The young man’s name was Kun Yu.

As Lin Mo had expected, the youth led him straight toward the Great Continent mountain range. The monster beasts on the outskirts no longer skirted far away from Lin Mo as before; instead they all acted meekly, crouching low on the ground. The nearby monster lords occasionally swept past overhead, yet each kept a cautious distance, merely watching the pair from afar.

Lin Mo couldn’t help but praise the system’s flawless disguise ability. All along the way, Kun Yu kept fawning over him.

“Miss, let me tell you—being a king under the Monster Queen carries a lot of status.”

“When we reach the Monster Realm in a bit, if you’ve nowhere to go, you can come back to my tribe with me. In the Monster Realm, I promise I can treat you to all the rich and spicy delights.”

Kun Yu’s eyes stayed fixed on Lin Mo; light gleamed in them, and there was, more or less, a faint hint of expectation.

Lin Mo smiled slightly and deflected, “As for that, let’s talk about it when I return to the Monster Realm with Young Master Kun Yu.” Then he intentionally changed the subject. “Since the Human Realm is so dangerous right now, why doesn’t Young Master Kun Yu stay stationed in the Monster Realm instead of wandering around the Human Realm?”

Kun Yu sighed. “Young lady, you don’t know the half of it. Yesterday a human came to the tribes in the Great Continent mountain range—roaming about, even carrying out a large-scale massacre. He damaged the terrain here and then lingered to observe for a long time.”

As he spoke, Kun Yu’s expression suddenly darkened, a trace of sorrow flickering in his eyes.

“I disguised myself and came to the Human Realm this time precisely to put that human to death, and also to keep him from continuing to snoop around inside the Great Continent mountain range.”

Lin Mo asked in mild surprise, “Th-then how is that human now?”

Kun Yu puffed up with pride. “Yesterday I used my clan’s secret art to hide my presence, tailed him into a Human-Realm city, and disguised myself as a human peddler. When he was completely unsuspecting, I dosed his food and drink with our demon poison. It’s colorless and tasteless; once it enters the body it’s silent and traceless—first it gnaws at the spirit, then it corrodes the meridians. Even if he’s a cultivator at the Divine Transformation stage, once he’s struck by my demon poison, he’ll find it hard to escape.”

Lin Mo let out a faint breath. “That strong? So the human who harmed our Yao clan is dead?”

Kun Yu scratched his head. “More or less… he should be dying.”

Lin Mo chuckled. “So, ‘probably’? You didn’t even bother to confirm it?”

Kun Yu still looked full of confidence. “There’s no need to confirm. I’m very sure of my poison.”

Lin Mo countered, “Have you considered that the person might simply not drink the spirit tea?”

A hint of doubt appeared in Kun Yu’s eyes. “Why wouldn’t he drink it? The spirit tea I offer is top quality—and it’s free. Humans as a species all like to take small advantages, don’t they?”

Lin Mo thought silently: If the Yao clan were all fools like Kun Yu, their annihilation wouldn’t be far off.

Following Kun Yu, they walked a short distance farther inside.

Yesterday, Lin Mo had gotten stuck at this very spot, spinning in circles without finding the path forward.

At that moment, Kun Yu pointed to a section of rock ahead and said, “The entrance to the Monster Realm is right here.”

Puzzled, Lin Mo asked, “Is there a path up ahead?”

“It only looks like there isn’t one,” Kun Yu replied.

With that, he stepped forward; his entire body passed through the rock face and vanished.

Seeing this, Lin Mo followed suit. A brief wave of dizziness struck him, and the scene before his eyes shifted—he stared blankly.

“How did we end up back outside the Great Continent mountain range?”

Kun Yu explained, “It’s not the same. We’re inside the barrier now—right at the boundary where you and I first came in.”

Once again, Lin Mo pushed into the mountain’s interior, returning before the same rock face. The Kun Yu led him through it once more.

Yet each time, he still emerged at the outer rim. They repeated this several times until, finally, on one pass through the rock wall, the scenery changed completely.

Now the sky was clear and boundless; birds sang and flowers filled the air with fragrance. This was no longer the periphery of the range but its heart. Numerous monster beasts dwelled all around, yet unlike those of the Human Realm, these creatures radiated intelligence—their gazes lazy and serene. Even when Lin Mo and Kun Yu appeared suddenly before them, none showed the slightest alarm.

Kun Yu spread his wings slightly, pride coloring his voice. “This is the Monster Realm. How does it feel?”

“It’s a good place,” Lin Mo said.

“Right? Compared with the Human Realm, which is full of hypocrisy and cunning, this place is downright comfortable!”

As he spoke, Kun Yu led Lin Mo toward the interior of his own tribe. Many avian monster beasts lived there.

Kun Yu raised his voice, calling toward the figures within.

One green-feathered bird-beast looked around, then dashed inside shouting, “Mother, your child is back!”

Another green-feathered bird-beast nearby screeched in human speech, “Where’s that disgusting, stinking human?”

Kun Yu replied, nodding quickly, “Don’t worry. I already put poison in that man’s spirit tea—he’s as good as dead.”

The green-feathered bird demon retorted sharply, “Kun-kun, did you verify the human’s corpse?”

Kun Yu’s voice dropped. “No…”

He had actually wanted to check, but by the time he reached the inn, those who had seen Lin Mo earlier were all bewitched, their souls dazed, following Lin Mo out of the city like puppets.

He paused, then said, “When I saw him, his breathing was already faint. I even watched him stagger and fall before leaving.”

The blue-feathered bird demon sighed softly.
“Kunkun, you still handle things too hastily. Nothing in this world is absolute. Until we see that human’s corpse, we must not conclude he’s dead.”

Lin Mo, standing quietly to the side, nodded inwardly.
It seemed the only one bewitched here was Kun Yu—his mother still had a clear mind.

At that moment, the bluebird demon’s gaze fell on him. Her eyes grew wary.
“Kunkun, who is this?”

Kun Yu immediately introduced him with excitement, “Mother, this is the young lady I met in the Human Realm. She’s from the ‘lost Yao clans.’”

“The lost Yao clans?”

Kun Yu’s mother’s expression turned sharp; her gaze, cool as moonlight, swept up and down the “young lady” several times before she asked, “Child, which tribe are you from? Who are your father, mother, and clan chief?”

Lin Mo could clearly sense the hostility and vigilance radiating from Kun Yu’s mother.

Before he could even speak, Kun Yu hurriedly stepped forward to explain, “Mother, why are you being so fierce? What if you scare her? I was the one who first approached her and brought her back. I can sense the aura of our kind on her—there’s definitely nothing wrong.”

A nearby green-feathered bird demon coldly reminded him, “Kun Yu, have you already forgotten what Mother just said? Nothing is absolute.”

“Humans are very crafty nowadays,” she continued. “They sweet-talked many of our companions until they were completely bewitched and went off with the humans. A large portion of the bird clan has already been shackled by humans and now obeys them completely.”

With that, the blue-green bird demon turned her eyes to Lin Mo.
“Come to my side.”

Lin Mo could sense that this avian monster’s cultivation was no lower than his own, yet he still trusted the system’s disguise ability and walked forward.
In an instant, the creature’s enormous talons gripped his body, probing deep for any traces of human contracts or controlling marks.

After a moment of inspection, and finding none, the blue-green bird demon’s vigilance relaxed by half.
“So powerful…” she murmured, somewhat astonished.

Her gaze softened slightly. “Child, which clan are you from?”

Lin Mo shook his head, replying honestly, “When I was born, there were already no clansmen around me—I don’t know.”

The blue-feathered bird demon hesitated for a moment before saying, “Then return to your true form. I’ll take a look for you.”

Without hesitation, Lin Mo complied. A burst of blazing red light flared—and a crimson Fire Phoenix unfurled its wings, soaring into the air.

Kun Yu’s eyes widened with delight. “Mother! This young lady is actually of our clan as well!”

Feeling the bloodline suppression radiating from the Fire Phoenix’s aura, the green-feathered bird demon suddenly shouted, “Gugu, kneel! Gugu, kneel!”

Startled, the small bird demon dropped to its knees at once.
“Mother… why are we kneeling?”

The green bird demon sighed and shook her head.
“You are a barnyard chicken. She is a phoenix. Do you understand?”