All of a sudden, it was as if they had received some kind of signal, or perhaps a command. The Night Fiends, who had previously been drifting about like aimless spirits, abruptly grew restless.
One of the Night Fiends lunged at a nearby companions, fast as lightning. The sudden attack startled Li Xiaofei. The creature's speed was far greater than he had initially assessed. It moved so quickly that it left behind a faint afterimage in the air.
In the blink of an eye, the Night Fiend closed in on its companion. Its four long arms wrapped around the target, and claws as sharp as hooked blades pierced deep into the other’s body. At the same time, a mouth filled with rows of razor-sharp teeth clamped down fiercely on its companion’s neck.
The attacked Night Fiend reacted a moment too late, but its long, jagged tail whipped around like a javelin. It struck first despite reacting later, and pierced clean through the attacker's skull. A spray of dark red brain matter exploded outward.
The blood splattered across the ground and began sizzling, eating into the stone-paved floor and forming several irregular pits. The sight made Li Xiaofei suck in a sharp breath once again.
He knew from experience just how solid the stone slabs of the Heaven Ruins were. Even a full-force strike from him might not leave a dent. Yet the Night Fiend’s blood could corrode it so easily.
If that had landed on a human, wouldn’t it melt through flesh and gut them instantly? These creatures... really defy all logic.
In the very next moment, nearly all of the Night Fiends suddenly went berserk as they launched frenzied attacks on their companions. A savage, all-out massacre erupted. It was kill or be killed.
The scene left even Huang Dinggou stunned.
“What the hell is going on?” Li Xiaofei muttered, “Why are these monsters turning on each other?”
Huang Dinggou wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, shook his head, and whispered, “I have no idea. I’ve never seen them act this violently before.”
The more Li Xiaofei watched, the more shocked he became. These frenzied Night Fiends displayed terrifying power. Their tails smashed through brick and stone, and the rock floor crumbled like tofu under their claws.
Li Xiaofei sucked in a sharp breath. These creatures were supposed to be low-tier lifeforms driven entirely by instinct. They were clearly not very intelligent. But their destructive power had somehow surpassed that of even Black Hole level beings.
He had no doubt that a Night Fiend could tear a Black Hole level powerhouse to shreds with a single swipe. As for the attacks of those same Black Hole level cultivators... He suspected they might not even break through the creature’s defenses.
Shit! Why the hell does something exist in the ruins of Heaven?
A chill crept up Li Xiaofei’s spine. Beside him, Black Emperor had already tucked his tail between his legs and buried his head between his paws. The mute girl didn’t even dare to breathe.
Li Xiaofei kept watching the monitor, not daring to look away. What he saw next was even more chilling. The Night Fiends who had emerged victorious from the slaughter began feasting, tearing into the corpses of their fallen companions with savage hunger.
The sound of bones being crunched echoed like a beast's meal, and blood sprayed in every direction. It was a grotesque, nightmarish sight. Each victorious Night Fiend devoured a single companion. And then... they fell into a deep slumber, almost like hibernation.
Roughly four or five hours passed. Suddenly, the bodies of the sleeping Night Fiends began to stir. Agonized howls and screeches rang out as their outer shells began to crack. Their hardened carapaces split apart like a snake shedding its skin, and a new, gleaming exoskeleton emerged from within.
It was a transformation. A grotesque evolution.
The new generation of Night Fiends had grown taller, reaching over two meters in height. Their exoskeletons were now darker, glossier, and far tougher than before. Their forms had become leaner and more upright, with sixteen vertically aligned abdominal muscles lining their torsos. Their heads had elongated, and a jagged row of sharp bone spurs, arranged like the teeth of a saw, had grown atop their skulls.
Each of their six limb joints now sprouted bone blades. Their hands had evolved as well. They were no longer mere claws; they now possessed five fingers. At a glance, they were now closer to humanoid figures. But the aura they exuded had become exponentially more terrifying.
Even through the monitor screen, Li Xiaofei could tell with absolute certainty. After undergoing the devouring evolution, these newly transformed Night Fiends were far more powerful than the mere sum of their parts.
One thing was certain; these creatures were absolutely not allies of mankind. Though they were vastly different from the Reapers he had encountered in the past, Li Xiaofei’s instincts screamed at him. They were part of the Reaper race without a doubt.
In no time at all, over twenty evolved Night Fiends had completed their transformation within the confines of the horse yard.
“This is bad,” said Huang Dinggou, who had spotted something terrifying.
These evolved Night Fiends no longer seemed bothered by the stench of millennia-old manure from the stable. They turned their heads in eerie unison. Their eyes glowed with a crimson hue, and their presence was like that of demons risen straight from hell. Slowly, their gaze landed on the stone hut.
“They’ve found us.” Huang Dinggou’s voice trembled. “I don’t know if we can—”
Before he could finish, the stone hut was blasted apart. A Night Fiend had charged in ahead of the rest. Its claws gleamed like streams of light as it lunged straight at them.
“Move!” Li Xiaofei grabbed his alchemy furnace and hurled it at the charging Night Fiend without hesitation, using the moment to cover Huang Dinggou and the others as they retreated.
A sharp metallic clang rang out. Just as Li Xiaofei had expected, the alchemy furnace successfully blocked the Night Fiend’s claw strike.
“Quick, follow me to the latrine pit!” Huang Dinggou shrieked, grabbing the mute girl and Black Emperor as he bolted for the exit.
“Grow, grow, grow!” Li Xiaofei bellowed.
The furnace instantly expanded, swelling to a height of three meters. Li Xiaofei brought the massive furnace crashing down. The Night Fiend raised its four arms in a defensive cross above its head, attempting to take the blow head-on.
It sounded like a mosquito being squashed. Blood and flesh splattered in every direction. The Night Fiend was pulverized into a mound of gore, crushed to paste beneath the weight of the pill furnace.
“Hall Master! That was incredible!” Huang Dinggou shouted in astonishment and joy.
He hadn’t expected the Hall Master to possess such overwhelming strength. Gripping the furnace tightly, Li Xiaofei charged toward the remaining Night Fiends.
It was now painfully clear that these evolved monsters no longer feared the stench of millennia-old manure. Even if they jumped into the pit with Huang Dinggou, the creatures would dig them out without hesitation. There was only one path left.
When enemies meet on a narrow road, the brave prevail.
Screw it. Time to go all in.
Li Xiaofei swung the massive furnace, and in the blink of an eye, another Night Fiend was smashed to death. However, the battles that followed were far less straightforward.
The newly evolved Night Fiends possessed terrifying strength. Their combat instincts and reaction speeds were incredibly high. After witnessing two of their companions get swatted like flies, they no longer faced Li Xiaofei head-on. Instead, they shifted tactics, relying on their speed to harass and flank him.
They were monsters born purely for slaughter. Every part of their bodies could be turned into a weapon. Their bloodthirsty instincts gave rise to a frightening battle awareness.
Fortunately, Li Xiaofei was no pushover. He had mastered a variety of combat secret arts and was still a step ahead in both speed and reaction. The brutal fight lasted twenty minutes, but Li Xiaofei slew every last Night Fiend within the horse yard. Thɪs chapter is updated by 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✦𝘧𝙞𝙧𝙚✦𝕟𝕖𝕥
“Huff... huff...” He was panting heavily. The alchemy furnace was heavy, and wielding it drained a significant amount of energy.
“Hall Master, you're a god among men,” Huang Dinggou exclaimed with reverence, admiration overflowing like the waters of the Heavenly River.
“Clean up the battlefield,” Li Xiaofei said in a low voice.
But before the words had even fully left his mouth—
A strange sound came from nearby. Both of them jumped in alarm.
Are there more Night Fiends that have appeared?
They turned their heads cautiously, and were completely stunned by what they saw.