The full moon was still the full moon. Once the bloody light dispersed, it shone white again, dreamlike, but the heavenly wolf never managed its howl. Blood merely kept spurting from its throat with a gurgle.
Hou Niao smiled as before. "Am I fit to be your friend?"
Niu Er felt his single eyelid twitching so hard it almost became a double eyelid.
"You are! You are!"
Hou Niao looked behind him. "Do any other friends object?"
No demon spoke up. This was the cruel Demon Realm, with its cruel principles: strength reigned supreme, and nothing else mattered. As for demons helping one another, that was an even greater joke. They were not even the same species. Many held deeper grudges against one another than against humans. Who would volunteer to be the rafter that stuck out?
Behind him, Xiang Zhiwen roared with laughter. He was genuinely delighted. "Then we're all friends now? We'll be spending tonight in Grass Dragon Gully. None of you object, do you?"
They could actually have continued searching farther ahead; there was no particular need to stay here. But in terms of psychological momentum, they had to do precisely this! When you advanced a step, the other side had to retreat a step. Ultimately, this decided who had the right to speak, who ruled Yinling. This was the work of the Patrols.
Unless they beat down these creatures' arrogance and taught them a lesson they would remember, they would harass human settlements more frequently. That was simply how it worked.
The demons retreated into the grass. This provocation had cost them some demonic dignity, but they were all thick-skinned creatures. By tomorrow, they would begin to forget; in a few days, only a hazy impression would remain. Before half a month had passed, they would