This event caused quite a stir at the time, creating a huge uproar throughout the entire world of beasts.
No beast wanted to believe that a human could come and go freely within the Sacred Beast Mountain.
But the fact was undeniable.
This cultivator named Lu Ya not only ventured into the Sacred Mountain but also took away a junior from the Tian Wu tribe with the purest bloodline.
What made it even harder for the beasts to accept was that at the time, Lu Ya was merely at the early stage of the Nascent Soul level.
This made the whole situation even more absurd.
Forget about the early Nascent Soul stage, even if he were at the Nascent Soul perfection stage, what of it? Any adult beast on the Sacred Beast Mountain could easily crush him with just a flick of a claw.
How could they allow such arrogance from a human cultivator?
Although there were rumors later on that Lu Ya was able to freely enter and leave the Nanming Sacred Beast Mountain due to the tacit approval of the ‘Emperor One’, it still didn’t sit well with the beast clan.
What right did this mere human cultivator have?
It took over a decade for the waves stirred by this event to gradually calm down.
And the name Lu Ya became etched into the memories of many beasts.
Although the Dafeng Bird was known for its forgetfulness, when both the name “Lu Ya” and the Emperor One’s jade token appeared simultaneously, it instantly remembered the events from back then.
“It seems the rumors were indeed true. Lu Ya really had a close relationship with Emperor One…” The Dafeng Bird let out a strange laugh, flapped its wings, and followed Xu Ke as they flew into the Sacred Mountain.
The Nanming Sacred Beast Mountain seemed to contain some sort of special energy that greatly benefited the beasts.
The closer they got to it, the more energized Li Fan felt.
It was as if something deep within him was joyfully stirring, making his blood boil and filling him with boundless energy.
Even the Azure Luan Bird beneath Xu Ke felt the same.
It let out a loud, joyous cry, its speed increasing noticeably in an instant.
In no time, they had arrived.
Xu Ke’s group had entered the bounds of the Sacred Beast Mountain, but just then, Little Qing suddenly stiffened in mid-air, motionless.
At the same time, Li Fan felt a fatal sense of danger surge in his heart.
Yet Xu Ke seemed completely unaware of the danger, still shouting excitedly, “Xiao Hei, look! What is that?”
Li Fan’s body felt petrified, unable to move. He could only barely turn his eyes to follow Xu Ke’s gaze.
What he saw was a massive snake coiled around the Sacred Beast Mountain.
Its body was fiery red, incredibly striking and demonic.
The red snake’s body was enormous, and what they could see seemed to be only part of its seemingly endless form, with most of it hidden beneath the blue waters of the Nanming Sea.
It was a sight that inspired fear in all who beheld it.
What was even more shocking was that before entering the Nanming Sacred Beast Mountain, no one had noticed its presence.
It was as if it had appeared out of thin air.
The red snake’s single eye was now coldly staring at the Azure Luan Bird and the human passengers it carried.
The immense pressure forced Li Fan to instinctively close his eyes.
Yet Xu Ke remained completely unfazed, staring boldly back at the red snake.
After a tense standoff, a faint glow emanated from the jade token in Xu Ke’s hand.
The red snake’s eye shifted slightly before it slowly closed.
In an instant, the Azure Luan Bird regained its mobility.
Li Fan felt the pressure on his body lift abruptly and let out a small sigh of relief.
But when he looked again, the massive red snake, larger than a mountain, had already vanished.
It was as if that terrifying moment had been nothing more than a hallucination.
However, Li Fan knew that the one-eyed red snake was still coiled around the Sacred Beast Mountain.
They just couldn’t see it anymore.
“If it weren’t for that Emperor One jade token, even a cultivator at the Dao Integration stage would be dead or crippled here,” Li Fan thought to himself in shock.
Xu Ke, however, remained carefree and oblivious, urging the Azure Luan Bird to descend into the mountain.
“Wow! It feels so comfortable here,” Xu Ke exclaimed as he landed, taking a deep breath and savoring the atmosphere.
It was well known that staying on the Sacred Beast Mountain brought some mysterious benefits to beasts.
This time, he didn’t bother to put Little Qing away, instead letting her shrink down to a small size and settle next to Li Fan.
Li Fan glanced at her, and for a moment, a vision of the Azure Saint Master from thousands of years in the future flashed in his mind.
He smiled but said nothing.
Little Qing seemed a bit frightened of Li Fan, the Heavenly Fate Mystical Bird. Occasionally, she cast a nervous glance his way, her eyes filled with fear.
She instinctively kept her distance, not daring to get too close.
Xu Ke, for the moment, ignored the two birds perched above him. He dashed along the mountain path toward the grand city ahead.
Along the way, they encountered many strange and bizarre beasts.
There were horse-bodied, bird-winged creatures; human-faced, snake-tailed beings; some resembling tigers with howling dog-like cries; others like black crows with three heads and six tails; and some like deer with white tails, horse legs, human hands, and four horns…
Some of the beasts were even plants or trees that had gained sentience, radiating divine and ethereal auras.
But no matter how fierce or malevolent these beasts appeared, all of them moved cautiously and respectfully along the mountain path, not daring to act out of line.
Thus, Xu Ke’s reckless running stood out.
Some beasts looked at him with killing intent, wanting to teach this reckless brat a lesson.
But sensing the aura of the Emperor One on him, none of them dared to make a move.
So Xu Ke continued sprinting, finally arriving at the base of the grand city atop the mountain.
This city, atop the Sacred Mountain, was made from some unknown material. Its entire body was pure white, exuding a sacred and majestic presence under the sunlight.
Beyond the white city was originally just a high wall, without any gate.
But as the group approached, a face suddenly appeared on the wall.
The face opened its mouth, revealing a pitch-black passageway.
Xu Ke stopped in his tracks.
He stretched out his neck and peered inside but couldn’t see anything.
While he muttered to himself, a strange beast walked past with a mocking expression and entered the passage.
Xu Ke pouted but quickly gathered his courage and followed the beast into the white city of the Sacred Mountain.
The light vanished, then reappeared.
“Follow me!”
A soft, childish voice suddenly sounded in Li Fan’s ear.
Ahead of him stood a small child, around five or six years old, with an adorably delicate face, making it impossible to tell their gender. The child stood with his hands on his hips, addressing Xu Ke.