They sensed his power, yet were drawn by the raw energy emanating from his Hell Core.
"Three of them," Xiaochen noted, his voice flat. He didn't slow.
A nuisance, Ye Cangtian scoffed. Sweep them aside. Let them be kindling for your fire.
Xiaochen moved. He was a streak of black in the shadows, faster than the eye could follow. The Pedang Neraka sang, a low, hungry hum, as it arced through the air. The first Gloom Hound evaporated into a cloud of ash before its snarl even finished. The second tried to lunge, but Xiaochen met it with a precise, upward thrust, the blade plunging into its chest. The hound dissolved, its essence flooding into Xiaochen, intensifying the cold hunger.
The third Gloom Hound, more cautious, hesitated. It snarled, a low, rumbling sound, before darting into a near
