Volume One – The Frontier State of Chen, The Rebellious Marquis on the Path to Immortality Chapter 48: The Five Immortals of Heaven's End

Chen Yu and his companions waited quietly outside with the other ferocious beasts. When the sun climbed high, even the once-rowdy beasts fell silent. All of them, as if by prior agreement, fixed their gaze toward the valley. The attention of Chen Yu and his two friends was likewise drawn in that direction.

After a short while, five figures emerged from the valley. To their astonishment, these were not humans, but five beasts—or rather, five demon beasts. The transformation that followed left Chen Yu and his companions utterly dumbfounded.

The five demon beasts that stepped out were a fox, a weasel, a hedgehog, a snake, and a rat. Even more astonishing, each of these beasts immediately assumed human form.

“They…” Jing Zhe was at a loss for words, as were the other two.

Separated by a considerable distance, they could not make out what the demon beasts were saying. They could only sense the excitement brewing among the surrounding beasts, each one raring to move.

Soon, they saw the woman who had taken the form of the hedgehog raise a radiant, five-colored light high above her head. With a sweeping motion, she cast it into the sky. Instantly, the light burst apart and split into five beams, scattering in different directions and shooting toward various parts of the Broken Heaven Mountains.

The beasts around them howled in excitement at the sight and, in the next moment, surged forward in pursuit of the five beams of light.

Witnessing this, Chen Yu and his friends dared not make the slightest move. They did their utmost to suppress their presence, wary of attracting the beasts’ attention.

But at that moment, the eyes of the beasts saw nothing but those divine beams; none spared a thought for the three humans.

Once the beasts had all departed and the trio believed themselves safe, a sudden, overwhelming sense of dread welled up inside them, as if some terrifying being had set its gaze upon them.

Their minds seemed to freeze, but it was not difficult to guess the source of this pressure—it could only be those five demon beasts.

Sweat streamed from their bodies, and their souls felt as if they would flee their flesh at any moment.

Back in the valley, the hedgehog woman smiled and said, “Who would have thought three little humans would sneak in as well.”

“These three little things haven’t even begun cultivating. It seems they wandered in here by accident,” remarked the man who had been a weasel.

“Should we deal with them, then?” asked the rat, now a small, thin man, with a sly laugh.

“There’s no need,” the fox, now a calm man, replied. “If they survive in the Broken Heaven Mountains, let it be their fortune.”

“Still, even if they entered by mistake, we can’t simply ignore them,” said the snake, now a man. “Since none of us wish to intervene, let’s leave them to their fate.”

“Indeed, well said,” the hedgehog woman agreed with a laugh. In the next instant, she appeared before the three.

Chen Yu and his friends had never expected such an outcome. Their limbs went cold, and they trembled uncontrollably, collapsing on the ground and staring up at the beautiful woman.

“Little humans…” she said, her voice ringing out. “Where have you come from?”

The three were even more stunned. Though they already knew she was a hedgehog in human form, hearing her speak in their tongue left them speechless, as if struck mute.

The woman arched a delicate brow, laughing merrily. “Have I frightened you out of your wits? If you don’t answer, I might just eat you.”

Her words jolted them, and their frozen minds sprang back to life. Driven by the instinct to survive, they hastily begged for mercy, crying, “Spare us, immortal!”

“Immortal?” The woman found their address amusing and regarded them with curiosity. “Don’t worry. As long as you answer my questions truthfully, I won’t harm you.”

Not daring to conceal anything, Chen Yu and his friends quickly recounted their origins. Who knew what powers this being possessed?

The woman’s brows knitted together as she scrutinized them. “You come from the Land of No Magic, seeking the immortal path in the Nine Provinces, is that it?”

“How interesting. I never imagined one could cultivate in such a place. How curious.”

The three dared not reply, simply waiting quietly for her to speak again.

“Since you come from the Land of No Magic, I will keep my promise and not kill you. However, surviving in the Broken Heaven Mountains will depend on your own skills and luck,” she said with a mischievous smile.

“What do you mean, senior?” Chen Yu and his friends asked, a sense of foreboding rising within them.

“I mean, you’d best be very careful of those demon beasts. Don’t let yourselves be devoured,” she replied, before letting out a clear call that echoed far and wide, evidently broadcasting their presence to all.

“Senior…” the three exclaimed anxiously.

“Hehe…what are you waiting for? The demon beasts are coming! If you don’t run now, you’ll lose your chance.”

“Wait…” The three started and were just about to flee when Chen Yu suddenly stopped. “Immortal, may I ask one question?”

“Oh? Since you’ve come from the Land of No Magic, I’ll allow you one question,” she replied, eyeing Chen Yu with interest.

“May I ask, immortal, how do we reach the Nine Provinces?” Chen Yu asked without hesitation.

Jing Zhe and Xue Han also looked at her with hope and anxiety.

“That’s an excellent question. Clever boy!” she laughed, then pointed past her valley. “If you keep running in that direction, you’ll reach the Nine Provinces as quickly as possible.”

Their eyes lit up, and without further hesitation, they dashed past her and hurried on.

“Interesting… I hope you survive,” her voice echoed in their minds.

But they had no time to dwell on shock—danger would soon be upon them.

“Third brother, do you think that immortal was deceiving us?” Jing Zhe wondered nervously.

“Even if she was, there’s nothing we can do,” Chen Yu replied heavily. “Given her status, I doubt she’d lie outright, though she may have toyed with us.”

Before they could devise a plan, they sensed a foul wind sweeping toward them.

“It’s the red-crested python,” Chen Yu called out grimly.

“Don’t engage it! Run that way! Otherwise, we’ll be surrounded by beasts and have no hope of escape,” Xue Han urged.

But even so, Chen Yu and his companions worried too much. Most of the demon beasts had already gone off in pursuit of the five divine lights and had no time to bother with them. The red-crested python appeared so quickly only because it knew it couldn’t compete with the others for the prize, and because it bore a grudge against them for taking its spirit herb the other day. That was why it had come straight after them.