The burly skeleton warrior looked at the taotie, then turned its head rigidly towards the stone gate. Its mouth creaked, and several vague words were audible. “Protect… intruders… eliminate…”

It slowly walked over to the stone gate, gripping the spear in its hands.

It looked as though it had just woken from a deep slumber. Its movements were slightly awkward at first, but as it walked, its body seemed to grow lighter, and its movements also gradually grew smoother. Eventually, it even began to run.

The other taoties rushed out from the mist. They tilted their heads slightly when they saw their beheaded comrade. They couldn’t figure out why the strongest and fastest of them had suddenly been reduced to this.

However, their instincts quickly overtook their curiosity, and they began to gorge themselves on their comrade’s corpse.

After all, in Chinese mythology, the taotie was synonymous with gluttony. They would eat anything they could find, and according to legend, it was so gluttonous that it ended up eating...