Night had fallen, Lin Yun decided to use the cover of darkness to press on.
By evening, his pace picked up slightly.
Little Monkey was also hurrying towards him, since they could sense each other, finding one another wasn’t hard.
The next day, Lin Yun travelled all day, speeding up again at night.
By the afternoon of the third day.
Lin Yun had been advancing through the Demonic Beast Mountain Range for two full days.
Thanks to his divine sense steering him clear of demon beasts, he hadn’t yet clashed with any head-on.
His divine sense was strong, and the beasts within its range so far were weak, too feeble to notice they were being scanned.
The range was vast, larger than the Xingwu Empire, not every spot teemed with beasts, some areas were desolate, rarely seeing any, just like human territories had uninhabited stretches—it was the same principle.
The beasts he’d detected so far, he could handle with ease.
At second-rank Mahayana, Lin Yun’s strength matched a Demon Emperor in the demon clan, a high-tier beast.
The strongest he’d sensed within his range was a Demon Sovereign in clan armour, leading a patrol of Demon General-level beasts.
Though these were weak enough for Lin Yun to dispatch easily, any fight risked exposure, potentially drawing a swarm of beasts.
His goal was to cross the range safely to another empire, not to battle demons here.
So, avoidable fights were best avoided.
Over ten miles from Lin Yun, a small demon beast squad, about a dozen strong, roamed.
“Hmm? A human scent?” a double-headed giant hound sniffed.
“Big Dog, you sure?” the leading White Flame Bear asked.
“Vice Commander, how could I lie?” the hound replied.
“It must be that human genius, Lin Yun, didn’t expect I’d actually find him!” the bear grinned.
Stationed near the border, they’d rushed to search the region close to the Xingwu Empire after the order to hunt Lin Yun came down.
“Vice Commander, they say this human genius is tough, should we signal Commander Golden Fleece to bring reinforcements?” the hound asked.
“Call them over, and where’s our credit? I’m enough to handle him! Just a human junior, what’s to fear? Lead the way! Catch him, and you’ll get a share of the glory,” the bear boasted.
“Yes! I’ll guide you!” the hound agreed eagerly, leading the bear onward.
“They’re coming my way? Damn, I’ve been spotted!”
Lin Yun’s divine sense caught the squad charging towards him.
Their intent was clear—they’d found him.
“What now?” Lin Yun’s mind raced.
Burst into a full-speed dash to escape?
That wouldn’t work, high-speed flight would make too much noise, alerting more beasts, fully exposing his position!
“One Demon Monarch, two Demon Venerables, two Demon Sovereigns, the rest are Demon Kings and Generals,” Lin Yun gauged their strength from their auras.
“Not bad ranks, the highest I’ve encountered in two days!” he mused.
The dozen beasts soon reached him.
Since they’d spotted him, hiding was pointless.
He’d avoid fights where possible, but when unavoidable, he wasn’t afraid to clash.
“You’re that human genius, Lin Yun, right?” the White Flame Bear stared, speaking human words.
“That’s me,” Lin Yun replied.
“Bold of you, trespassing on demon clan turf, do you know how grave the consequences are?” the bear’s tone dripped with arrogance.
“I don’t, but I know meeting me won’t end well for you,” a sharp glint flashed in Lin Yun’s eyes.
“Hmph, seeking death!”
With that, the bear charged at Lin Yun.
*Thud! Thud!*
Its four legs pounded the ground, each step trembling the earth.
“Kid, you’ll be the first human I defeat!” the bear roared, thrilled.
With the demon and human clans at peace for tens of thousands of years, living in their own domains, most beasts, like this bear, had never fought a human—it was eager!
Leaping as it reached him, it pounced with fierce strength, claws gleaming silver.
“Such a clumsy attack!”
“Die!”
Lin Yun shook his head, raising a hand, the Venomous Grudge Sword appeared, its blade flaring with light, power surging!
“What?”
Sensing the terrifying might of the strike, the bear’s face twisted.
*Boom!*
The sword’s glow struck its jaw, piercing its steel-like fur, the blade entered through the chin, exiting the back of its skull, skewering its head.
Lin Yun withdrew the sword, the bear’s massive body crashed down, lifeless, its wide eyes frozen, as if recounting its disbelief.
“I told you, meeting me wouldn’t end well,” Lin Yun said calmly.
Back when he’d first arrived on the continent, even a Demon Venerable or Sovereign would’ve unnerved him, let alone a Monarch.
Now, at second-rank Mahayana, a mere Venerable was nothing.
“Run! Run!”
The remaining dozen beasts, seeing the bear felled in one strike, scattered in a panic.
Lin Yun waved his hand.
“Flying Snow Sword Array!”
The sword’s power flared, streaking towards them.
*Swish!*
Sword light danced, in a single clash, all dozen beasts were slain!
It was as easy as slaughtering chickens.
With their deaths, silence returned.
Lin Yun waved again, storing their corpses in his spatial ring.
“Can’t stay here, go!”
He fled the scene swiftly.
The fight had caused a stir, noticeable within a dozen miles, though no beasts were in that radius.
A strong beast might sense it faintly from hundreds of miles away.
Unsure of his safety, Lin Yun had to leave fast.
He didn’t want to fight, but this time, he’d had no choice.
Extending his divine sense, he fled over a hundred miles before pausing.
“Phew, should be fine,” he sighed, finding no anomalies in his range.
Though battle-hardened, this was his first fight in the range, leaving him tense and wary.
This was demon clan territory, for a human, it was like storming the eighteen layers of hell—one misstep could mean a gruesome end!
