Chapter 1135: Thousand-Mountain Bamboo Sea
Qin Sang had once met the Feathered Demon King.
Before entering Ziwei Palace, one had to pass through the outer celestial array. The Feathered Demon King had activated a supreme treasure of the demon race to uncover a flaw in the celestial array. Only then had he set up the Small Polaris Star Essence Array and forced his way into Ziwei Palace.
The Feathered Demon King had been extremely mysterious. Even the red-haired grandmaster and the Daoist Zhenyi had regarded him with deep apprehension.
"It seems like the matters inside Heavenly Demon Hill are far from peaceful," Qin Sang said thoughtfully.
The white cat appeared to have experienced danger before. Its voice trembled with lingering fear as it said, "Other places are not like Thousand-Mountain Bamboo Sea. There are many gentle plant spirits there. The territories controlled by the various demon kings are relatively stable, but that only applies internally. If an outside demonic beast strays in, it will surely be devoured alive..."
Qin Sang sat opposite the white cat and asked in detail about the situation in the demonic domain.
"Does Daoist Willow know about my existence?" Qin Sang continued.
He needed assistance to scheme for the stone tablet, yet he did not understand the old willow tree’s temperament. Back then, Wandering Man had not had time to explain much.
Xiaobai appeared trustworthy and bore no ill will toward him. They also shared some prior connection. The only uncertainty was whether the other demonic beasts of Thousand-Mountain Bamboo Sea harbored hostility toward humans.
"He knows!" Because of Wandering Man, the white cat trusted Qin Sang completely. "After the bamboo demon senior sent word to me, I passed the message back to Thousand-Mountain Bamboo Sea. Grandpa Willow ordered me to remain in Immortal Demon City and wait for either the bamboo demon senior or Mr. Qin to return. You can rest assured, Mr. Qin. Grandpa Willow is very kind and utterly loyal to the bamboo demon senior."
Qin Sang glanced at the cat demon. Her tone had sounded somewhat anxious, as though she had already sensed his concern and hurried to dispel it.
"Has something happened in Thousand-Mountain Bamboo Sea?" Qin Sang’s heart stirred. He did not conceal his suspicion and asked directly.
The white cat froze for a moment, then lowered her head. "I could not hide it from you... In recent years, the demon race has also been mobilizing troops toward the front lines. Not long ago, the Feathered Demon King issued an order for all demon kings to continue drilling their forces and prepare for a fight to the death. It is said that this time is different from before. The outcome may be extremely tragic. The bamboo demon senior is absent. I fear that Grandpa Willow and the disguise left behind by the bamboo demon senior will not hold. If it is exposed..."
For now, war had only been brewing. The demon race still followed previous regulations and deployed troops in an orderly fashion.
But once the situation grew urgent and the master of Thousand-Mountain Bamboo Sea failed to appear for a long time...
At the thought of the dreadful consequences, the white cat shuddered.
Even Wandering Man had not anticipated that Sin Abyss would return so swiftly and that tensions would escalate to this extent. The arrangements he had previously made likely could not last much longer.
The demonic beasts of Thousand-Mountain Bamboo Sea understood the principle that if one of two interdependent things fell, the other would be in danger. It was not that they refused to fight. Rather, they feared that other demon kings would see through their true situation and drive every demonic beast, young or old, strong or weak, to the front lines.
On the battlefield, without a demon king’s protection, they would be nothing but cannon fodder.
Among the demons of Thousand-Mountain Bamboo Sea were many who had attained the Dao as plant spirits. Their combat abilities were limited. Sending them to war would be no different from sending them to their deaths.
"The bamboo demon senior praised you highly, Mr. Qin. Do you have any solution?" The white cat looked at Qin Sang with hope written across her face.
With Wandering Man fallen, she had placed all her expectations upon Qin Sang.
Hearing this, Qin Sang felt the difficulty keenly and sensed immense pressure. Wandering Man had entrusted Thousand-Mountain Bamboo Sea to him before dying. He would certainly do everything he could. Yet he had not even reached the Spiritual Infant Realm. To shelter an entire domain was truly asking too much.
However, for Qin Sang, the dangerous situation that Thousand-Mountain Bamboo Sea was in might not have been entirely a misfortune.
They urgently needed a powerful backer. The best option was to fully assist him in obtaining the mysterious stone tablet and help him form his Spiritual Infant.
With that thought, he decided to visit Thousand-Mountain Bamboo Sea first.
Qin Sang stood and paced back and forth. After some contemplation, he said, "Before the situation turns critical, I may be able to delay matters for a while. Once tensions truly escalate, there will be little I can do, unless I can form my Spiritual Infant before then."
His answer made the white cat’s eyes brighten. But immediately afterward, she heard something unexpected.
"Can you free yourself now and take me to Thousand-Mountain Bamboo Sea to meet Daoist Willow?" Qin Sang paused briefly before asking.
"Mr. Qin, you want to go to Thousand-Mountain Bamboo Sea?" The white cat looked worried. "I stayed in Immortal Demon City precisely to wait for you. I can return at any time. But the journey back is long and requires bypassing the territories of other demon kings. I should be fine on my own, but you are a human."
A human cultivator entering Heavenly Demon Hill would stand out conspicuously and be easily discovered.
"Is it only possible if one is not human? What about this..." Qin Sang silently did a hand seal and displayed the Heavenly Demon Transformation.
A pair of phoenix wings spread from his back. Demonic qi surged around him, pure and powerful. If one ignored his physique and appearance, he could easily be mistaken for a demonic beast.
The white cat’s eyes widened in shock. "Were you once part of the demon race as well, Mr. Qin? No wonder!"
Qin Sang felt helpless. The cat demon clearly misunderstood and thought he, like Wandering Man, possessed a fusion of human and demon souls.
"I am not of the demon race. I merely cultivated a secret technique that allows me to manifest wings and generate demonic qi. And look at this!" As he spoke, Qin Sang operated the disguise secret technique taught to him by Yuan Zhu. His aura instantly became obscure and restrained, unfathomable in depth.
"I can disguise myself as a Transformation Realm great demon. If I appear personally, it should deter those with ill intentions and prevent them from pressuring Thousand-Mountain Bamboo Sea for the time being. However, this secret technique will fail if I use my true essence. It is only a bluff." He did not conceal the flaw of the technique and sighed. "Safety gained through external means is only temporary, like reflections in a mirror or a dream. In the world of immortal cultivation, strength is the true foundation."
The white cat deeply agreed and nodded repeatedly.
Upon hearing that Qin Sang truly had a way to resolve the crisis of Thousand-Mountain Bamboo Sea, even if only temporarily, she could not suppress her excitement. Her tail swayed back and forth.
"Mr. Qin, time is of the essence. Let us depart as soon as possible!" The white cat acted decisively and settled all trivial matters that very day.
With only the two of them traveling, their speed would be extremely fast.
Even after activating the Heavenly Demon Transformation, Qin Sang’s appearance remained too eye-catching. He did not wish to encounter other demon kings outside. If one of them suddenly felt the urge to spar, his disguise would be exposed immediately.
They remained as low-profile as possible, selecting remote and difficult routes. Combined with other methods of concealment, they arrived at Thousand-Mountain Bamboo Sea without incident.
Small Cold Domain and Tianxing Alliance lay to the north and south respectively, with Yuncang Marshlands as their boundary.
West of Yuncang Marshlands, the wetlands gradually narrowed and transformed into Yuncang River. The river flowed westward and ultimately poured into the vast and desolate Icy Sea at the far western edge of Beichen Realm.
Heavenly Demon Hill occupied the northwestern coastline of Beichen Realm and extended far south beyond Yuncang River.
However, the land south of the river was barren and connected to desert terrain. Most demon kings preferred to claim mountains north of the river.
In the coastal region north of the river, mountain ranges stretched endlessly. Across the hills and valleys grew boundless seas of bamboo. Thus it was named Thousand-Mountain Bamboo Sea.
