Chapter 420

Blood gushed down like a waterfall.

Just moments ago, the giant 【Bi Gua Gui】's humanoid body had only a blood hole the size of a copper coin's eye.

After that single "gua" cry, it suddenly expanded.

As if the frog-like core of its upper body had been startled, it went mad, rushing desperately toward Fang Yue below.

Lord Han was momentarily baffled.

Wasn't this giant 【Bi Gua Gui】 drawn here by the scent of 【Bi Gua Gui】 blood? Why did it charge at Xiao Ye, completely ignoring all of us, as if it had lost its mind, frantically destroying its own body just to kill Xiao Ye faster?

Lord Han felt lost; the only explanation he could think of was that this giant 【Bi Gua Gui】 could sense who among them was the strongest, who posed the greatest threat, and recognized that this moment was the perfect time to kill Fang Yue.

Only if all these conditions were met could the giant 【Bi Gua Gui】 act so insanely.

But… could a giant 【Bi Gua Gui】 possess such intelligence?

Strange intelligence is usually low; only when a 【Gui Zhi】 entity is born does intellect become notably pronounced.

"Ye Ge!!"

While Lord Han was lost in thought, Jing Yan gritted his teeth, sprinting through the Blood Rain toward Fang Yue.

Yet the giant 【Bi Gua Gui】 above moved even faster.

In just a few seconds, it tore open the entire abdomen of its humanoid form, and its bloated frog shape plummeted straight down like a meteor toward the ground where Fang Yue stood.

Mid-air, it opened its massive jaws; under its enormous size, its saliva rained down like a deluge, splashing onto Fang Yue's shoulders and spraying a huge splash of droplets.

"Night Captain?!"

"Ye Ge!"

"Xiao Ye!!"

No further attack came; Lin Ling and the others who had just returned all cried out upon seeing this.

Jing Yan ran with all his strength, but it was already too late.

All of them could only watch helplessly as Fang Yue was drenched in saliva, about to be swallowed whole by the giant 【Bi Gua Gui】 like a mountain crashing down.

From its stance, from its jaws—it looked ready to swallow Fang Yue, along with the surrounding trouble and the village path, all in one bite!

"No!!"

Tian Dan Zhi Yuan Wu screamed, covering her eyes in terror.

Concern clouded judgment; everyone lost their composure in this moment.

Only Lord Han saw through it all.

He noticed that when Fang Yue was struck by the saliva, his brow furrowed sharply—that was the sign of sensing external stimuli, breaking out of cultivation state!

"Xiao Ye! Wake up!!"

"Gua!!"

Lord Han's voice and the "gua" cry sounded almost simultaneously.

And one second later.

Boom!!

The giant 【Bi Gua Gui】 crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Within the dust, Fang Yue and the village path beneath him had been swallowed whole, leaving a massive crater.

The bloated giant 【Bi Gua Gui】 lay contentedly in the crater, its body pulsing in and out.

"Xiao Ye…" Lin Ling collapsed to his knees, face blank with shock.

"Night Captain… was eaten…" The team members stared, minds utterly empty.

Complex emotions—pain, regret, anguish—began to surge.

Suddenly, a clear voice roared from inside the giant 【Bi Gua Gui】's belly.

"Flame… Heart Method!!"

Time seemed to slow at that moment.

The giant 【Bi Gua Gui】's copper eyes instantly shifted from satisfaction and excitement to terror and dread.

Simultaneously, its round body turned red-hot, as if molten magma burned within, ready to burst through its belly!

Just as it tried to vomit out what was inside…

Boom!!!

Violent flames erupted from its belly, shooting skyward!

Intense firelight pierced the silence of night, illuminating everything around.

Within the flames' purification, the disemboweled giant 【Bi Gua Gui】 shrieked "gua gua gua," collapsed sideways within seconds, its entire body charred black from within, utterly still.

The other half of the giant 【Bi Gua Gui】's body, which had stood above the crater, also tilted and fell, crashing to the side and stirring up dust.

Amid the chaos, only one figure slowly stepped out from the giant 【Bi Gua Gui】's corpse.

He sniffed the lingering stench on his sleeve, frowned, then picked up the black stone that had formed on the ground.

System Prompt: Congratulations, player 【Yese Liming】, you have slain the strange 【Ju Gua Gui】. Reward: Control +1, Dispel +1, Lifespan +10 days.

System Prompt: Congratulations, you have obtained 5 Black Stones.

Fang Yue, a Postnatal First-rate Realm cultivator, dealt a dimensional strike against a Black Grade Mid-stage Strange of Postnatal Second-rate Realm; the attribute points he gained were pitifully few, though the lifespan bonus was decent.

Fang Yue looked around, bewildered and annoyed.

He'd just spent half the night cultivating the Flame Heart Method, got woken up by stinking saliva, and now he was swallowed whole the moment he opened his eyes—what the hell?

What had happened to the team?

While Fang Yue was stunned, the others finally snapped out of it, shouting excitedly and rushing toward him.

Tian Dan Zhi Yuan Wu was the first to arrive, hopping around him proudly, telling him how she'd slain the Strange alone, eagerly awaiting his praise.

"Wasn't it just another one of those barely-alive Stranges you killed alone before?"

"Ye Ge, you don't trust me!" Tian Dan Zhi Yuan Wu pouted.

Fang Yue's face darkened. You've got a history of black deeds yourself—how dare you say that?

Only after Jing Yan arrived with Lord Han's head and explained the general course of events did Fang Yue confirm that Tian Dan Zhi Yuan Wu had truly grown.

This surprised Fang Yue.

"Impressive, Wu Wu—you've been appointed Deputy Captain!"

"Yay!!"

Tian Dan Zhi Yuan Wu, who had been sulking moments ago, immediately cheered.

By the time Fang Yue had spoken with the others and learned the full picture, Lin Ling had just dragged his Heavy Injury body over.

Fang Yue blinked, then hurried over to support him.

But Lin Ling seemed unsure how to face Fang Yue, turning his face away.

You're both big men—what's there to be shy about?

Fang Yue supported him as they walked, glancing at him curiously.

At that moment, Lin Ling suddenly spoke in a very low voice: "I… failed as a guardian."

So that's what he was worrying about. Fang Yue shrugged. "It's not your fault—the anomaly's strength simply exceeded your capacity."

When Fang Yue returned with Lin Ling, the team had already begun dragging the carriage out of the 【Ju Gua Gui】's disemboweled corpse.

The horses had been burned by Fang Yue, and most of the supplies inside had been destroyed by his firepower.

(End of Chapter)