Volume 1 Volume 6 Chapter 100

Volume 6 Chapter 100: Fate and Choice (8)

The vast black cloud floating in was not a real cloud but a gathering of countless "Dark Crows," their black feathers linking together. From afar, it looked like a dark cloud.

After days of fleeing, Xu Qingfan traveled west and had now arrived at the deepest part of the Western Desert.

He had heard that deep in the Western Desert was the home of the "Dark Crow" tribe, but Xu Qingfan had not seen a single "Dark Crow" along the way, so he gradually forgot about it. However, at this moment, he looked up to see a massive cloud of "Dark Crows," estimating there were at least two or three thousand of them. It was quite astonishing; perhaps all the "Dark Crows" in the Western Desert had come out.

The presence of the "Dark Crow," a demon beast, was already very subtle. Moreover, since Xu Qingfan was severely injured and drained of Spirit Qi, he did not notice the cloud formed by countless "Dark Crows" until Little Black sensed the presence of its kind and let out an excited cry, which alerted Xu Qingfan.

Xu Qingfan turned his head to silently watch the black cloud formed by the "Dark Crows" rushing toward him while sensing the approaching demons from the east. He thought to himself, "It is said that ‘Dark Crows’ are very sensitive to death. In the Western Desert, whenever someone is about to die, ‘Dark Crows’ will appear. Could their sudden arrival mean that I am going to die?"

Thinking this, Xu Qingfan felt a deeper sadness in his heart.

No matter how many times he had faced life and death, when death truly approached, there was never any sense of anticipation, except perhaps for that twisted person, Zhang Xusheng.

Just as Xu Qingfan sighed quietly to himself, Little Black on his shoulder began to chirp even more joyfully.

"Is it because they can see their companions before they die?"

When Xu Qingfan had just stood up, he had already exhausted the last bit of strength in his body. Now the scenery in front of him began to blur, and his mind felt heavy and muddled.

Because he was too injured, Xu Qingfan was in a daze and was losing his ability to think clearly. All he had left was a final determination — he could not let the Demon General kill him. Even if he had to die, he would fight back one last time.

But at that moment, Xu Qingfan could not think clearly about how to make this "last stand."

Just then, Little Black finally realized that Xu Qingfan was close to his limit. The joy in his heart faded, and he became anxious, repeatedly pecking at Xu Qingfan’s cheek in an attempt to wake him up with the pain.

However, after so many battles in recent days, Xu Qingfan’s muscles and nerves were numb, and he felt nothing from Little Black’s pecks. His body swayed under the scorching sun of the Western Desert, only standing through sheer willpower to face the approaching monsters.

Little Black was very sensitive to death and could clearly sense that once Xu Qingfan stood up, his life force was quickly fading, and getting faster.

Little Black grew more anxious, pecking at Xu Qingfan’s body more quickly. At the same time, through their mental connection, he continuously pushed against Xu Qingfan’s gradually clouding thoughts.

Finally, after Little Black’s relentless efforts, when Xu Qingfan’s cheek was a bloody mess from the pecking, he started to regain a little bit of clarity.

Just at that moment, countless "Dark Crows" formed a dark cloud above Xu Qingfan’s head, blocking the blazing sun and bringing him a little more awareness.

The world suddenly grew dark and quiet, leaving only the howling wind and the soft sound of countless "Dark Crows" flapping their wings as they flew.

The smell of the monster became clearer and stronger, as if it could arrive at any moment.

Xu Qingfan shook his head hard, trying to keep the little bit of clarity he had just regained. He looked up at the sky and saw countless "Dark Crows" staring at him closely, or rather, staring at Little Black on Xu Qingfan’s shoulder.

The looks from the "Dark Crows" were very strange; amid their usual indifference, there was an unexpected intensity and deep confusion.

Xu Qingfan did not know that the reason these "Dark Crows" suddenly appeared was not because he was about to die. Even if a master at the Mahayana Stage were to die, unless it was someone like the ancestor of the Zhong family, it would not attract so many "Dark Crows."

The "Dark Crows" gathered together because they sensed the overwhelming death energy within the demon. However, when these "Dark Crows" noticed Little Black, their target changed to Little Black, completely ignoring the demon.

They paid so much attention to Little Black for two reasons.

First, according to the "Dark Crows," Little Black was under two hundred years old. In the long history of the "Dark Crow" clan, Little Black was just a child among them. Yet, they were astonished to find that Little Black’s strength had already reached the peak of Earth level, higher than any of them! Normally, a two-hundred-year-old "Dark Crow" would be lucky to have high Human level strength.

The "Dark Crow’s" strength is gained through years of absorbing the world’s death energy and occasionally appearing corpses. When the death energy is thin, their evolution is very slow. Among the two or three thousand "Dark Crows" in front of Xu Qingfan, there were at most fewer than thirty with senior Earth level power. Each of these more than twenty "Dark Crows" had lived for four to five thousand years, but compared to Little Black, they were still slightly lacking.

How did Little Black achieve such amazing strength in such a short time? The "Dark Crows," who had long struggled to accumulate death energy, were all deeply puzzled.

The second point, and an even more important one, is that the "Dark Crows" found that Little Black was very different from them.

First, no matter how many years the Dark Crows lived, they looked like ordinary crows and did not change at all, but Little Black seemed like a strange "Dark Crow" with the body of an eagle and some eagle features, looking majestic and powerful.

Second, compared to the plain black appearance of the "Dark Crows," Little Black’s wings had edges that faintly shimmered with golden patterns, and it had a fleshy crown on its head, like it was wearing royal robes and a crown. It looked elegant and noble, while the ordinary "Dark Crows" appeared as simple as dirt.

Lastly, the powerful presence and aura of Little Black were quite different from the shyness of the "Dark Crows," creating a strong feeling of worship among the two or three thousand "Dark Crows." It seemed as if Little Black was their king.

Despite having so many differences, the two or three thousand "Dark Crows" could still clearly sense that Little Black was indeed a "Dark Crow," and it was much purer and nobler than they were.

In fact, when Little Black devoured Little Gold’s flesh and blood, it had already stopped being an ordinary "Dark Crow." Although its strength did not increase, its identity and essence underwent a qualitative change. If Kylin is the king of all demon beasts, then Little Black, infused with Kylin’s flesh and blood, is the king of the "Dark Crow" tribe!

…

When Little Black finally saw that Xu Qingfan was awake, it felt a sigh of relief in its heart. Noticing the strange looks from its kind in the sky, Little Black curiously looked back at them.

Back then, the reason Little Black swallowed Little Gold’s flesh and blood was purely instinctive, and it had no idea what that moment meant for it after consuming Little Gold.

After the excitement of seeing others like him, Little Black discovered many differences between himself and these fellow creatures. Most importantly, when he looked at these companions, Little Black felt a sense of being high above them, as if he could take whatever he wanted.

This feeling often happened to Little Black. Whenever he saw any demon beast in the world, like Ting’er’s Little Green, he would have a similar sensation.

But when he compared it to the moment he saw the "Dark Crows," these two seemingly similar feelings seemed somewhat different. In front of Little Green, Little Black felt superior because he was definitely stronger than Little Green. However, facing these "Dark Crows," Little Black felt almost like a king looking at his subjects. He might not have great power, but he could control them.

Little Black was very clever, and after noticing these unusual things, his animal instinct made him command the countless "Dark Crows" before him to worship and submit to him.

Then, Little Black and Xu Qingfan were amazed to see that as Little Black released his powerful aura, more than half of the two or three thousand "Dark Crows" in the sky slowly descended, folding their wings and lowering their heads in a sign of submission, formally acknowledging Little Black’s rule over them.

However, these "Dark Crows" showing submission were all weaker creatures below the Earth level. In the sky, there were still over a thousand "Dark Crows" flying freely despite Little Black’s powerful presence, screaming a few times before breaking free from its influence.

Among these nearly a thousand "Dark Crows," all had strength above the Earth level. About thirty leading "Dark Crows" were not affected at all by Little Black’s might and pressure!

Seeing all this, Xu Qingfan, who was starting to regain his senses, felt a spark of hope for survival. He communicated with Little Black through his mind and said, "Increase your pressure and aura!"

However, just then, a bloodthirsty roar came from afar, causing chaos among the "Dark Crows" above and below. Xu Qingfan turned to look, and in the distance, the demon beast appeared in his sight!