Stronger with Crimson Modifier

The faint sound of barking dogs could be heard coming from within.

Hu Qi merely glanced at it, not lingering for long.

He had learned some information about this world from the Taichu Demon Refining Talisman, but it was too general. He needed more detailed intelligence.

Ideally, he could get his hands on a Cultivation Technique from this world, whether it belonged to the Demon Race or humans.

Therefore, going to a small village like that was pointless.

His destination for this trip was Tai Ze Lake, eighty li away.

According to the young man, Tai Ze Lake was vast, with numerous tributaries and waterways.

It even spread throughout the entire Da Ye Dynasty.

It was quite renowned.

An area so vast was bound to have Spirit Monsters.

Now that he had condensed his Demon Power, he could also try to make contact with the natives of this world.

However, Hu Qi wasn’t in a hurry. He traveled at a leisurely pace, stopping from time to time.

He would hunt periodically and practice his breathing exercises.

With his current size, plus his Water Control Talent, his prey was no longer limited to the fish and shrimp in the water.

Roebucks and wild hares on land also became his meals, and his diet improved dramatically.

...

The lead-gray clouds, like a great curtain, slowly descended, silently stitching the wilderness and sky together.

A fine drizzle, as thin as ox-hair, drifted down.

The rain fell upon the leaf-strewn ground, quickly soaking the layers of withered leaves and creating a faint RUSTLING sound.

Not far away, a winding river flowed turbulently under the rain.

It carried withered branches and rotten leaves along its path.

To one side, a few jackdaws stood motionless atop the branch of a withered, crooked tree, looking like stone carvings from a distance.

The world was steeped in a lonely silence.

Suddenly, the jackdaws perched on the branch took fright, flapping their rain-soaked wings.

They took off, flying low and letting out a few lonely caws before disappearing into the hazy mist.

A few seconds later, two figures, one chasing the other, came running from the distant mist.

They were moving extremely fast.

In just a few breaths, they became clearer.

PFFT!

Just then, the person behind raised a hand, and a flash of fire suddenly erupted, striking the hunched figure in front.

Immediately, a low, beast-like roar resounded.

ROAR!

As the fire and mist slightly dissipated, the silhouette of the front figure gradually sharpened. It turned out to be a tall, hunched, hairy monkey-like monster.

More accurately, it was a Mountain Spirit.

Its head was huge and deformed, with a low, sloping forehead. Its two eyes, the size of copper bells, glinted with a bloodthirsty red light.

Its skin had a strange bluish-black hue, and sharp fangs protruded from the corners of its mouth.

It wore a tattered set of human hemp clothes that whipped about in the wind and rain.

If one weren’t paying attention, it would be easy to mistake it for a person.

At this moment, however, its appearance was rather pathetic. Its fur was charred black all over.

As if it had been roasted by fire.

"Damn you, old Daoist! Don’t take things too far!"

It glared at the figure behind it, its expression savage.

It actually opened its mouth and spoke.

The person behind it was a thin old Daoist.

He was dressed in a faded Daoist robe that had been washed white.

His old face was pockmarked, with slightly protruding cheekbones and deep-set eyes.

His gaze, full of grimness and greed, was fixed on the Mountain Spirit’s body.

Hearing the Mountain Spirit’s words, he snorted coldly.

"Take things too far? You abducted Landlord Li’s daughter and defiled a decent girl. You deserve to die!

Although my cultivation is meager, I, a humble Daoist, bear the responsibility of vanquishing demons and defending the Dao.

Now that I’ve encountered you today,

I will see to it that you are turned to ash and restore peace to the world!"

As he spoke, the old Daoist unhesitatingly put his index finger in his mouth and bit down hard. Dark red blood instantly welled up.

With a practiced motion, he smeared the blood from his fingertip onto the simple, ancient Peach Wood Sword in his other hand.

In an instant, a strange phenomenon occurred.

A flame burst into existence on the sword’s blade. It was a strange bluish-green, its licks of fire dancing wildly as if they had a life of their own.

Raindrops struck the burning blade but vanished as if falling into the ocean, having no effect on the fire whatsoever.

After doing all this, the pockmarked old Daoist’s face turned pale. He swayed, clearly having expended a great deal of energy.

"Bullshit! I was truly in love with that girl!"

The Mountain Spirit’s eyes were bloodshot.

"Silence! You vile, sinful beast! Even now, you still spout such glib-tongued lies in a vain attempt to argue! Today, I shall enact justice on behalf of heaven and send you to your death! Die!"

The pockmarked old Daoist snorted coldly.

He gripped the flaming Peach Wood Sword, and his entire aura changed abruptly, his eyes revealing determination and ruthlessness.

He thrust his sword directly at the Mountain Spirit before him.

"You’re courting death! Did you really think I was afraid of you?"

Seeing this and feeling the threat emanating from the Peach Wood Sword, the Mountain Spirit roared.

Its ferocious nature was completely unleashed, and it no longer tried to flee.

It charged straight for the old Daoist.

Unfortunately.

In terms of strength, this Mountain Spirit was no match for the old Daoist.

Furthermore, the Mountain Spirit was already heavily injured.

After just a few exchanges, the old Daoist pierced its heart with his sword. It fell backward to the ground, its face filled with unwillingness and venomous hatred.

*HUFF... HUFF...*

Witnessing this, the pockmarked old Daoist pulled out his longsword, staggered a step, and propped himself up with the blade.

He gasped for breath.

Killing this Mountain Spirit had taken a heavy toll on him.

His True Energy was nearly depleted, and all the Talismans he carried had been used up.

Fortunately, he had previously spent a great price to purchase this Mid-grade Magical Artifact, the Centennial Peach Wood Sword.

Otherwise, facing this Mountain Spirit, he might not have been able to kill it.

’As long as I extract its blood and soul and refine them into an Essence Pill, it will help me advance my cultivation.’

Thinking this, he prepared to act.

Just then, a vicious gust of wind assaulted him from behind.

Before he could even react, a black shadow slammed down on him.

BANG!

The next moment, the air trembled. Rainwater sprayed in all directions.

An oval golden light shield flashed into existence on the pockmarked old Daoist’s body.

Then, like a mirror, it shattered with a loud crack.

At the same time, the last Yellow Paper Talisman tucked inside his clothes spontaneously combusted, turning to ashes.

A low, hoarse voice sounded. "Hm, interesting."

The Daoist looked up, only to see a colossal black snake, reared up to the size of a house, staring down at him with crimson pupils.

Feeling the terrifying aura emanating from the black snake, the old Daoist’s face instantly turned ashen.

Without a moment to think, he circulated the last wisp of True Energy in his body, leaped up, and bolted into the distance.

However, he had only taken two steps when the puddles at his feet began to twist as if they were alive.

In the blink of an eye, they transformed into two thick ropes, wrapping tightly around his feet with the speed of a lightning clap.

At this, the pockmarked old Daoist immediately lost his balance and pitched forward, landing heavily on the muddy ground.

Seeing this, the pockmarked old Daoist’s face became horrified and twisted.

’Is this... Magic!?’

’Could this black snake be a Great Demon at the Dao Foundation Level?’

At this thought, he lost all will to resist.

"Don’t kill me! I’ll give you anything you want..."

The pockmarked old Daoist trembled as he looked at the black snake’s massive mouth, which could easily swallow him whole.

This performance surprised the black snake, Hu Qi.

He had originally thought the man was a righteous and incorruptible person who despised the Demon Race with a passion, and that prying information from him would be difficult.

He hadn’t expected it to be so easy.

...

「A short while later.」

The pockmarked old Daoist was now a cold corpse, casually tossed to the side.

Hu Qi, on the other hand, had obtained a great deal of information.

For example, the power divisions for the Transcendents of this world.

This applied to both Cultivators and the Demon Race, from lowest to highest.

They were all divided into three major realms: Qi Cultivation, Dao Foundation, and Nascent Element.

The Qi Cultivation Realm was further divided into three minor realms: Initial Sense, Qi Gathering, and Meridian Passage.

Initial Sense: Sensing the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy to embark on the path of cultivation.

Qi Gathering: Gathering the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy and transforming it into one’s own Qi. Cultivators call this True Energy, while the Demon Race calls it Demon Power.

Meridian Passage: Circulating a sufficient amount of accumulated True Energy (or Demon Power) to open the body’s Eight Extraordinary Meridians.

As for the details of the two major realms that followed, Dao Foundation and Nascent Element, and whether there were other realms after those... the pockmarked old Daoist didn’t know.

After all, to put it bluntly, the pockmarked old Daoist was only at the Late Stage of Qi Gathering.

He had barely touched the threshold of Meridian Passage.

His strength was considered to be at the very bottom rung among Cultivators.

Moreover, he belonged to no sect or school and was merely a Loose Cultivator.

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