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

"A mere early-stage Qi Condensation cultivator dares to kill my people?"

The man in black robes sneered.

"How dare you! My years of seclusion have allowed quite a few arrogant and ignorant youngsters to emerge in this Cangzhou Prefecture."

He raised his hand, and the black chains around him rattled.

"Today, I will teach you what true reverence is!"

As soon as he finished speaking, countless black chains shot towards Xu Yuan like venomous snakes!

At the end of each chain was a monstrous phantom, roaring menacingly!

Xu Yuan did not retreat.

He slammed his right foot into the ground, activating the [Yaksha Power], [Demon Transformation], and [Bone Armor] traits simultaneously!

His entire body was covered in jet-black scales, while pale white bone armor coalesced into a shield in front of him.

"boom--!"

The chains collided with the bone shield, unleashing a deafening roar.

The bone shield was instantly covered in cracks, but it ultimately blocked the attack.

A hint of surprise flashed in the black-robed man's eyes.

"That's interesting," he sneered, "but that's not enough."

He began to form hand seals, and the yin energy around him surged instantly.

The illusory demonic figures roared wildly, their size increasing several times over, as they pounced towards Xu Yuan!

Xu Yuan's eyes narrowed, and he activated [Shadow Escape]!

His figure instantly blended into the shadows and disappeared from the spot.

"Um?"

The man in the black robe frowned.

The next instant, Xu Yuan appeared three zhang behind him, Ghost Cry Bow in hand, and fired three Yin Soul Arrows in quick succession!

"A trivial skill."

Without turning his head, the man in black robes swept a chain behind him, shattering all three Yin Soul Arrows.

But the moment the arrow shattered, Xu Yuan's figure vanished again.

"Damn it!"

The man in the black robe finally grew impatient.

He formed a hand seal, and a surge of yin energy emanated from his body, instantly enveloping the entire temple.

"seal up!"

The yin energy transformed into countless chains, weaving together in the air to form a giant net that sealed the entire temple completely.

Xu Yuan's figure was forced out of the shadows, struck by a chain, and sent flying backward, crashing into the wall.

"Cough cough..." He coughed up a mouthful of blood, but his eyes became even calmer.

The man in the black robe slowly stepped forward and looked down at him.

"At the early stage of Qi Condensation, you were able to force me to use one-tenth of my power. You have reason to be proud," he said calmly. "Unfortunately, you killed my Mei'er. You must die today."

He raised his hand, and a black chain shot towards Xu Yuan's throat!

Just as the chains were about to touch Xu Yuan—

A faint light shone from between Xu Yuan's brows.

Netherworld Guide!

A ghostly light burst forth, instantly shattering the chains!

The black-robed man's pupils constricted sharply: "This is—"

Before he could finish speaking, Xu Yuan had already sprang into action!

[Yaksha Power], [Demon Transformation], [Bone Armor], [Shadow Escape] – these multiple characteristics overlap!

Xu Yuan's speed was so fast that he even left a trail of afterimages in the air.

A punch was thrown!

The man in black robes hastily parried, but was forced back three steps.

"you--!"

Xu Yuan gave him no chance to catch his breath, and the second punch, the third punch... came crashing down like a storm!

Each punch carries the eerie light of the Netherworld, which has a fatal restraint on ghosts and spirits!

The man in black robes retreated repeatedly, the black chains around him constantly shattered by the eerie light, only to reform again and again.

However, each time he condenses, it consumes a large amount of his Yin energy.

"Damn it...damn it!" he roared, "How dare you—"

Before he could finish speaking, Xu Yuan had already unleashed a powerful punch to his chest!

"puff--!"

The man in black robes spat out a mouthful of black blood, flew backward, and crashed heavily onto the remains of the statue.

He struggled to get up, only to find that his yin energy was rapidly dissipating.

It wasn't because of the injury, but because—a mysterious aura emanating from Xu Yuan was constantly devouring him!

"No...this can't be!" He looked at Xu Yuan in horror. "Who are you?!"

Xu Yuan slowly walked up to him and looked down at him.

"The master of Youying Tower, Shan Xiongfei?" he asked casually.

The black-robed man's pupils constricted sharply: "How did you know—"

"Then that's it."

Xu Yuan raised his hand and pressed it onto his forehead with lightning speed.

[Devour!]

[Detected remnant soul of a half-step Divine Power Realm cultivator... Meets the conditions for absorption...]

[Warning: Target level too high, extremely high risk of being devoured! Continue?]

"continue!"

The overwhelming Yin energy surged into his body like a flood bursting its banks, and Xu Yuan felt as if his meridians were about to burst, experiencing excruciating pain.

However, the [Eternal Hunger Body] operated wildly, devouring and transforming all of this Yin energy.

[Devouring...]

Conversion rate: 7%...15%...23%...

Dan Xiongfei's screams grew weaker and weaker, and his figure began to become transparent.

"You...you can't kill me...I'm the master of the Shadow Pavilion...I have someone backing me..."

Before he could finish speaking, his voice abruptly stopped.

[Absorption complete!]

[Soul Strength +45%]

[True essence refinement level greatly improved...]

[Progress of opening the fifth acupoint "Jiaji": 89% → 100%]

[Sixth acupoint "Mingmen" opening progress: 23%]

[Gained Ability: Soul-Locking Chains (Can condense Yin energy chains to bind the enemy's soul)]

[New addition to the Hungry Ghost Encyclopedia: Devouring Ability (Can devour the spirits of living beings and make them one's own; cooldown time: seven days)]

Xu Yuan slowly withdrew his hand and let out a long breath.

His internal energy surged like a river, several times stronger than before.

He looked down at Shan Xiongfei's remains, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Is there some other powerful force behind this...?"

Xu Yuan murmured.

The Shadow Pavilion is indeed more complex than it appears on the surface.

He crouched down and searched Shan Xiongfei's body, finding a black storage ring.

As he probed inside with his divine sense, what was inside made Xu Yuan's eyes light up.

Hundreds of spirit stones, a dozen bottles of pills, and... a black token.

The token is engraved with the character "幽" (you), and the back features a complex array pattern.

"This is... the token of the Shadow Pavilion's master?"

Xu Yuan put the token away and looked around.

Inside the temple, the dense, eerie atmosphere was slowly dissipating.

He turned and strode away.

Outside the temple, Meng Hu and the others waited anxiously.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when Xu Yuan came out.

"Brother Xu! Are you alright?" Meng Hu hurriedly went to greet him.

Xu Yuan shook his head and looked into the depths of the Cloud Mist Mountain.

"Mission accomplished, retreat."

…………

It was already late at night when we returned to Cangzhou.

Xu Yuan did not return directly to the villa, but went to the Northern Camp to report first.

Lei Zhen listened to his report and remained silent for a long time.

"The Shadow Pavilion Master Shan Xiongfei died at your hands?" He looked at Xu Yuan with a complicated expression.

"Just lucky," Xu Yuan said calmly. "He had been in seclusion for many years, his condition was unstable, and he underestimated his opponent, which is why I was able to take advantage of him."

Lei Zhen stared at him for a long time, then suddenly smiled.

"What a lucky break." He stood up, patted Xu Yuan on the shoulder, and said, "You're becoming more and more unpredictable."

Xu Yuan did not respond.

Lei Zhen didn't press further, but simply said, "I will report this matter to the commander. You should go back and rest. The Demon-Slaying Assembly is still half a month away, so prepare well."

"Yes."

Xu Yuan turned and left.

As we left Beiying, the night was deep.

He stood on the street, gazing at the night sky, and suddenly smiled.

"In half a month..." he murmured.