Big Black sank its teeth into Aunt Wang's neck, and wisps of black mist spewed out from the wound.
Aunt Wang's body deflated like a punctured ball, shriveling up in an instant to become a rotting, desiccated corpse. Her eyeballs fell out of their sockets, but she continued to flail her arms, slapping desperately at Big Black.
"AHH!!"
Seeing this, Zhong Jietong felt as if her entire worldview was shattering. She let out a bloodcurdling scream and ducked behind Shu Feng.
Big Black was savage. It snapped its jaws repeatedly, tearing off the corpse's head in a few vicious bites. Puffs of gray mist escaped the body and vanished.
A foul, rotten stench wafted from the desiccated corpse.
Zhong Jietong stared at the hideous, rotting corpse, her face paling. She clapped a hand over her mouth and ran over to a patch of greenery, where she began to vomit violently.
'Gained 3 Soul Power and 100 Ghost Energy!'
A prompt sounded in Shu Feng's mind.
Ding Xiaoxue's eyes lit up in praise. "Shu Feng, your Void Demon beast is incredible. The Disguised Demon is one of the most troublesome types of Void Demon. They often launch surprise attacks, making them almost impossible to guard against."
Shu Feng asked curiously, "Are Disguised Demons hard to spot? The stench of rot was so strong!"
"Disguised Demons typically wear a layer of lifelike human skin that contains the smell of rot, making them incredibly difficult to identify with the naked eye. Unless you've cultivated the Spiritual Eye Technique, possess a special Pupil Technique, or use a specific Secret Treasure, even a Spiritualist would have trouble seeing through their Disguise."
"They infiltrate crowds, devouring people one by one and assuming their identities to live as humans. They are our mortal enemies. There is no possibility of compromise between us," Ding Xiaoxue said, her expression grave.
A chill ran down Shu Feng's spine as the implications set in. He'd had no idea the world he lived in was so bizarre, or that such terrifying monsters existed.
Shu Feng asked, "What about their memories? If they can create such a perfect Disguise, how do they handle that?"
A grave look flickered in Ding Xiaoxue's eyes. "After eating a human's brain, they acquire their memories. That's what makes Disguised Demons so terrifying. Other than us Spiritualists, ordinary people have no way of telling them apart."
Zhong Jietong said worriedly, "Let's go upstairs. I'm so worried about my parents and my sister!!"
Shu Feng asked, surprised, "You have a sister, Jietong?"
'Shu Feng had pursued Zhong Jietong for two years without any progress; he'd never even held her hand. But he'd heard snippets from classmates that she was an only child.'
Zhong Jietong said, "She's my dad's illegitimate daughter, a really sweet and cute girl. Her mother died of cancer not long ago, so our family took her in."
The topic was a bit heavy, so Shu Feng wisely kept his mouth shut.
Ding Xiaoxue stopped Zhong Jietong as she was about to get in the elevator. "We're taking the stairs!"
"Okay!"
Zhong Jietong paused for a moment, then understood and fell in step beside Shu Feng.
'In times like these, men always seemed more reliable than women. Besides, the savage and ferocious Big Black felt more reassuring than the beautiful and delicate Ding Xiaoxue.'
Tenth floor.
As soon as Jietong opened her front door, she saw an elegant, middle-aged man sitting on the sofa watching television. A still-beautiful, middle-aged woman was in the kitchen, cooking.
A black-haired girl, about eleven or twelve years old and as delicate as a porcelain doll, was holding a teddy bear, watching the TV with rapt attention.
A flicker of confusion crossed Jietong's eyes. "Dad? Mom? Why are you still home?"
The woman smiled gently. "Jietong, your father and I were feeling a bit under the weather, so we took the day off. Come and eat. I made your favorite, braised pork ribs!"
Jietong beamed and started to walk inside. "Okay, Mom! I'm starving!"
"Don't go any closer! They're Ghostly Void Demons! Shu Feng, stop her! Stick this Spirit Talisman to her forehead!"
A grave expression flashed in Ding Xiaoxue's eyes. She drew the Long Sword from her waist and tossed a yellow paper talisman to Shu Feng.
Shu Feng caught the yellow talisman, stepped forward, and grabbed ahold of Jietong.
Jietong, furious and embarrassed, struggled with all her might. "What are you doing? Shu Feng! What do you think you're doing?! Let me go!!"
"Look closely!"
Shu Feng shouted, slapping the yellow talisman onto Jietong's forehead. The paper immediately began to disintegrate, dissolving into wisps of yellow-gray mist.
Jietong focused her eyes, and the overwhelming stench of rot assaulted her senses. On the sofa sat the corpse of a man, seemingly stripped of all flesh and blood. Near the kitchen, a woman's corpse was hanging from the ceiling.
The dining table was covered with human intestines and hearts, all swarming with maggots. It was an absolutely horrifying and gruesome sight.
A nauseating stench filled the room.
"Dad! Mom!!"
Staring at the two corpses, Jietong's eyes filled with terror, Despair, and utter disbelief. She let out a heart-wrenching scream and collapsed to the floor.
"Hee hee, what a shame! I was planning on eating you tonight, big sister! I didn't expect you to bring a Spiritualist back with you! A miscalculation, to be sure! But... Spiritualists are even more delicious! Thanks, big sister, for bringing home two desserts for me."
The little girl, still holding her teddy bear, the one who looked as delicate as a porcelain doll, suddenly grinned. Her mouth split wide, stretching all the way to her ears.
Four transparent figures materialized, bringing with them a chilling wind as they lunged directly at Ding Xiaoxue, Shu Feng, and Jietong.
"Shu Feng, protect Jietong! I'll deal with this thing!"
With a grave look in her eyes, Ding Xiaoxue let out a sharp cry. Her Long Sword, wreathed in a hazy Spiritual Light, traced a profound arc as it slashed into one of the transparent figures.
The transparent figure shuddered. Wisps of smoke rose from where the Long Sword had struck. Trembling with Fear, it retreated.
Three of the transparent figures swarmed Ding Xiaoxue, while the fourth lunged straight for Shu Feng.
A savage, crimson light flashed in Big Black's eyes. It opened its massive jaws and bit down hard on the transparent figure. Wisps of gray mist began to rise from the spot where its teeth sank in.
The transparent figure shuddered and plunged its hands into Big Black's body.
Big Black's body stiffened for a moment as tendrils of black energy appeared around it. It then began tearing at the transparent figure with even greater ferocity. Within seconds, mist billowed from the figure's entire body as it grew increasingly faint.