My Arts Evolve When Perfected

WHOOSH—

As the Middle Tier One-eyed Snow Owl charged toward the North Snow Tribe Warriors, the Northern Snow Lance flew from Jiang Qiu’s right hand, a black streak piercing through its head.

The sharp spearhead tore through its skull like a steel nail through a watermelon, sending a spray of pulpy fragments into the air.

With a THUD, its wings stiffened. It plummeted from the sky, carried by the wind, and slammed into the snow, carving out a large crater. Its limbs twitched faintly.

"SCREE—!"

"SCREE—!"

The Warriors, who had been bracing for battle, stared dumbfounded at the corpse lying not far away. They watched as the remaining Demon Race members spread their wings and soared high, their endless screams of terror like those of demons spotting Zhong Kui.

A Middle Tier of Demon Race was equivalent to an Iron Flesh Realm Warrior from the tribe. They possessed powerful physical defenses and agile movements. Even another Iron Flesh Realm Warrior from the tribe might not have been able to best it.

Yet now, it had been instantly killed by Hill, who had not even reached the Copper Skin Realm?

"Big Brother is dead! We can’t handle this Chosen One from the North Snow Tribe! Retreat to Cold Heaven Cliff and report back!"

"Run!"

The flock of Demon Race members spread their wings and flew high, flapping furiously into the distance without the slightest hesitation, as if they had been instantly sobered up.

Their joint attack on Jiang Qiu had yielded no results; on the contrary, he had seemed to grow stronger with every clash. And now, he had the renowned Northern Snow Lance in his hands.

With even their strongest leader dead, no one was willing to stay!

CLOP CLOP CLOP...

Just as they flew far away, several Hunting Teams galloped over to surround them. They carried Cold Iron Spears, had Hunting Bows slung over their backs, and Quivers hanging from their waists, their presence imposing.

Xiong and the others’ faces lit up, and they hurried to greet the newcomers.

"Leader Hunt."

The burly man in the lead pulled his reins tight, halting his horse. His large, righteous, ox-like eyes swept over the corpses on the ground. He looked toward Jiang Qiu, who was walking back with the lance, and raised a thick eyebrow, exhaling a puff of hot white breath. "You handled this alone?"

"Yes, the Chosen One, Hill, handled it all by himself. He even killed a Middle Tier of Demon Race."

Wood succinctly described what had just happened to Leader Hunt, his eyes burning with a surging passion.

"Good. First, clean up the battlefield and bring the Warriors’ bodies back. We’ll discuss the matter of the Demon Race from Cold Heaven Cliff ambushing our tribe’s Hunting Team when we return."

With a wave of Hunt’s hand, dozens of Warriors dismounted to retrieve the bodies of their comrades, slinging them over their horses’ backs. He clapped Xiong on the shoulder and had a new Blue-Hoofed Horse brought for Jiang Qiu.

His large eyes stared into the distance, toward the Ice and Snow Ridge a kilometer away.

CLICK.

He drew his bow, and with a loud TWANG, a Conical Arrow shot forth. It tore through the air, crossed the sky, and smashed into a slope on the Ice and Snow Ridge like a condensed meteorite.

With a loud CRACK, a snow-covered conifer toppled over. Birds took flight for miles around, and the rustling sounds of hidden figures on horseback receded.

"Let’s go. We’ll escort the Chosen One, Hill, and the Warriors back to the tribe."

With a gesture from Hunt, a hundred riders escorted one man back.

...

In the Northern Boundary, the great snows never melted. White flakes filled the sky. A thousand miles of mountains stood tall, with canyons like great cliffs where large caves were carved into the black rock faces.

Every mountain was a trial, every abyss a natural chasm.

A flock of black Bird Demon Clan members soared past the cliff face. Their sharp cries echoed through the canyon, making the falling snow tremble. "We’ve encountered a Chosen One! One who’s good with a spear!"

"SCREE—!"

The cry faded like a willow leaf slitting a throat. Suddenly, pairs of green and crimson lights appeared in the pitch-black caves, and heads peeked out, sizing up the Demon Race Warriors who had just flown past.

"Those are the demons who went to hunt on the northeast Ice and Snow Ridge. Why are they back so soon?"

"It seems they saw a Chosen One. Could it be the spear-wielding Chosen One that Lord Wind mentioned?"

"To think they encountered him so quickly. They’ll probably get a reward from Lord Wind!"

Amidst the envious gazes of the other Demon Race members, the survivors who had just returned from the Ice and Snow Ridge hurried to the side of Cold Heaven Cliff’s highest peak. There, they saw a cave with a stone tablet inscribed with the words: Cold Heaven Cave Mansion.

A great eagle perched before the cave mansion slowly opened its eyes. Its icy gaze swept over the approaching demons, and it grunted. "What’s with all the noise? Aren’t you afraid of disturbing the Celestial Chosen Demon Wind’s Cultivation?"

"Lord Black Eagle."

The demons scrambled to land on the vast platform in front of the cave mansion. The snow buried their knees, their black feathers sinking into the white powder.

Looking up at the great eagle that stood three zhang tall, they all chirped at once, tripping over each other to recount their experience. Black Eagle’s brow furrowed as it listened, its pupils constricting. "Are you certain you encountered Jiang Qiu?"

"That guy was holding the Northern Snow Lance and wearing Middle Tier of Armor! He must be the Chosen One from the North Snow Tribe! Based on Lord Wind’s description, it was almost certainly Jiang Qiu!"

"Good. I will report this. Go back and await your reward."

After dismissing the demons, Black Eagle spread its wings and dove off the platform before the Cold Heaven Cave Mansion. Its massive black wings caught the wind, and its body began to glide.

The dark abyss below grew clearer in its vision. The boundless snow seemed to stop falling, as if shying away from something. The snow cover on the cliff face grew sparser, as if it had all melted away.

Gradually, a vast expanse of ancient ruins came into Black Eagle’s view. It guided its wings, flapped twice, and landed with a THUD before a dilapidated great hall.

The bottom of Cold Heaven Cliff was hemmed in by the canyon walls. Neither daylight nor snow dared to enter, leaving only a vast, dust-settled complex of abandoned halls.

As the High Tier of Demon Race stationed to guard Cold Heaven Cliff, Black Eagle rarely came to the bottom. But now, it had urgent business and had no choice.

"Wind! One of the Hunting Teams collecting Human Race flesh and blood for you has discovered the Chosen One from the North Snow Tribe. It might be Jiang Qiu."

The cry vibrated outward, echoing back and forth between the canyon walls and climbing up the cliffs toward the sky.

The broken plaque on the central great hall trembled, threatening to fall. A set of unhurried footsteps, TAP TAP TAP, emerged from within. A pair of cyan, ghostly lights ignited in the darkness, followed by an overlapping, indifferent whisper: "The North Snow Tribe... the Chosen One, Jiang Qiu?"

"According to the Hunting Team’s description, he is the Chosen One from the North Snow Tribe. Whether or not he’s the Jiang Qiu you’ve been looking for, I can’t be sure."

Black Eagle’s cold gaze focused on the "man" walking out of the great hall, its eyes filled with reverence.

It was said that tens of thousands of years ago, in the ancient era when Spirit Charm existed, the Demon Race could achieve Transformation into human form. But later, as the Spirit Charm faded, most of the Demon Race could only develop into Half-Demons, unable to purely transform into humans.

But this Chosen One of the current generation had still managed to take on human form through his own means. Moreover, his bloodline was ancient and pure, with a high concentration of Luminous Blood!

Aside from the clan patriarchs and the old Witch Priestess who oversaw Cold Heaven Cliff, the Celestial Chosen Demon, Wind, was the most respected. In a mere thirteen years, he had conquered all the Demon Race here!