Several days later, beneath a blood moon, demons swarmed like ants, standing as thick as a forest.
In the ominous shadows, Li Chen sat cross-legged in a secluded space enclosed by enormous boulders, waiting in silence.
His eyes were half closed. Cold moonlight shone on the face of the Servant Demon Enforcer he had assumed through the Skin-Painting Art, staining it crimson as though smeared with blood.
Suddenly, Li Chen opened his eyes.
Several miles ahead, dark figures crowded together as a great host of demons began their daily hunt again amid a noisy clamor.
The Demon Chief Li Chen had set his sights on swaggered among them.
At last, it temporarily left the thousand-odd demons under its command and went to a sheltered corner to enjoy the bloody food offered by the other demons.
It was a freshly slain Servant Demon, its body still twitching and trembling. The demon blood, rank and foul to human noses, seemed especially delectable to the demons.
The Demon Chief barked at the restless lesser demons to retreat, claiming the offering for itself and feasting with gusto.
The Servant Demon, which seemed thick-skinned and tough-fleshed to ordinary people, was like a lamb in its hands. Chunks of raw flesh tore audibly, like strips of cloth.
Before long, blood and flesh were flying everywhere.
The Demon Chief soon reached the Servant Demon's internal organs. Unlike the rest of the flesh, these were treated with particular care, for demons habitually concentrated their Demon Essence there, making them more likely to develop high-energy organs.
Even without a concentration of Demon Essence, the organs themselves were soft and could be swallowed without any effort, so they had always been among the demons' favorite foods.
The heart, which received the richest supply of blood, was torn out whole by