The worm lunged at Zhang Chu. It was so fast, faster than a snake!
"Sir, watch out!" Tong Qingshan shouted.
Zhang Chu panicked too. He scrambled backward, desperate to avoid contact with such a disgusting creature.
But the worm was astonishingly fast, reaching his feet in the blink of an eye.
Then, it suddenly leaped up, shooting toward Zhang Chu's face like a bolt of lightning.
Despair washed over Zhang Chu. But in the next moment, the Old Jujube Tree suddenly glowed, and another wisp of a Divine Pattern emerged, striking the large black worm directly.
The black worm was sent flying.
*Sizzle!* After landing, it was as if the black worm had been doused in concentrated sulfuric acid. Its body instantly bubbled and then dissolved into a puddle of black, bloody water before vanishing.
Zhang Chu breathed a sigh of relief, but a wave of fear washed over him immediately after. He said, "To think that even a Great Demon could be corrupted by something like this!"
Tong Qingshan added, "When some animals are corrupted, it's easy to tell. But for a Great Demon to be corrupted and still look so beautiful... that's truly terrifying."
"Corruption" was the small village's term for a certain type of creature.
The hunters had discovered that some animals in the mountains were in a bizarre state.
For example, they had once found a rabbit with half its head rotted away. A strange, fleshy worm would occasionally burrow out of the decaying part, a truly nauseating sight. Yet, this rabbit ran faster than any normal one.
They had also seen a wolf with a fleshy tumor growing on its back. It seemed as if something horrifying lived inside the tumor, but that wolf had become the leader of its pack.
The hunters called this condition in animals "corruption."
People would not hunt these corrupted animals. Whenever they encountered one, they would give it a wide berth.
The hunters always felt that those animals were sick.
But now, for a demon to be corrupted... it was unbelievable.
"Thank goodness the Jujube Tree God can help us ward off disaster," someone said with relief.
At this point, no more worms crawled out of the corrupted corpse.
The Old Village Chief then shouted, "Quick, dispose of the body and clean up the traces! These kinds of demons have sects. If anyone finds out they died in our village, we'll be in big trouble!"
In Yaoxu, demons and monster cultivators were the masters of this world. There were numerous monster cultivator sects, known as the Seventy-Two Yao Caves.
The Yao Caves were extremely protective of their own. If word of this got out, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Soon, everyone worked together to carry the corrupted girl's body out of the small village and buried it in a hidden spot.
The carcasses of the large rabbit and the large fox, however, were kept in the village to be butchered for meat.
Their small boat and other personal belongings were temporarily hidden in a cellar.
...
The best cuts of meat were first offered to the Old Jujube Tree. Then, the villagers began to butcher the rabbit and the fox.
"A Demon Core!"
"The rabbit demon and the fox demon both had Demon Cores! Is this the legendary Neidan?"
"Hurry, hurry, it's time to eat!"
The village buzzed with excitement once again. Filling their bellies and gaining strength was always the most important thing in the small village.
And whether it was a pig's bezoar, an ox's bezoar, or a demon's core, none of them could be stored for long. They had to be eaten immediately after being obtained.
"I can't believe it! The rabbit was so big, but its Demon Core is so small!"
Aunt Jiu held up a fist-sized, reddish, fleshy orb, grinning from ear to ear.
The Old Village Chief was much more cautious. "First, cut off a small piece for Qing Shan to try. A piece the size of a mung bean will do."
This was the first time the village had ever obtained a Demon Core, and no one knew how potent its medicinal properties were.
Tong Qingshan quickly carved out a tiny piece with his dagger and put it in his mouth.
Everyone watched Tong Qingshan with anticipation. With his heroic stature, sharp gaze, and physical endurance far surpassing that of an ordinary hunter, he was the best candidate.
But just then, Tong Qingshan's eyes flew wide open. Steam began to rise from his body, and his expression changed drastically. "This is bad!"
"I'm burning up!"
He immediately tore off his clothes and leaped into a nearby pond.
The water in the pond visibly began to boil.
After struggling for about ten minutes, Tong Qingshan finally managed to force himself to vomit everything in his stomach by sticking his fingers down his throat. Only then did he feel slightly better.
But he looked as if he had lost half his life.
"It's no good, Old Village Chief," Tong Qingshan said, looking very weak. "Its medicinal power is too strong. For us, it's not a tonic, it's poison!"
"This..." The crowd was stunned.
Tong Qingshan was Zaoye Village's strongest man, yet he couldn't even handle a mung bean-sized piece of the Demon Core!
"Forget the Demon Core," Tong Qingshan continued. "I'm afraid even the meat of these two Great Demons is highly nourishing. We can't eat too much of it."
The villagers were filled with regret. They knew they had a treasure but were unable to enjoy it.
But at that moment, an inexplicable craving surged within Zhang Chu—a powerful urge to devour the Demon Core.
"Let me try!" Zhang Chu said suddenly.
All eyes turned to Zhang Chu.
The Old Village Chief immediately said, "No!"
Tong Qingshan also shouted anxiously, "Sir, we know you've had no reaction to eating Demon Cores in the past, but this is completely different! You can't take the risk!"
Many of the village elders grew anxious and hurried over to dissuade him.
"No, Sir absolutely cannot take this risk!"
Zhang Chu knew they were just worried about him.
But Zhang Chu had a special feeling. He could eat this Demon Core.
So, Zhang Chu said, "I know my limits. And I feel that this Demon Core could be a great opportunity for me."
The villagers knew Zhang Chu's personality. Once he made a decision, it was hard to change his mind.
The Old Village Chief still had to ask, "Sir, are you truly confident?"
Zhang Chu nodded. "I am!"
At this, the Old Village Chief finally made up his mind. He personally took a knife, scraped off a tiny speck of the core, and carefully handed it to Zhang Chu. "Sir, try this little bit first. If you're sure it's fine, then you can eat the rest."
Zhang Chu couldn't argue with the Old Village Chief, so he nodded. "Alright."
Then, Zhang Chu put the tiny speck into his mouth.
All around, everyone watched Zhang Chu nervously. Tong Qingshan had even dragged over a large vat filled with water, ready to throw Zhang Chu in if he couldn't handle it.
The speck entered his mouth and went down into his stomach.
Immediately, Zhang Chu felt it transform into a burst of pure yet violent energy, nearly rupturing his stomach.
But in the next second, a mysterious force suddenly enveloped that violent energy. The medicinal power generated by the Demon Core vanished without a trace.
"Huh? Something inside my body is snatching up the good stuff!" This time, Zhang Chu had a vague inkling of what was happening.
The villagers were still staring at Zhang Chu. Seeing that he was fine, the Old Village Chief was overjoyed. "You're okay?"
Zhang Chu nodded slightly. "I'm fine!"
The Old Village Chief said cautiously, "Then eat it little by little. Don't be reckless."
After all, the amount had been too small, and the villagers were still worried.
Zhang Chu nodded, cut off another small piece of the Demon Core, and put it in his mouth.
Again, as soon as the core entered his stomach, its medicinal power vanished instantly before it could spread.
And Zhang Chu felt nothing at all, looking perfectly normal.
Seeing this, everyone finally relaxed. "That's wonderful! Sir can really eat the Demon Core!"
"Wonderful! Sir is truly a man of wonders!" Tong Qingshan exclaimed in delight.
The Old Village Chief also let out a long sigh of relief. "Since you can eat it, Sir, then hurry up and finish it. The potency will fade if you wait too long."
It would be a shame to throw this treasure away, but not a shame to eat it. The villagers' faces lit up with smiles.
It didn't matter who ate it, or whether it would increase their strength. As long as one of their own consumed it, it wasn't a waste.
Now, the Demon Cores of both the rabbit and the fox were placed before Zhang Chu.
Zhang Chu ate them as if they were ordinary tofu. In no time, he had consumed both Demon Cores.
Suddenly, Zhang Chu felt a warm current surging within his dantian.
Immediately after, he "saw" an immense, ancient scroll manifest in his dantian.
With a thought, the scroll unfurled, transforming into a massive map.
As Zhang Chu immersed his consciousness into it, he discovered the map was three-dimensional, with mountains and rivers. If he focused, he could almost feel the water flowing.
"This is..." Zhang Chu was shocked.
How could such a huge map appear in his dantian?
In the next second, a piece of information, as if it had always existed in his mind, was instantly understood by him.
"The Shanhai Map!"
Then, his consciousness was drawn to a spot within the Shanhai Map. It was an inconspicuous dot among the mountains. Looking closely, he saw a small rabbit and a fox had appeared there.
"Huh? Could it be that because I ate their Demon Cores, they now appear on the Shanhai Map?"
Following that, Zhang Chu discovered that the Shanhai Map was glowing faintly. Streams of mysterious, incredibly pure energy spread out from it, nourishing his limbs, meridians, and physical body.
Zhang Chu suddenly felt as if his body had been strengthened in some way. He was filled with power!
At this moment, Zhang Chu was eager to see if he had truly grown stronger.
He immediately stood up and walked over to a three-hundred-jin stone block.
The people of Zaoye Village were startled when they saw this.
"Could it be that Sir has gained strength?" someone whispered in amazement.
"If that's the case, it would be wonderful. In this Yaoxu, you need some strength to survive!"
Everyone looked at Zhang Chu, their eyes filled with anticipation.
Proofreader: Peter Pan