Chapter 1 The Cruel Method

Although the sky was gloomy, Dongming Mountain Lord Wang Cheng was in an excellent mood because his master had come to Cheng'an Prefecture.

"Master, try this." Wang Cheng enthusiastically carried a jar of fine wine. In a nearby pavilion, a woman in white robes leaned against the railing, watching the fish swimming freely in the pond.

"What fine wine is it this time?" The woman in white robes glanced at it.

Wang Cheng chuckled. "Knowing that Master, you like fine wine, I've been collecting it all these years. This jar is Baihua wine, sealed for fifty years." As he spoke, he carefully placed the jar of fine wine on the table.

"Wang Cheng, you have a good heart." The woman in white robes smiled slightly. "You know I like Baihua wine."

"Whatever Master likes, your disciple will naturally try his best to find." Wang Cheng flattered.

"I'm a little disappointed to see you this time," the woman in white robes said softly.

Wang Cheng's expression changed slightly.

"Eleven years ago, you were at the limit of the Di Mo (Earth Demon) realm, and now you're still stuck at the Di Mo stage." The woman in white robes shook her head. "You should know that demons have a limited lifespan, similar to humans. When their lifespan is exhausted, they naturally vanish into thin air."

"Yes," Wang Cheng nodded.

"You should be over fifty years old now," the woman in white robes said. "I advise you to break through to the Tian Mo (Heavenly Demon) realm before your lifespan ends. That way, even if you die, there will be another world. If you're just a Di Mo... death is all for naught."

"I can sense that becoming a Tian Mo will bring great benefits!" Wang Cheng also said.

"Yes," the woman in white robes smiled. "This world cherishes us demons in many ways! With obsession, we can be immortal and indestructible! As long as you become a Tian Mo, even if your lifespan ends, there will be another opportunity. Demons are the favored children of this world! We are the masters of this world, and countless humans are the resources for our growth."

Wang Cheng nodded. "What about the Demon Hunters?"

"Demon Hunters? They are our tribulations," the woman in white robes said. "They refine demons with their hearts, but aren't we also refining them? As long as we can win, we can absorb their spiritual insights and grow again."

"Actually, sometimes when you're stuck in a bottleneck, there's a way to break through." The woman in white robes looked at Wang Cheng.

"Please, Master, teach me." Wang Cheng was expectant.

"Practice the method of extreme cruelty." The woman in white robes' eyes seemed to hold a monstrous sea of blood. "Force all living beings, and force yourself!"

"The method of extreme cruelty?" Wang Cheng's heart trembled.

"No madness, no survival."

The woman in white robes said calmly, "We are demons, so we must be even more demonic!"

"The result of madness will attract many powerful Demon Hunters. So it's also forcing yourself, either break through and become a Tian Mo in madness, or die under the Demon Hunters' attacks." The woman in white robes said, "Even if you are killed, if you can win in the spiritual refinement of demons, severely injure the Demon Hunter's spirit, you can take the opportunity to escape! Absorb the nourishment of the Demon Hunter's spirit, and you can completely hope to go further and become a Tian Mo."

Wang Cheng understood.

Madness, one is to break through in madness, and two, even if it fails, if the spiritual refinement of demons can win, there is still hope for a breakthrough.

"Your lifespan is not far off," the woman in white robes said softly. "Think about it carefully."

"Yes," Wang Cheng nodded slightly.

"Only if you become a Tian Mo can I recommend you to enter the Lan Yu Lou (Orchid Jade Tower)." The woman in white robes said, "Every member of the Lan Yu Lou is a Tian Mo. Our opponents... are high-level Demon Hunters. Not the weak Demon Hunters you encounter in Cheng'an Prefecture."

"High-level Demon Hunters?" Wang Cheng also knew that seventh to ninth level Demon Hunters were high-level Demon Hunters, each possessing earth-shattering power, terrifyingly powerful. They could easily crush him to death.

The woman in white robes smiled softly.

In her eyes, Cheng'an Prefecture was not worth mentioning.

"Knock, knock, knock." There was a soft knock on the door in the distance.

Wang Cheng frowned and looked over. An old woman was gently knocking on the garden gate.

"Master, I'll go see what's going on." Wang Cheng excused himself. The woman in white robes waved her hand and continued to drink her wine.

Wang Cheng's figure blurred, and he was already at the door.

"What's the matter?" Wang Cheng frowned and said in a low voice. He had given strict orders that during his master's visit, he was not to be disturbed unless it was important. Since his subordinates still came to report, it meant that something important had happened.

"Mountain Lord," the old woman suppressed her excitement and said in a low voice, "That Demon Hunter, Wu Ming, he's back."

A murderous intent immediately surged in Wang Cheng's heart. The death of the Blood-Clad Demon God Guan Muyu had long ignited his anger, but Xu Jingming had been outside the city recently, and it was difficult for Dongming Mountain's entire intelligence network to determine his location.

"He's finally back." Wang Cheng's killing intent erupted. Thinking of his master's advice of 'no madness, no survival', his eyes also turned bloodshot. "This is heaven's will, heaven's will is making me mad! This Demon Hunter... maybe he's the opportunity for me to become a Tian Mo!"

Wang Cheng's figure blurred, and he returned to the woman in white robes, bowing slightly. "Master, I'm going out for a while, to practice that method of extreme cruelty."

The woman in white robes looked at him in surprise. "Oh? You've figured it out so quickly?"

"There's someone I really want to kill who has returned," Wang Cheng said.

"Good, I'll go with you. I'll see how you practice the method of extreme cruelty," the woman in white robes said.

"I definitely won't let Master down." Wang Cheng smiled slightly and bowed.

"Let's go."

The woman in white robes was very interested in the so-called 'method of extreme cruelty' and couldn't wait to see it.

...

The land within a few miles of Xu Jingming's residence had greatly increased in value because of his reputation. No demons dared to approach the area.

Inside a residential house.

A man wearing a saber walked into the house. A woman taking care of her children immediately poured a bowl of warm tea and offered it to him. "Husband, have a bowl of tea first."

"Okay." The man wearing a saber smiled and held the teacup, drinking it down in gulps. He wiped the water stains from his mouth and handed the teacup to the woman with a smile.

"How was the caravan this time?" The woman asked. "Was everything alright?"

"It was pretty smooth."

The man wearing a saber smiled. "Although we encountered a demon on the road, a few demon-slaying arrows severely injured her, scaring her away."

The woman listened with concern. "Earning money as a caravan guard is fast, but it's also dangerous. We've earned quite a bit in recent years. Why don't we... change jobs? With your strength, you can support the family in the city."

"I still have to send our children to the martial arts hall." The man wearing a saber looked at the two babies lying in the wooden basin, his eyes gentle. "I still need to earn more."

"But I'm worried every time you go out," the woman said worriedly.

"I, Li Jinge, have been licking blood from the blade for so many years. I know how to deal with danger." The man wearing a saber said confidently.

"Is my son back?"

A voice came from inside the house. An old woman walked out, hunching her back.

"Mother."

Li Jinge immediately went over.

Just as Li Jinge was with his wife and children, with his old mother, Dongming Mountain Lord Wang Cheng and his master arrived on this street.

...

On the street.

Wang Cheng looked remotely at the mansion in the distance and said to the woman in white robes beside him, "Master, the most conspicuous mansion over there is the residence of Demon Hunter Wu Ming."

"Just do as you see fit, you don't need to worry about me." The woman in white robes stood on the street, calmly watching everything before her.

"Okay."

Wang Cheng nodded.

At this moment, there were teahouses, restaurants, and other places on the street, as well as many residential houses, and there were many pedestrians on the road.

Wang Cheng remotely looked at the mansion in the distance, the killing intent in his eyes becoming even more frenzied. "Demon Hunter Wu Ming, first, I'll give you a greeting gift."

"The magic of heaven and earth, descend!" Wang Cheng recklessly mobilized the magic between heaven and earth. For a time, in the originally gloomy sky, endless dark magic appeared, instantly filling the area within a few miles centered on Wang Cheng.

Such a vast area instantly fell into dark magic.

All the humans were attacked by the magic, and their bodies instantly began to fester.

"Dad, I want to eat candied haws." A girl pulled her father's hand, but when the magic descended, the father and daughter were eroded by the magic.

"No--" The father's eyes turned red.

"Dad." The daughter looked at her father and was soon eroded into white bones.

The father also turned into white bones.

Within a few miles, a large number of pedestrians and ordinary residents in the houses were eroded, all falling into despair and fear.

Many people tried desperately to enter the prefecture city, just wanting to live a peaceful life. But today, they encountered the most terrifying demon in the entire Cheng'an Prefecture - the Dongming Mountain Lord!

"Go crazy." The woman in white robes stood on the street, watching this scene, the corners of her mouth slightly raised in a smile. "Demons go crazy, Demon Hunters will also kill crazily, in madness, either break through, or die."

A disciple who is only a Di Mo is worthless.

What she needs is a Tian Mo companion.

At this moment--

In that residential house.

Li Jinge was with his old mother, sitting together beside the wooden basin, teasing his pair of children. The woman also looked at this scene with a smile, turning around to prepare the meal.

"Mother raised me from the village, struggling until now, bought a first-class good house in the prefecture city, living near a powerful Demon Hunter. And I have a wife and children." Even if he experienced many dangers outside, Li Jinge was always full of fighting spirit.

"You two little guys, grow up quickly, and then Dad will teach you martial arts. Then go to the martial arts hall and learn martial arts from powerful martial arts masters." Li Jinge gently shook the wooden basin.

The two babies in the wooden basin stretched out their small hands, giggling.

But at this moment, dark magic appeared from all directions, eroding the body of his wife who was preparing the meal, and also eroding the bodies of his old mother and a pair of children.

"No, no--" Li Jinge, who was a caravan guard, instantly understood. The talisman in his arms instantly burned, but it only slightly slowed down the erosion of the magic, allowing him to personally see his old mother, his wife, and his pair of children turn into white bones under the erosion of the magic.

"No!!!"

Li Jinge's eyes instantly turned red, and he shed tears of blood.

Everything he had struggled for over the years, everything he cherished most in this world, was gone.

"Demon, demon!" Li Jinge bit his teeth until they bled, but no matter how painful and angry he was, the magic finally eroded his body.

"Demon, demon! All should die, should die." Li Jinge also turned into white bones in a low roar. When he turned into white bones, his mouth still moved. Finally, a skeleton completely collapsed.

...

The attack came too suddenly. Xu Jingming was sitting there eating an exquisite meal, and Wu Qi was also eating with him.

"Young Master, you're not as comfortable outside, whether you're eating or sleeping, as you are at home." Wu Qi said, "This demon hunting, there's no need to be too desperate. You also need to take care of your body."

"Okay, Uncle Qi." Xu Jingming was also quite hungry, eating heartily.

The people in the residence were very happy that their master, Xu Jingming, had returned.

Cheng Da Niu was even more energetic chopping wood! Liu Fu was also joking with him on the side.

Aunt Zhang was still preparing other foods in the kitchen. The master had only returned after several months, so she had to show off her skills with all her might.

The two maids, Liu Sanya and Gu Yu, were waiting not far away, ready to deliver the dishes at any time.

At this moment--

Dark magic appeared from the void, coming suddenly and without warning.

"Not good." Xu Jingming's expression changed, and with a wave of his hand, golden light spread out, repelling all the magic, and in the blink of an eye, it had already illuminated the entire Jin residence.

However, except for Wu Qi, who was beside Xu Jingming, everyone else, including Liu Fu, Cheng Da Niu, Zhang Dashen, Liu Sanya, and Gu Yu, had been partially eroded by the magic, and each of their bodies had lost part of their flesh, revealing white bones in many places.

"Master." They all looked at Xu Jingming in despair, wanting the all-powerful master to save them.

But Xu Jingming was silent.

They were all ordinary people, and parts of their bodies had lost flesh, turning into white bones, and many of their internal organs were gone, so they could not be saved.

"Young Master." Wu Qi was anxious.

Xu Jingming's forehead sky eye had opened, and he had already seen clearly in all directions. The surrounding area within a few miles was completely shrouded in dark magic...

Within this area... countless people died, all eroded of their flesh and blood, turning into white bones.

Xu Jingming silently watched.

Outside the city, he had seen the scenes after some villages were massacred.

In the intelligence reports, he also knew the scenes of demons wreaking havoc.

But...

"Wu Ming, you killed the demons of my Dongming Mountain. Today, I am here to kill you, to avenge them." Dongming Mountain Lord Wang Cheng's voice resounded throughout the entire magic domain.

Xu Jingming's forehead sky eye, observed the entire magic domain. Within the magic domain, besides himself and Wu Qi, there was only that man on the street. At this moment, his sky eye... could not see the woman in white robes.

"Dongming Mountain Lord?" Xu Jingming spoke.

"It is I." Dongming Mountain Lord Wang Cheng took a step, covering more than a hundred meters. In just three steps, he walked to the front of the Wu residence. The entire gate and courtyard wall of the Wu residence exploded, and Dongming Mountain Lord Wang Cheng walked in calmly. "I have come to kill you."

"Kill me?"

Xu Jingming observed the countless white bones within a few miles around, and his mood was very suppressed.

These people were all implicated by him.

They thought that living around 'Demon Hunter Wu Ming' would be much safer. But this time, because Dongming Mountain Lord sought revenge... they all died with him.

And the maids and servants in his residence.

"Kill me, why slaughter countless ordinary people first?" Xu Jingming's eyes were cold.

"Does a demon need a reason to kill humans?" Dongming Mountain Lord Wang Cheng stretched out his right hand, and his arm immediately swelled, turning into a terrifying black snake that swallowed towards Xu Jingming.

Xu Jingming looked at him coldly. A huge golden net appeared, each rope of the golden net was thick and flashing with mysterious runes, and the nodes between the ropes were even like miniature stars. The golden net shrouded Dongming Mountain Lord, and also shrouded the black snake transformed from his arm.

...

In the residential house.

In Li Jinge's white bones, a wisp of natal magic gradually formed.

"Am I alive?"

Li Jinge was now just a wisp of obsession. He observed himself, in the form of a wisp of magic... obviously no longer a human.

"Have I become a demon?"

Li Jinge then stared blankly at the white bones beside him, the white bones of his old mother, his wife, and his pair of children in the wooden basin.

"Wu Ming, you killed the demons of my Dongming Mountain. Today, I am here to kill you, to avenge them." Dongming Mountain Lord's voice echoed throughout the entire magic domain, and Li Jinge also heard it.

Li Jinge looked remotely into the distance.

After becoming an obsession, his observation range became very large. He clearly saw Dongming Mountain Lord Wang Cheng walking towards the Wu residence, and his conversation with Xu Jingming.

"Dongming Mountain Lord Wang Cheng came to kill Demon Hunter Wu Ming, affecting my family?" Li Jinge laughed in a low voice, "So that's how it is."

"Demons deserve to die, and Demon Hunters are also a source of trouble."

"Both are a source of trouble."

"Hahaha..."

"Since heaven has made me a demon." Li Jinge had madness, "I want this world to have no more demons, and no more Demon Hunters."

This wisp of natal magic, quietly遁入大地 (遁入大地 dūnrù dàdì -遁入 dūnrù means to escape into, 大 dì means earth), disappeared without a trace.

When each demon is born, it is only a wisp of obsession, the most fragile! At this time, it is also protected by the entire heaven and earth! The nascent demon's obsession... cannot be窥视 (窥视 kuīshì -窥 kuī means peep/pry, 视 shì means to look at. Cannot be窥视 means cannot be窥视 by others). This protection continues until the initial formation of the demon body, completely transforming into a demon.

Under the Dongming Mountain Lord's wanton屠戮 (屠戮 túlù - 屠 tú means slaughter/massacre, 戮 lù means kill), as many as five demon obsessions, including Li Jinge, were born. But obviously, Li Jinge's obsession was the most terrifying and坚不可摧 (坚不可摧 jiān bùkě cuī - 坚 jiān means firm/resolute, 不可 bùkě means cannot, 摧 cuī means destroy).