The sky gradually darkened.

On the official road, the dim twilight cast long shadows of a horse and the two corpses behind it.

"Hyah, hyah!"

Jiang Yuechu urged twice, but the horse beneath her only panted heavily, its steps growing slower.

She glanced back.

The corpses of the two pig demons dragged deep grooves in the ground, kicking up dust along the way.

She had hoped to reach Jincheng before nightfall.

But now it seemed unlikely.

"Forget it." Jiang Yuechu sighed and dismounted.

She walked up to the horse and patted its damp neck.

"You've worked hard, old friend."

The horse snorted in response.

Jiang Yuechu untied the rope, leaving the two corpses by the roadside, and removed the saddle.

"Find some grass to eat, we'll rest here tonight."

She looked around; not far from the road stood a dilapidated earth temple, half its walls collapsed, the deity statue toppled over, offering a shelter from the wind.

She moved her belongings into the broken temple and sat down against a crumbling wall.

The night wind blew, carrying the chill of the wilderness.

But Jiang Yuechu paid no mind to it.

With a thought, an ancient scroll unfurled slowly in her mind.

[Dao Practice: 180 Years]

Seeing this number, she couldn't help but grin.

All the hard work, the blood and sweat, was for this moment.

Now, with 180 years of Dao practice in her grasp, it was time to indulge a little.

Her focus shifted to the two demon scrolls that had reached the Zhu level.

Should she continue to enhance "Tiger Mountain God" or "Green-faced Gentleman"?

"Fierce Tiger Quick Blade" was her most handy skill, powerful and overwhelming.

"Qingya Reflection" emphasized agility and unpredictability.

After some thought, she decided to focus on one for now.

After all, greed leads to failure.

"It's you, big tiger."

Jiang Yuechu made up her mind.

She took a deep breath and immersed her mind into the scroll.

In an instant, the 180 years of Dao practice surged like a flood into the scroll of the white-striped fierce tiger!

Boom—

The scroll erupted in a blaze of blood-red light!

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "p𝑎wread.com".

The fierce tiger seemed to come alive, every hair, every muscle undergoing indescribable changes.

The Dao practice number plummeted rapidly.

One hundred seventy years.

One hundred fifty years.

One hundred years.

Fifty...

Finally, it stopped at zero.

The 180 years of Dao practice were completely consumed.

Jiang Yuechu felt a pang of regret.

But before she could fully lament it.

New words slowly appeared on the scroll.

[Consumed 180 years of Dao practice, Tiger Mountain God progress enhanced]

[Current Scroll: Tiger Mountain God (Enlightened)]

Boom—

A loud explosion.

Jiang Yuechu felt as if her head had exploded.

She opened her eyes wide, gasping for breath, her forehead drenched in cold sweat.

On the scroll, the eyes of the white-striped fierce tiger were marked with a touch of scarlet cinnabar.

It seemed to come alive.

[Successfully enlightened Tiger Mountain God, received demon's gift]

[Unlocked Demonization: Tiger Mountain God (Consumes own vitality, allows temporary half-demon transformation, gaining its abilities. This power is extremely dangerous, use with caution.)]

"Damn..."

Jiang Yuechu stared at the new words on the panel, speechless for a long time.

Demonization?

Temporarily transform into a tiger demon?

Jiang Yuechu licked her dry lips, her heart pounding uncontrollably.

She slowly raised her right hand, focusing her mind.

Buzz.

An indescribable heat erupted from her heart.

The energy within her seemed to ignite, consuming rapidly at a terrifying pace.

Jiang Yuechu groaned, feeling like every bone in her body was groaning under the strain.

In her vision, her right hand was undergoing an astonishing transformation.

The muscles beneath her skin tightened at an incredible speed, becoming as tough as iron, yet not overly swollen, just outlining powerful lines.

Her long black hair quickly became stained with a layer of blood-red from the roots, appearing like flames under the cold moonlight.

The most terrifying change occurred in her eyes.

The world before her seemed to stretch and twist, her pupils transforming into a pair of cold, merciless golden slits in an instant.

An unprecedented sense of power surged from her limbs!

It felt like she could shatter the crumbling wall beside her with a single punch.

But accompanying it was a sharp pain from her heart.

It was as if an invisible black hole was devouring her life force.

Her vitality was draining at an unprecedented speed!

If this continued, in less than ten breaths, she would be completely drained!

Stop!

Jiang Yuechu screamed in her mind.

Buzz—

The scorching power receded like a tide.

Her body went limp, collapsing to the ground, her chest heaving violently as she gasped for air.

A strand of hair fell before her eyes, already back to black.

She raised her trembling hand, touching her eyes, then looked at her palm; the explosive power had vanished without a trace.

"Damn..."

Jiang Yuechu uttered a word, feeling utterly exhausted, almost too tired to curse.

This move...

It's strong, indeed.

But if the battle isn't resolved in time.

She might end up being at the mercy of others.

Unless absolutely necessary, she must never use it again.

She struggled to sit up, leaning against the wall.

At that moment.

Grumble—

Her stomach made an untimely sound.

Jiang Yuechu clutched her stomach, looking helpless.

No choice, that's how it is for warriors.

Vitality is replenished through food.

That demonization nearly drained her, leaving her stomach empty, hunger gnawing at her.

She pulled out the jerky Chen Qingyuan had given her, dry and hard, breaking off a small piece and chewing it for a long time, finding it tasteless.

Her gaze involuntarily fell on the two large corpses outside the broken temple.

Pig demons...

"They're pigs, right?"

She licked her lips.

"To hell with it, I'm starving, no time to be picky."

She stood up, rummaged through her bag for a fire starter, and drew her blade, striding to the pig demon's corpse.

With a flash of the blade, she swiftly cut off a plump hind leg.

The smell of blood was overwhelming, but Jiang Yuechu didn't even flinch.

Soon, a campfire crackled in the broken temple.

The skinned pig leg roasted over the fire, sizzling, the fat dripping into the flames, causing a burst of crackling and a strange aroma.

Jiang Yuechu tore off a large piece of crispy, golden meat, not caring about the heat, blew on it twice, and stuffed it into her mouth.

The texture was coarse, with an indescribable gamey taste, not exactly delicious.

But as the meat settled in her stomach, a warm current rose from her belly, quickly spreading through her body.

The vitality lost to demonization was replenishing at a visible rate.

Jiang Yuechu's eyes lit up.

It really was a great tonic!

She didn't hesitate, grabbing the pig leg, tearing into it with gusto.

At this moment, she suddenly thought.

Demons...

They're really something good...