Chapter 480: Chapter 477: The Forbidden Zone and the Old Man
The impact of the Void Gate had forced Mo Qi’s main body to exhaust nearly all its Power of the Dragon Vein just to break free and safely reach the outside world.
As a result, he was completely exhausted, fell from the sky, and remained unconscious for an entire night.
The first thing he did upon waking was to sense the location of his External Incarnation.
The main body and the External Incarnation were bound by soul, sharing the same origin and a single consciousness.
Thus, Mo Qi quickly grasped the External Incarnation’s situation.
Like his main body, the External Incarnation had also emerged from the Void Gate into an unfamiliar land.
Both were now completely in the dark, with no idea where they were.
Just then, the Pig Emperor spoke up. "While I do not know where this is, I can say for certain that we are still in human territory. If I’m not mistaken, your External Incarnation has likely ended up in the lands of the Demon Race."
Mo Qi’s expression froze. ’My External Incarnation went to the lands of the Demon Race?’
’The clues about my mother are in the Demon Race’s domain?’
He was slightly surprised, but on second thought, it seemed quite possible—in fact, highly likely.
After all, the Void Gate had been opened by a Wolf Demon; it made sense that it would lead to the lands of the Demon Race.
"Relax. Your External Incarnation can change its form at will, and it has no aura whatsoever. It can just transform into a Little Demon, and not even an Immortal-level Spirit Beast could tell the difference."
"It’s the perfect tool for venturing through the lands of the Demon Race."
As it spoke, the Pig Emperor rubbed its belly, a pitiful look on its face. "Mo the kid, I’m hungry. How about we eat first?"
Mo Qi rolled his eyes at the Pig Emperor.
’All you ever think about is eating!’
’We’re in a completely unfamiliar place. What if we run into danger?’
’I only have a sliver of the Power of the Dragon Vein left. If I use it to fight at an Immortal Level, I can’t last for more than three moves.’
’After those three moves, my Power of the Dragon Vein will be completely gone.’
He had to be cautious. Extremely cautious.
Mo Qi spread his Divine Sense, extending his perception to its absolute limit.
He found himself in a deep crater, situated within a vast mountain range whose ends he couldn’t see, surrounded by dense forest.
"I already scanned the area. There’s no danger here," the Pig Emperor said, smacking its lips and gulping down drool. It urged, "Come on, let’s just eat first!"
Mo Qi scanned a wide area and found it was just as the Pig Emperor had said. There was no danger nearby—not even any potential threats.
"Looks like our luck is decent. We’ve landed in the middle of nowhere."
Once he confirmed they were safe, Mo Qi relaxed and took out a stove, cooking utensils, and a huge pile of ingredients.
It was a rare moment of leisure, so he decided to prepare a lavish, proper meal.
It was best to search for clues about his mother on a full stomach.
Neither Mo Qi nor the Pig Emperor realized the massive impact their arrival the previous night had had on this land.
The Desperate Mountain Range had earned its name not just because its environment was treacherous, where the slightest misstep could lead to an intruder’s complete annihilation. More importantly, a mysterious forbidden zone lay hidden in its deepest reaches.
The forbidden zone was perpetually shrouded in a dense fog. Only when the wind occasionally blew some of it away would a corner of the landscape be revealed.
This glimpse, though fleeting, was incredibly tempting, for it was filled with rare Immortal Elixirs, each at least ten thousand years old.
Yet no one, neither from the Hall of Envoys representing Divine Master Valley nor the one from the Demon Sea, dared to trespass into the forbidden zone.
For all who had dared to try had perished, including numerous Immortals—even Immortals who had attained the Venerable Position!
Therefore, though everyone knew that Precious Treasures lay within the Desperate Mountain Range, no one dared to covet what the forbidden zone held.
But on this very day, after a golden light descended from the heavens, the dense fog of the forbidden zone actually began to slowly recede.
What no one knew was that in the center of the forbidden zone, there had once been a man-sized statue. Now, that statue was a pile of rubble, and standing atop it was an elderly, goat-bearded man. He looked gaunt and stooped, his frame so frail it seemed a gust of wind could topple him.
The old man’s eyes were half-closed. Suddenly, he straightened his body and began twisting all his joints with exaggerated speed and range of motion.
CRACKLE! POP!
After a series of pops and cracks like beans sizzling in a hot pan, the old man’s face relaxed into a smile of pure enjoyment.
"That was a long sleep... so many years. The person that crazy girl told me to wait for has finally arrived."
RUMBLE!
A strange noise echoed from the old man’s stomach.
The old man stretched, grinned, and muttered to himself, "I knew this wouldn’t be an easy job. Had to go hungry for so long. Good thing I came prepared."
As he spoke, the old man reached out a hand and, with a grasping motion, collected all the Immortal Elixirs within the forbidden zone.
He then began to stuff the Immortal Elixirs—the very same ones that made countless Cultivators from the Hall of Envoys burn with envy—into his mouth as if they were carrots or tomatoes, chomping them down noisily.
"They’re a bit young, and the potency isn’t great, but it’s better than nothing."
"Crazy girl, you’d better make this up to me in the future, or I’ll never let you hear the end of it!"
"Hehe. Now, to meet the person who kept me waiting for so long. I certainly hope he isn’t some piece of trash, or all that crazy girl’s hard work will have been for nothing."
The old man muttered as he ate, then took a single step and vanished on the spot.
At that very moment, both the North District Envoy Hall, representing Divine Master Valley, and the East District Envoy Hall, representing the Demon Sea, began to mobilize.
"The fog in the forbidden land is thinning! Is the secret of the Desperate Mountain Range finally about to be revealed? Pass down my orders! March on the Desperate Mountain Range!"
"Every Sub-Palace will dispatch at least one Immortal! We of the North District must stand united. We cannot let those fiends from the East District get the jump on us!"
"I won’t waste any more words. You’ll have to seize the resources for yourselves. Just don’t let those hypocrites from the North District beat you to it and disgrace our Demon Sea!"
"Bring the juniors along as well. Consider it an internal selection trial for the Sub-Palaces! Rest assured, the Saint Ancestor has decreed that before entering the Demon Spirit Battlefield, High-Tier Cultivators may not attack Low-Tier Cultivators. You don’t need to worry about the young ones being slaughtered by other Immortals."
In an instant, hordes of powerful experts began to advance on the Desperate Mountain Range from all directions.
...
The Strong Bull Demon, the Golden-Winged Roc, the Armored Profound Turtle, and the Three-headed Thunder Lion—the best set of ingredients Mo Qi had ever acquired.
Unable to withstand the Pig Emperor’s relentless pestering, and with his own cravings getting the better of him, Mo Qi carved a steak from the bull, a wing from the roc, a leg from the turtle, and a head from the lion.
Pan-fried steak, roasted roc wing, stewed turtle soup, and braised lion’s head.
Three dishes and a soup were served on the table within the hour.
"SLURP! SLURP!"
The Pig Emperor kept trying to suck its drool back in, but it was no use. Saliva streamed from its mouth like a small brook.
"If you dare get a single drop of drool on the food, you can forget about ever eating my Medicinal Cuisine again," Mo Qi couldn’t help but warn, seeing the Pig Emperor’s over-the-top reaction.
Hearing this, the Pig Emperor hastily turned its head to the side, but its eyes remained locked on the three dishes and one soup.
"Mo the kid, I can’t control myself!" The Pig Emperor swiveled one eyeball to look pleadingly at Mo Qi, while its other eye remained stubbornly fixed on the meal the entire time.
Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, Mo Qi said, "Just stay still. I’ll get you some food."
