CHAPTER 595: CHAPTER 355: THE NEXT MOVE OF THE BRIGADE / RETURN OF THE LITTLE NIAN BEAST

That’s right, Lin Xingshi also ran away from home; she boarded the same ship as the Little Nian Beast.

The Year Beast Monarch, upon hearing this, was utterly furious. It believed it was a conspiracy, refusing to think that such a coincidence could happen. Lake Hunting simply wanted to use the excuse of "we also have a lost child" to fool them.

Perhaps the Little Nian Beast had already been killed by Lin Xingshi.

So, on that day, the Year Beast Monarch, unable to bear it anymore, waged a fierce battle with Lake Hunting in Hai Fan City; this war between demons and exorcists almost turned half the city upside down.

If not for Lake Hunting’s Invisible Executor, Su Ying, who managed to timely evacuate most of the citizens, the situation would have only been describable as "devastation."

The outcome ultimately ended in mutual destruction, with the former generation of Lake Hunting suffering two deaths, the Year Beast Monarch seriously injured, and the Zodiac Team losing six members.

That generation’s Lake Hunting members from the Lin Family perished. The Lin Family was even more desperately searching for "Lin Xingshi," knowing that this child’s talent was unparalleled and a once-in-a-million-year genius among exorcists, fearing that Lin Xingshi might have already fallen to the Little Nian Beast.

After that, the severely injured Year Beast Monarch could only retreat into the deep mountains to heal.

At the same time, the Monarch dispatched a group of demons adept at searching into human cities to secretly look for the Little Nian Beast; the Exorcist Association likewise sent out a group of exorcists skilled in finding people to locate Lin Xingshi’s whereabouts from the Lin Family.

Now ten years have passed, and most demons believe that the Little Nian Beast had already fallen victim to the exorcists on that smuggling ship, possibly even by that child named "Lin Xingshi."

After all, when the name "Lin Xingshi" resurfaced among the demons, she had already become the captain of the contemporary Lake Hunting.

She was also now the renowned number one exorcist in the world, standing undisputed at the pinnacle of the Exorcist Realm.

But had the demons ever considered that the Little Nian Beast is still alive, and the Little Nian Beast, who has now returned from wandering, is no longer the frail creature it was ten years ago.

It’s just that... the character is still so childish and willful.

"No, I want to sit on the lotus leaf," the Little Nian Beast furrowed its brow, "Otherwise, there won’t be a sense of ceremony."

"But... you’ll sink me," the Lotus Leaf Demon said.

"That’s easy," the Little Nian Beast snorted.

Ji Minghuan, following the method in her memory, shrank the Little Nian Beast’s body, and not long after, it became a small creature between a lion and a dog, only one and a half meters long, its tail wagging, even the tuft of flame on its head shrank significantly.

In this way, its body became much lighter. Perhaps it was the same principle as Yaguba, with body size inversely related to speed.

If facing a fast opponent, reducing the Little Nian Beast’s body length to one or two meters is most suitable; facing a larger opponent, then it’s best to go all out and clash head-on.

The Lotus Leaf Demon sighed, realizing it ultimately couldn’t escape its fate, as the Little Nian Beast placed its hooves on it and sat atop the Lotus Leaf Demon, its face close to the lotus leaf, its dark eyes gazing at the scenery by the lake.

Just like ten years ago.

The sound of water flowed softly by the ear, and the sight was a boundless expanse of green. Before long, the Lotus Leaf Demon carried the little lion-dog across the vast Spirit Heart Lake.

The Little Nian Beast stood up and waved its paw in farewell before leaving without looking back.

The Lotus Leaf Demon quietly watched the swaying back of the Little Nian Beast, curious about what truly happened that year between the Little Nian Beast and Lin Xingshi, but it didn’t dare to ask.

Beyond Spirit Heart Lake lay the territory of the Year Beast Monarch.

The Little Nian Beast bounced and pranced through the woods, its four hooves moving front and back, and back and front, sometimes crossing as if dancing. It occasionally looked around, and the sight was empty.

It remembered that the forest was bustling in its childhood; as soon as it entered, various demons would greet it.

The Spiritual Monkey Demons would help it pick peaches to eat, the Divine Chicken Demons practiced their Divine Roar Skill in the trees, and Lantern Demons would hang from the branches, diligently emitting warm orange light, so even when night fell, the forest remained brightly lit.

But most demons only had a lifespan of a few short years, with only a few high-level demons living for a century.

Now, ten years have passed, and the demons who knew the Little Nian Beast have all died. Among the new generation of demons, everyone seemed to fear this Nian Beast they had never met, intimidated by its terrifying power, so they all hid away for now.

"No fun," the Little Nian Beast squinted its eyes and looked up at a lantern hanging from a tree branch.

The Lantern Demon, originally emitting warm orange light, shook violently at the moment the Little Nian Beast looked up, making a "puff" sound as the light dimmed.

Finally, it lay motionless as if playing dead.

"Do you want to light up yourself, or should I help you light up?" The Little Nian Beast suddenly raised its front hoof, with a ball of purplish-red flames rising from its palm.

After a moment of silence, the Lantern Demon lit up again, and within a hundred meters, all the lanterns spread warm light, dispelling the gloom and chill in the forest.

Following the path from its memory, the Little Nian Beast passed through the forest and stopped in front of a waterfall.

It raised its head and looked up, seeing a cliff so towering it demanded admiration, with a white cascade falling thunderously from the top of the cliff, creating wave after wave of splashing water. The ripples spread, extending thousands of meters away.