I built a safe house in the eerie night.

The long darkness still reigned over the world, and time passed slowly until midnight.

Jiang Ning stood on the observation platform. The observation device had scanned the surrounding mountains and fields several times, but still found no signs of a large-scale gathering or approach of the ghost tide.

Everything was eerily calm, to the point that even he himself had absurd thoughts popping into his head.

Could it be... that those ghostly things are really scared?

Recalling the fleeting glimpse of the eerie child last night, it was indeed just a brief flash before disappearing into the depths of the desolate forest without looking back.

That kind of behavior was less of a demonstration and more of a... temporary retreat from my sharp edge?

Could it be that the village's frenzied massacre these past few days, especially the fierce firepower of the upgraded arrow towers, has truly instilled fear in these low-level monsters who don't possess much intelligence and rely solely on instinct?

Or perhaps, after losing a possible commander, these ghostly things no longer dared to easily attack Baiye Village, this tough nut to crack.

After all, from a purely defensive perspective, as long as it's not a sudden influx of tens of thousands of zombies, the village's existing double defenses and seven Tier 2 bone arrow towers are indeed capable of continuously suppressing the invading monsters.

However, this speculation itself is a bit far-fetched.

The eerie and the mysterious are almost endless in the darkness, and have been a great enemy of human survival since ancient times.

In a place as evil as Changyin Mountain, is it actually safer after losing the protection of the altar?

This completely defies common sense; it doesn't make sense...

"Never mind," Jiang Ning sighed, suppressing his doubts.

Although there aren't many monsters to kill and fewer loot, it's still a good thing compared to spending the whole night on tenterhooks.

At least I can catch my breath tonight.

He turned to Xiong Meng beside him and asked, "Uncle Meng, when the village was protected by the altar, what was the scale of the strange occurrences that came every night?"

Xiong Meng thought about it carefully for a moment and said, "There were dozens at times, and ten at other times, and the ones we see now... seem to be about the same."

"It's strange, really. The scale of the slaughter a couple of days ago was the first I'd seen in the mountains in over two years. Maybe... they really were killed so badly that these things need a rest?"

Jiang Ning seemed to be deep in thought.

"Logically speaking, there were already many strange occurrences before the altar went out, but after the altar was truly extinguished, they should have become even more rampant. So why are there fewer? What's the principle behind this?"

He then turned to look at Wang Fu, who was more knowledgeable.

"Uncle Fu, what do you think?"

Wang Fu frowned and pondered, "Young Master, this matter is very strange. Over the years, similar outpost villages in various places have had their altars destroyed. In every dangerous place, without exception, the entire village was wiped out, with no survivors."

"This situation is too strange." He paused, looking at the arrow towers and sturdy wooden walls standing in the village.

"Perhaps, as Xiong Meng said, they are afraid, but the eerie will never retreat easily. If they don't come tonight, what about tomorrow night, or the day after? Or even... what if they suddenly launch an even bigger attack when we are most relaxed?"

"That makes sense." Jiang Ning nodded.

"Alright, let's arrange for people to take turns keeping watch at night. The rest of you should get some rest. Uncle Fu and Uncle Meng, you've worked hard during the day, so go and rest first. I'll keep an eye on the situation outside."

Wang Fu and Xiong Meng exchanged a glance. Despite their worries, they followed his instructions and left the viewing platform.

Jiang Ning then looked at Yu Niu and Er Hu, who were still standing straight beside him like two iron pillars.

"Aren't you two tired?"

"Not tired!"

The two spoke in unison, their voices loud and clear.

Yu Niu's eyes gleamed with eagerness as he licked his slightly dry lips.

"Young master, since there are so few ghosts outside... can I go out and practice my skills with this gun?"

He cherished the cold shaft of the bone gun, "It's good to get used to it beforehand, it can't just be a decoration forever."

Erhu immediately chimed in, his voice deep, honest, and straightforward.

"Yes, I also want to test the power of this divine weapon. I can't always stay cowardly in the village... like, you know... a cowardly turtle!"

His vocabulary was limited, and he blushed slightly as he struggled to find the right words.

"Hey!" Yu Niu punched him on the shoulder. "What are you talking about, kid? You can't call us cowards, you can call us disciplined and strategic, right, young master?"

Jiang Ning's lips twitched.

Goodness, it's only been a few days!

These two naive boys, who were terrified of the strange creatures back then, have now been living peacefully for a few days and have acquired divine weapons. Their arrogance is soaring to the heavens, and they're incredibly cocky.

However... Jiang Ning's heart stirred, and he looked at the scattered, eerie figures outside the village.

Isn't this situation the perfect opportunity for training?

After all, passive defense alone is not enough; talented people are also the core force to resist darkness, and the village is currently lacking generals who can directly confront the strange forces.

These two lads come from the mountains and, although they've never practiced qi cultivation or have any formal training methods, they're strong and courageous, at least for now.

What's lacking is practical experience and the necessary training.

Now they can face sporadic enemies in a relatively safe environment, armed with weapons capable of killing strange creatures, thus gaining experience.

That would work too, and could curb their arrogance.

With this thought, Jiang Ning revealed a mischievous smile.

"Alright, since you two are so arrogant and eager to test your skills, then go out and have some fun. Let me see just how much you two oxen can carry!"

Upon hearing this, Yu Niu and Er Hu, who had just been bickering, froze, blinking:

"Really, really going, young master?!"

Jiang Ning raised an eyebrow. "Of course, what? Scared?"

"Afraid?" Yu Niu stiffened his neck and puffed out his chest.

"With the young master watching over us, I, Yu Niu, have never been afraid! I'll show those things what my grandpa Yu Niu is capable of!"

Erhu followed suit, chest puffed out and head held high, not to be outdone. "If Brother Niu isn't afraid, how can I, Brother Hu, be a coward... Um, let's go!"

The two men, as if injected with adrenaline, scrambled down the observation platform, each gripping their nine-foot bone spears tightly, and marched proudly toward the defensive line.

Its momentum was quite like that of a brave warrior going into battle.

Zhou Lei, who was holding a shovel in the audience, stared in disbelief and stammered:

"What are you guys trying to do? It's pitch black outside. Do you really think those things are made of clay? Are you just going to...go and give them away for free?!"

Yu Niu and Er Hu were both filled with heroic spirit at this moment, so they didn't listen to these words and went straight to the back of the wooden wall.

But when you actually stand in front of this barrier that separates the village from the outside world, you can hear the faint, eerie hissing sounds coming from outside and feel the invisible oppression of the darkness.

The initial frenzy between the two men subsided somewhat, their heartbeats quickened involuntarily, and their palms, gripping the gun barrels, became slightly sweaty.

I used to be too scared to go out even after dark, but now I actually have to go out on my own initiative... to fight those ghostly things. Just thinking about it makes me feel crazy.

They stopped behind the wooden wall, taking deep breaths, their eyes darting around, a mixture of tension and anticipation as they waited for the courage to break free to reach its peak.

Jiang Ning stood on the stage, taking in the two's subtle actions, a slight smile playing on his lips:

"Are you ready? If you are, I'll open the door and send you two generals off to battle!"

Yu Niu and Er Hu looked up at the sound, forcing out stiff, yet unwilling-to-give-up smiles.

"Hehe, young master, give it another try. It's my first time, and my legs... they're a little unresponsive..."

Jiang Ning's wicked smile deepened, and he said no more, a thought stirring in his mind.

Then, the wooden wall directly in front of the two, along with the bone fence behind it, silently moved aside, revealing a gap.

Beyond the gap lies an unshielded wilderness shrouded in deep darkness.

The two were startled and clenched their buttocks tightly.

What made their hearts leap even faster was that they could clearly see two low-level monsters, their forms twisted and covered in rotting tumors, moving unsteadily toward the village not far ahead, howling as they did so.

Crucially, the arrow tower, which used to emit a shriek and burst with purple light as soon as it entered the range of the eerie creature, was unusually quiet at this moment, and the light in the eyes of the skull at the top of the tower had dimmed to the naked eye!

It's obvious that the young master deliberately controlled the arrow tower, leaving these two strange creatures to them!

Yu Niu's chest heaved, and he let out a sudden, low roar.

"drink!"

It was as if he had shouted out all his tension and hesitation, his face flushed red, and his eyes suddenly turned fierce.

He turned to look at Erhu, "Little Tiger, watch closely, your Brother Niu will definitely kill harder than you!"

Having said that, he didn't hesitate any longer. He gripped the bone spear tightly with both hands and, in a slightly clumsy yet resolute manner, plunged headfirst into the darkness ahead.

"Roar!" Seeing Yu Niu rush out, Er Hu was not about to fall behind. He also let out a strange roar, leveled his bone spear, and rushed out after him.

Just then, Wang Fu and Xiong Meng, who had only walked a short distance down from the viewing platform and were about to return to their house, happened to witness this thrilling scene.

"Young Master! You're being foolish!"

"This...this is too childish!!"

The two were instantly terrified, and both screamed out at the same time, their voices distorted.

The two rushed back down from the viewing platform, looking up with anxious and puzzled expressions.

Wang Fu's voice trembled. "Young Master! No! The Darkness is a dangerous place. How can we treat it so lightly? We used to avoid it like the plague, but now we've let two fools rush out... This, this..."

Xiong Meng was so anxious that the veins on his forehead were throbbing:

"Young Master, you are usually so thoughtful, how could you do this tonight, so..."

He couldn't find the right words for a moment, but he felt that Jiang Ning was just being playful and joking.

Jiang Ning stood on the stage, still smiling.

"Uncle Fu, Uncle Meng, don't be afraid or anxious. Let these two young calves temper their temper and see some blood. Don't worry, I've got your back. Nothing will happen."

Even so, Wang Fu and Xiong Meng were still worried.

The two of them didn't care about anything else and hurriedly climbed back up to the viewing platform. They stood on either side of Jiang Ning, looking out of the village with great tension, their hands unconsciously clenched into fists.

Jiang Ning's gaze fell outside the village, and he naturally understood what was going on.

He was ready at any time to directly control the arrow towers to fire if things went wrong.

This is indeed a rare opportunity for practical training.

Of course, he smirked, and he did indeed have a bit of a mischievous urge to see these two arrogant brats get their comeuppance.

At this moment, Yu Niu had already rushed to the outside of the village and approached the location of the Devouring Flower.

He held the heavy bone spear in both hands, the tip trembling slightly, pointing it at the approaching, solemn and grotesque spirit.

But being face-to-face is completely different from observing from a distance through a defensive line.

The terrifying, distorted face, the blood-stained mouth dripping with saliva, and the chilling, sinister aura that shot straight to the head all made Yu Niu's heart pound wildly and his breathing rapid.

He hadn't practiced any marksmanship techniques, and when the moment came, he had no idea how to start. He just awkwardly held the gun, wanting to stab but feeling like he didn't know where to begin, and for a moment he was completely frozen in place.

Until the monster let out a piercing roar, landed on all fours, and suddenly accelerated towards them, bringing a stench to their face.

The threat of death instantly ignited the ruthlessness deep within Yu Niu's bones.

"ah--"

He let out a beastly howl, stomped his feet hard on the ground, turning all his tension into power, gripped the gun barrel tightly with both hands, and with all his might, thrust the gun hard at the most conspicuous tumor on the strange chest.

"Pfft!"

The sharp tip of the spear pierced the soft tumor smoothly!

However, perhaps due to the wrong angle or insufficient force, the shot did not cause fatal damage; instead, it seemed to enrage the opponent.

The monster grew increasingly ferocious, brandishing its sharp claws and ignoring the spear shaft piercing its chest, continuing its frenzied clawing and scratching at Yu Niu.

Yu Niu was startled, but did not retreat cowardly.

He knew the young master was watching, and he couldn't afford to lose face!

We must not disappoint the young master.

He's going to become the toughest man in the village!!

Yu Niu clenched his teeth and suddenly pulled the bone spear back, bringing out a spray of foul-smelling black blood.

With his feet firmly planted on the ground once more, the gun swung in a heavy arc through the air. Using the momentum of the recovery and the rotation, he aimed at the grotesque, ferocious head exposed by the attack and thrust it out again.

This time, the spear tip precisely pierced the eerie, hollow, and shimmering eye socket of the spirit.

"Die, you bastard!!" Yu Niu's face contorted, a low growl bursting from his throat. His arm muscles bulged, and he poured almost all his strength into the gun, thrusting it forward and then twisting it with all his might!

"laugh--!"

The gun tip pierced through the strange head, protruding straight out from the back of the skull with a dull thud.

Yu Niu could even feel the gun barrel pausing as it stirred within his hard skull and soft brain.

The approaching monster froze abruptly, and the eerie light in its eyes quickly went out.

His raging body seemed to have been drained of its life force, collapsing limply and hanging from the tip of Yu Niu's spear!