The Fight Was On!

Since kind words of advice weren't working, they might as well settle this with a fight!

Even though Xiao Xiao had his reservations about this human-and-monster duo, he wasn't afraid of them.

Xiao Xiao made no effort to hide the sound of his footsteps.

"Tap~ tap~"

He walked faster and faster, until he was practically running.

After rounding a corner, Xiao Xiao abruptly stopped.

In the dim surroundings, Yang Yi stood leaning lazily against a wall, hands in his pockets. The branches jutting out above cast mottled shadows over him, making his expression even harder to discern.

But the air around him was clearly relaxed and indifferent, without the slightest tension. He seemed to care nothing for the bloodshed nearby.

Xiao Xiao merely glanced at Yang Yi before fixing his gaze on the Gu Diao.

The Gu Diao was eating with its back to him.

Xiao Xiao couldn't see exactly what was happening, but he could clearly hear the Gu Diao chewing and swallowing.

The sounds were spine-chilling.

Xiao Xiao felt the hair on his scalp stand on end. The stench of blood in his nostrils was so thick it made him nauseous, and the sounds in his ears pounded against his eardrums like a giant hammer, making his mind ring.

His excellent eyesight even let him see two legs protruding from in front of the Gu Diao.

The legs were clad in baggy, grayish jeans. There were no socks on the feet, and the exposed ankles were so shriveled they seemed drained of all blood. A pair of battered sneakers hung loosely from the feet. The shoelace on the right sneaker had come undone, bobbing with every movement of the Gu Diao as it ate, as though it might fall off at any moment.

The victim must have been a homeless man. Perhaps he had imagined that, in the end, he would freeze to death, starve, or die of illness. Maybe he had even thought he might be killed in a car accident. But he surely never would have imagined this.

A monster was feasting on his body, biting through his bones and drinking his blood.

And even after the monster had devoured him completely, no one would discover that he was gone.

They would simply assume he had wandered off somewhere else.

Xiao Xiao tightened his grip on the Monster Compendium.

Yes, for reasons he couldn't quite explain, Xiao Xiao had brought the Monster Compendium with him, even though he didn't need the physical book to summon a monster.

The blood was thick, the stench of it overwhelming. Xiao Xiao could even hear it gurgling down the Gu Diao's throat as it gulped down human blood, greedily and insatiably, mouthful after mouthful.

The faint crunch of breaking bones seemed magnified without end in the narrow, silent space. Sharp teeth crushed the hard bones with ease, the crisp snaps revealing the eater's cheerful mood.

The Gu Diao was eating lazily and at ease, seemingly posing no threat.

But from the moment Xiao Xiao stepped into this space, the alarm bells in his heart had not stopped ringing. He didn't dare make a single reckless move.

He could clearly feel that the Gu Diao had grown stronger.

It seemed to be gradually increasing its power by eating humans.

No, perhaps it was gradually recovering.

A cold glint flashed through Xiao Xiao's eyes. He couldn't let this drag on. The Gu Diao was growing stronger by the minute. Even its body had grown two or three inches larger than when he'd last seen it, and its feathers gleamed with a chill, as if they had been cast from steel.

The spectral image of the Monster Compendium grew clearer before Xiao Xiao's eyes. Its pages turned on their own, rustling: "Flip~ flip~ flip."

In the dim, shadowy space, Ling Yao suddenly appeared, its body as red as vermilion fire, as if it had lit up the whole area.

"Lii~" Its crisp, clear cry drowned out the sound of the Gu Diao eating. Even the air seemed to flow more freely.

Yang Yi abruptly straightened up. His face emerged from the shadows, stunned.

At the instant Ling Yao appeared, the Gu Diao seemed not to notice at all. It continued eating, having already reached the homeless man's waist. "Crack~ crack~"

It wasn't eating slowly, but neither was it wolfing the man down whole. Monsters had always loved the delicious taste of human flesh.

But Ling Yao's clear cry eventually disturbed the Gu Diao.

The Gu Diao paused, then swallowed the last two legs without even chewing them, shoes and all.

At last, the Gu Diao turned around. A flash of ferocity crossed its blood-red eyes; it was clearly unhappy to have its meal interrupted.

"What kind of monster is that?" Yang Yi finally came to his senses. Looking at Ling Yao flying beside Xiao Xiao, he wore a covetous look.

Covetous? Xiao Xiao was surprised, and a little amused. He had expected to see some other emotion, like astonishment, but he had never imagined covetousness.

Xiao Xiao blinked, almost wondering if he'd seen wrong.

But Yang Yi wasn't hiding his covetousness at all. He stared straight at Ling Yao without the slightest shame.

Xiao Xiao's silence darkened Yang Yi's expression, and displeasure showed between his brows. But soon, the corners of his eyes lifted, revealing a trace of a smile.

"Scythe, I want it."

Wasn't that a little too brazen? Xiao Xiao was dumbfounded, then couldn't help laughing.

Besides, what made him think the Gu Diao could definitely beat Ling Yao?

All right, he admitted that just from their appearances, the sinister, gloomy Gu Diao did seem more dangerous, while Ling Yao, with its gorgeous plumage, looked harmless and fragile.

And the Gu Diao was a full size larger than Ling Yao, too.

But countless lessons paid for in blood and tears had taught people not to judge others by appearances. The same went for monsters. Otherwise, the consequences could be disastrous.

The Gu Diao was powerful—the kind of powerful anyone could recognize at a glance, unless they were blind.

But Xiao Xiao had a vague feeling that, while a Gu Diao at the height of its power might give Ling Yao some trouble, this one was no match for Ling Yao.

"Hmph." Hearing the human opposite him say something so absurd and laughable, Ling Yao gave a scornful snort. It didn't even spare Yang Yi a glance.

It had never feared a Gu Diao at the height of its power. Why would it fear this one, still recovering from severe injuries?

Perhaps Ling Yao's haughty contempt had provoked the Gu Diao. Though it knew how dangerous the other was, the usually arrogant Gu Diao had grown even more irritable since being wounded, and it instantly bristled.

"Kraa!" The Gu Diao let out a shrill cry and beat its wings as it lunged at Ling Yao. A cold gleam flashed along the edges of its pitch-black wings. Its enormous body blotted out the sky, as if the entire space were under its control—and Ling Yao's life and death were in its hands.

Faced with the Gu Diao's aggressive charge, Ling Yao didn't move at all, as if it had been scared stiff. Yang Yi's lips curled into a smug smile, but Xiao Xiao wasn't the least bit worried.

Just as the Gu Diao's huge, razor-sharp claws were about to rake across Ling Yao's soft belly, a fierce glint flashed in Ling Yao's eyes. Its long, gorgeous tail feathers lashed toward the Gu Diao with blinding speed.

The air had barely begun to whistle before the Gu Diao was sent flying.

The sudden reversal left Yang Yi's smile frozen before it had fully spread.

Xiao Xiao smiled.