Once the full moon hung high in the sky, the atmosphere in the domain changed rapidly, and the temperature dropped drastically, making the air above the Staircase of Heaven stifling. However, the change wasnât a problem for cultivators like them, and they immediately went on alert to await the Night Howler Fiend.
"Master! The moon is starting to turn red, and the fog is becoming denser." Yan Hu spoke as she jumped down from Ling Yunâs clone shoulder.
Ling Yunâs clone turned to Ruan Xianjin, who looked tense. "That beast will appear soon, right? If Iâm not mistaken, the incident that wiped out half your population in the past was also related to that beast, right?"
"How did you find that, young master?" Ruan Xianjin asked with a frown.
Ling Yunâs clone told him directly. "Iâve checked the lake, and I found a memory crystal that shows the events of that day. I saw the pitch darkness from those memories and people begging someone or something to spare them, but it ended up slaughtering half of them."
"Youâre wrong about that, young master," a middle-aged woman spoke from behind them. "My name is Qian Da, and I am a direct descendant of one of the survivors of that dayâs events. That incident had nothing to do with the Night Howler Fiend, and it was related to something more sinister."
"Something more sinister than the beast?" Ling Yunâs clone and the five female beasts were surprised to hear that.
Qian Da nodded at them. "My ancestor said that the creature resembled a human, but it was clearly not human. The creatureâs eyes were one bloody red and one pitch-black, it had four horns on its head, and its teeth were sharp like a dragonâs. It also had big black wings like an eagleâs; its hands and feet were like a tigerâs. According to my ancestor, the creature came from the deepest darkness; it ate their bodies and absorbed their souls."
"Hmm?" Ling Yunâs clone rubbed his chin, thinking about that creature. "Did your ancestor share a clear description of that creature? I had a hard time figuring it out just based on such descriptions."
"No." Qian Da shook his head in response. "At that time, the entire area was filled with darkness, so no one could see the creatureâs form."
"I see." Ling Yunâs clone nodded in understanding.
Yan Hu spoke to him again. "Master, Sheng Ming is the Life Goddess, and she often traveled to many realms in the past, so I think she should know something about that being."
Yan Huâs words shocked Qian Da and Ruan Xianjin. "Do you really know the Life Goddess, young master? In fact, she was the one who stopped that creature at that time; otherwise, our population would have been completely wiped out that day. Unfortunately, she was unable to capture the creature, and it managed to escape from her through the darkness."
"Haha." Yan Hu laughed at that. "Hey! How could my master not know Sheng Ming? She is one of his wives!"
"What... what...?" Qian Da, Ruan Xianjin, and the people standing behind them gasped in shock. They were even more shocked when Yan Hu created a Qi screen, showing an intimate moment between Sheng Ming and Ling Yunâs clone. "Unbelievable! Young masterâ"
"Stop talking! The beast appears." Ling Yunâs clone interrupted them, and Yan Hu removed the Qi screen.
High above the sky, the Night Howler Fiend slowly moved, as if it had moved out of the red moon, followed by darkness that spread throughout the area of the Heaven Descending Domain, causing the already dark night to become even darker.
The Night Howler Fiend prowled through the darkness, exuding a presence that chilled the soul. Its body was lean yet powerful, covered in shadowy fur that rippled like smoke. Its eyes were burned with an eerie, ghostly silver glow, allowing it to pierce the darkness. Its maw was filled with jagged, wolf-like fangs, capable of shredding both flesh and spirit.
*Howl*
The Night Howler Fiend suddenly let out a loud howl. Even though the beastâs position was still very far from them, its howl was not just a howl but a soul-rending wail that drew out fear and stirred madness, causing those cultivators to tremble.
Unlike them, Ling Yunâs clone casually stood at his spot, holding the Chaos Dragon Broadsword. Yan Hu had already returned to her beast form, the white flame tiger.
Qian Da and the others were quite shocked after seeing Yan Huâs beast form, and they glanced at Yue Lian, who was still in her human form, wondering about her beast form. "Master, the Night Howler Fiend has a cultivation level of the Immortal Emperor Realm, so you should wait here and not fight it directly."
"Yeah." Ling Yunâs clone nodded slightly and jumped onto Yan Huâs back. "Come here, Yue Lian."
"Yes." Yue Lian immediately jumped up, sat behind him, and hugged his waist.
From a distance, they could see Long Shuiya, Po Tianyuan, and Jiao Jin moving toward the Night Howler Fiend in their beast forms. However, the beast suddenly disappeared as if blending into the darkness, making it difficult for the three female beasts to pinpoint its exact location.
"Master, the beast is different from what we previously thought, and we will be able to defeat it if we canât find it." Ling Yunâs clone nodded to Yan Hu and used his void eyes to search for the whereabouts of the Night Howler Fiend, but it seemed to have disappeared from the range of his eyes. "Master, bring Sister Anying and Sister Wuxing here; the two of them will definitely be able to find the beast."
Ling Yunâs clone immediately opened the portal to the Yin-Yang Chamber, and the two female dragons walked out of it a few minutes later, shocking Qian Da, Ruan Xianjin, and the people standing behind them again.
"Master." Long Anying and Long Wuxing greeted.
Ling Yunâs clone immediately informed them. "Anying and Wuxing, we are facing the Night Howler Fiend right now, but that beast has the ability to blend into the darkness; even my void eyes have difficulty tracking its whereabouts. Since you both possess shadow and dark elements, I need you to capture that beast for me. Donât kill the beast; instead, bring it to me alive so that Yue Lian can kill it herself.
"Yes, Master."
Long Anying and Long Wuxing immediately flew into the sky and transformed into their dragon forms, making Qian Da and the others take a deep breath. âWho exactly is this young man? How can he command the dragons?â
"Master!" Po Tianyuan, Long Shuiya, and Jiao Jin landed in front of Ling Yun as they returned to their human forms. "Forgive us, we couldnât locate the beast in the darkness, Master."
"Donât fret it." Ling Yunâs clone tried to follow Long Anying and Long Wuxingâs movements, but the two of them also seemed to have difficulty locating the Night Howler Fiend, despite their shadow and dark elements. "What actually happened? How could that beast continue to evade their pursuit?"
Just as he was thinking that, Ling Yunâs clone suddenly sensed an eerie aura approaching them, and he used his void element to envelop the entire place. As he expected, a loud bang sounded in their ears, but the void wall covering the area was not affected in the slightest.
Qian Da and the others had already released their Qi, as had Po Tianyuan and the others, but they still couldnât see the figure of the Night Howler Fiend even though it was so close to them. After that, they heard several more loud bangs from various areas of the void wall, further confusing them.
Ling Yunâs clone frowned at that, and he began to realize something. "It seems that the Night Howler Fiend is not a true beast, but it is the darkness itself, and its beast form is just a diversion."
"Are you sure about that, Master?"
"Yes." Ling Yunâs clone nodded to Long Shuiya. "If the Night Howler Fiend was a real beast, it couldnât have avoided my detection. Observe Wuxing and Anying; they also couldnât sense the beastâs presence, despite having control over shadow and dark elements. Additionally, listen to these banging sounds; I couldnât sense the movement of Qi from these sounds, which made me certain that the beastâs true form was the darkness itself."
All of them tried to check the banging sound that continued to be heard in their ears, and the result was like what Ling Yunâs clone said just now, as they couldnât sense the movement of Qi either.
"So, what should we do now, master?" Po Tianyuan asked.
"Wait." Ling Yunâs clone flew up, but he didnât leave his void walls. He then released his Chaos Dragon Aura, which caused Yue Lian to tremble violently on Yan Huâs back.
Ling Yunâs clone then transformed into his light chaos dragon form before using his light element, and countless light rays shot out of his mouth, forcing the darkness to retreat from the area. "It seems my guess was correct! The true form of the beast is indeed this darkness! Yan Hu! Use your white flames now, but you have to control your flames so that they donât hit this area."
"Yes, Master." Yan Hu threw Yue Lian from her back, flew away from the void walls, and used her white flames. Her actions forced the darkness further away from the area, especially since her flames could burn anything, including the darkness.
Ling Yunâs clone didnât let Yan Hu work alone, and he kept shooting light rays from his mouth. From a distance, Long Wuxing flew around the area quickly, and she used her light element to attack the darkness, turning the area bright from the previously pitch black.
- To Be Continued -