Xin Fang'er and Xin Chun'er, along with two thousand Demon Immortals, followed the Ten Dragon Exquisite Spring into the Cold Prison. Gu Xichen glanced around, and amidst the stunned gazes of the surrounding Demon Immortals, he casually tossed a coin. Following the direction indicated by the coin's pattern, he flew off in a random direction without end.

The cloud light moved at incredible speed, covering trillions of li in the blink of an eye. Gu Xichen and his entourage traveled straight to Iron Spine Mountain.

Along the way, countless beautiful mountains and waters were all occupied by the Demon Kings of the Demonic Dao, the Demon Saints of the Monstrous Dao, and the Evil Lords of the Heretical Dao. However, Gu Xichen was picky, either finding the scenery lacking or the mountains too grand and conspicuous. In short, no peak satisfied him, which is why he journeyed all the way to Iron Spine Mountain.

Iron Spine Mountain, spanning merely thirty thousand li in circumference, was entirely visible to Gu Xichen’s eyes at a single glance.

This mountain was incredibly low-key: its highest peak was barely a hundred li tall—very low-key; there were few spiritual veins beneath it—very low-key; it held no rare natural treasures or mineral deposits—very low-key; and the Demon King residing there was so poor he didn't even have a few spare pairs of underpants in his wardrobe—truly very low-key. Such a low-profile place was perfect for executing Gu Xichen's future plans, which is why he took a liking to Iron Spine Mountain.

With a casual command, Xin Ba’er led the two thousand Demon Immortals to surround Iron Spine Mountain from all directions. Only then did Gu Xichen take Xin Long’er and one thousand Demon Immortals, slowly riding a swirl of demonic wind into Iron Spine Mountain, arriving right above Black Wind Valley.

Every move of the wolf demon Hong Ya fell clearly into Gu Xichen’s sight.

He is a fine prospect for decisive action—ruthless to himself, and even more so to others; yet, amidst his savagery, he still cares for his five younger brothers. This is extraordinary. He is a righteous and honorable demon, and such a demon is worthy of Gu Xichen’s intervention.

When scratched by the Black Eagle demon, Hong Ya could have instantly spewed his inner elixir for a desperate fight. But he endured the severe injury on his shoulder, insisting on escorting the Snow Rabbit back to the cavern where his brothers were hidden before detonating his elixir. To ensure the force of his self-destruction wouldn't affect his brothers, he suppressed the agonizing pain and detonated the elixir inside his abdomen, only to expel it through his mouth for a "precision strike" against the Black Eagle demon and his kin.

He is a clever little demon.

And a native of Iron Spine Mountain.

Moreover, he is a little demon with remarkably good cultivation talent. Gu Xichen joyfully swept his divine sense over Hong Ya. Hong Ya and his five younger brothers all possessed excellent aptitude. Beings born in the Cold Prison rarely had poor cultivation talent, and these six little wolves were far superior to the average. They even seemed to carry a faint trace of ancient, exotic bloodline, making them no mere descendants of ordinary wolf demons.

Therefore, just as Hong Ya’s inner elixir was about to self-detonate, Gu Xichen snatched it up. He casually released the energies of the Taiyin and Taiyang, carefully refining the elixir. Hong Ya’s fist-sized inner elixir instantly shrank to the size of a mung bean, seemingly losing hundreds of times its volume and suffering a great loss. In reality, every impurity within the elixir had been washed clean, leaving behind only the purest immortal power of the Daoist path.

He slapped it onto the dumbfounded Hong Ya, casually returning the transformed elixir to his Dantian. Immediately, wisps of powerful aura erupted from Hong Ya’s body. Although still within the scope of demonic qi, the qi faintly carried a profound resonance of harmony with heaven and earth, already hinting at the qualities of an enlightened Demon Immortal.

Vast and pure magical power surged through Hong Ya’s body. Compared to his previous pitiful, muddled reserves, the difference was heaven and earth. Wherever the power flowed, the blocked meridians and vital points in Hong Ya’s body were forcefully cleared. Large swathes of bloody residue sprayed from his pores. In just two or three breaths, Hong Ya’s marrow and tendons were washed, and all bodily impurities were expelled.

Immediately following this, his mangled shoulder healed rapidly, soon returning to its original state. Magical power continuously circulated around the wound, keeping it warm, eliminating any trace of discomfort.

Suddenly enlightened, Hong Ya knelt before Gu Xichen without a word, grasping Gu Xichen’s lower leg tightly with his claws, his forehead striking the ground repeatedly. He incessantly begged in a hoarse, dry voice, "Immortal Elder shows mercy!"

Xin Long’er, clutching his Crimson Gold Halberd, stood crookedly to the side, grinning widely. "This little wolf cub has great fortune! Supreme Honored One, should we take him in?"

Gu Xichen lifted Hong Ya by his tail and tossed him near Xin Long’er, smiling, "Take him. He shall be your first disciple!"

Startled, Xin Long’er twisted his mouth into a wry grin. "My founding disciple? Taking in a mere wolf spirit?"

Gu Xichen casually reached into the cavern and pulled out the five young wolves with a stream of pure qi, injecting a trace of pure spiritual energy into each with a gentle tap of his finger. He chuckled at Xin Long’er, "Definitely not just one wolf spirit; there are six."

A demonic cloud descended from the void, and the thousand Demon Immortals looked at the stunned Xin Long’er, cackling heartily. Some laughed so hard they could barely stand upright.

Annoyed, Xin Long’er snatched up Hong Ya. "Fine, I’ll take them! If the Supreme Honored One decrees it, I’ll accept you little wolf whelps!"

Hong Ya, however, was extremely astute. He glanced briefly at Xin Long’er, whose golden armor made him look dignified and imposing. Hong Ya’s body shuddered violently. A faint wisp of purple qi drifted above Xin Long’er’s head, faintly swirling into a purple platform several yards wide. Hong Ya’s father, once a peak Heavenly Immortal Demon Immortal, had taught him some esoteric secrets of immortals.

A person whose purple qi hovers above their head and remains perfectly straight and not perverse—unless caused by some unique immortal technique—must be a legendary Grand Luo Golden Immortal! A Grand Luo Golden Immortal! A realm attained only by the most renowned ancestors of the Cold Prison!

Currently, Xin Long’er wasn't concealing his aura; a lively wisp of purple qi was playfully whipping and swirling above his head, yet it was caught by the keen eyes of Hong Ya. A Grand Luo Golden Immortal was taking him as a disciple?

This enormous pie—a golden pie—that fell from the sky left Hong Ya dizzy. He immediately knelt on the ground, performing three deep kowtows to Xin Long’er. Then, he scrambled to pull his five brothers over, pushing them to hurry and bow to Xin Long’er as well.

Hong Ya’s five younger brothers were born in the same litter, but had not yet formed their Golden Cores and thus had not taken human form. However, in terms of mental development and intelligence, they were identical to Hong Ya. What Hong Ya knew, they knew; what Hong Ya could fathom, they could too.

Xin Long’er before them was a Grand Luo Golden Immortal!

The five little wolves gravely performed the prostration ritual to Xin Long’er. Unable to bow as completely as Hong Ya, they pressed their bodies as close to the ground as possible, lowering their heads as much as they could to express their reverence and respect to Xin Long’er.

Xin Long’er smiled. These six little wolf demons were interesting. Gu Xichen certainly hadn't found him random disciples; they all looked like very promising sprouts. To possess such spiritual awareness before even manifesting human form was truly excellent.

Gu Xichen also smiled. The five little wolf cubs playing at the prostration ritual looked rather pathetic no matter how one viewed it.

He casually swept his divine sense over the five wolf cubs. They also had a chaotic surge of magical power churning within them, merely a single step away from condensing their Golden Cores. With a casual wave of his hand toward the five cubs, the surrounding Heaven and Earth spiritual energy instantly transformed into five small whirlwinds that injected into their bodies. Under Gu Xichen’s deliberate control, in just two or three breaths, all five young wolves condensed their Golden Cores, and all reached the Great Perfection stage of the Golden Core realm.

Five tender wolf howls echoed toward the sky. The five little wolves rose into the air amidst the terrified stares of the Black Eagle demon and the assembled monsters. Their bodies rapidly transformed into human shapes. Accompanied by the grotesque sounds of bones and muscles shifting, five humanoid wolf demons appeared before the crowd.

The Black Eagle demon dryly swallowed. He wanted to transform into his original form and flee to the sky, but the surrounding thousand Demon Immortals had sealed the area tight. A faint, lingering killing intent pressed down from the void, suggesting Gu Xichen’s men were above as well. The Black Eagle demon abandoned the thought of escape, his body stiffening as he cupped his hands toward Gu Xichen in salute, "Senior’s divine abilities are boundless; this humble demon is awestruck. May I ask..."

Gu Xichen gave the Black Eagle demon a cold look and sneered, "Only bullying the weak, eh? Scum like you, whose character is too poor even for demons, have no need to know who I am or what I've come to do."

He pointed a finger, and the Black Eagle demon and the other nine demons instantly had their souls scattered, their physical bodies instantly annihilated.

Hong Ya and his five brothers watched Gu Xichen's incredible means with awe. If their own Master was a Grand Luo Golden Immortal, how much more astounding was the being whom even their Master called 'Supreme Honored One'?

The terrifying scene of ten Nascent Soul stage demons being utterly destroyed by a single point from Gu Xichen was deeply imprinted on the minds of the six wolf demons, something they would never forget for the rest of their lives.

After disposing of a few insignificant minor demons, Gu Xichen glanced at the Hong Ya brothers and suddenly laughed, "Good little demons. Follow your Master diligently, and I shall reward you all with fine beginnings in the future."

With a sweep of his large sleeve, the six Hong Ya brothers were instantly adorned with battle skirts and armor—every piece being a top-grade Immortal Artifact. Gu Xichen blew a stream of spiritual energy over them, and the skirts and armor vanished into their bodies, imbued with an active spiritual effect for self-protection.

When Hong Ya and his brothers reached higher cultivation levels, they would naturally be able to command these battle robes and armor freely; there was no need to say more.

Subsequently, Gu Xichen bestowed upon each of the six Hong Ya brothers a top-grade Immortal Artifact spear and a top-grade Immortal Artifact saber. Like the battle skirts and armor, their current cultivation was insufficient to command these Immortal Artifacts, so they were sealed within their bodies. Once they cultivated to the Heavenly Immortal realm, they could bring them out to use.

Xin Long’er, however, cunningly gifted the brothers a set of top-grade Spirit Artifact armor, flying swords, and throwing knives. According to Xin Long’er, as their teacher, he naturally had to bestow upon his founding disciples the most immediately useful magical artifacts. These Spirit Artifacts were precisely suited for Hong Ya and the others to use.

Gu Xichen looked at Xin Long’er with a strange expression. Why was this boy carrying so many Spirit Artifacts on him?

Furthermore, looking at the elegant and exquisite design of these Spirit Artifacts, their colors—azure, sea-blue, pink, pale white, and so on—and the delicate patterns carved onto the armor for decoration, they looked incredibly cute!

After pondering for a moment, Gu Xichen suddenly broke into a knowing smile. So, Xin Long’er had grown up!

Indeed, he was over ten thousand years old now; he couldn't be treated like a mere child. "Carrying gear for wooing maidens is better safe than sorry; it’s better than scrambling last minute," a sentiment Ah Hua had seemingly mentioned more than once in front of Xin Long’er and his brothers.

This time, he hadn't even had a chance to flatter a beauty before taking six disciples first!

In truth, the Hong Ya brothers were the founding disciples of the third generation under Gu Xichen’s lineage of the Nine Hells Dao. Gu Xichen certainly wouldn't treat them poorly. Seeing that Xin Long’er had only gifted mere battle armor, flying swords, and sabers, Gu Xichen selected six more Immortal Artifact-level magical artifacts for the Hong Ya brothers—items that required no refinement and no specific cultivation base, only knowledge of incantations and hand seals to activate.

Hong Ya and his five brothers truly didn't know what to say. They simply stayed close to Gu Xichen and Xin Long’er without leaving their side for a moment.

What else could they say? What was the Cold Prison? A place swarming with demons and teeming with monsters. Taking disciples there was a nakedly utilitarian act; without benefits, no one would actively accept a student. Even if they did, the rewards would be meager.

But what about Gu Xichen and Xin Long’er? Immortal Artifacts, Spirit Artifacts, magical treasures—they bestowed so much all at once!

Something that had never happened since the Cold Prison was established was genuinely occurring to them.

The six Hong Ya brothers felt a warmth emanating from Gu Xichen and Xin Long’er, a warmth they had only ever felt from their own parents. They stayed close to the two figures, their eyes welling up with hot emotion, yet no tears fell.

The beings of the Cold Prison were not prone to weeping anyway.

Having grown up on Iron Spine Mountain for over a decade, the six brothers were intimately familiar with the main peak where the Iron Spine Mountain Demon King resided, if nowhere else. Before their parents perished, the six brothers had lived on the main peak of Iron Spine Mountain; they were familiar with every blade of grass and every tree.

With the six brothers leading the way, Gu Xichen’s group easily located the Iron Spine Mountain Demon King.

The main peak of Iron Spine Mountain rose over eighty li high, spanning five hundred li in circumference. On the mountainside was a plateau spanning three to four thousand mu, surrounded by jagged stone pillars piercing the sky. At the edge of the plateau was a cave dwelling that wasn't entirely smooth, from which a great cloud of demonic qi was rolling out.

When Gu Xichen and his party arrived, over ten thousand demons were drilling on the plateau, looking quite disciplined given their rigid formation. But Gu Xichen was too lazy to bother with these minor demons. He casually released a strand of Taiyin energy, freezing all ten thousand minor demons in profound ice. He then reached into the cave dwelling and dragged out a Demon King who was brazenly feasting on a throne.

Iron Spine Mountain was merely an insignificant local power in the Cold Prison, and its Demon King was only at the peak of the Golden Immortal realm. Of course, to the Hong Ya brothers, a peak Golden Immortal was already an unimaginably terrifying master. But in Gu Xichen’s hands...

In front of the hundreds of thousands of demons on Iron Spine Mountain, Gu Xichen grabbed the Iron Spine Mountain Demon King across the void and instantly smashed his head with a slap.

"Those who follow me prosper; those who defy me perish!"

Gu Xichen’s cold, merciless voice echoed across the entire main peak of Iron Spine Mountain. His divine sense enveloped the whole peak, covering all two hundred seventy-eight thousand nine hundred and seventy-five demons whose cultivation was above the Heavenly Immortal stage.

Moreover, Xin Ba’er led two thousand high-level Demon Immortals who had surrounded the entire Iron Spine Mountain from all directions. The assembled minor demons had no chance to flee.

After a few self-important demons who tried to use escape techniques were slain by Xin Ba’er and their corpses were tossed at the entrance of the Iron Spine Mountain cave dwelling, the entire mountain’s demon population immediately knelt, submitting entirely to Xin Long’er’s command.

Gu Xichen immediately declared the establishment of the Iron Spine Heavenly Wolf Palace from this day forward. The six Palace Masters of the Heavenly Wolf Palace would be the six little wolf demons, Hong Ya and his brothers, all at the Great Perfection of the Golden Core realm. Xin Long’er, as the master of the Hong Ya brothers, was designated the Supreme Palace Master of the Heavenly Wolf Palace—Gu Xichen ignored Xin Long’er’s reluctance and forcefully bestowed upon him the title of 'Heavenly Wolf Ancestor.'

Gu Xichen appointed himself as the Great Consecrated Elder of the Heavenly Wolf Palace, and Xin Ba’er as the Second Consecrated Elder. All other Demon Immortals from the lower realm were assigned various official posts, instantly streamlining the organizational structure of Iron Spine Mountain. Gu Xichen subdued the primordial spirits of the more than two hundred seventy thousand demons using the Soul Controlling Art from the Great Desolation Scripture, eliminating any fear of their disloyalty to the Heavenly Wolf Palace's command.

Having easily taken control of Iron Spine Mountain, Gu Xichen flickered, and his two corpse primordial spirits—Taiyin and Taiyang—shot into the sky, transforming into black and white streams of energy that drilled into the earth beneath Iron Spine Mountain.

The tens of thousands of li surrounding Iron Spine Mountain experienced a subtle tremor. Gu Xichen excavated the earth beneath the mountain, drawing in the earth’s spiritual energy to arrange a hidden, underground cultivation sanctuary rich in spiritual energy for Iron Spine Mountain.

He then used the Natal Star Curse of the Heavenly Constellation Lords to draw a wisp of starlight from the void to illuminate this spiritual ground day and night. In just three to five days, he had transformed it into a supreme cultivation haven surpassing all the Blessed Caves and Paradises of the Cold Prison.

Next, he mobilized the colossal force of Heaven and Earth and used several immensely powerful magical artifacts as the core to lay out a potent formation around Iron Spine Mountain. Only then did Gu Xichen leave his Taiyin Primordial Spirit to guard Iron Spine Mountain and depart the Cold Prison without alerting anyone.

Thus, the Heavenly Wolf Palace was established silently within the Icy Prison. Even Iron Spine Mountain’s neighbors failed to notice the changes. Xin Long’er quietly accumulated strength on Iron Spine Mountain, recruiting demons, and gradually began to infiltrate the surrounding areas under the guise of the six little wolf demons.

The cultivation methods practiced by the myriad demons and devils in the Cold Prison all emphasized the attribute of extreme Yin.

The Heaven and Earth spiritual energy here contained a biting coldness that ordinary beings could not endure. Therefore, Gu Xichen left his Taiyin Primordial Spirit here, partly to cultivate using the local spiritual energy, and partly to transmit the Grand Dao of Taiyin to the demons of Iron Spine Mountain.

Xin Long’er and Xin Ba’er were stationed at Iron Spine Mountain. Every three years, they selected a batch of little demons with excellent aptitude, unwavering loyalty, and diligence from the demonic masses and sent them to the underground cultivation sanctuary to receive instruction in the Grand Dao of Taiyin from the Taiyin Primordial Spirit. The strength of Iron Spine Mountain accumulated bit by bit, and its influence gradually spread outward.

Instantly, several centuries passed. Gu Xichen’s Solar Primordial Spirit had followed suit in the Blood Sea Purgatory, establishing the Gore Gate, where he sent Ling Hu, Di Zang Temple, Yi Ru An, and others.

Time passed day by day.

Until one day, while Gu Xichen was diligently entangled with Fu Ya?Ming over a child, his Taiyin Primordial Spirit suddenly sent him a message.

Someone had approached Iron Spine Mountain, seeking trouble with the Iron Spine Mountain Demon King, who was long thought to be dead.