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

In the dark and deep cave, Xu Yuan stood before three paths, holding a black iron plate.

At this moment, the black iron plate was faintly glowing in front of the central passage. Although the light was weak, it was particularly conspicuous in the absolute darkness.

When turning to the other two channels, the black iron plate became unresponsive.

"Go to the middle..." Xu Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly.

He remembered clearly that when he chased Zhang Biao, the leader of the Black Wind Stronghold bandits, the other party had clearly escaped into the right passage.

This also means that the end of that passage must lead out of the mountains—otherwise, Zhang Biao would not have chosen that route to escape.

But now the black iron plate is pointing towards the middle passage...

What does this mean?

After a moment's thought, Xu Yuan put away the tinderbox, since the firelight was too conspicuous in the darkness.

He then circulated his qi and blood, and his eyes immediately glowed with a barely perceptible red light. This was a sign of his abundant qi and blood after reaching the ninth level of Blood Refinement, which allowed him to barely see in the dark.

"Move to the middle!"

Xu Yuan stepped straight into the central passage.

The passage was narrower than expected, allowing only one person to pass at a time.

The cave walls were slippery and covered with moss, and there were puddles of varying depths underfoot.

The further in he went, the stronger the chill in the air became, and Xu Yuan could even feel the cold seeping into his bones.

This doesn't seem to be ordinary cold, but rather a kind of... yin energy?!

The gui (a type of ghost) encyclopedia in Xu Yuan's mind started operating spontaneously, and his [Yin Qi Perception] was particularly sensitive to the aura of this special envoy.

He could sense that deep within this passage, there existed something related to ghosts.

After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the view ahead suddenly opened up.

A huge underground space came into Xu Yuan's view, with a ceiling more than ten feet high and countless stalactites hanging down like inverted swords.

In the center of that cave, there was a dilapidated stone altar!

The altar is circular, about three zhang in diameter, and is built of some kind of black stone, with its surface covered with dense and strange runes.

Those runes were completely different from the grassland script on the ancient shaman altar; they looked much older and more distorted, as if they weren't written for human eyes.

But what is most eye-catching is the half-human-sized stone statue standing in the center of the altar.

The stone statue depicts a figure sitting cross-legged, with a blurred face, but wearing a long robe and with his hands forming a peculiar mudra.

The stone statue is covered with cracks and even has half of its head missing, yet it still exudes a chilling sense of majesty.

"This is..." Xu Yuan approached the altar. At this moment, he could feel the black iron plate in his arms starting to get hot, almost burning his skin.

Xu Yuan quickly took out the black iron piece and found that the originally dim and dark patterns on it were now completely lit up, and echoed some of the runes on the altar!

"There's definitely a connection here!"

Xu Yuan took a deep breath and strode onto the altar.

The moment his foot landed, the runes on the altar began to glow with a ghostly blue light, spreading from the edges to the center.

When the light touched the central stone statue, a cold black mist was projected from the missing head of the statue!

Within the black mist was a figure whose face was obscured, sitting cross-legged, in the same posture as the stone statue.

"So many years have passed... and finally someone has come to this place..." the figure spoke, its voice ethereal as if from the deepest hell, "Young man, what is that thing in your hand... from where did it come?"

Xu Yuan gripped the black iron piece in his hand and said in a deep voice, "I obtained it by chance. May I ask who it is, senior?"

"I am Youying, the gatekeeper of the Netherworld," the figure said slowly. "The 'Netherworld Guide' in your hand is one of the credentials for entering the Netherworld. It seems you are destined to enter my Netherworld!"

The Netherworld Guide? So this black iron plate is called the Netherworld Guide.

Xu Yuan was shaken, but remained calm and asked, "May I ask, senior, what kind of place is the Netherworld Palace?"

"Ancient ruins, the site of my lord, the Netherworld True Lord's, Daoist abode." The shadowy voice carried a hint of arrogance. "It contains supreme inheritance; obtaining it grants access to the Netherworld and the attainment of immortality, however..."

He paused, then said, "The Netherworld Palace opens once every sixty years. The next opening will be in three years."

Three years! Another three years!

Xu Yuan recalled the words of the Golden-Eyed Servant, and it seemed that the opening time of the Netherworld Palace was indeed fixed.

"May I ask what brings you here, senior?" Xu Yuan continued to ask.

"I will obey my lord's command and await the one destined to receive it," said the Shadow. "The True Lord left behind a legacy that included three trials. The first trial was to gather three Netherworld Guides, and the one you hold is one of them."

"What about the other two?"

"One piece is in the hands of the Great Qian royal family, and the other... its whereabouts are unknown." Youying changed the subject, "However, since you have found this place, you can be considered a destined person. I can pass on to you a 'Netherworld Soul Refining Technique' to help you temper your soul and prepare for entering the Netherworld Palace in the future."

A sense of vigilance rose in Xu Yuan's heart. There is no such thing as a free lunch. This shadowy figure was so generous; perhaps it had some ulterior motive.

"May I ask what you need me to do, senior?"

A green light flickered in the shadowy figure's eyes, and his tone softened slightly: "Clever, I do indeed have a favor to ask." He glanced at the stone statue beneath him.

"My physical body has long since decayed, but a wisp of my remnant soul clings to the stone statue to survive. If you can enter the Netherworld in three years and find the 'Soul-Nourishing Jade' to help me reshape my soul, I will tell you all the secrets of the Netherworld."

Soul-Nourishing Jade?

Xu Yuan silently memorized the name.

"So? Are you willing to make this deal?" Shadow asked.

Xu Yuan pondered for a moment, then finally nodded: "Okay, but you need to give me the 'Netherworld Soul Refining Technique' first."

"Alright." Without further ado, Youying raised her hand and pointed, sending a beam of pale green light into Xu Yuan's brow.

A flood of information rushed into my mind instantly:

The Netherworld Soul Refining Technique - Basic Edition

This is a method for tempering the soul, divided into three stages: soul fixation, soul condensation, and soul refining.

Upon reaching the pinnacle of cultivation, one's soul can leave the body, allowing one to travel hundreds of miles at night without fear of yin winds or evil spirits!

What surprised Xu Yuan even more was that this Soul Refining Technique had a natural advantage against ghosts and spirits, and the "Netherworld Soul Power" cultivated was specifically designed to damage the soul!

"Thank you very much, senior." Xu Yuan said sincerely.

"It's alright. Beneath this altar, there is a Soul-Devouring Demon Spirit at the early stage of the Ghost General realm, born from a mutation of a Yin Soul. It feeds on the souls of living beings. If you can kill it, the Soul Crystal within its body will greatly benefit your cultivation of this technique..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the shadowy figure began to fluctuate violently, clearly about to dissipate.

Xu Yuan listened intently, holding his breath.

"Remember... the seal is located... beneath the altar... and requires the Netherworld Guide as a key... the Soul-Devouring Demon fears the Yang Fire and dreads the Thunder Sound..."

The shadowy figure began to fade.

"Remember our promise. Three years from now, the Underworld will open..."

Before the words were finished, the black mist completely dissipated, and everything returned to silence.

All that remained was the broken stone statue on the altar, and the faint glow of runes flickering in the darkness.