As its counterbalance, the Golden Crow Demon-Slaying Formation was equally formidable. While the Taiyin Formation could reshape the world, the Golden Crow Formation could exterminate ghosts, gods, and all living beings—whether flowers, birds, beasts, or humans.
Wang Cang Hai thought, The Zhang family plans to use such a terrifying array against the Ren Mian Niao?
Then just how terrifying is the Ren Mian Niao itself?
But at that moment, Qilin sighed. “The chain formation was set up too hastily. They won’t be fast enough to activate it. It won’t be able to stop the Ren Mian Niao.”
A piercing screech suddenly exploded through the cave, so sharp and powerful that Wang Cang Hai’s eardrums felt like they were about to burst.
The sound was so overwhelming, so abrupt—it was as if the creature had moved from the depths of the cave to right in front of him in an instant.
From their hiding place within the small cave, they could only catch a glimpse of the Ren Mian Niao’s wing—but even just half of it was wider than a bridge spanning a great river.
The creature did not flap its wings, yet it glided effortlessly, swift and steady. Each of its feathers was pitch-black, yet together they shimmered with an eerie crimson glow, as if engulfed in flames.
“Zhang Hai Wang, run!” Qilin shouted.
Wang Cang Hai turned his head and saw Qilin trembling violently, his entire body shaking like a leaf in the wind. Cold sweat trickled from his hairline.
Wang Cang Hai reached out with his right hand and grasped Qilin’s left.
The trembling lessened. Qilin tightened his grip on the wooden hairpin Dun Di in his right hand, slowly raising it, hesitating as he tried to aim at something. But his hands were still unsteady, his strength and precision faltering.
Suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream rang out.
Wang Cang Hai hurriedly clutched the edge of the cave opening and peered outside.
The Ren Mian Niao’s long, elegant neck tilted slightly, revealing half of its face. But rather than calling it a “human-faced bird,” it would be more fitting to describe it as a “fox-faced phoenix.”
Its slanted fox-like eyes and high, sculpted nose bridge bore an uncanny resemblance to an enchanting woman, yet its mouth was distinctly sharp and beastly.
At that moment, the Ren Mian Niao had bitten down on Zhang Hai Wang’s back, lifting his entire body into the air. Blood poured from the wound, and the droplets that fell to the ground were instantly devoured by the swarming flying rats below.
Zhang Hai Wang was still alive. He screamed and struggled, but the Ren Mian Niao showed no intention of consuming him immediately. Instead, it carried him into the air, circling near the thick iron chains suspended in the cavern. With a calculated toss, it flung Zhang Hai Wang’s body forward.
There was a muffled groan—then silence.
Wang Cang Hai finally saw it clearly.
The chains in the air were covered in sharp hooks—an intentional design by the Zhang family, crafted specifically to deal with the Ren Mian Niao. These chains not only formed the foundation of the demon-slaying array but were also meant to stab and wound the creature mid-flight.
But the Ren Mian Niao was terrifyingly intelligent.
It had recognized the danger of the hooks and deliberately impaled Zhang Hai Wang’s body onto them instead. The cruel sight was unbearable—his chest pierced straight through, his lifeless form dangling grotesquely from the chain.
Qilin, just like Wang Cang Hai, had witnessed the entire horrific scene with his own eyes.
His fury toward the Ren Mian Niao suddenly burned hotter than his fear.
“The Golden Crow Demon-Slaying Formation needs someone to stand at its core to strike the target, guiding the array’s energy toward a precise kill. Otherwise, if activated blindly, it won’t just kill the Ren Mian Niao—it will wipe out every living creature within a hundred-mile radius.”
Qilin’s gaze was sharp and resolute.
“Right now, out of everyone here, I’m the only one fast enough and strong enough to land a direct hit on the Ren Mian Niao.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he prepared to leap from the cave.
But Wang Cang Hai grabbed his arm.
“Qilin, you can’t go.”
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