Blue Magic Flame

The low growls of the demonic beasts echoed from the distant jungle.

"Thud! Thud!"

The heavy sound of footsteps broke the silence of the night, indicating that someone, likely a human, was running.

Whether it was a warrior hunting demonic beasts or beasts hunting humans, Shi Yan couldn't tell. He decided not to interfere and said to Di Yalan, "Hide yourself well, and don't meddle in this. Remember the lesson from the Broken Tooth Mercenary Group."

Di Yalan nodded and whispered to Mu Yu Die, who was hiding in a tree hollow, "Don't make a sound, just stay inside."

"Let's move to a tree with denser foliage," Shi Yan suggested after a brief pause, quickly finding a large, leafy tree to crouch under.

As soon as he crouched down, Di Yalan followed and hid beside him among the leaves.

The two of them peered through the gaps in the leaves, holding their breath and concealing their presence, fearing they might be discovered.

Before long, five panicked mercenaries, looking disheveled and wounded, appeared from a distance.

The leader, with a cultivation level in the Human Realm, led the group, while the other four were in the Nascent Realm.

Fleeing in panic, the five mercenaries glanced back frequently, as if something terrifying was chasing them.

Indeed, something was.

Just as the five came into Shi Yan's view, he noticed a "Firecloud Serpent" and two "Frost Lizards" swiftly moving through the forest, followed by several "Silver-armored Scorpions" the size of basins. These creatures seemed intent on encircling the mercenaries.

The five mercenaries, desperate and frantic, continued to run forward into the forest.

Shi Yan's expression changed as he thought to himself, "They're doomed."

What the mercenaries couldn't see, but Shi Yan could clearly, was a massive silver wolf, four meters long, waiting in ambush ahead.

This silver wolf had two wings, each five to six meters long, covered in mysterious patterns that made it appear both majestic and eerie.

Though it was his first time seeing this silver wolf, Shi Yan had heard of it before. It was the "Thunderwing Silver Wolf," a seventh-level demonic beast and the apex predator of the Dark Forest's food chain!

At the sight of the "Thunderwing Silver Wolf," Shi Yan immediately realized that this wasn't a case of mercenaries hunting demonic beasts, but rather... beasts hunting humans!

The bloody hunt began in an instant!

As the five mercenaries rushed into the forest and saw the "Thunderwing Silver Wolf" waiting there, they immediately let out despairing screams.

The "Thunderwing Silver Wolf" gave them no chance. With a flap of its wings, thunderous explosions echoed around them, and three of the mercenaries were instantly blasted into bloody pieces!

The "Thunderwing Silver Wolf" stood there proudly, unmoving, without striking again.

But the other demonic beasts that had been chasing them swarmed forward, quickly entangling the remaining two mercenaries.

Under the combined assault of the "Firecloud Serpent" and the "Frost Lizards," one was poisoned to death by the "Silver-armored Scorpion," while the other was bitten to death by a "Frost Lizard."

"Crunch! Crunch!"

In the eerie silence of the forest, the sound of bones being crushed could be heard.

Except for the "Thunderwing Silver Wolf," the other beasts surrounded the corpses of the five mercenaries, gnawing at their bones.

Di Yalan was horrified, unable to bear watching.

She wasn't afraid of killing, but the brutal scene of demonic beasts devouring humans made her feel nauseous.

Shi Yan, however, remained calm, observing the beasts through the leaves and silently calculating.

The five mercenaries' death meant that the essence within their bodies would gradually dissipate and eventually scatter into the air.

If he could reach that area before the essence completely disappeared, he might gain some benefits!

But with so many demonic beasts feasting on the corpses, he didn't dare act rashly, hoping the beasts would leave soon.

In the distance, a piercing human scream echoed, filled with despair.

The "Thunderwing Silver Wolf," standing motionless until now, suddenly let out a low growl and dashed away.

The demonic beasts that had nearly finished devouring the mercenaries' corpses stopped at once and hurriedly followed the wolf, as if searching for new human prey.

As soon as the beasts scattered, Shi Yan leaped down from the tree and swiftly moved towards the bloody corpses like a phantom.

Di Yalan, startled, whispered anxiously from the tree, "What are you doing?"

"I'll be back soon. Stay where you are," Shi Yan replied without turning back, racing to the corpses and standing amidst the scattered limbs, closing his eyes to sense the energy.

Fortunately, although he arrived late, some essence remained. The essence from a warrior in the Human Realm was indeed more potent; about twenty percent of it hadn't dissipated yet.

Invisible to the naked eye, the remaining essence was drawn to him like a magnet, seeping into his pores and flowing into the meridians of his body...

As he felt the power contained within the essence, a satisfied smile appeared on Shi Yan's lips.

Before long, all the remaining essence had been absorbed into his body.

Glancing at the dismembered limbs and organs, Shi Yan frowned, enduring the stench of blood as he rummaged through the blood-soaked backpacks on the five corpses.

The food was too stained with blood, possibly even poisoned by the "Silver-armored Scorpions," making it inedible. Crystal coins were of little use here, and carrying too many would only slow him down, so the mercenaries hadn't packed many.

After searching for a while, he only found some materials from the beasts and some medicinal powders for healing.

"Poor bastards," Shi Yan muttered, wiping his bloodstained hands on one of the backpacks before moving stealthily in the shadows of the trees, heading back to the ancient tree where Di Yalan was hiding.

"Howl! Howl!"

The dark forest echoed with the roars of demonic beasts. As dawn approached, the beasts seemed to be hunting organized groups of human warriors and mercenaries.

Listening to the terrifying roars, Shi Yan felt a sense of relief.

The beasts' actions would likely hinder those pursuing them. Anyone daring to move at night would surely attract the attention of the demonic beasts. The larger the group, the more obvious the target. It was likely that the Dark Alliance and the Mo family, along with the others, would suffer heavy losses tonight, becoming the primary targets of the beasts.

He was right...

That night, Mo Chaoge and his group indeed received special attention from the demonic beasts.

In their haste to pursue Shi Yan and Mu Yu Die, they continued searching through the Dark Forest after Hu Long's suicide, not resting for the night. This attracted the attention of the beasts, and only after losing five members did they finally realize the danger and take refuge in an ancient tree.

"What were you doing?" Di Yalan frowned, "Was it worth the risk to scavenge from their bodies? If any beasts had returned or you were discovered by others, you wouldn't have escaped!"

"But I'm fine, aren't I?"

Shi Yan climbed up the ancient tree, not explaining what he had truly gained, and said with a serious expression, "Something strange is going on tonight. For some reason, the demonic beasts have gone mad, hunting mercenaries and warriors all over the forest. Someone must have done something to enrage the higher-level beasts; otherwise, this wouldn't be happening."

"What should we do then?" Di Yalan asked helplessly, "Should we keep moving?"

"Let's wait. The beasts have been active all night, so they shouldn't appear during the day. We'll set out at noon."

"That sounds good."