Wolf Pack Night Raid, First Cry of Judgment

Wolf Pack Night Raid, First Cry of Judgment

Night had completely shrouded the Star Dou Great Forest, the darkness so thick it seemed impossible to dissolve. Ghost Leopard Douluo sat like a statue merged with the night, only the occasional glint of chilling light flashing through his half-open eyes. The pitch-black giant panther beneath him breathed slowly, but its dark golden vertical pupils constantly swept every inch of shadow around them.

Ling Feng sat cross-legged on a distant rock, seemingly meditating to recover, but his mind was actually highly focused as he pushed Fate's Watcher to its limit. The interference buzzed like countless fine needles piercing his mind, yet he endured it and struggled to catch the movements coming from the direction of the purple swamp.

Rustle... rustle...

Faint sounds, nearly impossible to detect, drifted in from all directions like a breeze brushing through grass. An icy Soul Power fluctuation carrying the stench of decay spread silently through the air like an invisible tide, growing ever denser!

They were here! The Nether Wolf Pack!

Ling Feng suddenly opened his eyes, his black pupils as sharp as an eagle's in the night! He did not call out a warning, because Ghost Leopard Douluo's aura had not changed in the slightest. He had clearly discovered them long ago! This was a test! A test of how he would respond!

Ding! The Nether Wolf Pack has launched a night raid! Target: Mutated Nether Wolves (7-9), alpha wolf (approximately 650 years)! God-Tier Choice triggered!

Choice One: Cling to the powerful! Immediately hide behind Ghost Leopard Douluo and seek protection. Reward: Absolute safety. Ghost Leopard's evaluation: "Coward."

Choice Two: Hold your ground and await aid! Defend with all your strength where you stand and wait for Ghost Leopard Douluo to act. Reward: Ghost Leopard's evaluation: "Passable." Obtain the "Tenacity" status effect (temporary Defense +10%).

Choice Three: Take the initiative! Charge toward the incoming wolf pack. Use the terrain and Martial Soul advantages to attempt to kill the alpha wolf! Reward: Ghost Leopard's evaluation: "Gutsy." Obtain "First Cry of Judgment" (Attack Power against dark- and evil-aligned Soul Beasts +15%)! If the alpha wolf is successfully killed, Soul Ring quality will receive an additional boost!

"Kill!" Cold fire burned in Ling Feng's eyes. He chose the third option without the slightest hesitation!

Hide? That was not his style! Wait? Passively taking a beating was even more foolish! He wanted to seize control of the battle! More importantly, he wanted to prove his worth to Ghost Leopard! The Judgment Angel was born to be darkness's nemesis!

"Elder! The wolf pack is attacking! This disciple will be back shortly!" Ling Feng shouted in a low voice. His body shot off the rock like an arrow released from a bow. Rather than retreating, he charged straight toward the direction where the icy aura was thickest, plunging into the dense darkness of his own accord! He moved so fast that a faint golden afterimage trailed behind him!

"Hm?" Ghost Leopard Douluo, who had kept his eyes closed until then, abruptly opened them, astonishing light bursting from his clouded gaze! Looking at Ling Feng's resolute back as he charged into the darkness, true surprise appeared on his face for the first time, followed by... a trace of approval. "Good kid! You've got guts!" He still did not move, but the pitch-black giant panther beneath him slightly raised its head, its dark golden vertical pupils fixed on the direction Ling Feng had rushed toward.

Ling Feng pushed his speed to the limit. Amid the interference, Fate's Watcher struggled to sketch vague outlines ahead of him! Seven shadows! No, eight dark-purple shadows moved soundlessly through the trees like ghosts, encircling him in a fan-shaped formation! The leader was nearly half again as large as the other wolves. The spiral horn on its forehead glimmered with an icy metallic sheen, while the black mist around its four claws was even denser. Its wolf eyes shone in the darkness like two green ghostly flames, full of cunning and savagery!

A 650-year-old Mutated Nether Alpha Wolf!

"Awooo—!" The alpha wolf let out a short, piercing howl! The encirclement instantly tightened! From the shadows on both sides, four slightly smaller Nether Wolves sprang forth like purple bolts of lightning! Their massive jaws, brimming with fangs, opened wide. Rather than biting directly, an eerie glow lit up deep within their throats!

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—!

Several soundless dark-purple energy rays carrying powerful soul-corroding fluctuations crossed the distance in an instant like venomous snakes striking, shooting straight for Ling Feng's head! The Nether Wolves' innate soul skill—Nether Ray! It directly attacked the soul!

"Hmph!" Ling Feng had long been prepared! The Judgment Angel Martial Soul was exceptionally sensitive to darkness and evil! The instant the rays fired, his charging body made an unbelievable right-angle turn, narrowly evading two of them! At the same time, his thoughts raced!

A pair of dazzling golden wings unfurled behind him once more! This time, he held nothing back! Blazing Light Power erupted with a roar! Light was precisely the bane of such sinister soul skills!

"Purify!" Ling Feng growled! The golden wings suddenly folded forward, forming two enormous shields of light before him! Brilliant white arcs of lightning crackled across them!

Puff! Puff! Puff!

The remaining dark-purple rays slammed fiercely into the golden wings! There was no earth-shattering explosion, only the violent sound of dissolution, like cold water splashing into hot oil! The dark-purple energy rapidly broke apart and evaporated like snow upon touching pure light, releasing sizzling cries of anguish!

Though he had blocked the attack, the lingering effects of the soul corrosion still made Ling Feng's head sink slightly, as though it had been pricked by needles. Nether Ray truly was vicious!

The instant he blocked the first wave, three other Nether Wolves, including the cunning alpha wolf, had already taken the opportunity to pounce from directly ahead and behind him! A foul wind assaulted his face! Sharp wolf claws, wrapped in ominous black mist and shrieking as they tore through the air, slashed viciously toward Ling Feng's back, waist, abdomen, and throat! Their angles were vicious, their coordination flawless!

This was the real killing move! The alpha wolf's command was extremely insidious!

At this critical moment!

Ding! Life-or-death crisis! Choice triggered!

Choice One: Light Wing Protection! Fully activate the light wings to envelop your entire body and endure the attack head-on! Reward: High chance of severe injury, Soul Power depletion, and insight into "Turtle Shell Defense."

Choice Two: Lightning Burst! Detonate the lightning power within the light wings to force back the wolves at close range! Reward: Knockback effect, slight backlash suffered, and insight into "Lightning Control."

Choice Three: Judgment Lock! Ignore all other attacks. Focus all Soul Power and mental strength to lock onto the alpha wolf with the Eye of Judgment and unleash a destructive impact! To capture bandits, capture their king first! Reward: High chance of severely wounding the alpha wolf, extremely high risk of leaving yourself wide open, and insight into the Will of Judgment! If successful, the intimidation effect will be doubled!

"Die!" Ferocity flashed through Ling Feng's eyes! Without the slightest hesitation, he chose the third option!

Passive defense? That was not his path! What he wanted was a single fatal strike! Judgment!

He spun around abruptly, completely ignoring the wolf claws clawing at his back and waist! All his Soul Power, all his spiritual will, surged madly into his black pupils like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea! His eyes instantly became pure gold! An invisible and terrifying spiritual pressure, carrying the meaning of destruction and judgment, crashed toward the Nether Alpha Wolf charging straight at him like an unseen Great Hammer, ignoring the distance between them!

Eye of Judgment! (Prototype Talent!)

Buzz—!

The air seemed to freeze for an instant! The green wolf eyes of the fiercely charging Nether Alpha Wolf were instantly flooded with blinding gold! Its cruel and cunning expression immediately turned into extreme terror and bewilderment! It was as if it had seen something so horrifying that even its soul had frozen solid! Its pouncing motion abruptly stiffened! Even the black mist around its claws became chaotic!

Now!

"Break!" Ling Feng released a beast-like roar from his throat! Before the attacks of the other two wolves could reach him, while the alpha wolf was stunned by the Eye of Judgment! He clenched his right fist, pouring every last trace of Soul Power within him into it without reserve! Golden light mixed with leaping arcs of lightning condensed into a blinding orb around his fist! He used no flashy soul skill, only this punch containing the Will of Judgment and all his strength! He smashed it fiercely into the alpha wolf's fear-stiffened forehead!

Bang!!!!!

A dull, heart-shaking boom erupted! Golden light mixed with blazing white lightning exploded across the alpha wolf's forehead! Its hard spiral horn, gleaming with metallic luster, shattered inch by inch like fragile glass before the power infused with the aura of judgment and destruction! Violent light and lightning energy brutally poured into the alpha wolf's skull!

"Awooo—!!!" A shriek so miserable it changed pitch tore through the night sky!

The massive body of the alpha wolf flew backward as though it had been struck head-on by a battering ram! It crashed through a tree trunk as thick as a bowl, then rolled across the ground, its limbs twitching. Its green wolf eyes rolled white, while black blood mixed with brain matter flowed from its nose and mouth! Its entire head was scorched black and caved in. It was clearly beyond saving!

One strike! Instant death!

This was the absolute suppression the Judgment Angel Martial Soul had over dark-aligned Soul Beasts! Combined with the spiritual intimidation of the Eye of Judgment and Ling Feng's all-or-nothing burst!

At the same time Ling Feng sent the alpha wolf flying with his punch!

Rip! Splat!

The claws of the other two Nether Wolves finally tore through the weak Soul Power defense Ling Feng had hastily formed, ripping viciously into his back and waist! Intense pain surged through him instantly! Their sharp claws tore through his clothes and flesh, leaving several wounds so deep that bone could be seen! Icy dark Soul Power clung to the wounds like maggots on bone, corroding him madly!

"Urgh!" Ling Feng groaned, stumbling and nearly falling. Agonizing pain and the weakness of depleted Soul Power swept over him like a tide. Yet his eyes burned with excited fire! It was worth it!

The alpha wolf's death instantly threw the remaining Nether Wolf Pack into chaos! Their eyes were filled with incredulous terror! Their alpha, their powerful leader, had actually been killed by one punch from this human youth?! The aura of judgment that had made their souls tremble in fear had yet to dissipate!

"Wuu-ao..." The remaining seven Nether Wolves let out terrified whimpers. How could they dare linger any longer? With their tails between their legs, they transformed into seven purple shadows and fled frantically into the dense darkness like beaten dogs, several times faster than when they had arrived!

The battle began in a flash and came to an abrupt end with the alpha wolf's death.

Ling Feng panted heavily. His back and waist burned with pain, blood staining his black clothes red. Yet he stood tall, looking at the alpha wolf's charred corpse on the ground and the Soul Ring slowly emerging above it, flickering with deep purple light. A bloodstained and utterly exhilarated smile spread across his lips!

He had done it! A 650-year Soul Ring! A first Soul Ring beyond the limit!

"Good! What a Fist of Judgment!" A cold voice full of undisguised praise sounded from behind him. Ghost Leopard Douluo had somehow appeared not far behind Ling Feng. His clouded old eyes gleamed sharply as he looked the blood-soaked youth up and down. "Ruthless enough! Decisive enough! You used your Martial Soul's traits well! Kid, what was your name again? Ling Feng? This old man will remember you!"

Ling Feng slowly turned around, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and gave Ghost Leopard Douluo a smile that was weary yet full of sharpness. "You flatter me, Elder. May this disciple absorb this Soul Ring now?"