They would soon enter Bane-devil territory, but that didn't necessarily mean they wouldn't encounter one before crossing the border.
The Bane-devils were unique existences that had been around since time immemorial.
They were essentially spirit-devils, but had very strange magical arts. It was said that they could bewitch someone, assuming control of their mind and seizing their soul.
Others said that the Bane-devils true strength came from the heaven-defying poison that their very forms emanated.
Just being the slightest bit careless would cause you to be inflicted. Moreover, that was a poison so strange that an antidote was never created.
The poison entered the energy channels and immediately merged with your energy. There it would remain and, if undetected, weaken the walls of your energy channels. This would continue until they exploded from the pressure of your circulating energy.
"Lord Yuan, you've fought Bane-devils before haven't you?" Yuan Zhen nodded, but his expression turned somber.
Qi Zixie though she would be able to get some pointers from him, but then she saw his melancholic expression and went silent.
"I haven't merely fought them, I've lived among them, devoured their souls and even befriended a few of them."
Hearing that, she was shocked beyond words.
When she finally managed to recover from her shock, she asked, "Just how did you manage to do all that? How long did you stay in Bane-devil Grotto back then?"
He sighed, looking up at the evening sky.
"The truth is, my earliest memory involves me, a young child, being left behind in Bane-devil Grotto to fend for myself."
Qi Zixie was immediately incensed by this. Imagining someone doing such a thing to a young child was understandably infuriating.
"Before the beasts of my Yuan Family were exterminated by human attacks, the custom was that the firstborn son of the family head must be cast into the Bane-devil Grotto."
"If the child survived, he would be a ruthless beast with enough potential to become the next family head. If he didn't, the family head could always have another son."
Hearing that it was his family custom, Qi Zixie didn't know how to react.
"It was because of that that I was able to become the dreadful beast you know me to be. But it was also because of being thrown into the Grotto that I was never able to truly meet my family before they were killed."
His sorrow came through in his tone, but he turned his face to the sky so she couldn't properly see it.
In that moment, Qi Zixie realized that even him, the person she regarded as an Almighty Existence, was still someone who could feel sadness.
This realization caused her heart to ache for him, and she unknowingly grabbed his hand and gave it a light squeeze.
When she realized what she did, her eyes widened and she was about to let go, but she felt him return her gesture. His fingers closed in on her hand, holding it in place.
She immediately flushed red, but she was overjoyed in her heart. Just the feeling of his soft yet sturdy hand in her's made her feel like leaping onto him and forcing herself on him.
Luckily, a newfound mental fortitude kept her desires in check.
"As for how I managed to do it, it's not all too surprising. Bane-devils are, typically, weak spirits that can just barely bewitch individuals weaker than they are. However, among them there are exceptions: Bane-devils that are strong enough to become corporeal."
"Those bane-devils are usually the overlords of the Grotto. The weaker ones call them Devil Kings, but the truth is that they aren't the strongest beings within the Grotto. That title can only go to those devils that dwell even deeper."
Yuan Zhen's eyes narrowed before he quickened his pace. He had noticed something. Qi Zixie increased her speed as well, keeping up with him. She was afraid of him letting go of her hand, so she made sure to stay close.
They walked further, noticing a withered tree without any leaves. The bark was beginning to peel off, revealing a charcoal colored layer beneath.
"A Bane-devil was here, and recently. Look, the grass withered where it passed by."
Pointing at the floor, Yuan Zhen brought Qi Zixie's attention to the many dead bushes on the forest floor.
It was like a trail, leading all the way into the Grotto.
"You mentioned earlier that you found your family's remains..." Qi Zixie had been about to ask, but the words got stuck in her throat.
Fortunately, Yuan Zhen calmly responded, "In Whitehaven, yes."
"After the slaughter, we managed to capture of the human leaders. He told us that they were sent by the person that had initially taken Whitehaven from the beasts. That person is likely the one that captured each member of my family."
Qi Zixie nodded, lost in thought.
"Why did the humans do it? Why the Yuan Family?"
She had been thinking of this. Why would they target that family specifically? Even so, why not just take the Family Head? Why would they kill them all?
"I do not know. A fact that, to this day, infuriates me. I never found the human that had initially taken Whitehaven. They did not even show up after we reclaimed it."
Suddenly, Qi Zixie felt Yuan Zhen's grip on her hand tighten. It wasn't painful to her, but she could still feel the rage behind it.
"Night's almost upon us. Should we stop here or continue forward?" She decided to ask this in an attempt to alleviate his negative mental state.
"Are you tired?"
"No, not really."
"Then we move forward."
After that exchange, Qi Zixie wore an embarrassed smile. She walked beside him with her hung low. She was glad, though, that he still held onto her hand.
Sadly, he then let go. She had been about to gasp, but she stifled it. Fearing the repercussions of reaching out to take it again, she hesitated.
Yuan Zhen felt this was amusing, but was also a bit embarrassed as well. He had acted a bit childishly. Since that was the case, maybe it was his turn to lighten the mood.
"It's strange that those citizens didn't know that Bane-devil Grotto was this way. They'd have run straight into it and been killed by the weakest of bane-devil spirits."
Hearing him speak, she instantly felt better. It was obvious, to her, that he was trying to restore the light-hearted mood.
"Yes. It isn't common knowledge which, now that I think about, doesn't make much sense."
Hearing this, Yuan Zhen frowned.
"Indeed. You would want the people to know and avoid the Grotto. Something's not right about that."
For some unknown reason, the higher ups of society kept the Grotto a secret. A century ago, when Yuan Zhen emerged from it, he had shared many of its secrets with the Beast Race.
Back then, a lot of people knew about it.
"In my past life, I shared most of the information I gathered with the Ji and Xuan families. They knew almost as much about the Grotto as I did."
Hearing this, a peculiar expression came across Qi Zixie's face.
At this point, the sky above them began to darken. The area devolved into a misty wasteland, withered trees dotting the landscape.
Yuan Zhen felt a chill in air. When he asked Qi Zixie if she felt it, she shook her head. This wasn't only because of her attribute, however. When Yuan Zhen saw her response, he smiled.
They were now getting closer to Bane-devil Grotto.
"That's right! The Xuan Family recently became the underlings of the Ji Family. They announced it to all the realm. I assumed it was because of Ji Xie's elevated position, but now..."
Yuan Zhen also thought something was fishy about it.
"Knowing Ji Xie, he most likely forced them. He probably did that to keep the knowledge of the Grotto under control, and not have it spread. Still, to absorb the Xuan Family would mean he now had incredible status."
"After all, the Xuan Family are direct descendants of the Beast Ancestors. They are the only family with a direct inheritance that I know of."
Qi Zixie nodded, "Ji Xie is now the second most powerful beast in the realm. Only the emperor has a higher status than he does."
Yuan Zhen was in deep and serious though. He felt a trace of worry, but was not sure why.
He suddenly spoke, "You asked about Jin Yuan. How did you come to know his name?"
Qi Zixie's hopeful face returned. She cleared her throat and calmed her excitement before speaking.
"I learned of his name from a senior that claimed to have witnessed some of your past glory. They told me that the beast named Jin Yuan had challenged you to battle once, but no one knew what happened afterward."
"That senior said that you disappeared for seven months before returning to the realm, and that you never spoke about the events that occurred. Following that as well, was the fact that Jin Yuan never reached out to contact you again."
"It's one of the biggest mysteries of your life. It's been a source of endless headaches for me over my years of studying you."
Unexpectedly, she was still unable to keep a tight lid on her child-like excitement.
Yuan Zhen shook his head with a smile.
"Jin Yuan did challenge me, that much is true. However, I can assure you that all the speculations are inaccurate. The challenge itself was a ruse. He issued it so that I could leave the realm at a critical time without arousing suspicion."
She then turned to Yuan Zhen, puzzled.
"Why would he do that?"
"Jin Yuan is a beast unlike any other. At times I suspect he is a Primordial, but has shed his omnipotent form and come to harrass us lower beings."
Hearing such praise, Qi Zixie couldn't stop herself from appearing shocked. She took a gulp, but could not even form a question.
"When I went to meet him, thinking we would have our battle, instead he brought out a table and teapot. He offered me tea, treated me with respect, then asked me something no one should have known."
"He asked me about the secrets of Bane-devil Grotto. Specifically, he wanted to know how much of it I had shared. I told him that I kept certain matters a secret, but he was not satisfied. He told me that he would take care of it, but then said that I should stay for a while."
"I would have declines his offer, but he made it sound like the only sensible option. He said that, if I were to go back, it would arouse suspicion. After all, it's completely normal for battles between experts to last weeks and months. So a battle between two top experts would have to take at least five months."
Qi Zixie nodded, agreeing with his words.
"Then, what did you do for all that time?"
Yuan Zhen sighed.
"We had our battle. In fact, we had many, many battles."
Her eyes widened and she all but lunged at him.
"What was the outcome? How many times did you fight him? How many times did you win?"
Yuan Zhen's body stiffened, and he smiled wryly before looking up at the darkening sky. He took a deep breath, as if preparing himself to share a personal secret.
"We fought a total of twenty times, each battle lasting a few weeks or so."
"And!?"
"Of those twenty battles... I won... I only beat him one time." Finally having said it, his chest heaved. He was somehow out of breath, and had to now catch his breath.
"I would ask how that was possible, but thinking of the way you praised him I guess it doesn't make sense to ask."
He nodded.
"So, I guess the only question now is how he dealt with the secrets you shared."
Yuan Zhen frowned.
"If Ji Xie tried to absorb the Xuan Family with his own strength, it would be too difficult. It's possible that Jin Yuan helped him."
"But, if such a figure appeared it would cause quite a stir. They would have to act in utter secrecy to pull that off."
Yuan Zhen also came to a realization.
"Secrecy is not Jin Yuan's style. I doubt someone like him would have changed at all, even after a hundred years."
"I think there's something else going on here. Ji Xie would never bow to someone weaker than himself, but Jin Yuan isn't the emperor. That means the emperor, whoever they are, was the one to help him deal with the Xuan Family."
Qi Zixie's eyes narrowed and widened a few times. She was contemplating on her own, seeming puzzled.
"What is there in the Grotto that they would want to hide?"
When she asked this, Yuan Zhen's eyes widened.