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

The procession set off quickly, the carriages rumbling along.

Xiao Yunhan rode ahead, followed closely by Zhao Zhubu, Xu Yuan, and others. The Shen family's carriage was in the middle, with Li Hu and Zhang Bao bringing up the rear.

Shuangshan Village is more than 50 miles away from Qingyang County. At this speed, we should be able to arrive before noon.

Once outside the city gates, heading north, the farmland on both sides of the official road was barren and the villages were dilapidated.

Occasionally, you can see refugees resting by the roadside, their eyes numb and desperate.

"After three years of severe drought, and now war, where is the way for the people to survive..." The old village chief looked at the scene outside the carriage and couldn't help but wipe away his tears.

Xu Yuan remained silent. Having been in this world for over a month, he had already witnessed the cruelty of a chaotic world.

Human life is cheap, and demons roam freely. To survive, one must constantly become stronger!

Xu Yuan sat on his horse, flipping through a manual he had obtained from the treasury of the Demon Suppression Bureau in Qingyang County, titled "Mysterious Demon Suppression Technique".

This cultivation manual is incomplete, containing only the first level, but it can lead directly to the ninth level of Blood Refinement. The several methods for using baleful energy recorded within it particularly caught Xu Yuan's eye.

"Using malevolence to temper the body, and killing to cultivate skill... This Profound Malevolence Suppressing Prison Force has many similarities with the Blood Malevolence Blade Technique that I cultivate."

Xu Yuan attempted to mobilize the blood-fiend energy within his body according to the cultivation method recorded.

A wisp of dark red energy rose from the dantian, flowing along specific meridians. Wherever it passed, the muscles felt slightly hot, and the power seemed to subtly increase.

"efficient!"

Xu Yuan was secretly delighted.

The bloodthirsty aura not only enhances the power of his swordsmanship, but also assists in cultivating the Profound Sha Suppressing Prison Technique, subtly improving his physical attributes!

"You're quite skilled at using malevolent energy?" Xiao Yunhan had somehow arrived beside Xu Yuan on horseback.

Xu Yuan put away his cultivation technique: "I've managed to figure out a little bit of the trick by chance."

"Although malevolent energy can help martial artists quickly improve their strength in a short period of time, it can easily erode their character, so it's best to be cautious," Xiao Yunhan warned. "I see that you have a solid foundation and abundant blood and energy, so you don't seem like someone who practices evil arts. You should still be careful."

"Thank you for the reminder, Lord Xiao."

After chatting for a while, Xiao Yunhan suddenly brought up a past event: "Based on the information you provided, I checked the archives of the Prefectural Office. Twenty years ago, there seemed to have been a special mission around Qingyang County. The leader of the team was a Demon Suppressor at the peak of the Qi Condensation Realm from the Prefectural Office's Demon Suppressor Division at that time. His surname was Wang, but his specific name was not recorded in the archives. He was accompanied by two Demon Suppressors who had just entered the Qi Condensation Realm."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan's heart stirred.

Special mission, Condensation Realm, surnamed Wang?

This reminded him of the tattered book he had accidentally found under the stove in Li Ergou's house, and the diary-like words on it must have mentioned this matter!

Xiao Yunhan continued, "According to the records, the operation suffered heavy losses. None of the three demon-suppressing envoys and demon-suppressing guards sent out survived. As for whether the mission was completed, the records are vague. It may be related to the tiger demon sealed in the back mountain of Shuangshan Village."

Upon hearing this, Xu Laogen in the convoy seemed to recall that cruel and unbearable past, and hurriedly asked in a trembling voice, "Lord Xiao, what... what exactly is the strength of that tiger demon?"

Xiao Yunhan remained silent for a moment, then slowly said, "The classification of demons and monsters corresponds to the martial arts realm of my human race."

"Demon soldiers correspond to martial artists at the Blood Refining Realm and are divided into nine ranks. The demons and mutated beasts you encountered are only the lowest-ranking first-level demon soldiers."

"Demon generals correspond to the Qi Condensation Realm, which is divided into three stages: early, middle, and late. The difference in strength between each stage is enormous. An ordinary demon who has just entered the Demon General stage can fight on par with a human martial artist who has condensed about twelve Qi Condensation Realms, while a late-stage Demon General... requires at least a peak Qi Condensation Realm expert to deal with!"

"As for Demon Generals and Demon Kings, they correspond to the Divine Power Realm and legendary beings, respectively. They are great demons capable of slaughtering cities and destroying countries! In the entire Great Qian Dynasty, there are no more than five recorded Demon Kings."

He looked at everyone, his tone quite solemn: "The tiger demon behind Shuangshan Village can command ghosts to harm people; it must be at least a demon general."

These words immediately made the atmosphere somewhat heavy.

The difference between the Condensation Realm and the Blood Refining Realm is qualitative and cannot be compensated for by numbers alone. Although Xiao Yunhan is a Demon Suppression Envoy, he does not look very old, and is even younger than Zhao Zhubu.

Xu Yuan hesitated for a moment, but then chose to ask directly, "May I ask what realm Lord Xiao is currently at?"

Xiao Yunhan glanced at him and didn't hide anything: "I have already condensed eleven apertures."

A martial artist in the Condensation Acupoint Realm needs to condense thirty-six acupoints in their body. Each condensed acupoint will double their strength. Xiao Yunhan has condensed eleven acupoints, making him undoubtedly one of the best in the early stage of Condensation Acupoint Realm.

However, the eleven orifices correspond to the early stage of a demon general.

If that tiger demon is truly a demon general, even if it's just the weakest one, it could probably fight Xiao Yunhan to a standstill.

Sensing the change in everyone's emotions, Xiao Yunhan changed the subject, "No need to worry too much. I'm 90% confident at the initial stage of Demon General, 50% at the mid-stage, and 30% at the late stage!"

Seeing the questioning looks from the crowd, Xiao Yunhan calmly explained, "I once hunted down a wolf demon at the mid-stage of the Demon General realm all by myself."

His tone was calm, yet it exuded confidence.

"That tiger demon has been sealed for so many years, its strength must have been damaged. If it is really a late-stage demon general, we don't need to confront it head-on. We can just strengthen the seal, suppress it again, and then deal with it slowly."

After saying that, he took out a jade slip from his bosom: "This is a 'Demon Sealing Talisman' that I brought from the Prefecture. With my cultivation level of nearly the mid-stage of the Qi Condensation Realm, and with the Demon Sealing Array set up by Miss Shen, even if that tiger demon still has strength, it is enough to reseal it."

Hearing this, Xu Yuan felt slightly relieved, but his heart remained tense.

He remembered that the incomplete book mentioned that there was a traitor among the people of the Demon Suppression Division, which led to the failure of the operation.

Should we tell them?

Xu Yuan glanced at Xiao Yunhan, then at Zhao Zhubu and Shen Qingyi, and finally decided to keep it a secret for the time being.

The source of the fragmented books is unknown, and the contents are mostly incomplete. Revealing them rashly would only arouse unnecessary suspicion. Moreover, so many years have passed, and the truth may not be related to their trip.

Despite this, Xu Yuan had already become secretly on guard.

"Young Master Xu, please come here for a moment."

At this moment, Shen Qingyi waved from the carriage window.

Xu Yuan rode closer, and Shen Qingyi handed him a thin booklet: "This is a record of tiger-like monsters that I found in the Shen family library. You can take a look."

The booklet is titled "The Record of Demons and Monsters," and it records the characteristics, weaknesses, and countermeasures of more than ten different tiger demons.

Xu Yuan quickly flipped through the pages, but his gaze suddenly stopped when he saw the section on "Crimson-Eyed Tiger Demon".

"The Crimson-Eyed Tiger Demon, a variant of the Demon General-level Tiger Demon, enjoys eating humans and is adept at commanding its accomplices to wreak havoc. Killing it yields 'Tiger Soul,' a superior material for crafting magical artifacts. Weaknesses: Fears thunder and fire, and is terrified of the Soul-Suppressing Sound..."

"The Sound of Soul Restoration?" Xu Yuan was slightly puzzled.

"It's a sonic attack technique that requires special magical artifacts or talismans to use," Shen Qingyi explained carefully. "I've prepared the 'Soul-Suppressing Bell' in advance, but someone still needs to hang it within a hundred paces of the tiger demon for it to take effect."

Xu Yuan nodded and silently memorized the information.