The Mount Beimeng Range was one of the largest mountain ranges on Planet Jinxing, falling under the jurisdiction of the Yuxuan Sect, one of the Great Sects. Mount Chize was located within the inner reaches of this range.
The cultivation world of Planet Jinxing was primarily ruled by the Three Sects and the Five Great Families. The Three Sects were the Yuanyang Sect, the Qingfeng Sect, and the Yuxuan Sect. The Five Great Families consisted of the Xi Family, who specialized in beast taming; the Fu Family, masters of talismans; the Yuan Family, renowned for alchemical pills; the Tie Family, experts in artifact forging; and the Shan Family, a clan of sword cultivators.
Each Great Sect controlled multiple subordinate planets. The *Compendium of Cultivation* Li Xue had read back on Planet Mangyun mentioned the Bai Family’s spirit herb production site; that location, Planet Danxia, was a subordinate world of the Yuxuan Sect.
In the cultivation world of the Hongmeng Star Domain, an "Upper Sect" was required to have at least one cultivator at the Tribulation Transcendence Stage or higher. A "Middle Sect" required at least five cultivators at the Soul Transformation Stage, while a "Lower Sect" required at least one. Collectively, the top tier was referred to as the Three Sects.
The realms of the cultivators here were incomparable to those on Planet Mangyun. One could say Planet Mangyun had only a single Tribulation Transcendence cultivator, whereas Planet Jinxing boasted at least eight. Such a lineup was formidable indeed.
Mount Beimeng was comparable in size to Mount Mangyun, yet it was only a portion of the Yuxuan Sect’s territory, illustrating just how vast the cultivation world of Planet Jinxing truly was. It took Li Xue and Li Lin a full three months to finally emerge from the mountains.
The reason was simple: there were far too many rank-five and higher demonic beasts. Since they were only at the early Golden Core Stage, they had to be extremely cautious, traveling by day and hiding by night. It was an arduous journey, but it brought many benefits, serving as an excellent opportunity for tempering themselves.
Upon reaching the outer periphery of Mount Beimeng, both Li Xue and Li Lin were elated to finally be leaving the wilds. Suddenly, Li Xue’s divine sense detected fluctuations of spiritual power. She gave Li Lin a look, and the two immediately went into hiding.
Three cultivators soon appeared: one at the mid-Golden Core Stage and two at the early Golden Core Stage.
"Eh? They hid quite fast!" the mid-Golden Core cultivator remarked. Suddenly, he summoned a Dharma treasure and spat a mouthful of spiritual essence onto it. The treasure erupted with brilliant light, instantly exposing Li Xue and Li Lin’s hiding spot.
"You two, stop hiding. If you know what’s good for you, hand over everything you have and end your own lives. Don't make this painful!" shouted a short man among the early Golden Core cultivators.
*Robbers these days are so long-winded!* Li Xue and Li Lin ignored their words, swiftly summoning their own Dharma treasures and slapping handfuls of talismans onto themselves, their hands ready to strike at any moment.
Li Lin summoned the Ziyang Cauldron, performing several hand seals to cast its shadow over their opponents.
"Huh? A pill cultivator? Someone from the Yuan Family? No, that’s not right..." The tall, mid-Golden Core cultivator let out a sound of surprise. He quickly summoned a defensive treasure to shield his trio, easily withstanding Li Lin’s toxic miasma attack.
"That’s useless! Hehe!" the short man jeered. He manipulated his flying sword to strike directly at Li Xue.
Seeing the situation, Li Xue knew they were at a disadvantage against a mid-Golden Core opponent. Without hesitation, she summoned Chi Ze and Hei Yan, while her Five Elements Flying Shuttles shot forward in a rapid assault.
When Chi Ze and Hei Yan emerged and saw a fight was brewing, they were incredibly excited. They had fought plenty of demonic beasts along the way, and they were itching for more.
The faces of the three robbers finally paled when they saw two transformed spirit beasts appear. Cultivators who possessed transformed spirit beasts were usually core disciples of great sects or had elders at the Soul Transformation or Tribulation Transcendence stages. Otherwise, who could possibly tame a beast capable of human transformation?
Li Xue saw the intent to retreat in their eyes and sneered inwardly. *You want to kill us for our treasures, yet you think you can just walk away? Let us rid the cultivation world of this scourge.* Judging by their demeanor, this was clearly not their first time.
Hei Yan’s body flickered, and five black wolf kings suddenly appeared, surrounding one of the early Golden Core cultivators. This "Black Wolf Guard" technique had initially shocked Li Xue and Li Lin; such an external incarnation was truly beyond the standard means of the mortal cultivation world.
As a member of the Divine Realm’s famous Black Wolf Guard, how could he survive without a few tricks? Hei Yan raised his proud wolf head, looking down on the cultivators before him with disdain. Aside from the master who might lead them back to the Divine Realm, these creatures with Divine Realm heritage truly looked down on minor human cultivators. In their eyes, these were merely weak lives of the lower realms.
Meanwhile, Chi Ze spiraled into the air, sending bolts of crimson lightning toward the short cultivator. This unique move was called "Crimson Bolt Red Thunder," a name given by Li Xue.
Li Xue and Li Lin turned to surround the tall, mid-Golden Core cultivator. Two against one—there was no way he would survive!
Li Xue’s Five Elements Illusory Killing Array descended upon the man, and she didn't forget to hurl a handful of mid-grade talismans. Simultaneously, Li Lin’s Fengyang Sword hissed through the air in a rapid offensive, while the toxic fumes from the Ziyang Cauldron grew thicker, enveloping the area in a poisonous mist.
No matter how capable these three were, they quickly withered under such a powerful and specialized onslaught.
Hei Yan was the first to finish, swiftly dealing with one early Golden Core cultivator. With five incarnations attacking—each possessing power close to the Golden Core Stage—the opponent could only accept his fate, regardless of how many treasures he had.
Chi Ze’s Crimson Bolt Red Thunder had absorbed the power of heavenly tribulations. Such a unique attack was likely something the opponent had never encountered, and he soon fell into a losing position.
Li Xue and Li Lin were determined not to let them go, using only the most lethal moves. The battle ended quickly.
Chi Ze let out a joyful dragon roar into the sky, startling countless demonic beasts in the vicinity. *Hmph, the four of us even fought off three rank-five demonic beasts together. You lot were only at the mid-Golden Core Stage at best—a piece of cake.*
Li Xue and Li Lin began cleaning up the battlefield, stripping the three of their storage bags before releasing a burst of fire to destroy the evidence. Just as they were about to leave, a powerful pressure suddenly swept over them.
The expressions of the two humans and two beasts changed instantly.
It was the pressure of a Nascent Soul cultivator. They immediately went on high alert, ready to flee at a moment's notice. It was no joke—a Nascent Soul expert was not someone early Golden Core cultivators could contend with.
A Nascent Soul Daoist, refined and elegant as jade, appeared before them, accompanied by two late-stage Golden Core cultivators.
Li Xue and Li Lin were on full guard. It seemed they were in trouble this time.
The Nascent Soul cultivator stared intently at Chi Ze. Chi Ze gave a start, his body trembling with obvious excitement.
"Xiao Ze, is it you?" a gentle voice asked.
"Daoist Lord, it’s me! I am Chi Ze!" Chi Ze rushed forward excitedly, affectionately nuzzling the Nascent Soul Daoist’s arm.
"Haha, not bad! Xiao Ze has reached the transformation stage!" one of the late-stage Golden Core cultivators beside him shouted happily.
It turned out to be an old acquaintance of Chi Ze. Hoping they would be safe, Li Xue and Li Lin relaxed slightly.
The Nascent Soul Daoist was named Yu Yuntian, the current Sect Leader of the Yuxuan Sect. He looked over Li Xue, Li Lin, and Hei Yan, letting out a soft "Eh?" of surprise.
"If I am not mistaken," he said, "you must be a Black Wolf King of the Black Wolf Clan!"
