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

Xu Yuan stood up and looked around the cave.

The dozens of mummified corpses neatly stacked on the cave wall looked even more eerie in the dim light.

"Seven people went missing in half a month, yet there are dozens of mummified corpses here..." Xu Yuan's eyes flickered slightly, "This means that this demon has been entrenched here for far more than half a month. And the county government only started reporting the case half a month ago..."

He suddenly remembered what Yaksha had said earlier—"My master is the Shadow Tower..."

The Shadow Tower is raising demons here, feeding on the villagers. Why did it only start to be exposed half a month ago?

Was it intentional? Or was there another motive?

Xu Yuan pondered for a moment, then took out a recording stone from his storage bag and recorded everything inside the cave.

This is standard equipment for the Demon Suppression Division, used to record mission scenes.

After doing all this, he put the Yaksha's remains into his storage bag. Materials of the demon general level are valuable whether handed over to the emperor or used by himself.

Just as he was about to leave, Xu Yuan suddenly stopped.

Within the [Yin Qi Perception], an extremely faint aura was emanating from the depths of the cave.

The aura was very faint; if his soul hadn't been tempered and he hadn't happened to summon the Netherworld Summoning Technique, he would have hardly noticed it.

"Is there anything else?"

Following the scent, Xu Yuan arrived at the deepest part of the cave.

There was a stone wall there that looked no different from the surrounding rock walls, but when Xu Yuan reached out to touch it, he felt a chilling coldness.

He channeled his inner energy and slammed his palm against the stone wall.

"Boom—!"

The stone wall crumbled, revealing a narrow passage behind it.

The passage wound downwards, becoming deeper and deeper. After walking about a hundred feet, Xu Yuan suddenly found himself in a man-made stone chamber.

The stone chamber was not large, about three zhang square, with a stone table placed in the center.

On the stone table lies a black jade slip, about the size of a palm.

Beside the jade slip was a bronze oil lamp, the oil of which had long since dried up and the wick had turned to ash.

Xu Yuan stepped forward slowly and picked up the jade slip.

It feels cool to the touch, and you can vaguely sense a strange fluctuation within it.

He tried to infuse his true essence into the jade slip, and the next moment, an aged voice resounded in Xu Yuan's mind:

"Those who come after me and see this letter are destined to meet me. I am the former master of Youying Tower, 'Shadow Elder.' Due to my differing beliefs with the current master, Shan Xiongfei, I was betrayed and imprisoned here for thirty years. Knowing that my days are numbered, I leave behind my life's work, 'The True Explanation of Demon Contracts,' and several secrets of Youying Tower. I hope that a destined person will obtain them and, if given the opportunity, kill the traitor Shan Xiongfei for me. Then I can rest in peace in the afterlife."

At this point, the contents of the jade slip transformed into a strange cultivation technique and several secrets about the Shadow Pavilion.

Xu Yuan's gaze narrowed slightly.

The former owner of Youying Tower was imprisoned by the current owner after being plotted against.

This is quite a lot of information.

He continued reading and soon found the record about Yakshas.

"The core members of the Shadow Tower all raise demonic creatures for their own use. Shan Xiongfei raises a 'Shadow Demon,' a half-step Demon General, which can blend into the shadows and is impossible to defend against. His three elders each raise a Demon General-level demon: the Third Elder raises a 'Yaksha,' the Second Elder raises a 'Succubus,' and the First Elder raises a 'Bone Demon.' Yakshas are bloodthirsty and need to be fed human flesh; Succubi bewitch hearts and need to be nourished by the blood essence of young girls; Bone Demons devour corpses and need to feed on the remains of martial artists..."

Upon seeing this, Xu Yuan finally understood.

The yaksha I killed was the very demon that the Third Elder of the Shadow Pavilion was raising!

The disappearance case in Wo Niu Town was actually a case of Youying Tower providing food for the Yaksha.

"No wonder the county government only started reporting the case half a month ago." Xu Yuan had already deduced in his mind, "It's probably because the Yaksha's appetite has increased, and Youyinglou deliberately spread the word to test the reaction of the Demon Suppression Bureau."

He put the jade slip into his storage bag, searched the stone chamber for a while, and only got up and returned after confirming that there were no other discoveries.

When we left the cave, it was already dark outside.

Xu Yuan stood at the cave entrance, gazing in the direction of Woniu Town, his eyes deep and thoughtful.

The matter of Youying Tower was far more complicated than he had anticipated.

The relics of the former owner, the ambitions of the current owner, and the demons kept by the three elders...

"But for me, these can all be seen as experience packs delivered to my door." Xu Yuan's lips curled into a smile.

What would be a death sentence for others is, for him, the best nourishment for the Hundred Ghosts Painting.

If we could kill and devour all the demons kept in the Shadow Pavilion...

A glint of light flashed in Xu Yuan's eyes.

By the time we returned to Woniu Town, it was completely dark.

Xu Yuan did not rush back to the county town, but instead found an inn in the town to stay in.

Firstly, he needed time to process what he had learned that day; secondly, he also wanted to see how the Shadow Pavilion would react after Yaksha's death.

The guesthouse rooms are small, but they are clean.

Xu Yuan sat cross-legged on the bed, took out the black jade slip, and continued to study its contents.

"The True Explanation of the Demon Contract" is an extremely bizarre cultivation method. Cultivators must feed demons with their own blood essence to establish a symbiotic relationship with them.

The stronger the demon, the faster the cultivator's strength increases; however, if the demon escapes control and causes a backlash, the cultivator will die instantly.

"Unorthodox and heretical practices." Xu Yuan only glanced at it a few times before losing interest.

With the Hundred Ghosts Painting on him, he didn't need to consider something so extremely risky.

However, the records about Youying Tower in the jade slip are of great value.

Shan Xiongfei, the current master of Youying Tower, is a half-step Divine Power Realm cultivator who raises a half-step Demon General, Shadow Demon.

The three elders were all at the late stage of the Qi Condensation Realm, and each of them raised a Yaksha, a Succubus, and a Bone Demon.

The main altar of Youying Tower is located at the Drywood Cliff, the exact location of which is unknown. However, the jade slip vaguely mentions that there is an entrance to an ancient ruin at the foot of the Drywood Cliff. The reason why Youying Tower chose to establish itself here is precisely for that ruin.

"Ancient relics..." Xu Yuan's heart stirred.

Could it be related to the Underworld again?

He couldn't help but recall the entrance to the Netherworld Palace on the back mountain of Shuangshan Village, the three-year agreement mentioned by the golden-eyed servant, and Xu Changming's words, "On the day the Netherworld Palace opens, there will be a great chaos on the back mountain."

This Shadow Pavilion is probably also after the Underworld.

"Interesting." Xu Yuan put away the jade slip and closed his eyes to rest.

It was midnight, three quarters past midnight.

In the [Yin Qi Sensing], a subtle aura quietly approached the inn.

Xu Yuan slowly opened his eyes, a smile playing on his lips.

"They're here..."

A moment later, a dark figure appeared silently outside the window.

It was a thin man dressed in black, with an ordinary face, and his aura was around the eighth level of Blood Refinement.

At this moment, he was peering into the room through the crack in the window and saw Xu Yuan sitting cross-legged on the bed, seemingly asleep. A hint of joy flashed in his eyes.

Just as he was about to climb in through the window, suddenly—

"Are you looking for me?"

The voice came from behind.

The man in black froze, then turned around abruptly to see Xu Yuan standing three feet behind him, looking at him with a half-smile.

"You...how could you..."

Before the man in black could finish speaking, Xu Yuan had already raised his hand and grabbed his throat.

"People from Youying Tower?" Xu Yuan said calmly.

The man in black's pupils contracted sharply, but he stubbornly remained silent.

Seeing this, Xu Yuan nodded and, without saying a word, directly activated the Changgui Illustrated Compendium.

[A martial artist's remnant soul matching the criteria has been detected...]

[Should I refine him into a servant?]

"Refine it."

The man in black convulsed violently, and his eyes gradually became vacant.

Three breaths later, he stood respectfully beside Xu Yuan, head bowed, and said, "My lord!"

"name?"

"blacksnake."

"What is your position in the Shadow Tower?"

"The spies in the outer tower are responsible for monitoring the activities around Woniu Town."

"The Yaksha is dead, do you know that?"

"Yes, I know. The Third Elder sensed that the Yaksha had broken off from his life mark and was extremely furious. He ordered his subordinates to come and investigate."

Xu Yuan's eyes flickered slightly: "Where is the Third Elder now?"

"I don't know. The Third Elder rarely shows himself. Even those of us from the outer tower have never seen his true face."

Xu Yuan asked a few more questions, and after confirming that the black snake's knowledge was limited, he put it into his sleeve.

He stood by the window, gazing at Woniu Town in the night, a slight smile playing on his lips.

The Third Elder of Youying Tower was furious.

That's perfect.

I've taken in the demon you were raising, now—

It's your turn to die!