When the wanted decrees spread, perhaps other regions remained ignorant, but within the Myriad Demon Mountains chaos erupted.
Every moment, beasts clashed. Every moment, blood fell.
Great demons uprooted mountains and hurled them. Others summoned wind and rain, devouring lesser beasts.
The Seven Kings' covenant—maintained for millennia—was torn apart in an instant.
The Kings revealed their fangs, and their forces surged forth with a singular intent: to annihilate one another completely.
Moments ago, the Myriad Demon Mountains had seemed calm, if cold and desolate.
Now, it roared with battle cries. The stench of blood filled the world.
"It's all in chaos now. Utter chaos."
Alice clapped her hands in excitement, glaring toward the battlefield where Fire Qilin King and Snow Howler King had fought.
"You'd better wait for me! Once I reach the peak of Spirit Transformation, I'll bleed every last one of you dry!"
"I'll use your corpses for pills and artifacts!"
"To think you dared scheme against me—if I do not repay this grudge, I am unworthy of being an Elder of Mount Shu's Hall of Justice!"
Truthfully, she and the others were chafing with frustration.
Back in Teyvat, they could stir the winds and command storms. Yet here, all they could do was dodge and hide.
The difference in strength was a bitter humiliation.
But they now understood why the cultivation world forever stood opposed: humans and demons could never coexist.
Talk of "love between human and beast"? Mere fairy tales.
In truth, every cultivator wished to slaughter demons for pills, and every demon wished to swallow cultivators to strengthen their power.
Both were written into each other's menus. How could prey and predator ever live in peace?
"For now, the storm has not reached its peak. The First Seat and Elder have also exhausted much true essence. We should not move recklessly."
Keqing surveyed the surroundings carefully, speaking softly:
"This place seems safe enough. At least, I hear no signs of beasts fighting nearby. Let us rest here awhile, and then decide where to go."
Venti shook his head, regretful.
"The Wine God Art is fierce in battle, but it grants no speed."
"What a pity. If only I had killed those three demon-birds earlier! With their speed talents, if I'd seized them and stripped their innate powers, we might've refined a treasure for swift flight."
Now, when Venti spoke of slaughtering demons for treasures, he did so without a shred of guilt.
He even regretted holding back earlier.
"Seems my next trip to the Scripture Pavilion should be to select a top-grade movement art."
Zhongli sighed.
"In Teyvat, sword-flight seemed fast enough. But here, in this true world of demons, I've learned—sword-flight is but the most basic form. Many are far swifter."
"By the way—what of the spirit fruit we obtained earlier?" Ningguang asked suddenly.
Xiao quickly pulled it from his robes.
"Here!"
And he handed it to Ganyu.
Jiang Yan's gaze flicked toward it, his brows lifting in faint surprise.
"So that's why the three-headed demon bird marked you. You truly stumbled upon a treasure."
At once, the disciples' spirits soared.
Ningguang smiled.
"All thanks to Ganyu's good fortune."
Ganyu flushed with embarrassment.
"Please, don't tease me. There's no such thing as luck. Because of me, we were targeted by a demon king."
"No matter," Madame Ping reassured, patting her shoulder.
"Even if not now, we'd be targeted sooner or later. Better to get it over with."
"And now that chaos grips the Myriad Demon Mountains, we'll find plenty of chances to fish in troubled waters. It may not be such a bad thing."
Ganyu lowered her head, silent, still guilty.
"Master, is it truly that precious?" Lisa shifted the topic.
Jiang Yan chuckled, nodding.
"From every angle, it is invaluable."
"This is a Qingyuan Fruit, the chief ingredient for refining third-grade Spirit Pill: the Bisuì Dan."
"The Bisuì Dan imprints a divine rune of movement upon one's bones. Even a Spirit Transformation cultivator would see their speed multiplied."
"Not quite a Heaven-bestowed divine ability, but close."
"If the three-headed demon bird had swallowed this fruit, its innate speed would have increased further. No wonder it lingered in the borderlands, waiting."
Alice blinked.
"Heaven-bestowed divine bodies?!"
Jiang Yan only smiled faintly, touching Klee's brow with his finger.
Though she existed here only in spiritual form, Klee lit up at the familiar warmth of her beloved Master.
Everyone who witnessed the gesture felt a subtle revelation—divine bodies truly were the peak of cultivation talent.
"Master, how many contribution points would this Qingyuan Fruit fetch?" Ganyu asked eagerly.
Jiang Yan replied lightly:
"Thirteen thousand."
"So much?!"
Ganyu tightened her grip around the fruit.
"Of course. As the main ingredient for a third-grade pill, its value is beyond measure."
"A single Bisuì Dan can fetch well over a hundred thousand contribution points."
"And even if consumed raw, the Qingyuan Fruit yields powerful effects."
"You've truly found a treasure."
The disciples were overjoyed. Though the credit and contribution would belong to Ganyu, this discovery opened a promising path.
In the chaos of the Myriad Demon Mountains, they could surely plunder further gains.
Perhaps even stumble upon the corpses of great beasts—an easy windfall.
So long as they avoided peak Spirit Transformation monsters, they could manage.
While Zhongli and the others were not yet polished in their arts, and weaker than demons who had cultivated for centuries, they had numbers.
Unless besieged by multiple great demons at once, they had the chance to strike it rich.
The risk was great, but so too the reward.
Ganyu studied the Qingyuan Fruit in her hand. Though bright red, its name was "Qingyuan"—she suspected such names carried meaning in the cultivation world.
But leaving it out in the open would bleed away its aura.
She smiled faintly.
"Klee, could you help me store this fruit in your ring?"
"Of course, Ganyu-jiejie!" Klee beamed, holding out her hands.
But just as Ganyu moved to pass it over—
A flash of blue light streaked past, so swift none perceived it.
In that instant, Ganyu felt her palm lighten. She turned—
The fruit was gone.
"Over there!"
Venti pointed sharply to a nearby branch.
The disciples looked up.
Perched upon the branch was a bird, its feathers a lustrous blue, crest long and elegant, tail-feathers streaming like flowing silk.
Its eyes shone with intelligence.
Between its beak glowed the Qingyuan Fruit.
Its talons gripped the branch so tightly grooves split the bark.
"Not again—another bird!"
Venti's cheeks puffed with anger as he glared.
"From now on, my most hated demon-beasts are birds!"
"Seize it—get the fruit back!" Keqing urged anxiously.
"And don't let it live! If it escapes, our trail will be exposed!"
At once, Venti rode his sword toward the bird.
It studied him calmly. Just as he reached out to seize it—
The bird flickered, vanishing, and appeared atop another tree.
Its posture unchanged. Still holding the fruit. Still watching silently.
The sheer speed made every heart sink.
When it stole the fruit earlier, at least there had been a blur of light.
Now—it was like teleportation.
"Careful." Zhongli brandished the Vortex Vanquisher, eyes narrowed.
"Such speed means its strength is formidable."
Venti halted, no longer reckless. The group faced the bird warily.
Time stretched.
Then, with a casual tilt of its head, the bird swallowed the fruit whole.
"Damn it—it ate our spoils!"
Venti flung his sword like lightning—
But the bird blurred again, reappearing elsewhere, wings fluttering happily, crying in clear tones.
"…It's mocking me?!" Venti gaped.
Ningguang sighed, troubled.
"Its speed is too great. First Seat, can you catch it?"
"The fruit is gone—that matters little. But if it warns others, our journey ends here."
Zhongli frowned, shaking his head.
"No. Its movement leaves no trace. Far too fast."
The disciples' unease deepened.
"…Yet I sense no hostility," Zhongli added uncertainly.
"No killing intent at all."
Jiang Yan chuckled softly beside Ganyu.
"You won't catch it. Best give up."
As if to prove his words, the bird gave a ringing cry.
And suddenly, dozens—hundreds—of identical blue birds filled the trees.
Each a mirror, each moving in perfect synchronicity.
Their combined cries made the disciples' heads ache.
Alice steadied her mind, peering carefully—then frowned.
"Wait… no. They're illusions!"
"Illusions?!"
At once, they probed with divine sense.
Indeed, every bird was false—save one.
"There!"
Venti shouted, lunging toward the true one—
But his hand sliced through empty air. Another illusion.
The phantom chirped right in his face. A taunting call.
Venti nearly exploded, sweeping his senses again, charging again.
Ten times, twenty times—every grasp failed.
The bird never struck back. It only mocked, teased, and toyed with him.
"Damn it! Quit hiding! If you've got guts, fight me, you stupid bird!"
At last, the disciples realized—this bird wasn't trying to kill them.
It wasn't even signaling others. It was… simply toying with Venti.
A strange, dissonant realization.
Jiang Yan smiled faintly.
"You've finally noticed? No need for tension. This is no demon beast."
"This… is a spirit beast. The Qingluan."
To read 220+ future chapters, head over to Patreon:
patreon.com/WhiteDevil7554