The male supporting character was actually myself.

Seemingly sensing his gaze, the red demon swayed its head from side to side as if emitting a silent roar.

"Meow meow meow~ What is that thing!" The fluffy little ball of fur, who had been spying on him, was so frightened by what it saw that its short legs trembled. It timidly approached and used the photo-taking stone to take pictures of Lin Xucheng's face.

He frowned as he straightened his clothes and sneered, "Using my trump card to deal with that little bitch is a waste of its potential. I originally planned to use it on True Person Qiu Bai, but thankfully, after devouring and refining it, I was able to advance directly to the Golden Core Realm, so at least I have the ability to protect myself."

Lin Xucheng felt a surge of anger when he thought of the message on the communication stone. "Liu! Jiang! Chen! You humiliated me in the past; now you're plotting against me again! You wait! I'll make sure you die a horrible death!"

"Pah! You're the one who should be waiting! You're finished, I'm telling you, my host is here!" The little white cat huffed and puffed, "He's killed at least twenty or thirty protagonists, if not thirty or fifty. Don't get too cocky!"

It skipped off to complain, and Jiang Chen received a reply after seeing the firsthand information it brought back.

It was still Feng Li'er's father, the Demon King, who provided the best answer—the Gluttonous Great Technique, a vicious cultivation method that had long since disappeared from the cultivation world.

Its origin is roughly that of a summoning ritual in the demon realm, which evolved and was modified over many years, eventually becoming a terrifying forbidden technique that people fear.

With the cultivators who practiced the Gluttonous Great Art being hunted down and killed, there are not many young people who have even heard of it.

The Demon King only knew the general idea—those who cultivate the Gluttonous Great Art do not have inner demons; to be precise, they deliberately cultivate inner demons and train them into killing machines that attach to their bodies, using this as a trump card.

The inner demon is refined into a gluttonous evil spirit that can devour everything and absorb its spiritual power to strengthen itself.

However, each time the inner demon is summoned, it will materialize outward from the heart meridian. If it is used occasionally as a means of self-preservation, and then the gluttonous evil spirit is suppressed through diligent cultivation, it can be suppressed back into the heart meridian.

If the use of the technique exceeds the suppression of cultivation, once the gluttonous demon breaks free, its first action will be to devour the original body. Afterward, it will degenerate into a mindless, murderous demon that wreaks havoc on the surrounding area.

Because this method can devour living people without any restrictions, it was designated as a forbidden technique by the Three Realms many years ago. Once it is discovered that someone is practicing it, they will be wanted and killed by the Three Realms!

"Meow? No wonder the protagonist did so many bad things, betraying his master and ancestors, but it didn't affect his cultivation at all. So he turned his inner demons into terrifying evil spirits?" The fluffy ball trembled and huddled on its host's shoulder, meowing softly. "Also, the reason why the face covered by something on his chest was so fierce was because it wanted to rush out of his body."

The good thing is that he shouldn't be devouring people for a while, otherwise he'd be in trouble sooner or later.

Jiang Chen nodded in agreement, "That's right. Overall, Lin Xucheng is a very cautious person. When he was controlled and defeated by Leng Moran, he didn't easily use the Gluttonous Devouring Technique to retaliate, either because he couldn't use it effectively or because the level difference was too great. Now that he won't devour people indiscriminately anymore, my next plan will be easier to implement!"

"The host I chose is the best!" The little white cat perched on his shoulder, showering him with compliments. "As soon as he makes a move, Lin Xucheng will be completely finished!"

The fluffy dumpling was instructed to continue tracking Lin Xucheng and maintaining constant contact; Jiang Chen, on the other hand, swallowed a rejuvenating pill and sculpted a very ordinary, common face for herself, the kind that would be easily forgotten and unrecognizable in a crowd.

Then, a special liaison whistle was sounded, summoning the more than 100 members of the wanted squad who had been sent out to capture the wanted criminal Lin Xucheng. The luring and capture plan was then explained in detail.

"Chirp! Chirp!"

"Chirp!"

……

Lin Xucheng was meditating cross-legged to recover his spiritual power when he suddenly heard the sound of signal flares coming from different directions. He felt a surge of tension, fearing that Zhou Zhixue had somehow triggered a distress signal to summon her companions.

Having just unleashed the Gluttonous Devouring Technique, he now needs to cultivate diligently, seeking out more blood and filth to feed the evil spirits crafted by his inner demons, and then suppressing them back into his bloodline. His life-saving trump card cannot be used again for a short period of time.

But the palace artifact remained completely unmoved, which infuriated him.

Aside from his natal sword, he didn't even have a teleportation talisman to save his life;

There wasn't a single spirit stone left to absorb, and their spiritual energy was nearly depleted. What if they were surrounded and attacked...?

He was breathing rapidly, his eyes darting around as he tried to find a way to save the situation.

"Senior Brother Liang, you've finally arrived!" Jiang Chen, now with a different face, was dressed in a black robe. He strode forward and greeted the other group with a cupped-hand salute. Behind him, many members of the wanted squad also greeted him warmly, just as they had agreed beforehand. It looked like the two groups were meeting up.

Deep in the forest, Lin Xucheng, feeling guilty, took in the whole scene with his powerful divine sense and breathed a slight sigh of relief. It turned out that a group of rogue cultivators with average strength had gathered together and seemed to be planning to seek some tricks on the battlefield.

Those previous signals were the coded messages they sent.

"Fellow Daoist Jiang previously followed the main force deep into the mysterious heartland and discovered the secrets of the mysterious army. If we can use this as a basis, we will surely be able to occupy a favorable position, achieve victory with fewer troops, and make a name for ourselves!"

"This matter is of great importance and requires careful consideration."

"What? You don't even trust Senior Brother Jiang?"

"No, no, no, it's not that I don't trust Fellow Daoist Jiang, but since you've obtained such a high-level secret, why didn't you inform the Three Realms Guardian Team? Eliminating the strange entity as soon as possible is the most important thing for the Three Realms!"

"As the saying goes, fortune favors the bold. If you don't trust us, you're welcome to withdraw. In the future, we'll soar to great heights, so don't be envious or jealous!"

"Oh dear, why are you arguing as soon as you meet? Calm down and let's talk things out. It's understandable that Senior Brother Jiang is being ostracized and not valued within the sect and wants to take this opportunity to establish his own sect. Wasn't the purpose of gathering everyone together earlier to do something earth-shattering? You've barely exchanged a few words before starting to argue. What's the point..."

…………

Because of his extraordinary encounter in the lower realm, Lin Xucheng's divine sense was incredibly powerful. He secretly used his divine sense to sense the situation of this group of people and knew that they were a motley crew who could not detect him.

The unassuming fellow surnamed Jiang who was leading the group was clearly eager to convince the cultivators that following him would surely make them famous throughout the world in the war between the two realms; but at the same time, he was reluctant to easily reveal the strange secrets he had discovered.

Others were staunch supporters of the monk surnamed Jiang;

Another group clearly didn't trust him, fearing they would become cannon fodder for the other party's rise to fame, and clamored for evidence to prove he wasn't lying.

Many people remain skeptical yet hesitant, clinging to a glimmer of hope.

On the narrow path deep in the forest, more than a hundred cultivators argued incessantly, each expressing their own opinions, creating a chaotic scene.

"To fight against the strange frontline cultivators, discovering strange secrets can lead a few people to fame and fortune?" After hearing the news, Lin Xucheng was also a little doubtful, but he soon realized that this seemed to be a great opportunity for him!

Having nothing and possibly being hunted down by people summoned by Zhou Zhixue, wandering alone is far less safe than blending into the crowd.

In addition, he had planned to take advantage of the chaos to sneak into the front line and see if he could gain some benefits and advance to the Nascent Soul Realm as soon as possible. Although it was convenient to act alone, it was far less convenient than to blend in with the crowd. He could either advance to kill the monsters together or retreat to grab an unlucky guy to shield him from danger so that he could escape.

More importantly, many cultivators are currently leaderless. If I can persuade them and bring them under my command, wouldn't I have many more tools to use as pawns out of thin air?

As for how to win them over, Lin Xucheng was very confident in his good interpersonal relationships and leadership skills that he had demonstrated since embarking on the path of cultivation.

On that day, even though the Xiaoyao Sect was in a very unfavorable situation, his natural affinity was enough to make so many people kneel down and beg for mercy. With just a little scheming, he could easily win over the hearts of a mere hundred or so rabble!

"Ahem!" Having made up his mind, Lin Xucheng flew on his sword, pretending to pass by, coughed twice, cupped his hands, and asked, "May I ask fellow Daoists, how far is this place from the battlefield of the otherworldly invasion?"

He inadvertently used a secret technique to disguise the aura of the Nascent Soul Realm by leveraging the astonishing divine sense imprint on his storage bag, which indeed shocked a group of cultivators, most of whom were at the Golden Core Realm and very few at the Nascent Soul Realm.

"Greetings, senior!"

"Senior, are you going to exterminate the strange creatures?"

Everyone stepped forward to greet him, addressing him as "senior" with great enthusiasm.

The fluffy ball of fluff was on high alert, wagging its big, fluffy tail and muttering, "Don't worry, host, I won't let you down at crucial moments! If necessary, I'll cover up my aura so that these wanted squad members won't lower their disguises and reduce their cultivation levels and be discovered by the protagonist."

The scriptwriters have arranged for him to play the boss, so let's give him a good performance!

Jiang Chen stepped forward and struck up a conversation, but cautiously didn't say much more.

But the others, under the protagonist's halo, quickly let slip, "Since you are also going to the battlefield, why don't you come with us? Fellow Daoist Jiang was among the first warriors to participate in the encirclement and suppression of the Strange Ones and went deep into their territory. He has already discovered the Strange Ones' secrets!"

Instead of wasting time and effort trying to join the main force only to end up with a meager share, let's team up and go it alone. If we win the big battle, we'll make a name for ourselves, divide the spoils of the supernatural world, and even take the lead!

"That's right, it's better to be a big fish in a small pond than a small fish in a big pond. There are too many powerful figures on the front lines now, even for someone at the Nascent Soul stage, it's difficult to stand out. Join us!"

"With a senior at the Nascent Soul Realm overseeing things, and with the secrets that Fellow Daoist Jiang possesses, we're sure to achieve a great victory..."

…………

The main function of the "brain-degrading aura" is to bewitch cultivators into unconditionally trusting the protagonist and obeying his commands.

At this moment, Lin Xucheng only wanted to use the tiger's might to become the boss and deceive this group of people into acting as his protectors. So, it was not long before he naturally persuaded more than a hundred cultivators to shout that they wanted to follow their senior and make contributions.

Given that Senior Brother Jiang possessed a mysterious secret and Lin Xucheng had the strength of the "Transformation Realm", after much discussion, everyone reached a consensus - Senior Lin would lead the way, with Senior Brother Jiang as his assistant, to lead everyone to a remote place at the forefront of the war between the two realms.

There are few strange occurrences there, so it's not a big deal. The fact that the Three Realms Guardian Team doesn't pay much attention to it is a good way to verify whether Senior Brother Jiang is lying.

If they can truly gain the upper hand by relying on their mysterious and secretive methods to penetrate deep into the heart of the land, and allow many cultivators from the Three Realms to witness the combat power of a mere hundred people, it will surely leave a significant mark on history.

When the time comes to divide up the bizarre world, we will naturally be able to take the lead!

Jiang Chen pretended to be deep in thought for a long time before gently guiding the newly acquainted Senior Lin to swear an oath by his inner demons, and only then did he nod in agreement.

"Heh, an oath from an inner demon?" Lin Xucheng was secretly pleased that his deception had worked. "I don't have any inner demons at all, so why would I be afraid of any backlash from them?"

The most urgent task is to find some time to resolve the issue of imprinting the storage bag with divine sense. Since I have nothing of value, I need to see what good things are in the storage bag that can solve my immediate problem and keep these tools in check so that I can use them for my own purposes!

Not long after the numerous cultivators, half-awake and half-dazed, were acting alongside the protagonist, they encountered another group of truly "ambitious individuals" assigned to Lin Xucheng by the script team, numbering around a hundred.

With Lin Xucheng's aura burning brightly, the crowd quickly submitted and formed a small force that was even stronger than the one in the story.

By relying on his inner demons to swear an oath and his "Transformation Realm" strength to gain everyone's trust, Lin Xucheng once again ushered in "good luck".

Not only did he successfully devour the storage bag's divine sense imprint with his Golden Core Realm strength, but he also managed to subdue the Gluttonous Demon with minimal effort, easily obtaining the priceless storage bag and a full bag of pills!

What is the most valuable thing in the cultivation world?

Naturally, these are top-tier cultivation techniques and miraculous elixirs!

The former can be bought or stolen; the latter, given the extreme scarcity of alchemists, is impossible to buy or steal.

As expected of a storage bag left behind by a Transcending Tribulation Realm expert, it contains thousands of various pills. Although their grade is not high, the quantity is large and they are all commonly used medicines, which can play a great role in leading a large number of cultivators!

"Senior Lin truly lives up to his reputation as a powerful figure with profound knowledge and experience. He is even more impressive than the Three Realms Guard!"

“That’s right. Although the Three Realms Guardian Team has alchemists to support them, there are too many of them. How can they all get their share of pills?”

"I saw it with my own eyes. For the main force, even a single pill was like a life-saving rain for the Holy Maiden of the Hidden Sect. It was good if everyone could get a little bit. Only those who were seriously injured could return to the main camp to take the pills and receive treatment."

"There are only about two hundred of us in total. The pills that Senior Lin showed us will definitely be our strongest support..."

…………

As expected, with the protagonist's halo shining brightly, Lin Xucheng made a promise with pills, and many cultivators couldn't wait to show their loyalty.

This scene caught Jiang Chen's eye, and a faint smile crossed his face.

Although the script only had a perfunctory outline, the general trend had already set the stage, and Jiang Chen was naturally unwilling to let go of this great opportunity to make the play even more wonderful!

"That guy surnamed Jiang is indeed a talent, but unfortunately his strength is too weak and he lacks confidence, making it difficult for him to control people's hearts. Heh, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to take advantage of him!" Lin Xucheng fiddled with a twig in his hand, coldly watching the plain-looking male cultivator who exuded the aura of the early Golden Core Realm, and mentally reviewed the events of the past few days.

He was fooled by that bitch Zhou Zhixue for two days and almost drained dry by her. Fortunately, at the critical moment, he suddenly woke up from his infatuation and realized that something was wrong. He used his life-saving trump card and risked being discovered to devour her. After that, Lady Luck smiled on him again.

First, he encountered this group of people who started fighting amongst themselves. He then used the simulated aura of the Nascent Soul Realm to intimidate them and bring them under his command. After that, he devoured the divine sense imprint on the storage bag and obtained a large number of pills.

At this point, even the monks who had initially submitted out of necessity began to change their attitude.

It has to be said that having the foundation of elixirs as material support is far stronger than the overwhelming pressure from a fake Nascent Soul Realm expert. As the saying goes, people die for wealth and birds die for food!

Moreover, the team has a deputy, Jiang Liming, who manages everything very well.

This person is not strong and his combat power is also average. It is obvious that his experience of being suppressed in the sect has made him too eager to make a name for himself in the battle against the supernatural. In addition to keeping the secret tightly to himself, he also cunningly established a hierarchical system to manage everyone. Occasionally, he would rely on his power to make grand promises and imagine a bright future after dividing up the supernatural world...

Now, with more than two hundred people, they have formed the beginnings of a sect. Not only is there a clear division of labor and everyone performs their duties, but they even have a slogan.

Everyone was full of energy, as if they would soon be able to defeat the eerie creature and become famous for all time, and participate in dividing up the eerie world.

"Having such a deputy is really reassuring." Lin Xucheng carefully scanned the camp with his divine sense and found no cultivators harboring disloyalty. Only then did he continue cultivating to suppress the Taotie evil spirit back into his bloodline as soon as possible.

The fluffy dumpling was dozing off at the campsite. So far, everything was progressing smoothly according to the new plot provided by the script team, without encountering any obstacles.