An elderly man with a head of white hair was clutching a little girl with twin horn braids as he staggered forward with all his strength.
Just then, a foul wind swept over. A flash of blood-red light passed, and the old man's head was severed by the wing of a black-winged bird.
His head, still wearing a look of terror, spun several times through the air before the black-winged bird opened its fang-filled beak and swallowed it in one gulp. The bird let out excited croaks.
A torrent of blood sprayed from the old man's headless neck, splattering the little girl still in his arms from head to toe.
The blood-covered little girl stood there blankly, still clutching a candied hawthorn skewer in her tiny hand.
Only after a moment did she burst into heartbroken sobs. "Grandpa!"
As the little girl wailed her heart out, she did not know that a claw covered in black scales was reaching down toward her from above. It belonged to that black-winged bird.
"You beast, don't you dare run wild!" A nearby white-robed sword cultivator's eyes nearly split with rage. He sent his flying sword forth, turning it into a streak of startled light that instantly pierced through the black-winged bird's head.
Just as he was about to save the girl, three second-grade demon hounds pounced from the side. Their foul-smelling drool nearly dripped onto his face.
The white-robed sword cultivator wheeled his Sword Light around and severed one demon hound's head, but the other two bloody maws clamped viciously onto his arm and leg.
Amid the agonizing crack of his bones, he watched helplessly as more demon beasts surged forward and engulfed the little girl. In the end, he heard only one brief, miserable scream.
"Aaah!!" The white-robed sword cultivator let out