Chapter 525: South Sea Emperor and One Beast

"Could it be that you've also come to attend the Myriad Monster Gathering?" Dafen asked, his tone genial, ignoring the Manman Bird beside him.

"What Myriad Monster Gathering? I don't know anything about that," Xu Ke replied, his large eyes darting around. He stared at Dafen for a moment before continuing with a feigned innocent expression, "I was entrusted by my senior martial brother, Lu Ya, to deliver a wooden box here."

"Lu Ya?" Dafen tilted his head, thinking for a moment. He couldn't seem to recall anyone by that name. "It sounds a bit familiar...""What wooden box? Let me have a look!" he said casually.

"Okay!" Xu Ke replied, seemingly without a care in the world, and pulled out a vermilion wooden box.An ancient, weathered aura immediately emanated from it.

"This is!" Dafen's body instantly trembled, nearly losing balance and plummeting into the sea.The white Manman Bird, which initially didn't recognize it, scrutinized the wooden box carefully.A moment later, it let out a sharp cry. Its feathers stood on end, as if it had been greatly startled.Just as it was about to speak, Dafen swiftly flapped its wings, sending a gust of wind to stop it.

"Heh heh, so it's from that person...""Little one, quickly put it away. It wouldn't be good if it attracted others," Dafen instructed repeatedly, letting out an awkward little cough, without asking what was inside the box.

"Okay!" Xu Ke obediently put the wooden box away."Elder, we're trying to get to the Nanyin Demonic Mountain, but we can't find the way. I wonder if you could possibly take us there?" he then asked, widening his eyes and scratching the back of his head with a slightly embarrassed look.

"Ahem, little one, didn't your elders give you instructions before you left home? 'Nanyin Demonic Mountain' sounds so unpleasant. You should call it 'Nanyin Sacred Beast Mountain'!" Dafen lectured earnestly."To be so disrespectful to the Sacred Beast Mountain... it's a good thing you met someone with a good temper like me. If you had encountered some of those tyrannical types, you'd probably be captured on the spot, disemboweled, and have your heart and liver devoured!" Dafen threatened.

Xu Ke tilted his head, pondered for a moment, and said with some confusion, "But Great-Uncle Three said not to be nervous when I got here, that it would be like coming home. I heard everyone in the family saying the same thing!"

"Great-Uncle Three..." Dafen choked, about to speak but then stopping.The Manman Bird, which had appeared rather arrogant before, now tucked its head in, pretending not to have heard anything."Heh heh, as long as you're happy, kid," Dafen finally said with a wry smile, no longer pressing the issue.

The group continued their journey south.Along the way, Xu Ke naturally kept talking, constantly prying for information from Dafen.

"Elder, what exactly is this Myriad Monster Gathering you just mentioned?"Dafen was initially reluctant to answer, but couldn't withstand Xu Ke's persistence.So, he reluctantly whispered, "Not long ago, Lord Diyi announced to the world that a Myriad Monster Gathering would be held.""All beast tribes throughout the land must send representatives to attend at Nanyin Sacred Beast Mountain.""It's said to be crucial for the future survival of the beast tribes, and this is Lord Diyi's first gathering in several centuries, making it extremely important.""Even lords like the Azure Divine Dragon, the Crimson Nine-Heads, and the Purple Headless One, who usually remain hidden, have arrived.""The last time there was such a large assembly was for the public trial of Lord Sanmo..."

Mid-sentence, Dafen's expression suddenly changed slightly, and he immediately stopped talking.Li Fan and Xu Ke exchanged a glance, understanding.

It seemed that even with Lord Sanmo's status, the consequences of his overly close interactions with humans were severe.No wonder both the Manman Bird and Dafen were so evasive when discussing Lord Sanmo.However, it was clear that the public trial of Lord Sanmo had not been successful.Otherwise, when Xu Ke took out the wooden box with Lord Sanmo's seal on it, Dafen and the others wouldn't have reacted with such a mix of taboo and fear.

Sidestepping that topic, Xu Ke again pestered Dafen, asking many questions about the beast tribes.He inquired about their usual habitats, how they got along with humans, their future plans, and their views on the Beast Taming Sect.

After his recent slip of the tongue, Dafen became much more cautious. He only shared trivial or irrelevant information with Xu Ke.

Another ten-odd days passed like this.Finally, the legendary Nanyin Sacred Beast Mountain was visible in the distance.

From afar, at the junction of the cerulean sea and sky, a towering conical mountain peak appeared out of nowhere, piercing the heavens.It stood there on the ocean surface, as incredible as a mirage.The mountain's summit was crowned with a thick band of pure white snow.Upon the snow-capped peak, the faint outline of a magnificent city could be discerned.

Li Fan, with his sharp eyesight, also noticed that the location of Nanyin Sacred Beast Mountain marked the boundary of the entire Nanyin Ocean.It was a wondrous sight, difficult to describe in words.The boundless sea seemed to abruptly cease at this point.Beyond it lay a scene of abyssal darkness.Nanyin Sacred Beast Mountain stood like a demarcation line between light and dark, reality and illusion, separating the tangible from the phantasmagorical.

Looking at Xu Ke, who was stunned and captivated by the magnificent sight before him, Dafen couldn't help but feel a little proud."Well, haven't seen a wonder like this before, have you?""What they call the 'edge of the sky, corner of the sea,' the 'world's frontier, and the origin of life,' that's our Nanyin Sacred Beast Mountain," Dafen said, full of emotion.

"It's said that the earliest beasts in the world appeared here and then spread across the globe," Dafen continued."This is an inviolable sacred place in the hearts of all beasts. Although you were sent by that lord, your human identity cannot be changed. So, you might not be allowed inside."

"Heh heh, Elder Dafen is right. Including you, little black bird, even though you're a beast, you were domesticated by humans and became a human's companion spirit beast. You also don't have the qualifications to enter Sacred Beast Mountain." The Manman Bird, which had been quiet until now, suddenly became spirited.It let out a strange cry, and without waiting for Xu Ke's reply, it flapped its wings, transforming into a white streak of light, and shot straight towards the distant mountain peak.

Xu Ke, however, was unfazed. He shook a jade token hanging on his chest."It's fine. Before I left, Senior Brother Lu Ya told me that if I encountered any trouble, I just needed to show this token.""Senior Brother Lu Ya definitely wouldn't harm me.""Xiao Qing, catch up!"

Dafen was about to offer further advice, but then suddenly remembered something, his eyes showing an even greater shock than when he had sensed Lord Sanmo's aura.Because he clearly saw the character "一" (one), legible only to beasts, carved onto the jade token that had flashed before his eyes.Dafen finally recalled where he had heard the name Lu Ya.It was the person who, over a decade ago, had single-handedly, as a mere human, ventured alone into the Sacred Beast Mountain and then emerged completely unscathed.