Chapter 1617: Chapter 846: Monster Everyone present turned pale. Whose corpse is this? Water Yama identified the attire on the corpse and coldly said: "It’s the temple guardian’s, there are teeth marks on the body, severely mutilated, flesh mottled, as if... something gnawed on it..." Before his words finished, a sound came from the beams above. "There’s something up there!" Water Yama’s pupils shrank. But before Water Yama could sense anything, Mo Hua had already pulled Ouyang Feng with one hand and Hua Qianqian with the other, retreating far to the side. From the beam above, a murderous intent suddenly appeared. A massive, deformed, bright red blood shadow descended with a speed almost indiscernible to the naked eye. In an instant, a bloody wind assaulted their faces. "So fast!" Water Yama’s heart trembled, and he immediately drew his long whip to meet the blood shadow. But after only one exchange, Water Yama was shaken back. The blood-drenched figure landed on all fours, roared, and rushed at Water Yama. But before it could reach Water Yama, a deep blue sword light struck its body. It was Xie Liu’s Gui Water Sword Qi. The sword qi obstructed the blood shadow for a moment, but only for a moment. It didn’t even leave a mark on the monster. Xie Liu, in the Golden Core Realm, wore an extremely ugly expression. The sudden change, and the blood shadow’s speed had put Water Yama at a disadvantage, but now with a moment’s respite, he regained his composure. He executed the Water Shadow Step, turning into several ghostly figures to confuse the blood-colored monster. At the same time, he hid in the water shadows and used the Water Punishment Whip to launch a stealth attack. Xie Liu dared not hold back any longer and pushed the Gui Water Sword Technique to the fullest extent within the Foundation Establishment Realm. Waves of Gui Water Sword Qi erupted, aimed at the grotesque and bloody monster. Mo Hua, on the other hand, watched from the sidelines. Seeing no movement from Mo Hua, Ouyang Feng and Hua Qianqian also remained vigilant without taking action. The battle continued, with Mo Hua observing quietly. The monster’s body was entwined with deep red blood qi, which enveloped its form, making it appear as a massive blood shadow with no discernible shape. But with each attack, it seemed to consume the blood qi. In front of the hall, after fighting Water Yama and Xie Liu for a while, the blood color on its body faded, and its form became vaguely visible. Mo Hua scrutinized it for a moment, his pupils involuntarily quivering. This was a... demon creature of unknown class. Its body was as tall as two people, with thick but deformed limbs, crawling on all fours, twisted yet extremely agile. Its face was ugly, mouth full of blood, seemingly still with human flesh on it. Thick, seemingly blue-green scales covered its body. The scales were extremely thick and hard. Neither Water Yama’s Water Punishment Whip nor Xie Liu’s Gui Water Sword Qi could make the slightest cut. Mo Hua was slightly shocked. By the looks of its blood qi, this monster was only a Second Grade creature, but Water Yama at Foundation Establishment Peak, and Xie Liu in the Golden Core Realm—though limited to Foundation Establishment Peak strength—were certainly stronger than ordinary Foundation Establishment Peak. Both attacking with full force, yet they couldn’t even scratch the monster’s scales... "What exactly... is this thing?" A serious expression spread across Mo Hua’s face. He made a minor move, casting a couple of Fireball Techniques to test his strength. But his mid-stage Foundation Establishment Fireball Technique, upon hitting the monster, vanished silently, not even causing a scratch, likely not even letting the beast feel a hint of warmth. The monster didn’t even glance at Mo Hua. Mo Hua roughly gauged his strength and reluctantly retracted his hand, then obediently watched from the sidelines. The fierce battle in front of the hall continued. Whip shadows, sword qi, and blood shadows intertwined. According to Mo Hua’s calculations, Water Yama and Xie Liu were not opponents for the monster; in a direct confrontation, they couldn’t break its scales. But should their claws touch them, blood marks would undoubtedly be left behind. The blood marks exuded black air, clearly mixed with many sinister and filthy elements. Fighting hard like this, Water Yama and Xie Liu would eventually die. Mo Hua began considering an escape route. But before he could figure something out, the monster suddenly roared, transforming into a gust of bloody wind, leaping onto a beam and disappearing into the shadows. "Ran away?" Mo Hua was taken aback. Water Yama and Xie Liu bore numerous wounds, their expressions heavy. Seeing the monster suddenly flee, they both felt a sense of relief. However, Mo Hua frowned. He glanced at the visibly exhausted Water Yama and Xie Liu, somewhat puzzled. If he were that monster, he would surely finish them off first; they had fought so far, and it suddenly fled? Why? Mo Hua recalled the many signs of the bloody monster and had a rough guess in his heart. "Is it because... of its blood qi?" This monster, perhaps, needed the blood qi swirling around its body to move. With blood qi enveloping it, it could wander around, hunting cultivators. Without blood qi, it had to retreat. Was this blood qi used to power its powerful flesh? Or perhaps, it hadn’t fully transformed yet and had to rely on blood qi to move outside? Mo Hua silently pondered in his heart. On the other side, Xie Liu and Water Yama had already taken out pills to begin healing. The injuries on their bodies weren’t too severe, but the troublesome aspect was the blood qi within the monster’s claws. They didn’t know the origin of this blood qi, but it was certainly tainted with human blood and other unknown foulness, now seeping into their wounds. If they didn’t remove the filth quickly, it would leave future troubles.