Facing the Abyss as a Demon Cultivator

-- TL Note --> Tiers changed to ranks (no more mortal tier, spirit tier, etc..) 

Chu Xiu and his companions' apartment building was located on a main road near the city center.

Stepping out the door, there was a wide road. The road, which should have been bustling with traffic, was now littered with rusty car wrecks, with hordes of ghouls occasionally seen passing through.

"Across the road is a large commercial district, accessible via an overpass or underground passage. Compared to crossing the road directly, these two methods are much safer and less likely to attract the attention of high-level hunters."

"Shen Zhuo's team previously went to the shopping mall opposite via the overpass."

"As for the other three sides, there are residential areas, each covering a considerable area, with more than ten residential buildings."

"However, strangely enough, the ghouls in these three residential areas seem to be only ordinary ones. Only the apartment building has black-furred ghouls. It's unclear why."

Chu Xiu stood on the apartment building, gazing at the surroundings while silently memorizing the terrain.

"Although there are many ghouls wandering the streets, it is not a suitable hunting ground."

"Not only could the noise attract hordes of ghouls, but it could also be discovered by flying ghoul birds in the sky."

Chu Xiu looked up and saw a giant bird with a wingspan of over ten meters gliding across the sky.

He had seen this kind of bird monster on the first day he arrived in this world. Now, with the help of his Ghostly Eyes, a panel appeared before his eyes.

[014-type Ghoul]

[Rank] D-rank ? Level

[Attributes] Physique 45.4, Spirit ?, Energy Level ?

[Skills] Unknown

[Traits] Unknown

[Talent] Unknown

Although most of the attributes were unknown, the D-rank and the abnormal physique of 45.4 were enough to give Chu Xiu a clear picture.

Simply put: Don't mess with it, you'll be instantly killed.

"Although my strength has improved tremendously compared to when I first arrived, I am still nothing in this world."

"I can't afford to cause too much of a stir during my next hunt."

Chu Xiu reluctantly looked away from the experience points walking around on the road and turned to the residential buildings on the other side.

"The challenge of killing one hundred ghouls is almost complete. I need to get my hands on those 150 Karma Points as soon as possible so I can improve my strength."

"For now, I'll just lie low for a while."

Having made up his mind, Chu Xiu didn't hesitate any longer. He moved swiftly, his 7.52 physique allowing him to reach his destination in just a few minutes. He then searched for traces of ghouls along the corridor.

Unfortunately, as was the case yesterday, the density of ghouls in the building during the day was pitifully low. Perhaps because these residential buildings had been ransacked countless times by these flesh-eating creatures, there was no longer enough food here to interest them.

Chu Xiu worked hard all morning and only managed to kill eleven ghouls, all ordinary ones without black fur.

More precisely, these guys were called 004-type ghouls, E-rank Level 2 creatures. The black-furred ghouls were called 004-type Ghoul (Mutated), E-rank Level 3.

The experience they could provide Chu Xiu now was also pitifully small, even in single digits.

However, it was not all bad news.

At least with these guys, Chu Xiu was able to repair his damaged Bone Armor and his injured Yin Ghost, and even made some progress in their enhancement.

And during the hunt, he took the opportunity to use his Ghostly Eyes to conduct a general reconnaissance of the surrounding terrain, including marking areas with terrifying beings that he absolutely could not provoke.

For example, he once saw several tentacles suddenly shoot out from a residential building, dragging a passing ghoul inside. For another, in the residential area west of the apartment building, there was a strange large tree. The Ghostly Eyes even scanned its rank as ? Level ? Level, without even a name! This indicated that the monster's evolution level was even above D-rank!

Chu Xiu secretly noted all of these in his mind.

When you are weak, you avoid strong enemies; when you are strong, you mark them as experience points.

"Slow and steady wins the race."

Chu Xiu quickly adjusted his mentality and prepared to continue to lie low.

But just then, he suddenly heard a roar from outside the window that didn't belong to a ghoul.

He walked to the balcony and looked out, surprised to find a wild boar, which had come from who knows where, rushing into the residential area. It was now caught by two ghouls, letting out desperate howls while running around frantically.

The wild boar was not large, seemingly just a cub, but it was quite agile. Even the two ghouls working together couldn't catch it for a while.

Just as the wild boar was rampaging through the residential area, a huge figure suddenly leaped out from a residential building. It was extremely fast, jumping down from the fourth floor and pinning down the wild boar in one fell swoop. At the same time, another claw lightning-fastly reached out, disemboweling the wild boar cub, its internal organs and intestines spilling out.

It fell to the ground, its two bean-sized eyes staring blankly at the ground, its mouth letting out fearful "whooshing" sounds.

But the fear didn't last long. A large mouth full of sharp teeth bit off its throat, and it began to tear and bite at the flesh and blood.

Only then did Chu Xiu see clearly that it was a creature that crawled on all fours, resembling a hyena, but much larger, even bigger than an average Siberian tiger.

Its skin was as pale as a ghoul's, but its muscle mass far exceeded that of an ordinary ghoul, and its skeleton was extremely wide. Coupled with its two thick and long teeth, which were a good twenty centimeters long, and a pair of violent red pupils, it made one instinctively feel fear.

As soon as this creature appeared, the other ghouls that were originally eyeing the surroundings all shrank back, wandering in the distance unwillingly, but not daring to approach at all. They only waited for the creature to finish eating so that they could get some leftovers.

Chu Xiu's eyes narrowed slightly as he activated his Ghostly Eyes.

[002-type Ghoul (Elite)]

[Rank] F-rank Level 4

[Attributes] Physique 12.8, Spirit 2.5, Energy Level 3.4

[Skills] Powerful Claw Strike, Bite, Rapid Regeneration

[Traits] Bone Spikes, Poisonous Claws, Poisonous Fangs

[Talent] Pack Hunting (Emits high-frequency sound waves to summon all 002-type ghouls within a certain range.)

"Another elite!"

Chu Xiu's eyes lit up.

As an elite monster, both its drop rate and the experience gained from killing it would far exceed that of ordinary monsters!

Not to mention, this monster itself was F-rank Level 4.

Killing monsters that were too far apart in level would greatly reduce the experience gained. This was why the experience Chu Xiu now gained from killing ghouls was basically in single digits.

"It's not easy to find an elite monster, and it's still daytime. I can't let this opportunity slip away."

Chu Xiu narrowed his eyes.

A physique of 12.8 wasn't too high. With his +6 Energy-Absorbing Armor, he could handle it himself.

Not to mention, Chu Xiu's Yin Ghost alone had a physique as high as 12.4.

But Chu Xiu knew that, just like the elite ghoul he encountered last night, what made these guys really troublesome were their "special abilities."

"This one's talent is 'Pack Hunting'."

"Does that mean it will summon its companions to attack in a siege?"

Chu Xiu narrowed his eyes and looked around the elite ghoul.

He soon discovered that in the distance, many similar-looking "ghoul dogs" were gathering.

However, they were much smaller, only the size of gray wolves.

These should be the ordinary 002-type ghouls.

Chu Xiu scanned them with his Ghostly Eyes. Their physique was only 2.0 to 3.0, but there were many of them, at least twenty or thirty. They were currently hiding in the woods or apartment buildings, waiting for their leader to finish eating.

"Well, it would be troublesome if I were to be besieged."

Chu Xiu stroked his chin, scanning the surrounding terrain.

Suddenly, his gaze fell on an area less than two hundred meters away from the elite ghoul.

It was an arch-like structure connecting two rows of neighboring residential buildings. Below the arch was a corridor about ten meters long, allowing people to pass through.

This place could perfectly accommodate the Bone Blood Devouring Formation.

Most importantly, the corridor was not wide and could only accommodate three or four people walking side by side, which could effectively restrict the ghoul dogs' pack hunting.

Moreover, the corridor led to another row of residential buildings behind it. In case of an emergency, he could retreat into the building at any time.

In short, it was a very good battlefield.

Chu Xiu made a silent calculation in his mind, and his eyes lit up.

It would work!

Without any hesitation, he moved like a ghost, silently traversing the residential area. In a short while, he arrived at the designated area and set up the Bone Blood Devouring Formation.

"Next, all that's left is to lure those ghouls over."

And Chu Xiu had already figured out a way.

He pointed his finger, and the Yin Ghost from the Bone Banner drifted out. It floated in its soul form to the vicinity of the elite ghoul.

The elite ghoul seemed to sense something. It twitched its nose and abruptly raised its head, but what greeted it was a rapidly forming Shadow Wind Blade!

"Whoosh!"

The Shadow Wind Blade spun rapidly, cutting through the air as it shot out!

However, the elite ghoul reacted extremely quickly, leaping aside to dodge it.

But the Yin Ghost's purpose was not to fight it. Its blurry form rapidly materialized in midair. It grabbed the wild boar carcass on the ground, turned, and ran!

Seeing the food it had finally obtained being snatched away, the elite ghoul was instantly enraged. It and its underlings behind it let out angry roars and chased after it without hesitation!