Chapter 19: Join the Humans or the Demons?

After Ziyu left, Lu Wu finally asked, “Did you take part in the Moon Pursuit?”

The young lord knew that answering might mean survival, but refusing to answer meant certain death.

“No…”

“I’m just… scouting the way.”

After each Moon Pursuit, the preparations and defenses of the Tai Xu Palace would change. With the young lord’s strength, he was far from qualified to join the Moon Pursuit.

Lu Wu fell into thought.

Though his master still lay within the palace’s library, to save him, Lu Wu needed to pierce the skin of a sage. Who knew what kind of strength or hardness of mouthparts would be required to penetrate a sage’s flesh?

Now, staying in the Tai Xu Palace served little purpose. Whether it was the Sacred Demon Valley or the Holy Capital, any faction rivaled Tai Xu Palace in power. The opportunities there far surpassed those here.

And at his current stage, he could still steal spiritual herbs and suck the blood of baby spirit beasts, muddling through his days. But if he continued, he’d need to consume herbs in greater quantities, attack spirit beasts, or even target inner disciples and elders. In such a closed environment, he would undoubtedly be discovered. The further he progressed, the harder evolution would become.

If he reached Sacred Demon Valley or the Holy Capital, it would be like a hidden dragon emerging from the depths, soaring into the vast sea, and the path ahead would be bright.

Now the question was: should he go to the demon clan or the human clan?

Lu Wu was torn.

His physical body hadn’t cultivated, lacked spiritual energy, but if he ever encountered someone highly skilled in soul cultivation, his identity could be exposed. Should he act as a demon, or as a spirit beast? And what were the environments of the Holy Capital and Sacred Demon Valley truly like?

Lu Wu asked, “How much do you know about Sacred Demon Valley?”

Seeing Lu Wu’s interest in Sacred Demon Valley, the young lord was overjoyed—he might yet be spared!

He hurriedly replied, “Sacred Demon Valley is in the north, more than two thousand miles from here. There, great demons roam. Many of the talented young ones from the Hundred Thousand Demon Mountains went there, only to become disciples of the great demons. Those demons favor body refinement—every one of them possesses the power to shatter mountains and seas! That’s truly the place you should go, senior!”

Lu Wu pressed, “And how much do you know about the Holy Capital?”

The young lord replied, “I’m not familiar with the Holy Capital…”

Lu Wu’s tone grew cold. The young lord hastily explained, “Our Hundred Thousand Demon Mountains border the northern city, which is the outermost power of the Holy Capital. The human cultivators there like to wear sturdy armor and favor external forces in refining tools. There are many strange and wonderful things. I once saw a lamp that could be powered by spiritual energy to illuminate—though such things don’t help much in battle.”

Lu Wu’s eyes gleamed.

Electric lights?!

Could the Holy Capital be a city of the demon world or a metropolis of immortals and gods?

Armor! That was precisely what he desperately needed!

His greatest reliance now was the “Ten Thousand Beasts Diagram.” Yet it was a soul cultivation method; his physical body was still weak, and the progress from evolution was slow. At present, his true physical strength was only slightly better than a cat’s. If he could obtain soul artifacts suitable for fusing with his soul, his physical body would become stronger.

It seemed he must go to the Holy Capital.

Lu Wu thought for a moment. “Boy, hand over your cultivation method for me to see.”

The young lord dared not resist and immediately produced a stone scroll.

“Hm? I can’t understand it…”

But the Book of Knowledge quickly updated.

“‘Night Sting Demon Manual.’”

Amazing! The Book of Knowledge even had a translation function!

Lu Wu eagerly read.

The Night Sting Demon Manual was a fairly decent cultivation method for the demon clan, suited to small-bodied demons. In the Qi-Gathering realm, it didn’t differ much from the great demon secret tomes. But it grew weaker as one advanced.

So this young lord was not an important figure—just cannon fodder.

“Heh, have you ever killed anyone?”

The young lord replied, “Of course, everyone I encountered along the way…”

“Then die!” Lu Wu declared, “I represent the Heavenly Way in destroying you!”

The young lord: ??????

…

After four days, Lu Wu had drained all the cat demons of blood before flying toward Tai Xu Palace.

“These four days of progress have been exhilarating!”

Host: Lu Wu.

Race: Mosquito.

Lifespan: Fifty years (modeled after grass tortoise).

Physical realm: Weak little demon, mortal grade.

Soul realm: Qi-Gathering realm.

Body strength: Negative fourth grade.

Mouthpart hardness: Fourth grade (equipped with coffin nail soul artifact).

Strength: One man's strength (mouse strength × three hundred-fold ant amplification = three hundred jin).

First-tier soul totems: Mosquito, butterfly, ant, rhinoceros beetle, leech, fly, spider, mantis (optional).

Second-tier soul totems: Mouse, gecko, wild chrysanthemum, sparrow, cactus, water snake, aye-aye, grass tortoise.

“At last, I’m no longer a nonentity among demons, but a weak one… It hasn’t been easy!”

He had evolved sixteen times in four days!

Although each evolution now demanded much more blood, it saved the physical strengthening step between every two evolutions.

Sixteen times, he had mimicked sixteen small plants and animals.

But there were still only eight second-tier soul totems.

As Lu Wu suspected, the second tier might require more than three hundred mimics to complete nine totems and advance to the next realm, the Sky-Stepping realm.

Still, a dozen animal and plant totems had fundamentally changed his fighting power.

Now, Lu Wu could assume the size of a mouse, stack the ant’s strength, and his physical power reached three hundred jin, equivalent to a normal adult. His speed drew from the bee’s wingbeat frequency and the sparrow’s flight range. For defense, he could use the turtle’s toughness. And as his size increased, the leech’s greed expanded his blood storage capacity.

All-around attribute boosts.

At this point, Lu Wu could easily thrash a regular adult with pure physical power. If he combined his physical body with the soul totem laws, he could contend with a standard Qi-Gathering realm cultivator. If he unleashed his soul power in full, stacking all states, he could instantly kill any cultivator below mid-Qi-Gathering realm. Against late-stage Qi-Gathering, a sneak attack would likely succeed.

In terms of realm, Lu Wu himself was already at the peak of the Soul Qi-Gathering stage.

“Now I must seize the Tai Xu Palace’s defensive opportunity during this Moon Pursuit to evolve as much as possible.”

Ideally, before heading to the Holy Capital, he could complete his second-tier soul totem and cultivate his soul to the Sky-Stepping realm!

He couldn’t slaughter freely in Tai Xu Palace to obtain blood. But in this Moon Pursuit, the palace would surely defend against the demon youth crossing its borders.

This was a great opportunity!

Familiar with the route, he made his way to the Medicine Field Hall.

Lu Wu found Ziyu waiting there ahead of him.

She sat cross-legged atop a giant stone.

Lu Wu flew up. “Ziyu.”

Ziyu opened her eyes, transmitting her voice excitedly, “Senior!”

Lu Wu was surprised. “Oh? You can transmit your voice now?”

Her voice was unstable, but still intelligible. “Senior, I’ve reached the fourth stage of Qi-Gathering.”

Lu Wu nodded. “Not bad. How does the sect view the ‘Moon Pursuit’ operation of the Hundred Thousand Demon Mountains?”

“Of course, they’re intent on slaughtering them!” Ziyu replied. “I heard that this time, the demon mountains have sent some powerful demon clansmen. But by the rules, if they don’t trespass into the palace’s core areas, the elders won’t intervene.”

Relations between Tai Xu Palace and the Hundred Thousand Demon Mountains were tense, with clashes occurring frequently. In the demon mountain domain, ordinary animals were their subjects. Among the humans, hunters were everywhere. Within the Tai Xu Palace, all humans were considered their own people, and every demon invasion was met with purification.

But since the two sides had remained stable for so many years without a death match, it proved they’d reached a certain tacit understanding. Elders not intervening against the younger generation was surprising, but reasonable.

Lu Wu asked, “Will you fight?”

“Of course!” Ziyu replied. “Not only in the Moon Pursuit, but soon we’ll form the Tai Xu squad, and I’ll participate then too!”

Hm?!

That was perfect!

Lu Wu said, “This Moon Pursuit, I’ll act alongside you.”