Chapter 1189, Reaching the Mountain’s Waist

Translator: Silavin

  

Below the towering peak, nearly one hundred scattered figures were spread across the area, with still more streaks of light shooting in from the distance at regular intervals.

 

Most of these figures travelled alone, though a few had formed small groups of three to five.

 

Even among those who had banded together into such temporary little gangs, a thick undercurrent of wariness ran between them. Had their individual strength been sufficient, most would never have joined any such group in the first place.

 

“Little Brother, want to join us?” While Qin Yichen was studying the Vibrant Vermilion Peak before him, a voice rose from behind.

 

He turned to look, and saw three figures walking toward him.

 

At the front was a middle-aged man who appeared to be roughly thirty years of age. From the aura faintly emanating from him, it was clear he was a Peak Stage Martial Ancestor.

 

At this moment, his face wore a warmth that put one somewhat at ease, and it was apparent he was a seasoned veteran of the Myriad Beasts Domain.

 

The other two men, one tall and willowy and one short, both radiated the fluctuations of Late Stage Martial Ancestors. They were currently eyeing Qin Yichen’s rather youthful-looking face with barely concealed disdain.

 

Though they themselves were here precisely because their own strength was insufficient and they had attached themselves to this Peak Stage Martial Ancestor’s small group, they had absolutely no desire to bring along any dead weight.

 

“Join you?”

 

Qin Yichen took no notice whatsoever of the two men’s gazes. Ordinary Late Stage Martial Ancestors were simply beneath his consideration.

 

“Heh heh, Little Brother, this Vibrant Vermilion Peak is not something just anyone can climb. An ordinary Martial Ancestor cannot even make it past the mountain’s waist.”

 

The middle-aged man gave a light chuckle and smiled at Qin Yichen.

 

“Oh?”

 

Qin Yichen’s eyes narrowed slightly, and with a look of polite curiosity he asked, “Is there something different about the area above the waist?”

 

“Little Brother may not be aware, but from its waist upward, Vibrant Vermilion Peak is blanketed in ice year-round, with wind and snow blowing without ceasing. There is no shortage of rare treasures up there, yet not a single Demonic Beast dares set foot in that region, nor does any dare lay a paw on those treasures.”

 

The middle-aged man seemed to regard Qin Yichen with particular interest, and despite the evident objections of the two behind him, explained on regardless.

 

At this point, the middle-aged man’s words came to a deliberate pause.

 

“Because of the Saint Realm Demonic Beast, right?”

 

Qin Yichen’s eyes narrowed slightly and he murmured quietly. The middle-aged man across from him simply looked at him, smiling without reply.

 

“I shall leave it up to you to find out, Little Bother.”

 

Seeing this, Qin Yichen understood the man had no intention of sharing his deeper knowledge, and immediately cupped his fists politely.

 

“My name is Fang Zhong. If Little Brother doesn’t mind, you can just call me Brother Fang.”

 

The middle-aged man laughed loudly and said, “Little Brother, come with me to find a few more capable people and we’ll travel together. It’s always good to have someone watching your back.”

 

“*Hmph.* A young brat who still smells of milk, and he thinks he’s qualified to travel alongside us?”

 

“One look and you can tell he’s all surface and no substance. That cultivation level of his was probably gained from Pills.”

 

Fang Zhong’s invitation, however, did not sit well with the two behind him. They gave Qin Yichen not a shred of face, and cold-humped their displeasure directly.

 

“This one is Mao Gan, and that one over there is Zhang Qun.”

 

Fang Zhong carried on as though he had heard nothing, and introduced the pair to Qin Yichen with a smile.

 

Qin Yichen simply gave the two a mild nod. Two people who looked down on him were simply not worth his attention. Rather, he was slightly curious whether Fang Zhong had noticed something.

 

After entering the Myriad Beasts Domain, he had deliberately altered his features somewhat, taking on the appearance of a scholarly young gentleman quite unlike Qin Yichen. In principle, anyone without a deep familiarity with him ought to be unable to tell the difference.

 

“Perhaps he simply has sharp instincts.”

 

Under Fang Zhong’s lead, two more Late Stage Martial Ancestors and one Peak Stage Martial Ancestor joined their temporary little group, and throughout it all, Qin Yichen never detected anything unusual from Fang Zhong.

 

It seemed the man had simply been following gut instinct when he had drawn him in.

 

The seven of them, having reached a mutual agreement not to strike at one another within the group, set off up Vibrant Vermilion Peak. Even with two Peak Stage Martial Ancestors leading the way with cautious care, they still encountered several formidable Demonic Beasts along the route.

 

Yet with everyone fighting together, these beasts proved to not be an issue and were dealt with without too much difficulty.

 

As for the Beast Cores, they were divided directly between Fang Zhong and the other Peak Stage Martial Ancestors, and the remaining members raised no objection.

 

After all, at the Peak Stage Martial Ancestor Realm, even without lifting a finger, pure strength alone was enough to entitle them to such privileges within this small group.

 

Qin Yichen simply followed along. He raised no comment about the division of Beast Cores, and throughout the journey he seldom made a move, and whenever he did, he took considerable care to suppress his strength so as not to reveal anything too extraordinary.

 

Fang Zhong, meanwhile, seemed almost deliberately to be testing him. Twice he steered two separate Demonic Beasts toward Qin Yichen’s vicinity, as though trying to force him to show his hand. Both times, Qin Yichen resisted for a brief moment before retreating as though outmatched.

 

After two such tests, Fang Zhong’s attitude toward Qin Yichen cooled noticeably from its earlier warmth, and as they continued to climb, Qin Yichen and the other Late Stage Martial Ancestors found themselves treated rather like disposable scouts, dispatched to the front on various pretexts by Fang Zhong again and again.

 

The other Late Stage Martial Ancestors were inwardly furious at this arrangement, yet none dared to say a word against it. They simply gritted their teeth and pressed forward with careful steps.

 

Perhaps because Fang Zhong and the other Peak Stage Martial Ancestor still saw some use in them, whenever genuine danger arose, they did not hold back too much and invariably pulled the scouts out at the last possible moment.

 

But outside of outward appearances, nobody felt the slightest gratitude.

 

Because everyone knew perfectly well that the moment they ceased to be useful to Fang Zhong and his partner, forget being rescued, those two would most likely simply swallow them whole.

 

In the Myriad Beasts Domain, such things had long since become the norm.

 

And so, beneath these mutually scheming thoughts, an entire day was spent grinding forward. The Demonic Beasts encountered along the way were a constant and exhausting nuisance, and Qin Yichen’s group began to slow considerably.

 

For they noticed that the temperature in the world around them had begun dropping at an alarming rate.

 

Before them now, the lush and verdant mountain forest had abruptly given way, replaced entirely by a world of silver and white, where frigid winds howled through a realm of ice, carrying with them snowflakes that whirled and moaned through the frozen landscape.