That was a red figure with two horns on its head and long limbs; its exposed skin was a dark red, and its eyes an even more striking crimson—it was, unmistakably, the Little Refining Demon that Zhang Xiaoman had previously encountered in the underground parking lot.
However, there was a difference: this Little Refining Demon’s size was considerably larger than those he had seen before.
Not only was this Little Refining Demon taller, its muscles were more developed, the small horns on its forehead were also longer, and even its skin color seemed brighter.
This was a lone Little Refining Demon!
At the same time, it was a Little Refining Demon that had grown in size!
Zhang Xiaoman immediately commanded the Star Guard to confront it.
The reason he had intentionally relaxed earlier was indeed to lure the snake out of its hole, while also secretly mobilizing the Star Guard to surround the area.
Because this creature had been hiding among the scattered large rocks on the ground, it had a considerable advantage in terrain.
With a small stature and quick movements, facing a Little Refining Demon in such conditions would not necessarily result in defeat for the Star Guard, but it might result in a chaotic, embarrassing struggle with dust flying everywhere.
This was, of course, something he did not want to see.
After all, there were two would-be underlings here whom he planned to coax into joining the organization.
As the Star Lord, he naturally needed to maintain a good image.
Now that the monster had charged out on its own, entering this more spacious area, dealing with it would be much easier.
A loud crash echoed as the Little Refining Demon collided fiercely with the Star Guard.
The Star Guard’s long spear had been thrust forward, poised to pierce the monster midair, but unexpectedly, it twisted its body and narrowly avoided the strike while simultaneously hitting the Star Guard head-on.
Seeing this scene, Zhang Xiaoman slightly furrowed his brow.
In his eyes, the strength of a single Star Guard was comparable to those monsters worth around 10 points—The strength of a Star Guard could increase with his spiritual power, and this point was clearly described in the Skill description.
However, his spiritual power, even with the boost from his cloak, barely reached 6 points, which provided a limited enhancement.
Of course, measuring Dark Energy strength solely through Spirit Detection Technique did not indicate the unit’s actual combat effectiveness; it was merely a reference for measurement.
Yet, the strength of this Little Refining Demon, as perceived by him, was slightly higher than that of the Star Guard.
Keep in mind, those encountered earlier in the underground parking lot, upon being killed, only afforded about 3 points worth of absorption.
In the recent clash with the Little Refining Demon, the Star Guard had seemingly been at a disadvantage.
What surprised Zhang Xiaoman the most was that as the monsters’ strength increased, their intelligence seemed to improve as well.
In such a critical moment just now, it was even able to twist its body in mid-air to avoid the attack and then opt for a collision that traded injury for injury. This was far superior compared to those from the underground parking lot who, after charging in, would attack mindlessly.
However, all this seemed very lengthy in Zhang Xiaoman’s observation, and he even had time to analyze the recent combat situation; yet to the others, it all happened in a flash.
Lin Sisi was a bit better off, as she possessed the Spirit Detection Technique, allowing her to easily track the monster’s movements.
But the Wencheen brothers were a bit confused. They only saw a red figure suddenly spring out, only to be sent flying back immediately, and throughout it all, they hadn’t even managed to get a clear look at the creature before it landed on a piece of broken rock and they finally reacted.
This couldn’t help but give them a start.
And the dark red appearance of Little Refining Demon finally entered their field of view.
A moment after the shock and astonishment, anger suddenly enveloped the brothers. The monster before them could very well be the murderer of their father!
They almost cried out in unison, with Dane already searching around for a weapon, ready to rush forward and fight to the death with the adversary.
Little Refining Demon, too, turned its gaze in the direction of the voices. With a leap, it mounted the ceiling; its sharp nails dug into a protruding stone beam. Opening its mouth, a blast of flame shot forth, aimed directly at Sam, the more slender of the two men.
Zhang Xiaoman, upon seeing this, immediately ordered a nearby Star Guard to intercept, but another figure was even quicker, reaching the front — it was Dane.
Dane, unaware that the Star Guard was coming to help, only had eyes for that small fireball flying toward them.
He stepped forward, raising his shield high, intercepting the fireball ahead of the Star Guard.
A burst sounded as the fireball exploded right in front of Dane, blasting his shield into pieces. He was sent flying back four to five meters before stopping, his arms already burned by the attack.
Sam roared in fury and grief as he turned to see his elder brother’s condition, and then, regardless of whether he had a weapon or not, he rushed to fight the monster to the death.
Zhang Xiaoman extended his right arm and effortlessly stopped him. Now with an added 20 points of Constitution Enhancement, stopping Sam, a regular person, was quite easy.
Little Refining Demon made an unintelligible sound as its throat pulsed, seemingly preparing to shoot another fireball.
This time, Zhang Xiaoman would not let it succeed. With a single lift of his hand, he cast the Soul Raiding Skill straight at the creature, draining 40 points of Dark Energy directly from its body.
Little Refining Demon stumbled as its mouth opened, emitting a gray smoke but no hint of flame.
Then, as if disbelieving, it growled again in its throat, attempting to unleash its signature skill — Fireball Technique.
However, the outcome was disappointing for the demon. Its mouth opened and closed, but it failed to spark a single flame; all that could be heard was its constant "gurgle, gurgle," as if someone couldn’t stop hiccupping.
Finally, it ceased its futile efforts, its angry gaze falling on Zhang Xiaoman as if it knew the instigator of all this was him.
Little Refining Demon let out a string of frustrated cries, but Zhang Xiaoman had no idea what it was saying; his Communication Skill Engraving was already at its limit, and he couldn’t understand the creature’s language at all.
"It seems this thing’s Dark Energy limit isn’t high, huh? It’s already out of mana," Zhang Xiaoman mused, looking at its frantic demeanor and making his guess.