A white cat landed lithely on a branch slanting upwards, its amber eyes radiating a sharp light in the darkness. With snow-white fur as glossy and smooth as satin, it had a well-built physique where every contour flowed as smoothly and easily as a bullet.
The first time Xuan saw it, it was still just a kitten, its down had not yet shed, resembling a comical snowball. It stood quietly behind a group of gray and black cat demons, its snow-white appearance standing out, youthful yet proud. Any cat demon larger than it seemed to shrink half an inch in its presence.
It was indeed very small but more ferocious than any monster.
In their first confrontation, Xuan experienced its uniqueness. Although it was defeated by Xuan, he did not emerge unscathed, leaving a deep and long wound on his hand.
Afterward, like all experts described in novels or movies, it was always the last one to strike. Before all the other cat demons were wiped out, it would stand quietly in the shadows, licking its sharp claws, indifferent to the fate of its companions.
Xuan fought with it for seven consecutive nights, and with each encounter, its physique and strength grew significantly larger than the previous night.
In just seven days, it had become stronger than a robust adult cheetah.
At this moment, the pale blue moonlight pierced through the tree branches, casting its glow on the white cat's back. Two unusual protrusions, one on the left and one on the right, pulsated beneath the flesh on either side of its spine. The white cat stopped licking its front paws, suddenly lifted its head, and emitted a roar more spine-chilling than that of a tiger or leopard toward the full moon, now submerged in a sea-like blue sky.
A gust of wind, whose origin was unknown, instantly enveloped the surroundings. Trees shook, leaves scattered, and under the howling wind, fragile falling leaves transformed into sharp blades that stung when they hit the face. Overhead, a fiery light flashed, so dazzling that Xuan had to shield his eyes with his hand.
In that fleeting moment, amidst the chaotic vision, a larger shadow appeared where the white cat had been.
As the wind gradually subsided, Xuan lowered his hand and saw an enormous white figure silently descending before him—
A pair of huge wings sprouted from the white cat's back, and each white feather shimmered with golden specks. Even the slightest movement sent ripples of earth shattering danger through the darkness. It stared at the sycamore tree behind Xuan. The thing it had been seeking was hidden within.
Xuan easily sensed the impending danger in its eyes. At the moment it leaped, Xuan swiftly closed his eyes and, with his right hand forming a seal, jabbed toward his own heart while loudly chanting an incantation no one could understand. Xuan's black eyes turned blood-red, his teeth and ears elongated sharply, and his body and limbs rapidly transformed within a cloud of white mist...
With a loud bang, the white cat that lunged forward was fiercely knocked away by the black cat that Xuan had transformed into.
The force of this collision was incredibly powerful. The white cat was sent flying backward, and its outspread wings grazed a tree trunk, cutting a deep gash into the sturdy tree trunk, causing the entire tree to totter.
Dazed, Xuan shook his head. Before he could get up from the ground, he suddenly felt a destructive sensation approaching from above. A sharp claw fell unexpectedly and landed on his waist, and then it gave a ruthless pull.
He didn't feel any pain, only the sensation of hot liquid spilling from his body. The white cat had pulled out a foot-long gash on Xuan’s back, which was wide open and bloody. He twisted his body in pain and struck the white cat with his paw with all his strength. He also had a pair of sharp claws like blades, but he did not extend them. He just hit the white cat’s face with the thick paw pads.
This blow wasn’t lethal but definitely painful. The white cat let out a yowl and rolled to the side.
Xuan quickly got up, returning to his human form. He reached behind to smear his hand with the blood from his wound, drew a cross on the ground with it, and commanded, "Shield up!" A faint red stream of energy shot out from the blood cross on the ground, swirling in the air to form a massive circle.
The white cat recovered from the dizziness of the blow and got up angrily. Its cat eyes were half-squinted and hot breath poured out of its blood-red mouth. It lowered its head, pressed its front paws down, and shot toward Xuan like a bolt of lightning.
With a muffled boom, the white cat found itself in a comical stance, "stuck" in mid-air. The invisible shield of blood, hidden like a spider's web in the air, trapped it a few meters away from Xuan.
Xuan rushed to the sealed sycamore tree and reached out, pulling out Tutu. He dragged her forward and they dashed away madly. Blood fell on the ground along with every step they took, like the footprints in the oil painting, extending forward.
The villa area was halfway up the mountain, and after descending the hillside and crossing a wall, they arrived at a construction site. It was said to be the second phase project of the villa area. The foundation had just been dug, but it had been shelved due to financial issues. Reinforced concrete was laid out all over the place in disorder. Holding Tutu's hand, Xuan hurriedly navigated through the chaotic mess of steel pipes and concrete slabs.
"There’s a river once you cross this construction site. You must leave. The river will hide your aura to the maximum extent. You’ll be safe as long as you return to the Western Waters in the Hidden Sea before it finds you." Xuan said as he ran, struggling to catch his breath, "You can't stay here any longer. You saw it! On a Blue Moon night like this, it’s almost fully formed and it only desires one thing - to kill. You two are destined natural enemies. It is its instinct to devour you."
The sound of rushing water could be heard not far away. In Xuan's eyes, there was a last glimmer of hope.
"Devour me… It doesn’t matter," Tutu muttered to herself, "Staying one more day is also good."
Xuan's expression was darker than the deepest night.
When they reached the center of the construction site, Xuan suddenly stopped and pushed Tutu to the side, shouting, "Be careful!"
A sharp-edged steel bar dropped out of the blue and impaled the ground fiercely, plunging over three feet deep, right between the two of them. Behind them, those enormous white wings slowly moved, hovering above a pile of tall steel bars. The amber eyes beneath the wings were fixed firmly on the man and woman. Amidst the clanging of metal, countless steel bars shot towards Xuan and Tutu like arrows.
Xuan pushed Tutu into a nearby concrete pipe and drew his short knife. He dodged the oncoming steel bars, stepping on the piled steel materials beneath him as he climbed towards the highest point where the white cat was.
The moonlight was cold, and the night wind howled. At the highest point of the construction site, on a long steel plank, stood a fierce-looking white cat on one side and a battered Xuan on the other.
Their eyes locked, life and death on the line.
However, there was no murderous intent in Xuan's eyes.
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