Facing the Abyss as a Demon Cultivator

The nine black-furred ghouls hunted in the morning had provided Chu Xiu with most of the experience needed for his level-up, and the hard hunting in the afternoon finally made up for the last bit he needed. He eagerly opened his character panel.

Name: Chu Xiu

Tier: Mortal Tier 4 (17/800)

Constitution: 6.11
Spirit: 5.02
Energy Level: 14.01
Others: Omitted

The total attribute points provided by this level-up were even higher than before! Chu Xiu clenched his fist, feeling that with just a casual swing, he could surpass the full-force burst of a heavyweight champion! "My bench press strength must be at least 500 kilograms now!"

The rumor that Tyson could kill a bull with one punch was false, but with Chu Xiu's current strength, he might actually be able to do it! He even felt that he could barehandedly kill lions and tigers! Of course, this was just the confidence brought by the strength boost; Chu Xiu still had a good sense of self-awareness.

"With some luck, I might kill small South China tigers, but their claws and teeth could kill me too. Against large Siberian tigers or several-hundred-kilogram brown bears, my chances are low."

"But now, I should be able to suppress black-furred ghouls with just strength!"

"And with the +6 energy-absorbing bone armor, even if four or five attack together, I can handle them!"

"My next actions can be more aggressive..."

Thinking this, Chu Xiu couldn't help but smile.

He had also unlocked a new inheritance!

Chu Xiu eagerly checked the key gain from this level-up.

Secret Art of the Holy Sect Unlocked

Bone Blood Devouring Formation

Tier: Mortal

Quality: Advanced

Description: Constructs a formation with bones as the core. Within the formation, enemies' movements are greatly restricted, and their life force continually drains. The formation's power and range can be temporarily increased by sacrificing living beings.

Evaluation: As a competent demonic cultivator, how can you not learn a formation to trap your enemies? Though it is a basic formation, with enough materials, it can even trap a Golden Core cultivator. There are countless examples of demonic cultivators using this formation to counter-kill orthodox cultivators.

What? You're worried about causing too much slaughter? That's not a demonic cultivator's concern.

"Bone Blood Devouring Formation!"

Chu Xiu rubbed his chin, his eyes gleaming with joy.

Undoubtedly, this was a very powerful and practical secret art, capable of both controlling enemies and continuously depleting their life force.

The only downside was finding a way to lure enemies into the formation, but for these not-so-intelligent zombie creatures, it was almost negligible.

"With this technique, I'll be more confident facing high-level mutant creatures!"

"So next, the usual question..."

Can the bodies of ghouls be used to set up the Bone Blood Devouring Formation? Chu Xiu checked the setup instructions.

In theory, the Bone Blood Devouring Formation could be set up with the bones of three human bodies. Chu Xiu raised his hand towards the recently killed ghoul, and within less than half a minute, several bones were refined.

However, this was clearly not enough to form a complete item.

Chu Xiu had to carry these bones with him and continue hunting ghouls.

The three residential buildings had already been cleared, so Chu Xiu had to find a new hunting ground.

He chose a target 300 meters away in another neighborhood.

After killing three more ghouls, the Bone Blood Devouring Formation was finally refined!

After Chu Xiu's continuous refining, the original bones had transformed into eight pale formation flags.

Holding them felt icy, evoking an involuntary chill. Holding these formation flags, Chu Xiu could sense much more detailed information than on the panel.

"Its effective range is a circle with a radius of about five meters."

"As for the blood-draining and slowing effects, they're currently very low, barely effective against ordinary people and somewhat lacking against black-furred ghouls."

For now, this formation was like Chu Xiu's Bone Yin Soul Banner, requiring more corpse refining to fully unleash its power.

Calming himself, Chu Xiu summarized the progress of his various equipment and secret art cultivation.

The bone spear had remained at +4 without further refining.

The bone armor's upgrade progress was one-third complete; another twenty or so black-furred ghouls should suffice.

The Bone Yin Soul Banner was halfway to producing a Yin ghost.

Most excitingly, the Ghostly Eyes' cultivation progress had reached 95%! Just one step away from completion! With Ghostly Eyes, Chu Xiu could more accurately assess enemy strength and try hunting high-level mutant creatures! "Ghostly Eyes only require eyes for cultivation, not conflicting with the other items."

"For the remaining three, I'll feed souls to the Bone Yin Soul Banner and prioritize upgrading the bone armor with the corpses!"

Chu Xiu quickly formulated a plan.

Reaching +7 on the bone armor would not only further increase its base attributes but also unlock the second layer of enchantment, greatly enhancing Chu Xiu's survivability.

For Chu Xiu, who prioritized stability, this was naturally his top priority.

It was now late, with most of the sun obscured by the city's horizon. Chu Xiu didn't take any risks and swiftly returned to the apartment building.

The journey was smooth, but just as he entered the first-floor lobby and was about to head upstairs, he noticed something.

Fresh footprints leading out from the underground garage stairs.

"Looks like they've replenished." Chu Xiu's lips curved into a smile.

This confirmed his earlier suspicion that a large number of black-furred ghouls were hiding in the basement during the day.

Chu Xiu then wondered if he could hunt at night with his current strength.

Over the past two days, Chu Xiu had noticed that these ghouls became much more active at night.

Their senses became sharper, their physical abilities enhanced.

Most importantly, the number of ghouls hunting at night greatly increased! The primary factor limiting Chu Xiu's leveling speed was finding wandering ghouls in this vast city.

But at night, this wouldn't be a problem. A bit of noise would attract those monsters in droves!

However... Chu Xiu wasn't sure how much stronger the ghouls would become at night, how much their numbers would increase, or if there would be creatures stronger than black-furred ghouls! Faced with so many uncertainties, even with the ability to easily kill black-furred ghouls, Chu Xiu hesitated.

"I need more information."

He wasn't one to recklessly venture into the unknown.

Then he remembered something.

Since Guan Ke's puppets could monitor the situation, she should have some understanding of the ghouls' status and numbers at night.

Besides, he needed to eat and replenish his strength.

With this in mind, Chu Xiu headed upstairs to the stronghold.