This was the most rugged and imposing city either of them had ever seen, constructed from massive blocks of refined steelstone that rendered it indestructible. Exuding a chilling air of slaughter, it stood like an upright, towering figure on the border between the human race and the demon race, suppressing and slaying any invading foe.
The three grand characters reading "Demon Quelling Pass" were by no means mere decoration either. They were an exceptionally rare supreme treasure capable of distinguishing humans from transformed demon beasts. Anyone entering the city had to pass beneath the light cast by this treasure to prove their innocence, and Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou were no exception.
"My uncle is garrisoned at Demon Locking Pass, so it looks like I won't get to see him," Meng Jingzhou said, shaking his head with some regret.
"Out of the way! Make way! My brother is injured and needs a healer!" Just as the two were about to enter the city, shouting rang out behind them. Two burly men were carrying a stretcher bearing a rather gaunt figure who was wailing in agony.
The crowd parted of their own accord to clear a path. Who would have thought that as the group went to dash into the pass, light from the three characters of "Demon Quelling Pass" enveloped the trio? With shrill cries of agony, white smoke billowed from their bodies as they reverted to their true forms.
Those two burly men were actually giant wolves, and the one on the stretcher was no human cultivator either, but an uninjured old bei!
The soldiers guarding the gates of Demon Quelling Pass reacted with lightning speed. Without the slightest hesitation, they struck decisively, raising their spears and halberds to slay the three demon beasts!
Demon beasts attempting to sneak into Demon Quelling Pass were an occasional occurrence, and their fate was always the same: death!
Once inside Demon Quelling Pass, the two saw vendors carrying demon beast pelts and inner cores while hawking them in the streets, others selling healing pills that they claimed were twenty percent cheaper than in shops, and still others boasting of their high cultivation to offer bodyguard services.
These people were just like the city itself: rough-hewn, bold, and uninhibited.
The two first found an inn to rest for the night, recover their stamina, and get a clear picture of their current situation.
Pointing at a map, Lu Yang analyzed the intelligence they had gathered.
"This is Demon Quelling Pass, two hundred thousand li away from Demon Locking Pass where your uncle is stationed. The dense forest we passed through earlier is the dividing line between the Great Xia Dynasty and the Demon Domain, separating the two sides. It's a neutral zone that doesn't belong to any faction's territory.
"Only by crossing the dense forest and passing through a stretch of thick fog can one reach the true Demon Domain.
"While I was at it, I also asked the newspaper vendor. He said this place is a major hub for demon beast trade, and the Falling Coin Chamber of Commerce's flying boats make scheduled trips here. There's one arriving tomorrow around noon. What do you think—should we head back?"
Meng Jingzhou was just about to say, *Does that even need asking? Of course we go back,* but the words died on his lips, and he changed his mind.
"Go back? Why should we go back? That forest gave us such a beating. If we don't teach those demon beasts a lesson, how are we supposed to hold our heads up if word gets out?"
A broad grin broke across Lu Yang's face. "What a coincidence. I was thinking the exact same thing."
The two hit it off at once and decided to stay here for a while. They wouldn't return until they had made something of themselves.
Going back in such a disheveled and disgraced state simply wasn't their style.
"What a pity that little fellow Man Gu didn't come along," the Immortal Fairy said, shaking her head regretfully in the spiritual space. "The Ancient Barbarian bloodline within him has a natural suppression over demon beasts."
Lu Yang suspected that when Eldest Senior Sister was standing behind them earlier, the Immortal Fairy had known full well, and the only reason she hadn't warned him was that she wanted to watch him make a fool of himself.
A perfectly logical suspicion.
Soon, Lu Yang was drawn in by the Immortal Fairy's topic. "There's such a thing?"
At the mention of this, the Immortal Fairy grew exceptionally proud. Resting one hand on her hip, looking very much like a ruler surveying her realm, she declared, "Of course! Did you think this immortal merely raised the Barbarian clan's ceiling of wisdom and shared wisdom with them? Back then, I also shared a tiny fraction of my power with them!
"Who do you think this immortal is? How many ancient demon beasts do you think I ate just to produce the *Complete Culinary Arts*?
"The ancient demon beasts' fear toward this immortal was rooted in their very bloodlines! Having received a negligible sliver of my power, Man Gu indirectly acquired that trait as well. Facing demon beasts, he naturally counters them!
"Relying on this immortal's gift, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say the Ancient Barbarians could swagger through the demon race! Against opponents an entire major realm lower, their bloodline pressure alone could make them grovel. And if they ran into ones of the same level, taking on two at once was child's play!"
Just as Lu Yang was about to praise the Immortal Fairy for being so mighty and formidable, another question occurred to him:
"Can that suppression be temporarily hidden? For instance, when an Ancient Barbarian is hunting and waiting in ambush—if a demon beast draws near, even if it hasn't seen the Barbarian, won't its instincts make it fear the Ancient Barbarian bloodline and cause it to turn tail and flee?"
The Immortal Fairy fell into a calm, thoughtful silence for a moment before bursting into hearty laughter. "...Hahaha! You sure are thorough in your thinking! With this immortal protecting the Barbarian clan, how could they ever lack food?"
"Fairy, stop laughing and answer my question."
"Hahaha, the Barbarian clan had this immortal's protection!"
Lu Yang: "..."
Previously, Lu Yang had always wondered what the real difference was between the Ancient Barbarians and modern Barbarians. When he asked Man Gu, Man Gu hadn't been able to give a clear answer either. He only said that the Ancient Barbarians carried a mysterious power within their bodies that granted various abilities and provided immense help. But because this power was so formidable that it defied heavenly principles, it gradually faded and vanished over the passage of time.
As for what that mysterious power was, Man Gu didn't know, nor could the elders of the clan explain it clearly, saying only that it was a blessing from the heavens.
Thinking about it now, couldn't that mysterious power have been a hex cast by the Immortal Fairy?
As for why Man Gu was the only Ancient Barbarian left—whether it was natural selection and survival of the fittest, or because generations of reproduction had diluted the Immortal Fairy's power—no one knew.
"Actually, this immortal was very popular among the demon race, too."
Lu Yang looked at the Immortal Fairy suspiciously. *Really? Did the demons have their brains bashed in, to actually welcome you?*
"What, you don't believe me? The Qiongqi clan said the Taotie clan would welcome me to their lands with open arms, and the Taotie clan said the Qiongqi clan would love to have me over. I traveled all around the demon race, and everywhere I went was filled with laughter and cheers as they joyfully saw me off.
"It's quite understandable, really. After all, an immortal descending upon the demon race was like a blessing from heaven.
"Now do you see what immense good fortune you have, having me stay in your spiritual space? If nothing else, just look at ancient secrets—this immortal can recite them off the top of my head. Anyone else wouldn't be able to do what I can."
"Fairy, has a single one of the ancient secrets you've told ever been useful?"
Lu Yang felt he lacked the fate to endure such "good fortune." It was better left to someone whose life was tough enough to withstand it.
Someone like Eldest Senior Sister, for instance.
Back in reality, Lu Yang let out a long sigh. "Poor Man Gu."
Meng Jingzhou was thoroughly baffled. "What's wrong with Man Gu?"
The two of them were the ones suffering in the jungle—how on earth was Man Gu the pitiful one?
"Nothing. Let's keep discussing our next move."
Chapter 238