Chapter 614: Huangquan Evil Spirit (4000 words)
Xiang Beifei knew that Jiang Shan's faith in the Divine Lord had been shaken, but he didn't say much. Instead, he continued applying medicine to Jiang Shan, secretly infusing some spiritual power into the herbs. The moment the herbs touched the wound, it began to heal immediately.
Of course, he didn't fully heal it; in any case, he had to leave a slight skin wound to avoid raising suspicion.
But at this moment, Xiang Beifei suddenly frowned.
A faint sound of air currents wafted through the forest, and leaves from all directions seemed to be swayed by something. Ordinary hunters wouldn't pay attention to these sounds, but Xiang Beifei knew very well.
He knew something was coming.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, from behind a tree, an ugly Meat-Winged Monster leaped out, rushing at a hunter who was dealing with the corpse of a bear. It's speed was at its peak, and the hunter couldn't react at all!
The speed of the Meat-Winged Monster was incredibly fast, at least quicker than the reaction speed of these hunters. It would be terribly easy for them to hunt humans in the forest.
The hunter was completely unaware of what was charging at him from behind.
Swoosh!
Xiang Beifei had long prepared his bow and arrow. The moment the Meat-Winged Monster pounced, the arrow was already released!
Thunk!
The arrow instantly pierced through the head of the Meat-Winged Monster. The immense inertia drove the monster backward, pinning it directly to the tree trunk!
"What is that?"
Only upon hearing the commotion did the hunter react. Turning around, he found a Meat-Winged Monster baring its fangs ferociously against the trunk, glaring at him viciously. He screamed immediately, falling to the ground in terror, scooting backward.
"What's going on? What's going on?"
The other hunters raised their heads, looking toward him as they heard the noise.
"Underworld Phantom!" The hunter pointed at the tree trunk in horror.
"Underworld Phantom!"
All hunters' faces changed drastically. Following his guidance, they indeed saw a Meat-Winged Monster on the tree trunk. Everyone shuddered involuntarily at the sight of this monster—a fear deeply rooted in their souls.
Every year, countless members of the Human Race die at the hands of the Meat-Winged Monsters, so the sight of one inevitably triggered a reflexive terror and retreat.
"Don't panic! Gather together, take up weapons, and prepare to defend!"
Jiang Shan shouted loudly.
Every hunter scrambled to draw the bone knives from their waists. However, some hunters' bone blades were still stuck in the bear's body, and they couldn't pull them out in time. Others picked up rocks from the ground to make do.
But upon closer inspection, they realized that the Meat-Winged Monster wasn't moving, its mouth still open, with a hint of surprise in its eyes.
They quickly noticed an arrow embedded in the monster's forehead, right between its brows, killing it with a single shot!
"It's dead?"
The hunters came to their senses, looking around and saw Xiang Beifei still holding a bow.
"Xiao Houzi, is it… you who shot the Underworld Phantom dead?"
Each one was incredibly shocked!
Xiao Houzi had actually killed the ferocious Underworld Phantom with a single arrow?
How could this be possible!
In the past, they had only managed to kill an Underworld Phantom by joint efforts of several strong hunters from the village, sacrificing an average of a dozen lives to possibly kill just one Underworld Phantom.
Yet Xiao Houzi had done it with a single arrow! And when no one else had noticed!
"Xiao Houzi, how are you able to react so quickly?" Jiang Chuan asked in shock.
"Don't ask for now, gather around quickly! These Meat-Winged Monsters are not alone."
Xiang Beifei didn't answer, but rapidly applied the "Revert to Simplicity" ability on Jiang Chuan and Jiang Shan, quickly restoring their wounds.
Jiang Shan and Jiang Chuan quickly propped themselves up from the ground. They intended to endure the pain caused by their injuries to stand, but they soon realized that their bodies felt light, the imagined pain absent, and instead felt as if nothing had happened.
"What's happening to my arm?" Jiang Chuan was utterly astonished.
"Chuan! Don't dawdle, move quickly!"
Jiang Shan also realized the sudden recovery from his injuries, but he remained more composed than Jiang Chuan. He swiftly picked up a spear from the ground, watching his surroundings with caution.
Yet his gaze unintentionally shifted towards Xiang Beifei, revealing a trace of suspicion, as if he had realized something.
All hunters immediately formed a circle, distancing themselves from the Meat-Winged Monster pinned to the tree. After being slain, the monster's body seemed to transform, quickly melting like mud, turning into a puddle of yellow spring water on the ground!
"It's dead! This Underworld Phantom is truly dead!"
Seeing the Meat-Winged Monster dissolve into yellow water, the hunters finally let out a breath, seemingly familiar with this occurrence.
This time it was Xiang Beifei who was surprised. He remembered that even in death, the Meat-Winged Monster wouldn't truly die, as it would be consumed by the yellow spring water and become an Underworld Creature, but he hadn't expected that this monster would dissolve directly into a puddle of yellow spring water.
However, Xiaohei had just been on the cliff, attentively listening to Kari and the Meat-Winged Monster's conversation and relayed the content to Xiang Beifei.
He knew these Meat-Winged Monsters came to hunt humans as their first offering—could it mean they hadn't acquired the underworld's power yet?