Ninth In the World

“I was chased here by demon beasts. I don’t even know where I am right now. May I know how I could get to the Forgetful River Mountain Range?” Di Jiu had two objectives for returning to Earth. One was to find Monk Red Dust, and the other was to find that bridge. He did not truly want to know where the Forgetful River Mountain Range was located. He actually wanted to know if he was on Earth.

“I’m not surprised. However, you would have to leave the Limitless Alert Zone in order to reach the Forgetful River Mountain Range. Some high-level demon beasts will still occasionally appear in the Limitless Alert Zone. It is extremely dangerous for you to be left behind here...” said the tall man when he heard a distant roar.

When a dazzling light beam shot up to the sky, the man carrying the bow said anxiously, “It’s a message from Brother Ji. Let’s hurry over and help. He has encountered a powerful demon beast.”

“Walk in this direction and you will see the staging post. When you reach it, you can ask someone else for information,” the rifle-carrying man instructed him anxiously. Then, he followed the bow-carrying man and sprinted into a forest far away.

Di Jiu stayed where he was. He took out a red Roast Divine Herb and swallowed it. He also consumed several mouthfuls of Spirit Baptism Pith. After placing a pile of high-grade Spirit Stones next to him, he started to circulate the Spiritual Force Training Art in an effort to repair his Spiritual Sea.

His Spiritual Sea had sustained several injuries while he had been transcending space. If this had happened to an ordinary cultivator, it would have probably taken them a decade to recover. However, thanks to the help of the Roast Divine Herb and the Spirit Baptism Pith, Di Jiu’s Spiritual Force recovery would naturally be much faster.

In the span of a dozen breaths, he could already extend his Spiritual Force for more than a kilometer. Once his Spiritual Force started to recover, its recovery speed increased due to the help of the Roast Divine Herb and the Spirit Baptism Pith.

Half a day passed before Di Jiu’s Spiritual Force was almost fully recovered.

When his Spiritual Force swept out, he quickly saw the two men he had encountered previously. Another man and a woman were with them. The four of them were currently fleeing frantically from the peak level-two wolf demon chasing them. While all of them were covered in injuries, the wolf demon seemed to have sustained some severe injuries as well.

When he realized that these four people were about to meet their doom under the claws of the wolf demon, Di Jiu shook his head. Then, he lifted his hand and threw out a wind blade. Four ordinary martial artists facing a wolf demon with the strength of a peak Foundation Establishment Realm Warrior was basically suicide.

The wind blade flew across several kilometers and chopped off the head of the wolf demon.

The blood that spurted out shot high into the sky and splattered on the four individuals. They all looked back unconsciously and saw the headless wolf demon collapse on the ground.

The four of them watched dumbfounded as this bizarre scene unfolded before their eyes. They immediately were overjoyed.

Rich! They were definitely rich! Killing a wolf demon king would bring them boundless wealth!

Di Jiu did not pay attention to the four celebrating fellas. When his Spiritual Force landed in the deep recesses of the forest, he discovered in shock that there was actually a level-three demon beast there. A level-three glaze fox appeared in the distance, its gaze trained on the four fellas who were currently dealing with the wolf demon’s carcass.

Di Jiu was certain that if he had not used his Spiritual Force to sweep the area, the four of them would have met their doom as soon as he left.

As expected, the glaze fox sprinted frantically towards the four fellas and reached them in an instant.

“It’s the fox demon king of the Limitless 1,000-Mile Mountain...” The four fellas despaired when they saw the fox demon king approaching them. They suddenly lost all hope of living.

It was said that the fox demon king had killed 10 Connate Experts in the past. The sole Connate Expert left behind in the Limitless 1,000-Mile Mountain was relying on the fortress and his weapons to resist the fox demon king.

This had happened because the fox demon king had not attacked the city of its own accord. If it had, the last Connate Expert would most likely have met his doom as well.

Suddenly, another bloody mist exploded. The fox demon king, which was still in mid-air, landed on the carcass of the wolf demon. It had also lost its life.

The four people, who were slowly recovering from the shock, looked at the dead fox demon king. They suddenly felt a chill go down their spines. They no longer felt like they had made a big fortune.

This was...

Suddenly, they heard Di Jiu’s voice in their ears. “You guys don’t have to worry. I killed the wolf and fox demons. Thank you for showing me the way. If it is fated, we shall meet again...”

His voice disappeared as soon as he uttered the last two words. Di Jiu was certain that demon beasts from the Fairy Planet had arrived on Earth. Otherwise, there would not be so many high-level demon beasts on Earth. The strongest demon beast his Spiritual Force had sensed was nearly at, or rather about to reach, level five.

A level-five demon beast was an existence that could exterminate all life on Earth. Only an atomic bomb could make such a beast explode. However, perhaps not even an atomic bomb could kill a level-five demon beast.

The man carrying the rifle on his back exclaimed in surprise, “That man was so formidable! Really, really formidable...”

Perhaps his vocabulary was limited, yet the word ‘formidable’ expressed his heartfelt thoughts perfectly.

“You call that kid a man?” asked the woman.

The tall man immediately recounted how he had encountered Di Jiu. Then, he lamented, “If I’d know that he was so formidable, I would have acknowledged him as my Master.”

...

Di Jiu had already reached the Honor Parade City. The reason he had gone there was because he had discovered that two acquaintances, Qi Xiang and You Huli, were also there. Di Jiu was speechless when he found out that Qi Xiang and You Huli seemed to belong to different powers. Judging by their tense, aggressive posture, they seemed ready to fight at any moment.

“Qi Xiang, Fox, what’s going on?” said Di Jiu with a grin as he walked into the grandiose conference hall.

The few burly guards looked at Di Jiu, who had suddenly appeared, in surprise. They had not realized when exactly he had walked past them.

“Brother Jiu...”

“Ah Jiu?”

Qi Xiang and You Huli stood up at the same time. The men from both sides, who had originally wanted to intercept Di Jiu, retreated hastily when they saw that their commanders recognized Di Jiu.

“What’s going on? Don’t you know that both of you are my friends?” asked Di Jiu.

He sensed that something was amiss the moment he asked this question. You Huli sat back down after addressing him. Qi Xiang, on the other hand, walked over to Di Jiu.

“Brother Jiu, I thought that you’d gone to the Fairy Planet. I was very worried when the Fairy Planet disappeared. I didn’t expect that you would still be on Earth. This is great! Brother Jiu, there is something I would like to tell you.” Qi Xiang seemed genuinely pleased.

Di Jiu patted him on the shoulder, indicating that he should tell him later. After doing so, he turned towards You Huli and said, “Fox, why are you acting like we are strangers?”

You Huli opened his mouth hesitantly before saying, “Ah Jiu, I was only able to study at the Institute of Martial Arts because of you. I have yet to repay that debt. I’m really sorry.”

Di Jiu waved his hand and said, “I don’t consider that a debt. I believe you know about Qi Xiang’s relationship with me.”

“I know,” You Huli said dryly. “However, Qi Xiang imprisoned my wife’s elder brother and killed dozens of my brothers. How could I not avenge them?”

“Teng Ling’er had an elder brother?” asked Di Jiu. To his knowledge, that was not the case.

Qi Xiang pointed to You Huli and told Di Jiu, “This piece of trash had forsaken Teng Ling’er. Teng Ling’er was killed by his current wife. Before Teng Ling’er died, she had sent out a message asking you to save her, a message that I later obtained. Teng Ling’er was dead by the time I got there. This piece of trash also plotted against Brother Fei Qi and tortured Sister Jinshan cruelly just to acquire the Di Clan’s saber moves...”

Di Jiu’s expression darkened. He had imparted the Di Clan’s saber moves to Fei Qi and Qi Xiang. It seemed like the reason Qi Xiang was there today was not merely You Huli’s brother-in-law, but also the Di Clan’s saber moves.

“Ah Jiu, I would never have fought with Qi Xiang on your behalf. This matter would have been resolved if he’d just handed over Xun Yu’s elder brother...”

Before You Huli could finish his sentence, a clear voice said, “My relative Xun Yu was killed and my elder brother was imprisoned. It would be too simple if this matter was settled in such a manner.” A lady suddenly walked out.

Di Jiu’s Spiritual Force had long since detected the lady, who had been in the room at the back of the conference hall. She was a very beautiful woman in her thirties. Her cat-like eyes revealed her ruthless, decisive personality.

If it had been anyone else, Di Jiu would already have cast out some wind blades instead of staying to chit-chat.

However, he ignored the lady and looked at You Huli. “Fox, I remember that you were a decent man when you entered the Institute of Martial Arts. I also remember you saying that you would repay that debt once you left the institute and help me to your best ability. Instead, you killed Teng Ling’er and Brother Fei Qi. Tell me why. Why did you do this?”

Di Jiu owed Fei Qi. If it had not been for Fei Qi’s Major Conduit Internal Records, he would have died on many occasions. If You Huli had truly killed Fei Qi for the Di Clan’s Seven Sabers, then he would have no choice but to avenge Fei Qi.

You Huli’s eyes flashed with regret. He had not intended for things to turn out this way. However, he had no other choice. If certain things happened once, they would happen a second time. Plus, the Fairy Planet had left the solar system and demon beasts had appeared on Earth. There was an increasing number of experts now. The circumstances were beyond his control.

The tinge of regret he had felt quickly disappeared before he lifted his head and looked at Di Jiu. “Ah Jiu, you can’t understand certain things, and I sure won’t explain myself to you. If you stand by my side, we will remain friends and you will get a share of whatever I have.”