The moment the voice broke the silence, the atmosphere in the ruined temple changed. The warm glow of the Everlasting Flame began to flicker incessantly, as though a cold wind kept blowing against it.
An intense chill filled all five people's hearts.
Gulp.
Zhang Da swallowed and pressed a hand to the hatchet at his waist.
At that very moment—
Whoosh!
A pale gray shadow leaped out of the floor near the statues of the gods and Buddhas. Before anyone could react, two terrifying streaks of bloody light flashed beside them.
It stood roughly twice a man's height, its body blue-gray, with a wolf's head, a humanlike torso, short legs, long arms, and claws nearly three feet long.
A Heart-Eating Demon, which countless survivors feared more than wolves or tigers, had appeared inside the ruined temple.
The safe zone formed by the Everlasting Flame and an intact building had no effect on it. Unless a settlement had several Level 2 Transcendents, or even a Level 3 Transcendent, guarding it, every safe zone was a hunting ground it could enter and leave at will!
And this ruined temple seemed unlikely to be an exception.
"Miss Li, get out of the way!"
Ying Chen's eyes widened. He took a great stride toward Li Enyi and swept both sabers upward in succession.
Clang!
Amid a piercing metallic shriek, the two crossed steel sabers caught the Heart-Eating Demon's claws with precision.
But the tremendous force behind those claws forced Ying Chen down onto his knees.
The hard temple floor cracked beneath his knees.
Pain crossed Ying Chen's face. He was clearly badly injured. Limited by the tier of his Identity, he remained a Level 2 Transcendent despite having advanced several times.
And no Level 2 Transcendent had ever faced a Heart-Eating Demon alone and