size it had been when Qin Feng first awakened his bloodline spirit.

Satisfied, he sat down to meditate and refine the energy. The sooner it was absorbed, the better—perhaps even enough to break through to the Human Steel stage.

There were two ways for Qin Feng to absorb energy: one was through meditation, drawing in profound energy to strengthen his body; the other, far simpler since acquiring the little black serpent, was to have it devour demon beasts and absorb their flesh and blood for a quick boost in strength. But as the serpent’s grade was still low, its devouring ability was limited—even the seventh-rank beast had been a struggle. Clearly, it needed to consume more and evolve further.

At least he now had a faster means of cultivation, if only temporarily.

But Qin Feng knew this was not a long-term solution. As his master Qin Aotian had warned, relying solely on devouring would accumulate too much baleful energy within. Once the serpent’s absorption speed improved, he would return to traditional cultivation to strengthen his foundation.

Shortcuts were not the true path; only hard cultivation could forge an unshakable core.

That was the true way.

An hour later, Qin Feng opened his eyes.

“Sigh, still far from enough.”

The amount of profound energy required for the Human Steel stage was far more than he’d anticipated. Even this seventh-rank Stone Parasite Beast fell short of the mark.

No matter—he would simply continue hunting!

Having tasted success, Qin Feng sprang up and once more shot through the woods, using his keen senses to track, ambush, and devour demon beasts.

So it went, day after day, for more than ten days.

During that time, he slew many beasts, and the little black serpent devoured many more. In just over ten days, his cultivation reached the peak of the tenth level, and the serpent grew over three meters long and as thick as his arm.

Qin Feng was most pleased.

These battles also greatly improved his combat skills. As the days passed, he hunted ever-stronger demon beasts—seventh, eighth, ninth, and finally tenth rank. The serpent’s appetite and devouring power grew correspondingly. Now, Demon Birth beasts could no longer fuel its evolution, and Qin Feng himself found his progress blocked at the peak of the Mortal Steel stage.

Yet his absorption rate for profound energy had fully returned to where it was before awakening his bloodline spirit.

Clearly, he needed a breakthrough.

It was a turning point for both himself and the little black serpent.

“Perhaps it’s time to hunt a Demon Transformation beast,” he murmured.

With this thought, he lifted his gaze to the shadowy depths of Yunmang Mountain, where danger lurked and beckoned. Gritting his teeth, he steeled his resolve and stepped into the heart of the mountain.

…