The strange world of demon cultivators

Night fell, and the cold wind howled, as several people huddled tightly around a roaring fire for warmth.

In the firelight, a battered iron bucket could be seen bubbling away, containing a chaotic mix of ingredients—grass roots, tree bark, a few wilted leaves, and scattered bits of canned fish.

This murky soup looked utterly unappetizing.

But the five individuals paid little attention to that, devouring it ravenously as if they were starving tigers.

After all, an entire day had passed.

They had all relied solely on this single meal to sustain their life's energy, and hunger had long since gnawed at their bodies like a demon.

Just then, Ji Yao leisurely took out a fragrant sausage and two golden, tempting egg yolk pies from his backpack, and then began to chew on them with gusto, as if no one else was around.

Not only that, but he also magically produced a bottle of clear, transparent mineral water, unscrewed the cap, and took a large gulp.

Seeing Ji Yao eating so lavishly and luxuriously, the eyes of the other four instantly widened.

They stared straight at the food and water in his hand, as if frozen in place.

Especially the burly, muscular man, whose throat bobbed involuntarily several times.

Finally, unable to suppress the impulse within him, he abruptly stood up and strode towards Ji Yao.

Looking down at him condescendingly, he spoke in a stiff tone, laced with a hint of threat:

"Hey! Kid, where did you get all this food? Share some with us!"

Ji Yao tilted his head slightly, his gaze fixed on the tall, muscular man before him.

He curled his lips into a smile, revealing a row of white teeth, and said with a grin:

"Does it even need asking? Of course, I went to great lengths to find it outside! As for sharing it with you… hehe, absolutely not! I'm still starving myself; I don't have any to spare!"

Hearing Ji Yao's blunt refusal, the strong man flew into a rage, veins popping out on his forehead.

His large, bell-like eyes glared at Ji Yao, his clenched fists cracking, as if he were about to slam them into the other's arrogant face.

However, just as he was about to act, he suddenly felt a sinister aura emanating from Ji Yao.

This strong man possessed a unique talent—the ability to keenly sense objects that could obscure ghost eyes and energy fluctuations.

Naturally, he could also sense some ghostly energy.

At that moment, he clearly perceived that Ji Yao was emitting waves of chilling ghostly energy.

Although this ghostly energy wasn't strong, it was enough to make him realize that this seemingly weak fellow was not as harmless as he appeared.

Thinking of this, though the strong man felt extremely unwilling, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and reluctantly take a few steps back.

Meanwhile, the old soldier in military uniform, seeing this, quickly stepped forward to act as a peacemaker, saying to Ji Yao with a fawning smile:

"Oh, oh, little brother, please don't take it to heart!

Our brother Dacheng here is just impatient; he sometimes speaks and acts without thinking, but he really doesn't mean any harm!

It's not easy for anyone out here; let's all be understanding!"

After listening, Ji Yao curled the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a faint smile, but did not respond.

The face of the eldest brother flushed slightly, looking a little embarrassed.

But with things as they were, he could only grit his teeth and continue, forcing himself to say:

"The five of us have been trapped here for almost seven days!

The food we brought is running out, with very little left!

If we don't find a way out, I'm afraid none of us will survive!"

Ji Yao sat to the side, listening quietly, expressionless, seemingly without much reaction to the eldest brother's words.

He leisurely put the food in his hand into his mouth, and after chewing it.

He silently brushed away the food crumbs remaining on his clothes with his hand, and then slowly opened his mouth to say:

"So, you're planning to go out tomorrow to look for food?"

Hearing Ji Yao finally speak, the eldest brother seemed to have grasped at a lifeline.

He nodded heavily, breathed a sigh of relief, and quickly replied:

"Yes! That's exactly what we mean! So, I don't know if you'd be willing to come with us tomorrow, little brother?"

Ji Yao thought to himself:

"Hmph, so that's what they're waiting for!"

But on the surface, he didn't reveal much emotion, only answering faintly:

"Let me think about it."

After speaking, he stopped talking, turned around, leaned against the wall, and closed his eyes to rest.

Ji Yao originally only intended to gather some information from these people and didn't want to create any conflict or make enemies.

Thinking of this, he nodded slightly, using the action to clearly express his agreement to the matter.

That night, all was silent, and moonlight streamed down into the temple courtyard like water.

As usual, Ji Yao sat upright in the meditation room, his eyes slightly closed, adjusting his breathing, and entering a state of deep meditation.

However, at that moment, a sudden, strange feeling broke the tranquility.

Ji Yao's originally calm mind rippled slightly, and he keenly sensed a strange aura appearing outside the temple at some unknown time.

That aura was gloomy and cold, as if it came from the deepest hell, carrying endless resentment and hatred, making people feel chilled to the bone.

Especially unsettling was the intense miasma of vengeful spirits.

It soared into the sky, seeming to dye the entire night sky ink black.

Feeling this abnormal situation, Ji Yao slowly opened his eyes, his gaze like a torch, looking towards the door.

Then, he lowered his head, turning his gaze to the five people sleeping haphazardly nearby.

Looking at their defenseless sleeping faces, Ji Yao's lips curled into a meaningful smile.

He whispered:

"Hehe, this is going to be a good show! Judging by the looks of it, the visitor is not friendly, probably a big one. But…"

Speaking to this point, Ji Yao paused slightly, a sly look flashing in his eyes,

"I'm really curious to know if this guy has the ability to break into this temple?

If it can really break in, that would be even more interesting!"

…………

Outside the temple, the female ghost who had been closely following Ji Yao.

Now, however, she was curled up in a dark corner like a frightened rabbit, her body trembling non-stop, as if she was facing immense fear.

You see, these ghost-like creatures have an instinctive reaction to existences that are more powerful than themselves.

This reaction is nothing more than two things:

Either stay far away, for fear of being discovered by the other party;.

Or obediently submit and show obedience and reverence.

And judging from the performance of this female ghost now, it is clear that the strength of the ghost that came this time is very powerful.

Following the female ghost's terrified gaze, one could see in that narrow, deep alley.

Near the gate of the God of Wealth Temple, a mysterious black shadow stood quietly.

This black shadow was like an extremely thick, jet-black liquid, slowly flowing down with black water stains.

Those black waters seemed to possess self-awareness, slowly climbing towards the vermilion gate.

However, due to the special power or restriction of this temple.

No matter how hard those black waters tried, they could never penetrate the gate to enter it.

Whenever the black water touched the golden light emanating from the door, it would quickly retreat as if encountering a natural enemy.

However, what was strange was that despite repeatedly encountering setbacks.

That black shadow did not seem to give up at all, but seemed determined to break into this temple.

It just stood there quietly at the door, as if petrified, without any intention of leaving.

Time passed by, and the surrounding air seemed to freeze.

Just then, Ji Yao arrived at the door with steady strides.

At this moment, he was only separated from that mysterious black shadow by a door.

At the same time, the eldest brother in military uniform, who was already in a state of high alert.

Suddenly, as if he had sensed some extraordinarily terrifying aura, he suddenly jumped up from the ground.

His sharp, hawk-like eyes instantly opened, flashing with vigilant light.

Then, he stood up without hesitation, walking swiftly towards the gate with a trained agility.