After some interaction, Yang Kai could tell that although the Mad Lion's intelligence had been awakened, his mind wasn't exactly sharp. Like many demon-blooded races, he acted on instinct in many things.
After all, he had transformed from a demon beast's body, which was understandable.
A person like him wore all his likes and dislikes on his face, with no scheming whatsoever. Sometimes that made him easy to deal with, but he could also turn hostile in the blink of an eye. If he took a liking to someone, he'd be warm and friendly; if someone displeased him, he'd throw punches the next moment.
In a way, Yang Kai actually found this kind of person quite interesting.
So when he faced the Mad Lion, he felt not the slightest awkwardness.
"Hmm, fine then. I'll take you to Thunderwood Mansion. But whether the Great Venerable agrees to see you or not — that's not up to me." The Mad Lion mused for a good while before finally agreeing.
"Thank you." Yang Kai secretly breathed a sigh of relief, knowing he had earned the other's approval.
Thunderwood Mansion... He didn't know what exactly it was, but he could roughly guess that it must be the place where the Great Venerable of the demon-blooded race resided.
It had a rather impressive name, at least.
Once the Mad Lion agreed, he didn't delay. He immediately set off with Yang Kai, warning him repeatedly not to try any tricks, or else he'd make him regret it, and so on.
Yang Kai agreed to everything without argument.
Only now did Yang Kai realize just how vast the Beast Sea Dense Forest truly was. Tens of thousands of demon beasts lived here, from newborn cubs to shape-shifted powerhouses, encompassing nearly every species of the demon-blooded race.
Gathering places like this for the demon-blooded existed only in a handful of locations across the entire Demon Domain. Each one was presided over by a Great Venerable.
Human territory, the Demon Domain, the Devil Frontier — of these, human lands were the most expansive, followed by the Devil Frontier. The Demon Domain was the smallest in area.
But the Beast Sea Dense Forest alone accounted for one-tenth of the entire Demon Domain's territory.
Getting from here to Thunderwood Mansion would take at least three days of travel.
Three days. Six for the round trip. There was still plenty of time, so Yang Kai wasn't in a hurry. He flew along at an easy pace behind the Mad Lion, taking in the sights of the Beast Sea Dense Forest.
With his divine sense scanning about, he saw all manner of rare minerals and spirit grasses and medicinal herbs growing wild throughout the forest, completely untended and unharvested. Occasionally, a demon beast would snatch up a rare spirit herb and swallow it whole, chewing it down like a cow munching on peonies. Every time Yang Kai saw this, he felt an almost irresistible urge to cough up blood.
If those materials could be refined into pills by him, their efficacy would multiply several times over, far exceeding the effect of simply swallowing them raw.
This wasn't the time to dwell on that, though. Despite his regret, Yang Kai said nothing of the sort, instead praising the richness and abundance of the Beast Sea Dense Forest at every turn.
These words were exactly what the Mad Lion liked to hear. After a full day together, the Mad Lion realized that this human was actually quite decent — the things he said were pleasant to the ear.
After Yang Kai gifted him several artifacts suited to his use, the Mad Lion immediately became warm and friendly toward him.
Naturally, Yang Kai would never casually give away the saint-grade artifacts he had obtained in the Holy Ruins. Every one of those was worth a fortune, treasures rarely found under heaven.
If he were to give gifts, they'd go to his closest companions.
But artifacts of middling quality — Yang Kai had gathered quite a collection of those. Last time he'd gone beneath the sea with An Linger, he'd scavenged some from an ancient undersea ruin. Now they served perfectly as favors to smooth things over.
With an artifact in one hand and pills cradled in the other, the Mad Lion's expression turned downright fawning.
When Yang Kai addressed him as "Brother Mad" or "friend" again, he showed not the slightest objection.
The journey passed uneventfully. With the Mad Lion leading the way, though they occasionally stirred up powerful demon-blooded along the route, none gave Yang Kai any trouble. Upon hearing he was the new Holy Master of the Nine Heavens Holy Land, they regarded him with curiosity and readily let him pass.
Perhaps among the demon-blooded, the absence of the Nine Heavens Holy Land had left things rather less pleasant for them too.
In the past, the old Holy Master would periodically bring large shipments of spirit stones, pills, and artifacts. But these past two years they had received nothing at all, and naturally they missed how things used to be.
Three days later, a colossal ancient tree — so towering its crown pierced the clouds and so enormous it defied description — suddenly came into Yang Kai's view.
The ancient tree was as majestic as a mountain peak, thrusting straight into the sky. Its enormous canopy cast shadows over dozens of li in every direction, and the thick branches that jutted out at angles were covered in dense foliage.
Yang Kai froze on the spot.
The first time he laid eyes on the tree, he thought he was seeing things. Only after carefully confirming it did he realize it really was just a tree.
It was just that this tree had grown absurdly, impossibly large.
Truly, the world was full of wonders beyond imagination. The divine tree in the Black Book's space seemed like a three-year-old child in comparison, utterly feeble.
The Mad Lion noticed the shock on Yang Kai's face and wagged his head with pride. "See that? That's Thunderwood Mansion — where the Great Venerable and all the powerful elders of our kind reside. The Great Venerable lives in the wooden cabin at the very top."