This was a silent canyon spanning dozens of miles, encircled by towering, colossal peaks from which thousands of feet of waterfalls cascaded, shrouded in dense mist, resembling an otherworldly paradise.

Near the streams from the waterfalls, several eighth or ninth-tier Spirit Cranes were drinking. Though wild, these spirit birds were inherently docile and would not attack unless provoked.

The Great Wing Warship slowly traversed the mid-air of the canyon, having just emerged from the Demon Realm passage.

Niu Qin observed the cultivators—the Saint Emperor, the Desolate Spirit Ghost Master, the Hatred Mountain Old Freak, and the Lotus Flower Clone—all meditating and resting in an open area below the canyon. They, too, had just exited the passage, having physically withstood the storm at the Demon Realm entrance, resulting in massive expenditures of magic power that necessitated immediate recovery.

Seeing that the valley was secluded and quiet, with no powerful demonic cultivators lurking about, Ye Qin finally felt reassured. He retracted the warship and descended, flying on his sword.

Whoosh!

Ye Qin landed on the grassland not far from the Saint Emperor and the others, surveying the surroundings.

This Silent Canyon was saturated with incredibly dense spiritual energy, likely over ten times stronger than the best spiritual islands in the East Sea Cultivation World. With such rich qi, one could absorb it simply by breathing, accumulating it subtly within the body—even without meditating or practicing cultivation techniques—where it would be absorbed by the Primordial Spirit and converted into vital energy.

"Is this the Demon Realm?!" Ye Qin couldn't hide his astonishment.

The valley was abundant with spirit grasses and flowers. Spiritual medicines common in the East Sea Cultivation World—such as mountain ginseng, lingzhi, huangjing, and scarlet flame fruits—were almost visible everywhere in this valley.

In the East Sea Cultivation World, spiritual herbs of this sort were usually harvested once they reached the second or third tier, used by cultivators to refine low-grade pills or brew spiritual wine. However, the wild herbs here were mostly above the seventh tier and had been entirely ignored.

The wild spirit herbs within these tens of miles of the valley were likely enough to sustain the Golden Core disciples of a major Immortal Palace for decades.

As an alchemist, Ye Qin inherently understood the value of the boundless spiritual medicine filling this valley.

"With spiritual energy this potent, comparable to a blessed cavern in the East Sea, cultivation speed here would increase tenfold! Even cultivators with average spiritual root aptitude might reach the Nascent Soul stage within two or three hundred years here!" While overjoyed, Ye Qin’s thoughts soon turned to apprehension. Demonic beasts growing in such an environment would also advance at divine speed, making it trivially easy for them to become Nascent Transformation stage demon cultivators. This Demon Realm was undoubtedly rife with powerful demonic cultivators!

The Saint Emperor, the Hatred Mountain Old Freak, and the Ghost Master, having recovered some of their magic power, now carefully surveyed the valley.

"The Demon Realm, truly worthy of its name! Even the best secluded island the old man found while searching the Blood Sea falls short of this place by ten times. Damn it, if I could have cultivated in seclusion here since childhood, I would have long broken through to the Soul Transformation stage and dominated the East Sea Cultivation World, instead of only reaching late Nascent Soul when my lifespan was nearly exhausted!"

The Hatred Mountain Old Freak grumbled a few times, greedily inhaling the spirit-laden air of the valley, wishing he could absorb every last bit of qi into his body.

Ye Qin nodded in agreement.

Even the top-tier spiritual islands of the East Sea Cultivation World were far less abundant in spiritual energy than this place. A single day of cultivation here was equivalent to more than ten days on the best East Sea islands. A hundred years here equaled a thousand years in the East Sea.

Such a rare spiritual haven would drive any East Sea cultivator mad, making them seek it at any cost!

However, the difficulty for East Sea cultivators to reach this place was far from ordinary.

The Ancient Eastern Demon Realm had always been a terrifying, legendary existence in the East Sea Cultivation World.

Since ancient times, very few cultivators had managed to enter the Demon Realm.

The boundless Demon Sea and Blood Sea, populated by countless sea beasts and demon tribes, alone prevented the East Sea cultivators from approaching. Furthermore, the violent storms within the passage to the Demon Realm entrance were enough to crush cultivators below the Nascent Soul stage into dust.

For cultivators whose power had not reached the Nascent Soul realm, attempting to enter the Demon Realm for cultivation was pure fantasy.

Only a very small number of supreme East Sea experts, having occasionally ventured deep into the Demon Sea, stumbled upon this marvelous Demon Realm. Most of these few great cultivators were already near the end of their lifespans upon reaching peak power; there was little benefit for them to remain in the Demon Realm, and they soon departed this perilous place.

The scant records they unintentionally left behind, which trickled down to the East Sea Cultivation World, were how the East Sea cultivators came to know of it.

For the vast majority of East Sea cultivators, whether the legendary Demon Realm truly existed was a major question, let alone entering it to cultivate.

Ye Qin's entry into the Demon Realm was possible because he met the minimum requirement of early Nascent Soul. Furthermore, having the three peak late-Nascent Soul cultivators—the Saint Emperor, the Desolate Spirit Ghost Master, and the Hatred Mountain Old Freak—accompanying him, and seizing the optimal moment of the Immortal-Demon War to sweep aside the demonic cultivators in the Demon Sea, allowed them to arrive safely. Otherwise, dreaming of reaching such a place would be futile.

"The very best spiritual islands in the East Sea Cultivation World are controlled by the Heavenly Dao Alliance and the Heavenly Demon Alliance. Yet, the spiritual energy in this valley is so rich, far surpassing those islands, and we haven't seen a single high-tier demonic beast emerge!" The Saint Emperor frowned, pondering.

"What's so strange about that? Valleys like this are probably scattered everywhere in the Demon Realm; there’s no need to monopolize them! Perhaps there are places ten or a hundred times better than this valley, and those Demon Sages of the Demon Realm simply aren't interested in staying in such a small valley," the Ghost Master sneered.

It seemed Ye Qin was not the only one astonished. Even peak Nascent Soul cultivators like the Saint Emperor, the Hatred Mountain Old Freak, and the Ghost Master were shocked by the abundance of spiritual energy in the Demon Realm, even entertaining fleeting thoughts of cultivating here.

Of course, such an almost absurd notion only flickered through their minds and was immediately dismissed.

"Never mind all that, we must hurry to find the Violet Spirit Yang Return Grass and leave the Demon Realm! This Ancient Eastern Demon Realm is the dwelling place of ancient demons spanning thousands or tens of thousands of years; it is no safe haven for us East Sea cultivators. The Violet Spirit Yang Return Grass grows in a place in the Demon Realm called 'Shaluo Trench,' an extremely perilous location. From this valley, we still have quite a distance to travel to reach the 'Shaluo Trench'!"

The Saint Emperor produced a map scroll of the Demon Realm.

This scroll was copied from a fragment of the Netherworld Great Technique, documenting the location of the Violet Spirit Yang Return Grass and the route to get there.

This map covered only a very small portion of the Demon Realm, but it was invaluable.

To prevent separation on the way, four copies of this map had been made, with each member of the party holding one.

"Move!"

The cultivators each employed techniques to conceal their aura.

They dared not fly by sword in the sky, opting instead to sneak along the ground to avoid encountering any demonic cultivators within the Demon Realm.

The danger level here was incomparable to the Demon Sea. The strongest in the Demon Sea were only peak twelfth-tier Demon Kings, no stronger than late Nascent Soul cultivators like the Saint Emperor, the Ghost Master, and the Hatred Mountain Old Freak. But here, they might encounter Demon Sages exceeding the thirteenth tier—powerful beings that only Soul Transformation cultivators could contend with. Ancient beasts like the Xu Niu were not uncommon in the Demon Realm.

Encountering a Demon Sage meant a nearly certain death.

Even the Saint Emperor did not wish to clash head-on with a Demon Sage. Having once reached the Soul Transformation realm, he understood the severity of the power involved. If his lifespan were not nearly depleted, and if he weren't seeking the Violet Spirit Yang Return Grass for reincarnation and rebuilding his cultivation, he would never risk adventuring in this dangerous Demon Realm.

The five figures of the cultivators had just exited the valley. They dashed through the vast, dense jungle of the mountains, advancing barely a few dozen li.

"Boom!"

Beyond the valley, thousands of li away, came a colossal, earth-shattering roar.

Two immense pressures, sufficient to instill terror in Nascent Soul cultivators, radiated from thousands of li away, making it nearly impossible for Ye Qin to draw a breath.

"Is that... a Demon Sage!?"

Ye Qin gasped in horror and looked toward the distance. In the sky several thousand li away, a colossal crimson bird, enveloped in endless mist and radiating blinding light, appeared and vanished, almost like an immortal sage. It let out a sharp cry, tilting its head back, and spewed a sphere of light toward the sky.

This sphere of light was as dazzling as the blazing sun, slowly rising. On the ground below, countless demonic beasts and birds erupted from the forest, filled with terror, scattering in all directions.

Among them were even transformed demonic cultivators above the tenth tier, scrambling forward in desperate flight.

The fastest to flee was a Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox; its power was extraordinary, its aura pressing down almost as strongly as that of the giant bird. The golden sphere of light reached its apex in the sky and began to fall. Its ascent had been slow, almost sluggish, but its descent accelerated rapidly, like a meteor streaking across the heavens. It crashed to the ground with an explosion, and the surging flames instantly incinerated the forest for a hundred li, turning rock into rolling magma.

Any beast that failed to escape was reduced to ash.

The swift Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox exhibited great fear toward the golden sphere, instantly fleeing nearly a hundred li away to evade the descending light ball.

In the span of a few breaths, the land spanning a thousand li in radius was scorched flat by these two terrifying Demon Sages.

"What kind of demon cultivator is that?"

Ye Qin was too shocked to close his mouth.

"Three-Legged Crow!"

"Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox!"

The Saint Emperor, the Desolate Spirit Ghost Master, and the Hatred Mountain Old Freak exchanged glances, their expressions filled with dread. They were experienced, but they instantly recognized the pair.

"The Three-Legged Crow is a vicious ancient bird. There are no longer any traces of it in the East Sea Cultivation World, only surviving in the Demon Realm. The fame of this bird is comparable to ancient beasts like the Liao Niu! That Three-Legged Crow is likely a thirteenth or fourteenth-tier Demon Sage."

"Only a demon fox that has cultivated to the thirteenth tier or above can grow nine tails. The Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox is the strongest existence among the fox clan!"

"Neither of them is easy to provoke!"

"That Three-Legged Crow seems to be pursuing the Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox!"

"Bad, quickly! They are heading toward the valley!"

The five cultivators managed only a few clipped sentences before the two terrifying Demon Sages closed within a thousand li range.