Facing the Abyss as a Demon Cultivator

“Tsk, these damned beasts are reacting even faster than I expected.”

Chu Xiu muttered to himself, not panicked in the slightest. Instead, he retreated according to plan, back into the room he had previously reinforced, tying the escape rope around his waist.

Bone spear pointed at the door, footsteps grew closer.

"Three, two, one."

As Chu Xiu finished his countdown, a huge dark shadow suddenly appeared, filling the entire door frame!

It didn't hesitate for a moment. The instant it locked eyes on Chu Xiu, it lunged like a starving jackal, drool dripping from its maw, arms flailing wildly!

However, the moment it stepped into the room, its entire body seemed to be grabbed by dozens of invisible hands, its speed noticeably slowing!

At the same time, faint blood lines seemed to be drawn from its body, merging into the ground!

[Bone Blood Devouring Formation!]

Chu Xiu's bone spear, however, didn't slow in the slightest. With a thrust of his right hand, the spear tip shot out like lightning, piercing through the ghoul's belly!

Its stomach ruptured, gastric juices and undigested food splattering across the floor.

Before Chu Xiu could even react to the disgusting sight, a second ghoul appeared at the door, while the first one, driven by its powerful life force, roared and lunged at him again!

Chu Xiu snorted coldly, raising his arm to block the ghoul's attack, then swiftly kicked it away. The sheer force of his kick sent the second ghoul stumbling back a few steps as well. However, it quickly regained its footing, just as a third ghoul appeared at the doorway!

“Tsk.”

Chu Xiu hadn't expected these creatures to arrive so quickly, but his eyes remained devoid of fear. He took half a step back, elemental force surging towards his left palm. In the blink of an eye, a deep grey cyclone formed, expanding at an alarming rate!

Just as the second ghoul shoved aside the first, now nearing its end, and was about to pounce on Chu Xiu, he roared, thrusting out his left hand!

The earsplitting screech of air being torn apart echoed through the room as a grey wind blade materialized out of thin air, slashing forward along the corridor!

“Puchi!”

The ghoul at the forefront was cleaved in two, the remaining force of the attack slamming into the ghoul charging behind it. The impact blew open its chest, sending its massive body flying backwards!

Although it wasn't cut in half, its pale spine was now visible. Having suffered such a heavy blow, it was no longer much of a threat.

"Hu."

Chu Xiu let out a light breath, somewhat satisfied with the power of the Shadow Wind Blade.

He had charged that attack for 1.5 seconds, and its power was about 6.0.

This result was within his expectations.

Just then, the fourth ghoul appeared, giving Chu Xiu no time to breathe.

However, a confident smile spread across Chu Xiu's face.

He noticed that the blood flowing from the three ghoul corpses on the ground was beginning to seep into the floor. At the same time, the eerie glow emanating from the Bone Blood Devouring Formation grew increasingly brighter.

The formation's power increased based on the number of living sacrifices.

So, what exactly constituted a living sacrifice?

Those sacrificed alive wouldn't willingly accept their fate, meaning the formation's master would ultimately have to deliver the killing blow.

So, wasn't Chu Xiu's act of slaying ghouls within the formation also a form of living sacrifice?

“This is the allure of demonic arts.” A faint smile played on his lips.

As the slowing effect of the Bone Blood Devouring Formation intensified, the narrow corridor transformed into a gruesome meat grinder for the ghouls!

Putting on the Ghoul Necklace, Chu Xiu swept his bone spear across the room.

The slaughter had begun!

---

At the same time, while Chu Xiu was engaged in a fierce battle, Guan Ke lay comfortably on a soft mattress.

As a girl, she shared a spacious room with Yun Lu and Wu Xinyi. Thanks to Xu Hang, the tailor's meticulous preparations, it had become extremely cozy.

Curled up in her blankets, she felt as if a good night's sleep could wash away all the fatigue of the day. It was a far cry from their first night when they had to sleep on the cold, hard concrete floor, waking up the next day with aching backs.

Yun Lu and Wu Xinyi, who had weaker constitutions, were already fast asleep. The day's exploration had truly taken its toll on them.

However, Guan Ke found herself unable to sleep.

She couldn't help but think about what Chu Xiu had asked her earlier.

"Don't tell me, he's really planning to go hunting at night?"

The thought popped into her head.

But she quickly dismissed it with a self-deprecating chuckle.

"He can't be that reckless, right? He's probably just gathering information."

She had made it perfectly clear that the density of monsters tripled at night, and their strength increased significantly!

Under such circumstances, let alone Chu Xiu, even if everyone in the stronghold went out together, they would be swallowed whole by the ghoul horde!

With that thought, Guan Ke pushed the matter aside, closing her eyes and trying to rest.

Just then, a muffled roar echoed from below!

Her eyes snapped open!

Yun Lu and Wu Xinyi were still sound asleep, but Guan Ke's exceptional hearing allowed her to immediately recognize the sound of a ghoul's roar!

It wasn't unusual. Nighttime was the ghouls' hunting ground, so some commotion was to be expected.

But the roars continued, followed by a very faint tremor.

Her ears hadn't recovered enough to clearly discern footsteps through several floors, but this wasn't just one or two sets of footsteps. This was the sound of many ghouls moving in unison, their heavy steps blending together. Although she couldn't make out the details, an unsettling feeling washed over her.

It was as if the entire building, like a slumbering beast, had suddenly awakened.

"That guy… he didn't actually do it, did he?"

"Tsk."

Guan Ke suddenly found herself wide awake, the noises grating on her nerves.

Finally, she sat up and closed her eyes.

For a brief moment, there was only darkness. Then, images began to flash before her eyes.

The images weren't clear, flickering with blurry spots.

Guan Ke's ability allowed her to project her consciousness into the mechanical creations she built.

As she activated her ability, the scenes witnessed by the eight puppets she had strategically placed throughout the apartment building flooded her mind.

Her hunch was right. The ghouls in the building were indeed in a frenzy. From time to time, dark figures would scurry past her puppets' field of vision. Judging by their movements, they seemed to be converging on a single location!

This could only mean one thing: someone was fighting the ghouls at night!

"Could it be that Chu Xiu? Or are there outsiders? Or maybe it's just a fight between monsters?" Guan Ke frowned.

Unfortunately, the surveillance puppets she had planted couldn't provide her with any more information. All she could hear were the occasional roars echoing through the building.

After a while, the roars gradually subsided, and peace returned to the apartment building.

"Tsk, it lasted for a whole ten minutes. It can't be that Chu Xiu."

"Li Shan said his initial energy level was only 0.8. Even with powerful bone equipment, there's no way he could last that long against a horde of ghouls."

"But if it wasn't him, then what was going on?"

Guan Ke was incredibly curious, but she also knew that curiosity killed the cat.

"Forget it, I shouldn't dwell on it. I'll find out what happened in the morning."

Suppressing her curiosity, Guan Ke lay back down on the bed and closed her eyes once more.

---

Meanwhile, Chu Xiu stood in the center of the Bone Blood Devouring Formation, now drenched in blood.

Surrounding him were piles upon piles of ghoul corpses.

(End of Chapter)