Primordial: Fusion of Chaos Demon God
Chapter 3 - The Barren West and the Black Scorpion-Lion Courting Death

Chapter 3: The Barren West and the Black Scorpion-Lion Courting Death

After leaving the valley, he did not hurry on his journey, but proceeded slowly—on the one hand, to comprehend the nature of Heaven and Earth, and on the other, to observe the majesty of this world.

It was only natural to feel curiosity when encountering things for the first time, and Zhong Yue was no exception.

As he walked along, he touched this and examined that—everything was full of novelty and interest.

However, anything seen for too long would eventually grow tiresome, and so this state did not last long.

In just a few short years, Zhong Yue returned to a rational state of mind and began the task of collecting the essence of the earth’s meridians.

Yet, he did not head for the flourishing East, but instead journeyed into the barren depths of the West.

Barren lands had their own advantages—though there were fewer living beings, it also meant the chances of encountering danger were significantly lower.

After all, though he was a Golden Immortal, he had not yet reached the point where he could roam unhindered through the Great Desolation. The caution he needed was still essential.

The Great Desolation was vast—even though Zhong Yue already knew this from inherited memories, upon truly setting foot in it, he still could not help but be overwhelmed with awe.

Looking around, the landscape was blanketed with mountain forests a thousand zhang tall, towering peaks ten thousand zhang high, packed so densely that no end was in sight.

However, despite this abundance of mountain and forest, the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth was not vibrant.

Some dilapidated corners were even unsuitable for cultivation—this was far from the image of the Great Desolation he had once imagined.

“It seems the battle between the Dao and the Demonic path left a deeper mark than I thought. To think that a place once called one of the ancestral veins has now fallen into such ruin.”

Zhong Yue looked at the landscape before him and could not help but sigh.

In the imprinted memories of his predecessor, the entire West was in no way inferior to the East. Mount Sumeru, in particular, had once been hailed as the ancestral vein of all ten directions, standing shoulder to shoulder with the Eastern Kunlun.

But now, it lay in such desolation—it truly filled Zhong Yue with melancholy.

As he pressed on, Zhong Yue soon arrived at his first earth vein—the Jilei Mountain Range.

Yet as he looked upon it, he could not help but gasp sharply.

The earth vein was shattered and ruined, with demonic energy rising from within. Though not especially dense, it was still enough to cause most living creatures to avoid it.

“I was mistaken. The danger has indeed lessened, but the trouble has only increased. Looks like this will take more effort than I thought.”

Zhong Yue gave a bitter smile. The earth vein itself was manageable—after all, harvesting its essence was a mutually beneficial act that even the vein itself could gain from.

The real issue was the demonic energy—remnants left over from the ancient conflict between Dao and Demon. Purging it would not be easy and would demand a great deal of time.

Still, since he was already here, turning back was not an option.

Approaching the earth vein, Zhong Yue activated his magic power, preparing at once to purge the demonic energy before him.

But just at that moment, a sharp gust of wind whistled from behind.

Buzz—

Upon closer look, it was a claw that shot forth from the depths of the earth vein, aiming straight for Zhong Yue’s head.

Just as the claw was about to strike him, Zhong Yue seemed to have anticipated it. With a cold snort, he muttered—

“Courting death.”

In a flash, he turned and raised his hand, launching a spiritual pearl.

It was none other than the Wood Spirit Pearl.

The pearl shone brilliantly, unleashing the Dao of Withering and Flourishing. A wave of decay and ruin swept out, colliding directly with the massive claw.

Boom—

The void exploded. The enormous claw shattered, and a figure was sent flying backward.

Zhong Yue retrieved the Wood Spirit Pearl, and at this point, he could see clearly what had ambushed him.

It was a strange beast with the face of a human, the body of a lion, the tail of a scorpion, and bat-like wings. Demonic energy surged from its form, and a savage, bloodthirsty aura flowed from every inch of its body.

“A Black Scorpion-Lion?”

Zhong Yue frowned slightly. From his inherited memories, he recognised the name of this beast.

The Black Scorpion-Lion was a kind of ferocious beast from the Great Desolation. It fed on baleful energy and carried deadly poison.

As Zhong Yue studied the creature, the beast also scrutinised Zhong Yue in return.

When it realised that the attack which had sent it flying had come from an innate spiritual treasure, the Black Scorpion-Lion, now staggering to its feet, could not help but cry out in shock. Embarrassment quickly overtook its expression.

“Innate spiritual treasure?”

It had coveted Zhong Yue’s flesh and blood, which was why it had hidden within the earth vein to ambush him. It had never expected that Zhong Yue would carry an innate spiritual treasure.

At this thought, the Black Scorpion-Lion’s heart filled with retreat. Without hesitation, it spread its wings and flew outward, fleeing toward the outside world.

As for greed—it vanished completely.

Among the ferocious beast race, except for the Beast Emperor Shen Ni, none possessed a primordial spirit. Just like the Wu clan, they could not use spiritual treasures even if they stole them.

On the contrary, Zhong Yue, who wielded an innate spiritual treasure, was undoubtedly a troublesome opponent.

It had only hungered for the flesh and blood of a cultivator. Since that could not be obtained, there was no reason to invite further trouble.

“You want to run now? Think you can get away?”

Zhong Yue witnessed the scene and let out a cold snort, immediately summoning the Wood Spirit Pearl.

Vast and boundless magical energy surged forth, infused into the Wood Spirit Pearl.

This time, Zhong Yue was prepared. As a result, the pearl’s power intensified. The boundless Dao of Withering and Flourishing unfurled once more—only now, it had transformed into the Law of Death.

Divine light cascaded from the Wood Spirit Pearl, interweaving with the Law of Death as it descended upon the Black Scorpion-Lion.

Seeing this, the Black Scorpion-Lion’s heart trembled. It promptly opened its maw and spewed forth an immeasurable wave of baleful energy.

“Young one, don’t push your luck!”

“The Ancestor let you go earlier because you caught his eye. Don’t mistake lenience for weakness!”

The Black Scorpion-Lion bellowed. Though his words were fierce, his actions betrayed no recklessness.

Having survived since the Calamity of the Ferocious Beasts, it knew well that a cultivator wielding an innate spiritual treasure was in a completely different league from one who did not.

Without an innate treasure, even at the same cultivation level, a beast like himself might dominate.

But despite being a ferocious beast with a peerlessly strong body, he would never dare to meet head-on a cultivator armed with an innate spiritual treasure.

Buzz—

Endless baleful energy erupted, accompanied by a dark green poisonous mist that spread rapidly. Its terrifying corrosive force caused the void to crackle and fizz violently.

Baleful energy and toxic mist clashed with the divine light of withering and flourishing, quickly neutralising each other.

Boom—

A deafening explosion shook the heavens, as if mountains were shattered and the sky torn asunder. The surrounding forest erupted, sending shockwaves that alarmed countless creatures residing nearby.

“A Golden Immortal in combat? Now this’ll be a good show.”

“It’s that beast again. It’s ambushing passing cultivators.”

“Interesting. Looks like it’s met its match this time.”

“Fight, fight! Best case, they both end up wounded. I’ve long coveted that beast’s remains.”

…

These creatures varied in strength. Most were Profound Immortals and True Immortals, with a few Golden Immortals—and among them, only a handful stood at the pinnacle of Golden Immortal rank.

They reacted in various ways upon witnessing the commotion.

Some watched coldly, some appeared curious, others were outraged, and a few clearly revelled in the chaos.

Golden Immortals might not count for much across the vastness of the Great Desolation, but here in the barren western lands, they were practically sovereigns. No one wished to provoke such beings without cause.

Still, if there were benefits to be reaped, many wouldn’t hesitate to act.

After all, to have survived in the desolate West until now, none of them could be called gentle creatures. The kind-hearted had long since been devoured to the bone.

Kindness simply did not exist here.

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