Chapter 724: Chapter 611: Martial Artist_2 The stone demon’s gaze was cold and grim as she stepped forward and crushed her severed arm underfoot. The arm instantly shattered into countless stone fragments, which at some moment were endowed with a miraculous life force, turning into numerous tiny stone figures that scattered in all directions. This act was clearly an attempt to summon the hidden demons within the mountains. “Troublesome,” Yin Baishuang said indifferently, releasing two words. Dozens of black pieces surrounding her flipped to white and whizzed away, carrying the force to pierce clouds and cleave mountains, shooting into the vast expanse of the void. Dozens of white flames occupied a space, forming a domain barrier. The scattered little stone figures that collided with the white pieces’ domain were instantaneously reduced to ashes. The Yin Mountain stone demon’s expression turned extremely cold. A shadowy flame surged in its indifferent pupils as it reached toward the sky, where a fragment of the moon hung, and made a grasping gesture. In an instant, the moon’s light dimmed considerably, and strands of profound black energy flowed from the sky into its palm, instantly solidifying into a foreboding atmosphere. The surrounding air changed dramatically, and even the branches and leaves stirred by the wind seemed to freeze in space, falling into sudden silence. Even Baili An, who was accustomed to the nighttime atmosphere, couldn’t help but feel an ominous sense of oppression. As the momentum brewed, a sound like muffled thunder suddenly erupted, and two white pieces exploded in response. It was a force from outside the domain that had intruded into this territory with overwhelming dominance. Yin Baishuang’s gaze turned icy as she looked towards a certain part of the dense forest. “Enough,” came a man’s voice, short and simple, yet it visibly terrified the stone demon. The black radiance on its fist faded away, and its burly body trembled as it slowly bowed its head toward the source of the voice and knelt down: “Lord Hao Nong, what brings you here?” Meng Zifei and Jiang Shaoyu both were taken aback observing the attitude shift of the stone demon. In the Hundred Hills Mountain, though there were clear ranks among war slaves, the nature of the demons in the mountains was fierce and savage. No one heeded anyone’s orders; the relations between demons were based solely on plunder, devour, and ripping each other apart. Besides the Demon Generals of the Prison Law, none had ever seen them submit to anyone. However, this area of Hundred Hills Mountain was created by Mi Lu, and the hands of the Prison Law Demon Generals could not reach this place. With a hint of curiosity, they looked over. From out of the gloomy woods emerged a medium-built, middle-aged man. His attire was extremely plain, a short and neat open-front cloth shirt, trousers made out of coarse hemp tied at the calves with the hems secured tightly, revealing sturdy and muscled lower legs, his feet clad in simple straw sandals. With nothing out of the ordinary about his appearance, attire, or aura, he looked more like a rural farmer who had just finished working the fields. The plain face, the plain dress, the plain breath. Yet, it made the stone demon tremble with fear. The middle-aged man named Hao Nong casually laid the hoe he was carrying on his shoulder on the ground, his expression showing a hint of displeasure. “I had warned you half a month ago that a remarkable madman had entered the Demon World, who places great importance on the energy of the moon. By drawing so carelessly on the essence of the moon to battle your enemies, should the madman notice, the entire Hundred Hills Mountain might have to be buried with you.” The stone demon dared not act rashly or show any disrespect before this man, quickly pressing its head even lower: “It was the oversight of a Lower Demon.” Hao Nong no longer looked at him, but turned his gaze, reflected in the much more aged eyes, to the outline of Yin Baishuang: “Since when can humans swagger around so openly in the Demon World?” Yin Baishuang looked at this man whose entire being seemed utterly ordinary: “Aren’t you also human?” This statement shocked Meng Zifei and the others. Could it be there was a human who could easily suppress the demons in these mountains? Having been in the mountains for many days, this was Meng Zifei’s first time seeing a human without a collar outside of the slave camp, suggesting this man’s identity was far from simple. “Indeed, like you, I am also human,” Hao Nong admitted frankly. “But there’s one thing that is very different about me. Although I am human, my heart is with the demons; in the words of your noble families and sects, I suppose that would make me the scum of the Mortal World, an evil outcast, wouldn’t it?” Yin Baishuang frowned: “A Demon Cultivator?” Baili An shook his head: “There’s no Demonic Qi in his body; he likely doesn’t practice the Demon Path.” Hao Nong laughed: “Who says someone whose heart is with the demons must be a Demon Cultivator? Even though I practice the orthodox techniques of the Dao, that doesn’t change the fact that I have spent years hunting humans and destroying various Dao gates.” His unrepentant brazenness darkened Yin Baishuang’s expression. Baili An then spoke up: “But I observe that you do not belong to the practitioners of the orthodox Dao. The energy within you is mixed; your cultivation of Spiritual Power is haphazard, your Spirit Root is shallow and your Divine Treasure darkened without the breath of spiritual energy. Instead, your Physique overflows with Spiritual Energy on the surface of your skin.” As he spoke, his gaze flickered toward the correct conclusion: “You are a Martial Artist who practices Body Cultivation.” This revelation surprised not only Meng Zifei but also Yin Baishuang. In the present era brimming with spiritual energy, the path of Body Cultivation was nearly extinct, with none of the Three Sects focusing on the cultivation of the physique. Even among all the top-tier Immortal Sects and noble families, one would be hard-pressed to find a force of Martial Artists dedicated to Body Cultivation. Even among the myriad Loose Cultivators of the Wandao Immortal Alliance, the criteria for Body Cultivators joining were extremely strict. Since ancient times, the path of Martial Artists who practiced Body Cultivation has been a side trail. In the world at present, Qi Refiners often look down upon Martial Artists, believing that those who choose the path of Body Cultivation are doing so due to their poor Spirit Roots which give them no chance for an Immortal destiny. Qi Refiners who reach the Primordial Mansion Realm can fly with Sword Flight. In contrast, even Martial Artists who achieve the Tribulation Realm, a level analogous to the Primordial Mansion Realm of Qi Refiners, struggle with Sword Control. This all stems from the fact that those who practice Martial Arts tend to have mundane roots, unable to store abundant Spiritual Power. Additionally, the lifespan of Martial Artists is far shorter than that of Qi Refiners. While cultivators of the Tribulation Realm can live for a thousand years, Body Cultivators in the Primordial Mansion Realm can only manage five hundred. Over time, on the Tianyao Continent, the Body Cultivators became increasingly scarce, and their path gradually declined. Yet, some born with the Immortal Bloodline and possessing strong Physiques found the path of Body Cultivation quite appealing, using their bloodline to compensate for the deficiency in their Spirit Roots. But in the Mortal World, those who have made significant progress in the path of Martial Artists have been nonexistent for a thousand years. The man named Hao Nong found the term ‘Martial Artist’ particularly grating. His brows creased, his voice growing colder: “So what if I am?” But Baili An showed no intent to mock him; rather, a look of interest formed on his face as he said: “I’m very curious. Since a thousand years ago, when the Hundred Immortal Sects rose like clouds, and spiritual mountains and Immortal Spirits flourished, leading to the decline of the Martial Artist’s path, no human on the Tianyao Continent has been able to cultivate the Body Cultivation path to the Primordial Mansion Realm. How did you manage it?” Hao Nong’s gaze shifted, as if he couldn’t understand why this young man was so interested in the Body Cultivation path, and he replied indifferently: “What’s the use even if I’ve attained the Primordial Mansion Realm? Humans venerate the Way of the Immortals. Even at the peak of Martial Arts, I’m nothing more than a joke to those lofty Qi Refiners.” Hearing these words, Jiang Shaoyu’s face turned an ashen hue as he said angrily: “So you’ve joined the Demon Path, cultivated war slaves for the Demon Clan, and let go of the slaughter of our Human Race cultivators?!” As if hearing a great joke, Hao Nong’s eyes sparked with anger: “In the eyes of you Qi Refiners, all we Martial Artists are no doubt narrow-minded fools.” Jiang Shaoyu snorted in displeasure: “A petty person with no principles, abandoning the essentials for the trivial, pleased when he gains, and angered when he loses. If not for being narrow-minded, what else would explain directing one’s frustrated rage upon others? I originally thought that Martial Artists were limited by their heart, incapable of making significant progress, all due to the poor quality of their Spirit Roots. Now it seems their Spirit Roots and character are both faulty. No wonder the path of Body Cultivation is in decline, a path chosen by those without ambition. How can those who think so short-sightedly ever hope to achieve the grand Way?” Hao Nong’s face instantly darkened, his expression unreadable, but his eyes, malicious and blood-red, made his otherwise ordinary face seem as horrific as a demon’s. He said with a sarcastic smile, “Spirit Roots and character are both faulty? You are truly audacious. If you possess such a great ambition, why do you allow yourself to be shackled like a dog? If you have the spine, remove the collar on your own. I promise here not to kill you, and when the day comes for the Crow Bridge to connect the realms, I will personally see you back to the Mortal World. So tell me, noble son of the righteous path, do you dare or not?” Jiang Shaoyu’s face faltered, and he was suddenly at a loss for words. No one wants to be a cripple, and now he had lost a leg; if he were to lose his spine as well, even returning to his sect would be a living death.