Xu Yi's trip to Shenzhou this time had two main purposes.
Firstly, to search for clues about the remaining divine souls of the demon king and see if the mysterious lotus platform could be broken.
The second reason was for training.
Her cultivation had reached a bottleneck, and without experiencing life-or-death trials, it would be difficult to break through.
However, with her current identity and cultivation, it was hard to encounter life-or-death crises in the Nine Provinces Continent.
Let alone anyone daring to try and kill her.
Therefore, Xu Yi chose Shenzhou as her training ground.
Shenzhou was different from Zhuzhou. Zhuzhou was filled with demons who wanted to devour Xu Yi, while Shenzhou, at least partly, had demon races that held no ill will towards humans.
Those demon races simply wanted to guard their own territories, not causing trouble or picking fights.
At most, when in a bad mood, they would have a scuffle with their neighbors to vent, and that would be it.
They were relatively peace-loving.
Although Xu Yi wanted to challenge herself, she wasn't truly seeking death, so she naturally chose a place that was safer for her. Shenzhou was the most suitable location.
Xu Yi expertly tore a gap in the void and slipped into the territory of Shenzhou.
However, the moment Xu Yi stepped into Zhuzhou, her expression changed.
The smell of blood in the air made the Golden-Winged Roc on her shoulder nervously flap its wings a few times.
Xu Yi cautiously moved forward and stopped before a massive beast corpse.
This was a Giant Head Beast, known for its gentle temperament.
Despite its enormous size, it disliked conflict and preferred to feed on spiritual herbs.
Yet, this Giant Head Beast was covered in numerous wounds, the most fatal one located on its neck.
There were bite marks from a demon beast, along with four teeth marks that went deep to the bone.
This was a fierce battle paid for with a life.
Xu Yi looked into the distance and murmured, "So, the demon races have already begun."
She glanced at the still clueless Golden-Winged Roc, then leaped forward, heading quickly towards Monkey King Mountain, where her few remaining demon companions resided.
In the forest.
A red horse dashed through the woods like lightning.
It left a trail of blood drops wherever it passed.
Some of these blood drops were from the wounds on its broken wings, while others were from the snow-white demon beast it carried on its back.
More than half of the demon beast's fur was stained red with blood, clinging to its body in matted strands.
Its eyes were tightly shut, and its breathing was faint and difficult.
"Mudan! Mudan! Don't sleep, you have to hold on!"
The Four-Winged Blood Horse's voice was as hoarse as ever, but this time it carried an unspeakable weariness that made it even more distressing to hear.
Although it could still run, it didn't mean its injuries were much better than those of the snow leopard on its back.
Of its four wings, which it had once prided itself on, only two remained. And those two were tattered, exposing raw, bloody flesh where feathers should have been.
It could no longer fly, so it could only run on all fours.
As it ran, it worried about its companion on its back ceasing to breathe, which was no easy feat.
After a day and a night, the Four-Winged Blood Horse stopped by a pool of water.
The aura of a water-element demon beast still lingered there.
However, Shenzhou was in chaos now, and the original owner of the pool had long since fled for safety. Thus, the Four-Winged Blood Horse was not worried about being attacked here.
Except for the beasts chasing them, all other demon beasts were struggling to survive.
The Four-Winged Blood Horse looked at its fainted companion and sighed. It would have been better to stay at Monkey King Mountain with the Black-Haired Ape brothers.
With the Monkey King's protection, it was undoubtedly much safer there.
But who knew Shenzhou would fall into such chaos without any warning?
Zhi Duo, the Eight-Tailed White Fox, was leading his subordinates, forcing demon beasts to take sides everywhere.
Any demon beast that expressed neutrality was brutally made an example of.
In less than half a month, Shenzhou was plunged into panic.
The Black-Haired Ape brothers sensed that things were not right and invited the Four-Winged Blood Horse and the Snow Leopard to stay at Monkey King Mountain.
Monkey King Mountain was protected by the divine might left by the Monkey King, so even the Eight-Tailed White Fox would need to spend much more effort to force its way in.
It could be said that Monkey King Mountain was the last pure land in Shenzhou.
However, for various reasons, the Four-Winged Blood Horse and the Snow Leopard refused.
They felt they were not of the ape demon tribe, and staying at Monkey King Mountain felt somewhat uncomfortable.
Moreover, they considered themselves insignificant lesser demons.
As long as they avoided the Eight-Tailed White Fox, they wouldn't encounter danger.
Instead, staying at Monkey King Mountain might attract the Eight-Tailed White Fox's attention, making it more dangerous.
When they heard news of the Eight-Tailed White Fox approaching, the two beasts fled together in the opposite direction.
Unexpectedly, they were caught by demon beasts from the Eight-Tailed White Fox's faction who were lying in wait.
What followed was a long escape.
They had recently been in a fierce battle, successfully shaking off one wave of pursuers, but at a considerable cost.
The Four-Winged Blood Horse picked up a large tree leaf, scooped some water from the pool with it, and poured it onto the Snow Leopard's mouth. Then, it leaned against the Snow Leopard and licked its wounds with its tongue.
They had fled in haste and didn't carry many items, so they naturally had no healing spiritual medicines or herbs.
Fortunately, demon beasts had robust bodies, and even their saliva had healing properties.
The Four-Winged Blood Horse could only use its tongue to help the Snow Leopard recover for now.
As it licked, it wondered if they would survive this time.
It hated war.
It hated the Eight-Tailed White Fox, who initiated it, even more.
It truly wished for divine lightning to strike and kill that stinking fox.
Distracted, its licking became a bit too forceful.
The Snow Leopard jolted, waking up from the pain.
It weakly opened its eyes and was then met with a blood-red tongue licking its entire face.
The Snow Leopard: ...
It paused for a moment, quietly surveying its surroundings.
"Mudan, you're awake? I thought you were going to kick the bucket this time. Looks like we two brothers are tough, we can last a bit longer."
The Four-Winged Blood Horse grinned.
The Snow Leopard looked at its back, where an uneven stump was.
That was where a wing had once been.
That wing had been torn off the Four-Winged Blood Horse by a demon beast.
The Snow Leopard remembered the Four-Winged Blood Horse's screams at the time, which had almost shattered its eardrums.
However, it had been severely injured then and could do nothing to help.
The Snow Leopard looked silently at the Four-Winged Blood Horse's wound, its expression somber.
The Four-Winged Blood Horse seemed to read its thoughts and casually shook itself. "It's fine, wings can grow back after they're broken. Surviving is the most important thing."
As it shook, it agitated its wound, causing it to grin through the pain.
But it still forced a憨 smile towards the Snow Leopard, just as they always were.
The Snow Leopard closed its eyes, cursing the idiot in its heart. When it opened them again, the emotions in its eyes had calmed considerably.
It said, "We can't stay here long. Let's keep moving."
The Four-Winged Blood Horse asked, "Where are we going?"
"Towards the Nine Provinces. Perhaps there's still a chance to leave."