The Powerful One-Horned Demon

The footsteps drew closer and closer.

With his five senses heightened to their limit, Bai Mo could even smell a faint scent of blood and a rotting stench through the wind and snow.

Every hair on his body stood on end in an instant, and the last trace of hesitation in his heart vanished completely, leaving only icy killing intent.

The next moment, the footsteps stopped at the door.

"Scritch—"

With a teeth-grinding scrape, the flimsy wooden door was easily pierced from outside by a sharp weapon.

A pale, withered claw with long, sharp nails reached inside and precisely lifted the wooden bar serving as the bolt.

With a soft creak, the wooden door slowly opened.

A gale mixed with snowflakes instantly poured inside, and a figure darker than the night stepped through the doorway.

Now.

The instant the figure entered, Bai Mo, who had been lying in wait behind the door, moved.

Using the faint reflection of snowlight filtering in through the door cracks and windows, he precisely spotted the exposed neck of the intruder.

Without hesitation, he poured all his strength into his arm, and the kitchen knife in his hand carved a fierce, swift arc upward.

Because of the vast difference in height, the angle of the strike was exceptionally tricky.

"Pfft!"

Amid the dull sound of steel sinking into flesh, the savage blade arc struck solidly into the intruder's neck.

Immediately afterward, scalding, foul-smelling liquid gushed out and splashed Bai Mo from head to toe.

That sudden strike completely stunned the One-Horned Demon.

It had never imagined that inside this "plate" giving off such an enticing aroma, it would find not docile lambs waiting for it, but a wolf cub lurking in the dark.

But it was, after all, an inhuman monster, and its beastlike instincts had long been carved into its bones.

Almost the instant the blade embedded itself in its neck, before it even had time to feel pain, it instinctively raised a leg and viciously kicked toward its attacker.

Bai Mo was stunned as well.

His golden pupils were filled with shock and confusion.

Could someone still retaliate as if nothing had happened after having their neck slashed open by a wound deep enough to expose bone?

More importantly, when he crossed his arms to block the kick, a violent force beyond his comprehension surged through his arms and spread across his entire body.

"Bang!"

His small body was kicked away like a ragged sack, slamming hard into the earthen wall behind him with a dull thud.

Dust showered down from the wall, and he felt as though his entire skeleton were about to fall apart.

"Brother!"

Na'er cried out in a trembling voice. She leaped from the bed without a thought and ran to Bai Mo's side, using her frail shoulders to support him.

"Cough... cough, cough!"

Bai Mo clenched the kitchen knife tightly as he coughed violently, a thread of blood spilling uncontrollably from the corner of his mouth.

That single kick had already inflicted serious internal injuries on him.

He raised his head, his gaze locked firmly on the figure at the door.

By the reflected light from the snow outside, he saw in horror that the enormous wound in the One-Horned Demon's neck, once deep enough to expose bone, was wriggling and healing at a visible speed. In only two or three breaths, it had become a faint red mark, which soon vanished as well, restoring it completely.

"It smells so good..."

The One-Horned Demon paid no attention at all to the wound on its neck.

In truth, after becoming a demon, its sense of pain had already weakened considerably. Besides, at that moment, its entire mind was consumed by the increasingly rich fragrance coming from Bai Mo and Na'er, leaving it nearly irrational, with only its most primal appetite remaining.

As a nocturnal creature, it could see in darkness as clearly as in daylight.

When it saw that the two "delicious meals" were merely two frail children, a savage grin immediately spread across its demon-marked face, and viscous drool dripped from its fangs onto the floor.

What... is this monster?

Only then did Bai Mo truly see the other party's full appearance.

It was definitely not human, nor was it any kind of soul beast he knew of. It was even less like an evil soul master harshly suppressed by Spirit Hall.

Despair rose from the depths of his heart.

That kick had allowed him to instantly judge the chasm-like gap in strength between them.

Even though this body of his was extraordinarily gifted, he was still only a six-year-old child.

If that kick had landed on an ordinary six-year-old, the child would likely have died on the spot.

Nor did he expect the villagers to hear the commotion and come to rescue them.

The wind and snow were howling outside, completely cutting off all sound. Unless they were powerful soul masters, ordinary people could never notice the disturbance here.

It could be said that he and Na'er had already fallen into a deadly predicament.

Yet the more desperate the situation became, the more wildly the suppressed ferocity in Bai Mo's heart surged.

No matter what kind of monster it was, if it wanted him dead, then before he died, he would tear a piece of flesh from it with his teeth.

That malicious gaze, the gaze of something looking at food, made Bai Mo abandon all lingering hope.

The One-Horned Demon could no longer suppress its boiling appetite. It let out a howl, dropped onto all fours, and pounced at Bai Mo and Na'er like a cheetah.

"Na'er, run! Go find the village chief!"

In that instant, Bai Mo used all his strength to shove Na'er away from his side. Then, gripping the kitchen knife tightly, he charged toward the black shadow.

However, the One-Horned Demon was faster than him.

Its pale claws tore through the air with a piercing shriek.

Bai Mo only saw a blur before an irresistible force slammed into his chest.

"Rip!"

The sounds of cloth tearing and flesh being ripped apart rang out at the same time. Five claw marks deep enough to expose bone instantly appeared across his chest, and golden blood sprayed forth.

His entire body was sent flying backward once more before crashing heavily to the ground.

"Brother!"

Crying, Na'er rushed to Bai Mo's side again.

She stretched out her trembling little hands and pressed them against his wounds, trying to stop the bleeding. But the warm golden blood continued to flow through her fingers, impossible to staunch no matter what she did.

The One-Horned Demon paused.

It discovered with some surprise that this boy's blood was actually golden.

It was the first time it had ever seen blood of such a color.

It raised its bloodstained claws and instinctively brought them to its mouth, licking them.

The next second, its scarlet pupils abruptly contracted. Then, as if it had tasted the finest delicacy in the world, it stretched out its long tongue and greedily licked every drop of golden blood from its claws clean, an unprecedented expression of utter intoxication appearing on its face.

"What... supreme delicacy..."

It let out a satisfied sigh, its gaze toward Bai Mo becoming even greedier and more feverish. "Your blood is more delicious than all the humans I have ever eaten combined. Don't worry, I'll eat both of you clean. Not a single drop of blood or piece of bone will go to waste."