Gu Diao vs Ling Yi

The Gu雕 was a bit stunned. The intense pain in its body made its eyes suddenly turn red, its already crimson pupils deepening to an almost black hue, a result of layers upon layers of blood.

The Gu雕's aura instantly turned ferocious, clearly enraged.

The Ling Yao flicked its long tail, which, instead of hanging behind it as before, was held upright in front, the tip pointing directly at the Gu雕.

Xiao Xiao narrowed his eyes slightly. There was a wound about ten centimeters long on the Gu carving's flank. Judging by the amount of blood gushing out, the cut was likely quite deep.

The smell of blood and demonic energy in the air grew more potent, even developing a cloying thickness and a bone-chilling cold. The alley, which had previously allowed some light to filter in, grew increasingly dim.

Xiao Xiao looked up. Dense, overlapping dark clouds completely obscured the sky, blanketing the entire area.

It felt as if this space had been sectioned off and isolated.

No sound from the outside could penetrate, and even sight was blocked by the clouds, preventing a view of the distant horizon.

"Jie~ jie~" The Gu雕 let out a fierce cry towards the sky, its sharp, piercing sound waves spreading out in circles. Stone powder and debris rained down from the surrounding stone walls, and marks like those left by sharp blades, crisscrossing and deeply etched, appeared everywhere.

Twigs and leaves poking over the wall exploded, scattering into the air in fragments.

Yang Yi's eyes had, at some point, turned blood red. His eyes bulged, veins throbbing on his forehead. Fine bloodstains appeared on his cheeks, slowly trickling down to his chin before finally dripping to the ground with a "pat."

Yang Yi clenched his fists, his face contorted in a savage mask. Coupled with the blood smearing his face, it was truly a gruesome sight.

Xiao Xiao was initially caught off guard by the Roc's sudden attack, appearing disheveled. His headache hadn't fully healed, and this attack from the Roc made Xiao Xiao wish he were dead.

The overwhelming pain caused Xiao Xiao to bite his lower lip, filling his mouth with the taste of rust.

His face turned alarmingly pale, large beads of sweat forming on his forehead and streaming down his cheeks like a winding stream.

Just as Xiao Xiao's vision began to black out from the pain, his right palm suddenly felt warm. The unexpected heat made Xiao Xiao's nerves jolt, even in his semi-conscious state of agony.

What's happening?

Xiao Xiao blinked hard, trying to clear his vision, which was blurred by sweat. His gaze shifted downwards, and his hand unconsciously rose.

It was the Monster Compendium.

Threads of warmth seeped into his body, flowing through his meridians and blood, heading straight up to the sea of consciousness in his brain.

The warmth entered his muddled brain, emitting a cool, soothing sensation that instantly relieved Xiao Xiao's headache. His heavy mind cleared, and the comfort made Xiao Xiao involuntarily groan softly.

The drastic change left Xiao Xiao somewhat dazed.

Xiao Xiao blinked slowly, breathing cautiously. He found that his headache had indeed improved significantly. It wasn't completely gone, but he was no longer affected by the Gu carving's sound wave attack.

Compared to the excruciating pain before, the current discomfort was like a gentle breeze.

Xiao Xiao felt that this level of pain was nothing.

If this continued, Xiao Xiao thought his nerves would eventually become as strong as steel.

Xiao Xiao squeezed the Monster Compendium in his hand, once again grateful for his foresight. Did he perhaps have some kind of intuition or premonition?

"Bang!" A loud impact shattered Xiao Xiao's somewhat scattered thoughts. He looked up to see that the Gu diao had once again been sent flying by the Ling Yao, crashing heavily into the wall. The mottled stone wall collapsed with a roar, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The Ling Yao perched on a high branch. The seemingly delicate branch didn't sway at all. It was important to note that even though the Ling Yao wasn't as massive as the Roc, it was still several times larger than an adult falcon.

With such weight, yet able to move so effortlessly, it was like a martial arts master with exceptional lightness skills. Xiao Xiao couldn't help but have his eyes light up.

The Ling Yao's gaze remained one of unchanging arrogance and disdain. Its elevated position further enhanced its imposing aura.

After a fierce battle, the Gu雕 was in a sorry state, while the Ling Yao only had slightly ruffled feathers.

The difference in strength between the two monsters was clear.

This time, it seemed to have truly fallen hard. The Gu雕 was buried behind the rubble and remained motionless for a long time, unlike before when it would immediately take flight and retaliate ferociously.

"Scythe?" Yang Yi walked to the collapsed stone wall and called out tentatively. His face, stained with blood, was grim, his eyes flickering, clearly not in a good mood.

But while his mood soured, Xiao Xiao's improved.

Even if he had to spend more time recovering his severely depleted mental energy afterward, he felt it was worth it.

Whether it was the Gu demons eating people or Yang Yi feeding humans to monsters, in his eyes, both were acts of utter depravity.

Yang Yi, in particular, was even more unforgivable.

The Gu was a monster; monsters eat people. Perhaps it was like humans eating chickens, ducks, or fish, a necessity for survival. The conflict between humans and monsters was not about right or wrong, but merely a survival choice dictated by natural selection.

From the monster's perspective, eating humans could be considered justifiable.

However, Yang Yi was not a monster; he was a human, one of the humans that monsters wanted to eat.

Not only did he not stop the monsters from eating people, but he even provided them with assistance.

For what reason? Xiao Xiao could probably guess.

It was nothing more than profit.

In Xiao Xiao's opinion, what the Gu clan promised Yang Yi was most likely power beyond that of ordinary people. This could be glimpsed from the previous basketball game.

Furthermore, Yang Yi was still not satisfied. Before he could fully obtain the Gu雕's power, he had actually set his sights on the Ling Yao!

Greed is truly humanity's greatest original sin.

Xiao Xiao felt a bit regretful. It was rare to meet someone who could also see monsters, only for them to have such twisted values?

Previously, Wu Ya could only see them occasionally, but Yang Yi clearly saw them more.

Xiao Xiao had been quite happy to meet someone who was "in the same boat." Even if they didn't know each other, even if they weren't familiar, knowing there was someone like himself nearby was undoubtedly a comforting thing.

Unfortunately, it was clear the other party didn't think so.

When Yang Yi learned that Xiao Xiao could also see the Gu carvings, the fleeting jealousy and resentment in his eyes were clearly seen by Xiao Xiao.

At that time, Xiao Xiao understood he wasn't welcome and even vaguely sensed the other's disgust, and even... killing intent.

How could a mere student possess such intense malevolence?

So, even now, it wasn't so unbelievable to discover he was helping the Gu feed on humans.

He had investigated Yang Yi a little. At least from the information he found, Yang Yi was the epitome of a winner in life. Why would he have such a dangerous personality? It made no sense.

Could it be that some perversions are indeed innate?

Xiao Xiao didn't know. Perhaps Yang Yi had an unknown past that led to his hidden dark personality.

But none of this concerned Xiao Xiao. All he needed to do was stop the Gu diao from feeding.