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

Xu Yuan retreated three zhang, drawing the Ghost Cry Bow to its full draw once more.

Although the three arrows had injured the Yaksha, the demon general's vitality was far stronger than he had imagined. At this moment, the three blood holes on its back were healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Such strong recovery ability." Xu Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly.

Yaksha turned around, her scarlet eyes fixed on him.

On that ferocious face, a gaping maw revealed two rows of gleaming white fangs, and saliva dripped onto the ground, corroding the rock into tiny pits.

"Humans...are courting death!"

The yaksha spoke in human language, its voice hoarse like a broken gong.

It stomped its feet on the ground, causing the entire cave to tremble violently, and its massive body pounced again like a cannonball!

It's even faster than before!

Xu Yuan did not retreat, but instead pressed forward.

The concentrated true essence from the four orifices surged within his body, and his right arm was instantly covered with a layer of faint black scales—the [Demon Transformation] trait!

"Bang--!"

Fist and palm collided, and a shockwave exploded outwards.

The Yaksha's forward momentum was abruptly halted, and its massive body staggered back three steps, each step leaving a deep footprint in the ground.

However, Xu Yuan was also in bad shape; his entire right arm was sore and numb, and several fine cracks appeared on the scales.

"A power-type demon." Xu Yuan quickly assessed in his mind, "But its speed is not as good as mine, and although its recovery ability is strong, it requires the consumption of demonic energy..."

In the blink of an eye, the Yaksha pounced again.

Xu Yuan stopped fighting him head-on and used his [Mountain and Forest Traverse] ability to its fullest extent, moving through the cave like a ghost.

He would sometimes cling to stalactites, and sometimes slide along the ground, narrowly avoiding the attacks of the yakshas each time.

"Roar! Roar! Roar!"

The yaksha lunged several times, but missed each time, its angry roars echoing throughout the cave.

Its fleshy wings flapped frantically, but it could never fully open them.

Evolution is not yet complete; its fleshy wings are not yet sufficient to support its flight, but even so, its speed is still gradually increasing.

"It's adapting to combat!" Xu Yuan thought with a chill.

The combat wisdom of demon generals far surpasses that of ordinary demon soldiers.

Although the Yaksha in front of him had not yet fully evolved, its fighting instincts were extremely strong, and it was constantly adjusting its attack rhythm, trying to seal off his escape space.

We can't delay any longer!

Xu Yuan's eyes sharpened, and he took out three talismans from his storage bag—the "Explosive Flame Talisman" that Shen Qingyi had given him before she left.

He turned sharply and ran towards the depths of the cave.

The Yaksha roared and gave chase.

As Xu Yuan ran, he stuck three Blazing Flame Talismans onto the stalactites along the way.

After running for more than twenty feet, he suddenly turned and squeezed into a narrow crevice in the rock to the side.

The Yaksha's enormous body caught up, but it got stuck in a crevice in the rocks.

It's now!

Xu Yuan retaliated with an arrow, accurately hitting the nearest Explosive Flame Talisman.

"boom---!"

The Exploding Flame Talisman exploded, flames shot into the sky, and the flames spread rapidly along the route Xu Yuan had set, detonating the second and third talismans in succession!

The three Explosive Flame Talismans instantly caused a series of explosions, shaking the entire cavern.

The rocks collapsed, dust filled the air, and countless stalactites broke off and fell, burying the Yaksha in the pile of stones.

Xu Yuan did not relax; he activated his Yin Qi Perception to the fullest extent, locking onto the aura beneath the pile of stones.

Three breaths.

Five breaths.

Ten breaths.

"boom--!"

The pile of stones exploded, and a huge figure soared into the sky!

The yaksha was covered in blood, and its fleshy wings on its back were half open, flapping wildly.

Its demonic aura was several times more violent than before, and its eyes were bloodshot, clearly indicating that it had completely entered a berserk state.

"Humans...die!"

The Yaksha roared, flapped its wings, and briefly took to the air, then pounced on Xu Yuan like a mountain crashing down!

The speed is almost twice as fast as before!

Xu Yuan's pupils contracted slightly, but he did not retreat.

He flipped his right hand, and the Netherworld Guide emerged from between his brows, hovering above his palm.

A faint light emanated.

The yaksha lunged halfway before suddenly letting out a piercing scream.

Its demonic aura melted away like snow meeting the scorching sun, and its massive body convulsed violently in mid-air before crashing heavily to the ground.

"What...is this?!"

It stared in utter horror at the eerie light in Xu Yuan's palm, fear appearing in its scarlet eyes for the first time.

That light was like a natural enemy to the demons!

Xu Yuan didn't speak, but slowly stepped forward.

The Netherworld Guide has a natural restraint on ghosts and spirits. While it is not as deadly to demons as it is to ghosts, it still has a very strong suppressive effect.

Moreover, this Yaksha was already severely injured and in a state of interrupted evolution, which greatly reduced his strength, thus enabling him to achieve a surprise victory.

"You...you can't kill me..." Yaksha struggled to get up, his voice filled with terror. "My master is...the Shadow Tower..."

The Shadow Tower!

Xu Yuan paused.

"Who is your master?"

A glint of resentment flashed in the Yaksha's eyes: "You...don't even think about it..."

Seeing this, Xu Yuan said no more and placed his hand on Yaksha's forehead.

Hungry Ghost Encyclopedia, activated!

[Devouring Demon General, Early Stage, Yaksha...]

[Transforming...]

A surge of powerful demonic energy flooded into Xu Yuan's body like a burst dam, rampaging through his meridians.

However, the [Body of Eternal Hunger] characteristic began to operate wildly, devouring all this violent demonic power and transforming it into pure true essence.

The yaksha's screams gradually weakened, and its massive body rapidly withered away.

At the same time, the Hundred Ghosts Diagram unfolded in Xu Yuan's mind on its own, and the fifth page of the encyclopedia slowly lit up.

[Slayed one early-stage Yaksha demon general... Meets the requirements for inclusion in the monster encyclopedia...]

[Unlock new illustration: Yasha Oni (1% completion)]

[Gained Ability: Yaksha Power (Can briefly activate Yaksha bloodline, increasing power by 50% for 30 breaths, with a 1-hour cooldown)]

[New Feature: Night Vision (Sees objects as clearly as in daylight in dark environments, reduces the impact of illusionary illusions)]

[Absorbing the demonic power of the Yaksha... Transforming...]

[Qi and Blood Essence +187]

[True Essence Condensation Level Increased...]

[Progress of opening the fifth acupoint "Jiaji": 37%]

Information flooded in like a tidal wave, and Xu Yuan felt his true essence surging like a river, becoming at least 30% more solid than before.

"I'm not far from the five acupoints." Xu Yuan opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in them.

Life-or-death battles are indeed the fastest shortcut to improving one's strength!

He looked down at the remains of the Yaksha on the ground. The demon was enormous and still maintained its ferocious appearance even after death.

"The Shadow Tower..."

Xu Yuan frowned slightly as he recalled Yaksha's dying words.

The yaksha at my feet actually has an owner, and the owner is from the Shadow Tower?

Therefore, the disappearance case in Wo Niu Town is probably not as simple as just monsters causing trouble; there may very well be the shadow of Youying Tower behind it.

He crouched down and carefully examined the Yaksha's corpse.

A moment later, an anomaly was indeed found at the back of the Yaksha's neck.

There was a very faint mark there, shaped like a yaksha with outstretched wings, which was almost impossible to notice without careful examination.

"A brand?" Xu Yuan's heart skipped a beat. "This is... a mark of being kept as a pet?"

Although demons are ferocious, they rarely leave marks on their bodies on their own.

This branding is more like a control mark that has been artificially applied.

In other words, this yaksha was indeed kept by humans!

And the people who keep it are mostly from the Youying Tower!