Chapter 188: Giant Stone Demon

The Nightmare Knights looked at each other with strange expressions and felt a vague sense of foreboding. "Another immortal..."

The place was originally desolate, with no signs of human activity except for the Nightmare Knights stationed by the Ji Family. Even the Ji Family's disciples rarely set foot here.

Even the late immortal revered by the Ji Family wouldn’t have casually stepped into this place. However, so many immortals suddenly arrived today.

Was something going to happen?

Ancestor Xia Yu's expression slightly changed, showing a hint of seriousness as he clasped his fists in greeting. "May I ask who the two of you are?"

"We are disciples of Wuchang Mountain. I am Li Xiuming. This is my junior sister, Chaoxiang Palace, Mi Sheng," replied Li Xiuming, sweeping his gaze over the group and then bowing slightly to Xia Yu.

"Chaoxiang Palace? Mi Sheng? What a strange name," remarked Li Daoye with a peculiar expression. "What is your relationship with the Yingcang Empire?"

"Yingcang Empire?" Mi Sheng was slightly taken aback. "I have never heard of it. My surname comes from my clan which is extremely far away from here."

Li Daoye and Fang Chen exchanged glances.

Fang Chen had a vague guess that these people from the Yingcang Empire might have originated from the same bloodline of certain major clans.

After exchanging names, Li Xiuming got straight to the point with a smile. "My junior sister and I unexpectedly obtained an ancient map that contains the location of a powerful cultivator's cave dwelling. It should be nearby. Do we perhaps share the same goal?"

Ancestor Xia Yu and the others fell into contemplation. They had no recollection of a sect called Wuchang Mountain.

After a few breaths of careful consideration, Xia Yu said, "Our destination should be the same.

𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Li Xiuming's eyes brightened. "That's great. Have you found the precise location?" he said, then added. "It can be considered fate that we’ve met. Also, you don’t have to worry; the items inside can be evenly divided among us."

"Can your words even be trusted?" mused Xia Yu aloud.

"Disciples of the Wuchang Mountain never break their promises,” assured Li Xiuming.

Ancestor Xia Yu consulted with Fang Chen, and after a few moments of careful thought, they decided to bring the two of them along. Because even if they didn't, the two would eventually find the cave-dwelling, anyway. It was evident that the cultivation bases of Li Xiuming and his junior sister were both higher than Xia Yu's. It was better to cooperate than to be enemies.

The group was then guided by the Nightmare Knights, and soon, they came up to an ordinary-looking cave entrance after an hour.

Mi Sheng was somewhat skeptical. "Senior Brother, is this place really a cave dwelling of a powerful cultivator? There aren't even any restrictions outside...."

Xia Yu glanced at the leader of the Nightmare Knights and said, "How does the Ji Family deal with this place? How often did you go in, and what's inside? Tell us the truth."

"This..." The leader of the Nightmare Knights hesitated. If he spoke, it would be equivalent to betraying the Ji Family. He couldn't bear the responsibility of such a crime. However, not saying anything would be troublesome in front of a group of powerful immortals.

"I advise you to tell the truth. The Ji Family won't blame you," said Li Daoye with a wicked smile.

Li Xiuming looked at Li Daoye, and a strange expression flashed in his eyes. Why would Xia Yu, who was an eighth-stage Qi Refining cultivator, bring along a third-stage Qi Refining cultivator for treasure hunting? He was also rather curious about Fang Chen; there was something peculiar about his aura, he just couldn't put his finger on what it was.

"Esteemed immortals, this cave has its own unique space. After entering, you will arrive in a very strange place with vast terrain, wherein various exotic flowers and plants grow. Those plants can greatly enhance the cultivation of martial artists," said the leader of the Nightmare Knights, gritting his teeth. "Not only that, but there are also many fierce exotic beasts inside. The Nightmare Warhorse is one of them. However, once you enter, you must stay for at least ten days before you can leave. It is full of dangers inside, with giant stone monsters that can spew fire, as well as ferocious beasts capable of swallowing dozens of people in one gulp. There are also these spirit stones which immortals are particularly fond of. Every three years, the Ji Family organizes a group of experts to enter, consisting of around three to five hundred people. In the end, only about a dozen of them manage to come out alive. The beasts inside are impervious to conventional weapons, and the methods of martial artists are ineffective against them.”

Li Xiuming nodded slowly. "These ferocious beasts may have cultivated one or two immortal veins so they have spiritual energy protecting them. Your internal qi would naturally be useless against them." He then looked at Ancestor Xia Yu. "Brother Xia, since ordinary mortals can enter and come out alive, the dangers inside should be manageable for us. Shall we go in now?"

"What do you all think?" Xia Yu looked toward the others, but he was primarily focused on Fang Chen’s opinion.

"Let's go in," said Fang Chen with a nod. He then led the rest into the cave.

Seeing that they’d all entered the cave, the Nightmare Knights’s leader’s respectful expression fizzled out, replaced with a more serious one. He took out a dragon-shaped seal from his bosom and slowly pressed it into a groove next to the cave.

"The entrance has been closed, and it can only be opened a year from now." The leader of the Nightmare Knights sneered. He instructed his subordinates, saying, "Quickly return to the Ji Family and report that immortals have invaded this place and are now trapped within."

"Yes!"

Several Nightmare Knights quickly left, and the others showed a sly smile, looking at their leader. "Boss, you are indeed smart. Despite their strong abilities, they don't seem to use their heads much. I can’t believe they entered without any hesitation. They won't last a year inside. Even the immortal we revere don't dare to easily enter this place full of dangers."

*

As the group stepped into the cave, they found themselves in a lush green canyon. A rumbling sound came from the entrance behind them.

Following that, a forbidden formation that resembled a golden eight trigram emerged, sealing the entrance.

Li Daoye immediately used his qi to probe. "This forbidden formation sure is formidable!" he exclaimed. "Its aura is profound. I'm afraid even the Foundation Building Realm cultivators would find it challenging to break through!"

"No worries, it will dissipate on its own after ten days. I believe they won't dare deceive us," said Ancestor Xia Yu with a faint smile.

Li Daoye suddenly pointed to the distance. "Look, are those Nightmare Warhorses?"

Everyone followed his finger and saw a group of hundreds, or even thousands, of horses galloping. Each one was robust and stalwart. These were unmistakably the same mounts the Nightmare Knights used, the Nightmare Warhorses.

"They've absorbed some spiritual energy, but they haven't reached the level of demons," commented Li Xiuming with a faint smile. "These horses were probably just ordinary wild horses a long time ago. They were raised here by the master of this place. Over time, they underwent some transformation. They are at most comparable to some martial artists."

"Senior Brother, does that mean there might be demons here?" asked Mi Sheng with a slight change in her expression.

Demons!

Xia Yu and the others showed a touch of seriousness. The abilities of demons were not to be underestimated. Before entering, they had already made some plans. Since the place was dangerous, encountering one or two demons was entirely normal.

"You jinx!" exclaimed Li Daoye suddenly. "As soon as you mention demons, here comes one!"

An ordinary-looking stone pillar suddenly stood up a hundred feet away. It transformed into a giant demon over two meters tall, with dark green flames blanketing its body.

It stared coldly at everyone.