After hearing Zhang Nu’s words, the YaoGuais all nodded in unison. They could tell he genuinely hoped they would become stronger and better.
“Don’t worry, Zhang Nu,” one of them said. “We’ll take good care of ourselves. But please, you must protect Lingxi. She’s the one we’re most concerned about.”
Lingxi, hearing their concern, turned her face away awkwardly. “I don’t need any of you worrying about me,” she muttered. “Just take care of yourselves. That’s the best way to show you care.”
The others laughed softly at her response. Soon after, the group made their way to the bamboo forest.
Once there, Zhang Nu stopped the YaoGuais outside and had the core group of four—himself, Liu Hai, Lin Xiao, and Lingxi—venture deeper into the forest to confront the YaoGuai head-on.
They soon reached the cave they had visited before.
“This is it,” Zhang Nu said grimly. “This is the YaoGuai’s lair. Be extremely careful. The Black Mist YaoGuai has likely already sensed our arrival.”
Lingxi and the others nodded, yet none dared to step further in. Entering the cave could easily mean walking into a trap.
“I think we should stay out here and wait,” Zhang Nu suggested. “If we go in, we could be ambushed from both sides.”
The group agreed. Since Zhang Nu had voiced such concern, they followed his lead without complaint.
“Alright then,” Liu Hai said. “Zhang Nu, try to lure the YaoGuai out. The three of us will lie in wait. When the YaoGuai appears, we’ll strike.”
Zhang Nu nodded. It was the best plan they had. One way or another, the YaoGuai had to die.
What they didn’t know, however, was that the real YaoGuai had anticipated their return and had planted a decoy in the cave. Black Mist, the true YaoGuai, was hiding in the shadows, listening to their entire plan. He had sent a clone to serve as bait, knowing they would eventually come back to destroy him.
As Zhang Nu lured the decoy clone out, the battle began—and it was fierce. The clone was unexpectedly powerful. They had to fight with everything they had just to keep up.
“Lingxi, Liu Hai, Lin Xiao, stay alert!” Zhang Nu shouted. “This YaoGuai might be weaker than before, but its strength is still not to be underestimated.”
The others nodded, their expressions tense. No one dared to let their guard down or let their focus falter, not even for a split second. All four kept their eyes trained on the YaoGuai’s every move.
When they saw it attempt to flee, they struck in unison, surrounding it and launching a coordinated assault. They didn’t give it the slightest chance to escape. Together, they took the YaoGuai down with surprising ease.
After the fight, the group breathed a sigh of relief, but something didn’t feel right. A sense of doubt began to form in their hearts, though none of them voiced it out loud.
“This was… too easy,” Zhang Nu murmured. “Why was it so much weaker than before?”
He waited for his experience points to rise, but nothing happened. That could only mean one thing, the YaoGuai they’ve just killed…wasn’t the real one.
“That’s not the real one,” Zhang Nu suddenly realized. “Everyone, be on guard! The true YaoGuai still hasn’t shown itself!”
The others were stunned. Before they could respond, a low, mocking laughter echoed through the forest.
“Hahahahahahaha… You’re not as stupid as I thought,” Black Mist sneered. “You figured out it was only a decoy…”
“But so what? In the end, you’ll all become my prey.”
The group’s expressions darkened. The voice was unmistakably Black Mist’s. All their effort had been wasted on a decoy. And if it took this much effort just to kill a clone… how much more would it take to kill the real one?
Tension rose instantly. Lingxi and the others snapped back to full alert, but exhaustion was already weighing heavily on them. Even though it had only been a clone, its power had drained them significantly. The real battle had yet to begin, and they were already nearing their limits.
Ed: Previously, the battle scene with the Black Mist decoy was confusing. This is the clearer version of the chapter.