Transforming the false into the true, I am the only one in the world who possesses the true Dharma.

Thinking of this, the smoke in front of him changed, and the twenty taels of life money disappeared completely.

[Vajra Dry Meditation Skill (Five Aggregates Realm): Initial Understanding → Minor Success]

[You can continue cultivating after spending 100 taels of life coins.]

Another hundred taels.

Xu Yan looked at the last eight taels of life money and couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

The higher one's spiritual level, the greater the cost of one's life-saving money.

At first, I thought that sixty-five taels of life money was a great fortune, but now that I have just casually increased it, I am back to square one.

However, once the Vajra Dry Zen Skill reaches a certain level of mastery, its defensive capabilities are also extremely strong.

The five streams of Zen energy transformed into eight. By simply parrying a few attacks, one could be enveloped in Zen energy, resulting in a qualitative change in defensive capabilities.

Xu Yan stopped thinking about it and walked out the door: "I'm going out for a bit."

Huang Yuxian nodded without asking Xu Yan what he was going to do.

After Xu Yan left, the room fell silent again.

……

Jingou Mountain is located about several dozen miles west of Qingyang County.

This place is named after the hook-shaped mountains that shimmer with golden light when the sun shines on them.

But very few people come here to visit.

Besides the long distance, the vast majority of locals who come to visit this place have disappeared.

There were rumors that this place was haunted by ghosts and monsters, and that the lost people were all taken away by the ghosts and monsters to be their substitutes.

At that moment, a slender figure walked along the mountain path.

Xu Yan, dressed in black, took off his straw hat and gazed at the entire Golden Hook Mountain, his eyes slightly narrowed.

"It smells bloody."

Nothing unusual happened along the way.

He took a carriage, got off at the nearest official road, and headed straight for Golden Hook Mountain.

As soon as he arrived at the entrance to the mountain path, he sensed that something was wrong.

Ordinary people might not be able to smell it, but Xu Yan has killed many people and can easily detect the faint smell of blood in the air.

Combined with the fact that there is a demon in this place, we can deduce who is responsible.

Xu Yan didn't think much of it and stepped onto the mountain path.

As soon as you enter the mountain path, a strange chill washes over you.

Xu Yan gripped the long sword at his waist with his other hand and continued walking forward.

The mountain path was rugged and covered with wild grass. If Xu Yan hadn't been a martial artist, he would have had to spend a lot of energy just to watch his step.

The sound of flowing water could be heard not far ahead.

Xu Yan parted the grass, and a rushing river appeared at the end of his line of sight.

Beside the river, two wolf demons with wolf heads and human bodies were washing something.

This was Xu Yan's first encounter with a demon, and aside from a little nervousness, he felt mostly excited and thrilled.

But when Xu Yan saw what the wolf demon was washing, his tension vanished completely, replaced by coldness.

A corpse, a human corpse.

They were washing away the filth from the human corpses, just like washing vegetables.

They were talking while they were washing.

"We haven't caught any fresh blood for several days. If the boss hadn't frozen it, we would have been eating grass roots for the past few days."

"It's your own fault for going too far before, otherwise why wouldn't anyone come?"

"Don't mention that. What was the boss thinking? He actually went to the county town to buy food for humans. That stuff is like pig swill."

"I know about this. My second aunt's husband is the boss's personal bodyguard. It's said that a distinguished guest came to the county town, and it was that distinguished guest who tipped us off about the goods we robbed this time."

As the two wolf demons recounted their story, every single word reached Xu Yan's ears.

Xu Yan narrowed his eyes: "So someone tipped us off. It seems this matter is related to people in the county town."

It's normal for demons to rob people, but it's not normal for them to rob anything but the goods of the Dust and Sand Gang.

It's either specifically targeting the Dust and Sand Gang, or it's specifically targeting Yu Yingyue.

Neither of them is a simple case of highway robbery.

As they were thinking this, the two wolf demons finished washing the corpse and prepared to return the way they came.

Xu Yan pondered for a moment, then drew the long sword from his waist.

With a flash of cold light, two sword energies transformed into a gentle breeze, circling around the wolf demon's neck.

One of the wolf demons paused, standing still like a wooden statue.

The other wolf demon paused, then gently patted its companion's shoulder: "What's wrong? Missing another she-wolf again?"

But as soon as he placed his claws on it, a line of blood appeared on his companion's neck.

The wolf's head detached from its neck and fell to the ground with a thud.

Blood splattered everywhere, staining the stones red.

The wolf demon froze, then immediately threw aside the corpse, its face contorted in a ferocious grimace: "Who! Who dares to act so arrogantly at Golden Hook Mountain!"

Before he could finish speaking, the wolf demon saw a figure flash by.

The newcomer appeared as if riding the wind, a wisp of wind rising from his feet, and arrived in the blink of an eye.

The longsword landed precisely on his neck, and the icy sensation sent a shiver down the wolf demon's spine.

Xu Yan's hands were steady, but his voice was as cold as ice: "Tell me about the situation at Golden Hook Mountain. If you explain it clearly, you can live."

The wolf demon's hair stood on end, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "Who are you? Don't you know this is Golden Hook Mountain? How dare you act so presumptuously here!"

Xu Yan raised an eyebrow slightly: "This is really troublesome."

Before he could finish speaking, a flash of sword light appeared.

The wolf demon's arm fell to the ground, spraying blood everywhere.

"what!"

The wolf demon had just let out a miserable howl when Xu Yan made a gesture to shut up.

"Say it again, and your head won't be your own anymore."

The wolf demon immediately shut its mouth, and even though its arm was in excruciating pain, it dared not utter another sound.

Xu Yan said calmly, "Speak."

The wolf demon dared not refuse and quickly replied, "There are seven wolf demons on the top of Golden Hook Mountain. There were originally more, but several died during the last robbery. Six of them are at the early stage of the Transcendent Realm, while only Wolf Lord is at the early stage of the Five Elements Realm."

"Lord Wolf?"

Xu Yan stroked his chin: "Didn't they say it was only the Transcendent Realm at its peak?"

The wolf demon shook his head and said, "Originally, I was at the peak of the Transcendent Realm, but after robbing this batch of goods, I gained the favor of a noble person, who bestowed upon me great treasures. I also survived the terror of life and death and reached the Five Elements Realm."

Xu Yan then asked, "Who is that distinguished person, and is he here today as well?"

The wolf demon hurriedly nodded: "I don't know the identity of this important person, but it seems that he is coming here today to arrange another task for you, sir."

Xu Yan pondered for a moment and asked, "Anything else?"

The wolf demon's Adam's apple bobbed: "That's all. I'm just a lowly wolf demon, how could I know anything important? Master, please spare me."

Xu Yan nodded slightly, then flicked his longsword.

The sword energy grazed the wolf demon's neck, preventing it from moving an inch.

"If this is all you have, it's not enough to buy your life," Xu Yan said calmly.

The wolf demon was restrained by the sword energy, and felt death sweep over him like a shadow.

"Yes! I have! I have some news that could save my life!"

The wolf demon quickly raised his hand: "Master, I remember now, that distinguished guest seems to have connections with the Dust Sand Gang!"