The Rise of the Witch

About a hundred miles away from Xuan Su Valley, inside a temporary cave dwelling.

A group of monsters sat around a fire in the middle, with an unknown beast leaning against it. However, the monsters' attention was not on the meat, but on the wine jar in the hand of the leader monster, their eyes filled with anticipation and their faces full of drool.

Clad in a bright red robe, the demon king, exuding an air of malevolence, shook his lion head and said in a muffled voice, "This wine was stolen from the Kunlun Mountains of the human race last time. One sip, and you'll feel like you're floating on air!"

A group of demons surrounded him, each holding a bowl, their gazes shifting between the wine jars in his hands, offering insincere compliments:

"Your Majesty is truly remarkable for managing to seize such a treasure from Kunlun Mountain!"

"Humans not only enjoy good food themselves, but they also make delicious food..."

"If I possessed such a treasure, I certainly wouldn't be as generous as Your Majesty..."

"May Your Majesty be mighty!"

"..."

After the Lion-Headed Demon King had finished showing off, he picked up a wine jar and poured a bowl of wine for each of the demons, being careful not to spill a drop.

After all the monsters' bowls had been filled, the Demon King said in a deep voice, "Try this treasure first, and we'll talk after you've finished drinking it!"

As soon as he finished speaking, all the monsters eagerly drank the wine in their bowls.

  

"Sha..."

"It tastes good..."

"Drinking this bowl of wine is equivalent to half a year of spiritual cultivation!"

"My darling! My darling!"

The Lion-Headed Demon King surveyed the demons and nodded in satisfaction: "It's almost harvest time over Kunlun Mountain. If you brothers want to never lack such treasures in the future, how about joining me on a heist?"

Upon hearing this, all the monsters fell silent.

The Kunlun Mountains of the human race are one of the four major powers, alongside the Phoenix Undying Palace, the Dragon Palace, and the Qilin Cliff. For these little demons and monsters to break in and plunder is no different from courting death.

The Lion-Headed Demon King naturally understood what they feared, and snorted smugly, "I certainly dare not go to the heart of Kunlun Mountain, but there is a place where not only are there no powerful cultivators guarding it, but the treasures inside are also astonishingly abundant, and there is also a lot of human blood food..."

One of the demons cautiously asked, "The Demon King, could it be that Xuan Su Valley?"

"That's right!" The Lion-Headed Demon King said slowly, with a hint of smugness. "I have received news that the great cultivator who was in charge of the Xuan Su Sect has already perished in the mouth of a ferocious beast. Now that the great cultivator is no longer in charge, isn't everything in the valley at our mercy?"

The demon, being well-informed, replied, "But Demon King, I've heard that a ferocious god now reigns supreme in Xuan Su Valley. He once roamed the Great Wilderness, slaying demon kings and demon saints along the way. It's said that any demon he defeated was ultimately devoured alive!"

"Hiss—" A gasp of cold air rang out.

Several monsters immediately got up and tried to leave.

The Lion-Headed Demon King did not stop him, but said indifferently, "Brother, can you believe such hearsay? Which human who is capable of traveling in the Great Wilderness does not occupy a mountain peak in Kunlun Mountain and set up a training ground?"

We are now less than a hundred miles from Xuan Su Valley. Have you, my esteemed brothers, sensed any changes in the aura emanating from the direction of Xuan Su Valley?

The few demons who were about to leave paused: Yes, the aura over there in Xuan Su Valley was weak and unstable, like a rootless duckweed. Otherwise, they wouldn't have dared to get so close.

The Lion-Headed Demon King continued, "According to my information, there is indeed someone stationed in Xuan Su Valley, a formidable expert, but that person doesn't show their face for ten days to half a month and doesn't live in the valley at all. As long as we act quickly and plunder before that person notices, what can he do in this vast wilderness?"

Of the monsters that had reached the door, two had already retreated.

But the well-informed little demon became even more determined to leave. In the Great Wilderness, for demons like them who had no roots, the most important thing for them to survive for a long time was to be cautious!

Never underestimate anyone, not even a monster.

The Lion-Headed Demon King hadn't even met the other party, yet he judged their strength to be average based solely on the information he received. How did such an arrogant demon king manage to survive until now?

All the other demons were persuaded, but this little demon was determined to leave. He transformed into a gust of wind and disappeared out of the cave.

As soon as I stepped out of the cave, a hand grabbed my neck.

The little demon was terrified. This technique of its not only allowed it to transform into a gentle breeze, becoming formless and intangible, but it could also "hear" unusual sounds from the wind.

But when the person came to the cave entrance, it not only didn't notice, but also accurately grabbed it when it had transformed into a gentle breeze.

……

A wisp of breeze struggled in Xing Yang's hand, slowly taking shape and transforming into a bird-headed monster, thin and bony.

Xing Yang gave the corpse a disgusted squeeze, and with a "crack," he casually tossed it aside. The bird monster was dry and didn't look like it had much meat on it.

Then lift your foot and enter the cave.

The bird-headed monster's corpse lay limp at the cave entrance, its eyes lifeless as it stared at the sky.

A commotion erupted from inside the cave, starting with roars, followed by screams, wails, and pleas for mercy, before finally fading into silence amidst the crunching sounds of chewing.

Suddenly, a light shone again from the depths of the corpse's ashen eyes, and the next moment, the bird-headed corpse turned into a wisp of wind and vanished.

On a mountaintop several miles away, a wisp of breeze transformed once more into a bird-headed monster.

It looked in terror toward the cave, not daring to linger for a moment, and once again transformed into a gentle breeze, disappearing into the distance without looking back.

It wasn't until Xing Yang swallowed a cave full of monsters that he realized something was wrong.

The bird-headed monster that I casually crushed before entering the cave has mysteriously vanished!

Xing Yang thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled: Interesting!

His perception wasn't about sensing life or breath; it was about directly perceiving from the spiritual level. He could tell whether someone was dead or not just by looking at whether their spirit had dissipated.

The feigned death couldn't fool his senses, so the monster was truly crushed to death by him... but then it came back to life!

Can be resurrected after death...

It's just a bird...

Are the monsters in the Phoenix Immortal Palace?

……

After clearing out the monsters within a radius of a hundred miles, Xing Yang finally returned satisfied.

Although this absorption only resulted in a Demon King as the highest level, it was enough for him to replenish that drop of essence blood, with some left over.

When they returned to the mountaintop outside Xuan Su Valley, Su Wenling, Gui Ning, and Yu Xi were already waiting there.

Lou Ju also saw them off.

Seeing the lingering anger and rage in Xing Yang, the three adults wisely refrained from asking any questions.

Excitement flashed in Yu Xi's double pupils as she looked up and asked, "Master, did you go to fight? Why didn't you take me with you?"

Xing Yang laughed and said, "Don't worry, you'll get your share in the future."

Since Yu Xi possesses the bloodline of a war witch, she will inevitably grow through battles, and battles will become commonplace in the future.

As he spoke, he took Yu Xi's small hand and gestured to the two girls.

Su and Gui understood and put their hands on Xing Yang's shoulders.

Just as they were about to leave, a voice came from afar: "Wait... wait..."

Two figures rushed over quickly. They were Rong Yan and Jie Ming, both looking disheveled. Jie Ming, in particular, was covered in dirt, as if he had rolled on the ground, and his face was pale.

Lou Ju's expression changed: "What happened?"

The two ignored him and rushed to his side, kneeling down on one knee.

Jie Ming's eyes were red, and his voice was heavy with grief: "Young lady, the Mysterious Maiden's Binding Immortal Rope has appeared!"