Ye Qin held the smooth Demon Beast hide of the Thunder Eel, feeling the potent thunder aura contained within, and a slight expression of joy crossed his face.

This was refining material of the Thirteenth Rank and above—the third major Divine Ability-grade refining raw material he had obtained, following the North Sea Ice Lotus Seed and the Nether Flame. If he could forge a piece of defensive armor from it, it would undoubtedly be of immense help when facing the tribulation of the Nascent Divinity stage later on.

“That was terrifying. The strength of the Abyss Demon Beast Lord is far greater than that of an early-stage Nascent Divinity cultivator. If I had been paralyzed for even a moment too long, I might have been killed!” a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator muttered, still shaken.

“Hunting the Demon Beast Minor Lords always involves risk. To secure a piece of Thirteenth Rank Thunder Mantis hide, this battle was worth it. If this hide is refined into Thirteenth Rank defensive magic tools, it can easily withstand attacks from Minor Divine Ability-grade thunder magic. From now on, facing Nascent Soul cultivators who specialize in the thunder path, we can all breathe a sigh of relief.”

Behind Ye Qin, Dou Hongshan, Huangfu Bing'er, and the others flew swiftly on their swords, excitedly discussing the recent battle.

Thousands of miles away from the Abyss of the Demon Realm, atop a colossal mountain peak. At the summit of the ten-thousand-zhang mountain, gales raged violently, and countless cutting wind blades furiously tore at the rock, etching deep scars onto the ancient stone.

Standing on this peak, one could gaze down upon the distant Abyss of the Demon Realm—that fissure in the earth winding tortuously across the desolate land, stretching out of sight. Even from the edge of the cliff, Nascent Soul cultivators could faintly make it out.

Forty to fifty Nascent Divinity cultivators stood currently on the hundred-zhang mountain, their major Divine Ability artifacts emitting dazzling, brilliant light. The fierce winds seemed utterly insignificant to them.

Even in a place like the Southern Demon Continent, Nascent Divinity cultivators were rare; each one was a lord-level great cultivator dominating a region. Yet, this assembly of Nascent Divinity cultivators gathered on this peak was enough to shake the entire Southern Demon Continent.

“The hunt in the Abyss of the Demon Realm happens once every ten years. How many Nascent Divinity cultivators will emerge from this one?”

A middle-aged man dressed in an ink-green robe gazed calmly toward the distant Abyss of the Demon Realm, watching hundreds of thousands of faint lights gradually stream into the depths below.

“Inside the Abyss of the Demon Realm, there is currently only one Fifteenth Rank Adult Abyss Strange Beast, which yields two or three portions of Spirit Paste every ten years. Additionally, there are several juvenile Thirteenth and Fourteenth Rank Abyss Strange Beasts that have not yet fully grown and cannot yield Spirit Paste at present. In the hunt ten years ago, no one obtained any Spirit Paste. If we can locate the Abyss Strange Beast this time, combined with the share from ten years ago, we should be able to obtain double the allotment of Spirit Paste, potentially creating five new Nascent Divinity cultivators. The strength of our Southern Demon Continent will increase once more! After several thousand years, when these juvenile Abyss Strange Beasts grow into Fifteenth Rank creatures and begin producing Spirit Paste, the Southern Demon Continent will be able to foster far more Nascent Divinity cultivators. However, that is a matter of several millennia away,” the woman in yellow robes standing intimately beside the ink-green-robed man, seemingly his wife, chuckled affectionately.

“Brother Xu, in every hunt within the Abyss of the Demon Realm, thousands of cultivators perish, either devoured by Demon Beast Lords or killed by their own kind. Many of them are core disciples meticulously nurtured by the major clans—all for nothing. It is truly a pity! It would be better if we ourselves took action to retrieve the Spirit Paste; the casualties would be fewer. What do you think, Brother Xu?” an old man with a grey beard said regretfully to the ink-green-robed man.

Among this group, the ink-green-robed man possessed the greatest strength and held the highest status.

“Hmph, Elder Zhu speaks too easily. There are only a handful of Spirit Paste portions, yet tens of thousands of Nascent Soul disciples from the various clans exist. After obtaining the Spirit Paste, who will consume it? Which family would willingly yield it? I fear we Nascent Divinity cultivators would start fighting amongst ourselves first. Only by letting them compete based on their own abilities is it the fairest arrangement,” a shrewd-looking burly man standing just behind the grey-bearded elder stated gravely.

“Stop arguing. This Demon Realm Hunt is a rule established by the Ancient Alliance cultivators; even the Heavenly Demon Alliance Council cannot change it.” The ink-green-robed man waved his hand, halting the dispute, and then inquired, “What movements has the Demon Realm made recently?”

“Several years ago, the Blood Gourd Old Fiend discovered a group of Demon Sages fighting in the Eastern Sea Cultivation World, seemingly over some critical item. Old Ancestor Blood Gourd was outnumbered and dared not participate, but it is believed to be a highly significant Sacred Artifact. Otherwise, it would not have drawn the conflict of high-tier Demon Race clans like the Three-legged Crow Demon Sage, the Green Ox Demon Sage, and the Azure Luan Demon Sage. Their tribes are renowned within the Twilight Sacred Hall of the Demon Realm, being one of the great Demon Race tribes guarding that hall. Later, Old Fiend Blood Gourd scouted the entrance to the Ancient Eastern Demon Realm, capturing a patrolling Demon Cultivator. From that captive, he learned that chaos has erupted within the Demon Realm; the Sacred Lord personally ordered a massive search, suggesting a profoundly important Sacred Artifact has been lost,” the grey-bearded elder immediately reported.

“The Demon Realm holds many Sacred Artifacts; this scant clue makes it hard to guess what it is. They still haven't ascertained which Sacred Artifact the Demon Realm has lost?” the ink-green-robed man asked doubtfully.

“It has not yet been determined. However, large contingents of Demon Sages have been observed leaving the Demon Realm and conducting wide-ranging searches in the Eastern Sea Cultivation World, even extending beyond the Eastern Sea toward the Southern Demon Continent. I fear our Heavenly Demon Alliance must prepare to meet the enemy!” the grey-bearded elder shook his head.

“What Sacred Artifact did they lose to make these Demon Sages so anxious? To the extent of disregarding the contract between the Ancient Alliance cultivators and the Demon Realm Sacred Lord?”

“Does this mean war with the Demon Realm is imminent?” Hearing this, the various Nascent Divinity cultivators showed shock, and many faces turned grim.

“The contract between the Ancient Alliance cultivators and the Demon Realm Sacred Lord is renewed every thousand years. The term of the last renewal still has decades remaining. If it is not renewed upon expiration, the Demon Sages can freely enter and exit the Demon Realm, and even come to our Southern Demon Continent without restraint. Their current departure signifies a preemptive breach of the contract!” the ink-green-robed man sighed after a moment of silence.

“Back when the various Demon Race tribes in the Demon Realm were locked in civil war, the Ancient Alliance cultivators suddenly appeared, defeated the Demon Realm Sacred Lord, and allowed our Human Race to rise in the Eastern Sea, expanding into the Southern Demon and North Sea Continents. Now that the Human Race is powerful, the Demon Race tribes have been forced to unite. The total number of Demon Sages far outnumbers our combined Nascent Divinity cultivators from the Southern and Northern Seas. The reason we have maintained the upper hand in the conflicts with the Demon Realm is largely due to the presence of the Ancient Alliance cultivators. Only the strength of the Ancient Alliance could force the Demon Realm Sacred Lord to sign the contract, trapping them within their realm. But most Ancient Alliance cultivators have already left this world, and the Demon Sages increasingly look down upon us Nascent Divinity cultivators. If a true conflict erupts, our chances of winning are slim.”

“The Southern Demon Continent still has one last Ancient Alliance cultivator. If he can step forward and defeat the Demon Realm Sacred Lord, he could at least force the Sacred Lord to sign a contract, buying us another thousand years. After another two or three thousand years, we will have three or more Adult Abyss Strange Beasts—the quantity of Spirit Paste will have multiplied several times over, and the number of Nascent Divinity cultivators will greatly increase. By then, even without Ancient Alliance cultivators, we will be able to contend with the Demon Realm,” the yellow-robed woman stated.

“Are you referring to Divine Lord Er Yu, Madam Xu? He broke through to Nascent Divinity at one hundred years old, was accepted by the previous generation of Ancient Alliance cultivators as one of their own, inherited the Ancient Alliance’s Dao line, and has been cultivating in the Savage Lands for over a thousand years now—his strength should be at the peak of late-stage Nascent Divinity,” the grey-bearded elder’s eyes lit up, but then he shook his head. “However, he still hasn't emerged from the Savage Lands. The Savage Lands are perilously dangerous; who knows if he perished there?!”

“I did hear that a few years ago, a Nascent Divinity cultivator was hunting in the Savage Lands and discovered the skeleton of a slain Demon Beast Lord, bearing the aura of Divine Lord Er Yu. By this evidence, we deduce he is still alive—just wandering without a fixed location,” the ink-green-robed man said flatly.

“Oh? What kind of Demon Beast Lord was it?”

“What did you discover?” The Nascent Divinity cultivators collectively held their breath, listening intently.

“It was a Fifteenth Rank Demon Beast Grand Lord, and it had been cleaved in half!” the ink-green-robed man stated.

The assembled Nascent Divinity cultivators gasped. It was generally difficult for a Nascent Divinity cultivator to defeat a Demon Cultivator of the same rank, as the physical resilience of Demon Cultivators is many times greater than that of Human Cultivators. When a Demon Beast transforms into a Demon Beast, its combat power increases even further, resulting in almost unbelievable physical toughness. Nascent Divinity cultivators usually dared not face a Demon Beast Lord of the same rank alone. For a Fifteenth Rank Demon Beast Grand Lord, whose body was immensely robust, to be split in two—such power was simply incredible.

“If Divine Lord Er Yu can slay a Demon Beast Grand Lord, he should have confidence in dealing with the Demon Realm Sacred Lord.”

“But the cultivators of the Ancient Alliance are aloof and difficult to approach. How can we request his intervention?” the various Nascent Divinity cultivators began to murmur amongst themselves.

More than ten days later, in the Abyss of the Demon Realm.

“We are deep in the Abyss now; we absolutely cannot afford to let our guard down.”

Ye Qin and his group of cultivators had just swiftly passed through the territory of a Demon Beast Lord. Seeing that the scattered groups of dozens of cultivators were spread over a range of tens of miles ahead and behind them—the number of cultivators was now dwindling—and detecting no powerful Demon Beast Lord auras within his divine sense range, he finally let out a slight sigh of relief.

The region of the Abyss of the Demon Realm was vast, and the Demon Beast Lords each possessed fixed territories for movement. The habits of these Demon Beast Lords were not much different from the Demon Sages of the Demon Realm; they possessed a very strong territorial instinct. After all, Demon Beasts of this level required immense territory and resources to sustain themselves. Unless two Demon Beast Lords were fighting over territory, they would not appear in the same area simultaneously.

“It’s been over ten days, and we haven’t even caught a glimpse of the Abyss Strange Beast. Blue mist has begun gathering in many parts of the Abyss. We don’t have much time left; the Abyss will be enveloped by this mist in another half a month. If we miss this opportunity, we will likely have to wait another ten years,” Qingqiu Li expressed some frustration.

Wang Rong and the group of Nascent Soul cultivators looked quite wretched. They had just passed through the territory of a sleeping Demon Beast Lord and nearly disturbed it, frightening them almost half to death. Hunting Demon Beast Lords was not something one could attempt on a whim, especially now that the assembled cultivator teams were sparse; disturbing a Demon Beast Lord would have consequences they could not bear.

Ye Qin said nothing, his expression solemn as he examined a map in his hand.

The subterranean terrain of the Abyss of the Demon Realm was exceedingly complex, filled with vast underground seas, lakes, and endless dark voids. It was difficult to find recognizable landmarks; staying too long could even lead to a loss of direction. A slight lapse in attention could easily cause one to lose their way.