142 - I’m Really Not an NPC

For tens of thousands of years, there had been constant strife between the human and demon races in the world of Immortal Inquiries. It wasn't until a century ago, during a full-scale war that swept through both races, that the demon race leader, Lord of the Yellow Earth, was thoroughly defeated by Su Zi, the head of the Tianyi Sect of that era, and was ultimately sealed within the Azure Sky Seal. After this, the demon race was in continuous retreat, eventually being driven entirely into the perilous Ten Thousand Great Mountains, where spiritual energy was sparse. Shifang Territory lies at the border between these mountains and the Xinghuan Nation. To traverse between the two, one must pass through Shifang Territory. From a distance, Yue Ling secretly observed a teleportation gate, her gaze becoming gradually more intense. Not only was it tightly guarded by many members of the demon race, but the gate had also been closed. Reopening it would take at least 30 minutes. Achieving that within the given time seemed nearly impossible for her. Yue Ling furrowed her brow slightly, realizing that Yaosun Shifang must have discovered the truth. Yellow Ox, hiding behind a clump of grass, whispered, "It's under lockdown." Abi, nervous, asked in a low voice, "What should we do? Head to your Huangshi Village?" Yellow Ox's expression changed suddenly to one of panic, and he quickly shook his head, saying, "No, no, we can't go there." Seeing his unusually panicked demeanor, Yue Ling was a bit puzzled and casually asked, "Why not?" She hadn't originally planned to go to Huangshi Village anyway; after all, for her, the safest places were those devoid of demons. Yellow Ox hesitated for a moment before stammering, "The old ancestor of the Yellow Earth is in Huangshi Village." "The old ancestor of the Yellow Earth?" Yue Ling was taken aback and asked in surprise, "Are you referring to the Lord of the Yellow Earth?" Yellow Ox looked at her in amazement, asking, "Miss Yue Ling knows of him as well?" "Yes." Yue Ling pondered slightly and said, "Let's go to Huangshi Village." Upon hearing this, Yellow Ox was shocked, exclaiming, "Miss Yue Ling, the old ancestor of the Yellow Earth was the supreme of the demon race a century ago, with unfathomable prowess. Even your master Su Zi had to exhaust all his strength to subdue him." "So?" Yellow Ox said urgently, "The old ancestor has an extremely violent nature and has always hated humans the most. If you go to Huangshi Village, it could be dangerous!" "Understood," Yue Ling replied calmly, then seriously said, "Lead the way." Yellow Ox, seeing her determined look, showed resolve and nodded obediently, "Yes!" Having decided to stay by Miss Yue Ling's side in service, even if he ended up being smashed to pieces by the Lord of the Yellow Earth, he had resolved to lead her there without hesitation. At this point, Abi, looking bewildered, asked, "Who is this Lord of the Yellow Earth?" Hearing her question, Yue Ling was astonished to find that a century after the leader of the demon race, the supreme of the Yellow Earth, there were demons who didn't recognize him. What exactly had transpired over this period? Yellow Ox said solemnly, "Abi, you should not come along." Abi raised her little face proudly, retorting, "No, I'm going! No one can persuade me otherwise." "But..." Abi impatiently responded, "Why are you so nagging? You're just like my mom!" Yellow Ox had no choice but to swallow his words. Yue Ling's spiritual energy had restored slightly, and she finally managed to control the chaotic spiritual energies within her. [ Ding~ Detected wood attribute spiritual energy. Do you wish to use a Forget Spirit Pill? Note: The spiritual power will advance to wood attribute spiritual energy. ] Forget Spirit Pill? Yue Ling suddenly recalled that although this pill could only be used after reaching Level 30, its purpose was to activate special attributes. Her heart stirred; if she could collect all five elements of spiritual power, wouldn't she be able to advance directly to five-element spiritual power? Yet she wasn't sure how to accomplish this. Was it as simple as seeking out five foes representing gold, wood, water, fire, and earth? It couldn't be that straightforward, could it? Involving the power of five elements, she reckoned that the Lord of the Yellow Earth might know something about it. She'd inquire with him later. At that moment, she vaguely felt as though she had forgotten something. Within the Lingquan Valley Zhang Xiaofeng and Qingfeng regained consciousness, bewilderedly gazing at the quiet valley. "What happened to us?" Sitting up, Zhang Xiaofeng murmured, "I must have been knocked out by Yue Ling. Did she take advantage of this to..." He began checking his clothing with anticipation, while Qingfeng rolled his eyes helplessly and said, "Stop fooling around. Let's check the surroundings and see what exactly happened here." Zhang Xiaofeng suddenly exclaimed in surprise, pointing ahead, "Look, there's the entrance to the reward space!" Qingfeng followed his finger and indeed saw a space gate radiating beautiful light, floating in mid-air. Shaking his head, he said, "The rewards have probably all been taken by Yue Ling. I bet she knocked us out for that." "Who said that?" Zhang Xiaofeng stood at the entrance, dissatisfied. "The light membrane is intact; no one has gone through. How can you slander my goddess Yue Ling like that?" As he finished speaking, Qingfeng glanced at his private chat channel and noticed something startlingly amiss. [ You have 3.17 billion unread private messages. ] Even someone as steady as Qingfeng was utterly stunned. What transpired while they were unconscious? Almost the entire Xinghuan Nation was abuzz with discussion about this event, and soon, the two of them pieced together the story. "I..." Qingfeng, full of shame, lowered his head. Zhang Xiaofeng, eyes red with emotion, murmured, "Yue Ling, why won't you let me fight for you?" In the Immortal Inquiries Forum, under the Xinghuan section A lone message quickly sank to the bottom, only to be stubbornly bumped up repeatedly. "Lion Tiger, where are you? Xiao Xiao is searching so hard for you." Huangshi Village, located deep within the dense forests of Shifang Territory. Due to its remote location and lack of notable individuals, it remained unremarkable. The village’s demon inhabitants led monotonous lives, repetitively dull because danger lurked everywhere within the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, discouraging them from venturing far. At that moment, on the grassy field outside Huangshi Village, a group of oxen was gathered, chatting leisurely. "Speaking of which, where’s Yellow Ox? Haven't seen him in days." "Not sure. Ever since he received the Shifang Command, I've not seen him around." "Him?" A tawny Wild Ox sneered, "He's probably dead by now." "What?" The other oxen exclaimed, quickly asking, "Do you know where Yellow Ox went?" The Earth Ox chuckled coldly, "Of course I know. He heeded the Shifang Command and went to Lingquan Valley to witness the battles of the masters." The oxen were taken aback, "What was he thinking?" "Lingquan Valley is so far away. If I hadn't looked it up, I'd never have known of such a place." "I heard that a human master came this time, one so influential even the demon lord was alarmed." "You’re behind on news. I heard the human's name is Yue Ling, with an astonishing cultivation level. She fought Yaosun Shifang in nine consecutive rounds, even bringing down the heavens." "Wow! That terrifying?" "Yes. Many demons who went were killed, and even the lucky ones who escaped became jumpy, fleeing at the sight of beautiful women." "Why on earth?" "Because Yue Ling is a super, super beautiful girl." "How beautiful?" "Umm, perhaps, huh?" That ox demon stammered, pointing not far away, "About as pretty as that person over there!"