劍問蒼天 - 第141章 迷惘 - 清風書屋

And in the formless darkness around them, something suddenly seemed to roar in silence—as if some monstrous beast had let out a howl—and in an instant the darkness surged upward, threatening to swallow him whole.

The Wild Wolf Daoist dared linger no longer. Almost by instinct he released the beast-fang treasure, spun about, and flung himself backward. In the very instant he flew off, a keen, biting wind came crashing down from above and blasted a great crater where he had stood, sending up a thunderous boom that seemed to shake the whole hillside.

In the distance, Zhou Yixuan and little Wan were startled awake by the commotion at the same moment. They turned to look, and saw only the Wild Wolf Daoist's body hurtling back through the air to land near the campfire. Even after touching ground he could not stand steady, staggering and stumbling several steps backward.

Terror was written across his face, and his voice came out hoarse: "A monster—a monster..."

Zhou Yixuan and little Wan both looked back, and a moment later their faces too changed color.

In that patch of darkness, right where Mingli lay, a colossal figure slowly took shape. Two feet planted on the ground, arms hanging past the knees—at a glance it stood at least forty or fifty feet tall, towering far above everyone present. The crowd watched it slowly lift its head, until they could only gaze up at it.

At its very top, the three burning flames were the monster's eyes. Huge, razor-sharp fangs showed in its mouth, and its muscle-knotted body seemed to radiate murderous intent from every inch.

Zhou Yixuan drew a sharp breath and murmured, "A Three-Eyed Spirit... no—a Three-Eyed Fierce Ape."

Little Wan started. "Grandfather, what are you saying? Could it be Little Gray?"

Zhou Yixuan gave a snort, seized little Wan's arm, and pulled her back, while angrily demanding of the Wild Wolf Daoist, "What did you do to provoke this monster?"

The Wild Wolf Daoist said nothing.

Seeing him like this only stoked Zhou Yixuan's fury, and he was about to unleash a torrent of curses when a furious roar came from ahead. The Three-Eyed Fierce Ape's eyes gleamed blood-red, and its enormous body suddenly launched into the air; in an instant a great wind arose, and a vast shadow swept over them.

Zhou Yixuan and the other two went pale as death and scattered in flight. By now Little Gray, transformed into a giant ape, seemed truly enraged by the Wild Wolf Daoist's attempt on his master's life. A fierce light blazed in its eyes, and it struck without the slightest mercy.

They had barely dodged when Little Gray's giant hand came smashing down—with a bang, another great crater opened in the solid ground, and even the campfire nearby was blasted apart by the tremendous force, embers and ash swirling through the air and lighting Little Gray's huge frame like a demon out of legend.

"Wooaah!..."

The enraged beast roared, swung its right arm, and a gray streak flashed out, hurtling toward the Wild Wolf Daoist swift as wind and lightning. In an instant it was before the Wild Wolf Daoist's eyes.

The Wild Wolf Daoist felt a fierce wind strike his face; before it even reached him, the force of its passage seemed about to tear his skin open. In utter horror he lunged desperately to the side—but the instant his body moved, he felt a searing pain in his back as the gray streak grazed past him. His whole body convulsed; a tremendous force came surging from behind like mountains and seas, and with a rush of sweetness in his throat he spat out a mouthful of blood.

From the corner of his eye he caught sight of that gray streak—and it was his own beast-fang treasure.

Before he could even laugh bitterly, the giant ape's vast bulk loomed above him and came crashing down. The Wild Wolf Daoist tried to dodge, but his limbs had gone weak and he could not move at all. He could only give a long sigh, close his eyes, and wait for death.