Chapter 145: Yuanchu Mountain

Yuanchu Mountain, night.

Qin Wu, with his long hair draped over his shoulders, was engrossed in books in his study.

"Come in," Qin Wu said.

The study door creaked open. The Yuanchu Mountain Lord smiled as he walked in, carrying thick scrolls. He placed them on the desk and chuckled, "Venerable One, these are today's reports."

"Oh?" Qin Wu put down his book, opened the scrolls, and read aloud, "Beihe Pass was attacked by the demon race this morning, at a quarter past Chen Shi?"

"This was a great victory," the Yuanchu Mountain Lord nodded. "No Gods and Demons were killed, and fewer than a thousand mortal soldiers died. Zhang Yunhu practically deified Meng Chuan in his report. He defended flawlessly even when surrounded by numerous demon kings, seized opportunities to kill five Triple-Heaven demon kings, and unleashed lightning to annihilate over thirty thousand ordinary demons. The plan to eliminate these ordinary demons was also suggested by Meng Chuan beforehand."

"Not bad," Qin Wu murmured, nodding slightly as he read. "Having just entered the battlefield, at least he didn't disgrace himself."

"The merits awarded, are they acceptable?" the Yuanchu Mountain Lord asked. "Over thirty thousand ordinary demons were killed solely by him, which accounts for three hundred thousand merits. For this battle, he has been awarded a total of five hundred thirteen thousand merits."

"No problem," Qin Wu replied. He reviewed the entire battle process and agreed with the Yuanchu Mountain Lord's final merit assessment.

Merit assessment takes many aspects into account. Defending Beihe Pass is a significant merit, as is avoiding any Gods and Demons fatalities. Killing demon kings also earns merit, which is further divided into primary and auxiliary contributions. For example, when Zhang Yunhu killed demon kings, others like Meng Chuan contributed with defense, domain spells, or illusionary interference, all earning auxiliary merits.

Killing ordinary demons means ten merits per demon, which is standard. When ordinary Gods and Demons resisted Double-Heaven demon kings and countless ordinary demons, many merits from killing these ordinary demons were shared among over twenty Gods and Demons, including Liu Qiyue and Fan Cheng. Meng Chuan and his six companions also received a small share. However, for this wave of over thirty thousand demon kills, Meng Chuan was awarded a round figure of 'three hundred thousand merits.' Gods and Demons like 'Yan,' who summoned rain, and 'Zhang Yunhu,' who managed the overall situation, also received minor merits.

"Fifty-one thousand merits in a single battle. At this rate, he could be ennobled as a Marquis within ten to eight years," the Yuanchu Mountain Lord remarked.

"The demon race won't give him such an opportunity next time," Qin Wu stated. Meng Chuan's killing of over thirty thousand demons and severely wounding many others had a significant impact! Without his move, four to five hundred more demons would have ultimately scaled the outer city walls! This attack would likely have resulted in fifty percent more mortal soldiers killed or disabled. From Yuanchu Mountain's perspective, every mortal soldier's life is precious. Preventing such a large loss of soldiers earned far more merit than killing demon kings.

"Hmm?" As Qin Wu browsed other contents in the scrolls, he frowned slightly. "Two World Island, trouble again?"

"Yes, a stable world entrance appeared deep in the ocean. Because it was a small entrance, the disturbance was minimal, and it was located in a remote part of the sea. By the time Two World Island discovered it, it was confirmed that a large number of demon kings had already infiltrated the human world," the Yuanchu Mountain Lord explained. "Venerable Qianye of Two World Island and three Marquis God-Demons have repeatedly searched that sea area. They also captured some demon kings alive, and through interrogation, confirmed that over seven hundred demon kings had infiltrated. However, Venerable Qianye and his team only found five hundred and three during their repeated searches in the sea. The others are estimated to have already crossed the sea and fully infiltrated the three major dynasties."

"Two World Island occupies so many islands and sea areas, yet how many small world entrances have they missed now?" Qin Wu fumed. "Both our Yuanchu Mountain and Black Sand Grotto-Heaven have sea territories; why haven't we made such a major blunder in three hundred years?"

"There's nothing we can do. They have more world entrances, and Two World Island's strength is the weakest among the three major sects," the Yuanchu Mountain Lord replied.

"Instruct 'Earth Net' to intensify their search and hunt down the demon kings," Qin Wu commanded. "Demon kings who have just infiltrated the human world usually make more commotion, making them easier to track and discover."

"Yes, sir," the Yuanchu Mountain Lord replied respectfully.

Historically, whenever a city pass was breached, a group of demon kings would seize the opportunity to rush in and infiltrate the human world. However, because Yuanchu Mountain always dispatches powerful cultivators to the scene as quickly as possible, not too many demon kings can infiltrate within a short period—after all, it takes time for the demon race to deploy demon kings! But with Two World Island, a stable world entrance appeared and went undetected for a long time, leading to a much larger infiltration of demon kings. Although the sea area is vast, it's almost entirely water, offering few places for demon kings to hide. Large-scale sweeps and searches usually result in most being eliminated. However, once they enter land areas and completely blend into human society, they become difficult to find.

Meng Chuan was unaware of the concerns troubling the Venerable One and the Yuanchu Mountain Lord. His current duties only required him to guard Beihe Pass and act as an 'inspector,' simply performing his assigned tasks. Naturally, when Meng Chuan learned that Yuanchu Mountain had ultimately awarded him over five hundred thousand merits, he was surprised and felt a mix of emotions. His great-aunt, who had been a God and Demon for eighty years, had accumulated just over one hundred eighty thousand merits, excluding her personal consumption. He feared that a single battle of his might have surpassed his great-aunt's eighty years of accumulated merits.

However, it was important to understand that his great-aunt was merely an ordinary Undying realm God and Demon! At Beihe Pass, she was one of the most common Gods and Demons. The core strength at Beihe Pass, responsible for resisting Double-Heaven demon kings and countless ordinary demons, consisted of Liu Qiyue, Fan Cheng, two Great Sun God-Demon deputies Qiu Qi and Feng Qianfan, and two divine archer disciples from Yuanchu Mountain. Other ordinary Undying realm Gods and Demons played a comparatively weaker role! Liu Qiyue alone killed more Double-Heaven demon kings than twenty other Gods and Demons combined. Fan Cheng alone could withstand as many demon kings as Qiu Qi, Feng Qianfan, and a large group of Gods and Demons combined. Battle merits were allocated according to strength. The greater your contribution, the more merits you received. An ordinary Undying realm God and Demon might earn only one-fifth the merits of Great Sun realm Gods and Demons like 'Qiu Qi' and 'Feng Qianfan.' And Qiu Qi and Feng Qianfan, in turn, earned only one-fifth of Fan Cheng's merits! Fan Cheng's merits were slightly less than Zhang Yunhu's. Meng Chuan's strength, and Liu Qiyue's unique divine archery, normally put their merits on par with Zhang Yunhu's. For cultivators at Meng Chuan and Zhang Yunhu's level, a single battle typically yielded two to three hundred thousand merits. How much did his great-aunt earn in one go? How many life-and-death battles, how much accumulation did it take for her to get one hundred eighty thousand merits?

"Great-aunt," Meng Chuan murmured, feeling her kindness was as vast as a mountain. Sadly, his great-aunt was gone.

"I will lead the family well, as you said. And I will kill more demon kings, so you can brag to your old friends underground," Meng Chuan thought. At this moment, he felt even more strongly about the importance of strength. A powerful individual's single action could contribute more than someone else's entire lifetime. This was a fact! For example, if a Marquis God-Demon guarded Beihe Pass, it would immediately become impregnable, one person stronger than ten elite Great Sun realm Gods and Demons.

Meng Chuan continued to diligently cultivate at Beihe Pass. After the demon race's attack, which resulted in the loss of ten Triple-Heaven demon kings, dozens of Double-Heaven demon kings, and a hundred thousand demons, replenishment was naturally needed. Preparations were also required to deal with 'Meng Chuan,' a tough opponent.

Spring passed, and the scorching summer arrived. On the third day of the sixth month, almost the hottest time of the year at Beihe Pass, Meng Chuan's physical cultivation technique finally reached a critical stage.