Mountains and giant beasts, cabins in the woods

The moon was high in the sky, and its silvery light bathed the mountains and forests.

A withered old tree stump, with a hollow tree cavity inside.

Liu Xingmo drew a town map on a wooden board, and he held a wooden stick, pointing to his current location.

"We're on the very edge of the city, where we can engage the target the fastest. If that one Nian beast doesn't appear, but other Nian beasts do, we'll abandon our position and move into the streets. We'll then join forces with the others to deal with the pursuing target."

"Isn't this plan too rudimentary?" asked Liu Yizhu, the helper they had brought in. "The whole village is so big, I'm afraid we won't be able to reach our target."

"No. We have a key figure who happens to be the prey that Nian beast desires." Liu Xingmo pointed to Liu Sanniang in the corner of the hall. "It will definitely come to us on its own. We just need to wait for it to come to us."

Liu Yizhu was still puzzled: "Since it's for a top-grade spiritual medicine, couldn't we have made a better arrangement?"

Liu Xingmo said in a deep voice, "That Nian beast is different from others. Just listen to me."

"Okay, I believe you." Liu Yizhu gave an awkward smile.

At this moment, Liu San Niang, huddled in the corner of the room, weakly spoke up: "Is this box reliable or not? Won't it blow me up?"

The woman was hiding in a metal box surrounded by firecrackers and fireworks.

Liu Xingmo calmly said, "Don't worry, with your Blood Path Level 3 strength, as long as you keep your head and most of your body, all your injuries will heal."

"Huh! The reliable one isn't the box, but myself?" Liu Sanniang stared in disbelief. "When that guy arrives, I'll immediately detonate the explosives, and that's it?"

"The simpler the plan, the less likely it is to go wrong." Liu Xingmo looked at the firecrackers scattered on the ground and grinned. "With this kind of firepower, that fat rabbit has no chance of dodging. As long as it gets hit by one shot, it should be knocked down and unable to get up according to the rules, and victory will be ours."

Liu Yizhu nodded in affirmation: "If the Nian beast is bound to come, then this is indeed an unsolvable situation. There's no need for me to help."

Just then, a deep, desolate roar came from afar.

"Awooooo—!"

Immediately afterwards, the moonlit forest began to undulate and tremble, and heavy, muffled footsteps echoed as the army of giant beasts surged toward the town like an overturned tidal wave.

"It's starting, get ready to go!" Liu Xingmo pointed to the door.

Just then, a cool breeze seemed to sweep through the warehouse. The orange flames inside the glass enclosure flickered and danced.

Liu Xingmo was startled and turned around to see the monster.

It has black fur, long ears, and red eyes. Its short, thick legs support its round body, and its arms, covered in sharp claws, are strong and muscular.

A crack appeared in the black fur, revealing sharp teeth gleaming coldly in the gaping maw.

Oh no, it's about to roar!

According to the rules, everyone should lie down and not get up. If the rules aren't followed, the monster will realize that the rules are useless, and it can do whatever it wants!

"Bang!" A loud explosion rang out as Sumali fired her gun.

The pitch-black monster suddenly dimmed, leaving only a faint afterimage in its place, as it had instantly teleported to a distance. It opened its massive maw again, roaring in its throat, ready to unleash its power.

There wasn't time to reload! And we didn't have any firecrackers!

What should we do?

At the critical moment, Liu Xingmo shouted at the top of his lungs, "Light the fire!"

Liu San Niang quickly pulled the rope, igniting the firecrackers beside her.

A small series of explosions raged in a corner of the warehouse, with specks of light and smoke spreading rapidly, eventually engulfing the entire warehouse.

In those brief few seconds, Liu Xingmo rushed to Su Mali's side, grabbed her, and ran outside.

Liu Yizhu didn't need to say much; he instantly realized how strange the situation was.

He picked up a table and used it to shield Liu Xingmo from the flying explosives.

Braving the sparks and smoke, the three of them quickly rushed out of the old tree stump.

A moment later, a loud "boom!" accompanied by flames erupted as the entire old tree stump was engulfed in flames, adorned with colorful fireworks.

Liu Xingmo quickly looked around.

On a large rock not far away, a dark figure stood with its back to the moon, opening its black and red swirling eyes.

That thing is incredibly agile! Is it teleportation?

"Bang!" At this moment, Liu Sanniang broke free of her restraints and rushed out of the fireball at lightning speed, swatting away the sparks on her body. "How was it? Did you succeed?"

"Grab your weapons! Run!"

At Liu Xingmo's call, Bao Hei, who was waiting in the open space, rushed over.

The four men quickly jumped onto the turtle's back, picked up a crossbow, lit the fuse, and started spraying firecrackers.

The pitch-black monster darted and weaved in the void, suddenly appearing within ten feet of the four people and the turtle. It tried to roar, but was stopped each time it opened its mouth.

Baohei rushed down the slope and soon dashed into the treehouses.

At this moment, the bustling streets are brightly lit, with fish and dragons dancing together; and a band plays and sings, igniting the atmosphere.

Amidst the interplay of light and sound, tourists admiring the night view exclaimed with delight:

"Look, it's starting!"

"What's that? Is it the Nian beast?"

"Look at that turtle, it's running so fast!"

"The people up there look strangely familiar, who are they again?"

……

Liu Xingmo disregarded everything else and directed Bao Hei to climb the building in two or three steps, stepping on the red stone tiles, and running directly on the pointed roof.

Many tiles were trampled and broken, revealing large holes, from which came the angry curses of the homeowner.

I can't worry about that anymore.

Bao Hei made his way to the city and squeezed into the defensive line with the most Nian beast hunters.

The hunters, fully prepared, lit firecrackers and hurled them wildly at the dark monster. However, they all dodged them.

When the monster appears in the crowd, as soon as it opens its mouth and lets out a shriek, everyone will instantly lose their souls and lie limply on the ground.

Liu Xingmo was extremely anxious and at his wits' end.

What should we do?

He steeled himself and said, "Mary, there's one more bet. You guys go down first! I'll create an opportunity for you!"

Without offering any explanation, he simply pushed Su Mali down the slope. Liu Yizhu then jumped down as well.

The pitch-black monster didn't care about the two of them; it only had eyes for Liu San Niang on the tortoise shell.

Liu Xingmo, holding a repeating crossbow, frantically fired firecrackers in all directions. However, his firepower was ultimately limited.

The Nian beast flashed to the front of the two people and the turtle, opening its blood-red maw.

Darkness! Now's the time! Quickly, let misfortune afflict you!

Bao Hei also opened its mouth wide and spat out all the bad luck that had accumulated over the past few days.

The bright silver moon illuminated the city lights, and two enormous structures passed each other between the rooftops.

"Crack! Crack!" A horrible sound of flesh and bone being torn apart came from the black monster's mouth.

Liu Xingmo's mind went blank, and he lost consciousness.

……

In the darkness, there was nothing, yet it seemed to encompass everything. This darkness was as vast as the starry sky, and faintly, a colorful and dazzling river of light flowed within it.

……

"Ha!" Liu Xingmo suddenly opened his eyes.

He turned his head and saw Liu Yizhu's face.

He quickly asked, "How did it go? Did we succeed?"