Just as the old patriarch forced me to my death, I achieved the unity of Dao and fruition.

As dusk fell, Xiaohe Village quieted down once more.

This time, however, there wasn't a single living demon left in the village.

Between the dilapidated houses, the stench of blood wafted on the evening breeze, and more than a dozen demon corpses lay scattered on the ground.

Several crows that had been circling in the distance were about to land when, as if sensing something, they flapped their wings and flew away quickly.

Three young men stood side by side in an open space at the entrance of the village.

They have completely changed compared to half an hour ago.

His once thin body had become noticeably stronger, and his blood and energy were flowing freely under his skin. With each breath, a faint white breath was exhaled from his nose.

Fourth tier!

All three of them have reached the fourth tier.

At their feet, only three withered and mutilated corpses of the Three Wolves of Beishan remained.

Gu Changjin stood not far away, carefully sensing the changes in the three people's bodies, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.

The experiment was a success.

What's truly special about "The General Outline of Demon Warriors" is never its fast cultivation speed.

Instead, after practicing in reverse, one can devour demons!

Human warriors refine their blood and qi, while demons devour humans, using blood-refining techniques to steal their essence and grow stronger.

Gu Changjin simply reversed the process.

If you can eat people, why can't people eat demons?

Using the "General Outline of Demon Warriors," he reversed the flow of qi and blood, extracting all the blood-refining power, demonic power, and even a portion of the physical essence from the demon's body, and then forcibly merging it into himself.

As long as one can withstand it, one can directly seize the power that demons have painstakingly cultivated.

These three youths had just devoured a Northern Mountain wolf demon.

His strength jumped directly from not even reaching the first rank to the fourth rank in one go.

It almost completely inherited the original power level of the three-headed wolf demon.

Of course, that's not all.

"Demonization".

Gu Changjin spoke calmly.

Without the slightest hesitation, the three youths instantly reversed their internal energy cultivation techniques.

Click!

At the same time, the sound of bones grinding together rang out.

The three men's pupils quickly turned dark gold, sharp black claws sprouted from the tips of their fingers, and a faint wolf pattern appeared on their skin.

One of them even grew half a foot taller, and his aura surged accordingly.

If they were just ordinary fourth-tier martial artists in their normal state, then after their demonic transformation, their physical strength, speed, and blood energy would be at least several times that of martial artists of the same tier.

Yet it did not truly become a demon; it remained conscious and human, and could even voluntarily withdraw from its demonic state.

"good."

Gu Changjin nodded.

That's more like it.

Demons grow stronger by eating people.

So he created a group of people who specifically ate demons.

As for whether this power comes at a price...

Of course it exists; Gu Changjin never believed in any power that came out of thin air.

After the three of them cultivated the "General Outline of Demon Warriors", in addition to the changes to their physical bodies caused by the technique itself, a trace of the aura of the Void Realm had also entered their bodies.

It is an extremely subtle imprint that will not affect daily thinking, nor will it turn a person into a mindless puppet.

However, as they practice the technique more deeply, the mark will gradually merge with their blood, energy, and soul.

They would instinctively be close to Gu Changjin, trust Gu Changjin, and obey Gu Changjin.

The stronger the power, the deeper the influence.

Strictly speaking, this is no longer just an ordinary technique, but rather an immersion in power from a higher level.

Given the difference in levels between the virtual world and this ordinary martial arts world, three ordinary people who haven't even begun cultivation have absolutely no chance of resisting.

Gu Changjin felt no psychological burden about this.

To gain power, you always have to give something in return.

Where in the world do you find so many freebies?

Besides, he had no intention of keeping these three around to train them slowly.

"Starting today."

Gu Changjin looked at the three of them.

"You only have one thing to do."

"Find the demon."

"Slay demons."

"Find suitable people and pass on the 'General Outline of Demon Warriors' to them."

The three of them bowed their heads in unison.

"Yes, my lord!"

Gu Changjin continued:

"There's no need to gather together."

"The three people separated."

"Each person should find two or three people first."

"Once they are able to hunt demons independently, then let them continue to spread the word."

The eyes of all three lit up at the same time.

They have personally experienced the power of this technique.

Half a day ago, when facing the three wolves of Beishan, they were just ordinary people hiding in haystacks, not daring to breathe too heavily.

Now, with a fourth-tier demon standing in front of them, they even dared to rush up and tear it apart.

This power is so captivating, especially since its target is demons.

Without any hesitation, the three quickly left Xiahe Village.

One figure headed north, another east, and the third went directly into the depths of the mountains and forests.

Gu Changjin looked in the direction they disappeared, and had already roughly deduced what would happen next.

Once the first batch of demon warriors have grown up, he won't need to personally intervene in the subsequent expansion.

The more demons there are, the faster the demon warriors grow; the more demon warriors there are, the more new demon warriors will emerge.

If it keeps rolling like this, the speed will only increase.

As for the Demon Suppression Division?

Gu Changjin has no interest in relying on them for the time being, but he can play around with them.

After the three people had completely left, Gu Changjin turned around.

The remains of the three wolves from Beishan were still on the ground.

Although most of the power was drained, the corpse itself could still prove its identity.

He walked over and swung the Demon-Suppressing Blade downwards.

The three mangled wolf corpses were lifted up by the blood and qi and landed directly behind them.

"It's time to go back."

……

By the time Gu Changjin reappeared outside Blackstone Town, it was already completely dark.

Several moonstones hung on the city gate, their milky white light illuminating a radius of several dozen feet.

This kind of stone is not worth much money; its only use is to emit light.

Its advantage lies in its long duration, making it usable even by ordinary people. As a result, many towns in Daliang use it for lighting.

At the city gate, several warriors from the Demon Suppression Division were chatting with the soldiers guarding the city.

The topic of their conversation happened to be the incident from today.

"Old Wang went a bit too far this time."

A soldier lowered his voice.

"He's just a kid who's broken through to the first rank, but he's still someone from our Blackrock Town."

"Sending him to Xiahe Village alone is practically suicide!"

The Demon-Suppressing Guard beside him sneered.

"Why do you care so much?"

"Young people are hot-blooded."

"They'll steal anything."

"Some things, you can't get just because you have the ability."

The other person chuckled:

"If I were him, I would have suppressed my cultivation level back in school."

"It won't kill you if you break through a few months later."

"They have to snatch away the spots that others have prepared."

"Now look what's happened, they're all dead."

Some people felt uncomfortable listening to this, but they didn't continue arguing.

They all knew what Xiahe Village was.

So many people have gone missing, and none of the spies we sent out have returned.

It would be a miracle if a newbie who has just entered the first level went in and came back alive.

"Alright, that's enough."

"Old Wang is probably already preparing drinks to celebrate tonight."

As soon as he finished speaking, the soldier standing on the outermost side suddenly narrowed his eyes.

"etc."

Is someone outside?

Everyone immediately stopped talking.

Under the cover of night, a dark figure was indeed approaching at the end of the official road.

Step by step, at a slow pace, but as the distance shortened, a faint smell of blood wafted over.

Several demon-suppressing guards immediately gripped their sword hilts.

"Take the moonstone over there!"

Two soldiers took the moonstone from the edge of the city wall and carefully approached it.

The white light shone forward, first illuminating a pair of boots stained with mud and black blood.

Above that was a black-clad member of the Demon Suppression Division, also stained with blood.

Finally, everyone could see the young face clearly.

"Gu Changjin?"

Someone suddenly spoke up.

The next moment, everyone's eyes turned to what was behind him.

Three mangled wolf carcasses were dragged on the ground by their blood and qi.

As you move forward, you constantly rub against the stone path.

"The Three Wolves of Beishan!"

An old town demon guard's expression suddenly changed.

"These are the Three Wolves of Beishan!"

The entire city gate fell silent instantly.

Those were demons that had ravaged the northern part of Qinghe County for years.

The strongest wolf leader is even at the fourth rank.

The county organized several encirclement and suppression campaigns, but none of them were truly captured.

Is he... dead now?

And he was dragged back by a first-tier newcomer who had just entered the Demon Suppression Division this morning?

The way some people looked at Gu Changjin had completely changed.

Some people immediately thought of even more things.

The three wolves of Beishan are dead.

Gu Changjin, however, returned alive.

What about Old Wang?

Tonight, Blackrock Town is really going to be turned upside down.

Behind the crowd, a demon-suppressing guard quietly retreated a few steps.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, he turned around and ran into the city.

Gu Changjin saw it, but did not stop it.

It's good if someone gives you advance notice.

That way we won't have to search for them one by one later.

He walked to the city gate and gently flicked the Demon-Suppressing Blade.

boom!

The three wolf carcasses crashed down in front of the group.

Several demon-suppressing guards who were about to step forward to ask questions subconsciously took a step back.

Gu Changjin neither explained nor lingered.

Holding the Demon-Suppressing Blade in his right hand, he walked straight into Blackstone Town.

The white light of the moonstone cast a long shadow from behind.

Ahead lies the Demon Suppression Division.

Gu Changjin looked up at the pitch-black night.

The night was dark and the wind was high.

It was the night of the murder.