Danger on every side

North of the Wilds, in the Black Mountain Range.

The blizzards had fallen on and off for three months and still showed no sign of stopping. The land for ten thousand miles around had been draped in a thick white mantle.

Inside a roughly built stone house in the Black Mountain Demon Stockade, Su Changsheng coiled his tail around himself and stared blankly at the blizzard outside the window.

"Being human is hard. Being a demon is hard. Being a human-demon hybrid is harder still."

"How did it come to this?"

Su Changsheng let out a forlorn sigh.

It was a complicated story. Just moments ago, he had still been a perfectly ordinary, upstanding man on Earth-an ultimate corporate slave who complained every day that being human was so hard he might as well give it up.

Yet in the blink of an eye, he had transmigrated here and become a half-demon in the Black Mountain Demon Stockade north of the Wilds: a Half-Demon Green Snake.

A human head and a snake's body. Human above the waist, snake below. A mermaid's cousin.

At first, he had been delighted. He might no longer be human, but at least he was a powerful demon! The demons he remembered could move mountains and fill seas, chase the sun and moon, and pluck stars from the heavens. The strongest could rival immortals and gods.

Cruel reality, however, had informed him that powerful demons certainly existed-but they had nothing to do with him.

He was merely a half-demon at the very bottom of the Black Mountain Demon Stockade. His talent was mediocre, his Demon Power meager and unremarkable. Most of his memories consisted of dread and terror of other demons. Every day, he lived with his heart in his throat, unable to find a moment's peace.

The demons' world brimmed with chaos, bloodshed, and slaughter. Weak demons could become food for Great Yao at any moment. One careless move could scatter their souls and end both their lives and their cultivation.

They would not even get a chance at reincarnation.

"Being human really was better!"

"Why did I ever ask for this?"

Su Changsheng sighed forlornly again. He was just about to consider how he should spend the rest of his demonic life.

The next second...

Boom!

The boulder blocking the doorway was kicked aside with brutal force. It slammed into the wall of the stone house, shaking the entire building and sending dust flying.

The blizzard outside rushed in, mingled with a thick, bloody wind.

The temperature inside plunged.

"Little green snake, are you dead yet?"

"If you aren't, get your ass out here!"

An enormous black tiger's head thrust into the stone house. Its blood-red maw opened wide, filling the room with the stench of rot and blood.

This was a massive Black Tiger Yao. Its head alone was half the size of the stone house.

At that moment,

Intimidated by its sinister demonic aura, Su Changsheng's soul trembled, but his body dared not hesitate. He awkwardly slithered out from the depths of the house on his tail and said cautiously:

"Coming, coming!"

"L-Lord Tiger, please forgive me. I was cultivating just now and kept you waiting. My apologies, my apologies."

Looking at the enormous Black Tiger Yao up close, Su Changsheng's heart pounded uncontrollably. He could barely breathe, and cold sweat instantly drenched his back.

"So you really aren't dead!"

A flicker of disappointment crossed the black tiger's enormous eyes. It continued, "I was thinking that if you were dead, I could collect your corpse while I was here. Why aren't you dead yet? How about I just slap you to death? That slut, the spotted fox, keeps whining that she needs a fine snakeskin to make some clothes."

"W-Well... Tiger Lord, please don't frighten me. I was hoping to offer you plenty more tribute and serve you in the future."

Su Changsheng actually felt slightly reassured now. Demons preferred to be direct. Since the Black Tiger Yao had not slapped him dead immediately, there was still room to negotiate. Still, he had to keep pretending to stammer.

Pitiful, weak, clumsy, and painfully cautious-all these qualities could be found in Su Changsheng at that moment.

After all, the weak ought to look weak. Doing so would not earn even a shred of sympathy from a cruel, bloodthirsty demon, but it might make those stronger than him a little happier.

A strong creature's happiness was a weak creature's good fortune.

Of course, another reason the Black Tiger Yao had not killed him was that several Great Yao protected the Black Mountain Demon Stockade, where tens of thousands of demons lived. Generally speaking, as long as they did not defy the Great Yao's wishes and paid their tribute on time, they would not become food.

"Tch. Boring!"

"Cut the fucking crap. This month's dues are due. If you can't pay, you can offer yourself instead."

The Black Tiger Yao looked rather hopeful.

It was a lesser demon serving one of the Black Mountain Demon Stockade's Great Yao, responsible for collecting dues in Su Changsheng's area.

"I have them, I have them. I've already prepared everything." Following the memories in his mind, Su Changsheng took an ice-crystal-like substance from a corner of the house and handed it to the black tiger.

This was snake saliva ice, a special material made by combining a snake's innate divine ability with its own Demon Power, blood energy, and other ingredients. It was quite useful in medicine-making, artifact refinement, and similar fields.

The Black Tiger Yao exhaled a gust of foul wind. A ghost materialized out of thin air and took the palm-sized piece of snake saliva ice on its behalf.

After confirming that everything was in order, the Black Tiger Yao looked somewhat surprised. It had assumed this little green snake would be unable to produce this month's dues. A half-demon's Demon Power was limited, after all, and this fellow had already been stretched thin last month.

It had been ready to strip the little green snake's tendons and skin and refine him into a Wailing Ghost. But now, it seemed the time had not yet come.

Before the Black Tiger Yao could think further, Su Changsheng gave a bitter smile. "I only just finished condensing the snake saliva ice. It nearly cost me half my life. Still, I must thank you for giving me a little extra time, Tiger Lord..."

At this point, Su Changsheng gritted his teeth and forcibly tore two walnut-sized snake scales from his neck. Ignoring the scarlet blood streaming from the wounds, he offered the scales to the Black Tiger Yao as well. "This is my personal tribute to you. Please accept it, Tiger Lord."

The Black Tiger Yao had clearly come with ill intentions. Although he had paid his dues, no one dared gamble on whether a cruel, bloodthirsty demon would obey the rules.

Offering a little extra now was absolutely necessary. Keeping himself alive came first. Everything else could wait.

"Reverse scales imbued with Demon Power?"

"Not bad. You know your place!"

"Fine, then. Stay home and rest. Remember to prepare next month's dues in advance. Also, some Wraith Beasts have slipped into the stockade recently. Don't go wandering around at night."

Black Tiger Yao was very pleased. It had never truly intended to kill Su Changsheng anyway. As long as he could still be exploited, he was a good demon! Its enormous head withdrew from the stone house, and its figure flashed toward the next one.

Only after watching Black Tiger Yao vanish completely did Su Changsheng move the boulder back into the doorway and let out a long breath.

Immediately, a piercing pain shot through his neck.

That damned bastard!

One day, I'll cut off your tiger cock and steep it in liquor!

Su Changsheng cursed inwardly but dared not make a sound. He remained cautious, unwilling to let his guard slip even slightly.

He drew on the faint Demon Power within him and covered the wounds on his neck. It only stopped the bleeding, however. Restoring the reverse scales on his neck would take at least a year.

"If I want to keep living in the Black Mountain Demon Stockade under the Great Yaos' protection, I have to pay my dues on time every month. Even if I don't eat or drink and condense all the Demon Power my body produces each day into snake saliva ice, making one palm-sized piece still takes nearly half a month."

"It's winter now, when Demon Power is at its scarcest. And as a half-Snake Yao, I need large amounts of flesh and blood just to stay active normally in winter..."

"And with things as they are... this is going to be hard!"

Enduring the pain, Su Changsheng rummaged through the supplies in the stone house. There were only ten jin of dried beast meat, a shed snakeskin, and two snake scales engraved with strange patterns and writing.

With so little, never mind paying next month's dues on time-it was doubtful whether he could even survive the immediate crisis.

"Surely I can't go wandering through the wilderness and become a Wild Yao!"

He sighed, utterly at a loss.

The wilderness outside the Yao Stronghold was even more dangerous. Besides all sorts of Wraith Beasts, there were many indescribable evil entities, aberrant creatures, Wild Yaos, and more.

With his puny body, he would barely amount to half a plate of food. If he really went into the wilderness, he might as well offer himself to the tiger demon as a snack and get it over with.

"I'd better cultivate first!"

After eating some dried meat, Su Changsheng immediately began cultivating. His Demon Power was severely depleted, and he needed to recover as quickly as possible.

He cultivated until midnight, when one day gave way to the next and yin energy was at its strongest.

Opening his eyes helplessly, Su Changsheng discovered that he had recovered only a sliver of Demon Power.

This body's aptitude was abysmal. Combined with the fact that he practiced the most basic Green Snake Breathing Method, his efficiency in cultivating Demon Power was pitifully low.

At this rate, surviving in this cruel Yao Stronghold was practically a fantasy spun from the Arabian Nights.

What should I do?

Su Changsheng racked his brains but found no answer. Just as he was beginning to lose heart, a faint wisp of yin energy suddenly appeared inside the stone house at the precise instant midnight marked the change of days.

The next moment, lines of information appeared in his mind out of nowhere.

Player: Su Changsheng

Race: Green Snake Half-Demon

Lifespan: 10/22 years

Realm: Level 1 half-demon: 30/100

Cultivation method: Green Snake Breathing Method, beginner 92/100

Demonic arts: None

Talent: Snake saliva ice, beginner 20/100

Survival points: 10

Evaluation 1: Treading carefully, clinging to life. You temporarily evaded the wicked tiger's predatory gaze. Though you paid a painful price, you bought yourself one month. When weak, remember to bow your head in all things and think three times before acting. Survival points +7

Evaluation 2: Preparing for danger in times of safety, cultivating diligently. Physical pain made you recognize the sorrow of the weak. You practiced your breathing method diligently for twelve hours. Though the results were meager, this is the only way for the weak to turn the tables. Survival points +3

Note: Any action taken during the previous day that benefited your survival, including but not limited to avoiding danger, practicing cultivation methods, and studying knowledge or skills, will receive a survival settlement at the midnight changeover. Survival points can be used to advance the cultivation method, demonic arts, and talent categories to the next stage.

"A survival game interface?"

"My cheat finally arrived-better late than never!"

Su Changsheng's eyes lit up. He hurriedly sensed the surroundings of the stone house. Only after confirming that no demon was watching and no danger was present did he relax and continue studying his cheat.

"The most important thing right now is raising my realm. I'm only a First-Level Half-Demon, at the very bottom of the Yao Stronghold. If I had the strength of a level-three or Fourth-Level Half-Demon, how could that Black Tiger Yao bully me?"

Without hesitation, Su Changsheng invested all his survival points in the Green Snake Breathing Method. He could only raise his realm through cultivation, not by adding points directly, so improving his cultivation method was imperative.

Green Snake Breathing Method advanced to the next stage!

Immediately, threads of information surfaced in his mind. They included how to breathe more efficiently, how to conserve physical strength while practicing, which times produced the best results, how to control the rhythm of his breathing, and more.

After digesting all the information, Su Changsheng felt a breath of stale air leave his chest. When he practiced the Green Snake Breathing Method, its efficiency within his body had increased by more than thirty percent. It felt smooth and rounded, refined and full.

Su Changsheng practiced the Breathing Technique for six hours straight before stopping, still eager for more.

The best time to practice the Green Snake Breathing Method was at midnight, when yin energy was strongest. He could absorb the most spiritual energy from outside while consuming the least energy within his body, achieving twice the result with half the effort.

Of course, the more important reason was that Su Changsheng was simply too poor. With only ten jin of dried beast meat at home, what resources did he have to expend on cultivation?