Starting as a stray dog, I embarked on a journey of cultivation.

Before swallowing the elixir, Gou An's demon power value on his panel was only slightly over four hundred.

As the medicinal power of the pill rapidly dissolved within his body, permeating his flesh and blood, his demonic power surged at an almost terrifying rate.

Six hundred, eight hundred, one thousand, one thousand two hundred, one thousand five hundred, two thousand...

Feeling the ever-growing and increasing demonic power, Gou An had no time to feel any joy.

At this moment, the surging burning sensation inside his body became increasingly violent, making his limbs weak and causing him to involuntarily slow down his running speed.

The distance between the three hunters behind him was quickly closed, and their angry shouts were clearly heard.

"It's just ahead!"

"That damn stray dog, we'll skin it alive when we catch it!"

"This beast has ruined such a fine batch of pills!"

The three men were filled with boundless hatred, their killing intent tightly gripping Gou An's back.

Just as he was about to be caught, Gou An caught a glimpse of a cave hidden in the rock wall to one side, just the right size to take in.

Without time to think it over, Gou An suddenly turned around and squeezed inside.

The passage was narrow and cramped, just wide enough for a single wild dog to pass through. The hunter behind him was too large to keep up.

The entrance to the cave was initially extremely narrow, barely wide enough for a dog to pass through. After walking several dozen steps, the cave suddenly opened up into a bright and spacious area.

At the very back of the cave is a natural underground karst cave with a slowly flowing underground spring whose water is icy cold.

At that moment, Gou An was burning up from the heat of the pill, and seeing the ice water was like seeing a life-saving medicine. He jumped into the spring.

A bone-chilling cold swept over his body, finally easing the burning pain somewhat.

Meanwhile, outside the cave.

The three hunters chased the creature all the way to the cave entrance, but upon seeing the narrow passage, they immediately stopped.

"Oh no, the dog has crawled into the hole!"

"What do we do now?"

"We'll stay here and wait. I refuse to believe it can hide inside forever!"

"Yes! After eating my precious pill, I'll use all of this dog's bones to make soup!"

The three immediately split up, forming an encirclement around the cave entrance, and quietly crouched down, ready to fight to the death.

Underwater in the cave, the cool spring water continuously neutralized the violent medicinal power within the body, dissipating most of the burning sensation, and allowing the body to absorb the essence of the pill even faster.

When Gou An surfaced and gasped for breath, the attribute panel in his mind had already reached the current realm limit.

[Current Realm: Tier 3 Demon Beast]

[Demon Power Value: 4180/4000]

[Demonic power overflows, automatically triggering a realm breakthrough...]

The physical sensation of this breakthrough was similar to the last one, except that there was an extra layer of subtle tearing pain in the body, as if the body could not keep up with the surge of power and was on the verge of breaking apart.

Gou Anxin understood. During the day, he was just an ordinary second-tier demon beast. In just one day, he was about to break through to the fourth tier. His speed of improvement was too rapid.

He was secretly terrified. If he hadn't stumbled upon this cave and the ice spring hadn't suppressed the medicinal power, he probably wouldn't have been able to withstand the violent effects of the pill and would have already suffered severe injuries.

However, the auspicious dog is blessed by heaven, and even the heavens are secretly helping him.

I really am a dog of destiny!

Half an hour later, the breakthrough was finally completed, and the panel refreshed with new realm information.

[Current Realm: Fourth Tier of Demon Beast]

[Demon Power Value: 180/8000]

Having discerned the demonic power required for the next stage, Gou An's previous speculation was confirmed.

Each breakthrough in a realm requires twice the demonic power of the previous realm.

The further you go, the more difficult the path to promotion will become.

[Congratulations on breaking through to the fourth rank of demon beast! You have gained seven new demon power points.]

You can exchange Hex Points for Hex Arts from the following options.

[Rough Transformation: Allows temporary humanoid transformation. The closer the transformation is to a human, the more energy it consumes. (Exchangeable for Demon Points: 7 points)]

【Greedy Wolf Claws: Claws enhanced, sharp as a knife. (Exchangeable for 6 Demon Points)】

[Iron Skin Technique: Skin is strengthened to the point of being as hard as iron, defense skyrockets. (Exchange for Demon Points: 5 points)]

[A Space Within a Mouth: A storage space conjures up inside the mouth, its capacity increasing as the user's cultivation level rises (Exchangeable for 4 Demon Points)]

【Phantom Assault: During the assault, several afterimages are released to confuse the enemy's vision (Exchange for Demon Points: 3 points)】

[Male Dog Reproduction: Increases stamina and attractiveness to female dogs, allowing for rapid breeding of dog packs (Exchangeable for Demon Points: 2 points)]

[Carrion Eater: Consuming rotten flesh, feces, and other similar items grants more Demon Power. (Exchangeable for 1 Demon Point)]

Looking at the newly emerging sorcery, Gou An fell into deep thought.

Although the shapeshifting technique is only a crude version, it can still temporarily transform one into a human.

This sorcery was extremely tempting to Gou An, who possessed a human soul.

However, he is currently trapped in a cave, and there are likely hunters guarding the entrance. This spell cannot help him escape at all, so it is not a suitable option at the moment.

As for the male dog's reproduction, Gou An only glanced at it before his lips twitched uncontrollably.

It was so outrageous that even if the most beautiful female dog in the world were placed in front of him, he would never have the slightest thought of it, so he directly ruled out this sorcery.

Therefore, the final target was set on the remaining few sorceries.

Either learn the Greedy Wolf Claw technique and go out to fight them, or learn the Iron Skin technique, go out and honestly endure the beating, and then take the opportunity to escape.

Or choose the afterimage attack...

While pondering, Gou An's gaze fixed on the sorcery of "the mouth can hold the universe."

The idea of ​​creating storage space inside the mouth is incredibly convenient.

The reason he was forced into this predicament today is that he had no way to carry treasures with him, so his storage bag could only be hidden in a cave, which is why it was taken away by the hunter.

If this technique had been mastered earlier, none of this series of misfortunes would have occurred.

After careful consideration, Gou An made up his mind and chose two sorcery techniques: "Mouth Has a Universe" and "Afterimage Assault".

Firstly, his mouth possesses the ability to store treasures at any time, eliminating the risk of losing opportunities.

Secondly, the illusionary attack's deceptive effect is perfect for getting rid of hunters lying in wait outside the cave.

At the chosen moment, two warm currents flowed through the meridians of the entire body.

Before long, the methods for activating and the techniques for exerting power of the two demonic arts were completely imprinted in his blood and mind.

Even though he successfully broke through to the fourth rank and his strength increased dramatically, Gou An had no intention of leaving the cave rashly.

He must calm down and lie low while waiting.

Firstly, they need to rest and recover their strength; secondly, they need to wear down the hunters who are waiting outside the cave until they are relaxed and their vigilance is at its lowest.

He had never fought against humans before, so he didn't know his own strength or the strength of his enemies.

Going out rashly is very dangerous.

And this wait lasted for five whole days, with Gou An still holding back his troops.

Having struggled to survive for years in the demon beast forest, enduring hunger and forbearance were skills ingrained in his bones.

The longer they hide, the greater their chances of escaping.

Outside the cave, five days of relentless surveillance had already worn down the patience of the three hunters.

"Third brother, let's retreat! We've been guarding it for five days, and there hasn't been a sound from inside the cave. Maybe that wild dog has already died from the drug's backlash."

The other person immediately nodded in agreement: "That's right. Although the beast swallowed the pills, there are still quite a few pills in the storage bag. We can still refine them again when we get back."

Hearing his companion's advice, the third brother finally sighed and said, "Alright, it's time to head back."

The three men made up their minds and turned to leave, but the third brother suddenly stopped in his tracks.

His companion asked in confusion, "What? You're still planning to keep guarding?"

The third brother's lips curled into a sinister smile: "We're not going to guard it anymore, but we can't let that beast get away so easily."

As he spoke, he moved a heavy boulder and sealed the entrance of the cave completely.

Only after doing all this did he turn and leave, satisfied.