The sky gradually darkened.
On the official road, the dim yellow afterglow stretched the shadows of a horse and the two corpses dragging behind it long and thin.
"Hyah, hyah!"
Jiang Yuechu urged it twice, but the horse beneath her only snorted and panted heavily, its steps growing slower and slower.
She looked back.
The corpses of the two Pig Demons carved two deep furrows through the ground, kicking up dust all along the way.
She had originally thought they could reach Golden City before nightfall.
But now, it seemed they would not make it.
"Forget it, forget it." Jiang Yuechu sighed and swung down from the horse.
She walked over to it and patted its drenched neck.
"You've had it rough, old fellow."
The horse snorted in response.
Jiang Yuechu untied the ropes, tossed the two corpses by the roadside, then removed the saddle.
"Go find yourself some grass. We'll rest here tonight."
She looked around. Not far from the official road stood a ruined Land God Temple, half its walls collapsed and its statue toppled over. It would do nicely as shelter from the wind.
She carried her things into the broken temple, then plopped down against a shattered wall.
The night wind swept past, carrying the chill of the wilderness.
But Jiang Yuechu had no mind to care about that.
With a thought, the ancient scroll slowly unfurled in her mind.
[Dao Cultivation: 180 years]
Looking at that number, she could not help but grin.
All that running herself ragged, licking blood from the edge of a blade—wasn't it all for this?
Now that she held one hundred and eighty years of Dao Cultivation in her hand, naturally she had to spend it lavishly.
Her consciousness settled upon the two demon scrolls that had already reached the Vermilion Staining realm.
Should she continue improving Tiger Mountain God, or Azure-Faced Lord?
Fierce Tiger Swift Blade was currently her most handy technique, broad and powerful, crushing ten foes with a single force.
Azure Cliff Returning Shadow, on the other hand, placed greater emphasis on movement techniques, strange and ever-changing.
After turning it over and over in her mind, it was still safer to fleece one sheep first.
After all, if you bit off more than you could chew, you would choke on it.
"You, then, big tiger."
Jiang Yuechu made up her mind.
She took a deep breath and sank her consciousness into the scroll.
The next instant, those one hundred and eighty years of Dao Cultivation surged into the scroll of that white-browed, hanging-eyed tiger like floodwaters bursting through a dam!
Boom—
A blaze of blood-red light erupted from the scroll!
The fierce tiger seemed to come alive. Every strand of fur, every inch of sinew and bone, underwent an indescribable transformation.
The Dao Cultivation count began plummeting at high speed.
One hundred and seventy years.
One hundred and fifty years.
One hundred years.
Fifty...
At last, it stopped at zero.
One hundred and eighty years of Dao Cultivation had been spent clean.
Jiang Yuechu felt a sharp pang in her heart.
But before she could finish feeling the pain of it.
A new line of text slowly emerged upon the scroll.
[Consumed 180 years of Dao Cultivation. Tiger Mountain God progress increased.] [Current Scroll: Tiger Mountain God (Eye-Pointing)]
Boom—
A thunderous blast rang out.
Jiang Yuechu felt as though her head had become a boiling cauldron and exploded.
She abruptly opened her eyes, gasping for breath, her forehead drenched in cold sweat.
On the scroll, a touch of scarlet cinnabar had been painted into the pupils of that white-browed, hanging-eyed tiger.
It looked as if it had come alive.
[Successfully performed Eye-Pointing on Tiger Mountain God. Obtained a demon's gift.] [Unlocked Demonization: Tiger Mountain God (Consumes the user's own vitality and blood, allowing temporary partial demon transformation and granting its abilities. This divine power is exceedingly dangerous. Use with caution.)]
"Fuck..."
Jiang Yuechu stared at the fresh lines on the panel, unable to speak for a long while.
Demonization?
Temporarily transforming into a tiger demon?
Jiang Yuechu licked her somewhat cracked lips, her heart pounding wildly despite itself.
She slowly raised her right hand and willed it.
Hum.
An indescribable burning sensation erupted violently from her heart.
The vitality and blood within her body seemed like ignited fire oil, draining away at a terrifying speed.
Jiang Yuechu gave a muffled groan, feeling every bone in her body creak under an unbearable burden.
Before her eyes, her right hand underwent an astonishing transformation.
The muscles beneath her skin tightened at an alarming rate, becoming tough as iron without swelling excessively, merely tracing sleek lines brimming with explosive force.
Her long black hair began at the roots, swiftly dyed by a layer of blood-red color. Under the cold moonlight, it resembled blazing flames.
The most terrifying change occurred in her eyes.
The world before her seemed to stretch and warp, and in an instant, her pupils became a pair of cold, merciless golden vertical slits.
An unprecedented sense of power surged wildly from every limb and bone!
It felt as though, if she wished it, she could smash the broken wall beside her with a single punch.
But accompanying it was an agonizing pain from her heart.
It was as though an invisible black hole was madly devouring her life force.
Her vitality and blood were draining away faster than ever before!
If this continued, she would be sucked dry alive in fewer than ten breaths!
Stop!
Jiang Yuechu screamed frantically in her heart.
Hum—
That burning power receded like the tide.
Her entire body went limp, and she collapsed to the ground. Her chest heaved violently as she gulped down breath after breath.
A lock of hair fell before her eyes, already restored to black.
She lifted a trembling hand to touch her eyes, then looked at her palm. That explosive strength had vanished without a trace.
"Fuck..."
Jiang Yuechu spat out the word, feeling utterly drained, nearly without even the strength to curse.
This move...
It was strong, undeniably strong.
But if she failed to end the battle within that time.
She would probably be left at the mercy of others on the spot.
Unless it was absolutely necessary, she could never use it again.
She struggled into a sitting position and leaned against the wall.
Just then.
Grrr—
An ill-timed sound came from her stomach.
Jiang Yuechu clutched her belly, her face full of helplessness.
It could not be helped. That was simply how martial artists were.
When vitality and blood were depleted, they could only replenish them through food.
That burst of demonization had nearly drained her dry. Now her stomach was empty, and she was so hungry her chest nearly stuck to her back.
She took out the jerky Chen Qingyuan had given her from her robes. It was dry and tough. She broke off a small piece, put it in her mouth, and chewed for a long while, finding it utterly tasteless.
Her gaze unconsciously fell upon the two enormous corpses outside the ruined temple.
Pig Demons...
"They're still pigs, right?"
She licked her lips.
"Who the hell cares? I'm starving to death already. Why pick and choose?"
She stood up, rummaged through her bundle for a tinderbox, then drew her saber and strode over to the Pig Demon corpses.
With a flash of steel, she cleanly removed one plump hind leg.
The stench of blood rushed into her face, but Jiang Yuechu did not even furrow her brow.
Before long, a bonfire rose within the ruined temple.
The skinned pig leg was propped over the flames, sizzling as it roasted. Fat dripped into the fire, producing sharp pops and a strange fragrance of meat.
Jiang Yuechu tore off a large piece of browned meat. Not caring about the heat, she blew on it twice and stuffed it into her mouth.
The meat was coarse, carrying an indescribable rank smell. It was far from delicious.
But as the flesh entered her stomach, a warm current rose from within it and swiftly spread through every limb and bone.
The vitality and blood she had depleted through demonization began replenishing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Jiang Yuechu's eyes lit up.
It really was a great tonic!
She hesitated no longer, grabbing the pig leg and tearing into it in huge bites.
At that moment, she suddenly felt that.
Demons...
Really were a good thing...
Before you continue