Chapter Fifty-Eight: The Road Ahead

The leader of the Dark Demon Cult could not help but furrow his brow, murmuring to himself, “How has the Yi Tribe suddenly produced such a formidable young warrior, one that even Number Ten cannot defeat?”

It was well known that Number Ten ranked among the top fighters in the Dark Demon Cult; ordinary ninth-tier martial artists were no match for him. Only those veterans who had lingered at the peak of the ninth tier for many years could hope to overcome him. Now, a powerful young warrior from the Yi Tribe had sent Number Ten back in disgrace, forcing the cult leader to reassess the strength of the Yi Tribe.

At that moment, Number Ten, clad in black, turned pale and finally let out a wretched scream.

“Ah…”

Just as the cult leader was struck by surprise, Number Ten’s entire body suddenly ignited in flames. Before the shocked eyes of the cult leader, Number Ten was consumed by the searing fire, reduced to a charred corpse, crashing to the ground, shattered into pieces, dead beyond all hope.

“What a domineering fire-attribute true energy!”

In the dark room, the leader of the Dark Demon Cult narrowed his eyes, staring at the flames that gradually died out.

He quickly deduced the sequence of events. Clearly, Number Ten had fought fiercely with the opponent, who had infused his body with true energy, causing internal injury. Upon returning to headquarters, the latent true energy finally erupted, overwhelming Number Ten’s resistance and burning him to ash.

With his plans thwarted, the cult leader fell into silence for a time.

Yet, across Black Dragon City and its surrounding lands, rumors about treasures discovered by the Yi Tribe shifted daily. Some claimed the Yi Tribe had found the treasure of the Flying Crow Band, which ruled Black Dragon City more than four centuries ago.

The Flying Crow Band was notorious and immensely powerful in its day, surpassing even the current Dark Skeleton Band in notoriety. Nearly all local raider groups had been incorporated by the Flying Crow Band, which stood against the Black Dragon Society and the great families. Even the River Gang, which long survived atop the Black Dragon River, had allied with the Black Dragon Society and other powers to check the growth of the Flying Crow Band.

Eventually, the Flying Crow Band was torn by internal strife, and the combined forces of the city’s powers destroyed it in a single, sweeping attack.

However, when the victors tallied the Flying Crow Band’s wealth and resources, they found only a little over half a million gold coins and just over ten thousand elemental stones. The combined value of other spiritual herbs and elixirs barely amounted to ten thousand low-grade elemental stones.

For a raider band boasting tens of thousands of followers, these resources and riches were meager indeed—none of the powers believed this was all. Even a single major faction would possess more wealth than the Flying Crow Band.

The only plausible explanation was that, at the moment of their destruction, the Flying Crow Band had already transferred all their wealth and resources elsewhere.

For centuries, no one had ever found the Flying Crow Band’s treasure.

Beyond this plausible rumor, several other versions circulated, each derived from chronicles of vanished powers and their lost treasures throughout Black Dragon City’s millennia of history.

The Yi Tribe quietly dispatched people to Black Dragon City to gather information. When they discovered the origins of these fanciful misunderstandings, they felt a measure of relief. As long as the secret of their large elemental vein mine was not exposed, and they merely bore the blame for other old secrets, they considered themselves fortunate.

In this way, the dangers they faced would be quite different. Confronted by the powers of Black Dragon City, the Yi Tribe at least had a fighting chance. The pressure would be immense, but not hopeless.

If word of the large elemental vein mine had leaked, it would have drawn truly terrifying experts and ancient powers, against whom the Yi Tribe could not resist in the slightest.

Yi Tian cared little for the shifting storms outside. Only true strength could dispel calamity and crisis.

He continued to cultivate the Great Sun Heavenly Arts, while using his Star Mud avatar to deduce the Wild Ox Mountain-Cracking Technique, the Tempest Tiger Dominance Technique, and other such skills, raising their levels.

He was not unwilling to further deduce the Great Sun Heavenly Arts. But since his Star Mud avatar had evolved to a crimson hue, its progress in deducing the Great Sun Heavenly Arts had stalled, the rate of advancement exceedingly slow.

Even after devouring tens of thousands of mid-grade elemental stones, the Star Mud avatar showed no sign of further evolution; its color became slightly deeper, but the difference was barely noticeable. Thus, Yi Tian temporarily ceased his efforts on the Great Sun Heavenly Arts, turning instead to the deduction of other techniques.

“Things have been so boring lately!”

Gathered together, the six members of the Reincarnation Squad—Yi Tian, Yi Feng, Yi Shan, Yi Li, and others—could not help but sigh. Indeed, for more than a year, they had stayed within the tribe, rarely venturing out; even hunting in the mountains had become nothing but a distraction. They were all growing restless.

“I thought that, once we mastered our cultivation, we could venture forth to explore ancient ruins, travel the world, meet talents from distant lands, witness the skills and battle arts of ancient sects, experience the thrill of conflict—but to think we’re confined within the tribe… Ah,” Yi Kuang lamented, utterly helpless.

His words struck a chord with Yi Feng, Yi Li, Yi Hong, and the others.

They had read the ancient texts and chronicles passed down through the tribe, tales of a vast world filled with wondrous treasures, forbidden arts, artifacts capable of destroying mountains and rivers, holy medicines that could restore life—all things they yearned for.

Even Yi Tian could not help but feel a longing when he heard this.

He wished to leave Black Dragon City, to witness the marvels of this mysterious world. He dreamed of climbing to the summit of the cultivation path, to behold the grandeur of the world, to become an incomparable celestial being, as powerful as gods and demons, truly master of his own destiny.

Yi Tian said at last, “Don’t get your hopes up yet. Only when you become human-tier cultivators will you be qualified to venture into the world. Otherwise, rushing out blindly will only lead to a swift death.”

Yi Feng and the others understood well what Yi Tian meant.

They knew the dangers outside. Only high-tier martial artists could even qualify to wander the world—and even then, most were mere ants. Out of thousands, tens of thousands, few ever met a good end. Only a rare few, blessed by fortune, might encounter opportunities and break through.

Most who sought fortunes in the world had little foundation; they struggled to become stronger by risking their lives, relying on luck and a resolute desire to become powerful.

Their foundation was the Yi Tribe.

With the strength of the Reincarnation Squad, they could make a name for themselves in the Black Dragon City region. But if they entered Jingmu County or provoked a major power, they might be wiped out in an instant.

Let alone wandering the Heavenly Wind Empire, or traveling through the myriad kingdoms of the land, witnessing sects with thousands of years of legacy, ancient families, noble houses—without human-tier cultivation, they would not get far before perishing.

They were like ants, floating on slow-moving streams with the help of objects. If they entered rivers, or even the sea, they would surely drown.

After this conversation, the Reincarnation Squad members grew unwilling to remain in such stagnation.

They trained harder than ever.

With abundant elemental stones and earth-tier techniques, their chances of breaking through to the human tier were greatly increased. The only question was when.

If they broke through before the age of thirty, they would be considered geniuses, with hope of achieving even greater heights. If after thirty, their potential would be much diminished, and without further opportunities, their prospects would be bleak.

Thus, even human-tier cultivators would venture into the world seeking fortune, risking dangers in forbidden zones, striving to break their shackles, surviving against all odds.

With their talents, techniques, and resources, it was highly likely they would break through before thirty.