Facing the Abyss as a Demon Cultivator

Looking out the window, Chu Xiu fell into deep thought. Killing a ghoul was now a piece of cake for him, and even two or three ghouls appearing together didn't faze him.

But... "If I encounter a ghoul horde or other stronger creatures, that would be bad."

He still remembered seeing a giant flying creature on his first day in this world.

Although Chu Xiu was much stronger now, encountering a mini-boss-level entity would still spell disaster for him.

After some serious contemplation, he decided to investigate before making any decisions.

The caution of a demonic cultivator was not just about being timid and hiding but about gathering information, analyzing the situation, and making comprehensive, interest-driven decisions.

Returning to the thirty-first floor, Chu Xiu planned to spend an hour observing the surrounding environment from the high floors to assess the dangers accurately.

"Back already? Didn't have much luck hunting, did you?"

As Chu Xiu reached the thirty-first floor, Xu Hang, the tailor, smirked, his eyes mocking.

Chu Xiu ignored him and chose a suitable observation point, starting to carefully survey the surroundings.

"Hmph, thinking you can solo in the apocalypse isn't so easy," Xu Hang continued, even though Chu Xiu paid him no mind. "You need an S-grade talent or to be the offspring of a major corporation."

"Like Shen brother, wearing three hundred thousand's worth of leather armor, wielding a two-hundred-thousand-dollar greatsword, and he's still a B-grade Sword Master. Even he needs the team's help."

Xu Hang's words made Chu Xiu turn and look at him in surprise.

He didn't expect Shen Zhuo's equipment to be so valuable.

However, there were indeed many more rich people in this world than in his previous life.

The numerous secret treasures brought back from the Abyss were equivalent to a flood of high-value goods entering the market, leading to rapid economic development.

Printing money was just a matter of turning on the presses. With so many high-value items flooding in, there was no worry about inflation.

This led to the living conditions and wealth of the lower class remaining largely unchanged from the previous life, but the number of wealthy people had sharply increased.

Generally, an Awakened of the Fierce level, as long as they maintained a normal frequency of entering dungeons, could easily earn millions a year. Higher up, the General and King levels could earn tens of millions from a single dungeon run! Shen Zhuo was just a minor rich kid; many were wealthier than him, especially the descendants of high-level Awakened ones.

Xu Hang continued, "If you can't hold out, just come back and join us. Shen brother isn't petty and won't make things difficult for you."

Xu Hang's persuasion seemed sincere.

As a support profession, he had to rely on the team to survive and could only maximize his value within a team.

Their emotions were complex, relying on combat professions while envying and resenting them, unwilling to be forever the backdrop for others, with a hint of inferiority.

Under this mindset, they would subconsciously emphasize their own value, often being staunch supporters of the team, with a strong sense of collective honor, subconsciously rejecting lone wolves who didn't need their help.

"Strange, how do I know this?" Chu Xiu scratched his head.

He felt that after becoming a demonic path heir, his perception and observation of human nature had become much more detailed, sometimes intuitively sensing others' emotions.

Shaking his head, he continued to observe the environment outside the window.

Seeing Chu Xiu ignoring him, Xu Hang snorted, cursed, and turned away.

Chu Xiu didn't mind. Over the next hour, he changed his observation points six times, each time spending at least ten minutes.

He then silently compiled the information he had observed.

"First, there are many wandering ghouls on the streets, including high-level ghouls preying on ordinary ghouls."

"Second, ghoul groups roam the streets, often with at least one high-level ghoul as the core."

"Third, besides ghouls, there are other mutant creatures. I saw a giant bird hunting ordinary ghouls, indicating that ordinary ghouls are just a part of the food chain for higher life forms."

"Lastly, in one hour of observation, I witnessed twenty-one special life forms, which is a high ratio!"

Chu Xiu rubbed his chin, contemplating the information he had gathered.

These twenty-one special life forms' exact strength was unknown, but based on intuition and some characteristics, they seemed quite strong.

At least Chu Xiu didn't feel confident in defeating them, and he was sure twelve of them could kill him instantly.

"Rushing out now would still be dangerous!"

However, this didn't mean his hour of observation was wasted. He didn't need to roam the streets but just needed to change hunting grounds.

He had already determined his next target.

Chu Xiu's gaze landed on a row of residential buildings to the west.

It was an old neighborhood with three closely spaced buildings, each only ten stories high. The straight-line distance from the apartment building was less than a hundred meters, with rubble in between for cover, making it a relatively safe hunting ground.

Just as Chu Xiu was about to act, he noticed something.

Several figures were cautiously exiting the apartment building, heading south.

They seemed to be Shen Zhuo's group.

"They have the same idea?"

Chu Xiu rubbed his chin and looked in their direction.

It was a large shopping mall, a good choice as well.

Shaking his head, Chu Xiu stuck to his original plan and headed towards the nearby residential buildings.

When he reached the first floor, he noticed the door to the underground garage was open, with dense ghoul footprints and a foul stench.

"Looks like quite a few ghouls are hiding inside." Chu Xiu glanced at the sky, with the noon sun blazing, "These creatures must hate sunlight, hiding in the underground garage during the day. My guess was correct."

Keeping this in mind, Chu Xiu continued with his original plan.

Encountering no obstacles, he quickly reached the nearby residential buildings.

As he stepped inside, he heard noises from a second-floor apartment. Chu Xiu's eyes lit up. He crouched, pushed open the ajar door, and saw a ghoul squatting in the living room.

This ghoul differed from those he had previously encountered, with no dense black fur on its chest and back. Its skin was pale like an albino's, but it had a significant amount of muscle.

It was holding a furry thing in its right claw, munching away.

Chu Xiu slowed his steps, carefully approaching with his bone spear. When he was less than two meters away, he suddenly thrust his spear forward!

His strike was precise, piercing the ghoul's throat and lifting it. It struggled, emitting wheezing sounds, and soon fell silent.

Slain creature, Profession Experience +23

Chu Xiu raised an eyebrow. This ghoul's experience was only half of that of the black-furred ghouls.

He recalled that most of the ghouls wandering the streets were like this one, indicating the ghouls in their apartment building were the high-level version.

Without thinking much, Chu Xiu continued hunting! By the time the sun was setting, he had swept through all three residential buildings.

Despite taking so long, his haul wasn't much—he only killed seven ghouls.

However, he did get 9 more Karma Points, but Chu Xiu still felt it was too slow.

"Seems like it's unrealistic to expect to mass-kill ghouls before gaining the strength to fight off ghoul hordes!"

Still, Chu Xiu wasn't too disappointed, having mentally prepared for this.

He realized that even ghouls were just part of the food chain in this apocalypse, prey for higher-level creatures.

In such a survival-of-the-fittest world, those without survival skills were long eaten, and those remaining knew how to hide.

Despite the modest haul, there was some good news.

As Chu Xiu killed the last ghoul, a crisp sound echoed in his ears.

Level Up!

Current Tier: Mortal Tier 4