A dark night with high winds.

At the foot of Xiaoliang Mountain, the trees cast deep shadows over dilapidated, crowded, and ugly tile-roofed houses, piled together like a bandit's den.

A thick miasma surrounded the area, with demonic energy crisscrossing, creating an oppressive and eerie atmosphere that filled the heart with dread.

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

Under an old tree sat a young man, with sword-like eyebrows, bright eyes, and a height of eight feet. His appearance was handsome, but his expression seemed lazy. Dressed in a dark black robe, he appeared quite harmless as he sharpened a short blade in his hand.

"Junior Brother, what are you doing?"

"Sharpening your knife at this time of night?"

"Are you preparing to slaughter a pig for dinner?"

A pure white fox, with some bloodstains and a scruffy coat, leaped from a distance and landed in front of the young man, Xu Gu. Its big round eyes were filled with curiosity.

As it spoke, the fox seemed to salivate a little.

After all, these days, it had been eating human flesh, and it was starting to get a bit tiresome. A change of diet, perhaps some braised pork or Dongpo elbow, sounded like a good option.

"Shh, don't wake Master."

"If he finds out I'm planning to kill him, he'll be heartbroken."

Xu Gu brought his hand to his lips and whispered, "You know your Senior Brother. I'm a filial person and can't bear to see Master upset."

"Huh?!"

The fox demon, who had been drowsy and only asked out of curiosity, was suddenly wide awake, its fur standing on end. It fidgeted nervously, making dozens of small movements in seconds, trying to hide its panic.

The white fox demon cautiously asked, "Do you really have to kill Master?"

"What else? Kill a pig?" Xu Gu responded, still looking harmless. "Do you... have any objections?"

"N-no, Senior Brother... I mean... if you kill Master, you can't kill me too, right?" the white fox demon stammered timidly.

"We'll see," Xu Gu said indifferently.

"Huh?" The white fox demon's face turned pale, and cold sweat dripped down its back.

In the largest courtyard of Xiaoliang Mountain, lights blazed, and constant screams echoed.

"Damn it! You give your chastity away so easily?"

The face of Daoist Huigu, filled with fury, tightened around the neck of a woman on the bed. This woman, as if giving up completely, stripped off her clothes, revealing her pale skin, crying as she undressed.

When she heard Daoist Huigu's words, her face turned ashen. She glanced at her senior sister, who had just been beaten to death for resisting him, and the smile on her face became even more desolate.

"Resist!" he shouted.

"Do I have to teach you that as well?" Daoist Huigu roared in anger.

The woman remained motionless, her face pale and numb, allowing him to do as he pleased.

"Useless! This is so boring!" 

After a few moments, Daoist Huigu, thoroughly dissatisfied, cursed out loud.

A trace of black energy appeared in his hand. With a sudden exertion, he snapped the woman's neck, extracting a strand of black mist from her body, which he absorbed into his own.

Daoist Huigu's previously weak and aged body seemed to rejuvenate, growing noticeably younger. 

But he was still furious.

"Bring Xu Gu in!" he shouted.

The disciples outside, who had been tense with fear, finally relaxed. Their bodies, which had been on high alert, suddenly slumped. Trembling, they rushed out to call Xu Gu.

Daoist Huigu was a demonic cultivator. In fact, everyone on Xiaoliang Mountain was a demonic cultivator. His cultivation technique, called the Great Demon Transformation Technique, was exceedingly cruel. It used women as furnaces and men as pills for cultivation.

He needed to replenish his energy monthly.

Now that they hadn't been called, it meant they had escaped death for another month. Naturally, the disciples standing guard felt a sense of relief.

"Already time to repay my Master?" 

Hearing Daoist Huigu call for him, Xu Gu showed a trace of excitement. He put away his whetstone and short sword, and followed the two disciples.

"Senior Brother seems excited?"

The two disciples leading the way were puzzled.

"Master saved my life and taught me cultivation. He made me live like a demon. I've always wanted to repay him, and now I finally have the chance. Of course, I'm excited," Xu Gu explained with a smile.

The two disciples were instantly filled with respect.

Then, exchanging a glance, they both thought the same thing:

"So, Senior Brother is... a fool."

Xiaoliang Mountain wasn't large.

Although it was a gathering place for demonic cultivators, it was common knowledge that demonic cultivators were as despised as rats in the sewers in this world. Hunted by everyone, most demonic cultivators were either fleeing or preparing to flee, so naturally, their stronghold wasn't maintained to be grand or majestic.

As a result, Xu Gu had barely taken a few steps before reaching the courtyard of his master, Daoist Huigu.

"Disciple Xu Gu, greets Master."

Xu Gu's expression was respectful, his voice soft, with a trace of excitement and eagerness.

"Hahaha, you are indeed a filial disciple! Come in quickly!" 

Hearing the excitement in Xu Gu's voice, Daoist Huigu burst into laughter, thoroughly pleased. "You've passed my test. Today, I'll teach you the secret to establishing your foundation!"

The master and disciple met, and the atmosphere was harmonious.

Daoist Huigu gazed at the respectful and obedient Xu Gu, his face full of joy, which didn't fade for a moment.

If anyone else had seen this scene, they might have found it heartwarming, like a classic moment of a kind master and filial disciple.

Then,

Xu Gu smiled and suddenly drew a short blade from his sleeve. A gleam of cold light burst forth, the blade sharp and laced with poison, stabbing fiercely at Daoist Huigu.

Xu Gu had followed Daoist Huigu for over two years. Being a demonic cultivator, his cultivation progressed rapidly. He had already reached the seventh layer of Qi Condensation, and his power was formidable. Adding the element of surprise, this strike was terrifying.

At that moment, Daoist Huigu never expected that his most obedient and demonic disciple would suddenly attack him. Hurriedly, he pulled back his hand that was about to strike and raised it to defend himself.

"You little bastard! How dare you be so treacherous and attack your master!" 

Daoist Huigu roared in rage, barely blocking the strike.

"Master, you praise me too much," Xu Gu said, unfazed. 

Although his attack had failed, Xu Gu remained calm. After all, he was only at the seventh layer of Qi Condensation, while his opponent had reached the Foundation Establishment stage. The gap between them was vast, especially since his opponent was his master, who knew all his techniques.

"You!" 

Daoist Huigu's heart trembled. He couldn't comprehend why his disciple seemed so proud of this treacherous act. He thought, "I must not let him live!"

A cold glint flashed in Daoist Huigu's eyes. Green light flickered from his pupils, and a chilling aura surged from all directions.

The temperature in the area plummeted instantly, frost formed, and the trees in the courtyard withered and died.

Cold poison spread.

"You really think that after following me for two years, you've grown wings? Let me teach you a lesson: all demonic cultivators in this world tread on the edge of death, and each one has hidden tricks."

As he finished speaking, Daoist Huigu lunged forward like a chaotic beast, cold poison raging and afterimages flickering.

This was his ultimate technique, the Cold Beast Charge, which emitted intense cold poison. It combined offense, defense, and escape, making it exceedingly powerful.

It was unleashed with the strength of a first-layer Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Its power was beyond imagination.

He had never shown it to anyone, saving it for the day he could catch his enemies off guard.

However,

Xu Gu's expression remained unchanged as he calmly delivered a single palm strike.

Boom!

Daoist Huigu's body flew backward, blood spraying everywhere.

In front of him were nine bulls and two tigers, all with blood-red eyes, glaring at Daoist Huigu.

"This is..." 

Daoist Huigu was utterly stunned. He looked up in disbelief and saw a huge hole in the roof, through which the nine bulls and two tigers had descended, crashing into him.

But how could such beasts exist on Xiaoliang Mountain?

"Master, though your disciple may be unworthy, I am still a demonic cultivator," Xu Gu said, shaking his head.

As a demonic cultivator, Xu Gu naturally had his own tricks.

These nine bulls and two tigers were beasts he had summoned.

Being a transmigrator, Xu Gu had a cheat. It was simple: he could collect fragmentary entries in his daily life and fuse them into traits.

His first trait was none other than **"Nine Bulls, Two Tigers."**

At first, Xu Gu thought that by activating this trait, he would gain the strength of "nine bulls and two tigers" or a similar kind of powerful physique. But in the end, it turned out he could actually control nine bulls and two tigers.

It felt somewhat... less serious.

"So, you've also learned beast-taming arts. No wonder you've been sneaking off into the mountains lately," Gray Bone Daoist's face turned pale, and for the first time, fear flickered in his eyes. But he wasn't ready to resign himself to fate just yet. His eyes darted around, plotting his escape.

"Master, why struggle? If you die by my blade, wouldn't it save you from much suffering? I truly don't wish to see you in pain," Xu Gu said, his voice filled with genuine concern.

"Don't want me to suffer? You... you bastard!" Gray Bone Daoist roared, completely collapsing inside. He wanted nothing more than to tear Xu Gu apart.

How could this be so infuriating?!

He's trying to kill me, yet he's pretending it's for my sake?!

"It's getting late, and your disciple doesn't want to stay up all night," Xu Gu said with a determined look, gripping his ring-handled blade. "Master, please fulfill my request."

"Xu Gu, I'm your master! I'm part of the established order, serving as a protector in the Great Liang Demon Cavern. If you kill me, neither the demonic nor righteous paths will tolerate you!" Gray Bone Daoist's face changed, attempting to appeal to their bond and slipping in some threats.

Xu Gu's smile remained gentle as ever, "Master, you're confused. Are you trying to morally coerce us, demonic cultivators?"

Gray Bone Daoist froze, bewildered.

Who the hell is the real villain here?!