Full of wine and food.
She requested a superior room, tossed the waiter some extra tips, and had him prepare plenty of hot water.
Closing the door, she slid the bolt shut.
She unbuckled the saber from her waist, placed it casually on the table, and then walked behind the screen.
The hot water was already prepared, steaming vigorously.
Shedding her already foul-smelling clothes, the girl immersed her entire body in the warm water.
"Hoo..."
The warm water enveloped her skin, driving away the fatigue of days spent traveling.
Leaning against the tub wall, she closed her eyes, but her Divine Sense sank deep into her mind.
She recited silently in her heart.
[Name: Jiang Yuechu]
[Realm: Late Core Formation Realm]
[Dao Cultivation: One thousand seven hundred and seventy-six years]
[Recorded Demons: Tiger Mountain God (Heavenly Achievement), Mythical Ape (Heavenly Achievement), Green-Faced Gentleman (Dyed Vermilion), Black Mountain Bear Lord (Imitation Shadow), White Ape Duke (Imitation Shadow), White Flood Dragon Name of the White Flood Dragon consciousness (Imitation Shadow)]
[Cultivation Techniques: Ten Thousand Ravines Returning to Origin Scripture (Supreme), Golden Lion Overlord Saber (Major Achievement), Yin-Yang Horizontal Hand (Introductory), Spring-loaded Leg Shrinking the Ground (Introductory)...]
[Talents: Yin Method Heaven Bestowal, Wolf Travels a Thousand Li, Filthy Earth Golden Body]
[Divine Abilities: Tiger Fiend Blood Boil, Flesh and Blood Demonic Armor, Water Control]
Very good.
One thousand seven hundred and seventy-six years.
Her gaze scanned the painted scrolls in her mind.
With a focused thought, her gaze landed on the Black Bear's painted scroll.
"Infuse."
Whoosh—
Her consciousness sank once more, falling into that familiar darkness.
[Year 1: You were born on Black Mountain. Inherently clumsy, you only knew how to eat. Aside from being slightly stronger, you were no different from other wild beasts.]
[Year 10: Under an old mulberry tree, you encountered a beggar asking for food. The beggar was raving mad, saying: "If a beast knows shame, can it be called human? If a person is shameless, can they be called a beast?" You didn't understand, but you were greatly shocked and bit his head off.]
[Year 20: You passed by the old mulberry tree and saw the beggar again. You were very puzzled. Could he be a sibling born of the same mother? After pondering for a while, you decided to let the two brothers keep each other company.]
[Year 30: You thought you might be seeing a ghost, but the Major Thousand Worlds holds all sorts of wonders. What if they were triplets? Thinking this, you had another meal.]
[Year 35: Life in the mountains became increasingly difficult. Waves of people from the Demon Suppression Division came one after another. Although you managed to escape by chance, you were severely injured. You began to fear that this would never end.]
[Year 50: The beggar under the old mulberry tree seemed to have many, many brothers. They came here every decade, and it became your habit.]
[However, every time you ate the beggar, you felt as if you became a little smarter. You silently mocked yourself, thinking it was probably just an illusion.]
[Year 55: You met two Great Demons. Seeing that you had gained sentience, they intended to take you under their wing, but you refused and were beaten up.]
[Year 56: You slaughtered a chicken and burned yellow paper under the mulberry tree, becoming sworn brothers.]
[Year 60: You came back to the mulberry tree. The beggar was finally no longer raving mad. He explained to you that staying here was just rotting away with the plants and trees, and that following him to the Demon Court was your true destiny.]
[You refused. You felt you hadn't eaten enough honey in the mountains. Why go to that damned Demon Court? The beggar sighed, left the phrase "Rotten wood cannot be carved," and then tore through the void and left. Watching his retreating figure, a strange sense of panic arose in your heart for the first time.]
[Year 100: Big Brother returned. It brought back a kasaya and a scripture. It said: "Second Brother, Third Brother, in this era, being a Demon has no future. You must learn to be human."]
[Year 101: Through Big Brother's connection, you linked up with Baosha Temple. Before, when you ate people, you had to be sneaky, afraid of being discovered by the Demon Suppression Division. Now, when you eat people, as long as you put on that kasaya and sit on the Lotus Platform, the common folk below will deliver the meat right to your mouth, calling it Physical Body Almsgiving. You found humans very interesting.]
[During your spare time, you couldn't help but ponder: To be human, to be human—what does it truly mean to be human?]
[Year 110: You discovered that the monks of Baosha Temple often brought women back late at night, and the room was always filled with cooing sounds. You endured it for a long time but finally couldn't resist your curiosity and secretly peeked.]
[You were greatly startled, not knowing what the two were doing. The monk told you that this was Yin-Yang Union.]
[Year 120: You flipped through countless books and finally understood what Yin-Yang Union was. You seriously contemplated for a rare moment: Yin-Yang Union allows a woman to conceive... Isn't this exactly "making" humans?]
[Year 310: You felt that these days were truly comfortable. Not only were you getting better at being human, but Big Brother was also becoming increasingly unfathomable. The Demonic Qi on its body was almost undetectable. It told you that it was close to touching that threshold...]
Consciousness receded like a tide.
Jiang Yuechu suddenly opened her eyes.
[Consuming one hundred and forty years of Dao Cultivation, Black Mountain Bear Lord's progress has reached Dyed Vermilion.]
"Continue."
Boom—
The remaining Dao Cultivation burned again.
[...]
[Consuming three hundred and ten years of Dao Cultivation, Black Mountain Bear Lord's progress has reached Heavenly Achievement.]
[Successfully upgraded Black Mountain Bear Lord to Heavenly Achievement, obtaining a Demon's gift.]
[Unlocked Demonization: Black Mountain Bear Lord]
[Sealing Mouth and Solidifying Qi Method has reached Supreme.]
[Sealing Mouth and Solidifying Qi Method has evolved into Primordial Unity Qi Art (Proficient)]
[Primordial Unity Qi Art: Primordial Unity refers to the time before heaven and earth were separated, the beginning of creation. The Primordial Unity Qi Art combines hardness and softness, balancing Yin and Yang. Practitioners can not only greatly enhance their Physical Body strength but can also conjure a three-foot Qi wall in front of them, dissolving all forceful Qi into nothingness.]
[Obtained Talent: Ten Thousand Jun Strength (This is the Black Mountain Bear Lord's talent. Capable of carrying mountains, every action possesses the momentum of ten thousand jun, increasing strength.)]
A total of eight hundred and seventy years of Dao Cultivation was used.
On the painted scroll, the Black Bear's figure was now lifelike.
"Hoo..."
She slowly exhaled a breath of Turbid Qi. Her breath shot out like an arrow, actually blowing a ripple on the water's surface that lingered for a long time.
Feeling the powerful Forceful Qi surging within her like a mighty river.
She suddenly clenched her fists tightly.
This feeling... her strength had increased by another fifty percent!
And that wasn't all.
Although the previous Sealing Mouth and Solidifying Qi Method had astonishing defense, it was ultimately just a clumsy technique.
She had to first take a breath and hold it in her chest and abdomen, and tense her muscles when taking a hit. If she encountered Soft and Insidious Forceful Qi or techniques like Striking the Ox through the Mountain, she would still suffer a disadvantage.
But the current Primordial Unity Qi Art was completely different.
Qi could not only be stored internally but also manifested externally.
Jiang Yuechu raised an eyebrow, a strange look flashing in her eyes.
Blocking flying projectiles and isolating Forceful Qi... why did this thing look so familiar?
She slowly raised her right arm, beaded with water, and her mind stirred slightly.
"Hassaké!!!" (Very quiet)
Buzz—
A Qi Wall, difficult to discern with the naked eye, spread out from her forearm, forcing back all the surrounding steam.
Interesting... Although she didn't Awaken any Divine Ability, the Primordial Unity Qi Art itself already surpassed a Divine Ability.
With this Wind Wall, if she ever encountered techniques like the White Flood Dragon's sky-full of Water Blades again, why would she need to resist them with her Physical Body?
She leaned back against the tub wall. The warm water flowed over her collarbone, making her want to hum in comfort.
Nine hundred and six years of Dao Cultivation remained.
Since she had already started, she might as well finish the job.
Jiang Yuechu's gaze moved away from the majestic Black Bear and landed on the somewhat shabby painted scroll beside it.
Green-Faced Gentleman.
This Wolf Demon had been shelved ever since it reached Dyed Vermilion.
Although the talent Wolf Travels a Thousand Li significantly increased her speed, this small boost was already insufficient in the combat of the Core Formation Realm.
"I wonder if you, this trash, can give me any surprise."
Jiang Yuechu recited silently in her heart.
"Infuse, Green-Faced Gentleman."
Boom—
[Consuming ninety-nine years of Dao Cultivation, Green-Faced Gentleman's progress has reached Dotting the Eye.]
[Consuming one hundred and ninety years of Dao Cultivation, Green-Faced Gentleman's progress has reached Heavenly Achievement.]
[Successfully upgraded Green-Faced Gentleman to Heavenly Achievement, obtaining a Demon's gift.]
[Unlocked Demonization: Green-Faced Gentleman]
"..."
That's it?
No!
That's all you got?
Jiang Yuechu felt the changes in her body.
Very good.
Absolutely nothing.
So, spending over two hundred years only unlocked Demonization and Summoning?
"What utter trash!!!"
But on second thought... at least she could use it at night.
She cursed softly, stood up from the water, and as the water droplets rolled off, a large expanse of spring light was revealed.
Carefully drying her body, she put on her black clothes.
Jiang Yuechu pushed open the window, looked at the distant street, and a hint of coldness flashed in her eyes.
The next second.
In the shadowed corner behind her, four figures slowly rose from their crouch...---