Zhuoma Yangjin came over and sat right next to me, a look of pure disdain and resentment fixed on my face, as if I had somehow hitched a ride on someone else's coattails. The old woman, however, merely smiled kindly and remained silent. Her sudden proximity made me deeply uncomfortable; I managed a weak chuckle, trying to shift away, but lacking the strength and unwilling to make a conspicuous movement that might embarrass her, I gave up.

The small window opened, and the sounds from outside immediately flooded in—a chaotic clamor of German shouts. Faintly, I caught someone yelling in astonishment, seemingly incredulous: "Ma—ke!" This was followed by the sound of shattering rock, and then Mayatias's desperate cry in Mandarin, pleading, "Luo Lian! Li Zeng! Help!" The word for "life" was cut off abruptly mid-syllable.

With such turmoil outside, I couldn't possibly sit still; I scrambled up to see the spectacle.

Good heavens, the entire area outside the sacrificial platform was swarming with those monstrous faces—the human-faced ghouls with enormous eyes and perpetual smiles—flapping their wings, swooping in with a "pfft-pfft" sound toward Mayatias and the others. Just as the crowd ducked for cover, several Cocoon-people emerged from nowhere, one of whom was Mayatias himself. Still half-shrouded in his cocoon shell, he was nonetheless rushing to tear at his own brethren. Hans tried repeatedly to find an opening to shoot him dead, but was constantly harassed by the human-faced ghouls, preventing him from taking aim. The other Cocoon-people weren't far behind, pouncing on the Germans, though for some inexplicable reason, their movements were noticeably slower than usual.

It seemed even the monsters were divided; the human-faced ghouls would periodically charge in flocks of dozens toward the four or five Cocoon-people on the ground. Mark, half-man and half-cocoon, in particular, became a focal point of the attack. Annoyed at the harassment from the human-faced ghouls, the Cocoon-people clawed wildly at the air...

As the monsters and creatures devolved into utter chaos, a deep, muffled roar suddenly echoed. Immediately following this, precisely where Old Li and I had smeared blood, the rock split open, and all the flashing red light vanished! Next, a massive mouth, resembling a hippopotamus's maw lined with gleaming white fangs, stretched out first, followed by an impossibly slender neck, and finally, a four-legged body no bigger than a small dog emerged—the Great-Mouthed Monster!

The Great-Mouthed Monster, infamous for striking terror into all who heard of it, capable of biting off a man’s entire back in one gulp! I had always imagined it to be a colossal beast, yet when it emerged and stood there, it seemed utterly disproportionate and frail, its thin neck clearly unable to support the weight of that huge head, looking as if it might snap at any moment. As for the tiny body, it was nothing more than the frame of a small dog. Seeing it, I began to wonder if the dead Oliver Reid hadn't been excessively unlucky to be killed by such a creature. It possessed less spirit than anything I had ever witnessed, entirely lacking any intimidating aura of lethal intent.

I couldn’t help but call out to Old Li, “Old Li, why is it like this?” He should understand I was referring to the Great-Mouthed Monster. Before Old Li could reply, however, Zhuoma Yangjin leaned closer. She smiled faintly and said, “It’s not too late to judge after you’ve seen the whole performance.” She was right beside me, exhaling breath that smelled not of orchid, but of a subtle, gentle herbal scent. I glanced at her curiously, wanting to ask, but the Great-Mouthed Monster demanded immediate attention, so I quickly turned back to observe the fray.

Upon emerging, the Great-Mouthed Monster stood still, its slender neck rotating once, yet showing no aggression. The human-faced ghouls, however, were less brazen; flapping their wings, they seemed hesitant to attack the Cocoon-people directly, only occasionally harassing the surviving Germans. The Cocoon-people, upon seeing the Great-Mouthed Monster, appeared startled and also paused their actions. Mayatias and Hans were engaged in exhausting defense, their strength waning.

The Great-Mouthed Monster surveyed the scene with studied leisure. Its neck, long and thin, slowly pivoted once more before it tilted its head up to gaze at the dense mass of human-faced ghouls blotting out the sky. After observing them, it turned its neck back to its original position.

The human-faced ghouls, who had been attacking the Germans, immediately flew back into the air at the Great-Mouthed Monster’s gaze, daring not to make another move. In an instant, all danger to Hans and his men was lifted.

Mayatias was the first to react, mistakenly assuming we had intervened on his behalf. He choked out tearfully, “Luo Lian, thank you, thank you.” As soon as he finished, Zhuoma Yangjin scoffed softly near my ear, “The real show hasn't even started, and you’re busy thanking him. Looks like you conquer them all, near and far.”

I had no time for her idle chatter, my eyes fixed intently on the Great-Mouthed Monster, anticipating its next move.

Old Li was also peering from the window, having likely sensed the peculiarity of the situation. He asked me, “Luo Lian, what do you make of this?”

I honestly shook my head. “I don’t know.”

Zhuoma Yangjin let out another soft laugh.

Just then, the Cocoon-people seemed to snap back to awareness. Except for Mark, the others scrambled forward, ejecting countless strands of snow-white silk toward the Great-Mouthed Monster. The Great-Mouthed Monster remained motionless, waiting for the silk to reach it. Only then did I get a clear look at the Cocoon-people; I had always assumed there were five including Mark, but it turned out there were actually two and a half teams, as the other four were paired up, tightly connected along their flanks. They looked like conjoined twins. These were creatures I had certainly never seen before.

“Here comes the good part,” Zhuoma Yangjin murmured softly.

Indeed, just as the silk was about to completely entangle the Great-Mouthed Monster, it suddenly flickered, shifting its position with such speed that before I could even register where it landed, the silk missed its mark and instead snagged onto the shattered rock where the monster had just stood. Immediately following this, with several "chiff-chiff" sounds, the rocks began to emit white smoke, the silk instantly turned charred black, and showed a distinct tendency to burn back toward the Cocoon-people. Seeing this, the Cocoon-people hastily retracted the silk they had expelled and swiftly retreated in opposite directions.

The Great-Mouthed Monster seemed to let out a silent sneer and then, with uncanny grace, reappeared exactly where it had been standing before.

I was utterly dumbfounded. “Yangjin, what is happening?”

Zhuoma Yangjin laughed. “What’s happening? It seems they haven’t seen living food for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years. Naturally, all the deities will fight over it; who would willingly hand over such a delicious feast?”

“You mean—the Germans are their food?” Old Li asked, drawing out the word.

Zhuoma Yangjin nodded. “Precisely.” As she spoke, that faint medicinal scent drifted over again.

“Then… then… there are five Cocoon-people, plus the human-faced ghouls. The Great-Mouthed Monster looks so fragile—can it really hold them off?” I seriously doubted the creature’s strength.

Zhuoma Yangjin replied, “For starters, there are only three Cocoon-people, and… you forget, the Great-Mouthed Monster is the sovereign of the Preta Realm, one of the Six Paths. Do you truly believe it is as weak as it appears? Remember, when I first released it, it bit a German to death in a single snap…”

“Wait… wait…” I interrupted her hastily. “What? You’re saying you released the Great-Mouthed Monster to bite the Germans before?”

Zhuoma Yangjin’s expression shifted; she became intensely serious. “Yes. I intended for them to see reason and stop coveting the Golden Eye and Silver Pearl... Who knew they would…” At this point, she cut herself off, seemingly reluctant to elaborate, and quickly urged, “Hurry and watch outside.”

Knowing her temperament—if she didn’t want to speak, she wouldn’t, no matter what—I decided to remain a spectator to the unfolding drama.

After dodging the Cocoon-people’s assault, the Great-Mouthed Monster settled back into its motionless stance. The Germans, huddled together and shielding their heads, had completely forgotten how to fight. Old Li, incensed, couldn't help but exclaim, “Can’t they just get up and shoot one by one? They’re acting like idiots!”

Zhuoma Yangjin interjected, “Li Zeng, guns probably won’t work. Those three Cocoon-people, especially the two besides Mark… never mind, you’ll understand in a moment.”

Neither Old Li nor I pressed her further, as the situation outside had subtly shifted again. The human-faced ghouls, which had previously darkened the sky, suddenly seemed to have reached a consensus; they all flew to hover directly above the Great-Mouthed Monster. The monster gently swayed its slender neck, looking quite pleased. It then turned to challenge the Cocoon-people with its gaze.

Cocoon-man Mark, still encumbered by his shell, moved sluggishly, but he retained the fiery temper of the living German Mark. He stiffened his neck, ready to advance.

The Great-Mouthed Monster met this challenge without flinching, taking a slow step forward. With that movement, its slender neck began to shake uncontrollably, as if unable to bear the weight of its massive head any longer. Given such a provocative display, Mark’s temper should have driven him to pounce and fight to the death. Yet, after standing firm for a moment, he drew a few strands of silk from his shell, waggled them slightly, letting them dangle, and took no further action.

I grew impatient. “Why aren't you rushing to attack!”

Zhuoma Yangjin remarked, “He wants to, I’m afraid, but he simply lacks the courage.”

As she spoke, the other four—the remaining two pairs of Cocoon-people—stepped forward to stand alongside Mark, appearing united against the common foe. However, the Great-Mouthed Monster showed no fear and lazily remained stationary.

Between the Great-Mouthed Monster and the Cocoon-people lay the four Germans, sprawled haphazardly and too terrified to move. At this moment, other than the sound of the human-faced ghouls flapping their wings, the silence was absolute. The Germans dared not even breathe heavily. Hans, perhaps thinking an opportunity had arisen, cautiously raised his head to assess the situation, only for a human-faced ghoul to immediately and unceremoniously peck at his face. He instantly turned ashen-faced, pressing his face hard against the ground, too frightened to move even a fraction.

The Great-Mouthed Monster and the Cocoon-people held their standoff for a while, neither side making a sound. The Great-Mouthed Monster began to slowly shuffle toward the Germans lying on the ground, its mouth opening wider and wider. Just a few more steps, and it could snap its jaws shut, dooming one unfortunate soul to have his back bitten off.

At that precise moment, the Cocoon-people suddenly lunged forward with clear reluctance, immediately ejecting countless strands of silk from their entire bodies, coiling them toward Mayatias, Liske, and the others. Seeing this, the Great-Mouthed Monster was enraged. It flashed outward, launching itself into the air, charging straight toward the Cocoon-people!

The Cocoon-people reacted with palpable fear, retreating rapidly.