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

Li Ergou screamed without warning, his voice so shrill it was inhuman, "You ate...you ate them!!! Red eyes...black shadow...ate Changming!!!"

He scrambled backward, pulling the tattered cotton-padded coat over his head, trembling like a leaf, muttering repeatedly, "Don't eat me...don't eat me...I didn't see anything...I didn't see anything..."

Xu Yuan's heart skipped a beat!

When Li Ergou talks about "ghosts," is he referring to him, or has he mistaken him for something else?

"Uncle Er Gou, look carefully, I am Xu Yuan!" Xu Yuan tried to step forward to comfort him.

But Li Ergou seemed to have completely lost control. He kept screaming and backing away, crawling on his hands and feet towards the corner of the wall. In his panic, he even knocked down the simple stove made of adobe bricks in the house.

With a muffled thud, the stove collapsed, dust flew everywhere, and Li Ergou fell to the ground.

Xu Yuan was about to help him up when his gaze was drawn to something emerging from the ruins of the stove—a tattered booklet, buried under the mud bricks, with only one corner showing.

Strangely, the booklet appeared to have been burned, with its edges charred and curled.

Li Ergou was still screaming, but Xu Yuan ignored him and reached out to pry open the mud bricks and pull out the booklet.

It was heavy to the touch. Although the cover was mostly burned, the remaining binding suggested that the book should have been quite exquisite.

Turning to the first page, a line of bold, unrestrained handwriting immediately catches the eye:

"On the seventh day of the third month of the sixteenth year of the Yankang era of the Great Qian Dynasty, I have been in the mountains for three days. Today, I got lost in the mountains and encountered a group of strange people..."

Xu Yuan's pupils constricted sharply! This handwriting? This content!

He hurriedly flipped through the pages; most of the papers were burned and incomplete, but the fragmented text still pieced together a considerable amount of useful information:

"...They claimed to be from the 'Great Qian Demon Suppression Division,' and were all dressed in black, close-fitting outfits with iron badges at their waists..."

"...Lord Wang, who was in charge, said that they were searching for an ancient seal and needed a guide, and this booklet was a gift from him to me..."

"...I wanted to refuse, but their reward was a wild deer I'd casually hunted...My parents hadn't eaten for three days, and the villagers needed food..."

"...The fog in the mountains is so thick. Lord Wang took out a compass, but the needle keeps spinning erratically..."

"...Finally found the stone tablet! It's huge! It's covered in strange runes..."

"...Something's happened! Lots of red eyes have emerged from the ground! Lord Wang is dead..."

"...Run! Everyone's running! Lieutenant Li gave me a push..."

"...I fell into a cave, and through a crack in the rocks I saw...they had all been eaten..."

"...That wasn't a seal at all...it was a human sacrifice..."

"...We can't stay here any longer...we'll be found..."

The diary-like entries abruptly end there, the last page burned down to just a few blurry words: "...Demon Suppression Bureau...Traitor...Altar..."

Xu Yuan's hands, which were holding the book, were trembling slightly.

"I see..." he murmured to himself.

Twenty years ago, Xu Changming and his companions encountered a team from the Great Qian Demon Suppression Division in the back mountains! They were paid with a wild deer to act as guides, and ultimately became embroiled in this disaster!

Xu Yuan quickly flipped through the remaining pages, trying to find more information.

Between the burned pages, he found some fragmented records:

"...Lord Wang said that the first realm of martial arts is 'Blood Refining,' which is divided into nine levels. It is based on blood and qi, and tempers muscles, bones, and skin. At its peak, one can lift a thousand pounds and move as fast as a galloping horse. Most of the ordinary guards of the Demon Suppression Division are between the third and fifth levels of the Blood Refining realm..."

"...Once the Qi and blood are abundant, one can attempt to 'condense the acupoints,' condensing thirty-six acupoints within the body. With each condensed acupoint, strength doubles. A martial artist who has condensed the acupoints is no ordinary person; by practicing martial arts techniques, one can split mountains with their strength and serve as a demon-suppressing envoy..."

"...Above that is 'Divine Power,' which involves opening the Heavenly Gate, forging the Spirit Platform, and awakening one's innate divine power. A powerhouse at this level is a guest of honor anywhere; all eight commanders of the Demon Suppression Division are at this level..."

"...As for what's even higher, Lord Wang was vague, only saying that it's 'beyond the reach of ordinary people'..."

A glint flashed in Xu Yuan's eyes!

The cultivation system in this world is so complete, and judging from the descriptions, the strongest martial artists have the power to move mountains and overturn seas!

Unfortunately, too many of these books were burned, and much of the key information is missing.

For example, the specific methods of martial arts training, the exact location of the stone tablet altar, and... what exactly was the Demon Suppression Division carrying out back then?

"Once we've fully digested the mountain spirit's flesh and blood," Xu Yuan gripped the book in his hand, his eyes resolute, "we must go back into the mountain again!"

If what's recorded in this diary is true, then there must be a huge secret hidden deep in the back mountains.

Xu Yuan placed the remaining pheasant meat on the ground and then quietly withdrew.

After he left, Li Ergou, who was squatting in the corner trembling, suddenly had a clearer look in his eyes.

He frantically picked up the pheasant meat from the ground and began to swallow it in large gulps, but his originally filthy face was now stained with tears.

At the other end of the village, in Zhao San's dilapidated house, three figures were whispering and plotting.

"Third Brother, that kid is too strange, his strength is inhuman!" Wang Erma said with lingering fear.

Guo Laizi chimed in, "That's right, his eyes were practically glowing, like he was on drugs!"

Zhao San's face darkened: "I don't care what he is. I've observed him; he only distributed pheasants and rabbits yesterday. He's definitely hiding something much better behind the scenes!"

"What should we do? We can't beat him."

"Can't he resort to underhanded tactics if he can't beat them?" Zhao San sneered. "Starting today, keep a close eye on him! He thinks he can find food? I'll see where he actually finds it! If he goes into the back mountains... hmph, we'll tell the whole village, and see how he can stay in Shuangshan Village any longer!"

"But the back mountain is a forbidden area..."

"What's there to be afraid of?" Zhao San's face was sinister. "He went in and came back alive, why can't we? Maybe there really is treasure inside! Once we find it, the three of us will split it up and run away. Who's going to stay in this wretched village waiting to die?"

The three exchanged a glance, and each saw the madness and greed in the other's eyes.

Unbeknownst to anyone, at this very moment, deep within the back mountain, from a bottomless crevice, a small amount of dense black energy is slowly seeping out.

A pair of enormous, scarlet pupils slowly opened in the darkness, then slowly closed again.

……

Three days later, Xu Yuan slowly opened his eyes as the sun rose.

A faint crimson light flickered in his pupils, then vanished.

As he exhaled a breath of stale air, the breath condensed into a straight white streak in the cold air, shooting out three feet before slowly dissipating.

"It took three whole days to finally digest it!"

Xu Yuan got up and stretched his limbs, his joints cracking crisply. His muscle lines were faintly visible under his thin clothes. Compared to three days ago, his face looked less sallow and more resolute with sharp features.

"My strength has at least doubled," Xu Yuan muttered to himself.

As consciousness sank into his mind, in the Hundred Ghosts Picture Book, the bloated belly of the ferocious ghost in the Hungry Ghost Picture Book seemed to have shrunk a little, but the hunger in its eyes was even more frenzied.

[Current cultivation level: Blood Refinement Level 1!]

[Hungry Ghost: 19% progress]

[Ability: Extremely efficient digestion]

【Characteristics: Unlimited appetite, enhanced strength, enhanced agility】

【? ? ?: Unlock progress 47%】

This is the change brought about by consuming the flesh and blood of demons. Just a palm-sized piece of mountain spirit flesh and blood allowed Xu Yuan to successfully embark on the path of martial arts!

"Although I'm only at the first level of the Blood Refining Realm right now..." Xu Yuan clenched his fist, feeling the warm blood flowing slowly through his meridians, "but thanks to the boost from the Starving Ghost Compendium, my arm strength has probably already exceeded two hundred jin!"

As his strength surged, he also realized that ordinary food could no longer satisfy his appetite.

A glint flashed in Xu Yuan's eyes. With his eyesight now far exceeding that of ordinary people, he could clearly see every blade of grass and every tree in the courtyard. He twitched his ears slightly and could even hear the sound of Aunt Zhang's child sleeping soundly dozens of steps away, as well as... further away, the sound of several furtive footsteps.

"Zhao San and his gang are still keeping an eye on things, just as expected," Xu Yuan sneered.

For the past three days, Zhao San and the others have been keeping a close watch on him.

At first, he dared to openly loiter outside the courtyard, but after being warned several times by the old village chief, he switched to spying secretly. However, with Xu Yuan's current perception ability, this clumsy surveillance was simply child's play.

Xu Yuan didn't care about them; all he could think about right now was the back mountain!

The boost from the flesh and blood of the mountain spirit is too tempting. If he could hunt down a few wild beasts that have been tainted by demonic energy, or even... if he were lucky enough to encounter a severely injured mountain spirit, his strength would surely experience a leap forward.

Xu Yuan's actions were not impulsive; he had found a hand-drawn map hidden in the book's inner compartment!

The map is extremely detailed. The entire back mountain is clearly divided into inner and outer sections by a vermilion line. In the outer area, three special dangerous places are marked: the "Rock Beach" in the north, the "Black Water Pool" in the west, and the "Ghost Cry Forest" in the east.

"These three locations are likely the most dangerous areas on the outskirts of the back mountain, the easiest places for evil spirits to breed," Xu Yuan said, tracing a line on the map. "But they are also the areas where prey is most likely to appear!"

After a moment of contemplation, his gaze finally settled on the "Ghost Cry Forest".

"Let's go here!" Xu Yuan made his decision.

The reason he chose this place was because he had witnessed the battle between the mountain spirit and the ghost in this area before, and he was more familiar with the terrain there.

Having made up his mind, Xu Yuan did not hesitate at all. Taking advantage of the early morning light and before the rest of the villagers had gotten up, he mounted his wood-chopping knife and quietly headed towards the village entrance.

No sooner had Xu Yuan left than three pairs of eyes fixed intently on his retreating figure at the base of a wall not far away.

"Finally out!" Zhao San licked his chapped lips, his eyes bloodshot. "He didn't leave the house for three days, but ran into the mountains first thing this morning... Something's definitely fishy!"

Wang Erma shrank back: "Third Brother, are we... are we really going to go? That place in the back mountain..."

"What are you afraid of?" Guo Laizi said defiantly, but his voice was somewhat weak. "If he can go, why can't we? Maybe there really is something good in the mountains, otherwise how would he have gotten the strength to knock Third Brother over?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao San's face immediately darkened.

Over the past three days, he had become increasingly aggrieved. After being a bully in the village for so many years, he had been trampled underfoot by an outsider and had lost all face.

What's even more infuriating is that the boy shared the meat with Aunt Zhang and Little Stone's family, but he didn't get any!

"Follow him!" Zhao San gritted his teeth. "But don't get too close. Just see if he's actually going into the back mountain."

The three followed at a distance of about two hundred paces.

They thought they had done it discreetly, but little did they know that Xu Yuan's senses were now far more acute than those of ordinary people, and he noticed the "tail" behind him as soon as he reached the village entrance.

"You're courting death!" A cold glint flashed in Xu Yuan's eyes, and he suddenly accelerated his pace.

He displayed his strength at the first level of Blood Refinement, his figure darting out like a cheetah, disappearing around the corner of the village entrance in a few leaps.

Zhao San and the others chased after him desperately, but they couldn't even catch a glimpse of him, and instead, they were exhausted and panting.

"Damn it, is this kid a dog? How can he run so fast?" Wang Erma leaned against the old locust tree at the village entrance, panting heavily.

Zhao San's face was extremely ugly. Xu Yuan's speed just now had really shocked him. It was not something a normal person could possess!

"Third Brother, should we still follow?" Guo Laizi looked at the dark mountains in the distance and subconsciously swallowed.

Zhao San stared intently at the direction Xu Yuan had disappeared in for a long time, his fist clenching and unclenching before finally squeezing out a few words through gritted teeth: "I'm not following... I'll wait here!"

"wait?"

"Let's wait for that kid to come out." Zhao San's eyes flashed with a fierce light. "If he can come out alive with his prey, it proves that this back mountain isn't as dangerous as the rumors say. Then..."

Before he finished speaking, both Wang Erma and Guo Laizi understood—they would also be going into the mountains!

The three of them immediately found a secluded spot at the village entrance and continued to lie in wait, their eyes fixed on the path leading into the mountains.