8: Battle against inner demons

She was originally a kind and lovely girl; she had done nothing wrong, yet fate made her encounter such a nightmare.

"So beautiful, Brother Chen, can you give it to me?"

The moment she saw the necklace, Yueyue's gaze was drawn to it.

Not only did she find it beautiful, but the restless emotions within her seemed to calm down, and her entire mind felt much more relaxed.

When she was captured by bandits back then, she was incredibly scared. Facing the vile words of more than a dozen strong men, she was terrified to the extreme.

When those bandits planned to take turns assaulting her, her extreme fear transformed into endless rage, and her Heart Demon completely erupted.

Afterward, the Heart Demon turned the entire Black Wind Mountain into Hell. Over the years, the Malevolent Qi on Black Wind Mountain grew increasingly dense, and the Heart Demon absorbed these powers to grow stronger whenever it controlled the body.

Yueyue's true nature was extremely kind, and her benevolent side constantly fought against the Heart Demon, trying to reclaim control of her body.

It was fine at first, but as time passed, the Heart Demon grew stronger, and the amount of time she could regain control of her body each day became less and less.

By now, she could only hold on for a moment each time before the Heart Demon snatched control away.

Over these past few years, she had matured a lot and was no longer that innocent girl. She knew that she couldn't return in her current state, otherwise, if the Heart Demon took control, she might kill everyone in the village.

She constantly told herself to be strong; as long as she didn't give up, there was a chance to suppress the Heart Demon. If she were to give up, she would forever become a murderous fiend, and her kind heart would never allow that, which is why she persisted until now.

When the Heart Demon previously erupted and tried to kill Xiao Xing, she, deeply suppressed within, rose up in resistance and regained control.

She knew that if she killed Xiao Xing, she would be permanently consumed by the Heart Demon, with no chance of return, which is why she unleashed an unprecedented will.

"Come, big brother will put it on for you!"

Seeing Yueyue happily extending her head, Xiao Xing prepared to help her put it on.

Ah~~!!

Just then, an unexpected change occurred. Yueyue suddenly clutched her head and screamed in pain.

His expression hardened, and he was about to forcefully put the necklace on her.

But as Xiao Xing reached out, Yueyue suddenly raised her head, and the dim green glow in her pupils surged out like flames.

Whoosh!

Without hesitation, Xiao Xing directly jumped down.

He had just left his spot when a terrifying wave of power swept out, shattering more than half of the rock he was on.

As the rock shattered, Xiao Xing, who had grabbed a rope and jumped down, plummeted and landed directly on the rooftop.

-490

Fortunately, he didn't die instantly. A little higher, and he might have perished right there on his first try.

After falling, he rolled with the momentum and dropped down from the rooftop again.

Boom!

A loud explosion rang out, and the entire rooftop instantly shattered, sending a large amount of debris scattering in all directions.

Upon landing, Xiao Xing flashed away, putting some distance between them.

He looked at the figure standing on the rooftop and couldn't help but rub his nose.

The girl's hair was disheveled, and an even more terrifying aura than before swirled around her. The green glow in her eyes had become extremely dense.

At this moment, the Heart Demon, disregarding everything, completely erupted and once again took control of her body.

It sensed that the necklace greatly restrained it. If it allowed the necklace to be worn, it might be suppressed forever, so it had to stop it at all costs.

Therefore, it didn't hesitate to unleash even stronger power to seize control of the body.

Such an eruption would leave it weak for a long time afterward, but there was no other choice.

Now, using the forcibly enhanced power, it had to kill Xiao Xing to eliminate future troubles.

Cheng Xiaoyue's Heart Demon (Lord Rank)

Status: Demonized

Rank: 15

Health: 13963

Magic: 15990

Physical Attack: 550

Magic Attack: 1370

Defense: 400

Skill 1: Demons Claw

Demons Claw:

Cheng Xiaoyue has been Demonized. She can initially use demon claws to attack targets, dealing 500% physical damage to targets hit.

And cause bleeding at 50% physical damage per second, lasting for five seconds.

Skill 2: Energy Impact

Energy Impact: Due to Yueyue's long-term absorption of a large amount of Malevolent Qi, she can mobilize the malevolent power within her body and surroundings to attack enemies in all directions.

Magic Damage: 0-5 times (can be adjusted according to her own will)

Skill 3: Instantaneous Movement Technique

Instantaneous Movement Technique: Within one's perception range, one can move at high speed through a special secret method, instantly appearing where desired.

Magic Consumption: 1 magic point per meter

Cooldown: 15 seconds

...Skill 4: Heart Demon Chains (5700/6000)

Heart Demon Chains: Uses powerful energy to materialize 1-10 chains to bind and strangle targets.

Current skill level 5, can summon five chains to attack simultaneously, each chain dealing five times magic damage.

Magic Consumption: 500 per chain

Skill Cooldown: 35 seconds

...The skills haven't changed, but their Rank and attributes have greatly improved.

"Forcibly breaking through the limit to rise to Rank 15?"

Xiao Xing shook his head and directly turned around and jumped off the cliff.

He had come to this position precisely to escape.

Anyway, the quest deadline is seven days; it's still early.

In the Novice Village map, the System stipulates that no entity above Rank 10 can appear. Forcibly breaking through the limit comes at a huge cost.

He just needs to wait until it's weak before coming back. For now, retreating is the best strategy.

"Trying to run?

Die!"

Seeing the opponent jump off the cliff, it roared, instantly flashing out over the cliff with Instantaneous Movement Technique, appearing before Xiao Xing, and its Demons Claw struck down without hesitation.

Hearing its roar, Xiao Xing reacted extremely quickly. The rope shot directly to the cliff wall, and with a pull of his arm, he pulled his body away, causing the opponent's Demons Claw to miss.

Reaching the cliff wall, he used the rope and his extremely high agility to quickly climb back up.

"With the Heart Demon's current strength, it's hard for Xiao Xing to escape!"

He had already planned to die once anyway; dying in the Novice Village doesn't cost Ranks or experience, and he can return to the city for free. Why not?

But just as he relaxed his body, it tensed up again.

After the Heart Demon flashed out with Instantaneous Movement Technique, it no longer had the skill to return, nor could it fly.

After failing to attack Xiao Xing, its body began to fall downwards... This height... this health... this defense...!

Xiao Xing instantly calculated an approximate outcome in his mind.

It wouldn't die, but it would be severely injured.

"Can I really get such a bargain?"

Xiao Xing's lips curled slightly upwards, and he jumped off the cliff again.

The Heart Demon below saw Xiao Xing and its expression tightened.

It knew it wouldn't die, but it would be severely injured from the fall. If Xiao Xing hadn't pursued, it could have hidden to recover first.

But this damned guy wouldn't let it go. If it fell and was severely injured like this, it would only allow the other party to harvest it.

Boom!

Without time to think, it instantly unleashed its terrifying power.

Endless power erupted, not only resisting the impact force but also protecting itself.

When it landed, its strength had already reverted to its previous state. The power gained from breaking through the limit was almost exhausted. This power that wasn't truly its own would not return once used up.

But it didn't matter; with its current strength, it still didn't fear this damned guy.

So, after landing, it patted the dust off itself and then revealed a cruel smile to Xiao Xing above.

Even if this kid didn't die from the fall, it was here waiting to finish him off.

Seeing this damned guy about to be killed by itself, its rage subsided quite a bit.

As long as it killed this guy and survived the weak period, it would completely take over the body's control, and no one would be able to stop it anymore.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

Xiao Xing swung the rope several times to dissipate the force before landing.

But before his feet were stable, the opponent teleported and appeared less than ten centimeters from him.

Immediately, their eyes met, and the surroundings fell silent... "How do you want to die?"

After more than ten breaths, the Heart Demon spoke first, its expression calm.

It didn't know if it was because it was about to kill Xiao Xing or for some other reason, but it was uncharacteristically not going crazy.

What Xiao Xing didn't know was that the mysterious aura emanating from the necklace casually hanging around his neck had the effect of suppressing the Heart Demon, which was why it wasn't so frenzied.

"If it were before, I'd have nothing to say, but now..."