But suddenly, Fan Daniu felt an indescribable chill.
This chill seemed to rise from the depths of his heart, instantly enveloping his entire body.
Not only that, but his ears also plunged into a deadly silence.
The people who were just talking behind him, including the distant sound of the night patrols’ clappers, all disappeared.
Fan Daniu’s whole body stiffened, and when he tried to lift his head, it felt as if a heavy weight was pressed on his neck, preventing any movement.
He wanted to open his mouth to call for help, but as soon as his mouth opened, he lost control over it, and darkness consumed his vision.
Moreover, this darkness was different from the kind that comes when closing the eyes; it was filled with an ominous dead silence.
At the same time, Fan Daniu felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, as if sharp claws were gripping his body.
Soon, a force began to lift him, attempting to carry him off the ground.
Fan Daniu’s heart sank to the bottom.
He finally understood why the previously disappeared people vanished without a trace, without a cry for help.
Because at this moment, his body was completely beyond his control.
Let alone calling for help, even blinking seemed like an extravagant hope.
But Fan Daniu also knew that once he was lifted off the ground, death would surely follow.
Thinking of this, the ferocity in his bones was fully awakened.
Though his body couldn’t move, and he couldn’t speak, he found that at least his tongue could still move.
With all his strength, he suddenly closed his mouth.
Spurt!
His tongue was bitten so hard that it almost broke in two due to the excessive force.
Fan Daniu shook with pain, and blood gushed out wildly, but it was highly effective.
At least, in that instant, Fan Daniu regained control over his body.
The first thing he did was to lift his head.
What he saw next startled even the brave Fan Daniu, causing his pupils to contract sharply.
In the air, there was something hovering there, blacker than black.
At first glance, it looked like a mist or dark cloud.
But upon closer examination, within the darkness, there seemed to be two enormous wings silently flapping.
Below this "dark cloud," the men who were drinking earlier were all hanging silently in the air, their bodies stiff, with eyes full of terror.
This was an incredibly eerie and terrifying scene.
Because the way those guys were suspended in the air made them look just like hanging corpses.
And this dark cloud-like creature exuded a terrifying aura similar to the legendary demon ghost.
If someone else were in this situation, they would have been scared half to death.
Fan Daniu’s heart shuddered as well, but thankfully his experiences from childhood and his training in Wuyang Sea had developed a resilient character.
So after just a moment of panic, he regained his composure.
He then realized something was wrong.
With such a big commotion, the nearby patrol should have noticed it long ago.
But Fan Daniu still couldn’t hear any sound from the outside world.
He knew that even though he had regained control of his body, he was likely still under the influence of this thing.
Thinking of this, he gritted his teeth.
Damn it.
Even if it’s a demon ghost, today I’ll tear it apart to see what it’s made of.
His reckless nature fully erupted.
Then Fan Daniu raised his fist into a skyrocket punch, directly targeting the "dark cloud" in mid-air.
But just as he leaped into the air, the "dark cloud" seemed to notice and looked down at Fan Daniu.
It was only then that Fan Daniu saw the creature’s true face.
It was a face ugly enough to cause nightmares.
Wrinkled, covered in black hair, it looked just like an aged monkey.
And in its eyes was a cold, malevolent gaze.
When Fan Daniu met this gaze, he felt a shock within, and even his punch became weaker.
But to the surprise of this "monkey," after a moment of hesitation, Fan Daniu was not intimidated; instead, he was filled with a surge of rage.
Damn it, a heroic man like me, being toyed with by a monkey.
This is intolerable.
With this thought, Fan Daniu roared, unleashing all his strength in a punch.
Actually, Fan Daniu’s strength wasn’t that remarkable, only about the early stage of the third realm.
However, thanks to his immense natural divine power, he could fight with martial artists a whole realm above him.
And at this moment, with rage and fear adding to his strength, Fan Daniu was able to exert thirty percent more power than usual.
Due to this combination of reasons, Fan Daniu’s punch landed solidly on the "monkey."
Boom!
With a muffled sound, Fan Daniu fell to the ground.
The monkey let out a painful scream.
In that instant, the people who were hanging in the air also fell to the ground.
Then the "monkey" flapped its wings, disappearing into the darkness at an incredibly fast speed.
As it vanished, the sounds of the outside world flooded into Fan Daniu’s ears like a tide.
The clappers of the patrolling soldiers in the distance, the sound of the cold wind swaying the lanterns...
All these sounds combined gave Fan Daniu a sense of great relief.
He wanted to stand up and shout, but realized he was already exhausted.
The fist that struck the "monkey" was numb, without the slightest feeling.
Fan Daniu knew this was due to the excessive force he used in his excitement earlier.
Luckily, without needing his call, the night patrol quickly noticed the anomaly here and rushed over.
The person in charge of this area today was none other than Kong Xiangdong.
Upon hearing the strange sound, he hesitated not a bit and immediately led his team over.
What he saw before his eyes also left him stunned.
Several people were lying sprawled in the snow, most of them silent, as if dead.
Only Fan Daniu was semi-collapsed on the ground, panting heavily.
"Daniu, what happened?" Kong Xiangdong first instructed his men to seal off the area, then crouched down and asked in a deep voice.
Fan Daniu finally caught his breath and replied with a bitter smile: "Sir, we almost wouldn’t have seen you just now."
He then recounted everything he had just experienced.
After hearing it, even the typically composed Kong Xiangdong couldn’t help but change color.
Because what Fan Daniu described was just too bizarre.
A flying monkey, huge wings in the darkness, a silent method of controlling people...
All these combined sounded like the ramblings of a dream.
But Kong Xiangdong understood that, although Fan Daniu could be arrogant, he was straightforward and would definitely not lie about such things.
Additionally, the various signs at the scene also indirectly confirmed Fan Daniu’s account.
While Kong Xiangdong was deep in thought, others had already managed to revive the people lying on the ground.
Although they weren’t dead, they couldn’t speak other than blinking and breathing for now.
Just then, Jing Rou, Huang Liang, and Liang Xin’an also arrived upon hearing the news.
After learning of the incident, they too couldn’t help but change their expressions.
"Can you recount the scene you saw one more time?" Back in the tent, Liang Xin’an asked in a deep voice.
Fan Daniu had no objections and began to recount in detail once more.
This time, as Liang Xin’an listened, he wrote and sketched on paper, occasionally interrupting to ask more detailed questions.
Finally, after a long while, Fan Daniu had recounted everything in great detail.
Liang Xin’an then raised the drawing in his hand.
"Is this the scene you saw?"
It turned out he had been sketching based on Fan Daniu’s description.
The drawing depicted two dark cloud-like wings, with a wrinkled monkey in the center.
Seeing it, Fan Daniu nodded vigorously: "Yes, that’s it. The drawing is exactly the same."
The others gathered around to look.
After a long silence, Jing Rou was the first to speak: "Isn’t this just a damn bat?"