Because of demonic qi, the mountain forests of Jingzhou were bizarre and unpredictable; it was almost impossible to find identical demon beasts, each one extremely grotesque.
A green ox demon that looked gentle on the surface would, the instant it approached its prey, spit out an extremely long, narrow tongue from its mouth and directly nail the prey to death.
It licked and fed on the prey's flesh and blood with its tongue covered in barbs. The white bones left behind on the ground soon attracted large numbers of insects.
The green ox demon was slightly dissatisfied and searched its surroundings for prey.
Buzz...
It seemed to discover something and quickened its pace toward a nearby pool of water.
On the surface of the pool floated a foul-smelling rotting corpse. Flesh-eating demon beasts were not interested in it; only a few swimming fish were tearing at the corpse.
The green ox demon wrapped the corpse with its tongue and slowly pulled it toward the shore.
But just at this moment, cloudlike, mistlike white cloth wrapped around its entire body, and immediately after, a long, narrow steel needle drilled into its internal organs from the rear.
The green ox demon let out a shrill scream, then turned into a corpse. Its limbs could no longer support its body and it collapsed to the ground.
Before dying, it even crushed a large tree, attracting carrion-eating crows.
The shadows not far away slowly dispersed. Three cultivators revealed their figures and came to the ox demon's corpse, skillfully using artifacts to pry open the fur of its chest and abdomen, and reaching in to pull out the internal organs.
The green ox demon's corpse was relatively intact. Yu Dou could not help but say with satisfaction, "The most valuable part of an ox demon is its root stem. Next are organs like the liver and gallbladder. Zhang Dengkuan, don't miss anything."
Yu Dou was precisely the fat Restraint Officer Ren Qing had seen outside the city, who had mastered the Taotie Method's Secondary Stomach. Judging by his cultivation, he had just reached the Ghost Envoy realm.
An aberrant mouth opened on his abdomen, swallowing all kinds of materials from the green ox demon into the stomach space. The remaining corpse was discarded cleanly and decisively.
Under normal circumstances, cultivators would transport demon beast corpses back into the city. Processing them personally could easily damage the materials and affect their quality when setting up stalls to sell them in the dream market.
But Yu Dou had no choice. After all, the deeper one went into Jingzhou, the more demon beasts one encountered, and inevitably some corpses had to be abandoned.
The stomach space did not mean it could hold a large amount of items. Moreover, flesh and blood would rot inside it. At most, two or three demon beast corpses could be stored.
While urging the two men to quickly process the corpse, Yu Dou slightly closed his eyes, using a technique to sense whether there was any demon beast aura nearby.
Zhang Dengkuan and the other man dared not slack off. After all valuable materials had been separated, they took out a palm-sized glass bottle from their robes.
Inside the glass bottle was blood-red powder, as if ground from fresh bones. Under sunlight, it appeared crystal clear.
Yu Dou seemed to sense something and reminded them nervously, "A demon is coming. We have to leave immediately."
"Mm..."
The two men answered repeatedly and sprinkled the powder onto the wounds of the corpse.
The moment the blood flowing from the corpse came into contact with the powder, the bloody stench permeating the air became even stronger, even reaching a pungent level.
The powder was called "Demon-Attracting Blood."
It actually originated from an accidental discovery by a cultivator. He ground into powder bloodstones that increased artifact activity and sprinkled it into fresh blood, causing corpses to emit an intense bloody stench that demon beasts found irresistible.
They were not setting traps to lure demon beasts. Their main goal was to take advantage of the opportunity to withdraw from the area.
A sudden corpse appearing in the wilderness was like pouring blood into the sea, enough to attract sharks from over a thousand meters away.
Yu Dou's purpose was to draw the attention of nearby demon beasts in advance so they could leave smoothly.
This tactic had proven effective time and time again.
However, the stall owner selling Demon-Attracting Blood had once said that one must be extremely careful of demon beasts that retained spiritual intelligence, as the latter did not fall for this at all.
"Check yourselves for any bloodstains, then retreat toward Wuwei City."
Hearing this, Zhang Dengkuan let out a sigh of relief.
Although the harvest was plentiful, they had gone deep into Jingzhou. The number of demon beasts encountered recently had clearly increased, and their cultivation was more terrifying as well.
Yu Dou tidied up his gear, then bent down and slowly retreated along the thorny bushes.
Beast roars rang out one after another. All kinds of demon beasts rushed toward the corpse and even fought each other for it, the commotion growing louder and louder.
Yu Dou and the other two successfully withdrew from the corpse's area and could not help but feel greatly relieved.
"This time we should be able to earn quite a bit of blood crystals. You two aren't Restraint Officers, so you can find an acquaintance to help sell them. That wouldn't be in vain..."
Yu Dou revealed an excited expression and could not help but lower his voice.
But just as he was speaking, the sounds of demon beasts fighting in the distance abruptly stopped, as if the struggle had ended inexplicably.
"Boss Yu, don't say anything..."
Yu Dou noticed that the expressions of his two companions were off. Their contracted pupils seemed to be seeing something terrifying.
Yu Dou followed their gazes, and his entire body immediately trembled.
A bizarre demon beast stood on a tree branch. Without careful observation, it was impossible to notice it. Its flickering gaze made him shudder with fear.
The demon beast looked like a skinned hyena, wearing a loose, tattered robe. Its face was strangely half-human, half-demon, and it tilted its head as it examined the three of them.
The hyena demon put its hands together and said respectfully, "Benefactors..."
Hearing the hyena beast speak, Yu Dou's hair instantly stood on end. His first reaction was to gather his technique and prepare to fight.
"Benefactors, form a karmic connection."
As pairs of eyes appeared nearby, they had no choice but to temporarily give up resistance.
It was clear that even after transforming into demon beasts, hyenas were still pack animals. At this moment, there were at least two or three hundred ordinary hyenas around them.
Yu Dou narrowed his eyes. It seemed their lives would be left here.
"You two don't make a move. If we really have to fight, I'll cover for you."
He did not feel much fear. After all, he had already prepared himself when he took the risk of coming to Jingzhou. Death was only a matter of time.
The hyena pack crawled out of the grass. One by one, their fur was glossy and smooth, yet they were even more emaciated than imagined. One could almost see the ribs beneath their hides.
The hyena demon took out a string of white bone prayer beads from its robes, muttered a few words, and said, "Several benefactors are fated with my Buddha. Why not come to the cave abode for a gathering."
Yu Dou felt there might be an opportunity.
If they went to the demon beasts' lair, it meant they would not be eaten immediately. There might be a chance to escape with their lives.
He gave Zhang Dengkuan and the other man a look.
Unfortunately, Zhang Dengkuan did not notice Yu Dou at all.
He was so frightened that his entire body was stiff, and he even muttered incomprehensible words. His palm unconsciously condensed the aura of a technique.
"Zhang Dengkuan!!"
Yu Dou was shocked. The other companion, Liu Han, also wanted to stop him, but it was clearly too late.
Zhang Dengkuan's palm split open with an eye, from which scorching flames erupted, burning the nearest hyena into charcoal.
The barking sounds became frantic.
Dozens of hyenas swarmed up and directly bit onto Zhang Dengkuan's limbs. He quickly became covered in blood, and his struggles grew weaker and weaker.
Yu Dou was just about to rescue Zhang Dengkuan when he realized that the hyenas had not gone for the kill.
One had to know that hyenas generally had cultivation at the Qi Refinement stage and also held a numerical advantage. Why did it feel like they were holding back everywhere?
"Please come to the cave abode for a gathering..."
The hyena demon made a beckoning gesture, its expression turning compassionate.
The hyenas escorted the three men toward the southwestern ridge. They even deliberately brought along the corpse of the dead hyena.
Yu Dou felt his scalp go numb. What demon beasts did not eat people...
Hyenas were beasts that would even eat the corpses of their own kind. No matter how intelligent they became, they should not forget their bloodthirsty nature, right?
They followed the hyena pack through the forest, then passed by the green ox demon's corpse again. Only grim white bones were left on the ground.
The surroundings were full of hyena footprints. It seemed they had driven away all other demon beasts.
The green ox demon's skeleton was clearly gnawed clean by the hyenas.
The hyena demon slightly shook its head and said in a strange tone, "The world kills too much, thus there is the calamity of blades and soldiers; bearing life-debt, killing begets killing..."
Yu Dou did not know what scripture the other party was reciting, but it had certainly distorted its meaning.
A short while later, the three arrived at the demon beasts' lair. The sense of dissonance in Yu Dou's heart grew stronger, and his face involuntarily turned ashen.
Generally, the lairs of carnivorous beasts inevitably piled up corpses and emitted a pungent stench of decay, but this place was completely different.
Inside the low cave were piles of dry grass. On the stone walls were patterns drawn with mud, resembling twisted characters interwoven together.
Yu Dou and the other two were driven into a corner. The hyenas still showed no intention of harming them.
Immediately after,
"Awu..."
The hyenas let out strange hissing cries and forcibly leaned back against the stone wall.
Sounds of bones colliding rang out. They actually stood upright like humans, though even basic movements were extremely strained.
At the hyena demon's signal, the hyenas carried out a crude iron pot from deep within the lair and picked up dry branches to use as firewood.
Because the hyenas chose to walk on two legs, the scene became extremely absurd.
Yu Dou and the other two looked at each other, subconsciously shifting their feet to avoid being thrown into the iron pot and stewed into a pool of mush.
At the same time, they were even more astonished by the demon beasts' spiritual intelligence, which was far beyond that of ordinary mortals.
The hyena demon, however, laughed softly and said, "Do not fear, do not fear. It is merely a small gathering in the cave abode. Tomorrow, you will be sent away."
The other hyenas also began throwing various items into the boiling iron pot, mostly stone objects that shimmered with a golden color.
Thick white steam spread out.
Yu Dou could not help but sneeze. The smell was like quicklime; even some insects that approached would be burned by the high heat and turn into dead corpses.
The hyena demon seemed to find the stewing too slow and took the initiative to stir with a wooden stick.
After a long time, the stone powder in the iron pot became extremely viscous, and the golden light it contained grew brighter, like worldly gold and silver.
Ignoring the scalding heat, the hyena demon reached into the pot and pinched the stone powder. After a few breaths, four golden pellets the size of eyeballs appeared in its hand.
It took one golden pellet and examined it carefully, then tossed it into its mouth.
"Good pill, good pill."
"Several benefactors, will you not come cultivate together with me the bitter sea great Dao where all living beings suffer?"
The hyena demon's words carried a hint of threat. Hundreds of pairs of crimson eyes stared at the three men.
"I'll eat it..."
Yu Dou stepped forward. Although he could not openly use the Taotie Method, he was confident that even iron could not scrape open his stomach.
He simply swallowed all three golden pellets into his belly.
The golden pellets instantly turned into liquid and disappeared. Yu Dou clutched his stomach and howled in pain, then his face turned deathly pale and he fainted.
The hyena demon bent down and leaned close to Yu Dou. At this moment, its ears twitched.
It seemed to hear the snorting of a wild boar.
The hyena demon narrowed its eyes and, unhurriedly, used its finger to cut open Yu Dou's belly. A faint golden light immediately spread out from inside.
Zhang Dengkuan and the other man widened their eyes and rushed toward the hyena demon without hesitation.
But they were immediately entangled by a hundred hyenas. The latter were completely fearless of death, and the two men were quickly defeated.
The hyena demon reached into Yu Dou's abdomen, wanting to pull out the golden-glowing internal organ, but suddenly noticed the wild boar charging toward it.
A pressure like solid substance pressed down on its body, and its bones continuously emitted cracking sounds.
The hyena demon hurriedly withdrew its arm. In its palm was now a golden gallbladder, and its expression could not help but reveal intoxication toward the object.
Yu Dou's breathing grew more and more rapid. Large amounts of sweat flowed from his pores, and his originally fat body actually slimmed down by more than ten pounds.
Fortunately, losing the gallbladder did not affect his life.
The hyena demon looked toward the source of the commotion not far away. One giant tree after another fell in response, and soon the other party arrived in front of the hyenas' lair.
Little Drill Wind had unknowingly grown to over four meters tall. Its back was covered with a thick layer of moss, making it look like a short-nosed elephant.
Ren Qing sat cross-legged on its back. He emitted not the slightest bit of demonic qi, yet he gave the hyena demon's instincts an extremely dangerous signal.
"Benefactor, do you know my Buddha..."
Before the hyena demon could finish speaking, a golden gallbladder appeared in Ren Qing's hand in the distance.
It hurriedly checked the gallbladder in its robes. Naturally, it was gone. The trace of compassion at the corner of its mouth instantly vanished.
The hyena demon's body swelled up. Its half-human, half-demon face directly transformed into a beast's head, and it dropped to all fours and lunged toward Ren Qing.
But just as it was about to reach Ren Qing, the latter abruptly disappeared from his original spot.
The hyena demon desperately tried to shorten the distance, yet Ren Qing seemed both within arm's reach and impossibly far away.
In the eyes of Zhang Dengkuan and the other man, the demon beast remained in place, running around like a madman, even crashing into and killing several hyenas.
They suspected that Ren Qing was likely an Infernal Envoy–realm Restraint Officer.
Just looking at that docile porcupine demon, his technique probably had something to do with controlling demon beasts.
Zhang Dengkuan exchanged a look with the other man, and the two grabbed Yu Dou's body and prepared to flee the area.
Yu Dou was immediately awakened by the pain. His gaze was hazy as he looked around, then widened his eyes when he noticed Ren Qing and exclaimed, "Lord of the Ghost Market?!!"
"What?!!"
Their voices were drowned out by the commotion of the demon beasts.
"How dare you offend my Buddha!!"
The hyena demon let out a roar, and all the hyenas charged toward Ren Qing from every direction.
Faced with these wild beasts with thin demonic qi, Ren Qing could not muster even the slightest interest. He casually flung his hand and used Boxed Dragon's Roar to drain away the demonic qi.
The hyenas did not have much demonization. Losing demonic qi did not cause them to die violently.
They clamped their tails between their legs and lay trembling on the ground, whimpering continuously. Some even lost control of their bowels.
The hyena demon looked at its former subordinates, its eyes filled with unbelievable fear.
What terrifying power...
Ren Qing instantly appeared beside the hyena demon and placed his palm on its head.
Demonic qi transformed into a dragon shape and surged into the hyena demon's body. The latter's cultivation steadily rose, quickly reaching the late Ghost Envoy stage.
"Come, carefully explain where this Buddhist method came from."
Yu Dou and the other two stared blankly at the scene before them.
They saw demonic qi surging around Ren Qing's body. The hyena demon lay obediently to the side, while the porcupine demon followed closely in protection.
What Restraint Officer cultivator...
Ren Qing did not pay attention to the few of them. He frowned and muttered to himself, "Has a demon immortal descended?"
"Named White Bone Four-Armed Guanyin?"