Green Wing Bat King

To the southeast, three thousand miles into the Demonic Domain, the terrain gradually became treacherous.

Towering ancient trees began to thin out, replaced by rugged, strange rocks and bottomless canyons. The Demonic Qi in the air no longer spread evenly; instead, it was ripped and churned by invisible Rifting Winds, emitting wails like ghosts and wolves.

These Rifting Winds were not ordinary air currents; they contained violent Metal Baleful Qi and chaotic demonic power, sharp as knives. Ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivators would likely struggle to maintain their protective spiritual light for long. Even Nightmare could feel a faint stinging sensation on his skin.

[Warning! Entering high-risk area: Rift Wind Demon Valley. Environmental damage detected: Rifting Wind Erosion. Recommended: Maintain protective Demonic Essence continuously.]

The System's notification sounded right on time.

A thin layer of gray-black Demonic Essence automatically spread around Nightmare, isolating the invisible wind blades. He hovered above a broken cliff, his sharp gaze scanning the massive canyon ahead, which was enveloped by endless gales.

According to the System scan, the energy anomaly was located deep within the Rift Wind Demon Valley.

When his Divine Sense extended, it felt like sinking into a swamp, severely interfered with by the violent Rifting Winds, allowing him to barely perceive the situation within a few miles. From deep within the canyon, a heart-palpitating pressure and sharp, continuous shrieks faintly emerged.

“Rift Wind Demon Valley... Judging by this environment, the Yao Beasts residing here are mostly skilled in Wind-element Divine Abilities,” Nightmare speculated, becoming even more cautious.

He did not rush in; instead, he quietly moved along the edge of the canyon, searching for a suitable entry point while carefully observing the pattern of the wind.

Soon, he discovered that these Rifting Winds were not entirely random; they seemed to undergo periodic changes in strength, revolving around a central point in the canyon. Approximately every time it takes an incense stick to burn, there would be a brief interval of relative wind reduction.

Now is the time!

When the wind reduction period arrived once again, Nightmare moved. Executing the Demonic Shadow Evasion Technique to its limit, he seemed to merge with the wind, silently sneaking toward the depths of the canyon.

The deeper he went, the greater the power of the Rifting Winds. Some Wind Spirits, condensed from pure Power of Wind Evil Qi, even began to appear. They were formless and intangible, yet capable of emitting sonic attacks that tore at the Divine Soul. Nightmare had to divert his attention, occasionally using the Soul Shattering Finger to disperse them.

Along the way, he also saw several massive nests built on the cliffs, constructed from withered bones and a dark-green plumage. The edges of the nests still had traces of bloodstains and shredded meat.

“It seems to be the nest of some kind of bat or eagle Yao Bird...” Nightmare became more certain of his deduction.

Finally, after passing through the fiercest Baleful Wind barrier, the scene before him suddenly opened up.

Deepest in the canyon was a surprisingly calm, massive cave entrance. Outside the cave was an open platform, and on that platform... were shockingly piled mountains of Ghoulish White Skeletons!

There were Human Race skeletons and Yao Beast skeletons, most incomplete, clearly having been completely devoured. The thick Death Qi and resentment had almost materialized, causing one's scalp to prickle.

And right in the center of that platform of bones, a strange plant was growing.

It was entirely dark gold, only about three feet tall, shaped like twisted coral. It had no leaves, but its branches bore three dragon-eye sized Golden Fruits, their surfaces etched with natural wind patterns! The fragrance emitted by the fruits was clearly discernible even in this environment filled with bloody Death Qi, and inhaling it instantly cleared the Divine Soul, making the Demonic Essence throughout the body slightly more active.

“wind soul demon fruit!” Nightmare recognized the item. This was a Profound Rank peak-grade Spiritual Fruit, only growing in places where Wind Baleful Qi was extremely heavy and nourished by the Death Qi of many living beings. Consuming it could greatly strengthen the Divine Soul's perception and control over wind-element power, having miraculous effects on Cultivating wind-element Divine Abilities or increasing evasion speed! It could even slightly purify Divine Sense!

It was definitely a rare treasure! No wonder it could attract Yao Beasts at the Peak Golden Core Stage or even Nascent Soul Stage to reside here!

But Nightmare's gaze quickly moved away from the demon fruit, focusing solemnly on the pitch-black cave entrance.

He could feel a suffocating and terrifying Demonic Qi spreading out from the depths of the cave, like a sleeping primordial Vicious Beast, bringing coldness and silence. Its strength had definitely reached the Peak Golden Core Stage, perhaps even... half a step into the Nascent Soul level!

Moreover, this Demonic Qi gave him a very uncomfortable feeling—chilling and bloodthirsty. It seemed to share the same Origin as the violent Baleful Wind Qi outside, yet it was purer and... more evil.

Just then!

Screech—!

A sharp, piercing shriek that went straight through the Divine Soul suddenly erupted from the depths of the cave!

Nightmare's expression shifted slightly. He instantly suppressed his aura to the extreme and concealed himself behind a massive boulder.

Inside the pitch-black cave, two massive, scarlet “lanterns” suddenly lit up!

Those were not lanterns at all, but a pair of gigantic Demonic Eyes!

Immediately afterward, accompanied by a grating sound of flapping wings, an enormous dark shadow slowly crawled out of the cave!

It was an astonishingly large Demonic Bat!

Its entire body was covered in dark-green scales. Its wingspan was dozens of feet wide, and eerie blood-colored patterns naturally formed on the wing membranes. Its head was hideous, fangs exposed, and corrosive saliva constantly dripped from its mouth. Most uniquely, a spiral Monoceros grew right in the center of its forehead, and dense Power of Wind Evil Qi swirled around the Monoceros!

The aura emitted by this Demonic Bat was clearly that of the Peak Golden Core Stage! Moreover, its Bloodline seemed extremely ancient and powerful, generating pressure on Nightmare that was even more concentrated than the palm strike Profound Yin Ancestor delivered from afar previously!

“Green-Winged Bat King...” Records regarding this ancient Exotic Beast instantly flashed through Nightmare's mind. Its speed was like lightning, its cry tore the Divine Soul, it could control Baleful Wind, and it was inherently bloodthirsty—making it extremely difficult to deal with!

The Green-Winged Bat King crawled out of the cave, its massive scarlet eyes coldly sweeping over the mountain of bones on the platform. Seemingly dissatisfied, it then raised its head and let out a silent roar toward the sky above the canyon!

Buzz!

A strange sonic wave spread out centered on it!

The next moment, a chilling scene unfolded!

From the countless nests on the cliffs along both sides of the canyon, thousands of smaller, yet equally hideous Demonic Bats surged out like a tide! Most of these Demonic Bats were only Tier 1 or 2, with a few at Tier 3. They gathered into a massive black cloud, emitting dense screeching sounds, and then, as if receiving an order, they frantically rushed out of the canyon, clearly heading out to hunt!

“So that’s it... This Green-Winged Bat King actually commands a huge Demonic Bat Clan!” Nightmare felt a chill in his heart. No wonder the skeletons here were piled like mountains.

After dispersing its clan, the Green-Winged Bat King seemed slightly tired. It shook its massive wings and slowly crawled toward the wind soul demon fruit. A hint of desire appeared in its scarlet eyes, but it did not immediately devour it. Instead, it lay beside the demon fruit and began to inhale and absorb the pure energy emitted by the fruit and the surrounding Wind Baleful Qi, seemingly engaged in some kind of Cultivation or... waiting for the fruit to fully ripen?

A chance!

Nightmare's mind raced. The Green-Winged Bat King was extremely powerful; confronting it directly was impossible. Even using the Xiangliu Poison and the newly condensed demonic vine seed, the odds were only fifty-fifty, and the commotion would be immense. Once he was pinned down, if the hunting bat swarm returned, he would surely die!

He must use strategy! Either sneak attack while it Cultivates, or... Lure the Tiger Away from the Mountain!

His gaze fell once more on the three wind soul demon fruits. This item was undoubtedly crucial to the Green-Winged Bat King. If... a plan quickly formed in Nightmare's mind.

He quietly retreated, moving away from the platform and heading toward a section of the canyon where the Rifting Winds were most violent.

Then, from the System Space, he took out the soul fiend crystal obtained from the Late Golden Core Stage Baleful Corpse in the Black Mountain Secret Realm, along with several Magical Artifacts of moderate rank acquired from Qinglin Sect Disciples and the Cultivators he had previously counter-killed.

He quickly formed hand seals, channeling pure Demonic Essence mixed with a trace of Xiangliu Poison into the soul fiend crystal and the Magical Artifacts. Using them as a foundation, he swiftly set up a small, extremely unstable Self-Destruct Formation.

Having completed this, Nightmare calculated the timing, a cold light flashing in his eyes. He abruptly activated the Formation, then turned and fled with all his might toward the platform!

Boom!!!

In the distance behind him, the small Self-Destruct Formation violently exploded! The Yin Baleful Power of the soul fiend crystal, the spiritual energy of the Magical Artifacts, and the Death Qi of the Xiangliu Poison merged together, creating a strange and intense energy shockwave that erupted fiercely in the Rifting Wind Canyon!

Although the power was insufficient to harm the Green-Winged Bat King far away, the immense sound and abnormal energy fluctuation were like a sudden clap of thunder in the relatively quiet depths of the canyon!

The Green-Winged Bat King, currently absorbing energy and Cultivating, was abruptly startled. Its massive head instantly lifted, its scarlet pupils suddenly contracted, flashing with shock and fury!

It let out a sharp shriek, flapped its massive wings, and its huge body agilely soared into the air, transforming into a dark-green lightning bolt that rapidly sped toward the source of the explosion! Although the wind soul demon fruit was important, an unknown threat had appeared near its nest, and it had to prioritize eliminating it!

Now is the time!

Nightmare, who had already been lurking on the other side, instantly unleashed the Demonic Shadow Evasion Technique to its full potential the moment the Green-Winged Bat King was lured away, shooting toward the wind soul demon fruit like an arrow released from a bowstring!

His target was not all three! Taking them all would inevitably infuriate the Bat King into a fight to the death!

His target was—the most plump and energy-rich fruit in the middle!

His speed was pushed to the extreme! The instant his finger touched the fruit, he released a burst of Demonic Essence, gently plucked it, and stored it in the System Space! The entire process took less than half a breath!

After succeeding, Nightmare did not linger. Without even glancing at the other two fruits, he sharply changed direction and desperately fled in the opposite direction from where the Bat King had gone!

The moment he plucked the fruit, the Green-Winged Bat King, which was speeding toward the explosion site in the distance, suddenly paused. Sensing something, it abruptly turned its head!

When it saw the hateful thief on the platform and the Demon Plant missing its most crucial fruit, it instantly descended into utter madness!

Screech—!!!

A shriek ten times sharper and angrier than before shook the entire canyon! Countless fragments of rock tumbled down the cliffs!

It had been tricked! Lure the Tiger Away from the Mountain! The most essential wind soul demon fruit, which it treasured as its life and had nurtured for hundreds of years, had been stolen!

Overwhelming fury drowned its reason! It abandoned investigating the explosion site, frantically flapped its wings, stirring up terrifying Destructive Baleful Wind, and transformed into a dark-green streak of light tearing through the sky, chasing madly after Nightmare in the direction he fled, moving at a speed that almost burned its Origin!

It would not stop until death!

Nightmare, desperately fleeing ahead, instantly felt an icy, bone-chilling killing intent and terrifying pressure rapidly closing in from behind. The speed was far greater than he had anticipated!

“So fast?!” Nightmare's face changed. He pushed the Demonic Shadow Evasion Technique to its limit, even burning his Essence Blood again regardless of the cost, increasing his speed once more!

A dark-green streak and a gray-black streak, one after the other, shot out of the Rift Wind Demon Valley like lightning, entering the vast sky above the Demonic Domain and commencing a thrilling chase!

Everywhere they passed, the Yao Beasts in the mountains and forests below fell to the ground in terror, trembling!