Chapter 241: Fairy, please say less about ancient wonders; I'm worried my life isn't long enough.

"Can a directional teleportation talisman be used that way?!" The Five Hawks of Mount Eagle stared in disbelief as the Silver Ring Heavenly King Earthworm was forcibly teleported. The creature's desperate gaze was particularly striking. One could only imagine the fate of such a great demon at the Nascent Soul stage. The Demon Suppressing Pass had strict rules: anyone below the Body Integration stage who approached it would die. While a Nascent Soul stage great demon sounded powerful, it stood no chance against the colossal Demon Suppressing Pass; it was a death sentence.

"Huh? Isn't that the obvious way to use it?" Lu Yang asked, surprised. He had thought only demon beasts were too simple-minded to consider such a use. How could the Five Hawks of Mount Eagle, also humans, not have conceived of it? Meng Jingzhou, for instance, had thought of it instantly.

"Are there really so many Golden Core and Nascent Soul stage demon beasts in this dense forest?" Lu Yang mused, recalling their recent encounters. Excluding those that deliberately sought them out, they had already come across numerous roving Golden Core stage demon beasts. Tonight was even more absurd, with a Nascent Soul stage demon beast even appearing. Fortunately, Meng Jingzhou had a directional teleportation talisman and was able to send the Silver Ring Heavenly King Earthworm to the Demon Suppressing Pass. Otherwise, Lu Yang would have had no choice but to use Senior Sister's Hieroglyphic Fist.

The hook-nosed leader shook his head. "How could that be? Most of the beings active in this dense forest, both human and demon, are at the Foundation Establishment stage. If it were truly as it is now, with individuals encountering multiple Golden Core stage demon beasts attacking, no one would dare come here anymore."

Lu Yang considered this and agreed. It was merely the demon beasts' misfortune to encounter their group; any other Foundation Establishment cultivators would have perished long ago. "It must be that the two young heroes have killed so many demon beasts that the lingering scent has attracted more attention," the hook-nosed leader analyzed. He secretly sighed, realizing the vast difference. Their group of five late Foundation Establishment cultivators struggled even against demon beasts of their own level, yet these two young heroes dispatched early to mid Golden Core demon beasts with the ease of slicing vegetables. Such a disparity.

"I suggest we return to the city tomorrow morning when the gates open," he proposed. "We should rest thoroughly, change our clothes, and wash off the lingering scent."

Lu Yang nodded. The hook-nosed leader's suggestion was not without merit. For the past few days, all seven of them had been constantly on edge, either engaged in combat or on their way to it, leading to immense mental exhaustion. Although his mental strength far exceeded others at his stage and theoretically shouldn't deplete so quickly—meaning that while Meng Jingzhou and the Five Hawks of Mount Eagle might feel tired, he wouldn't—he had an Immortal Fairy constantly causing mischief in his mental space. Lu Yang had to divert a portion of his mental energy to manage her and, coincidentally, listen to ancient tales and oddities.

These ancient tales included, but were not limited to: The jealousy and rivalry between the dragon and phoenix clan prodigies. The Qilin Immortal, whose harem erupted in turmoil, fled to a distant land for refuge, earning the nickname 'Fiery Qilin'. Immortal Ying Tian urged everyone to intervene less in the future to elevate the prestige of immortals. The Immortal of Years, after tasting the Immortal Fairy's cooking, declared that every day felt like a year, thus comprehending the theory of relativity, and strongly advocated for the Immortal Fairy to cook for the other three as well. The Nine-layered Immortal published academic papers asserting his status as the first immortal and oversaw archaeological excavations to establish his legitimacy.

Honestly, these were all invaluable ancient anecdotes concerning immortals, capable of fetching exorbitant prices at auction. If shared with old scholars who researched ancient history, these tales would likely keep them sleepless with excitement. The sheer volume of information they contained was immense, enough to overturn current understandings of ancient times. However, for Lu Yang, these anecdotes brought a different kind of worry. He feared waking up one day to find the four ancient immortals standing over him, gazing down with a sinister smile, saying, "You know too much. Die." He didn't possess an Immortal Dao Fruit. Optimistically, Senior Sister might still arrive in time to collect his corpse.

Lu Yang voiced his concerns to the Immortal Fairy, who remained as carefree as ever. "Oh, Immortal Ying Tian and the others are good people," she chirped. "They're very reasonable and wouldn't treat you that way. Look at me, I know so many things, and I'm doing perfectly fine, aren't I?" Lu Yang quietly observed the Immortal Fairy's soul form, wanting to gently remind her that she had been dead for over 300,000 years and had only revived two months prior.

After several days of intense combat, both Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou's battle experience had significantly improved, making their execution of fatal blows increasingly proficient. Their cultivation levels also steadily advanced, solidifying their late Foundation Establishment stage and slowly progressing toward the Golden Core stage.

"Why do I feel your combat experience is richer than mine?" Meng Jingzhou asked, surprised, certain it wasn't just his imagination.

Lu Yang replied expressionlessly, "If you were to be beaten by our senior brothers and sisters from night till morning, your combat experience would improve too." Lu Yang clearly remembered that this very fellow had applauded and cheered while he was being beaten.

Meng Jingzhou looked thoughtful. "That has such an effect?" He had never been inferior to anyone in his life, and he wouldn't allow himself to fall behind Lu Yang in combat experience.

The night of rest was not entirely peaceful. A Golden Core stage demon beast still attempted a sneak attack but was beaten to death by Meng Jingzhou, who was on night watch. It was a rabbit the size of a domestic pig, with two prominent incisors three to four inches long and eyes as red as rubies.

"Are we really such magnets for trouble? They won't even let us rest at night!" Meng Jingzhou exclaimed, kicking the rabbit demon in frustration. He had momentarily lost focus during the fight, and the rabbit demon had managed to take a bite out of his hair. Fortunately, he had already extended his body cultivation to include his hair, which saved him from injury.

The Five Hawks of Mount Eagle were equally puzzled, given their limited experience. They had never witnessed anyone kill demon beasts with such ferocity. "This truly shouldn't be happening," one mused. "Logically, this is the outer perimeter of the dense forest; there shouldn't be so many Golden Core stage demon beasts here. It's not worthwhile for them to come."

"Never mind. Let's discuss this when we get back," Lu Yang said, signaling everyone to return to the Demon Suppressing Pass for rest.

Upon their return to the Demon Suppressing Pass, the group overheard conversations near the city gate.

"Did you hear? Last night, a great demon at the Nascent Soul stage attempted a sneak attack on the Demon Suppressing Pass under the cover of darkness. It was instantly killed with a single slap by a Soul Transformation stage grand elder on night duty."

"Is that true? Was the demon beast drunk, daring to launch a sneak attack at the Nascent Soul stage?" his companion asked, surprised.

As one of the six major cities guarding the demon realm's border, the Demon Suppressing Pass was impregnable without multiple Body Integration stage cultivators making a move. Still, there were precedents: a few great demons, emboldened by drink, would occasionally venture to the Demon Suppressing Pass to test their courage. The lucky ones would be driven away by the Pass, while the unlucky ones would end up in cooking pots the next day, providing a feast for the entire city.

"Of course it's true! Didn't you notice there are more guards defending the city today than yesterday? The higher-ups suspect the demon race is planning a major move and sent a sacrificial scout to test our defenses!"

"Is another battle brewing?"

"Unlikely. It's probably just a probe."

"There's also an unreliable rumor."

"What is it?"

"They say that demon beast was sent here using a directional teleportation talisman."

"That must be false. Can a directional teleportation talisman even be used like that?"

"That's why I called it an unreliable rumor."

"So, will we get a good meal today?" The Demon Suppressing Pass often distributed the meat of demon beasts killed at its gates to the residents.

"I doubt it."

"Why not?"

"The one that died was an earthworm demon. How would you eat that?"

Inside his mental space, the Immortal Fairy asked, surprised, "Hey, don't people eat earthworms here?"

"...Immortal Fairy, do you even hear yourself?"