"Xiao Man, do you think you can escape scot-free after killing us?" The man was agitated. This was a separate, small world, and no matter how powerful he was, he couldn't use his abilities here.
What was even more infuriating was how quickly Xiao Man had adapted to the environment and learned to use battle qi. His spiritual power was unusable, forcing him to rely on magical artifacts, but their power was ultimately limited!
"All I know is, if one comes, I kill one. If two come, I kill a pair!" Xiao Man's lips curved into a cold smile. "Even if your master himself came, I wouldn't be afraid. Outside, he can be a king, a tyrant. Here, he is nothing!"
"Arrogant!" The man grabbed Xiao Man's shoulder. "Even if I die, I'll take you with me!"
"He's going to self-destruct!" Jun Ru immediately warned Xiao Man. "Dodge quickly!"
Unexpectedly, Xiao Man didn't dodge. Instead, he moved forward, a ghostly smile on his face. Before the man's thoughts could fully form, he felt a searing pain in his dantian. The energy he had accumulated vanished.
"No one can self-destruct in front of me!" Xiao Man held a small figure in his hand – the man's Nascent Soul. "A mere Nascent Soul dares to be arrogant in front of me? Your master clearly doesn't take me seriously?"
"You... you... I'm just a scout. The main army will be here soon. Not only will you die, but everyone in this small world will die!"
With that, the man turned to dust and vanished. The Nascent Soul in Xiao Man's hand struggled ceaselessly, trying to escape, but no matter how hard it struggled, it couldn't break free from Xiao Man's grip.
"You've been watching for so long, aren't you coming out yet?" Xiao Man asked softly.
Jun Ru was startled. There was someone else here, and he hadn't noticed. Who could it be?
A figure appeared in the air, clad in black, with black hair and black eyes. Two horns sprouted from its head, and it hovered in the air, looking at Xiao Man with amusement. "Can I eat the thing in your hand?"
"You can." Xiao Man tossed the Nascent Soul to the newcomer. The figure caught the escaping Nascent Soul, bit down with a crunch, and swallowed it.
"Not tasty."
"It's a vanguard of the divine race, it should taste decent."
"Far from your roasted Golden Crow." The newcomer was none other than Taotie. Taotie slowly landed on the ground, his gaze sweeping over Jun Ru. "Are we eating Dragonfish this time?"
Jun Ru pursed his lips and remained silent. This Taotie feared nothing and would eat anything. Xiao Man was currently just a mortal with shallow cultivation. If Taotie decided to eat her, she would have to expend considerable effort to escape.
"This is my friend. You can't eat her."
Taotie scoffed. "You have friends everywhere. Those who came to Break Evil Mountain to find you all claimed to be your friends. Even these two claimed to be your friends."
"I don't have many friends," Xiao Man said slowly. "Why are you here?"
"After letting you go, insects kept pestering my territory, and I was utterly annoyed. So I followed these two insects here." Taotie extended his scarlet tongue and licked his lips. "Mainly, I'm hungry."
Xiao Man took two steps back, increasing the distance between herself and Taotie. "You're not going to chase after me to eat me, are you?"
Taotie scrutinized Xiao Man from head to toe with disdain. "With your scrawny physique, you'd be all bones to chew."
Xiao Man breathed a sigh of relief. "Then what are you doing here? This small world must also be quite restrictive for you."
"Didn't I say? I'm hungry!" Taotie said gloomily. "I'm so hungry I'm panicky, and I want to swallow everything. You'd best feed me quickly, or I don't know what I might do when I'm at my limit."
Xiao Man finally understood. Taotie was coveting her cooking skills. After tasting her roasted meat, he had fallen in love with her culinary talent and had followed her here from Break Evil Mountain.
"Alright, follow me." Xiao Man led Taotie and Jun Ru into the forest. They hunted three wild boars and set up a bonfire on the spot.
"Three of them, can he finish them?" Jun Ru asked with some confusion.
"Do you think one would be enough to get stuck in his teeth?" Xiao Man roasted three wild boars alone without any sign of panic. Taotie sat beside her, his eyes shining brightly. For a moment, Xiao Man thought she saw drool, but upon closer inspection, Taotie had already withdrawn his gaze, making her wonder if she had imagined it.
"He can eat three of them?"
"When I left Break Evil Mountain, he was fatter than he is now. He's lost quite a bit of weight, which means he hasn't eaten much since I left. He's indeed very hungry. Taotie gains strength from food. Once he's starving, he'll lose his reason, and then not only will we be in danger, but the villagers here will also be in danger."
"Who's there?" Taotie flicked a gust of wind. A moment later, a scream was heard from behind a nearby tree. Xiao Man walked over and saw Elder Lu collapsed on the ground, a bloody hole in his shoulder. If not for his agility in avoiding a fatal blow, he would have been dead.
"Elder Lu, what are you doing here?"
Elder Lu glanced fearfully at the two men behind Xiao Man. He had never seen either of them before. Both exuded a terrifying aura, especially the man in black with black hair. He didn't seem human, more like a beast that had taken human form. He suddenly regretted cooperating with Black Panther Village!
Elder Lu was only stunned for a moment before he knelt down and kowtowed to Xiao Man repeatedly. "Please, save the villagers of Elk Village! Black Panther Village forced us to lure and ambush people from White Wolf Village or Sun Village, sowing discord between the two villages. If we refuse, they will annihilate our Elk Village."
Xiao Man glanced at Elder Lu and then ignored him, turning back to roast the meat. The urgent task was to pacify Taotie, who was on the verge of madness from hunger, otherwise, they would all become Taotie's food.
Seeing that Xiao Man was ignoring him, Elder Lu became anxious. He wanted to follow her but was intimidated by the aura emanating from Taotie and Jun Ru. After a long hesitation, he stumbled after them.
"Black Panther Village has set up a trap at the foot of the mountain, planning to kill you."
"Mhm, I know," Xiao Man replied nonchalantly.
"Aren't you afraid?"
"A mere Black Panther Village, what is there to fear?" Xiao Man gestured towards Taotie. "If you anger him, ten Black Panther Villages won't be enough for him to eat."
Elder Lu looked at Taotie fearfully. He couldn't tell what kind of fierce beast Taotie was, but a beast that could take human form was at least Saint Beast level, perhaps even a King Beast!
"Miss Xiao, please save the people of Elk Village. The fault is mine, they are innocent. To survive, I attached myself to Flaming Tiger Village and harmed White Wolf Village, Golden Eagle Village, and Long Ape Village. I am willing to atone with my death, and only beg you to protect the people of Elk Village."