Chapter 84: The Goat-Headed Demon

Walking through the overgrown hallways, Feng Qi arrived at the second floor of the abandoned hospital.

After searching thoroughly, he still couldn't find Suction Cup. With no other choice, he continued up to the third floor.

However, due to the passage of time, the cracked walkway couldn't bear his weight. After only a few steps, the floor beneath him suddenly gave way. He tumbled down to the second floor and then crashed all the way to the first floor.

"Pfft!"

Amidst the swirling dust, he spat out a mouthful of dirt, frustration etched across his face as he stood up.

Typically, whenever he approached this area, Suction Cup would come find him on her own. This time, though, he had scoured every corner and still couldn't locate her. It was clear that she was no longer here.

Without Suction Cup as a shield, his safety was no longer guaranteed.

As for where she might have gone, Feng Qi had an idea. There was one other place she frequently visited.

[I think so too—Suction Cup probably went off to cry at your grave.]

Feng Qi: …

Leaving the abandoned hospital, he didn't immediately set off to find Suction Cup.

After estimating the time, he realized that Little Black was already closing in fast on his position. He needed to find an opponent to distract it; otherwise, he risked being caught before he could locate Suction Cup.

Scanning his surroundings, his gaze finally settled on a nearby high-rise building.

Once at the base of the building, he climbed up skillfully, reaching the rooftop in no time.

Peering westward, he began searching for Little Black's figure.

Just as he suspected, Little Black had already entered the abandoned city and was rapidly approaching his location.

This made him wonder—did he have some kind of tracking device on him? Otherwise, how did Little Black always manage to pinpoint his location so accurately?

With that thought in mind, he began inspecting himself.

After a quick check of his body, he didn't find anything unusual. Deciding to dig deeper, he reached into his chest cavity and felt around his withered, decaying organs.

First, he grabbed hold of his "liver."

To his surprise, it came loose with just a gentle tug.

[Should I laugh out loud or keep it classy? Eh, screw it—HAHAHAHA!]

Feng Qi: …

Resigned, he casually tossed the liver off the rooftop.

These withered, decaying organs were utterly useless in his current state. Determined to find out if he was being tracked, he proceeded to remove and discard his rotten stomach, spleen, gallbladder, and other organs, one by one.

The only organ he left untouched was his heart.

Even though it, too, was shriveled and deteriorating, he could still feel its faint, rhythmic beating. It was likely the organ keeping him in this "zombie" state, and he didn't dare tamper with it.

After glancing at the now-empty cavity in his chest, he shoved the three spiritual plants he had collected inside.

"Whoa, not bad—works perfectly as storage. The plants fit snugly and won't fall out. Only downside is it doesn't hold fruit well—stuff tends to roll out when I move too much."

[Idiot.]

Feng Qi: …

After securing the spiritual plants in place, he looked back toward the distant black dot rapidly closing in on him.

To buy more time, he began searching for a nearby creature strong enough to serve as Little Black's opponent.

Sweeping his gaze around, he didn't spot any glowing red eyes that indicated powerful domain creatures. Instead, he noticed a large, black, cow-like creature lumbering nearby.

"What about that one? How long can it hold up?"

[Trash. Won't last a second. Next.]

Hearing the narrator's dismissive response, Feng Qi shifted his attention to a writhing, grotesque tree not far from the building.

"What about this?"

[A few rounds at best. Still trash. Next!]

Just as Feng Qi had suspected, the narrator possessed some kind of sensory ability that allowed it to gauge the rough capabilities of domain creatures.

After considering several options, his gaze finally landed on an eerie-looking domain creature.

This creature had the skull of a goat for a head, with a blood-red rune crystal embedded in its forehead. It walked upright like a human, heading toward him from the south.

"What about that one? Can it take Little Black's punches?"

[This one's decent. Its racial traits aren't as flashy as the "Eye's" telekinesis, but its durability is much higher. Let's go with this one.]

"Got it!"

After confirming Little Black's location, Feng Qi swiftly climbed down the high-rise and concealed himself nearby.

From his hiding spot, he watched as the goat-headed domain creature entered his line of sight.

Its appearance was eerily reminiscent of the demons described in ancient religious texts. It had the skull of an antelope, the torso of a human, and deer-like hind legs ending in cloven hooves. A long scorpion-like tail arched over its back, with its venomous stinger tipped by a flickering green flame.

As it approached, Feng Qi leapt out of hiding, landing in front of it with a thud.

He boldly raised his middle finger at the goat-headed demon, then turned and sprinted in the direction of Little Black.

After running a short distance, he realized the demon wasn't following him. It simply stood in place, watching him from afar.

Feng Qi: …

After waiting a few seconds, he noticed the demon still showed no signs of pursuing him. Gathering his courage, he cautiously took a few steps closer.

"Narrator, why isn't this thing chasing me?"

[No clue. Maybe it's already full?]

Feng Qi: …

At this point, Little Black was drawing ever closer to Feng Qi's location. Summoning his courage, Feng Qi took a few more steps toward the goat-headed demon. Then, picking up a chunk of rubble from the ground, he hurled it at the demon's head.

The rock struck the goat-headed demon squarely on the skull, but to Feng Qi's disappointment, the creature remained motionless, completely ignoring his provocation.

The domain creatures he'd encountered in the past would instantly attack him without hesitation, requiring no taunts to provoke them. However, this goat-headed demon was an exception—it stood its ground even after being struck in the head.

Just as he was considering a new method of antagonizing it, the narrator's voice rang out in his mind:

[Little Black's here! Hurry up!]

Feng Qi's heart skipped a beat. Turning his head, he spotted Little Black cloaked in dark mist, rapidly closing in from the distance.

Gritting his teeth, Feng Qi bolted toward the goat-headed demon. As he drew closer, the demon also seemed to notice Little Black. Its scorpion-like tail immediately shot up, the venomous stinger at the tip igniting with green fire—a clear warning to its approaching foe.

Then, an eerie green flame ignited within the demon's skull, quickly spreading across its entire body. When even its hooves were aflame, it threw back its head and let out a raspy, bone-chilling roar.

Witnessing this, Feng Qi couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. It seemed the showdown he'd been waiting for was about to begin. Just as he had hoped, domain creatures acted like berserk honey badgers when faced with Little Black. A brutal fight to the death seemed inevitable.

"Goat-head, it's all on you… It's on—WHAT?!"

His words were abruptly cut off as the goat-headed demon suddenly turned tail and bolted. Its speed far exceeded Feng Qi's, leaving behind a trail of flaming hoofprints as it fled.

[Well, I'm as shocked as you are!]

Gritting his teeth as he ran, Feng Qi muttered angrily, "What kind of unreliable choice was that?"

[Hey, I just analyzed its abilities! How was I supposed to know it'd be such a coward? Though from the looks of it, this might be an intelligent domain creature.]

With Little Black rapidly closing in, Feng Qi knew his own running speed was no match. Desperate, an idea struck him—he remembered a monstrous tree located ahead.

Though the tree wasn't particularly strong, it could hold out against Little Black for a short while. That brief respite might be all Feng Qi needed to escape.

Pushing his body to its limits, he sprinted with everything he had toward the location of the monstrous tree.

When Little Black was less than ten meters away, he finally reached the tree's territory.

Sensing an intruder, the tree twisted its grotesque trunk and lashed out with its branches, which surged toward Feng Qi like writhing snakes.

The branches quickly wrapped around his body, but to his surprise, the tree released him almost immediately. It then redirected all of its branches toward Little Black.

Seeing this, Feng Qi let out a sigh of relief.

While the tree and Little Black clashed, Feng Qi seized the opportunity to dart away in the opposite direction.

When he glanced back, he saw a truly terrifying sight.

Little Black, now ensnared by the tree's branches, abruptly transformed into a cloud of black mist. The mist rapidly spread out, devouring the branches at an alarming speed and surging toward the tree's core. Within moments, the mist reached the base of the tree.

The mist then expanded again, enveloping the entire tree. Under its assault, the monstrous tree melted away like ice cream under the scorching sun.

Witnessing this, Feng Qi shuddered and quickened his pace.

Ahead, the goat-headed demon had already disappeared without a trace. For a creature with such a formidable appearance, its cowardice was almost laughable. Deep down, Feng Qi couldn't help but despise it.

[My bad. I didn't expect that thing to be even more cowardly than you.]

"Cowardly? Me? If my life weren't so valuable, I'd turn around and fight Little Black right now," Feng Qi retorted defensively.

[Fight? You wouldn't last half a round. Have some self-awareness, will you?]

Feng Qi: …

The monstrous tree wouldn't hold out for long. Knowing this, Feng Qi didn't slow down for even a moment. As he ran, his eyes darted around, desperately hoping to spot another domain creature brave enough to stand up to Little Black.

Continuing his mad dash, Feng Qi noticed a peculiar building ahead.

The structure seemed to blend remnants of modern architecture with something more organic. Its surface was overgrown with writhing, blood-red moss that filled in the cracks of the ruins, holding the structure together and preventing it from collapsing.

From a distance, Feng Qi spotted the goat-headed demon climbing the building. It disappeared into a pulsating, fleshy opening at the structure's center.

"That's it!"

Realizing this was likely the demon's lair, Feng Qi made a split-second decision. Following the demon inside seemed like his only chance at survival; running aimlessly outside would certainly lead to death.

As he approached the bizarre building, Little Black's dark silhouette reappeared behind him.

Reaching the base of the structure, Feng Qi leapt up and grabbed onto the pulsating moss. He began climbing desperately, even as the moss's tiny tendrils squirmed and tugged at his body, making his ascent increasingly difficult.

After a grueling effort, he finally reached the throbbing entrance. By now, Little Black was less than thirty meters away.

Without hesitation, Feng Qi dove headfirst into the blood-red tunnel, venturing deeper inside.

The tunnel walls pulsated rhythmically, as if he were moving through the innards of some living creature. The air was thick with an unsettling warmth.

Running through the tunnel, he reached a junction and turned right. What he saw next stopped him in his tracks.

In a cavernous chamber roughly the size of a basketball court, a group of goat-headed demons knelt in worship. They were bowing before a grotesque statue made of flesh and blood.

As Little Black entered the chamber, a wave of cold dread swept through Feng Qi. With no other options, he charged straight into the midst of the goat-headed demons.

The demons, noticing Little Black's arrival, became visibly agitated. Green flames ignited across their bodies as they prepared for battle.

To Feng Qi's surprise, the demons didn't attack him. Instead, they turned their fury toward Little Black.

A chaotic battle broke out. Feng Qi, tucked away in a corner, had no choice but to spectate, biding his time and planning his next move.

Amidst the chaos, his eyes were drawn to the grotesque statue at the chamber's center.

The statue, constructed from an unknown material, alternated between a metallic sheen and a fleshy pulsation. It almost seemed alive.

He noticed something even more unusual: a crimson rune crystal embedded in the statue's forehead, glowing with an ominous light.

[That's a jackpot! There's life inside that statue—take it down!]

The narrator's urgent voice rang out in his mind, snapping him back to reality.