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

Suddenly, a figure appeared deep in the dense forest, flashing past like a ghost at incredible speed, leaving behind a blur.

As the figure appeared, it seemed to throw something out of its hand, which landed between the tiger demon and the crowd.

Xu Yuan looked closely and saw that it was a fist-sized, bright red bead.

The moment the crimson bead hit the ground, it exploded with a deafening roar!

In an instant, an incredibly strong stench of blood spread out.

Upon smelling this aura, the tiger demon's red eyes instantly turned bloodshot, and it went completely mad.

"The Demon Suppression Division... It's the Demon Suppression Division again... A hundred years ago... you sealed me away... Today... today..."

After roaring, it stopped aiming at Xiao Yunhan and the others, and instead turned to the source of the blood energy—the disappearing figure deep in the dense forest—and chased after it recklessly!

"This is..." The sudden change left Shen Qingyi and the others completely bewildered.

Xiao Yunhan stared intently at the shattered fragment of the bead, his eyes filled with disbelief: "That's... the Demon Suppression Division's 'Blood-Guiding Bead'! Only martial artists at the Condensation Realm or above can refine it using their own life essence as a guide! How could this be..."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan was shocked.

Blood-Attracting Beads? Refined from the essence blood of warriors from the Demon Suppression Division? Was the person in the shadows making a move now... to help them?

No, that's not right!

The man deliberately used the blood to provoke the tiger demon, leading it deep into the back mountain; clearly, he had ulterior motives.

The rune on the wall of Li Ergou's earthen house, the demon-suppressing fabric found in the forest, and now the Blood-Attracting Bead...

Combining the information from the diary entries in the fragmented book, Xu Yuan's vague conjecture gradually became clearer at this moment.

"Chase!" Xiao Yunhan forced himself to his feet. "We absolutely cannot let the tiger demon escape!"

The group exchanged glances, then gritted their teeth and followed.

Deep in the mountains, the tiger demon went completely mad.

The aura of the Demon Suppression Bureau contained within the Blood-Guiding Pearl is like the most potent poison, stimulating the resentment accumulated during its centuries-long sealing.

Ignoring its severe head injury, its demonic power surged wildly, transforming into a black hurricane under the moonlight, rushing straight into the depths of the mountains and forests.

Wherever it went, trees were broken and the ground was plowed into furrows.

Behind them, Xiao Yunhan and the others barely managed to keep up, but the distance between them kept increasing.

Zhao Zhubu, Li Hu, and Zhang Tao were not moving fast in the mountains and forests to begin with, and Xiao Yunhan was already seriously injured, and the effects of the pills he had taken were also decreasing rapidly.

Shen Qingyi was exhausted of spiritual energy, while only Xu Yuan was still in good condition.

"We won't catch up at this rate!" Xu Yuan said in a deep voice. "Lord Xiao, you all rest here, I'll go after them!"

Before anyone else could respond, he had already pushed the [Forest Traverse] ability to its limit, his figure moving like lightning through the forest, his speed only slightly slower than the tiger demon at full power.

Three hundred feet, five hundred feet, eight hundred feet...

The surrounding forest grew increasingly dense, clearly indicating that they had entered the true forbidden area of ​​the back mountain!

Here, ancient trees reach for the sky, and vines cover the ground. The moonlight is blocked by the layers of tree canopy, making it almost impossible to see one's hand in front of one's face.

However, Xu Yuan possessed the [Yin Qi Perception] granted by the Ghost Compendium, coupled with the environmental enhancement of [Mountain Forest Traversal], allowing him to clearly "see" the demonic energy trail left by the tiger demon, as well as... the faint human figure ahead.

That aura was very strange, appearing and disappearing intermittently, as if it had become one with this ancient mountain forest. If Xu Yuan hadn't had special perception, he wouldn't have been able to detect it at all.

Finally, in a secluded valley surrounded by mountains, the tiger demon stopped.

No, it didn't stop on its own—it was stopped.

In the center of the secluded valley stood a person.

It was an old man dressed in dark gray linen clothes, with a withered face, sunken eyes, and holding a jet-black longbow in his hand.

The strangest thing was that his pupils were pale gold, gleaming eerily in the moonlight, and there was no fluctuation of vital energy around him, as if he were an ordinary old man.

But the maddened tiger demon, instead of immediately pouncing on him, stopped in place and let out a low, wary roar.

Xu Yuan lay prone behind a huge rock at the mouth of the valley, holding his breath and concentrating.

"Twenty years..." the old man began, his voice hoarse like rags rubbing together, "Red Eyes, you're still so useless."

The tiger demon barely managed to raise its head, a flash of shock and anger in its crimson eyes: "It's you... Golden-Eyed Old Ghost... You're not dead..."

"It was me." The old man said expressionlessly. "Back then, I tampered with the seal, allowing you to absorb the earth's yin energy and maintain your life. Otherwise, do you think a fool like you could have survived until today?"

The tiger demon's red eyes burned with rage, but its injuries worsened, and it gradually lost even the strength to roar.

The old man stopped looking at it and turned to the direction where Xu Yuan was hiding at the valley entrance: "I originally wanted to let this fool live a little longer before I came out to clean up the mess, but I didn't expect that you, young man, have some skills, forcing this old man to take action personally."

As he spoke, he drew his longbow, and a familiar, jet-black arrow materialized automatically.

"But it's all good. Your life essence, especially yours and that junior at the Qi Condensation Realm, is enough to extend my life by another ten years!"

The arrowhead was aimed at the giant rock at the mouth of the valley.

Behind the giant rock, Xu Yuan gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, a cold glint in his eyes.

At this moment, his speculation was completely confirmed. The old ghost with golden eyes in front of him was undoubtedly a traitor among the group of members of the Demon Suppression Division who entered the mountain back then!

"Golden-Eyed Old Ghost... So it was you..."

The Crimson-Eyed Tiger Demon's voice was weak as a whisper, but the hatred within it was so intense that it almost materialized.

Its red eyes stared at the old man in hemp clothing, as if it wanted to devour him alive.

"Twenty years ago... you dared... to use me..."

Upon hearing this, the Golden-Eyed Old Ghost scoffed disdainfully, "Use? Crimson Eyes, you overestimate yourself. You're nothing but a dog I keep, a dog used to lure in big fish!"

His gaze swept across the mountains and forests behind them, then turned to Xu Yuan: "A junior from the Demon Suppression Division, the essence blood of a Qi Condensation Realm cultivator... tsk tsk, truly a top-quality tonic. And you, kid—"

The old ghost with golden eyes locked onto Xu Yuan: "There's something strange about you. What kind of treasure is that that can withstand the Crimson Eye Demon Flame? Hand it over obediently, and I'll let you die a quick death."

Xu Yuan did not answer, but slowly adjusted his breathing. The rapid pursuit just now had greatly exhausted him, and his blood and qi were churning.

But the more critical the moment, the calmer Xu Yuan became.

The black iron plate felt slightly warm in my arms, seemingly reacting to the aura of the Golden-Eyed Old Ghost.

Meanwhile, in his mind, the Yin energy perception was frantically warning him—the Yin energy on this old ghost was even purer than that of the tiger demon's accomplice!

"Not going to talk?" The old ghost with golden eyes grinned, revealing a set of yellow and black teeth. "Then die!"

After saying that, he released the bowstring.

"call out---!"

The jet-black arrow, like a venomous snake emerging from its hole, shot straight at Xu Yuan's brow!

The arrow was so fast that it far exceeded what was seen before, almost reaching the limit of visual capture.

Xu Yuan felt a chill run down his spine as a shadow of death loomed over him, but he remained calm. He activated the [Mountain and Forest Traversal] and [Yin Qi Perception] abilities in tandem, giving them his full power!

Just as the arrow was about to strike, Xu Yuan twisted his body strangely, shifting half a foot to the side like a willow catkin in the wind.

The arrow grazed past her temple, only lifting a few strands of hair, but the sinister aura attached to the arrow still seeped in.

Xu Yuan felt half of his cheek begin to go numb, as if he had lost all feeling.