Chapter 46: 046. People of the True Realm, Demons of the True Realm (Part 1)

Time passed like this, in the flowing sweat and tireless, sleepless effort, for over a month; in the blink of an eye it was already August, with only a few days left until the Mid‑Autumn Festival.

Here, of course, the local calendar is used: autumn falls in the seventh, eighth, and ninth months, and by the tenth month the frost has already set in.

During this month, Wang Wu's study of otherworldly scripts has been highly effective, and his progress in cultivation techniques is also considerable.

He has no clue at all about the Yunhe Gate techniques and hasn't even entered the gate. However, he has barely gotten the basics of the Yinji Divine Sect methods; his internal skill is about five percent complete, and he has already refined some Yinji true Qi, which is fairly fast.

He was born in February, his Five Elements attribute is water, so in theory he is more suited to practicing the Profound Yin Technique. Yet he can also learn the metal‑based methods, since metal generates water, after all.

As for the Jitian Vajra Gate techniques, he feels he is about to achieve the 'Heavenly Demon Vajra Body' and has already faintly crossed its threshold.

After attaining the Heavenly Demon Vajra Body, he will also receive a speed‑boost buff for refining Jitian Vajra Gate techniques; the exact value depends on the refinement progress of his Heavenly Demon Vajra Body.

Once the Heavenly Demon Vajra Body is formed, it must continue to be refined from Ninth Rank to First Rank, until the ultimate 'Imperishable Vajra Body'.

The Yunhe Gate techniques are very difficult, extremely difficult; in Assassin Brother's words:

The Yunhe Gate is the foremost Profound Yin sect of the age, and its sect master is the current top expert in the world, so naturally its techniques are intended for geniuses.

If you find it hard and can't enter, that simply shows you're still too worthless; our sect's techniques aren't suitable for you.

As for the Yinji Divine Sect, it could rank second, but it's still far from the first. Because of that gap, it is relatively simpler and suitable for the incompetent and mediocre.

The Jitian Vajra Gate is indeed the top Vajra sect of the age, but due to the special nature of its techniques, the difficulty of cultivation at higher realms is extremely high.

As he talks, Assassin Brother often begins to recommend his cultivation supplements. If one's innate talent is insufficient, can't you just take medicine? What is the purpose of human civilization's development? Isn't it to achieve greater results with less effort?

Hydrogen‑Bo Dragon, Teli Dragon, Oxygen‑De Dragon, Qu‑Kang Dragon, Feili Dragon—various supplements, whether injectable or oral, are all available.

Unfortunately, despite his craving for those supplements, Wang Wu is powerless to obtain them.

He has no money, no currency, no bank card from that side—nothing. Even if he had, he couldn't receive the goods because he is in another universe.

Sigh, at a time like this, no matter how much Wang Wu longs, he can only let out a long sigh.

Sigh.

Morning, 8:30.

Having eaten breakfast, Wang Wu stepped outside, stretched lazily, then fetched a cup of water from the tank, grabbed his toothbrush, and headed out to brush his teeth.

Since his trip to human society, the few monsters' homes have acquired many practical gadgets: water cups, toothbrushes, towels, toothpaste, and soap—every kind of small trinket.

Of course, there are also pots, bowls, and pans; those are indispensable.

"Wu Lang, you're up this early?"

Just as Wang Wu was about to go out to brush his teeth, Wu Er Niang's voice came from behind. Wu Er Niang had come yesterday to dig a new area for his home; since it was night when the work finished, Wang Wu let her stay over for the night.

Of course, the two had also arranged to go out together today to take care of something.

"Yeah," Wang Wu turned his head toward Wu Er Niang, who was sitting on his bed, and smiled, "Are you planning to get up, Er Niang, or sleep a bit longer?"

"Of course I'm up," Wu Er Niang said with a smile, "Where are we going hunting today?"

"We'll decide after breakfast," Wang Wu said.

Wu Er Niang grabbed the discarded clothing on the floor, draped it over herself, also took a cup and a toothbrush, scooped a cup of water, and went out with Wang Wu.

Outside the door, the two monsters brushed their teeth together, watching the mist that always drifted through Wang Gu Lin regardless of morning, noon, or night, and inhaling the faint, fishy stench of the forest.

Even though more than a month has passed since his return, the few wonderful days he spent in He Dong Xian remain vivid in his mind.

After all, the soft large bed, the advanced bathroom, and the bustling crowds on the streets, the alleys filled with the scent of fireworks…

"Sigh."

Wang Wu let out a sigh.

"Wu Lang, why are you always sighing?" Wu Er Niang, brushing her teeth, asked curiously upon hearing Wang Wu's sigh.

"I'm merely reflecting on the stark contrast between the bustling human society and this Wang Gu Lin," Wang Wu said, "If only my monster clan had such prosperous cities…"

"They do."

"Hm?" Wang Wu was taken aback by the remark.

"When there were other monsters here before," Wu Er Niang said with a smile, "I heard other monsters say that on Xumang Mountain in Yuanzhou, there is a monster city governed by our clan."

"Xumang Mountain?" Wang Wu turned his head toward her.

"Hmm," Wu Er Niang recalled, "They say it's called… Baiyu City? Yuanzhou seems to be in the neighboring prefecture of the hill where Third Sister used to be."

"Gurgle gurgle, puff— if there's a chance in the future, I'll definitely go see it," Wang Wu said after rinsing his mouth, spitting out the water and nodding.

"I want to go too," Wu Er Niang said.

"No problem, we'll go together then," Wang Wu took the towel off his shoulder, wiped his mouth, gave Wu Er Niang a kiss on the neck, and turned back into the cave.

As the Mid‑Autumn Festival approaches, daylight grows shorter. Even though they finished eating and left at 9:30 a. m., the sky was still a hazy dawn.

As the season progresses, daylight will keep shrinking until, finally, day disappears completely and only boundless darkness remains.

That is Great Cold, the final stage of winter.

After that comes the revival of all things, spring's warmth and blooming.

The two didn't eat much this morning; over the past month Wu Er Niang has studied scripts and a cooking book, learning a lot. Today they went out to procure meat so she could learn how to make that red‑braised pork.

There are various seasonings, salt, pots, bowls, and pans, plus a jumble of skill manuals; naturally, life will improve.

Now the three monsters' mouths have been well‑trained; basically, they're unwilling to eat anything without seasoning, which keeps Wu Er Niang quite busy daily, having to cook for the three monsters.

She actually enjoys it; after all, when there were few seasonings before, she could use her own venom to concoct the widely praised 'ferocious dish', even though it made diners suffer for a few days.

For convenience, the monsters now often live together, sharing meals and drinks.

"Wu Lang, where are we going?"

Leaving the cave, a refreshed Wu Er Niang followed Wang Wu and asked.

"I'm not familiar with this place either; you've lived here for two hundred years, and you're asking me?" Wang Wu laughed, hugging Wu Er Niang's shoulder, teasing, "Er Niang, this really falls on you."

"Then Wu Lang, let's go…"

Seeing Wu Er Niang's gaze grow increasingly odd, Wang Wu hurriedly released his hand. Monsters are like that; you can't be too affectionate, or they'll instantly shift whatever they're doing into that direction.

"First, let's get to work, Er Niang!" Wang Wu said seriously.

"Oh…" Wu Er Niang was evidently a bit disappointed.

In the Wang Gu Lin, two black figures darted swiftly along the branches; during the brief pause, one could see they were a pair of men and women of peerless beauty.

The man wore a dark violet robe with flame patterns of thick cotton and a round collar, while the woman wore a teal‑blue robe embroidered with bird and cloud motifs and a turned‑down collar. They wore mythical beast jade belts and cowhide tube boots.

One had a black rhinoceros‑inlaid golden‑sheathed waist knife at his belt and wore a white jade crown; the other wore a purple jade crown and bore a long sword at his waist.

Wu Er Niang cannot wield a sword; she hangs one merely for show. Among demons, those who can use human weapons are all top talents who have seen the world.

For example, Zhu San Niang knows a little gunmanship.

Within the Wang Gu Lin there are some relatively less dangerous zones, where one can usually see many animals.

These zones are divided into shallow and deep layers; humans dare not enter the deep layer. There are more animals, and demons usually hunt there.

The shallow layer is the outer fringe of the safer part of the Wang Gu Lin; occasionally human figures appear, but generally no demons act there.

Moreover, there were already few demons left here, and after that incident, they dared even less to act.

The two demons sped along and soon reached a place over 170 kilometers from their lair. It was already beyond the bounds of He Xi Xian, and beyond that no one knows what lies ahead.

Their speed is great; at full sprint they can cover nearly two hundred kilometers in an hour, far surpassing a cheetah's speed on Earth.

And unlike a cheetah, which must gasp after a short burst, they can maintain that speed for several hours.

So Wang Wu could still run before; when facing that ghost and that demon, he had a chance to escape. As long as he abandoned his companions and seized the moment the demon was killing, he could dismount and flee.

Though the odds were slim, after all the opponent was also a transformed demon, considerably stronger than him.

"Er Niang, do you usually hunt here?"

On a tree in the deep safe zone, Wang Wu and Wu Er Niang stopped together. He looked at Wu Er Niang beside him and asked.

"Yes." Wu Er Niang nodded, but the next second a sudden massive roar interrupted her:

"Roar—!!"

The two demons instantly turned toward the source; that spot was already close to Si Hun Shan, but not yet fully within the danger zone.

"What's happening?" The two met each other's gaze, both seeing the weighty look in the other's eyes.

"I don't know either." Wu Er Niang shook her head. "There are few demons here now, but there are still some in Si Hun Shan; those demons…" Mentioning the demons in Si Hun Shan, Wu Er Niang's face showed fear, "I'm afraid…"

"Wait, there are cultivators too!!?" Wang Wu looked that way; his cultivation method let him perceive more than Wu Er Niang could, not only powerful cultivators and demons but also the dead qi over there.

"A cultivator died, a very strong one. And there was more than one." Wang Wu turned his head to Wu Er Niang, "That demon is also near death."

"Shall we go take a look?" he asked.

Wu Er Niang said nothing, a hint of worry in her eyes, but she still nodded.

Cultivators, very strong cultivators. That implies human pills, and also…

Humans die for wealth, birds die for food. Demons are creatures driven by desire, often daring to take risks.

The two figures leapt swiftly through the forest again; that spot was not far from here, and before long they arrived at the place where the roar came from.

"Roar—!!!"

And at that moment, another massive roar.

In the forest, a colossal beast about seven meters tall let out a long howl to the sky; a long sword pierced its forehead deep into its brain, the blade glowing blue and buzzing. The sword continued to pour energy into its brain, intending to destroy its neural tissue.

The sheep demon's abdomen was torn open with a huge wound; its entrails had already spilled out, falling to the ground and emitting a nauseating stench.

At this moment, the sheep demon clutched a female cultivator; she was still alive, but her face was full of despair.

After the long howl, the beast lowered its head, looking at the person in its grasp; its red eyes showed a cruel smile. Those were not the ordinary red eyes of Zhu San Niang, but the demonic eyes that signify lost reason and imminent demonic transformation.

Horizontal pupils, curved horns, long hair—this was a sheep demon. Moreover, a true‑realm sheep demon, the so‑called "Great Demon."

"Creak—"

The sheep demon opened its massive blood‑filled maw, biting the cultivator's upper body; her body was instantly torn in two, blood gushing like a fountain, entrails and flesh scattering on the ground.

With one bite, the cultivator's leg still twitched, but the long sword at the sheep demon's forehead faded and shattered in an instant.

"Er Niang." Glancing at the demon, Wang Wu felt an inexplicable surge of impulse. With that feeling, he called out to Wu Er Niang and whispered:

"We'll kill it."

He wanted to eat the sheep demon, not its flesh but its pill. Deep within its body, now glowing black in Wang Wu's sight…

"Demon Pill."

It was a half‑demon, but unlike the half‑demon from that day, its pill somehow held a deadly allure for Wang Wu.

And Wang Wu's words were not born of desire that robbed him of reason; he could see its condition. At this moment, in Wang Wu's eyes, it was already a candle flickering in the wind.

Though it still possessed some power, it was certainly not beyond what he and Wu Er Niang could handle now.

"Wu Lang?" Wu Er Niang hesitated slightly, but when she saw Wang Wu, seeing the fire burning in his eyes, she nodded.

"Alright."

(End of chapter)