Chapter 174: Chapter 156: Blood-Patterned Armor Shield, Bloody Hunt

32°C.

Entering the stone forest from the outside, there was no breeze. The air was stagnant, causing heat to build up and the temperature to climb.

He had Egg Pancake walk deeper into the stone forest while he observed the surrounding terrain.

As they ventured deeper into the stone forest, the stone pillars on either side grew wider, and the light filtering down from the sky became increasingly dim. Even though it was nearly noon, the quiet forest felt as dark as night, with only a few unsettling noises coming from some unknown direction.

A few minutes later, Han Ning found the perfect spot for his hunt.

It was an open, grassy area with its back to a large boulder.

He chose this spot because he could hide beside the boulder, eliminating any threat from behind. He would only need to watch for Soul Beasts from the other three directions.

Walking to the center of the grassy area, Han Ning had Egg Pancake dig a small pit, about a meter square and several dozen centimeters deep.

Then, he covered the top of the pit with some branches and leaves as camouflage.

Finally, he placed a chunk of meat from a Winged Demon Heart, which reeked of blood, into the pit.

He had traded some resources with Lü Xiuning for this heart, as he didn’t have any other Winged Demon Hearts left.

Dark Blood Demons are drawn to the scent of blood. They excel at ambushing prey in the Darkness, torturing it to the brink of death, and only devouring it completely when its despair is at its peak.

He chose the Blood Demon clan because their Talent among Dark Type Soul Beasts is relatively low, their growth potential is limited, and they are hot-tempered and not very intelligent. If he encountered a small group, he would stand a fighting chance.

Next, he and Egg Pancake retreated to the boulder a few meters away, entered a state of Mimicry, and waited quietly for a Soul Beast to arrive.

About twenty minutes later, Han Ning’s ears twitched. He heard the faint, scraping sound of limbs moving.

’They’re here!’ Han Ning held his breath and looked toward the bait.

On the surface of a rock pillar to his front-right, three Soul Beasts clung silently. Each had three pairs of leathery wings—six in total—riddled with holes.

The main torso between their wings was covered in black scales that reflected a hard, cold glint in Han Ning’s vision.

A grotesque, massive mouth stretched nearly to their eyes, filled with sharp teeth.

A constant stream of saliva dripped from the corners of their mouths.

They had gaping holes for ears, large, murky yellow eyes, and two curved, sharp horns sprouting from their foreheads.

Their long, withered arms were covered in gnarled, hideous fascia, and their claws were sharp.

GAAAAH!

The hideous Blood Demon on the left, unable to resist the scent of the meat, opened its maw. Its long tongue flicked out, spraying saliva everywhere. A few foul-smelling drops landed on the ground, corroding a patch of grass and causing white smoke to rise.

’Three Awakening Level Blood Demons...’ He stared at the hideous monsters, the Yinsaike Race’s assessment of their power surfacing in his mind.

An Awakened Level Blood Demon’s body wouldn’t exceed three meters, and the largest of these three was only about 2.9 meters tall.

Generally speaking, for non-Spiritual Energy, physical-type Soul Beasts below the Lord Level, the best way to judge their strength was by observing their size.

The larger the body and the more defined the muscles, the more ferocious the beast.

This applied within the same species; judging different species of Soul Beasts by size was unreliable.

Many insectoid creatures were massive, but they were mostly just shell and wouldn’t necessarily be able to defeat a Blood Demon that was over two meters tall.

Conversely, Soul Beasts with greater flesh-and-blood density tended to be comparatively smaller.

"Sluuurp~~"

Seeing the meat laid out before them, the three Blood Demons didn’t rush forward immediately. Instead, they scanned their surroundings and began circling the bait, sniffing the air wildly.

The nutrient-rich Winged Demon Heart was a fatal temptation for them.

Finally, one of the Blood Demons couldn’t hold back any longer. With sly cunning, it waited until its two companions weren’t looking and dashed toward the meat.

Its companions quickly noticed its attempt to snatch the food, let out a collective, strange cry, and rushed over as well. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

As the three Blood Demons clustered together, drew near the meat, and prepared to tear into it, Han Ning, who was hiding in the shadows, spoke to Yin Yi with his Spiritual Power:

"Take care of them!"