Chapter 1: I Have Become the Sacrifice

When Chu Chen woke up, he felt nothing but pain racking his entire body. He slowly opened his eyes, his face filled with confusion.

In his bid to secure a permanent position as a police officer, he had been chasing a drug dealer and leaped after him from an unfinished bridge, losing consciousness upon impact. Why, then, had he woken up inside a cave?

Strange, unfamiliar memories suddenly flooded his mind—mountain demons, priests, human sacrifices... As an avid reader of web novels, Chu Chen knew exactly what this meant.

He had transmigrated.

"Save me! Help! Ah!" A blood-curdling shriek echoed from deep within the cave, followed immediately by the sickening crunch of breaking bones.

Startled, Chu Chen scrambled to his feet and bolted. But after only a few steps, he stumbled and fell flat on his face. Pushing himself up, he looked back to find a thumb-thick iron chain shackled to his ankle.

Following the chain to its other end, he saw it was deeply anchored into the sheer rock wall of the cave. Unwilling to meet an early grave right after transmigrating, Chu Chen grabbed the chain with both hands. Pressing his feet against the cliff face to keep his body parallel to the ground, he strained with all his might to wrench the anchor from the rock.

"Ahhh!"

But exerting such absolute strength only lasted for a few seconds before his muscles went limp, and he tumbled back to the ground. Chu Chen lay flat on his back, his chest heaving violently.

"It's useless..." a voice drifted from across the cave.

Only then did he notice an elderly man in his fifties sitting opposite him. Looking toward the voice, he saw that the old man's expression was exceptionally calm.

"The villagers at the foot of the mountain make their living by gathering herbs in these hills," the old man said. "But a demon appeared in the mountains, demanding one human life every day. Unless the beast is fed, no one dares to enter. We are the sacrifices brought to appease the mountain demon. They send five of us at a time. How could they possibly let us escape?"

While the old man's words still echoed in the cave, the young man burst into a soft chuckle. "Heh... do you think I've never read a transmigration novel?"

Chu Chen sat up, looking at the old man with an air of nonchalant confidence. "Old man, believe it or not, I'm not going to die here."

The old man shook his head, dismissing the claim. "Young man, you've already tried. You cannot break this chain. And even if you did, you could never make it out of these mountains alive."

"Stop right there!" Chu Chen interrupted. "I'm different from you. I'm a transmigrator. I have a cheat. You wouldn't understand, but for a transmigrator, waking up in a life-or-death crisis is the most basic trope. Back in my hometown, dozens of transmigrators appear every day. Right before danger strikes, there will be a *ding*, and all problems will be solved."

The old man knitted his brows and remained silent, staring at him as if looking at a lunatic. Ignoring the old man's expression and knowing this was far beyond his comprehension, Chu Chen continued to ramble on.

"Even if there's no *ding*, there's bound to be a 'hero saved by a beauty' scenario. Or maybe a beam of light will pierce the cave entrance, and an immortal-looking elder will appear. Seeing my extraordinary talent, he will take me as his last disciple, setting me on the path to the peak of life."

The old man could bear it no longer. He had no desire to spend his final moments listening to the incessant babbling of a madman.

"Stop dreaming!" he snapped. "Even if someone does show up, it will be the Demon Suppressing Bureau. An immortal elder? The sun hasn't even set, and you're already daydreaming."

"Don't be so skeptical, old man," Chu Chen said, standing up with his hands on his hips. "System... System..."

He called out from dawn till dusk, transitioning from standing proud to kneeling on the ground. Yet, nothing appeared. Instead, he only succeeded in throwing his voice out.

"Young man, it's already dark. Stop shouting and get some sleep. Tomorrow morning, it will be your turn."

"I refuse to accept this..." Chu Chen croaked in a hoarse voice.

"Alright, alright. Even if you don't want to rest, let others sleep," the old man said, turning onto his side.

Chu Chen slumped, collapsing against the rocky wall of the cave.

From the depths of the cave, heavy footsteps echoed.

*Thud... Thud... Thud...*

Chu Chen snapped awake instantly. Sunlight hit his face, and he realized it was already the next day.

Looking around frantically, he grabbed a loose stone from the ground and stared intently into the dark depths of the cave. Within his dark pupils, a massive silhouette gradually materialized. Overwhelmed by tension, he didn't wait for the beast to fully emerge; he mustered all his strength and hurled the stone forward.

*Thud.*

The stone struck something solid and clattered to the ground.

A colossal, red-eyed wild boar demon emerged before him. Bits of raw flesh clung to its dull yellow tusks. Its coarse, bristly hair resembled steel needles protruding from its hide.

The chains clattered loudly. Faced with an actual monster, Chu Chen could not stop his hands from shaking. Instinct drove him to take step after step backward. Even though he knew he couldn't escape, he slowly turned around.

Suddenly, a dazzling light streaked in from the distance. It was a flying sword slicing through the air, humming with resonant sword-qi.

Chu Chen spun back to face the boar demon, raised his arm, and shouted hoarsely, "Sword, to me!"

The sword indeed flew into a hand, turning into a streak of light that slashed toward the boar demon.

"Beast! I have waited for you for a long time!"

Chu Chen felt incredibly awkward. The flying sword had indeed been caught, but not by his hand.

Before him, the elderly man stood like a deity descended to earth, slaying the boar demon with a single strike. As the massive carcass crashed to the ground, a wave of dizziness washed over Chu Chen, and his consciousness plummeted into a circular gallery.

Before he could make sense of his surroundings, a man's voice echoed in his ear. "I've been waiting for you here for two days."

"What are you doing here?" Chu Chen gasped as he recognized the speaker. It was Meng Ran, the drug dealer he had been chasing before his transmigration.

He lunged forward immediately, only to be thrown back by an invisible wall of air. Stumbling to regain his footing, he barely managed to stay upright.

Meng Ran was clearly more familiar with the place. He pressed his hands against the invisible barrier, a smirk on his lips but murder in his eyes. "Tell me, you were just an auxiliary cop. Why risk your life?"

Chu Chen stood his ground, his eyes locking onto the criminal like a hunter onto its prey. "Do you have any idea how many lives you ruined?"

Meng Ran scoffed, completely indifferent to his past crimes. "They brought it on themselves. Officer, there are many people waiting for me to kill them here, including you." With that, Meng Ran slowly turned around. Behind him, the walls of the gallery were lined with portraits of various people.

"Soon, you will understand..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Meng Ran leaned forward, his hands pressing against the ground. He transformed into a grey wolf demon and trotted deeper into the gallery. Watching a living human turn into a wolf before his very eyes, Chu Chen could hardly believe his sight, yet it was undeniably real.

*Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!*

A series of sharp noises erupted behind Chu Chen, forcing him to spin around in a defensive stance. Rows of candles flared to life one after another, revealing an identical circular gallery stretching before him. However, the walls of this gallery did not hold portraits of people, but rather illustrations of various demons and monsters.

"Demon Codex activated. All entries unlocked," a voice echoed within the gallery. "You possess the Demon Codex."

"Jointly slain: one fifth-rank wild boar demon. Damage contribution: one fifty-millionth. Reward: Beginner's Cultivation Gift Pack, and a boar demon exclusive reward, the Brute Force Pill."

"The consumer will gain the strength, speed, and defense of the wild boar demon for ten hours."

"May the two of you utilize your respective codices to rapidly increase your strength and meet at the other end of the gallery. The victor will earn the right to choose whether to remain here or return to your original world."

As the voice faded, Chu Chen stood frozen in a daze.

*What is this? I transmigrated alongside the criminal I was chasing, and we both have cheats? Are you kidding me?*

As he pondered, a faint, distant voice echoed from the depths of the opposite gallery: "You have successfully slain the human genius Fan Hong. Reward: one Bone-Condensing Immortal Herb. Consumption will raise bone strength to the seventh rank..."

"Meng Ran!" Chu Chen roared.

"Officer, I like this place. This is where I belong," Meng Ran's voice drifted back. "When I find you, you'd better be strong enough to fight back. Don't make it too easy for me to win..."

"Meng Ran!" Chu Chen shouted again, but received no reply.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, he grabbed the Brute Force Pill and opened the Beginner's Gift Pack. Inside was a Meridian Clearing Pill, a manual for the Profound Thunder Sword Technique, and a rough black stone. Stowing the rewards away, Chu Chen began to walk down the gallery.

The entries in the codex transitioned from rewarding individual demon slays to sets of demons. The rewards also shifted from temporary items to permanent weapons, cultivation techniques, and divine armaments. Mythical beasts like the Qilin, Yinglong, Xuanfeng, and White Tiger were also listed among the potential rewards.

"Young man, young man..."

Chu Chen's consciousness was pulled back to reality. He found himself standing at the entrance of a village, though he had no memory of how he got there. Numerous government officials were binding the villagers and leading them away.

"These villagers purposely raised a demon beast in the mountains," the old man's voice sounded beside him. "They used it to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth while it cultivated. Thanks to the beast's presence, the surrounding flora flourished, often producing spiritual herbs. It became a lucrative way for the village to amass wealth."

"Young man, I saw how you kept your head in the face of danger. Even in dire straits, you remained optimistic, possessing a firm belief in your own survival. That is highly commendable. But what I admire most is your courage. Not everyone dares to throw a stone at a demon beast. What do you say? Would you like to join our Demon Suppressing Bureau?"

Hearing the words "Demon Suppressing Bureau," the image of the gallery of codices flashed through Chu Chen's mind. Without hesitation, he gave a crisp nod of agreement.