The first signs of a demon appear

After Steward Liu returned to Black Mountain City in a sorry state, news of a strange, sickly ghost in Zhang Family Village who could “kill with a puff of breath” quickly spread among the low-level Cultivators and Mortals, causing widespread panic and attracting the attention of some in the City Lord's Mansion.

Nightmare knew it was not advisable to stay here for long. His injuries were not yet healed, and if he attracted Foundation Establishment Stage or even higher-level Cultivators, it would be extremely troublesome.

He had to recover his strength as quickly as possible, at least enough to protect himself.

His gaze once again fell upon the Black Mountain Range behind the village, shrouded in mist and exuding a faint, obscure aura. According to the villagers' scattered descriptions and his own weak Divine Sense perception, although the Spiritual Qi deep within the mountain range was similarly turbid, it seemed to be denser, and some ancient Spiritual Plants grew there. There might even be low-level Yao Beasts present.

Risk and Opportunity coexist.

That night, the moon was dark and the wind was high.

Nightmare did not disturb anyone. He quietly left Physician Zhang's small house, his figure like a ghost, blending into the deep night as he swiftly headed towards the Black Mountain Range.

Although his cultivation had plummeted, the foundation of the Demonic Shadow Evasion Technique remained. His movements were still silent and imperceptible, far beyond what ordinary Mortals or low-level Cultivators could detect.

Upon entering the outer reaches of the mountain range, the trees gradually grew denser, and the air was filled with the scent of damp decaying leaves and a faint Miasma. This Miasma was fatal to Mortals, but for Nightmare, it was even easier for his Myriad Poison Demonic Body to absorb and transform than the turbid Spiritual Qi outside. Although the energy was low, it could still slightly alleviate the dryness of his Meridians.

Like the most patient hunter, he spread his Divine Sense to its maximum extent (though its range was limited), avoiding obvious poisonous insect traps and natural hazards, while searching for valuable medicinal herbs and potential Spiritual Vein nodes.

Several days later, he had ventured a hundred miles deep into the mountain range. The Miasma here was even denser, the light dim, and he often heard the howls of unknown wild beasts. He could even occasionally sense a trace of extremely faint Demonic Qi.

His gains were meager, having only found a few hundred-year-old Detoxification Herbs and Solidifying Origin Herbs that were barely usable, offering little help for his injuries.

On this day, following a trace of Water-Attribute Spiritual Qi that was slightly purer than its surroundings, he arrived at a secluded mountain valley. In the valley was a small pond with icy cold water, emitting a faint chill. Beside the pond grew several strange small plants with ice-blue leaves.

“Cold Marrow Grass?” Nightmare was slightly startled. This type of Spiritual Plant usually only grew in extremely cold and yin places, and the pure yin-cold energy it contained had miraculous effects on repairing hidden injuries in the Meridians. It was considered precious even in the outside world. He hadn't expected to encounter it in this place lacking Spiritual Qi.

He was about to step forward to pluck them when a thought suddenly struck him, and he stopped.

On the soft muddy ground by the pond, there were several clear, enormous Claw Prints! The prints resembled those of a tiger, but were larger, and carried a faint, unsettling bloody smell and Demonic power fluctuation!

There was a Yao Beast! And judging by the size of the Claw Prints and the residual Demonic power, it was at least a Second-Tier Yao Beast, equivalent to a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator!

Nightmare's eyes narrowed, and he immediately reined in all his aura, concealing himself behind a nearby boulder.

Sure enough, after only the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a foul wind swept over, accompanied by heavy footsteps.

A sturdy Yao Tiger, as robust as an ox, with glossy black fur, a single horn on its forehead, and exposed fangs, ambled to the edge of the pond. It vigilantly glanced around before lowering its head to drink.

“Black Fiend Demonic Tiger!” Nightmare recognized this Yao Beast. Its fur was tough, its strength immense, and its single horn could emit black light that damaged the Divine Soul, making it quite troublesome. If he were at his peak, he could extinguish it with a flick of a finger, but now... His gaze fell on a small patch of slightly lighter fur below its neck, which subtly rose and fell with its breathing as it drank. That was the Black Fiend Demonic Tiger's weak point, where its defense was relatively fragile.

Time to take a risk!

A cold glint flashed in Nightmare's eyes, without any hesitation!

The moment the Demonic Tiger lowered its head to drink, he moved!

The Demonic Shadow Evasion Technique was utilized to its extreme, his figure shooting out from behind the boulder like an arrow released from a bow! His speed was so fast that only a faint afterimage remained in place!

He brought his right index finger and middle finger together, and the remaining Demonic Essence, vital energy, and the slight amount of Miasma and Death Qi he had just absorbed and refined, condensed without reservation at his fingertip!

It was still the Soul Shattering Finger, but its power was far less than before, and it was more of a physical thrust!

The Demonic Tiger reacted extremely quickly, having sensed Nightmare the moment he moved. It abruptly raised its head, letting out a threatening roar, and the single horn on its forehead flickered with black light!

But Nightmare's speed was too fast, and his timing was too precise!

Pfft!

The finger strike, imbued with the effect of breaking Protective Aura, precisely struck the weak point beneath the Demonic Tiger's neck!

However, the power was insufficient!

The finger strike only penetrated half an inch before being firmly caught by the Demonic Tiger's strong muscles and Demonic power, failing to deliver a fatal blow!

“Roar!!!”

The Demonic Tiger, in pain, let out an earth-shattering roar, suddenly stood on its hind legs, and its massive claw, carrying a foul wind, fiercely swatted at Nightmare! At the same time, the black light from its forehead horn intensified, and a black light that distorted the Divine Soul shot out!

Nightmare, having failed to achieve his goal with one finger, did not linger in battle. He immediately used the force to retreat, narrowly dodging the claw strike, but the Divine Soul black light was already upon him!

He couldn't dodge it!

He bit his tongue sharply, forcibly stimulating his Divine Soul, and a powerful green light of vitality burst forth from his left eye!

The Azure Nether Life and Death Dao Divine Ability—Life Plunder! But this time, the target was not an enemy, but the surrounding vegetation!

In an instant, centered around him, the vegetation within several feet instantly withered and died. A faint force of vitality was forcibly extracted by him, forming a thin green light shield in front of him!

Hiss!

The Divine Soul black light struck the light shield, emitting a corrosive sound. The light shield fluctuated violently, dimming instantly, but it ultimately held for a moment!

Nightmare seized this Opportunity to retreat rapidly again, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. Forcibly plundering vitality to cast an incomplete Divine Ability resulted in a significant backlash.

Meanwhile, the Demonic Tiger's neck was injured and bleeding profusely, making it even more enraged and frenzied as it pounced again!

Nightmare's eyes were cold. While retreating rapidly, he continuously flicked his fingers, sending out several subtle finger strikes imbued with the deathly aura of Xiangliu Poison towards the Demonic Tiger's vulnerable spots, such as its eyes and nostrils!

Although his strength was greatly reduced, his combat experience and grasp of timing far surpassed this unintelligent Yao Beast.

The Demonic Tiger had to swing its claws to block or dodge, its offensive slowing slightly.

One man and one tiger engaged in a fierce chase in this narrow mountain valley. Nightmare did not confront it head-on, but constantly maneuvered using his movement technique and skills, occasionally harassing it with poisonous finger strikes to exacerbate its injuries and anger.

The Demonic Tiger's strength and defense far surpassed Nightmare's, but his speed and the relentless poison and Death Qi made it increasingly agitated. The blood from its wound gradually turned dark black, and its movements began to slow.

Finally, after chasing for about an incense stick's worth of time, the Xiangliu Poison began to take effect!

The Demonic Tiger let out an unwilling wail, its massive body crashing to the ground, limbs twitching, black blood oozing from its mouth and nostrils. It was clearly not going to survive.

Nightmare also stopped, leaning against a withered tree, breathing heavily, his face as pale as paper. The battle just now had almost exhausted the little strength he had managed to recover.

But a hint of satisfaction appeared in his eyes.

It was finally resolved.

He walked forward and skillfully cut open the Demonic Tiger's head, extracting a pigeon-egg-sized Second-Tier Demonic Core containing pure Demonic power. He then stripped off the most valuable parts of the Demonic Tiger: its single horn, sharp claws, and tiger hide. Yao Beast flesh also contained energy, but he didn't have time to process it now, only cutting off a few large pieces of the best lean meat.

Finally, he carefully plucked the few stalks of Cold Marrow Grass.

A fruitful harvest! This Second-Tier Demonic Core was enough for him to refine several Medicinal Pills to restore Origin Qi, and the Cold Marrow Grass could repair hidden Meridian injuries even better.

He quickly cleared the battlefield, erasing all traces, and then, dragging his weary body, found a hidden mountain cave deeper in the mountain range, set up simple warning Restrictions, and began to cultivate in seclusion to recover.

Several days later, Nightmare emerged from the cave again.

After consuming the “Origin Reversion Pill” refined primarily from the Demonic Core, and absorbing the medicinal power of the Cold Marrow Grass, his complexion had visibly improved. Although the damage to his dao foundation and Nascent Soul was still severe, his Physical Body state and the amount of Demonic Essence he could mobilize had recovered significantly, roughly equivalent to the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment. In the Black Mountain City territory, he finally had some ability to protect himself.

He continued to explore deeper into the mountain range, searching for more Opportunities.

The deeper he went, the denser the Miasma became, and the more powerful the Yao Beasts. He even encountered a Third-Tier Yao Beast, the “Azure-Eyed Poison Toad,” equivalent to a Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator. He expended immense effort and relied on the dominance of Xiangliu Poison to barely scare it away, sustaining some minor injuries himself.

But at the same time, he also discovered some anomalies.

In certain areas deep within the mountain range, there were traces of artificial excavation. Although ancient and covered by vegetation, it was still evident that they were not naturally formed. He even found several Immortal Cave entrances sealed by Restrictions on some cliffs and precipices!

Most of these Restrictions were already dilapidated and their energy exhausted, but their intricate techniques were still discernible, far beyond what Black Mountain City Cultivators could achieve.

“It seems that the Black Mountain Range was not always so desolate a long time ago; perhaps there was once a cultivation Legacy here…” Nightmare surmised in his heart.

On this day, following a strange energy fluctuation, he arrived at the bottom of a huge sinkhole. The sinkhole's sides were steep, and its bottom was filled with colorful poisonous miasma, making visibility extremely low and greatly suppressing Divine Sense.

And in the densest center of the poisonous miasma, a broken Stone Tablet was faintly visible, with characters seemingly carved on it.

Nightmare activated his Myriad Poison Demonic Body, carefully resisting the erosion of the poisonous miasma, and slowly approached.

Finally, he clearly saw the writing on the Stone Tablet. It was written in an extremely ancient script, somewhat similar to the Cang Clan's script, yet different:

“Seal… Demon… Altar…”

“Trespassers… die…”

The characters were blood-red, exuding an unsettling evil and ominous aura!

And behind the Stone Tablet, amidst the churning poisonous miasma, a downward, bottomless cave entrance was faintly visible. The edges of the cave entrance were inlaid with nine black stone pillars that had long since broken, extremely similar to the sealed stone pillars he had seen at the Gui Xu Sea Eye!

A familiar yet repulsive evil aura was seeping out in wisps from that cave entrance!

Nightmare's pupils suddenly contracted!

This aura… was from the same source as the members of “The Fisherman” organization he had previously fought, and the evil power on that ghost ship!

Deep within this Black Mountain Range, was there actually a Demonic Altar sealed that was related to the Sky Patrol Alliance?!

“Black Fiend Demonic Tiger!” Nightmare recognized this Yao Beast. Its fur was tough, its strength immense, and its single horn could emit black light that damaged the Divine Soul, making it quite troublesome. If he were at his peak, he could extinguish it with a flick of a finger, but now... His gaze fell on a small patch of slightly lighter fur below its neck, which subtly rose and fell with its breathing as it drank. That was the Black Fiend Demonic Tiger's weak point, where its defense was relatively fragile.