A month had passed in the blink of an eye.

The sky was clear, without a single cloud in sight.

Yi Feng stood guard at the periphery of the spatial rift, leisurely enjoying his lunch of farm-fresh eggs.

To hunt monsters, he had been diligent to the extreme—eating and sleeping right there on-site. His tent was already pitched, and a small pot hung over the campfire, showing just how thoroughly prepared he was.

The eggs tasted delicious, but his face was clouded with worry. After a few bites, he couldn’t help but glance up at the rift.

Inside, there was only swirling chaos, utterly devoid of movement.

"Come to think of it, the last wave of monsters was half a month ago…"

After a month of waiting like a fool, he had only encountered three waves of experience-giving monsters.

This was far from enough!

Wasting half a month idling was unacceptable—time was precious, after all.

This couldn’t go on.

Taking a swig of liquor, Yi Feng turned his gaze back to the rift.

The darkness within was impenetrable, showing no signs of monsters emerging. Today would likely end in another fruitless hunt…

Stowing away his gourd, impatience gnawed at him.

"Waiting like this isn’t working. Maybe I should just go in and hunt them myself?"

The moment the thought crossed his mind, Yi Feng began scrutinizing the dark rift.

"It does look pretty dark, but a torch should do the trick. Plus, I have Manman with me—no fear of getting lost. Shouldn’t be a big deal. And if I die? Even better."

"Alright, let’s do it!"

The more he thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed. Yi Feng swiftly packed up his tent and extinguished the campfire with a quick piss—exemplary behavior from a model citizen.

Even after his noisy preparations, the rift remained as still as stagnant water.

The silence stretched deep into the abyss.

Even beyond the rift, in the vast expanse of the starry void, an eerie quiet prevailed.

The sea of stars was vast and utterly silent.

The unremarkable spatial rift was pitch-black, like spilled ink. Hundreds of shadowy figures lurked nearby, watching in hushed fear. Though they were mere steps away, they cowered, too terrified to approach.

It was as if that tiny gateway held the most terrifying demon in existence.

It was hard to imagine that a horde of bloodthirsty, sinister demons could be so docile, their eyes brimming with dread despite their monstrous forms.

After observing for nearly half an hour, whispers finally broke the silence.

"What do we do? Are we really not going in?"

"Go in?! You make it sound easy! That human inside is terrifying—stepping in means certain death!"

"But… if we don’t go in, how will we reach Cloud Star? If the Demon General holds us accountable, none of our three clans can bear the consequences!"

Hundreds of demons murmured among themselves, torn between two dire choices.

After a lengthy debate, their gazes settled on a withered tree-like figure at the forefront.

The gnarled old tree stood only seven feet tall, yet exuded an air of ancient wisdom.

His bark was deeply furrowed, as if carved by countless ages.

"Only fools rush to their deaths. We cannot enter this gate," he declared calmly.

"Not enter?"

The demons exchanged glances, but surprisingly, none objected. Instead, they bowed in deference.

"Tree Venerable, your wisdom is unmatched, surpassing even the scheming Illusion Demons. If you say we shouldn’t enter, then we won’t!"

"Our two clans will follow your lead without question!"

As they spoke, the leaders of both clans exchanged shrewd glances.

This was clearly an attempt to shift blame.

By declaring their obedience upfront, they pinned all responsibility on the old tree.

If the Demon General ever demanded answers, they could simply claim they were following the Tree Venerable’s orders—leaving him to bear the full wrath of their superiors.

Demons were born cunning and ruthless; such underhanded tactics came naturally to them.

The younger demons bowed deeply, their hundreds of shadows falling into line with feigned reverence.

The Tree Venerable smirked, his withered lips curling with confidence.

"Hmph."

"I never said we should abandon our mission—only that we must wait for the right moment."

"That damned human has been guarding the rift for a full month. Even if he’s patient, half a month without action will wear him down. Once he leaves, we’ll seize our chance!"

"Are you all so dim-witted that you can’t grasp such a simple plan? The White Bone Clan and Blood Ant Clan have truly fallen from grace."

"Save your petty schemes. They’re wasted on me."

His voice was razor-sharp, dripping with disdain.

The Tree Demons listened with gleaming eyes, swelling with pride for their leader, their branches spreading arrogantly to claim more space.

The other two clans could only force awkward smiles and attempt to smooth things over.

"As expected of the Tree Venerable…"

"Truly a brilliant plan! Waiting is indeed the best course. We’ll hold out until that human leaves."

"Great Elder, there’s no need for anger. We’re all working for the glory of the demon race."

Only the towering skeletal demon dared to voice dissent.

"It sounds reasonable at first glance…"

"But if we just wait here, what if that human decides to charge in after us? We’d be sitting ducks!"

"I say this plan needs reconsideration!"

The old tree stood with his back to the rift, turning his gaze slowly toward the giant skeleton.

"No wonder you spout such nonsense. Your White Bone Clan has no brains to begin with—how could you possibly remember anything?"

"Fine. Allow me to enlighten you."

"This gate was forged by the Demon General’s supreme arts. It is filled with shadow energy, miasma, and spatial turbulence—a paradise for demons, but certain death for any other living being!"

"No matter how strong that human is, he is not one of us!"

"A mere mortal, daring to cross a demon gate?!"

"Impossible!"

"HAHAHA—!"

The Tree Venerable burst into mocking laughter, his voice echoing across the starry void.

His triumphant cackles radiated absolute confidence in his own intellect—and utter contempt for his demonic peers.

He laughed so hard his branches shook and leaves trembled.

But as his laughter rang out, the surroundings grew unnervingly quiet.

In the sudden silence, his mirth sounded painfully out of place.

Puzzled, the old tree gradually stopped laughing.

When he looked around, he saw hundreds of demons frozen in terror. The White Bone Clan’s jaws rattled uncontrollably, and even his own Tree Demons had shrunk into themselves, their canopies tightly closed like umbrellas in a storm.

Their panic was more intense than if they’d seen wildfire.

Before he could question their behavior, the demons suddenly scattered in all directions, howling in terror!

"HOLY HELL—!"

"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!"

In the blink of an eye, the hundreds of demons vanished like startled birds.

What could have frightened them so badly?

The Tree Venerable frowned in confusion.

He brushed his bark-covered face but found nothing amiss.

Even for an ancient intellect like his, this was baffling. His wrinkled face twisted like dried wood.

"These juniors… Did they see a ghost?"

Muttering to himself, he instinctively turned his head—

And froze.

Standing right before the spatial rift…

Was a human?!

Impossible!

Shock surged through him like a tidal wave, rooting him in place.

When he finally recognized the human’s face, his eyes nearly burst from their sockets in sheer terror.

The parched lips cracked instantly, and a piercing shriek tore through the starry sky!

"Gah!"

That man—it was the demon who had been guarding the door for an entire month!

As Yi Feng's face came into view, and the glint of the cold, gleaming blade caught his eye, countless terrifying images flashed through his mind. A chilling dread seeped into every fiber of his being.

The Tree Venerable trembled as if struck by lightning, his thoughts scattering in panic.

With a full-body shudder, he turned and fled!