I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

The Xiling Mountains stretch across the north-central part of the mainland, extending for more than 3,000 miles, with its main peak resembling a sword piercing the clouds.

Its high and precipitous terrain served as a natural barrier between the human kingdom and the elven kingdom.

Deep valleys, underground rivers, karst caves, sheer cliffs, icefalls, and dense forests—tropical vines and cold-climate mosses can be seen on the same mountain at the same time. The broad-leaved forests on the south slope and the coniferous forests on the north slope are separated by a mountain ridge, never to meet each other again.

Nature has spent millions of years carving out order here, magnificent, complex, and self-consistent.

But three hundred years ago, a surprise attack squad of the demon race crossed this formidable barrier.

They brought not only an army, but also a complete demonic ecosystem: the offspring of kobolds, orcs, rotten wood spiders, rock spiders, and other creatures.

They are cannon fodder, scouts, logistical tools, and even "ecological weapons" for the demon army.

The demons' plan was to scatter demons throughout the mountains, allowing them to take root, multiply, and spread in the heart of human territory.

In this way, even if they suffer defeats on the front lines, these monsters will be like nails driven into the rear of the human kingdom, becoming a permanent scourge.

In that battle, the kingdom's army successfully intercepted and annihilated the demon detachment on the east side of the mountains.

However, they were unable to stop the monsters they had brought from scattering and fleeing into the deep valleys and dense forests of the Xiling Mountains during the battle.

These monsters are invasive species that have been multiplying wildly in this land without natural enemies for three hundred years, replacing the ecological niches in the lower layers of the mountains.

Humans and elves have also tried to eradicate them.

However, these monsters burrowed into caves that the soldiers couldn't enter, cliffs they couldn't climb, and underground rivers they couldn't find.

The cost of eradicating them was too high and the returns too low, so gradually, nobody cared about it anymore.

Anyway, they can't leave the mountains.

Ji Tian stood at the foot of the mountain, looking up at the black silhouette stretching across the sky.

He wasn't looking at the scenery.

The divine sense was like an invisible net, spreading out from between the eyebrows and extending upwards along the mountainside.

The direction of the mountains, the distribution of spiritual energy, and the areas where demons gather—this information gradually became clear in my mind, like a map that was being illuminated.

"Spiritual veins," he thought to himself.

In my past life, online novels always mentioned that famous mountains and rivers must have spiritual veins.

Where spiritual veins converge, rare and precious materials may be born, blessed lands may be formed, or a demon king may reside there.

This mountain range has a strong "momentum," with its ridges undulating like a dragon's spine and its valleys crisscrossing like veins, making it a typical "gathering and storing of energy" formation.

He glanced at Lilith behind him.

Her long, silvery-white hair peeked out from under her hood as she squatted on the ground, poking a passing beetle with a twig.

The beetle rolled over, its six legs kicking wildly in the air, and she poked it even more enthusiastically.

"Walk."

Lilith threw away the branch, clapped her hands, stood up, and jogged after him.

"Master, this mountain is so big! How long will it take us to get in?"

"It depends."

Are there many monsters inside?

"many."

"Then can we avoid those particularly ugly ones? Like the slimy kind? It's not that I'm afraid, it's just that I feel like their appearance affects my mood. Think about it, what if I look back on it later and someone asks me, 'What's the most unforgettable thing on your spiritual path?' and I say, 'A slimy spider,' how embarrassing would that be?"

"cannot."

"...Oh. Well, at least let me mentally prepare myself beforehand, like if you yell 'The ugly one is coming,' I'll close my eyes."

Ji Tian ignored him and stepped into the forest. There was no path under his feet, only gravel and fallen leaves. He walked slowly and steadily, each step firm and steady.

Lilith followed behind him, her steps uneven as she trudged through the gravel. Her cloak was snagged on tree branches several times, and each time she let out a pained "Ouch!"—not out of concern for herself, but for the cloak.

"Master, how much did you pay for this cloak?"

"I don't know, someone gave it to me."

"If I tear it, I won't have to pay for it, right?"

"Need not."

"That's good." She rushed forward with confidence, then tripped over a tree root and stumbled, falling face-first into a bush, her face almost burying itself in the leaves.

She got up, spat out the leaves from her mouth, and continued walking as if nothing had happened.

"Master, did you see how I fell just now?"

"I saw it."

"Was it particularly embarrassing?"

"Yes."

"That's good. At least I still have an image to speak of in your eyes—albeit a 'disheveled' one." She patted the dirt off her skirt and followed after him.

After walking for a quarter of an hour, she couldn't help but speak again.

"Master, why are you walking so steadily? This road is uneven at all. Do you have a level under your feet?"

"Lower your center of gravity, maintain an even stride, and synchronize your breathing with your steps."

"...Could you answer in a way that a normal person could understand?"

"I've practiced it."

"...Oh." Lilith stepped on a loose stone again, her body swayed, and she had to hold onto the tree trunk to avoid falling.

She glanced down at her worn-out boots and took a deep breath.

"Master, I have a serious question."

"explain."

"Does our sect provide shoes?"

"Not issuing it."

"Then, could you add 'shoes' to the disciple benefits? I don't ask for much, as long as I can walk, I don't need jewels or embroidery, I'll be grateful if they can keep my feet from the ground."

Ji Tian did not answer, but his pace slowed slightly after each of her stumbles.

Half an hour later, they entered a coniferous forest.

The tree trunk is straight, the canopy is shady, and sunlight leaks through the gaps in the branches and leaves, casting dappled light spots on the ground.

The air was filled with the smell of pine resin and decaying leaves, and the soil underfoot was as soft as a sponge.

Ji Tian stopped in his tracks.

Lilith nearly bumped into his back and slammed on the brakes.

"What's wrong? Is there a monster? Where is it? How big is it? How ugly is it?"

There's something there.

Ji Tian's gaze fell on an old pine tree thirty paces ahead.

There was a fresh scratch mark on the trunk, and three parallel grooves that extended from the bark to the wood, more than an inch deep.

"The claws of a kobold."

Lilith leaned closer to look at the scratch, then looked down at her own fingers.

"Master, I feel my nails aren't short enough."

"This wasn't scratched with fingernails."

"I know, I just want to feel better."

Ji Tian squatted down, gently touched the claw mark with his fingers, then stood up and spread his divine sense forward.

There was no aura of large demonic creatures within a radius of a hundred feet.

But three feet below the ground, there was a faint tremor, as if something was moving through the soil.