Chapter 32: Encounter with a Demon

Soon, the troops of Blackfire City were divided into two groups. Liu Chou and Guan Lan each took charge of 250 soldiers to conduct various drills in preparation for the battles that might arise within the next two months.

Surprisingly, Liu Chou and Guan Lan shared a rare consensus: they did not believe that simply sweeping through and purging the enemy could truly eliminate the threat Blackfire City posed. To ensure absolute safety, the key lay in strengthening themselves. At present, the only feasible course was to reorganize the five hundred soldiers in the shortest time possible.

Guan Lan’s nights were indeed lively, yet when it came to work, he was no less diligent. After dividing the troops, he immediately had them line up, executing swift justice on a few who displeased him by beheading them. The rest fell silent as cold as cicadas, obediently beginning various weapons drills and training under close supervision. Day by day, their efforts bore fruit.

Liu Chou took a more direct approach. He led his soldiers out in the opposite direction of where Jie Kong had gone, seeking battles with wild monsters to ignite their potential through real combat and death. Survival belonged to the strong, death to the weak — this harsh reality quickly transformed the habits of the five hundred.

The enemies Liu Chou chose were only low-level beasts, some mere monster beasts, but even these were too powerful for the soldiers at first. After their baptism in the first battle, Liu Chou gave his troops a lesson, meticulously analyzing the differences between humans and monsters, teaching them how to fight.

For ordinary soldiers, the distinction between humans and monsters was enormous. This was the crucial parameter in Liu Chou’s choice of combat method:

Monsters possessed great strength, many wielding inherent demon arts, unpredictable and elusive; one-on-one combat was never something humans could withstand.

Humans, however, had ordinary strength but possessed two traits monsters lacked: first, a variety of weapons, tools, traps, and devices — in simple terms, using external force and tools to subdue the enemy; second, human teamwork, whether in squads or larger units, cooperating to restrain and inflict maximum damage on monsters.

These strategies were not Liu Chou’s invention but were well-known throughout the Great Zhou army corps. The soldiers were aware but had never truly experienced them. Under Liu Chou’s harsh environment, they quickly grasped the deeper meaning. To survive, they instinctively began to learn and apply these tactics in battle.

In just twenty days, out of two hundred and fifty soldiers, only one hundred and eighty remained—over thirty percent had fallen. Yet those who survived were completely transformed. From a group of lazy, indifferent misfits, they became ravenous dogs, howling and capable of devouring snakes and scorpions alive!

Whenever the enemy far exceeded the soldiers’ ability, Liu Chou himself stepped in. The soldiers finally witnessed the prowess of a true slayer. Those monsters they once deemed invincible often fell dead within two rounds under Liu Chou’s hands, without exception.

During these twenty days, Liu Chou also fully absorbed the demon cores he had obtained. With the great battle approaching, he had no time to stabilize his cultivation, so he relied on spiritual medicines and pills. Only then did he realize that beyond the seventh rank, the quantity of demon pills and cores needed for pill refinement began to increase significantly.

Take the Consolidation Pill as an example: any pill below grade four was now useless for refining his physique, serving only as a restorative medicine. Only those of grade five or higher could slightly enhance his body. However, refining a grade-five Consolidation Pill required more than ten small demon cores. This greatly increased the consumption of demon cores.

From the Eagle Sorrow Ravine expedition, Liu Chou had gathered over three hundred small demon cores. Apart from some reserved for Golden Eyes, the rest were refined into grade six or higher pills. Yet all these pills combined only raised Liu Chou from the seventh rank to the eighth, increasing his physique, strength, speed, comprehension, and perception each by a single rank — barely reaching the ninth rank.

This was much like playing a game: as one’s level increases, the experience needed grows exponentially. Nothing more.

It seemed that to continue advancing, refining with these low-grade small demon cores was no longer effective. They could be collected casually, but if possible, higher-grade or even peak-level small demon cores were needed for significant results.

A new tier of the Demon Refining Cauldron had now unlocked, revealing a realm Liu Chou had never seen before. Fortunately, with his improved comprehension, he barely guessed its purpose.

The current Demon Refining Cauldron appeared thus:

- Jiazi Cauldron... sealed... unable to awaken...
- Jiaxu Cauldron... sealed... unusable...
- Fourth layer... Rebirth Cauldron... Demon Spirit Reincarnation... vacant... usable...
- Third layer... Divine Weapon Furnace... exquisite craftsmanship... vacant... usable...
- Second layer... Universe Cauldron... refining primal pills... vacant... usable...
- First layer... Samadhi Vessel... body-tempering elixirs... vacant... usable...

The newly opened fourth layer granted the Demon Refining Cauldron the Rebirth Cauldron. Its name and purpose were self-explanatory.

Demon spirit reincarnation meant, quite literally, returning demon spirits to life.

Liu Chou did not hesitate to test this by randomly capturing two demon souls during a field battle, conducting a thorough experiment with the Rebirth Cauldron—and discovered something astonishing.

Originally, the Demon Refining Cauldron could only accept demon bodies for refinement. But with the Rebirth Cauldron activated, Liu Chou could forcibly absorb demon spirits, place them inside, then add various materials—demon bodies, spiritual treasures of heaven and earth, immortal pills—giving the demon a new body!

This reminded Liu Chou of ancient legends he had encountered in a past life, where certain immortals collected human or demon souls, returned to their retreats to reshape bodies, infused their souls, and brought them instantly back to life. He had thought such feats were divine arts, but now realized they stemmed from such artifacts!

With this treasure, Liu Chou felt considerably more assured.

Living in this world, Liu Chou had gained some so-called friends and attachments. Though humans might dismiss them, for someone like Liu Chou, these things were precious enough to act upon. He firmly believed the Rebirth Cauldron would prove invaluable in the future.

Of course, this included enemy demons. If a particularly useful demon could be captured, Liu Chou could reincarnate it and bring it under his control, provided their power levels were not vastly disproportionate.

Spirit cultivators who were strong had powerful pill essence and soul strength. Demons were similar. Liu Chou’s current power allowed him to capture only small demon-rank creatures. To capture monster-rank demons was impossible because their soul strength was too weak. Even with the Demon Refining Cauldron’s help, he could not defy the natural order and force the heavens.

What Liu Chou regretted most was not knowing whether the Rebirth Cauldron could help him personally. If he died, could he revive himself? Unable to test this, he only resolved to collect a batch of spiritual medicines for storage. If the worst happened and he still controlled the cauldron, he might be able to reshape and return himself to this world.

The materials required for reincarnating small demons were not many: three to five demon bodies depending on strength, dozens of demon cores, a batch of spiritual herbs like Ling Tai Immortal Grass, and, most importantly, a complete demon body as the foundation. This body determined the type of demon birthed through reincarnation, and its rank must be at least three tiers above the current rank.

“Complete” meant the demon corpse had an intact head, limbs, and demon core, with the energy sea and dantian undamaged to support the reshaped soul. Other injuries like missing hands or wounds could be repaired.

Since Liu Chou was currently eighth rank, he needed an intact eleventh-rank small demon body. If he wanted to reincarnate as a monkey demon, he required a monkey or ape body; if a tiger or leopard demon, then a tiger or leopard demon’s body.

Liu Chou considered whether using a human body for reincarnation was possible, but the cauldron gave no response, indicating it was impossible. The world’s division between humans and demons was strict and could not be altered so easily.

Naturally, this was merely a fleeting thought. If asked to become human, Liu Chou might hesitate. Having existed as a demon for so long, he did not necessarily consider being a demon inferior to being human, making the decision difficult.

After several more days outside and several battles, the rate of soldier casualties slowed dramatically—from one hundred eighty to about one hundred seventy. Deaths in subsequent fights were scarce, but injuries increased, signaling to Liu Chou that the entire force was nearing its limit. He ordered a return to the city for rest and recovery.

The soldiers, of course, cheered. Yet at that moment, Liu Chou spotted a demon troop.

This group numbered only a few dozen, but their strength far surpassed that of the wild small demons. Most were fifth or sixth rank demons, led by an eleventh-rank mountain ape resembling a large monkey, which immediately stirred Liu Chou’s interest.

This troop was formidable, clearly not wild monsters or creatures from some clustered habitat. Their sudden appearance within a hundred-mile radius of Blackfire City was no accident. Liu Chou felt compelled to investigate. If they were scouts or a vanguard of a larger force, it was only natural to discuss withdrawal with Guan Lan rather than stubbornly defend.

Though military orders existed, they belonged to Jie Kong, not Liu Chou. It was not worth risking the lives of fewer than ten men from two marquises’ commands to face hundreds or thousands of demons. As long as he could avoid blame reasonably, why fight to the death?

Without hesitation, Liu Chou ordered a return. He instructed Mo Yun and Golden Eyes to lead the soldiers back and inform Guan Lan, while he himself prepared to shadow the enemy covertly, waiting for the right moment.

Reconnaissance and seizing demons for bodies—two goals achieved with one move—was a prospect Liu Chou welcomed.

The troop marched silently through the wilderness at great speed. Their members were primarily land-based demons—no flying or aquatic types among them. The pack consisted mostly of jackals and wolves, mixed with mountain apes, moving swiftly—over twice the speed of ordinary human soldiers.

Liu Chou trailed them for a day, discovering their destination was not Blackfire City but elsewhere. He recalled the maps he had seen in the city: no human settlements within five hundred miles ahead, but two demon passes instead. This puzzled him:

“Could it be the demons are not heading to Blackfire City but have other urgent business?”

But this truly mattered little to Liu Chou. Since he desired a particular body, whether they were friend or foe, related or unrelated, was irrelevant.

Your death, my survival—that was the best reason of all.