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

"Everyone—!"

Everyone looked up and saw an old man in a purple robe slowly walking up the platform.

The old man had white hair and beard, a ruddy complexion, and a restrained aura, yet he possessed an imposing presence that made people afraid to look him in the eye.

It was Shangguan Yunhe, the Grand Commander who came from the Demon Suppression Division of Kyoto.

A powerful expert at the Divine Power Realm!

The entire room fell silent instantly.

Shangguan Yunhe stopped, his gaze sweeping over the thousands of people below the stage, and slowly began to speak:

"It's that time of year again for the Demon-Slaying Tournament. I won't say much more. The rules remain the same—a seven-day period to hunt down demons, with points awarded based on the number and level of monsters killed. The top ten will receive a hefty reward, and the first place..."

He paused, a slight smile appearing on his lips.

"I personally instructed you for three days."

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire room erupted in uproar.

Three days of guidance from a master of the Divine Power Realm!

This reward is enough to drive any martial artist at the Qi Condensation Realm crazy!

"There's something else," Shangguan Yunhe continued. "This year's tournament rules have been slightly adjusted—the first three days are for free hunting; on the fourth day, a half-step demon general-level monster will appear in the valley, and representatives from each camp, family, and sect will hunt it down; the fifth and sixth days are for rest; the seventh day—"

His gaze swept across the entire room, and he spoke slowly and deliberately:

"The arena battles will determine the final rankings!"

Arena battle!

Everyone was stunned by these words.

In previous years, the Demon-Slaying Tournament was ranked according to the number of kills, and there was never a ring battle.

"Commander, why is this?" someone couldn't help but ask.

Shangguan Yunhe said calmly, "Because this year, distinguished guests will be attending the ceremony."

Distinguished guest?

The crowd looked at each other in bewilderment. Who could be someone that Shangguan Yunhe would call a "distinguished guest"?

Shangguan Yunhe did not explain, but simply waved his hand.

"The rules are set. Prepare yourselves. The Demon-Slaying Assembly will officially begin at 3:45 noon!"

………………

It was noon, and the sun was blazing.

With the sound of a blasting cannon, the Demon-Slaying Tournament officially began.

The stone gate opened wide, and all the participating martial artists poured into the Demon Spirit Valley like a tidal wave.

Xu Yuan walked among the crowd, fully activating his [Yin Qi Perception] ability.

After condensing his six apertures, his perception range had expanded to over eighty feet. At this moment, he could clearly "see" that deep within the Demon Spirit Valley, there were densely packed demonic energies of varying strengths.

There are the most demon soldiers, and dozens of demon generals. In the deepest part, there is an extremely dense demon aura, far exceeding the others.

Half-step Demon General!

Xu Yuan's gaze narrowed slightly.

That must be the half-step demon general level monster that Shangguan Yunhe mentioned.

"Brother Xu!" Meng Hu caught up from behind. "Which way do we go?"

Xu Yuan thought for a moment, then pointed northeast: "That's where the demonic energy is most concentrated, perfect for racking up points, but it's also the most dangerous. Are you sure you want to go?"

Meng Hu grinned: "What's there to be afraid of? I feel at ease following Brother Xu!"

Xu Yuan nodded without saying anything more, and led Meng Hu towards the northeast.

After traveling several miles, the sounds of fighting came from ahead.

The two slowed their pace and crept closer.

In a clearing in the woods, seven or eight people were engaged in a fierce battle with three demon wolves.

The demon wolf was enormous, entirely black, with crimson eyes; it was none other than the "Blood-Eyed Demon Wolf," a seventh-tier demon soldier.

Among those seven or eight people were members of the Demon Suppression Bureau and scions of noble families, who were currently joining forces to besiege them.

"Brother Xu, should we make a move?" Meng Hu asked.

Xu Yuan shook his head: "Let them fight, we'll go around them."

The two silently bypassed the battlefield and continued deeper into the area.

After walking for a while, a stream appeared ahead.

Beside the stream, a snow-white creature resembling a fox was drinking water.

According to the [Yin Qi Perception], the aura of this demon is clearly that of an early-stage demon general!

"Snow Demon Fox!" Meng Hu gasped. "Brother Xu, this thing is fast, skilled in illusions, and very troublesome. Should we go around it...?"

Before he could finish speaking, Xu Yuan had already moved.

He moved like lightning, activating his [Mountain and Forest Traverse] skill at full power, instantly covering a distance of thirty feet and appearing behind the Snow Enchantress.

Snow Fox turned around alertly, its eerie blue eyes gleaming.

Innate Illusion!

But the light in its eyes dimmed in the next instant.

Xu Yuan was completely immune to this, and at the same time, a faint light flashed between his brows.

The suppressive power of the Netherworld Guidance is specifically designed to counter this type of soul attack!

The Snow Fox let out a piercing scream and turned to flee.

But Xu Yuan was faster.

He reached out with his right hand, activating both the [Yaksha Power] and [Demon Transformation] abilities simultaneously, and grabbed the Snow Fox by the neck.

"Click—"

The neck bone was fractured.

[Slaying the early-stage Demon General, Snow Fox...]

[Transforming...]

[Qi and Blood Essence +98]

[True Essence Condensation Level +3%]

[Materials Obtained: Snow Fox Fur (for crafting illusion artifacts), Snow Fox Demon Core (for refining Barrier-Breaking Pills)]

Xu Yuan sheathed his sword and put the Snow Fox's corpse into his storage bag.

The whole process took no more than ten breaths.

When Meng Hu caught up, he only saw Xu Yuan calmly collecting the corpse from behind.

"Brother Xu... Brother Xu..." His voice trembled, "Is that all?"

"Let's go," Xu Yuan said calmly. "Continue."

Meng Hu swallowed hard, his gaze towards Xu Yuan becoming increasingly complex.

He suddenly realized that his colleague was probably far more complex than he appeared on the surface.

………………

For the next two days, Xu Yuan led Meng Hu in a frenzied hunt outside the Demon Spirit Valley.

Blood-eyed demon wolf, iron-backed demon bear, ghost cat, soul-devouring demon spider... without exception, every demon that bumped into him turned into points and nourishment.

[Qi and Blood Essence +127]

[True Essence Condensation Level +5%]

[Soul Strength +8%]

[Seventh acupoint "Yangguan" unlocking progress: 32%→58%]

[Progress of unlocking the eighth acupoint "Muscle Contraction": 12% → 37%]

After two days, Xu Yuan's points have firmly secured his place among the top.

But what he cared about was not the points ranking.

Instead, it was Liu Ruyan.

In the past two days, he had sensed Liu Ruyan's presence several times.

She was also hunting demons at great speed, each strike clean and swift, clearly demonstrating the strength of someone who had condensed the Nine Apertures.

And every time she appeared, she was near Xu Yuan.

Xu Yuan knew that she was watching him.

But Liu Ruyan never made a move.

What is she waiting for?

Xu Yuan was wary, but his face remained expressionless.

On the evening of the third day, Xu Yuan was adjusting his breathing when he suddenly sensed an unfamiliar aura approaching.

The aura was very faint; if his soul had not undergone multiple temperings, he would hardly have been able to detect it.

"Peak of Qi Condensation..."

Xu Yuan felt a chill run down his spine, but he didn't open his eyes.

A moment later, a clear, cold voice rang in my ears.

"You're Xu Yuan?"

Xu Yuan slowly opened his eyes.

There was another person standing ten feet in front of him, without him even noticing.

He was a young man of about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, dressed in white, with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, and his aura was as deep as the ocean.

A blue longsword hung at his waist, its scabbard ancient and simple, faintly exuding a sharp sword aura.

Peak of Qi Condensation?

He must be a powerful expert who has condensed at least thirty apertures!

"And who are you?" Xu Yuan slowly stood up.

The young man in white said calmly, "Qingshan Sect, Shen Moyan."