In the pitch-black night, Erik Yang—now in the form of a wolf demon—raced through the forest, following a bizarre, winding path.
Flickering shadows danced across his body. His eyes were sharp as a hawk's, his movements nimble and powerful—like a wild gale sweeping through the woods.
Suddenly, he halted, lifted his head, and gazed upward. He slowly closed his eyes, listening for the whispers hidden in the night wind.
A moment later, his figure appeared hundreds of yards away, right before a horse demon who was resting beneath a tree.
Before the white horse demon could even see Erik clearly, Erik had already seized the demon's pulse with one hand and clamped its throat with the other.
"You have only one chance. Tell me—is Ao Cunxin and Jade Cauldron Immortal inside Cascade Cave?"
Trembling, the white horse demon nodded slightly, showing he understood.
Only then did Erik loosen his grip on the demon's throat. In that instant, the horse demon gathered his strength, ready to shout for help.
Erik instantly caught the demon's intent, yanked him close, and drove a heavy elbow into his chest. There was a series of sharp cracks, and the horse demon collapsed unconscious, his cry stifled before it could escape.
Erik reached out to finish him off, but hesitated. Instead, he transformed the horse demon into a rock, then shifted his own form to match and sped off toward Cascade Cave.
Stealthily, Erik broke through the web of defenses Shortbeak had set up, changing his form again and again—never once setting off a single warning.
By the time he reached the woods before Cascade Cave, he had already become a hedgehog demon.
Concealed in the forest’s shadows, he stared from a distance at a green-robed woman sitting atop a rock, her head tilted toward the heavens. A faint gleam flashed at the center of her brow, and his eyes narrowed in response.
A herb essence taking human form?
His gaze slowly swept to the side.
In the distance, a dozen or so demons armed with weapons marched toward Cascade Cave. At the very end of the line, a lizard demon lugged a long spear, his tongue flicking lazily as he shuffled along, barely awake.
Suddenly, a hand shot out from the side of the grass and dragged the lizard demon straight into the undergrowth!
"Ah—!"
"Who’s there!" The demons ahead heard the commotion, spun around, grabbed their weapons, and stared warily at the trembling bushes.
The lizard demon crawled slowly out of the bushes, looking sheepish. He laughed awkwardly, "Sorry, I slipped and fell... haha..."