Chapter Thirty-Six: The Demon Gathering Pill

Xiao Wenzi drank fresh blood solely to earn system credits, indifferent to taste; each time, he absorbed enough blood before swiftly moving on to the nearest person. Thus, as his rounds continued, it was the turn of the rotund young man in fine clothes.

“Grandfather monster, please spare me! The fat man's blood is too greasy and unpalatable—just take his. This pale-faced fellow has tender skin, surely his blood is much tastier...” Pretending to be unconscious with his hands pressed to his knees, the fat man knew he couldn't escape. He sat up suddenly, pointing to the equally feigning, fair-skinned youth nearby.

“You shameless fat pig! Just wait till we're back, I'll make you pay!” The elegant youth, unsure if this monstrous mosquito could understand human speech or if the fat man's attempt at betrayal would work, was hot-blooded and immediately cursed his companion in anger.

Xiao Wenzi inwardly cursed the fat man as a piece of work, but wasted no time; with a sharp hiss, his needle-like proboscis pierced the fat man's vein.

“Hahaha—serves you right! You deserve it!” Even as he himself was unlikely to escape, the finely dressed youth couldn't help but laugh at the fat man's screams.

And so, Xiao Wenzi embarked on a delightful journey of bloodsucking, lasting from morning until dusk.

Throughout the day, the distant mountains echoed with beastly roars and the dying cries of horses. With time, those deep growls drew closer—pairs of bloodthirsty eyes shone in the dim woods.

“A starving wolf pack—these fellows are finished.” As a master at the peak of the Second Layer of the Monster Aura Realm, Xiao Wenzi immediately sensed the approaching threat: hundreds of bristled wolves. Worse still, the largest, towering over two meters high and four or five meters long, radiated intense demonic aura—a mid-tier, first-grade demon wolf.

Not to mention their injuries from him—even at full strength, the fat youth and his companions, faced with so many hungry wolves, could only be torn apart and devoured.

Xiao Wenzi mourned their fate, but had no intention to help; he stood no chance against the wolf king. Before the pack could strike, he spread his wings and flew away into the distance.

“No—help!” Moments later, the howls of wolves and terrified screams of the fat youth and others echoed behind him, only to be abruptly silenced.

No need to look back; Xiao Wenzi knew none would survive.

Alas...

Although the fat youth and his fellows perished because of him, Xiao Wenzi felt little guilt—only a quiet sigh.

The world of cultivation cares not for virtue or righteousness; only strength matters, no matter the means. Besides, they brought trouble upon themselves.

The Southern Heaven Mountain Range was vast. The maps in He County provided no details, nor mention of towns on the other side.

Without a clear destination, Xiao Wenzi left the bloody peak, not hurrying out of the mountains. He sought a safe haven where he could use Monster Gathering Pills to raise his cultivation to the Third Layer.

His harvest this time was bountiful—some seven or eight thousand ordinary system credits, enough to exchange for over two hundred drops of Demon Spirit Dew. He need not worry about running out of cultivation resources.

Xiao Wenzi decided to detour back into the depths of the Southern Heaven Range, hoping to encounter the youth with the surname Zhang.

Also, relying on only four or five low-grade Monster Gathering Pills, he wasn't confident in breaking through his bottleneck. It would be best to find some spirit flowers and herbs—like Cloud-Love Flowers or Purple Swallow Grass—to ensure success.

“Hm—there's a scrap of that fellow’s robe. Could he have been eaten by the demon wolves already?” Following the route of escape for some time, Xiao Wenzi saw no sign of the Zhang youth, but discovered a bloodstained piece of brocade caught in nearby thorns.

Uncertain whether the Zhang youth was truly dead, he reckoned that reaching this far, the chances of escaping alive were slim, and saw no reason to investigate further.

He soon found a small tree hollow and flew inside.

The next morning, Xiao Wenzi emerged, continuing his search for spirit flowers and herbs.

Diligence paid off; by evening, he found several blue flower stalks in a valley, rich in pure spiritual energy. Though he couldn't name them, their juice was as potent as Cloud-Love Flowers, though not as sweet.

Crucially, no guardian beasts lurked nearby. Xiao Wenzi was delighted and settled in.

After more than ten days, using the juice of these blue flowers for cultivation, the bottleneck hindering his advancement finally loosened. Without hesitation, Xiao Wenzi began exchanging Monster Gathering Pills.

Ten Second Layer system credits disappeared, and a pill larger than his body appeared before him, pale yellow and faintly fragrant, containing demon spirit energy purer than Rock Spirit Juice.

“So this is the Monster Gathering Pill! But how am I supposed to swallow such a huge pill?” Staring at the bean-sized pill, far too large for his tiny proboscis, Xiao Wenzi was troubled.

He considered slicing it with his Wing Blade Technique, but feared it would destroy the medicinal power, a loss outweighing the gain. Ultimately, he tried piercing it with his proboscis to see if he could absorb the essence within.

An incredible thing happened. When he stabbed the Monster Gathering Pill and sucked with all his might, the pill—larger than his own body—seemed to dissolve like vapor, entering him directly.

It melted instantly in his mouth, the powerful medicinal energy spreading from his abdomen throughout his body. Xiao Wenzi wasted no time, immediately circulating the Blood Spirit Method to refine it.

Time slipped by; threads of spiritual energy from the world gathered at the bud where he rested.

The bottleneck at the peak of the Second Layer continued to loosen. Without hesitation, Xiao Wenzi exchanged for another pill before the first was fully refined.

A hum—his body vibrated and grew larger. Xiao Wenzi successfully broke through, stepping into the Third Layer of the Monster Aura Realm.

With three more Monster Gathering Pills to exchange, and plenty of blue flower juice left, Xiao Wenzi decided to stay and continue cultivating.

In quiet, undisturbed practice, twenty days passed.

Autumn winds swept the forest, leaves turned golden and drifted down.

That day, the flow of spiritual energy around the fading blue blossoms suddenly stopped. Xiao Wenzi emerged from cultivation.

Gazing at the autumnal landscape, his joy at advancing from the peak of the Second Layer to the mid-stage Third Layer—thanks to five Monster Gathering Pills and the juice of these nameless blue flowers—was somewhat subdued.

It seemed this world truly had winter, but how cold would it grow? Would it affect his ability to fly?

Sadly, the migratory birds had already left; he could not hitch a ride on a tailwind bird to warmer places.

No matter. First, he would leave the mountains and find a town—ideally acquiring a more detailed map or a book cataloguing spirit herbs and flowers.

And, if fortune favored him, encountering some lone low-level cultivator would be perfect.

Xiao Wenzi soon set aside his thoughts and spread his wings, flying out of the mountains.