Chapter 42 : Emerald Mountain Range

Three days later, a group of heavily armed individuals, clad in black armor and equipped with a variety of weapons, appeared on the outskirts of a bustling city undergoing extensive construction.

This group of individuals is naturally Nexus and his Black Armored Guards they had suddenly arrived at Blackwood City, the second largest and last remaining city in the Mysthaven Kingdom. The city was in the midst of a major renovation project, following the completion of the Capital City.

As the construction team worked to rebuild and expand Blackwood City, Nexus stood a few miles away, observing the progress.

He was dressed in a black armor, with a long blade strapped to his back and a flowing red cloak billowing in the wind. His gaze shifted from the city to the distant Emerald Mountain Range, a massive expanse of towering mountains that stretched endlessly into the horizon.

The Emerald Mountain Range was known to be home to demonic beasts and Spirit Beasts, creatures with the ability to cultivate by absorbing energy from their surroundings. Unlike humans, these beasts possessed innate abilities and formidable strength, with some species boasting lifespans of over 10,000 years. As they cultivated, these creatures gained new abilities, extended lifespans, and increased intelligence.

The distinction between Demonic Beasts and Spirit Beasts lies in their methods of cultivation. Demonic Beasts absorb surrounding Spirit Energy to strengthen their bodies, while Spirit Beasts are inanimate objects that have gained sentience over time. Spirit Beasts are typically non-aggressive, unlike their Demonic counterparts but if provoked they can be extremely terrifying.

Both types of beasts have Cultivation levels ranging from 1 Star to 9 Star, with each stage equivalent to a human's Cultivation level. For example, a 1 Star Demonic Beast is comparable to an Essence Meridian Realm Cultivator.

As Demonic Beasts progress in their cultivation, they develop a demon core within their bodies. This demon core is a dense mass of Spiritual Energy that solidifies as they reach the 3rd Star level. Similar to human cultivators, demons eventually condense their demon core into a Soul that houses their Primal Soul.

These demon cores are highly valuable as cultivation materials and resources, used to create pills, forge weapons, and power formations.

The entire body of a Demonic or Spirit Beast is rich in resources that can also be utilized for refining pills, crafting weapons, and more. However, hunting and killing these beasts is no easy task. In addition to the beasts themselves, the Emerald Mountain Range is home to various treasures of Heaven and Earth that attract many Cultivators seeking wealth and power. Only a select few are able to navigate the dangers of the Emerald Mountain Range and emerge victorious.

The Emerald Mountain Range is divided into three distinct regions: the outer area, home to most 1 to 3 Star demonic beasts; the inner area, where 4 to 6 Star demonic beasts reside; and the core or central area, inhabited by 7 to 9 Star demonic beasts. Spanning millions of miles, the Emerald Mountain Range borders hundreds, if not thousands, of Kingdoms, yet remains unconquered by any. It is a vast and formidable expanse that strikes fear into the hearts of even the bravest Kingdoms.

Every day, rogue Cultivators and hunters venture into the Emerald Mountain Range in search of demonic beasts to hunt and treasures to uncover. The allure of the unknown and the promise of riches draw them in, despite the dangers that lurk within the vast wilderness.

" Your Majesty, everything is prepared," a voice suddenly interrupted Nexus's thoughts. He turned to Lexx and nodded, "Okay, let's go." With that, he gracefully leaped down from the hill he was standing on and landed on the ground. Fifty members of the Black Armored Guards stood at the foot of the hill, each with a Gray Wind Horse by their side. These horses were twice the size of normal horses on Earth, with gray fur and incredible speed, capable of traveling thousands of kilometers with ease.

Nexus surveyed the group before nodding, then smoothly mounted the horse at the front. The rest of the Black Armored Guards followed suit, and with a kick, the Gray Wind Horses transformed into a blur of speed as they raced towards the Emerald Mountain Range, kicking up clouds of dust in their wake. After three hours of travel, they arrived at the entrance of the mountain range.

Up close, Nexus marveled at the Emerald Mountain Range, sensing the dense and ominous energy emanating from within. The Spirit Energy was potent, promising great results for cultivation, but also harboring danger. Nexus knew that cultivating within the Emerald Mountain Range required strength and caution.

"Secure the horses here, we will proceed on foot," Nexus commanded the Black Armored Guards. They quickly dismounted and tied up the horses. Nexus wasn't worried if anybody would steal their horses.

Moments later, the group gathered behind Nexus. "Lexx, Tyler, scout the perimeter ahead. Report back any findings to me," Nexus ordered, his eyes focused on the path ahead.

"Yes, Your Majesty," both of them responded before disappearing into the shadows.

"Alright, let's go," Nexus ordered the other members before entering the Emerald Mountain Range. As they all entered the mountain range, Nexus marveled at the scene before him. Huge ancient trees towered into the sky, dense Spirit Energy filled the air, and he could faintly hear the roars of countless demonic beasts, as well as the chirping of birds and insects. The Black Armored Guards spread out and surrounded Nexus in the middle, all of them on guard as they vigilantly looked around their surroundings.

Previously, all of them were rogue Cultivators, and most of them had been to the Emerald Mountain Range before, so they knew the dangers here better than anyone else. Nexus shook his head and chuckled softly as he looked at the Black Armored Guards protecting him. As they continued to move deeper into the forests, the surrounding trees became taller and denser, with a faint killing intent in the air. They didn't encounter any demonic beasts, but they did come across a few poisonous snakes and other insects.

Half an hour later, Lexx suddenly emerged from one of the shadows of the giant ancient trees and bowed towards Nexus.

"Have you found anything?" Nexus asked indifferently.

"Yes, Your Majesty, a few meters from here there is a herd of Iron Back Boars," Lexx reported.

Just then, Tyler also appeared. Nexus turned to Tyler and asked, "What about you, have you found anything?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, there is a valley where a pack of Black Spirit Wolves is located," Tyler said.

"Oh, a pack of wolves," Nexus's eyes flashed with curiosity. "How many are there?"

"I don't know the exact number, Your Majesty, but I can assure you that there are hundreds of them," Tyler quickly reported.

"Ok, take us there," Nexus immediately ordered.

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"Please follow me Your Majesty" Said while leading the way. The rest of them immediately followed suit. In a blink of an eye all of them disappeared into the dense forest. Twenty minutes later, Nexus and the Black Armored Guards appeared beside a a small valley with rocky and tall boulders, they were only a few grass and trees growing in the valley, howls and whimpers of wolves can heard from deep inside the valley. Nexus and his group swiftly entered the valley making sure to hide their auras unless they access the situation very well they can let the wolves discover them and wolves also have a keen sense of smell, so they moved cautiously making sure no to alert the wolves.

A few moments later, they came across a huge opened plain with a few trees, the plain was covered in grass at the center of the plain was a small lake, huge black wolves with deep green eyes measuring upto three meters tall filled the entire plain, some were sleeping, others roaming about as if patrolling, small cubs can be seen frolicking. These wolves numbered upto hundreds.

Nexus gave a cursory glance at the pack of wolves and counted about three hundred wolves, he also noticed that most of them were 1 Star. Turning his head Nexus looked deeply into the inner area of the valley, there a huge wolf twice the size of the other wolves was sleeping on top of boulder, even though this wolf was sleeping but the intense aura emanating from it's body was immense. This wolf was the King of the wolf pack a 2 Star demonic wolf. After accessing the strength of the pack of Black Spirit Wolves Nexus heaved a sign of relief he believes that with the strength of the Black Armored Guards they can take down these wolves.

" Ok everyone listen up, most of the wolves are 1 Star demonic beasts, so killing them will not be much, divide yourselves into five teams of ten and advanced, killed any wolf you come across as for the wolf king leave it to me, I want everything to be finished in one hour, understood !! ". Nexus commanded in a faint loud voice.

" Yes Your Majesty " The Black Armored Guards responded.