The Portal of Wonderland

Shi Mu wandered around the Peaceful Sun City for some time, and found that this city bore a little similarity to some of the cities of the Eastern Continent. The size of this city wasn’t as small, but it made him feel as if he had returned to his native place. In fact, some of the residential areas reflected the natural style of the Vicious Barbarians’ tribes.

A broad view of this city allowed Shi Mu to conclude that most of the buildings here were single-storey. Double-storey or multiple-storey buildings were very scarce in the city.

Shi Mu was walking around the city. He found that the majority of shops along the street were primarily dealing in spirit materials, various kinds of pills, and demon beasts’ materials. In fact, the shops that sold finished products were extremely rare.

So, it might be assumed that the barbarians of the Western Continent weren’t experts in this field of endeavor. They were in fact similar to the barbarians of the Eastern Continent in this regard.

Perhaps, this was one of the reasons why the various heavenly resources of this continent hadn’t depleted yet.

Shi Mu continued to roam around the city while having to endure Cai’s non-stop blabbering. He finally stopped in front of the door of a two-storey store.

The building of this store appeared to be carved out of a huge pitch-black megalith which had a diameter of over two-hundred feet. A huge hollow had been cut-open in the middle of the megalith in order to form the wide and open space of the store. It appeared rather unusual.

This store was specialized in selling all kinds of spirit materials. In fact, it could be considered the largest store of its type in the entire city.

There weren’t many customers in the store at this moment. And, Shi Mu was glad to see that the store was free from commotion right now. So, he lifted his foot, and stepped in.

A few exquisite wooden shelves were arranged in the shop. And, a lot of exotic flowers and plants were displayed on those shelves; those plants and flowers were different from each other in terms of color and appearances. Shi Mu was dazzled for a moment by the intriguing strangeness of these things.

“Sea Breeze Rattan, Pokeberry Tail, Golden Desert Cistanche, Turtle Mist Grass…”

Shi Mu recognized a few spirit grasses when he calmed his mind and focused his attention. But, he kept harping-on in a voice that only he could hear.

There was indeed a reason behind Shi Mu’s ability to recognize a small portion of the things that had been displayed in this shop. The fact was that he had obtained a few ancient books from his opponents over the past years. And, he had always flipped through those books during his leisure time.

However, the small part of things he had just recognized had truly left him flabbergasted.

Most of these things were crucial ingredients in the process of refining some high-ranked magic charms and pills. These things were considered very valuable, and were rarely seen in the markets of the Eastern Continent.

A short and stout barbarian man walked over to him at this moment. He had thick eyebrows and net-like purple sideburns. A broad smile bloomed across his face as he greeted Shi Mu and said, “May I ask what my noble customer is looking for? Do you want me to introduce a couple of things?”

This man’s attire and temperament clearly looked different from the other attendants of this store. This indicated that he ought to be the manager of this store. He had presumably sensed that Shi Mu’s cultivation wasn’t weak. In addition, Shi Mu’s distinguished bearing seemed to have engraved a profound impression in his mind. Therefore, the stout man used a very courteous language to interact with him.

“May I know whether your store has the blood essence of a demon ape?” Shi Mu thought of something and asked.

“Noble customer has indeed graced us with his presence at an opportune moment. The store has just received a batch of the blood essence of Cloudy Moutain’s demon ape. I must say that it’s a top-notch product. I wonder if the noble customer intends to take a look at it,” the thick-browed man said.

“I wonder if there is any blood essence in this batch which has a rank equivalent to… or beyond the peak of the Xian Tian realm,” Shi Mu asked.

“This… the strength of Cloudy Mountain’s demon ape is considered the greatest. But, it’s still at the primary stage of the Xian Tian realm. So, I’m afraid that I’ll have to disappoint my noble customer. I’m sorry, but let me be frank with you… you are unlikely to find the thing that you’re looking for in the other spirit materials’ shops of this city… if you didn’t find that thing in this shop,” the thick-browed man said in an embarrassed tone.

“Why? Is it so difficult to find a high-ranked demon ape?” Shi Mu asked.

“My dear customer seems to be unaware of it. Our eastern regions attach more importance to the snake-class and python-class demon beasts. This is because it’s generally difficult to find trails of high-ranked demon apes. After all, the demon apes inhabit the elevated areas, and those regions are very far from here. Moreover, those areas are flooded with all kinds of perils. Therefore, the supply of materials acquired from a high-ranked demon ape is extremely scarce here. However, auctions are occasionally conducted in the city. And, it might appear in the auctions if our luck is good,” the thick-browed man explained.

Shi Mu smiled wryly in his heart. It seemed that he still needed favorable luck to find the blood essence of a demon ape. So, he had no other choice but to set aside this matter for the time being.

He was about to depart when an idea streaked across his mind. So, he asked again, “Oh, by the way… I wonder whether I can ask Your Excellency about something.”

“My noble customer can feel free to ask anything. I’ll tell you everything as long as I know about it,” the thick-browed man replied with a smile.

“Have you heard about the Rising to the Heaven Mountain Peak?” Shi Mu asked

“My dear customer is inquiring about this mountain peak. Could you possibly be thinking of going there?” the thick-browed man looked surprised when he asked.

Shi Mu’s mouth slightly moved, but he didn’t give him a reply.

“I’m sorry for being blunt, but you won’t be allowed to go to that place,” the man’s thick eyebrows creased as he said.

“Oh, why is that so?” Shi Mu looked somewhat confused when he asked.

“The Rising to the Heaven Mountain Peak is a Holy Land of the Demon Race. So, it’s needless to say how dangerous that place would be. Even ordinary demon beasts aren’t allowed to approach that Mountain at will… let alone the barbarian people,” the man with thick eyebrows explained.

“Holy Land?” Shi Mu asked in a doubtful manner.

“It happens that even I have little knowledge about this matter. But, I’ll give our noble customer a couple of details since he seems interested in it,” the thick-browed man said.

“That would be great. I’ll always be grateful to Your Excellency for this favor,” Shi Mu replied.

Shi Mu had finally gained a little understanding of Western Continent’s history from the words of the thick-browed man; he had also gained some knowledge of the prevailing situation.

According to his narration… The Western Continent was divided into thirty-six small and large regions. The Rising to the Heaven Mountain Peak was located in the Beautiful Gauze region. And, this region fell in the central part of the Western Continent. It was said that this peak soared high into the clouds… as if it was connecting the earth to the sky. This peak was guarded by three big forces as their Holy Land these days. And, these three forces were considered the most vigorous tribes of the Demon Race. No one was allowed to approach this mountain. And, anyone who attempted so… would be killed without any explanation.

As for why this mountain peak was called the Holy Land of the Demon Race… one must jump thousands of years back to know the details.

It was said that there had been only two races in the Western Continent in those days — the Barbarian Race and the Demon Race. The Demon Race was divided into altogether seventy-two branches back then. The Demon tribes were large in number, and had occupied a large part of the continent’s core regions. Meanwhile, the entire Barbarian Race was led by ten big tribes back then. These ten tribes had mainly occupied the peripheral regions of the continent.

The Totem warriors in the Barbarian Race often needed a large number of beast souls and demon beasts’ materials during the course of their cultivation. So, they had frequently slaughtered demon beasts. Consequently, the vigorous ones in the Demon Race had begun to launch counterattacks on the barbarians. This process had continued for a long time. And, the contradictions between the two races had become increasingly intense as a result. And, war had eventually erupted between them.

The dispute between the two races had continued to grow for hundreds of year after that war. Innumerable small and large-scale battles had erupted between them afterwards. Consequently, the Western Continent had been filled with rivers of blood for some time.

The barbarians were far superior to the demons in terms of intelligence. Besides, they also had the totem’s secret technique to make magic tools and spirit tools. On top of that, the barbarian kings of the ten big barbarian tribes had formed an alliance. They all had joined forces to vent anger against their common enemy. So, the barbarians had gradually started to gain the upper hand in the battle.

On the other side, the tribes of the Demon Race had harbored many conflicting views amongst themselves. So, they hadn’t been able to form a concerted force. Thus, they were gradually being vanquished by the barbarians. They had suffered disastrous casualties in the battles that followed. Also, a large area that belonged to the Demon Race had been captured by the barbarians in the end.

“But then, a Demon King had suddenly appeared in the Demon Race one day in this miserable situation. His appearance bore a strong resemblance to that of a white ape. He subdued the leaders of all seventy-two Demon tribes at one fell swoop with his sheer strength. After that, he used the Rising to the Heaven Mountain Peak as his stronghold to lead the Demon Race’s reign over the Western Continent. The barbarians had been in full swing with their grand victory over the Demon Race at that time. But, the Demon King soon inflicted a crushing defeat on them. Most of the barbarian kings of the ten big barbarian tribes had either been killed or wounded in this process. In fact, each and every tribe had fallen apart as a result. This white ape — the Demon King — later proclaimed that he would drive away all barbarians from this continent. His overbearing flame of anger and arrogance was unrivalled for a period of time. So, there was a time when our barbarian race had fallen into a precarious situation,” the man with the thick eyebrows narrated.

“The white ape! Can it be…” Shi Mu received a powerful jolt in his heart the moment he heard these two words. And then, something crossed his mind for a fleeting second.

“Mr. Manager, where had this white ape — the Demon King — come from?” Cai abruptly opened his mouth and asked; he had been standing on Shi Mu’s shoulder this entire time.

“Some people say that the Demon King white ape had descended from the heavens. Some people say that he was an ancient demon who had retreated after thousands of years of seclusion practice. However, many people in the Demon Race believe that the Demon King white ape had descended from Rising to the Heavens Mountain Peak. Basically, there are different opinions in this regard. But, there is no written proof of any of this,” The man with thick eyebrows cast a glance at Cai in astonishment. Then, he said while shaking his head.

Cai was about to ask something again when he was hit by Shi Mu’s finger. So, he immediately quieted down like a well-behaved parrot.

“What happened afterwards?” Shi Mu asked.

“The things that happened afterwards seem somewhat dramatic. A group of humans from the Eastern Continent crossed the western border and arrived here. They claimed to be the disciples of the Dark Moon Cult. They hadn’t had any foundation when they had first entered the Western Continent. But, they soon reached an agreement with the barbarian kings. They then started to cooperate with our barbarian people, and jointly waged war against the Demon Race. The barbarians’ strength had tremendously increased with the assistance of the Dark Moon Cult’s Dead Spirit creatures. Eventually, they had somehow coped up with the Demon Race. However, the strength of that Demon King white ape was unparalleled at that time. So, the battles would still seem lopsided whenever he’d showed up to fight. There was a time when the barbarians and the Dark Moon Cult had become completely incapable of withstanding the overwhelming pressure. But then, the Demon King suddenly disappeared at such a crucial time… just like he had appeared before.”

“He disappeared without a trace?” Shi Mu said in a surprised tone.

“That’s right. Then, an internal disorder sparked off amongst the tribes of the Demon Race. In fact, that wasn’t even long after the white ape disappeared from here. Moreover, the two races had become very tired of this exhaustive war that had continued for almost a hundred years. So, the war gradually subsided. The Demon Race has considered The Rising to the Heavens Mountain Peak their Holy Land since then. It is said to be the place where the white ape Demon King had appeared and later disappeared. The Demon Race believes that the white ape Demon King will appear there again someday.”

“So, this is the case,” Shi Mu nodded in a thoughtful manner.

The two men exchanged a few words for some time. After that, Shi Mu bid goodbye to him. However, he purchased a few kinds of spirit materials before leaving from here since he needed them for drawing high-ranked magic charms. He also didn’t forget to express his sincere gratitude to the Manager for his gracious help.

Shi Mu continued to walk along the street after he stepped out of the store.

“It seems that the situation here is far more complicated than we expected. The Rising to the Heavens Mountain Peak is a Holy Land. So, I’m afraid that it won’t be easy to go there. Shi Tou, what’s your next plan?” Cai had listened to the entire story with great relish. But, he still felt as if he was shrouded with a sense of uncertainty … as if some points had remained unexplained.

But, Shi Mu remained silent. He didn’t speak anything for a moment.

“I’m thinking about it again. It’s already noontime. I’m very hungry. My tummy is all empty. You had promised me that you would first look for a place to eat something,” Cai screeched.

“The only thing you know is eating and drinking all day long. You never think about anything else,” Shi Mu looked at Cai, and said in a manner that made it seem as if he was in a foul mood.

“Why did I let you be my master? You are naturally the one who would think over this troublesome matter!” Cai quick-fired in response.

Shi Mu shook his head, and walked toward the front. He then arrived in front of a restaurant after a while. It was a well-decorated restaurant which looked rather luxurious.

“This is it,” Shi Mu took a step, and walked in.

This was a very large restaurant with magnificent decorations, and a very atmospheric layout.

“Dear Customer, you are heartily welcomed here,” Shi Mu had hardly entered the restaurant when a waiter greeted him.

“Arrange a peaceful room, and some nice snacks,” Shi Mu said.

“Also, get some good wine if there is any,” Cai interrupted.

The waiter shot an awestruck glance at Cai when he heard his voice. This place was Western Continent, and there were all kinds of demon beasts here. However, it was still rare to see a bird talk around here.

“Okay, please come upstairs,” He complied, and led Shi Mu to the first floor.

The layout of the first floor looked very distinct. It was divided into several private boxes. And, each box was almost independent of the others, and very peaceful.

The martial arts practitioners could stay alive without eating any food for a long time once they stepped into the Xian Tian realm. They’d only need to absorb spiritual energy from the surroundings in order to survive. However, Shi Mu hadn’t had a proper meal for so long due to the journey. It could be said that he had been wandering around in a desperate plight throughout this journey. Therefore, it was indeed very rare to see him sit down, and satisfy his appetite.