Chapter 197: The ‘King’ of the Black Mist Mountains

Outside the Black Mist Mountains.

As one of the Ten Great Mountain Ranges of the Azure Sky World, the Black Mist Mountains harbored an unknown number of Yao Beasts, Vicious Beasts, as well as Spirit Medicine and ancient medicines.

And these were undoubtedly an inexhaustible treasure trove of wealth for the numerous cultivators.

Although two hundred and eighty-three years ago, the Extraterrestrial Evil God invaded, and countless Evil God Puppets slaughtered their way into the Azure Sky World.

Under the threat of life and death, the various factions of the Azure Sky World immediately formed the Azure Sky Alliance, casting aside all grievances, pooling all their strength, and defending against the Evil God Puppets outside the world.

Consequently, most cultivators headed to the battlefield where they fought against the Evil God Puppets.

The cultivators entering the Black Mist Mountains were much fewer, and most of them were young-generation cultivators whose strength was not very high.

But even so, every day, there were still many cultivators entering and leaving the entrance of the Black Mist Mountains.

It was foreseeable just how prosperous the Black Mist Mountains were before the Extraterrestrial Evil God invaded.

"Have you guys noticed that in recent decades, the Yao Beasts and Vicious Beasts in the Black Mist Mountains have decreased a lot?"

"Indeed, in the past whenever I entered the Black Mist Mountains, I had to be extremely cautious and could encounter Yao Beasts and Vicious Beasts at any time, but now, I rarely encounter any decent Yao Beasts or Vicious Beasts."

"What on earth is the reason?"

"Could something be wrong with those 'Kings' deep within the Black Mist Mountains?"

In the entrance area of the Black Mist Mountains, some cultivators were whispering and communicating; as they frequently entered the Black Mist Mountains, they were able to notice the changes during this period.

"Those 'Kings' deep within the Black Mist Mountains… it shouldn't be, right? Those 'Kings' have noble Bloodline and long Lifespan, what could possibly go wrong with them?"

"In the past, every few decades, those 'Kings' of the Black Mist Mountains would command countless Yao Beasts and Vicious Beasts to launch a beast tide, but ever since the Extraterrestrial Evil God invaded, the powerful Yao Beasts and Vicious Beasts of the Black Mist Mountains have become much more well-behaved."

"I'm not saying those 'Kings' have problems; it's that the number of powerful Yao Beasts in the Black Mist Mountains has decreased now. Could this be the doing of those 'Kings'? After all, the only ones capable of commanding numerous Yao Beasts are those 'Kings'."

"That makes sense."

The numerous cultivators discussed spiritedly. The decrease in the number of powerful Yao Beasts in the Black Mist Mountains had also caused a certain impact on them, as they could no longer hunt enough valuable Yao Beasts.

But if it really was the doing of those 'Kings', there was nothing they could do about it. Those 'Kings' possessed powerful strength and a profound foundation.

Even in normal times, the cultivators on the human side could do nothing to them and could only establish a 'contract' with them.

Not to mention that most of humanity's strength was currently focused on resisting the invasion of the Extraterrestrial Evil God.

Deep within the Black Mist Mountains.

An ancient tree about thirty to forty meters tall stood quietly there. Black branches and vines hung down one by one, and its canopy emitted specks of emerald green.

Although this ancient tree looked a bit strange and slightly different from normal ancient trees, this was the Black Mist Mountains; it was completely normal for some uniquely-varied trees to grow here.

However.

Upon careful observation.

One would discover that centered around this ancient tree, within a radius of ten to a hundred miles, there wasn't even a single Yao Beast or Vicious Beast.

Although the aura was peaceful and warm, faintly, there was a chilling undertone.

"Fifty years have passed."

Lin Yuan sighed. Of course, given his current state, he couldn't actually sigh; he could only gently sway his branches a few times.

These fifty years were a period of rapid growth for Lin Yuan.

With countless Yao Beasts and Vicious Beasts of the Black Mist Mountains as nourishment, Lin Yuan lived very comfortably. After surviving the initial difficult period, he grew rapidly every single day.

"Right now, I…"

Lin Yuan examined himself. His current height had reached thirty to forty meters.

However, this height of thirty to forty meters was the result of Lin Yuan's extreme suppression.

If he didn't suppress it and easily broke through to a hundred or several hundred meters, he would be exceptionally conspicuous within the Black Mist Mountains.

It might perhaps attract the gaze of that Azure Sky Alliance Master and several Vice Alliance Leaders of the Azure Sky Alliance.

Once that happened, Lin Yuan's true identity would most likely be exposed. If the Azure Sky Alliance Master were to find out that the descendant of the Ancestral Demon Tree had sneaked into the rear of their own world,

Believe it or not, he would temporarily abandon the gains and losses on the battlefield and concentrate all his power to deal with Lin Yuan first.

To pacify the exterior, one must first pacify the interior.

This principle was not difficult to understand.

Although the height of the Demon Ancestor Tree was currently only thirty to forty meters,

its root system had already spread throughout the underground of tens of thousands of miles around.

As long as Lin Yuan was willing, a single thought would allow him to strike at any position within tens of thousands of miles.

The roots of a plant or tree were inherently far larger than its trunk. Although the Demon Ancestor Tree was not completely a tree, it possessed the abilities that trees had.

"Thousands of miles in radius…"

Lin Yuan carefully perceived. With the assistance of his root systems, he was able to control everything within tens of thousands of miles in radius.

Even with the aid of the extended perception of his roots, he could perceive information hundreds of thousands of miles or even millions of miles away.

"Those 'Kings' in the deepest part?"

Lin Yuan's perception spread out, exploring toward the deepest part of the Black Mist Mountains.

That was the forbidden zone for all Yao Beasts and Vicious Beasts, and the place where the 'Kings' of the Black Mist Mountains resided.

"Hm?"

In Lin Yuan's perception, deep within the Black Mist Mountains, a completely crimson-red Phoenix tree stood tall.

At the top of the Phoenix tree was a huge wind nest, and a bird whose wings presented a golden-red color was currently in a deep sleep.

"A Vermilion Bird? Or a Phoenix?"

Lin Yuan did not act rashly. After observing secretly for a while, he slowly retreated.

"After fifty years of Cultivation, in terms of combat power, I should be able to match a Tier 6 Evolver of the Main World. The Cultivation system of the Demon Ancestor Tree is completely different from Martial Dao."

Lin Yuan fell into deep thought.

Of course, although he did not Cultivate the Martial Dao Evolution Path, this did not affect Lin Yuan using his Heaven-Defying Comprehension to deduce and perfect the Tier 7 volume of the Martial Dao Evolution Path.

Moreover, certain essences of the Demon Ancestor Tree also had a high reference effect on the Martial Dao Evolution Path, which could be completely integrated into it.

"The Extraterrestrial Evil God Battlefield."

Lin Yuan's gaze looked far into the extraterrestrial regions.

Under the perception originating from the instinct of the Demon Ancestor Tree, there was an aura resembling an abyss over there, which was precisely the location of the Ancestral Demon Tree.

"The Ancestral Demon Tree wants to invade this realm, but it is not going smoothly."

Lin Yuan thought to himself. Fifty years had passed, and he had not sensed the location of the Ancestral Demon Tree advancing even a fraction; it was clearly being blocked.

For the invaders, this was a disadvantage. On the side of the Azure Sky World, it had an entire world as its foundation.

It could continuously mobilize cultivators to go and resist.

As for the Ancestral Demon Tree? Even if it was an Extraterrestrial Evil God, its essence was powerful, but after all, it was merely an individual.

Relying on foundation? It simply couldn't compare to a complete world.

"It has nothing to do with me for the time being."

Lin Yuan shook his head slightly. During this time-travel, the time he could stay in this realm was six hundred years. Now only fifty years had passed, not even a tenth, and he still had plenty of time to Cultivate.

The stalemate between the Azure Sky World and the Ancestral Demon Tree was actually a good thing for Lin Yuan.

If the latter descended into this realm before Lin Yuan grew strong enough to surpass the Ancestral Demon Tree, it would instead be unfavorable.

Precisely because of this, over the past fifty years, Lin Yuan had devoured countless Yao Beasts and Vicious Beasts in the Black Mist Mountains, but he had uniquely refrained from laying a hand on human cultivators.

Firstly, he was worried about being discovered as abnormal.

Secondly, he was unwilling to weaken the strength of human cultivators.

Up to now, Lin Yuan still needed the countless cultivators of the Azure Sky Alliance to desperately and recklessly resist the invasion of the Ancestral Demon Tree, buying time for him to grow.

"However, some time ago, I actually awakened a certain ability of the Ancestral Demon Tree."

With a slight thought from Lin Yuan, the branches of the Demon Ancestor Tree swayed, and a greyish seed floated up to his front.

The Evil Demon Seed.

The Ancestral Demon Tree spanned across the extraterrestrial regions, scattering a large number of seeds at every moment, turning them into Evil God Puppets to fight against the Experts of the Azure Sky World.

As the orthodox descendant of the Ancestral Demon Tree, once he grew to a certain degree and got rid of the world's suppression, he could naturally also give birth to seeds.

Lin Yuan gazed at the greyish seed in front of him, which was the Evil Demon Seed.

So far, the functions of the Evil Demon Seed that Lin Yuan had perceived were divided into three types.

The first type was to directly transform into an Evil Demon Puppet.

This was the method currently used by the Ancestral Demon Tree: using its own massive Origin Qi to urge the growth of the Evil Demon Seed, making it grow rapidly and transform into an Evil God Puppet.

The second type was parasitism; the Evil Demon Seed could parasitize within a living body and thereby control it.

The third type was natural growth, by scattering the seeds into some fertile soil, where the seeds would take root and sprout inside.

Lin Yuan's previous body, the Demon Ancestor Tree, was nurtured by the Ancestral Demon Tree using the third method.

These three methods each had their pros and cons, but only the third method could truly be called the descendant of the Ancestral Demon Tree, capable of inheriting a certain innate ability of the Ancestral Demon Tree.

"The first function of the Evil Demon Seed has little meaning to me."

Lin Yuan shook his head slightly. Using his own Origin Qi to urge the growth of the Evil Demon Seed was a method unsuitable for the current Lin Yuan.

What kind of existence was the Ancestral Demon Tree? Dominating the extraterrestrial regions with a profound accumulation, it dared to consume its own massive Origin Qi to urge the growth of the Evil Demon Seed.

But how many years of accumulation did Lin Yuan have? Besides, if he had sufficient Origin Qi, Lin Yuan would directly enhance himself; there was no need to spend time cultivating Puppets and the like.

As for the third effect of the Evil Demon Seed, it was even less usable.

Even the seeds of the Ancestral Demon Tree, when scattered into the Azure Sky World, basically almost all died; the seeds of Lin Yuan, a descendant of the Ancestral Demon Tree, were even less likely to survive.

"Parasitism."

Lin Yuan repeatedly pondered the second function of the Evil Demon Seed.

It could parasitize within a certain living body and control it.

This ability required many prerequisites, the most important of which was that the parasitized subject had no ability to resist.

Otherwise, the parasitism would fail.

With a slight thought from Lin Yuan.

Ten thousand miles away.

A Purple-Eyed Rabbit carefully poked out its head, looking toward a Spiritual Plant not far away, a trace of desire welling up in its eyes.

Swish.

The Purple-Eyed Rabbit observed its surroundings and found no danger, so with a swish, it lunged toward that Spiritual Plant.

However, right at this moment.

A black tree trunk burst out from the ground, directly tying up the Purple-Eyed Rabbit and dragging it back underground.

In just a brief moment.

The Purple-Eyed Rabbit appeared in front of Lin Yuan.

"Squeak, squeak."

The Purple-Eyed Rabbit emitted a trembling sound, looking at the behemoth before it and continuously spinning in place.

"I'll use you to test the parasitism effect."

Lin Yuan gazed at the Purple-Eyed Rabbit, and a greyish seed dropped down, right hitting the Purple-Eyed Rabbit.

Hum.

With a thud, the Purple-Eyed Rabbit collapsed onto the ground.

And that greyish Evil Demon Seed rapidly seeped into the head of the Purple-Eyed Rabbit.

A moment later.

The Purple-Eyed Rabbit was already completely controlled; it stiffly stood up and emitted a respectful mental fluctuation of submission toward Lin Yuan.

"This feeling…"

Lin Yuan sized up the Purple-Eyed Rabbit for a while. Under his control, the Purple-Eyed Rabbit continuously made various movements, either rolling or running.

"Not bad at all."

Lin Yuan nodded slightly. At this time, the Purple-Eyed Rabbit was not dead; it was still alive, but it had been replaced by the Evil Demon Seed.

"However."

"This is simply too obvious."

Lin Yuan looked at the Purple-Eyed Rabbit. The Purple-Eyed Rabbit parasitized by the Evil Demon Seed had stiff limbs, a dull gaze, and even its actions gave an illusion of sluggishness.

It was very easy for other people to discover that something was wrong.

"No wonder the Ancestral Demon Tree did not use the parasitism ability of the Evil Demon Seed; it is indeed a bit tasteless."

Lin Yuan thought to himself.

Although the parasitism ability of the Evil Demon Seed did not require consuming Origin Qi to urge, there were quite a few restrictive conditions. First of all, the parasitized party could not resist.

Since they couldn't resist anyway, it would be fine to just kill and devour them; why bother wasting energy to parasitize them?

Secondly, after parasitism, although they were controlled, the manifestation was extremely obvious; it would be hard for the Experts of the Azure Sky World not to notice.

"However… can I improve and perfect this parasitism ability with my Heaven-Defying Comprehension?"

Lin Yuan's expression fell into brief contemplation.

Just when he descended into this realm, Lin Yuan used his Heaven-Defying Comprehension to create a method suitable for the Cultivation of the Demon Ancestor Tree.

Now, Lin Yuan could completely carry out improvements on this Evil Demon Seed.

Of course, the Evil Demon Seed was an innate ability of the Demon Ancestor Tree, and wanting to improve and perfect it was very difficult to achieve, but Lin Yuan possessed Heaven-Defying Comprehension, so he could still give it a try.

In the time that followed.

Lin Yuan mainly focused on four aspects.

First was to continue enhancing his own strength, devouring more Yao Beasts and Vicious Beasts to drive his own growth.

Second was to deduce and perfect the Tier 7 volume of the Martial Dao Evolution Path.

Third was to comprehend the remaining core space models.

Although he lost the environment with frequent spatial fluctuations like the Alien Race Battlefield, Lin Yuan's speed in comprehending the core space models decreased.

But Lin Yuan had plenty of time now. With a six-hundred-year stay and relying on Heaven-Defying Comprehension, Lin Yuan could elevate his comprehension of the Space Rules to an unimaginable level.

As for the fourth, it was to try and improve the Evil Demon Seed.

Even for the Ancestral Demon Tree, the Evil Demon Seed was a very important method, so Lin Yuan still intended to spend some energy and time in this aspect.

Gaining something would naturally be joyful, and even if there were no gains in the end, nothing would be lost.

Time passed once again.

In the blink of an eye, time passed once more.

Deep within the Black Mist Mountains.

Lin Yuan's figure grew another ten meters taller. Now the height of the Demon Ancestor Tree was already approaching fifty meters, with hanging branches and a swaying canopy, extremely extraordinary.

This was still the effect of Lin Yuan's extreme suppression; if he let it grow freely, the Demon Ancestor Tree at this moment would be at least several hundred to a thousand meters tall.

You must know that that Ancestral Demon Tree in the extraterrestrial regions was countless tens of thousands of zhang tall, and the number of Evil Demon Seeds growing on a single branch reached millions or tens of millions.

Otherwise, it would not have been possible to stalemate with the Azure Sky World until now.

"Strength has temporarily reached its limit."

"Next, continuing to devour ordinary Yao Beasts and Vicious Beasts won't have much effect."

Lin Yuan's mental fluctuations slowly spread out, gazing far into the depths of the Black Mist Mountains.

That was the location where the supreme 'Kings' of the Black Mist Mountains resided.