Chapter 3

This essence, extracted from the crow demon's entire body, was compressed and refined with divine power into blood, and then extracted, consuming half a divine star's worth of divine power! However, it was all worth it. This demon had a formidable physique; compared to it, ordinary adults were like infants. The essence refined from it, though only retaining one or two tenths of its physical strength, was enough to strengthen the current physical body with just a drop.

Qiu Yan thought, and the divine statue beside him flickered its eyes, gently shaking off the two ethereal shadows surrounding the drop of blood. Then, a white light enveloped the shadows, dragging them into the statue.

"These two ethereal shadows are thick with demonic aura. If absorbed together, they might leave behind hidden dangers, possibly causing a good person to gradually transform into a demon, ending up neither human nor demon. Removing the shadows makes the essence pure. However, the shadows contain strange powers, perhaps related to the cultivation method the demon mentioned. Retaining them for future study might yield some benefits."

With this thought, Qiu Yan did not delay. His mundane body opened its mouth and swallowed the drop of blood.

Heat!

As soon as the drop of blood entered his mouth, it emitted a scorching heat, as if he were holding a hot flame. After swallowing, the heat rapidly spread, and in a moment, Qiu Yan's entire body was filled with surging heat, like boiling water, yet it did not harm him.

Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!

Strands of white steam spurted from every pore on his body, instantly enveloping Qiu Yan in a dense white mist. He sat cross-legged within it, exuding a sense of transcendence and ethereality.

Creak! Creak!

Tightening sounds came from Qiu Yan's body, as if his flesh and bones were contracting. Black specks oozed from his pores, emitting a foul odor, but as soon as they appeared, they were scattered by the scorching white steam, leaving no trace.

As the mist rose, Qiu Yan's body was gradually enveloped in the white fog, and his brows slightly furrowed.

"This is my first time absorbing the essence of blood. I didn't expect my physical body to be relatively weak. I need to proceed gradually; otherwise, it won't be able to withstand it, and I'll be temporarily trapped in the temple. However, if I don't strengthen this physical body, the long journey through the mountains and forests will likely exhaust me before I even leave the forest. So, this step cannot be avoided."

As he thought, Qiu Yan's body was completely obscured by the mist.

The mist rolled and spread, gradually filling the entire temple. Only the area around the clay statue remained calm, and any mist that approached the statue automatically avoided it, leaving a space.

Rise!

The statue suddenly rose from the ground, drawing a parabolic arc in the air before landing back on the altar. Threads of intent seeped from it, spreading through the stone platform and into the earth, rapidly radiating and covering most of Minyuan Mountain.

Divine hearing!

At this moment, any movement on the six-mile-long Minyuan Mountain could not escape the statue's detection.

The usually peaceful forest now had several figures moving about, gathering and dispersing, scattered throughout the mountain.

"Hmm? Quite a large group, nearly twenty demons have entered the mountain. This Minyuan Mountain is just a small hill, at most a hill on Earth, a branch of the Nine Spirit Mountains, with sparse spiritual energy. For decades, not even a single demon has become refined here, and no passing demons have been willing to settle. Otherwise, I would have long extracted cultivation information or escaped."

As time passed, information was transmitted, and the mist in the temple gradually dissipated.

On the mountain, figures moved through the forest, following traces and scents, slowly converging on this small temple. However, Qiu Yan's heart remained calm.

"These demons lack unified command, each acting independently, neither sharing information nor coordinating with each other..."

With this thought, the white mist in the temple completely dissipated, and Qiu Yan's figure reappeared. His complexion was much rosier, and his skin was slightly whiter, but there were no other changes.

"Demons seem to have a deficiency in their thinking," Qiu Yan's face showed a thoughtful expression. "It makes sense; even though they have human forms, they were once birds and beasts, so it's natural for their thinking to be less refined."

He slowly stood up.

"Demons are ignorant of human affairs, but they show no hesitation in eating humans, not caring about interpersonal relationships or conversation strategies. Like the crow demon, it revealed a lot of information in just a few words and, even after falling into my hands, remained arrogant and boastful, as if it were asking for death."

As he thought, a cold light appeared in Qiu Yan's eyes, and he lightly jumped, effortlessly leaping three feet high!

The saying "jump three feet high" refers to a person's ability to exceed their normal capabilities when happy, but Qiu Yan had not prepared himself; he simply jumped, yet still reached such a height.

"Light as a swallow."

After landing, Qiu Yan exhaled deeply, nodding in satisfaction.

"Absorbing the essence of blood has strengthened my flesh and tendons, and expelled some toxins and impurities from my body. My physical strength has increased three to four times. Compared to demons, I might still be far behind, but among humans, I should be considered strong. Crossing the forest won't be a problem. Hmm? A demon has already entered this ravine, only about two hundred yards away."

With this thought, he composed himself and glanced at the bird's corpse on the ground.

Although the essence had been extracted by divine power, the headless bird had not disappeared; it was just shriveled and withered.

"Gods, ghosts, demons, and monsters are beyond imagination. Although I have been in this world for seventy or eighty years, I have been confined to a small area and know little about such matters. I cannot be careless. Leaving this corpse might cause trouble, so it's best to destroy it."

With this thought, a white light swept over, and the bird's corpse vanished.

Having removed a potential hazard, Qiu Yan still frowned.

"The Mountain King mentioned by the crow demon seems to be very powerful. They dare to attack villagers, so they must have some backing. It's best not to encounter them too early, but there's no need to fear. From Qiu Yan's memories, this is still a human world, with humans as the main inhabitants, and demons, ghosts, and monsters as the minority. Moreover, I must bear the karma of this body and do certain things, so I cannot leave the jurisdiction of Yuan Ning Prefecture."

By using a hair as a guide, he obtained this incarnation, and the original memories of the body were also absorbed. In Qiu Yan's memory, there was information about this region.

Qiu Yan lived in Zuoqu Village, which was under the jurisdiction of Qingchang County. The county was part of Yuan Ning Prefecture, which was under the jurisdiction of Jian Nan Circuit.

"This is a world similar to ancient China, with similar geography. For example, Jian Nan Circuit is roughly located in Sichuan."

As he thought, Qiu Yan began to undress.

"The ruler of the eight directions and the six realms is the Great Rui Dynasty, which has a household registration system. Blindly fleeing is fine in the wilderness, but once you enter a city or prefecture, without a travel permit, you will be in trouble. 'Once the place of origin is determined, no arbitrary changes are allowed. Violators will be punished and returned to their original place of origin.' Not only will you be punished, but you will also be sent back to your original place, with no way to escape."

He took off his blue robe, revealing a lean but muscular upper body. The robe was tattered on one side, and he tore it off, laying the remaining part on the ground.

"Qiu Yan has read many books and is well-versed in criminal law and commentary."

With this thought, Qiu Yan stopped his hands and looked up at the statue. "Alright, this place has been exposed. To avoid future trouble, I must abandon my base and flee for my life."

Although he said this, there was no trace of dejection on Qiu Yan's face. He had been a mountain god for decades, trapped in the temple, with no one worshipping or paying attention to him.

Worshiping a god without worshippers, how can it be called a god?

A light flashed, and a glowing white figure emerged from the clay statue, blurry and indistinct, with no clear facial features. In its left hand was a square seal, with a mountain on the back. Inside its chest, a strange rune slowly rotated, surrounded by five small stars, one of which was dim and smaller than the others.

Below the rune, a black hole appeared, floating in the air, leading to an unknown place.

Looking at the white figure, Qiu Yan sighed. "To be a god to this extent is truly helpless. But this departure is just the beginning. By delving deeper into the world, I should be able to understand how to walk the path of divinity."

With these words, the white figure turned and landed on the robe spread on the ground.

Ripples spread like water waves, and the robe trembled, with a human figure appearing on it, a man holding a seal. He was not particularly handsome but had a refined air, with a face identical to Qiu Yan's, dressed in a blue robe, exuding a scholarly and composed demeanor.

"Done!" Qiu Yan nodded in satisfaction, looking at the man on the robe. "The divine essence will remain on this, accompanying me as I leave."

With that, he turned and walked out.

Behind him, the tattered robe from the crow demon emitted a white light and slowly dissipated, and the footprints on the ground were gradually covered by dust.

Leaving the temple, Qiu Yan's figure quickly disappeared into the dense forest.

Snap!

Inside the temple, a crack appeared on the clay statue, quickly spreading and covering the entire statue.

Crack! Crack!

The clay statue shattered, scattering into a pile of clay pieces.

Snap!

Behind the temple, the sound of a branch breaking echoed, and a figure slowly approached.

Sniff.

The person lay on the ground, slowly moving forward.

"Right here, the human and the crow's scents converged in this temple!"