Chapter 123: The Little Demon

Before Wu Yang and Cui Dandan had even reached the west gate of Dream-Floating City, they heard the panicked screams of commoners fleeing from within: "There's a monster eating people!"

Wu Yang and Cui Dandan stepped to the side of the road to avoid blocking the path of the fleeing crowd.

"Escaping west leads to Changmo City, but the outcome will be the same. Only by heading north to Lifu City is there a chance to avoid this demonic upheaval. The Fufeng Temple does not receive its incense offerings from Changmo City, but from Lifu City," Cui Dandan said calmly, supporting the unconscious Xie Xiushi while watching the panicked people rush past.

Noticing Wu Yang attempting to stop some of the villagers, she added, "Lifu City is too far from here—at least a hundred miles—they will certainly have to spend the night in the wilderness."

Wu Yang, who had just grabbed the wrist of a civilian, let go upon hearing this. Having traveled back to Nanxi County from Guangwan County, he knew all too well that the wilderness at night was far more dangerous.

"It is rarely because the people are foolish; it is because they truly have no other choice," Cui Dandan said, casting a calm glance at the west gate.

The ground shook.

A terrifying, grotesque monster, roughly six feet tall and blue-violet in color, appeared at the west gate. It possessed one tail, two heads, four arms, and six legs. Its larger head had only one eye, while the smaller head had three. Its four arms clutched bloody severed limbs and mangled corpses, its six legs resembled those of a spider, and its tail, which whipped about with a whistling sound, looked like that of a leopard.

"Its prototype is a Four-Eyed Leopard-Spider Demon. Every night, it secretly preys on those who lose their way in the night market," Cui Dandan said, watching the monster at the gate.

Wu Yang lowered the unconscious Su Yuanbai to the ground and walked slowly to the center of the road.

"In my experience, its strength is not significant; otherwise, it wouldn't have to resort to sneaking up on those lost in the night," Cui Dandan said, tossing a fragment of the White Ape Mother-Son Staff she had picked up earlier to Wu Yang.

Wu Yang caught the short staff, flicked it lightly, and looked sharply at the Leopard-Spider, which was staring at him with its two heads and four eyes. "Are Four-Eyed Leopard-Spider Demons born looking like this?"

"No. It must have consumed too many people in a short time. Without having studied demonic arts to refine its nature, it suffered a mutation," Cui Dandan replied calmly.

Wu Yang let out a soft breath as he watched the creature pacing. "Does failing to study demonic arts always lead to this?"

"Not necessarily. If it possessed a potent bloodline, it would suffice to use its internal essence to purge the impurities of human flesh, preventing mutation. But this Four-Eyed Leopard-Spider clearly lacks a strong lineage; it swallowed human blood and essence whole, absorbing all the filth within the human bodies along with it." Cui Dandan glanced sideways at the monster, which was instinctively looking for a way to escape. "Do not channel your internal energy yet. Give it a false opening. This kind of monster looks terrifying, but its intelligence is low."

Wu Yang, who had been about to circulate the *White Ape Heart Sutra*, followed her advice and suppressed his energy, instead brandishing the staff at the beast.

Seeing a human rush toward it, the Four-Eyed Leopard-Spider instinctively opened its two mouths and retreated on its six legs, spitting out a sticky web of white silk. It was the first time it had encountered a human who dared to fight back.

Although it had eaten many people along the way—their surging blood and vitality causing various changes to its body—it was still timid. It instinctively knew that it was not truly powerful. While the abundant essence of the human before it made it greedy, it also realized that such humans were often formidable.

The sticky web was not fast, and since there was some distance between them, Wu Yang easily dodged it.

Seeing the human evade the web, the Leopard-Spider hurriedly threw the mangled corpses and bloody limbs from its four arms at him.

Wu Yang dodged the debris with a few sidesteps, closing the distance to the effective range of his short staff.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

Successive strikes landed on the creature's abdomen. The Leopard-Spider did not react much, but Wu Yang’s arm was jolted numb.

This discovery caused the creature to stop its retreat. A greedy glint appeared in its four eyes, and its leopard-like tail lashed out toward Wu Yang.

Wu Yang raised his staff to block, but the force of the blow sent him flying into a nearby tea stall.

*Crash!*

The copper kettle and water stove of the deserted stall were sent flying as Wu Yang smashed through a row of tables and chairs before finally coming to a halt.

Wu Yang tightened his grip on the staff. The impact was akin to being struck by a hundred-pound boulder falling from the sky. Lacking the protection of his *Heart Sutra*, he could not help but groan, despite his physically robust frame.

Seeing blood at the corner of Wu Yang's mouth, the Leopard-Spider perceived him as a delicious pastry, realizing it was fully capable of devouring him. Once it did, it would become even stronger!

Its six long legs moved in a blur, its four arms waved erratically, and its two mouths hung open, dripping with foul-smelling drool. Sticky webs were fired at Wu Yang with no pattern.

"Truly, not a shred of intelligence," Wu Yang remarked, shaking his head at the creature, which was wide open and riddled with openings.

Just as the sticky webs engulfed Wu Yang and the creature closed in to feed, it suddenly sensed danger. But it was too late.

A phantom image of a white ape suddenly appeared behind Wu Yang, slightly different from the one he had manifested before.

The Leopard-Spider’s mouths were suddenly filled with the copper staff, followed by agonizing pain as the short rod pierced through both of its heads, pinning its cheeks together.

It thrashed its four arms against the empty air, trying to grab the human, but no matter how it looked with its four eyes, it could not find Wu Yang.

"If only all monsters were as stupid as you."

Wu Yang’s voice came from above the creature. Before it could react, its two heads exploded, splattering foul blood and brains across the ground. Its grotesque, blue-violet body collapsed heavily to the earth.

Wu Yang picked up the staff, flicked the remaining fluid off it, and looked back at Cui Dandan. "I assume it doesn't have a demonic core?"

"Its stomach is filled with nothing but undigested limbs; there will be no core."

Cui Dandan watched the creature, which had died so easily, with indifference. She was not surprised by Wu Yang’s swift victory.

Monsters without bloodlines or backgrounds, even if they managed to consume many people, would never undergo any fundamental change. Relying on mutation? Not every mutated monster was lucky enough to survive for two thousand years like that mutated centipede spirit.

Moreover, the reason that centipede spirit survived two millennia, formed a core, and took on a human form to receive soul-incense was because it had become a pawn in the hands of others.