A Compendium of One Hundred Demons: My Path to Immortality in a World of Demons and Monsters

The group quickly arrived at Li Ergou's house at the east end of the village.

It was a dilapidated mud house, simply furnished, and a musty smell hit you as soon as you opened the door.

There was a chipped earthenware bowl on the table, with some black, pasty residue at the bottom, which had already become moldy and covered in mildew.

The collapsed stove was still scattered on the ground, and the kang (a heated brick bed) did not look like anyone had slept on it, just as the villagers said; it was even covered with a thin layer of ash.

Xiao Yunhan looked around but didn't find anything unusual.

Clerk Zhao and the others went forward to inspect the bed and stove, and they all shook their heads: "There were no signs of a struggle, and no bloodstains were left. It doesn't look like a murder."

Xu Yuan frowned slightly.

The Compendium of Ghosts quietly activated in his mind, and his Yin Qi perception was fully unleashed, giving a faint warning.

There was a faint, almost imperceptible yin energy lingering in the earthen house; if he hadn't been so perceptive, he would have barely noticed it.

The nature of this yin energy is somewhat similar to the changgui he encountered before, but it is also quite different, seemingly more...pure?

The air currents extended out of the house in wisps, eventually converging towards the back mountain.

Even more bizarrely, Xu Yuan also "saw" a blurry black mark on the earthen wall!

The mark was distorted in shape, like some kind of special rune, or like a stain that someone had accidentally rubbed on.

Xu Yuan took all of this in, but remained calm and silent.

The warning from that incomplete book lingered in his mind. At this critical juncture, Li Ergou's disappearance was too coincidental. Before fully understanding the truth, Xu Yuan did not want to rashly alert the enemy.

"He might have encountered an accident in the mountains, or... he left on his own," Zhao, the registrar, analyzed rationally. "In these times, it's not uncommon for people to quietly leave the village alone."

Xiao Yunhan nodded, but doubts still lingered in his eyes. Why would someone who had been insane for twenty years disappear just when the tiger demon was about to break free of its seal? Was there a connection between the two?

He strolled to the bed, touched the thin layer of ash on it, glanced at the woodpile in the corner, asked no more questions, and turned to leave the room.

The group returned to the open space in the center of the village, and Xiao Yunhan made a decision: "Since we're here, let's deal with that tiger demon first. While it's still early, I'll lead some people into the mountains to investigate the seal."

Upon hearing this, the old village chief quickly advised, "Lord Xiao, the terrain behind the mountain is complicated; you shouldn't go there rashly..."

"It's alright." Xiao Yunhan waved his hand. "Time is of the essence. Xu Yuan, you know the back mountain well, would you like to come with me?"

"I am willing to go."

Xu Yuan answered without hesitation.

He had just acquired the [Mountain and Forest Traversal] ability, so he could test its effects. Moreover, he was eager to know the current state of the Tiger Demon Seal and what connection Li Ergou's disappearance had with the back mountain.

At this moment, Shen Qingyi also spoke up: "Setting up the formation requires surveying the terrain first, so I will go along as well."

Zhao, the registrar, naturally chose to follow suit.

Finally, it was decided that Xiao Yunhan, Xu Yuan, Shen Qingyi, and Zhao Zhubu would go into the mountains, while Li Hu and Zhang Tao would set up defenses in the village to provide backup, just in case.

Before leaving, Little Stone secretly ran to Xu Yuan's side, cautiously tugged at his sleeve, and whispered, "Brother Yuan, I... I got up to use the bathroom last night and saw Uncle Er Gou..."

Xu Yuan's heart skipped a beat. He subtly crouched down and quietly asked, "Where did you see it?"

"Right under that old locust tree at the village entrance, I saw him... he went towards the back mountain." Little Stone lowered his voice even further, "Uncle Er Gou walked so strangely, swaying unsteadily, like... like he was drunk."

"When did this happen?"

"Around... midnight," Little Stone said, trying to recall. "I was so scared that I didn't dare to make a sound and ran back into the house."

Xu Yuan patted his head: "Don't tell anyone about this for now, okay?"

"Yes!" Little Stone nodded vigorously, his big eyes filled with determination.

Xu Yuan stood up, a hint of seriousness flashing in his eyes.

What exactly does Li Ergou want to do by entering the mountains at midnight?

Is it...

A vague guess emerged in Xu Yuan's mind, but there was no evidence to verify it, so he could only keep it to himself for the time being.

After the four of them made their preparations, they set off towards the back mountain amidst the worried gazes of the villagers.

Several days later, when Xu Yuan entered the back mountain again, his feelings were completely different.

With his Blood Refinement Level 5 cultivation and the [Mountain and Forest Traversal] ability, Xu Yuan moved through the mountains and forests like a dragon returning to the ocean.

"From here on, this is the forbidden area." Xu Yuan pointed to the dense forest ahead. "The place where I set the trap last time is three miles further in."

Xiao Yunhan nodded and stepped into the forest first. As soon as he entered the mountain, his entire demeanor changed, like a sharp sword drawn from its sheath, unstoppable.

Xu Yuan followed closely behind, quietly activating the [Mountain Forest Traverse] skill.

A cool sensation rose from his dantian and flowed throughout his body. He immediately felt the mountain path beneath his feet become flat, the tree branches automatically parted, and his body became as light and agile as a monkey. He could move through the mountains and forests as if walking on flat ground.

With each step, I naturally avoided loose stones and dead branches, and with each footstep, I chose the most stable and effortless position.

For a moment, it seemed as if the entire mountain forest was making way for him and guiding him in the right direction.

Xiao Yunhan noticed this and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes: "Your movement technique is quite good."

"I've been foraging for food in the mountains for so long, I'm used to it," Xu Yuan explained vaguely.

Shen Qingyi glanced at Xu Yuan thoughtfully.

She had been reading since childhood and had a wide knowledge of all kinds of strange and unusual things. Xu Yuan's unusual compatibility with the mountains and forests and his ability to survive eating the flesh and blood of mountain spirits and monsters reminded her of certain special martial arts physiques.

But this is clearly not the time to investigate.

With the help of the map of the back mountain that Xu Yuan had previously memorized from the fragmented book, he quickly found a relatively safe route into the mountain.

This path follows the stream upstream. Although it is a long detour, it avoids several areas marked as dangerous and leads directly to the rocky beach, one of the three forbidden areas on the outskirts.

The journey was uneventful as we passed through the mountains and forests.

"Stop." Xiao Yunhan suddenly raised his hand.

The group stopped in their tracks, and what came into view was a rocky beach, with nine majestic stone pillars engraved with runes standing in the center.

Inside the circle formed by the stone pillars, the ground was scorched black, barren of weeds, and a faint, fishy stench permeated the air.

"This is it!" Xu Yuan whispered. "This is where Zhao San and the others turned into vengeful spirits."

Xiao Yunhan's expression was solemn as he slowly stepped forward.

He walked up to the stone pillar and reached out to touch it.

The runes had long since faded, and the surface of the pillars was covered with cracks. The most severely damaged one had even broken off halfway at the bottom.

"The seal is severely damaged," Xiao Yunhan said in a deep voice. "It won't last much longer!"

"What about that tiger demon?" Chief Clerk Zhao asked the question that everyone was most concerned about.

Xiao Yunhan closed his eyes and sensed for a moment, then shook his head: "The aura is very weak; it should still be dormant. However, the sealing power here is continuously dissipating. On the night of the full moon, when the yin energy is at its peak, it is highly likely to break free!"

Shen Qingyi also walked to the stone pillar and took out a compass and several talismans from the bag hanging at her waist.

She pasted the talismans one by one onto the stone pillars, and in no time, the compass needle in her hand began to spin wildly, eventually pointing to a certain position within the circle of the stone pillars.

"The point where the Yin energy gathers is here." Shen Qingyi pointed to an inconspicuous depression in the ground. "The true form of that tiger demon should be right below here!"

She crouched down to carefully survey the terrain, while making notes in the booklet she carried with her.

Xu Yuan glanced at it; the diagram in the booklet appeared to be some kind of array formation.

"Miss Shen, how long will it take to set up the formation?" Xiao Yunhan asked.

"Under normal circumstances, it will take two hours," Shen Qingyi said, "but someone needs to protect us during that time, and the formation cannot be disturbed."

"That's natural, please begin."

As they were talking, Xu Yuan's ears suddenly twitched, and he quickly said, "Silence!"

The newly acquired [Mountain Forest Traversal] ability makes Xu Yuan exceptionally sensitive to movement within the mountains and forests.

At that moment, a very faint rustling sound could be heard from the forest, as if something was moving through the grass, but...

"There's more than one," Xu Yuan said in a low voice. "They're getting closer."

At this moment, Xiao Yunhan also noticed something amiss. He placed his hand on his sword hilt and whispered, "Be careful, prepare for battle!"