Chapter Twenty: The Principles of Life for Strange Creatures

No matter what Xiao Zi was thinking, the only thing the Killer Rabbit understood was that it had to escape as quickly as possible.

The creature before it might not be an Exorcist, but even if not, it was certainly no friendly anomaly. At first, the Killer Rabbit had believed that an E-rank anomaly could not possibly be much of a threat; surely even half his power would suffice to subdue such a lowly being. Moreover, when two anomalies met and one held a higher rank, it was already a show of mercy not to kill and consume the lesser outright—never did he imagine the other would attack first, aiming to kill him instead.

He raced desperately on three legs, but in the next instant, Xiao Zi appeared right before him.

“Little bunny, where do you think you're going?”

Xiao Zi laughed wildly and unleashed another Soul Wind Blade. The blade sliced through the air with terrifying speed, severing one of the Killer Rabbit’s tiny paws.

Now, with only half his energy left and both a paw and a leg lost, the Killer Rabbit had no hope—not of fighting, not even of fleeing. Summoning his last ounce of strength, he pleaded with Xiao Zi.

“Don’t kill me! I’ll tell you something important!”

“Oh? And what might that be?”

“According to some rumors I heard, the Lord-class anomaly of Skywell City—the Immaculate One—was defeated by a youth from the Great Xia. His body was utterly destroyed, and apparently, he fled here to Qianyou Town. He’s an A-rank anomaly, so he must have communicated with the God of Terror during his ascension. If we find him, we’ll definitely learn secrets about the God of Terror ahead of time. At this point, his strength shouldn’t exceed D-rank. Alone I might not be able to beat him, but with you by my side, we’re sure to win. Think about it—even if we can’t pry any information from him, absorbing the vital essence of an A-rank anomaly would be an unimaginable boon for us!”

Xiao Zi pondered the Rabbit’s words, then looked at him with a baffled expression.

“What do you mean by ‘Lord-class anomaly’?”

“You don’t know? It’s the leader of anomalies in a given region!”

“So, you’re saying any anomaly that reaches A-rank can communicate with this so-called God of Terror, and the Immaculate One did so upon reaching A-rank—is that right?”

“Exactly.”

“But you haven’t reached A-rank, so how do you know A-ranks can communicate with the God of Terror?”

“Haven’t you ever heard the principles of our existence since you were born?”

“What principles?”

The Killer Rabbit frowned, studying Xiao Zi for a long moment. After being sure this was no Exorcist, he spoke slowly.

“Our kind is born with a single purpose: to plunge humanity—those inferior creatures—into endless terror. The more fear we devour, the stronger we become, which leads to the ranking system. At A-rank, we may communicate with the God of Terror for the first time; at S-rank, we undergo our first evolution.”

The moment the Killer Rabbit finished speaking, his head fell to the ground and, in the next second, shattered into countless fragments.

“Now that you’ve told me everything, you’re of no further use to me, are you? Idiot. And you really think I couldn’t take down that so-called Immaculate One alone?”

With that, Xiao Zi stooped to pick up a red eye from the ground.

“This is a fine item. With it, I should be able to fulfill the last requirements for upgrading my skills.”

[Detected: Host has made contact with the Crimson Eye. You may spend two thousand Terror Points to absorb it. After absorption, you will gain the skill Crimson Eye.
Crimson Eye: Allows the user to perceive the essence of all things (effect varies by level).
Absorb?]

Hearing the system’s voice, Xiao Zi was momentarily stunned, then nodded. “Yes.”

[Congratulations, Host. You have successfully absorbed the Crimson Eye. You have gained the skill: Blood Demon’s Gaze.]
[As you have absorbed two Crimson Eyes, this skill has reached LV2.]
[Blood Demon’s Gaze LV2 upgrade requirement: Eye of a sinner x1.]

Sensing the new surge of power within him, Xiao Zi realized this was likely a passive skill—useful indeed. Who would have guessed the system could identify and absorb such special items? Its functions were truly comprehensive.

Having finished, he began to rapidly replenish his energy using Wang Hui’s soul, restoring what he had just expended with his skills.

This time, however, he noticed something odd. Last time, in the heat of danger, he’d focused solely on absorbing energy and missed it. Now, he realized the energy gained from Wang Hui’s soul was noticeably stronger—more stable and easier to control—than what he’d known before.

He extended a hand, studying Wang Hui’s two hands for a long time before nodding.

“It seems this vessel was born for me to harvest souls.”

Now, when fighting in Wang Hui’s body, he could both attack and simultaneously restore energy from Wang Hui’s soul—his reserves were, for all intents and purposes, limitless. Truly a divine artifact!

It had been a wise decision to come to Qianyou Town.

Still in control of Wang Hui’s body, he walked out onto the street and then yielded control, hiding himself deep within.

This time, Wang Hui did not faint. Instead, he regained consciousness right there in the bustling street.

His first instinct upon regaining awareness was to run as far and as fast as he could. Yet the noise of the crowd and the rumble of passing cars told him he was no longer in that terrifying place.

Looking around in fright, he saw he was indeed standing in the middle of a busy street.

This did nothing to calm him, however. If anything, his heart pounded harder with a sense of unprecedented strangeness. His very expression twisted with terror—he was clearly petrified.

His odd behavior drew the attention of passersby. A middle-aged man reached out to pat him on the shoulder, intending to ask what was wrong. But the moment the man’s hand touched him, Wang Hui flinched like a startled bird, gave the man a single wild-eyed look, then bolted at full speed.

He wanted to go home.

Qianyou Town was not large. After running for over ten minutes, he finally reached his house.

Wang Hui’s home was in an old, run-down apartment complex. The rooms were cramped; it was clear he did not come from wealth.

Finding the place empty, his sense of insecurity only grew. He crawled under the covers, wrapping himself tightly.

Then, his mind returned to the nightmare he’d had during class—the words the other him had spoken:

“I’ll show you the true meaning of fear.”

At the time, he’d brushed it off as just a bad dream. Now, he thought very differently.

Could there really be another self inside his body?

The thought sent a fresh wave of terror through him, and he began to tremble uncontrollably.

Who wouldn’t be afraid to learn there was another presence lurking within their own body?

Finally, in desperation, he threw off the covers and shouted at the ceiling, “The other me! Why don’t you come out? If you’ve got the guts, kill me!”

He hoped that confronting his fear head-on might somehow ease it.

But then something entirely unexpected happened.

Suddenly, an icy wind began to swirl through the room, making the curtains billow violently.

Yet Wang Hui was certain the window was shut. There was no way wind could get in.

That could mean only one thing.

He was not alone in the room—there was another presence. An unseen presence!