It could be said to be a hundred times more terrifying than wolves. That thing resembled a gray mist, with no distinction between head and body. At its very top were embedded two green eyeballs, and on the front of the mist, various human faces kept changing, as if it were a mask recorder.
“Finished! It’s the Soul Devourer!” Hunyuanzi wailed inside Yang Hao’s belly.
Yang Hao exerted all his strength but still couldn’t free himself from the sword that had become stuck: “What’s the Soul Devourer? Does it eat people?”
“Eat people?” Hunyuanzi bitterly chuckled, a sound more painful than crying. “It’s far worse than eating people.”
X13 trembled all over and emitted a very professional voice: “The Soul Devourer is a magical barrier cast by the terrible Black Demon Beast in the universe. Though merely a manifestation of magic, it can grow stronger on its own. The Soul Devourer feeds on human souls, and each soul it consumes increases its power.”
“The one we encountered must have devoured at least a thousand souls,” Hunyuanzi cried frantically.
It should be said that it was a hundred times more terrifying than a wolf. That thing was like a mass of gray mist, with no distinction between head and body, only two green eyeballs embedded at the very top. The front of the gray mist constantly morphed into various human faces, like a face-changing machine.
“We’re doomed, it’s a Soul Devourer,” Hunyuanzi wailed inside Yang Hao’s stomach.
Yang Hao strained with all his might but couldn’t free himself from the stuck sword. “What’s a Soul Devourer? Does it eat people?”
“Eat people?” Hunyuanzi let out a bitter laugh, sounding worse than a cry. “It’s far worse than that.”
X13 trembled all over, speaking in a very professional tone: “The Soul Devourer is the magical barrier of the terrifying Black Demon Beast in the universe. Though just a manifestation of magic, it can grow in power on its own. Its food is human souls—every time it devours one, its strength increases.”
“The one we’re facing has eaten at least a thousand people,” Hunyuanzi shrieked.
“Then we’re doomed?” Yang Hao twisted his head desperately, noticing the Soul Devourer inching closer, a foul stench assaulting his senses.
“Not ‘we’—you’re doomed,” X13 corrected. “I’ll definitely deliver the news of your death to everyone.” With that, X13 spun around and flew toward the cave entrance.
“Traitor! Don’t you know the Three Laws of Robotics?” Yang Hao stomped in frustration—he had never seen a robot with such independent thinking.
But behind him, the Soul Devourer swooped down with a whoosh.
Just as Yang Hao internally screamed that his life was over, the Soul Devourer brushed past him, lunging instead at X13. Apparently, it wasn’t planning to spare any living thing in its path.
To be fair, Amanda’s robot-making skills were top-notch. Her creations might be unconventional, but they had their unique functionalities.
For instance, X13, despite looking like an adorable little snowman, had its own defense and attack capabilities. As the Soul Devourer pounced, X13 swiftly released a silver wire from its body, unleashing a powerful electric arc.
The blue electric arc tore through the darkness of the cave, and the smell of burning quickly spread. The voltage X13 had just discharged was hundreds of thousands of volts—enough to instantly paralyze even a highly skilled human.
Yet, when the arc struck the Soul Devourer, it merely circled its body before vanishing. The intense shock had no effect whatsoever on the gray mist-like monster, which opened its maw wide and swallowed X13 whole.
“X13!!!!” Yang Hao screamed.
But the robot had already disappeared into the Soul Devourer’s mouth. Yang Hao’s shout, however, drew the monster’s attention. The gray fiend slowly turned its body, eyeing him lazily.
“Traitor… well, eaten is eaten,” Yang Hao tried to placate it, hoping the Soul Devourer would be satisfied and spare him.
But Yang Hao was in for disappointment—X13 had merely been an appetizer. The main course was still waiting: him.
As the Soul Devourer floated closer, its ghastly visage looming, Yang Hao’s heart pounded. He mustered all his strength, barely loosening the stuck sword hilt, but pulling the blade free would require even more effort and time.
Time was running out. Without even looking, Yang Hao despairingly realized the Soul Devourer was now right above him, jaws gaping wide, ready to swallow him whole.
“Pills!! Take the pills!!!” Hunyuanzi finally remembered at the critical moment. “Quick, take the Strength Pill!”
Jolted by the reminder, Yang Hao fished out a Strength Pill and shoved it into his mouth. The pill’s power surged through him instantly. The effect was rapid—within a blink, Yang Hao felt an unprecedented surge of energy coursing through his body. He became like a titan of strength; even a simple arm movement could shake the surroundings.
The Soul Devourer lunged down, unaware of Yang Hao’s transformation, still thinking it could devour him in one bite.
“AHHHHH!!!!” Yang Hao roared, thrusting his arms outward. The thick tunnel walls shattered under his push, expanding the space several times over. Freed from his confinement, he reacted swiftly, drawing two swords from his waist and slashing at the Soul Devourer.
A red and a blue streak of light, like twin lightning bolts in the darkness, struck the monster. Though the Soul Devourer had formidable offensive power, its defenses were weak. The swords sliced through it, causing its energy to scatter and its remnants to explode into dust.
Only a white robot tumbled out of the Soul Devourer’s belly before the explosion, flustered as it scurried to Yang Hao’s side.
“X13!” Yang Hao cheered. “You’re alive!”
X13 perched shakily on Yang Hao’s shoulder, watching the Soul Devourer’s fragments burst midair. “I almost went to heaven…”
“Why didn’t you?” Hunyuanzi grumbled, still annoyed by the robot’s earlier betrayal.
“I told you before,” X13 replied matter-of-factly. “God hates me—won’t let me in.”
Yang Hao sheathed his swords with a cool flourish, feeling the explosive power fade as quickly as it had come. The Strength Pill’s effects were potent but fleeting—once used, the energy dissipated fast.
“What now?” Yang Hao panted, sitting on a pile of bones. “Do we still look for the Origin Crystal?”
“Let’s get out of here!” X13 flitted around like a ghost, still shaken. “This place is too dangerous—we should escape while we can.”
“We can’t leave,” Hunyuanzi disagreed.
X13 was baffled. “Why not? We barely survived one Soul Devourer—are we waiting for something worse?”
“There’s something worse?” Yang Hao broke into a cold sweat. The Soul Devourer had nearly killed him—if something stronger appeared, they were doomed.
“Obviously! Didn’t you hear us? The Soul Devourer is the Black Demon Beast’s magical barrier. Where there’s one, the beast isn’t far,” X13 emphasized. “The Black Demon Beast—the most terrifying monster in the universe!”
“Then let’s go!” Yang Hao tightened his sword belt, ready to retreat.
“No!” Hunyuanzi insisted. “Good disciple, we can’t leave.”
“I’ve figured out the Origin Crystal problem,” Yang Hao said quickly. “With these five swords, I can sell them for at least hundreds of thousands—more than enough to buy one. No need to risk our lives.”
“Not we,” X13 said, “but you are doomed. I will definitely make sure everyone knows you died.” With that, X13 turned its backside and flew toward the cave entrance.
“Disloyal bastard! Don’t you understand the Three Laws of Robotics?” Yang Hao stamped his foot in anger. He had never seen a robot with such independent consciousness.
But behind him, the Soul Devourer whooshed forward.
Just as Yang Hao mentally screamed that his life was over, the Soul Devourer passed right by him and lunged at X13 first. It seemed the Soul Devourer had no intention of sparing any living creature in front of it.
Amanda’s robot manufacturing skills were indeed top-notch. Though her robots might seem eccentric, they had unique functional advantages.
Take X13, for example. Though it looked like a cute little snowman, it had its own defense and attack capabilities. As the Soul Devourer lunged toward it, silver metallic threads rapidly extended from around X13’s body, releasing intense electric arcs.
The blue electric arcs tore through the darkness inside the cave, quickly filling the air with a burnt smell. The electric arcs released by X13 were high-voltage shocks reaching hundreds of thousands of volts. Even human experts, upon direct contact with such voltage, would likely suffer cardiac arrest in an instant.
However, the electric arcs merely circled around the Soul Devourer’s body before vanishing without a trace. Such a powerful voltage had absolutely no effect on the gray mist-like monster. Without hesitation, the creature opened its mouth wide and swallowed X13 in one gulp.
“X13!!!!” Yang Hao screamed.
But the robot had already disappeared into the Soul Devourer’s mouth. His scream only drew the monster’s attention. The gray creature turned its body slowly and looked over.
“Disloyal bastard, well, if you’re eaten, then so be it,” Yang Hao tried to flatter, hoping that after devouring X13, the Soul Devourer might be satisfied and full, and no longer bother to eat him.
But Yang Hao was clearly going to be disappointed, because eating X13 was merely an appetizer for the Soul Devourer—the real feast was Yang Hao himself, saved for last.
Watching the Soul Devourer slowly drift closer with a hideous expression, Yang Hao’s heart pounded with fear. He used all his strength to slightly loosen the sword handle that had trapped him, but pulling the embedded sword free would require even more strength and time.
Time was clearly running out. Without even looking, Yang Hao despairingly realized that the Soul Devourer had flown above his head, opened its mouth wide, and was preparing to swallow him whole.
“Medicine! Take the pill quickly!!!” Hunyuanzi finally remembered at the critical moment, “Quickly take the Strength-Enhancing Pill.”
Reminded by him, Yang Hao hastily took out a Strength-Enhancing Pill and shoved it into his mouth. The pill’s power released instantly. The pill indeed worked quickly. Within the blink of an eye, Yang Hao already felt an unprecedented surge of energy contained within his body. He felt like a giant of strength—just lifting his arm could cause everything around him to rumble.
The Soul Devourer lunged straight down. It hadn’t sensed Yang Hao’s transformation and still thought the figure before it was a small fry it could swallow in one bite.
“Ah!!!!” Yang Hao roared loudly. He pushed both hands outward to his sides. The thick tunnel walls, under his push, were smashed into pieces, instantly expanding the space several times over, and Yang Hao immediately broke free from his confinement.
His reaction speed was no slow either. He immediately drew the two swords at his waist and slashed furiously at the Soul Devourer.
A red and a blue beam of light shot forward like two lightning bolts in the night sky, howling as they struck the Soul Devourer. Though the monster possessed great attacking power, its defense was weak. Struck by the two swords, it immediately split apart. Internal energy scattered in all directions, and the remaining parts exploded into dust.
Only a white robot flew out from the Soul Devourer’s belly just before the explosion, panicking as it zipped over to Yang Hao’s side.
“X13!” Yang Hao shouted excitedly. “So you’re not dead after all!”
X13 nearly crouched on Yang Hao’s shoulder, watching the Soul Devourer continuously explode in midair, still shaken: “I almost went to heaven…”
“Why didn’t you go?” Hunyuanzi said unkindly, still angry at the robot for running away earlier.
“I already told you all…” X13 remained true to its character, “God dislikes me and wouldn’t let me in.”
Yang Hao coolly sheathed his swords. He felt the surging strength in his body disappear rapidly. It seemed the Strength-Enhancing Pill’s effects, though obvious, were fleeting—once used, the power quickly faded.
“What do we do now?” Yang Hao didn’t dwell on it, sitting on a pile of white bones panting heavily. “Are we still looking for the primal crystal?”
“Of course we run away,” X13 floated like a ghost, still shaken from the previous encounter. “This place is too dangerous. We should escape while we can.”
“We can’t leave,” Hunyuanzi expressed a different opinion.
X13 looked puzzled: “Why not leave? We barely defeated one Soul Devourer. Do you want to wait for an even stronger monster?”
“Stronger monster?” Sweat beaded on Yang Hao’s forehead. The Soul Devourer had nearly cost him his life. If there were even stronger monsters, wouldn’t he be doomed?
“Obviously. Didn’t you hear us say the Soul Devourer is the magical barrier of the Black Demon Beast? That means wherever there’s a Soul Devourer, there must be a Black Demon Beast,” X13 emphasized. “Don’t you know what the Black Demon Beast is? It’s the most terrifying creature in the universe.”
“Then let’s go!” Yang Hao tightened the sword at his waist, preparing to return the way they came.
“No leaving!” Hunyuanzi insisted firmly. “Good apprentice, we can’t leave.”
“I’ve already figured out a solution regarding the primal crystal,” Yang Hao’s mind worked quickly. “Now that I have these five swords, I can sell them for at least hundreds of thousands, more than enough to buy a primal crystal. There’s no need to risk our lives anymore.”
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