Within the world of the Celestial Prison, the concept of cities differed greatly from those of the mundane realm. The great cities of the Demon Race were particularly towering, broad, stout, and imposing, each one akin to a sprawling nation unto itself. The entire Demon Race, considered as a unified entity, was more akin to a vast empire structured as a system of city-states. The Primeval Imperial City sat at its heart, with all the myriad city-states pledging fealty to it.

This transformation from a “tribal” existence to a “city-state” structure marked a fundamental shift for the hundreds and thousands of diverse demon races. While the Human Race, despite its regional variations in dialect and custom, and its division into different countries, sects, and various organizations defining individual allegiances, possessed a shared sense of identity as humans, the same could not be said for the myriad Demon Races.

Even during the glorious era when the Demon Race’s Celestial Court unified the myriad worlds, conflicts of life and death between different races were commonplace. Wars of extermination were frequent, and blood often flowed like rivers. The concept of “Demon Race” as a unified whole was more a general term for the Heaven-born spiritual races.

The nascent sprouts of creation, still bent and unyielding, mirrored the Heavenly pattern. The term “夭天” signified youthful vigor. The extended meaning of the Demon Race implied young females born of Heaven, favored by Heaven and Earth, uniquely cherished by the present world, thus becoming the masters of the myriad worlds. However, even within this master race, elevated above all others, divisions of superiority and inferiority, high and low, existed amongst its thousands of kinds.

There were instances where the Cat Race arbitrarily slaughtered the Rat Ancestor, and conversely, the peerless Rat Demon, the “Drill Heaven Great Ancestor,” nearly exterminated the Cat Race. Great calamities such as the “Dragon Han Great Calamity” and the “Wind Cloud Great Calamity,” which almost shattered Heaven and Earth, occurred countless times. The Demon Race’s Celestial Court itself was broken several times in the flames of war between its various tribes.

It was only after the entire Demon Race’s Celestial Court was overthrown and the demons were driven out of the world that the term “Demon Race” gained a more distinct meaning relative to “Human Race.” In essence, the Demon Race began to unite, to achieve greater fusion.

This point was particularly evident in the Celestial Prison world, as the demons who grew up in this realm were long accustomed to the power of the Human Race. They understood that beyond the Ten Thousand Demons Gate lay a terrifying adversary.

The so-called “Demon Race’s South Heaven Gate” stood majestically in the Heaven Breath Wasteland, locking the natural boundary of Frost Wind Valley and overlooking the hundred thousand great mountains. Of course, Frost Wind Valley no longer existed, only a “Frost Wind Battlefield” remained, also known as the “South Heaven Battlefield.”

To the northeast of South Heaven City, over a thousand *li* distant, lay a great city echoing in the distance, named “Accumulated Thunder.” This city boasted a valiant populace and had produced illustrious and renowned strong individuals throughout history. Though its power had waned, it was still overseen by an extremely powerful Demon King.

Thirteen hundred *li* north of Accumulated Thunder City lay another great city, named “Grind Cloud,” governed by the True Demon Spider String. However, greater and lesser demons alike were more accustomed to regarding it as the territory of the Heaven Spider Lady. After all, the True Demon Spider String was a blood descendant of the Heaven Spider Lady, and everything was ultimately under the Heaven Spider Lady’s banner.

Chai A Si was merely one ordinary, unremarkable medicine-gathering little demon from Grind Cloud City. Relying on his Heaven-born keen sense of smell, he often ventured into secluded and rarely visited forbidden areas known for demon traces, seeking mountain herbs and gathering spiritual medicines to exchange for Dao Origin Stones used in cultivation, and more importantly, cultivation methods.

Without Dao Origin Stones, one could still accumulate Dao Origin through breathing, albeit slowly and arduously. The golden sun and blood moon suspended in the high sky would provide eternal energy. However, cultivation methods determined the efficiency of breathing, the strength of Dao Origin, and profoundly influenced one’s combat power.

The Demon Race was born with self-circulating Dao Meridians, each member possessing extraordinary abilities. Although Heaven showered them with favor, the path of advancement was not so forgiving.

Though speaking of the Demon Race as a single entity, were its kinds not over a hundred? Each demon kind possessed cultivation methods best suited to its own form. Regardless of kind or type, the earliest cultivation method was merely the instinct of breathing for life. As Heaven-born masters of the present world, the core tribe of the myriad worlds, the various kinds of demons were born with the ability to cultivate. However, that instinctive breathing method was not the optimal method of cultivation. It was merely the simplest breathing pattern followed by extraordinary life instincts, hardly utilizing the advantages of the extraordinary demon body.

Throughout the history of the Demon Race, geniuses emerged, never lacking terrifying and astonishingly talented strong individuals. Like the Primeval Demon Emperor who established the Demon Race’s Celestial Court and unified the myriad worlds of various heavens, and like those powerful figures who illuminated the sky during the glorious era.

Generation after generation of predecessors throughout history created a brilliant demon civilization and left behind countless powerful Demon Race cultivation methods. Although there was a huge gap due to the war at the end of the far ancient era and the retreat into the Celestial Prison, many powerful Demon Race individuals still retreated into the Celestial Prison. A single strong individual was in itself a rich inheritance.

After opening this chaotic world, through several great eras of continuous development, and with the active exploration of generation after generation of strong individuals, the cultivation resources of the vast Demon Race once again became abundant. Do not look at the present weakness of the Dog Race; its numbers are far from those of other strong races, but throughout history, it also produced strong individuals like Great Ancestor Chai – the appearance of a strong individual of that level once pushed the cultivation methods of the Dog Race to a whole new height. Even to this day, the legacy left by Great Ancestor Chai is the most suitable and supreme profound method for the Dog Race to cultivate.

Of course, those powerful cultivation methods that could move mountains and fill seas were all irrelevant to Chai A Si. His talent was too ordinary, too mediocre. He couldn’t even be conscripted into the army as a demon soldier, or join some powerful tribe and thus become a demon above demons. Even facing the Demon Race’s Altar of Investiture, he could only undertake the most simple and basic tasks.

The Altar of Investiture was impartial, but fellow demons of the same race might not be so. The previous time, the little princess of the Heaven Spider Lady’s family released a task to capture poisonous insects for practicing her world-transcending poison method. He also quietly took the task, and he even fantasized about hitting a big fortune, picking up a particularly weak yet particularly poisonous insect, showing off uniquely among the ten thousand demons, and obtaining the little princess’s favor. Failing that, even being favored by the Heaven Spider Lady would suffice. Age was not a problem; love could transcend the mundane. In short, he didn’t want to exert effort, but could still soar into the sky!

But the reality was that he took the task but dared not attempt it, and even more so, he dared not let other little demons know he had taken such a task. Those ridicules, mocks, and contempts – sometimes they were given with blood. He carried his medicine basket on his back, all his belongings in a waist bag, and upon entering the mountain, he still only rushed to gather herbal medicines.

Catching poisonous insects was impossible. A slightly powerful poisonous insect would mean his death upon encountering it; he still had this self-awareness. Although he occasionally harbored unrealistic fantasies, in his specific and mundane life, he still worked diligently and steadfastly to live each day well. Taking that task to capture poisonous insects was merely a fleeting fancy of his. He carried it on his person, but did not truly hope for its realization.

He believed that by diligently gathering medicines, diligently accumulating, and moving forward step by step, he would one day reach an excellent level – enlisting as an honorable demon soldier, holding an iron rice bowl, eating his rations on time each month, was not an extravagant hope!

The allure of the little princess of Grind Cloud City goes without saying; the bounty hunting teams entering the mountain were endless. The market was not even this lively. Chai A Si, alone, instead did not feel lonely. With more demon races entering the mountain, the dangers within those deep mountains and ancient forests were naturally fewer. This was a good thing for him, lacking sufficient strength. Other demons were all rushing to find rare poisonous insects, and no one competed with him for some less valuable herbal medicines.

In the wake of those demons passing like a whirlwind, he only needed to leisurely gather medicines and fundamentally not worry about any evil beasts. His medicine basket was now half full of herbal medicines; his harvest was quite abundant. The sky was about to darken; after searching for a while longer, he was just about to leave. After all, he did not possess the courage to spend the night alone in the hundred thousand great mountains, and there was a camp of bounty hunters gathered at the foot of the mountain.

Although he, a medicine-gathering little demon, would not be recognized, going there would inevitably lead to some cold mockery and sarcasm, but being cursed a few times would not cause him any harm, and even a few pushes and shoves would not pain or itch. If he truly found a place to sleep in the camp, no one would drive him away.

“Having a thick skin is very important! In those cold winters of death, demon races all rely on their thick skin to keep warm!”

“Having a thick skin is very important! In those cold winters of death, demon races all rely on their thick skin to keep warm!”

These were the words his grandfather repeatedly taught him when he was still alive. His grandfather later died because of his dog-like temperament; unwilling to yield the right of way to a carriage, he was hit and killed on the street. His age at death was unknown. Alas! A mere straw mat was rolled up, a pit was casually dug in the mountain, and he was buried.

Chai A Si also read books. As the ancient saying goes, the front carriage is a mirror, the back carriage a teacher. Meaning, after the demon in front was hit and killed by a carriage, the demon behind would remember to dodge farther away. He had a good memory, a thick skin; life taught him, he engraved it all in his heart.

But today, the situation felt a little off. This area had many bounty teams active; he particularly remembered that the famous young master of the wealthy family in Grind Cloud City, the cultivation genius Dog Xi Zai, had also led a team to search for poisonous insects nearby to win the little princess’s favor. Why was his impression so profound? Because as one of the “idle miscellaneous demons,” he had been impatiently driven away.

But now, this tranquility was too excessive. Even the wind was silent, not rustling the yellow leaves in response. Where had all the demons gone? Creak! Carelessly stepping on a dry branch underfoot, Chai A Si was startled. Nervously looking left and right, repeatedly confirming there was no danger, he finally let out a breath. Deep mountains and ancient forests held many dangers, and the hundred thousand great mountains were especially so. Each time he entered the mountain to gather medicines, he was cautious and careful, afraid of making any noise, and he only picked around the outer edges. This time, it was also because there were many teams entering the mountain that he dared to go deeper. Now, this place was so quiet; it truly made his heart pound with alarm and fear. He couldn’t wait until dark; he would search for another half an hour and then return.

He made this decision in his heart, vigilantly looked left and right, and then continued walking forward. But he suddenly stopped again! Because he suddenly saw, not far in front, two demon race corpses lying there. Their clothing looked quite extraordinary, clearly of big family origin.

Chai A Si lifted his foot, ready to turn and run, but a thought suddenly arose in his heart, and he froze there. The ancient saying went well: kill demons and set fires for gold waistbands, why? Because after killing demons, one looted goods! These two dead demons were at least of the demon soldier level. And regardless of how they died – dangers were abundant in the hundred thousand great mountains, anything could happen – but their corpses were so intact, wouldn’t there be some good things on them?

The old forest grew quieter, so quiet that he could hear the sound of his own heartbeat. Starve to death the timid, but support the bold who dare! Chai A Si swallowed his saliva, observed the surroundings left and right once more, and then cautiously and carefully approached the two corpses. He sniffed intently but smelled no poison. Through preliminary observation, the wounds on both corpses were in the center of their brows; they died suddenly, straightforwardly, with no pain. He picked up a tree branch to poke them; judging by the special markings on their clothing, they were indeed subordinates brought into the mountain by Dog Xi Zai.

What about Dog Xi Zai? That kind of big young master must have left long ago. What did it matter if one or two guards died? Chai A Si didn’t think any further and didn’t harbor any criticism towards the world. He put on a pair of leather gloves used for gathering medicine and, without destroying the traces on the corpses, carefully and cautiously searched them. Neither of the two dead ones had storage equipment, so they didn’t carry many things. Weapons and clothing with unique markings were naturally undesirable. Useless sundries were even less so. Yet, he still had a harvest. He counted two and a half Dao Origin Stones, twenty-four pieces of five-zhu imperial currency, one pack of hemostatic powder, and two packs of detoxification powder. And one small copper mirror?

Chai A Si cautiously examined the seemingly ordinary comb mirror in his hand, unable to understand why guards from a large family would carry this out. Was it a gift prepared for some young lady? Giving this was too embarrassing, right? He had saved money to buy a water powder for the female demon he had a crush on in previous years, though he only received a thank you in return. This fellow was already a demon soldier, too stingy!

Looking at his ordinary reflection in the mirror, Chai A Si was about to put the mirror back. But his heart stirred, and he tentatively sent a little Dao Origin into it.

“Young demon race, ah!”

A voice like this echoed in his heart. Chai A Si was greatly startled; his hand subconsciously loosened, and the mirror fell straight to the ground. Fortunately, his reaction was quick, and he grabbed it again. That was close! He wiped away sweat. He almost dropped a treasure. He then realized that this voice was of the Dao language; upon hearing it, he understood its meaning. And this mirror could actually react to Dao Origin; this was a proper Law Artifact. Wasn’t this hitting a big fortune? Was the voice in the mirror a spirit? Or some ancient god? At this moment, various myths and legends spun in his mind; adventures from countless storybooks floated in his heart.

Chai A Si glanced at the sky above; sparse sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, sprinkling on his face, as if it were the glory of fate! I was born poor, with no background, I cultivated diligently, my parents are both dead, my grandfather died tragically, I am looked down upon by other demons, I picked up a mysterious mirror, and there is a mysterious voice in the mirror… If I am not the protagonist, who is?

Chai A Si allowed himself to calm down a bit, and tentatively sent in a little more Dao Origin. He only felt the Dao Origin sink like a mud ox into the sea, not giving him any feedback. A good treasure! Although he had never owned a Law Artifact, he had heard about them. From the amount of Dao Origin required, how could an ordinary Law Artifact do this? He inputted a little more Dao Origin, planning to go home if there was still no reaction. But the voice in the mirror spoke again: “Young demon race, ah, meeting is fate.”

This voice was vicissitudinous, gentle, kind, and possessed a power that calmed the listener’s heart. It made Chai A Si feel as if he had returned home, lying on his broken bed, feeling very comfortable and safe. “Did you not lose anything?” the voice asked. Chai A Si then came back to his senses, seriously patted himself down, then reached into his back basket, and was surprised: “My medicine hoe is missing!”

The vicissitudinous voice in the mirror said: “There are three small medicine hoes here.” “One with a sinkwood handle and a jade edge.” “One with a dark wood handle and a profound steel edge.” “One with an ordinary fir wood handle and an ordinary cast iron edge.” As the voice fell, three different-shaped small medicine hoes appeared in the air, between the virtual and the real, like a dream or an illusion. The voice in the mirror asked: “Which one did you drop?”

Chai A Si thought for a moment, then seriously said: “They are all mine.” He didn’t know if it was an illusion, but he felt the voice in the mirror seemed a little choked. It was silent for a while, then spoke again: “Ambition is not measured by age; a good demon can see the distant path. Your ambition is commendable!”

Chai A Si grinned happily. The voice in the mirror then became mysterious and distant again, continuing: “The sinkwood jade hoe represents your Dao path, the dark wood profound steel hoe represents your divine path, and the fir wood cast iron hoe represents your origin path. Your heart and nature are of the highest quality; there is no need to doubt. You are simply a Heaven-chosen demon. Now I have decided to bestow upon you this Dao path, divine path, and origin path.” Chai A Si was again surprised and joyful. Although he didn’t quite understand what the Dao path, divine path, and origin path were, he knew how to laugh when receiving things and benefits.

But the voice in the mirror spoke again: “But now my divine body no longer exists, my holy soul is incomplete, and I can only return your origin path first.” The illusory sinkwood jade hoe and the dark wood profound steel hoe in the air all disappeared; only the fir wood cast iron hoe fell down, landing in the hand of the stunned Chai A Si. He glanced at the mirror and only saw his own reflection, carrying that broken medicine hoe, and he was surprised: “How do I feel you are deceiving me?”

“Impudent!” The voice in the mirror suddenly sank. A terrifying pressure suddenly descended upon the deep mountain. Chai A Si felt an instinctive fear from the depths of his soul, making him unable to speak, unable to move his body, stiffly waiting for death! At this moment, he almost wanted to kneel, to weep bitterly, to deeply repent. Fortunately, the pressure suddenly disappeared again.

The voice in the mirror became even more vicissitudinous, sighing: “I was originally the ancient Chi Cloud Mountain God. Because I was harmed by treachery, my demon body collapsed, and I could only escape with my soul. I had to cross the River of Fate; my Yuan spirit passed through chaos and resides within this broken mirror.” “Your meeting me here now is a thread of heavenly destiny; you and I are bound by this predetermined fate.” “Hold this mirror, receive my life, obtain my Dao, and you will naturally enjoy supremacy.” “One day, when I recover my great body and return to my high divine seat, I will surely appoint you as a god and allow you to be a demon above demons, an honor among honors!”

This talk of Dao path, origin path, divine body, holy soul, and crossing the River of Fate made Chai A Si dizzy; he only felt it was incredibly powerful. What rank of god was the ancient Chi Cloud Mountain God? At least a Yang God level, to be able to cross the River of Fate, right? No, if he could truly live from ancient times until now, he should already be a Venerated God. But he still had some doubts. The pressure was there, the momentum was there, but the benefits were all pie in the sky. He hadn’t heard of filling one’s belly with pie. Holding this mirror, was it fortune or disaster?

The divine spirit in the mirror seemed to have peeked into his thoughts and transmitted its voice again: “Meeting is fate; this Venerated One has never wronged a demon. I see your bone structure is not bad, your nature spirit is free; I will first impart to you a set of Heaven Absolute Earth Trap Secret Sword Technique, calling you to enter the door! So that this little demon may know my divine power!”

At this moment, complex information, like a flood, instantly poured into his brain. It was like a heavenly floodgate opening; there was simply no time to stop it, and even less to resist. In just the blink of an eye, he had already memorized a set of divine sword techniques! His heart stirred, and every detail of the sword technique appeared clearly. Chai A Si stood in place, stunned, speechless for a while.

The voice in the mirror said: “Little demon, no need to be surprised; a ten-thousand-zhang high peak rises from the ground; in the future, you shall surely soar among the clouds! Since you have entered the service of this Venerated One, this is only the beginning. Your good days are yet to come!”

Chai A Si came back to his senses and said: “I practice the saber.” He certainly did not know what willpower the existence in the mirror had to endure the impulse to jump out and chop him. He only heard the voice in the mirror, kind and gentle – “The sword is the tool of a gentleman; later, you shall change to practicing the sword.” “Alright!” Chai A Si agreed very straightforwardly. Anyway, his saber practice was just casually chopping some firewood to earn some miscellaneous money; he only knew how to chop and hack a couple of moves. This “Heaven Absolute Earth Trap Secret Sword Technique” – it sounded invincible just hearing the name!

The voice in the mirror emphasized again this time: “Entering my service, your demon life will be different from then on. But my enemy is a very terrifying existence, far beyond your ability to cope. My current state also requires me to retreat three paces. So, before I recover my supreme divine power, you must keep a low profile and avoid disaster.”

Chai A Si was full of confidence: “You can rest assured about that; I am already very low profile. Not many demons will even properly look at me!”

“Very good. Remember, ‘undisturbed by wind and rain, treasures will naturally be obtained.’ Be as you were before, and now still be so. Do your own things, live your own life. When the time is ripe, you will naturally get everything you should get. I need to rely on sleep to recover my divine power. Hide this mirror well. When I wake up next time, I will inform you again.”

The voice in the mirror, drifting into the distance, just dispersed like this. But in Chai A Si’s heart, the aftershocks echoed, stirring up huge waves and storms! Although he practiced the saber and lacked experience, this set of Heaven Absolute Earth Trap Secret Sword Technique was truly exquisite! In his lifetime, where would he have had the opportunity to come into contact with this kind of sword technique? The top strong individuals of ancient times must have had extraordinary encounters. Undoubtedly, today, his opportunity had arrived! Touching dead corpses in the deep mountains and ancient forests, a treasure mirror illuminates the myriad worlds!

Hiding this ancient god mirror in his bosom, Chai A Si looked left and right, observing for a long time, carefully handling the traces, and only then slowly exited this area, walking alone towards the mountain down. Although the medicine basket on his back was not yet full, his footsteps were much firmer, and he already saw a solid future! He did not have eyes in the back of his head, so naturally he could not discover what happened. After he left, a red flame suddenly leaped up, quietly rolling through the forest, instantly burning away the two demon corpses and all the traces he hadn’t cleaned up. Ten thousand matters end in their three flavors, exhausting and resolving them.

The mountain forest in this place grew quieter; no demons stopped. Following the old road, Chai A Si slowly descended the mountain. Along the way, he also met several familiar medicine-gathering little demons; they chatted for a few sentences, asked about each other’s harvest, and then went their separate ways.

Emerging from the great mountains, the golden sun still had a bit of afterglow left. He walked towards the self-formed camp at the foot of the mountain, but at a certain moment, he suddenly stopped! Not only him, but many little demons at the foot of the mountain were all shocked and lifted their heads, looking towards the high sky— a terrifyingly strong figure, as if rolling up a huge curtain of night, breaking through the vast wind and snow, rushed from the depths of the Heaven Breath Wasteland, directly towards here, directly towards the hundred thousand great mountains! It was just like a piece of dark cloud entering the middle of the mountain!

Chai A Si inexplicably lowered his head nervously, and walked towards the camp inside. Among the figures of the scattered little demons descending the mountain, his figure was not conspicuous. Behind him, the brilliant afterglow gradually disappeared. The golden sun of the demon realm this day set the stage. Deep in the sky, on the other shore…second update, experts live: m.jhssd! Great God, how are you feeling? For the fastest update, please make sure to bookmark this page so you can check it next time! Chapter 31 Holding this mirror, receiving my life – free reading.