Chapter 1621: The Multi-Eyed Demon

Han Li and the other two flew several hundred miles in one breath, even disturbing a nest of dark flying rodents resting on a mountain along the way.

These demonic beasts were over ten times larger than normal, resembling squirrels in appearance but with bat-like wings on their backs and ferocious fangs bared in their mouths, making them look exceptionally vicious.

Of course, such low-level demonic beasts were naturally beneath Han Li’s notice.

Without even needing Han Li to act, Xianxian unleashed countless golden rays from her body, raining down like a storm and riddling the demonic flying rodents with holes, killing them instantly.

However, upon seeing this, Yue Zong did not show any joy. Instead, after flying a short distance further, he stopped his flying wheel and sighed lightly to the other two: “Fairy Xian, Senior Han, we don’t need to fly any further. That demonic beast has been following us all along, and its speed isn’t slow. At our current pace, we won’t be able to shake it off.”

“Are you certain?” The green light dimmed as Han Li emerged from his escape light, asking with a barely perceptible flicker of strangeness on his face.

“No mistake. Though my cultivation isn’t high, I have some skill in sensing and tracking demonic beasts,” Yue Zong affirmed.

Xianxian’s expression darkened upon hearing this.

Han Li remained silent for a moment. In truth, even without Yue Zong’s confirmation, he was well aware that a demonic beast was indeed relentlessly pursuing them from about seven or eight miles behind. Though his spiritual sense couldn’t reach that far, his Brightsight Spirit Eyes could pierce through the demonic aura to vaguely discern the beast’s shadow.

Despite the creature constantly hiding in the black mist below and occasionally ducking behind mountain peaks, its massive, building-sized body could hardly remain completely concealed.

After this test, Han Li had gained some confidence in Yue Zong’s abilities as a demonic beast hunter. It seemed the man truly had the skills to traverse the Demon Beast Mountain Range safely multiple times—no wonder Xianxian had insisted on hiring him.

“Senior Han, it seems we’ll need to set a trap to kill this demonic beast,” Xianxian said cautiously, looking at Han Li.

“A trap? Why bother with such trouble? Since this beast has its sights on us, we’ll just go and kill it. Wait here for a moment!” Han Li replied indifferently. Suddenly, a flash of cyan-white light appeared behind him as a pair of crystalline wings materialized.

With a single flap of the wings, a thunderclap erupted, and Han Li transformed into a cyan-white lightning arc, shooting forward. After a few flickers, he was already hundreds of feet away, and with another low rumble of thunder, the lightning vanished without a trace.

The crystal race woman and Yue Zong were momentarily stunned.

“Senior Han is going to face that demonic beast alone? Though it’s unlikely to be a Saint-rank beast, some high-tier demonic beasts possess terrifying abilities—even ordinary cultivators of the same rank are no match for them,” Yue Zong muttered, snapping out of his daze but still looking concerned.

“Since Senior Han is so confident, he must have a plan,” Xianxian said slowly, seemingly placing great trust in Han Li.

Yue Zong didn’t respond, but his brow remained furrowed.

At that moment, a series of thunderous booms erupted in the distance, followed by a furious roar. But the roar quickly turned into a scream before abruptly cutting off, leaving the distant area eerily silent.

This bizarre turn of events left Yue Zong and Xianxian exchanging uneasy glances.

After a short while, as the two waited anxiously, a flash of spiritual light appeared in the distance, and a streak of cyan light shot toward them.

“It’s Senior Han!” Yue Zong exhaled in relief upon recognizing the color of the escape light, though his expression remained slightly odd.

Xianxian said nothing, her gaze flickering as she watched the approaching cyan light.

With a whoosh, the cyan light flickered a few times before arriving above them. The light dimmed, revealing Han Li.

“Brother Yue, take a look. What kind of demonic beast is this? Its appearance is quite peculiar,” Han Li said, swinging his arm and tossing down a dark, bloody mass.

Yue Zong instinctively pointed at the object, causing it to spin midair and hover there.

The crystal race woman focused her gaze. It was the head of a demonic beast, as large as a basin. At first glance, it was furry with two round ears, resembling a monkey’s head.

But upon closer inspection, it sent a chill down one’s spine.

The face had no nose or mouth—just a furry surface covered with over a dozen half-closed crimson eyes. Most of the eyes were bleeding, their pupils filled with expressions of extreme terror.

“A Many-Eyed Demon! So it was this kind of beast. These creatures are born with soul-hypnotizing abilities and are extremely rare even deep in the Demon Beast Mountain Range. No wonder those demonic crows were being controlled,” Yue Zong exclaimed, both horrified and enlightened.

“A Many-Eyed Demon! No wonder it kept blinking those strange eyes at me—it was trying to use its soul-hypnosis on me. Tsk tsk, trying that on me was its misfortune,” Han Li chuckled dismissively.

“But Senior, you truly are formidable. It took you less than the time for a cup of tea to slay this high-tier Many-Eyed Demon. Not only does this beast excel in soul-hypnosis, but its other abilities are also bizarre and formidable. Even cultivators one or two ranks higher would struggle against it,” Yue Zong said, his expression still odd.

“Really? I wouldn’t know—I didn’t give it a chance to use them. Besides, this beast’s cultivation was only around the seventh or eighth tier of the upper race—not particularly strong,” Han Li replied lightly.

Yue Zong fell silent at this.

“I’ve heard of the Many-Eyed Demon before. Its most prized materials are these hypnotic eyes—they’re perfect for refining mind-calming and spirit-stabilizing artifacts. If only they were from a Saint-rank Many-Eyed Demon, they could be used to forge a treasure nearing the level of a spirit treasure,” Xianxian remarked with a smile.

“Fairy Xian jests. If I encountered a Saint-rank Many-Eyed Demon, I’d flee as far as I could. Still, I had the sense not to discard the most valuable part. The beast’s corpse, however, fell deep into the demonic mist—retrieving it would be troublesome,” Han Li said with a faint smile.

“Now that this Many-Eyed Demon is dealt with, the rest of our journey should be smoother. Still, it’s fortunate Senior truly eliminated it. These beasts excel at rallying and commanding other demonic beasts to attack their foes, and they hold grudges fiercely. If it had escaped, the consequences would’ve been dire. But we shouldn’t linger here—let’s move on. The earlier commotion might attract other high-tier demonic beasts,” Yue Zong cautioned.

“Brother Yue is right. Senior Han, let’s continue,” Xianxian agreed.

Han Li nodded without objection, flicking his sleeve to release a burst of cyan light that swept up the demonic beast’s head, making it vanish.

The three then resumed their flight.

Unbeknownst to them, half a day after they left, a sharp screech echoed from another direction. A rolling black cloud descended from the sky, enveloping several miles of the area in darkness.

A piercing shriek erupted from the cloud, which churned violently before releasing over a dozen blood-red beams that struck the mist below.

Where the beams passed, the black demonic mist parted, revealing a headless demonic beast corpse after the light cleared a vast area.

The corpse had the lower body of a giant green serpent and the upper body of a lizard, with two pairs of arms—one large, one small—and razor-sharp, jade-green claws.

Upon seeing the corpse, the black cloud emitted a heart-wrenching screech, filled with grief and fury.

“Who? Who killed my child? I’ll tear them apart, refine their soul, and extract their essence!” The voice, though grating, unmistakably belonged to an aged male.

“Jiuye, Wuqi, find the ones who took my child’s head. We’ll hunt them down and devour them piece by piece!” the old voice roared viciously.

“Yes!”

“As you command!”

A male and female voice responded from the cloud before two orbs of light—one silver, one red—shot out, landing near the headless corpse. The light faded, revealing two half-human, half-beast figures.

One was a burly man with massive black horns, clad in black armor, his upper body human-like but with beastly legs covered in coarse hair.

The other was a petite woman with peach-blossom features, green eyes, pointed ears, and a slender, cat-like tail.

They circled the corpse before the man roared, spitting out a black beam that vanished into the body. His horns glowed ominously.

The corpse trembled as a wisp of gray energy, wrapped in black light, floated out and formed a faint, dazed shadow above it.

Meanwhile, the woman sniffed the air before suddenly taking flight, darting around the area.

“Found them! Only one person killed the young master, but there are traces of two others nearby—likely his companions,” she announced, stopping midair and addressing the cloud respectfully.