Ye Qiu looked up and saw that the originally vast and endless grassland had suddenly transformed into endless stretches of mountain peaks.
Each mountain was higher than the one before.
Moreover, these peaks were extraordinarily thin, as if they were sheets of paper standing upright. Barren and devoid of any vegetation, they appeared completely bald and resembled sharp blades arranged in an uneven yet orderly fashion.
Ye Qiu noticed that on the highest and most distant peak stood a colossal stone carving.
The carving towered into the clouds, shrouded in thick demonic mist, appearing and disappearing faintly.
Then, fifty metres ahead, a massive pitch-black stone stele burst forth from the ground. It stood about a hundred zhang tall, inscribed with four large characters.
Demon Race Forbidden Ground!
Ye Qiu glanced up at it and found the stele ancient and weathered, emitting a dark lustre that gave off an extremely heavy and imposing sensation.
“Eh?”
Ye Qiu inwardly exclaimed in surprise, feeling somewhat unexpected.
Because the four characters “Demon Race Forbidden Ground” were not in ancient demonic script, but in human race characters.
Ever since arriving in the demon race, almost everything he had seen with writing was recorded in both demonic human and demonic scripts. Yet unexpectedly, this stele bore only human race characters, with no demonic script in sight.
At this moment, Little White Fox and the ten great elders stopped. Beads of sweat had appeared on their foreheads.
It was clear they had expended considerable energy just now.
Ye Qiu took out a handkerchief, intending to wipe the sweat from Little White Fox’s brow. However, in front of all the elders, she felt a bit embarrassed and dodged slightly to the side, saying, “I’d better do it myself.”
“Don’t move!” Ye Qiu’s tone was commanding. One hand pressed on her shoulder while the other gently wiped the sweat from her forehead with the handkerchief.
Little White Fox was very shy, her cheeks flushed red as she lowered her head, yet her heart felt as sweet as if she had eaten honey.
Seeing this scene, the other elders exchanged glances, their faces bearing meaningful smiles.
Only Ox Elder stared with eyes as wide as bronze bells, his heart filled with confusion. Since when had the master become involved with the national ruler?
Monkey Elder chuckled, “Master, I have sweat on my forehead too. Could you wipe it for me as well?”
“Get lost.” Ye Qiu cursed.
“Hahaha…” The other elders burst into laughter.
After wiping Little White Fox’s sweat, Ye Qiu turned toward the demon race forbidden ground and asked curiously, “Why was the demon race forbidden ground hidden?”
Little White Fox explained, “To prevent outsiders from infiltrating the demon race, after the Demon Emperor passed away in meditation, the national ruler and the ten great elders of that time joined forces to set up a barrier and conceal the forbidden ground.”
“From then on, anyone wishing to enter must have the national ruler and the ten great elders act together to open the barrier.”
“Not one less!”
“The main purpose is to protect the Demon Emperor’s inheritance.”
“Of course, if it were an overwhelmingly powerful emperor-level expert, they could forcibly break the barrier.”
So that was it.
Then, Ye Qiu pointed at the massive stele and asked, “Who inscribed the characters on the stele?”
Little White Fox replied, “The Demon Emperor!”
“Inscribed personally by the Demon Emperor?” Ye Qiu was somewhat astonished, for he had long seen that the four characters on the stele contained no trace of divinity.
Logically, characters left by a powerhouse like the Demon Emperor should contain divinity within the strokes, or be imbued with boundless power.
As the saying goes, the writing reflects the person!
Yet these four characters appeared utterly ordinary, with nothing unusual about them.
Ye Qiu asked further, “I recall that your demon race’s classics are generally written in two scripts. Why are these four characters on the stele in human race script, with no demonic script visible?”
Bear Elder said, “Young Master Ye, to be honest, we don’t know either.”
“After all, when the Demon Emperor passed away in meditation, none of us had been born yet.”
“This question, I’m afraid only the Demon Emperor himself knows.”
“Young Master Ye, you may not know, but many years ago when the national ruler first came to the forbidden ground, she asked the same question. It seems you and the national ruler truly share a spiritual connection!”
Little White Fox blushed again.
Ye Qiu formed a conjecture in his heart and asked, “Could the Demon Emperor have been… from the human race?”
“Absolutely impossible.” Bear Elder said, “The Demon Emperor must have been from the demon race, otherwise he could not have ruled over it.”
Ye Qiu pressed, “Bear Elder, do you know which race within the demon race the Demon Emperor came from?”
Bear Elder paused, scratched his head, and said, “I truly don’t know that. There is no record in the ancient demon race texts, though the ancestors all said the Demon Emperor was from the nine-tailed heavenly fox lineage.”
Little White Fox added, “I’ve heard that rumour too, but whether it’s true or false cannot be verified. However, all the major demon races share a common trait: they are proud and untamed, unwilling to easily submit to other races. Therefore, the Demon Emperor was definitely from the demon race. There is no doubt about that.”
Since both Bear Elder and Little White Fox had said so, Ye Qiu did not press further. He smiled and said, “It seems I was overthinking it.”
“Changsheng, are you ready?” Little White Fox asked.
“Yes, I’m ready.” Ye Qiu nodded firmly.
“Then I’ll take you in!” Little White Fox said, taking Ye Qiu’s hand and walking forward.
The ten great elders followed behind, whispering quietly.
“Did you see that? The national ruler and Young Master Ye are holding hands. So affectionate!”
“The master is impressive, capturing the national ruler so quickly.”
“The national ruler is the foremost beauty of our demon race, blessed with heavenly charm and peerless appearance. Young Master Ye is a dragon among men, graceful and elegant. Together, they are truly a match made in heaven.”
“I’m really looking forward to eating their wedding sweets.”
“Wedding sweets are nothing. I want to make a racket in the bridal chamber!”
“… ”
Though the elders spoke softly, Ye Qiu and Little White Fox walking ahead heard every word clearly.
Ye Qiu glanced at Little White Fox and saw her face flushed bright red, like a vibrant flower bud, utterly adorable.
“These elders, at their age, still have no proper demeanour.” Little White Fox spat.
“They are concerned for you.” Ye Qiu said.
“I don’t want their concern. They dare gossip about me behind my back. Hmph, I’ll deal with them properly later.” Little White Fox put on a fierce expression.
Ye Qiu whispered in her ear, “Mei’er, do you know how cute you look right now?”
Little White Fox’s face grew even redder. She asked, “Changsheng, do you like it?”
Ye Qiu said, “No, I don’t.”
Eh?
Little White Fox was stunned.
Ye Qiu smirked mischievously, “I still prefer the way you look when demonstrating your skills.”
“You want to die!” Little White Fox, utterly embarrassed and almost dripping with shyness, pinched his waist.
Soon, they arrived before the mountain peaks.
Little White Fox’s expression turned serious, and the ten great elders also put away their playful smiles.
Little White Fox raised her hand, pointing at the endless chain of mountains, and said to Ye Qiu, “This place is called Three Thousand Mountains.”
“There are exactly three thousand peaks in total.”
“On the highest peak stands a stone carving of the Demon Emperor. If you can reach that carving and cause it to resonate, you will obtain the Demon Emperor’s inheritance.”
