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

Xu Yuan let out a long breath, stood still, and silently digested the information he had just received.

The trip was far more fruitful than expected!

Netherworld Guidance, Soul Refining Technique, Soul-Devouring Demon Spirit, Three-Year Agreement...

All of this aligns with the clues about the "Netherworld" in the Golden-Eyed Servant's memories.

It seems that the underground cave in the back mountain of Black Wind Village is indeed related to the ancient ruins in the back mountain of Shuangshan Village, and may even be one of the outer nodes.

What surprised Xu Yuan the most at this moment was the "Netherworld Soul Refining Technique" that Youying had given him.

This technique is specifically designed to counter the way of the soul—clearly a powerful weapon against the blood sacrifices of the ancient shaman!

After all, the art of blood sacrifice is essentially a kind of evil art of the soul, using fear, resentment, and living beings as sacrifices to summon the power of the gods.

If Xu Yuan had a specific method to counter the Soul Path, the success rate of disrupting the blood sacrifice would increase significantly.

"Sealed beneath the altar..."

Xu Yuan went around to the back of the stone statue and indeed found an inconspicuous indentation on the altar floor, the shape of which perfectly matched the black iron plate.

He took out the Netherworld Guide and embedded it into it.

"Click—"

The sound of mechanisms turning rang out, and the ground in the center of the altar slowly sank, revealing a downward stone staircase passage.

An incredibly cold aura instantly surged out of the passage, several times denser than outside. Xu Yuan could even "see" the tangible gray airflow flowing through it using his [Yin Qi Perception].

That's pure Yin energy!

Xu Yuan did not rush down. He first sat down cross-legged, regulated his breathing for a moment, and adjusted his condition to its best.

The Qi and blood of the ninth level of Blood Refinement surged within his body, and his abilities such as [Mountain and Forest Traversal] and [Breath Concealment] were all poised to be unleashed.

After an incense stick had burned, he slowly got up and walked down the stone steps.

The stone steps are not long, about twenty or so, and at the end is a small stone chamber, no more than ten feet square.

In the center of the stone chamber, a fist-sized black crystal floated, emitting a faint glow.

Several gray streams of air, like chains, wrapped around the crystal, with the other end disappearing into the stone wall.

In a corner of the stone chamber, a dark figure was curled up, seemingly asleep.

The shadowy figure was neither human nor inhuman, shrouded in swirling black mist, with only a pair of scarlet eyes vaguely visible.

It seemed to be asleep, but as Xu Yuan approached, the shadowy figure suddenly trembled, and its scarlet eyes snapped open!

"hiss--!"

With a piercing shriek, the dark figure pounced like an arrow released from a bow!

Xu Yuan was prepared and dodged to the side, while simultaneously drawing his long sword and slashing at the shadowy figure.

But as the blade sliced ​​through, it was as if it had struck thin air; the shadow merely twitched and remained completely unharmed.

Physical attacks are ineffective!

The shadowy figure pounced again, this time even faster.

Xu Yuan could clearly feel a chilling power rushing into his mind, trying to erode his soul.

This is the attack method of the Soul-Devouring Demon Spirit, which specifically targets and damages the soul!

"Tiger's Might!!!"

Xu Yuan roared and activated his [Demon Transformation] ability, releasing the oppressive aura of the Crimson-Eyed Tiger Demon.

The shadowy figure paused for a moment, but then became even more frenzied, a greedy glint flashing in its crimson eyes.

A powerful spirit or soul is a great tonic for it.

Xu Yuan fought and retreated, his mind racing as he considered countermeasures.

As Youying once said, the Soul-Devouring Demon Spirit fears Yang Fire and is terrified of Thunder Sound.

He doesn't have Yang Fire at the moment, but he has Thunder Sound...

Xu Yuan's eyes narrowed as he recalled a technique called "Thunder Arrow" from the "Three Talents Archery Techniques," which uses a special method to vibrate the bowstring and produce a thunderous boom that is captivating.

Xu Yuan immediately channeled his qi and blood into the blade, and using the same technique as the Thunder Arrow, he swung the blade fiercely at the stone wall behind him.

"clang---!!!"

The blade collided with the stone wall, instantly unleashing a deafening roar that echoed continuously in the sealed stone chamber, faintly forming the power of thunder!

"hiss---!"

The Soul-Devouring Demon Spirit let out a painful shriek, its body surrounded by churning black mist, its form becoming somewhat blurred.

Thunderclap really works!

Xu Yuan seized the opportunity, swinging his long sword repeatedly, each strike hitting the stone wall with a series of explosive sounds.

The Soul-Devouring Demon Spirit retreated continuously under the impact of the thunderous sound, and fear appeared in its scarlet eyes for the first time.

Just then, the Netherworld Guide in Xu Yuan's arms became hot again.

Xu Yuan had a sudden thought and immediately unleashed it.

In an instant, an invisible suction force enveloped the Soul-Devouring Demon Spirit. The black shadow struggled desperately, but it was as if it were sinking into a quagmire, being pulled towards Xu Yuan little by little.

"hiss--!!!"

With an extremely piercing shriek, the Soul-Devouring Demon Spirit completely dissipated into the air.

At the same time, the Hundred Ghosts Diagram unfolded in Xu Yuan's mind on its own, and the blank space on the third page slowly lit up.

[Slayed 1 low-level Soul-Devouring Demon Spirit... Meets the requirements for inclusion in the encyclopedia...]

[Unlock new illustration: Soul Eater (1% completion)]

[Gained Ability: Soul Devouring (Can devour the energy of spirits, resentment, and other soul entities to strengthen one's own soul)]

[New Feature: Evil-Dispelling (Has a certain restraining effect on evil spirits and malevolent energy)]

[Item Obtained: Low-Tier Soul Crystal x1 (Slightly increases Soul Strength upon absorption)]

Information flooded in like a tidal wave, and Xu Yuan felt a refreshing coolness in his mind, as if his soul had been cleansed, becoming more focused and sharp.

Xu Yuan took out the soul crystal, which was the size of a pigeon egg, semi-transparent gray, and cool to the touch, with a faint light flowing inside.

He didn't hesitate and absorbed it directly.

A cool current surged into Xu Yuan's sea of ​​consciousness, and his soul began to grow at a visible speed.

What was once a vague perception can now be clearly "seen" in every detail within a ten-zhang radius. Even what was once a faint warning can now be perceived as an early sign of danger.

More importantly, with the [Breaking Evil] attribute, his ability to restrain spirits and other ghostly beings has greatly increased.

He was confident that he could easily defuse the curses of the Guza shaman if he were to face them again at this moment.

"This sealing array core..."

Xu Yuan walked to the black crystal, activated the Hundred Ghosts Diagram, and began to devour the chain-like gray air currents with his [Soul Devouring] ability.

"Buzz—!"

As Xu Yuan devoured the soul, the black crystal trembled violently, and its eerie light intensified.

Several streams of gray energy gradually faded until they disappeared, and the yin energy in the stone chamber was also quickly swallowed up and suppressed, no longer leaking out.

Xu Yuan could sense that the concentration of yin energy in the entire cave was gradually decreasing. Although the process was slow, it was indeed improving.

In the long run, the probability of evil spirits breeding in this place will be greatly reduced.

After doing all this, Xu Yuan did not leave immediately. Instead, he sat down cross-legged and began to comprehend the "Netherworld Soul Refining Technique".

This technique focuses on cultivating the spirit and soul, complementing the cultivation of malevolent energy in the "Mysterious Prison Suppressing Technique".

Concentration is the foundation, requiring the spirit and soul to be solidified, enabling one to introspect; Nourishing the soul is to strengthen it, using special methods to nurture the spirit and soul and increase its strength; Astral projection is the initial step of breaking free from the constraints of the physical body, allowing the spirit and soul to leave the body to explore, even traveling hundreds of miles at night!

With the Soul Crystal as his foundation, and having just absorbed a great deal of pure Yin energy from the stone chamber, Xu Yuan's cultivation was naturally twice as effective.

In less than an hour, he had grasped the basics of the "Concentration" technique, his soul became more refined, and his strength greatly increased.

"It's time to go!"

Xu Yuan slowly rose and withdrew the Netherworld Guide. As he walked out of the stone chamber, the passage on the altar floor slowly closed, returning to its original state.

When they returned to the fork in the road in the cave, there were less than ten hours left until midnight the next night, the agreed time.

Time was of the essence, but Xu Yuan already had a plan in mind.