Entering the Mountain Range, Forging the Demonic Wolf

The majestic Green Peak Mountain Range, like a slumbering ancient dragon, snaked and coiled to the north of Qingyang Town. The undulating peaks were covered in dense primeval forests, perpetually shrouded in mist, exuding an aura of mystery, wildness, and danger.

This was a paradise for demonic beasts and a proving ground for human martial artists. Countless legends and perils lay hidden in the depths of this vast, boundless forest.

A somewhat disheveled black figure, still bearing traces of mud and a foul odor (from crawling out of a culvert), moved like an agile leopard, swiftly weaving through the dense woods.

It was Lin Chen, who had just escaped the confines of the Lin Family.

He had already ventured dozens of miles into the outer reaches of the Green Peak Mountain Range, leaving the Lin Family mansion far behind. Looking back, he could only see the ant-like silhouette of the town on the distant horizon.

"Finally out!"

Lin Chen stopped on the branch of a towering ancient tree, greedily breathing in the fresh, moist, yet wild air of the forest. He felt the cool mountain breeze on his face, his heart filled with an unprecedented sense of freedom and exhilaration!

Three years of suppressed humiliation!

The stifling feeling of being dependent on others!

The constant danger that lurked at every step!

At this moment, it all seemed to be blown away with the fresh mountain wind!

He was no longer the bullied trash of the Lin Family! No longer a pawn who had to constantly feign and tread carefully!

From this day forward, he was his own man! He was Lin Chen, possessor of the Myriad Dao Furnace, with boundless potential!

This vast world was his true stage!

After a brief moment of excitement and emotion, Lin Chen quickly calmed himself.

The Green Peak Mountain Range was fraught with danger! Not only were there powerful demonic beasts, but he might also encounter mercenaries with ill intentions, treasure hunters, or even pursuers from the Lin Family or the Wang Family!

With his current strength at the Body Tempering Realm Seventh Layer (though sufficient to look down upon the younger generation in Qingyang Town, it was still far from top-tier in the entire mountain range), he had to remain vigilant and proceed with caution at all times!

"The priority now is to familiarize myself with the environment and find prey as quickly as possible!" A sharp glint flashed in Lin Chen's eyes.

The Green Peak Mountain Range was not lacking in demonic beasts!

And what did demonic beasts mean to him, the possessor of the Myriad Dao Furnace?

They meant mobile cultivation resources!

Whether it was the essence of their flesh and blood, their inner cores (Demonic Cores), or even their special innate abilities, all could be refined and absorbed by the Myriad Dao Furnace, transforming into sustenance for his advancement!

This was the primary reason he chose to enter the Green Peak Mountain Range!

This would be his hunting ground for another leap in strength!

Lin Chen no longer lingered. He set a direction and began to cautiously explore deeper into the mountain range.

He avoided the obvious paths trodden by hunters or mercenaries, deliberately choosing areas overgrown with thorns and complex terrain to move stealthily. Although this slowed him down, it was more concealed and less likely to lead to encounters with others.

The formidable power of the Body Tempering Realm Sixth Layer Peak granted him astonishing adaptability. The dense jungle, steep mountain walls, and slippery moss could not impede his progress. His movements were like those of a nimble monkey as he leaped and climbed through the forest. While not fast, his movements were silent, blending perfectly with his surroundings.

At the same time, his senses were heightened to the extreme. Every rustle of leaves, chirp of birds, or even faint demonic beast aura within a radius of several hundred meters did not escape his detection.

"Hmm?"

After traveling for about half an hour, Lin Chen's steps suddenly halted!

He keenly detected a faint, suppressed scent of blood emanating from a dense thicket not far ahead! Along with it were several fluctuations from demonic beasts, filled with ferocious and greedy intent!

Something was happening!

Lin Chen's eyes narrowed, and he immediately concealed his aura, stealthily creeping towards the source of the scent like the most seasoned hunter.

He pushed aside layers of leaves, hiding behind a massive ancient tree, and peered forward.

Ahead lay a relatively open clearing in the forest. In the center of the clearing, a robust Unicorn Black Panther, with fur like black satin and a single horn on its forehead, lay dying in a pool of blood!

This black panther was nearly twice the size of an ordinary leopard, and its aura had reached the level of the Body Tempering Realm Seventh Layer! It was clearly a powerful demonic beast of considerable strength!

But now, it was covered in wounds. A massive claw mark, deep enough to expose bone, ran across its abdomen, blood gushing out and staining the grass beneath it. Its breathing was weak, its eyes unfocused, clearly not far from death.

Surrounding the dying Unicorn Black Panther were three equally large Green Wind Demonic Wolves, their bodies covered in grayish-green fur, their eyes fierce and cunning!

Each of these three Green Wind Demonic Wolves possessed an aura around the Body Tempering Realm Sixth Layer! They formed a pincer formation, encircling the severely injured Unicorn Black Panther. Low, threatening growls emanated from their throats, saliva dripping from their sharp fangs, their eyes filled with greed and bloodlust!

Clearly, this powerful Unicorn Black Panther had likely engaged in a fierce battle with these three cunning Green Wind Demonic Wolves, resulting in mutual injuries! The Green Wind Demonic Wolves, with their numerical advantage and cunning coordination, had emerged as the victors!

Now, they were preparing to feast on this hard-won "trophy"!

"A Body Tempering Realm Seventh Layer Unicorn Black Panther, and three Body Tempering Realm Sixth Layer Green Wind Demonic Wolves," Lin Chen, hidden in the shadows, his eyes flickering, felt his heart begin to race!

This was simply a feast delivered to his doorstep!

Both the dying Seventh Layer black panther and the three Sixth Layer demonic wolves were excellent "refining materials" for him, the possessor of the Myriad Dao Furnace!

If he could take them all down, his strength would undoubtedly see a massive improvement! It was even possible he could break through his bottleneck and reach the Body Tempering Realm Seventh Layer!

However...

Lin Chen forcibly suppressed the greed and impulse in his heart, calmly analyzing the situation before him.

While the three Green Wind Demonic Wolves were individually weaker than him, they had the advantage in numbers, and demonic wolves were always known for their cunning, ferocity, and coordinated teamwork! If he were to get entangled with them and be surrounded, even a master at the Body Tempering Realm Seventh Layer might meet an unfortunate end!

Moreover, although the Unicorn Black Panther was on its last legs, who knew if it might unleash a fatal counterattack before dying?

Rushing out rashly was too risky!

It's time to wait for the right moment!

Like the most patient hunter, Lin Chen perfectly concealed his presence, lying in wait in the shadows for the optimal moment to strike.

His plan was to let the螳螂捕蝉,黄雀在后 (mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind) play out, and reap the benefits!

In the center of the clearing, the three Green Wind Demonic Wolves seemed wary of the dying Unicorn Black Panther. They didn't immediately rush in to tear it apart, but instead circled it, letting out threatening growls, attempting to exhaust the panther's last reserves of strength.

The Unicorn Black Panther panted heavily, its golden pupils filled with unwillingness and despair. However, its severe injuries left it without the strength to even stand. It could only watch helplessly as these despicable predators closed in, awaiting the arrival of death.

Time ticked by, second by second.

Finally, one of the Green Wind Demonic Wolves, the largest and seemingly the pack leader, appeared to lose its patience. It let out a low howl and lunged first towards the vital neck of the Unicorn Black Panther!

The other two demonic wolves immediately understood its intent and attacked simultaneously from two different directions! Arranged in a triangular formation, they completely sealed off all possible escape routes for the black panther!

Their coordination was flawless! Their timing precise!

However, just as the three demonic wolves were about to pounce on the black panther—

The Unicorn Black Panther, which had appeared on the verge of death, suddenly erupted with a terrifying glint in its eyes! A fearsome pressure belonging to a seventh-layer demonic beast exploded forth!

"ROAR!!!!!"

It violently raised its head, opening its massive maw. A beam of dark, ink-like energy, condensed from its final life essence, shot out like a death ray, instantly striking the wolf leader that was lunging in front!

This was the Unicorn Black Panther's innate divine ability—Shadow Stab! Its power was astonishing!

The wolf leader clearly hadn't expected such a terrifying counterattack from its dying prey! It let out a strange cry, attempting to dodge, but the distance was too short, and the speed too great—it was simply too late!

Squelch!!!

The black energy beam, like a sharp sword, instantly pierced through the wolf leader's chest! It left behind a terrifying, fist-sized hole that went straight through its body!

"Awooooooo!!!!!"

The wolf leader let out an incredibly piercing howl! Its massive body, as if struck by immense force, flew backward, crashing heavily against a large tree. It twitched twice before falling completely silent!

One strike! Instant kill!

Upon witnessing this, the other two demonic wolves were utterly terrified! They never imagined that the black panther's final, desperate counterattack would be so terrifying! It had instantly killed their strongest pack leader with a single blow!

How could they dare to advance further? They immediately tucked their tails, whimpered, and turned to flee!

Meanwhile, the Unicorn Black Panther, having unleashed its final, fatal strike, had completely expended its remaining strength. The light in its eyes rapidly dimmed, and its massive head drooped powerlessly, its life extinguished.

The螳螂捕蝉,黄雀在后 (mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind) had resulted in mutual destruction!

No! It was a triple defeat!

The black panther was dead! The wolf leader was dead! And the remaining two demonic wolves were terrified out of their wits!

This was simply a heaven-sent opportunity!

"Now!"

A sharp glint shot through Lin Chen's eyes! He no longer hesitated!

Like a leopard that had been lying in wait for a long time, he burst from his hiding spot! His steps were rapid, his figure as swift as lightning! In the blink of an eye, he had crossed dozens of feet, appearing directly before the two Green Wind Demonic Wolves that were attempting to escape!

Having just lost their leader and being terrified by the black panther's death throes, these two demonic wolves hadn't expected a human to be hidden nearby!

When they saw Lin Chen suddenly appear, their fur stood on end in fright! They let out a terrified whimper, turned, and tried to scatter and flee!

But it was too late!

"Trying to run? Leave your lives behind!" Lin Chen's voice was ice-cold, filled with killing intent!

He formed a seal with his left hand! The optimized version of the Surging Wave Palm was instantly unleashed!

This time, he held nothing back! The vigorous Qi of the Body Tempering Realm Seventh Layer erupted without reservation!

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

Muffled explosions echoed through the air! Layers upon layers of palm imprints, glowing with an earthy yellow light, stacked up like surging ocean waves—threefold! Fourfold! Fivefold!

Finally, it transformed into a condensed, heavy, terrifying palm strike that seemed capable of crushing mountains! It slammed fiercely into the back of one of the demonic wolves!

The demonic wolf felt an irresistible, terrifying force strike from behind! It didn't even have time to scream!

Bang!!!!

A bone-chilling sound of cracking bone rang out!

The spine of that Body Tempering Realm Sixth Layer Green Wind Demonic Wolf was directly snapped by this palm strike! Its internal organs were instantly turned to mush! Its massive body flew out like a tattered sack, twitched twice after landing, and then completely lost its life!

One palm strike! Instant kill!

And at the same time!

Lin Chen's right index finger formed a sword!

A condensed, golden-hued Qi finger strike, like a meteor tearing through the night sky, carrying a sharp whistling sound, instantly shot out!

Its target was the head of the other demonic wolf attempting to escape!

Qi Projection! The might of the Seventh Layer! (Although he deliberately controlled the power, displaying only the level of the Sixth Layer Peak, it was still terrifying!)

Squelch!

The demonic wolf hadn't even reacted to what happened!

That golden finger beam had already pierced its skull with pinpoint accuracy, leaving behind a tiny bloody hole!

The demonic wolf's running motion instantly froze! The life in its eyes receded like a tide! Its massive body crashed to the ground!

Instant kill! Still an instant kill!

In a flash of lightning!

The two Body Tempering Realm Sixth Layer Green Wind Demonic Wolves couldn't even put up a decent fight before Lin Chen, with the might of thunder, cleanly slew them all! Lin Chen slowly retracted his fingers, looking at the corpses of the three demonic wolves and one black panther on the ground, his eyes shimmering with excitement!

A harvest! A great harvest!

One seventh-layer demonic beast! Three sixth-layer demonic beasts!

If he were to smelt all of these...

He suppressed the urge to "feast" immediately, knowing that the bloody smell here was too strong and it was not safe to linger. He had to deal with it quickly!

He strode over to the corpse of the wolf king, which had been killed by the black panther. Although wolves were cunning, they occasionally condensed Demonic Cores within their bodies, especially wolf kings, where the probability was higher!

He skillfully used his short knife to cut open the wolf king's chest (even though there was a large hole, it didn't matter). As expected, near the heart, he found a Demonic Core about the size of a thumb, entirely green, emitting faint fluctuations of wind-attribute energy!

"Sixth-tier Demonic Core! Not bad!" Lin Chen's eyes lit up, and he quickly put it away.

He then checked the other two demonic wolves, but unfortunately, his luck wasn't as good, and he didn't find any Demonic Cores.

Finally, he walked over to the corpse of the largest Unicorn Black Panther.

A seventh-layer demonic beast! The probability of condensing a Demonic Core within its body was extremely high! Moreover, its quality was definitely far superior to a sixth-tier one!

Lin Chen's heart was filled with anticipation! He carefully cut open the black panther's abdomen (avoiding the fatal wound).

As expected!

In the black panther's dantian position, a seventh-tier Demonic Core, about the size of a dragon's eye, entirely black, with what seemed like flowing light on its surface, emitting a dense dark-attribute energy and a vast, pure energy, was clearly visible!

"Hahaha! A seventh-tier Demonic Core! And it's a rare dark attribute!" Lin Chen couldn't help but laugh out loud!

The value of this Demonic Core was probably higher than the three demonic wolves combined!

If he were to smelt and absorb it...

Lin Chen felt his mouth watering!

He quickly dug out the Demonic Core, carefully wiped it clean, and solemnly put it into his storage ring.

After doing all this, he looked at the four massive demonic beast corpses on the ground, a hint of greed flashing in his eyes.

The flesh and blood essence of these demonic beasts were also great tonics! Especially that seventh-layer black panther! It absolutely couldn't be wasted!

He immediately activated the Myriad Dao Furnace!

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

Four invisible, domineering suction forces simultaneously enveloped the four demonic beast corpses!

This time, he was no longer pursuing speed but trying to completely squeeze out all the flesh and blood essence contained within them!

The four massive demonic beast corpses visibly shriveled and withered at a speed visible to the naked eye! In the end, only a pile of fur and bones remained!

And within Lin Chen's body, an unprecedented, vast, and mighty pure blood and energy surged in!

This energy was so immense that his skin surface once again emitted a faint red glow! His entire body's blood and energy surged like a great river, roaring!

His physical body's strength, nourished by this surging blood and energy, began to improve by leaps and bounds again! His bones became tougher! His flesh and blood became more solid! His strength exploded!

Although his cultivation realm didn't break through immediately (the energy required to impact the peak of the seventh layer was too immense), Lin Chen could clearly feel that his foundation had become more solid! More robust! His physical strength had increased by at least twenty percent!

"So cool! So cool!" Lin Chen exclaimed, feeling the explosive power within his body, and couldn't help but let out a long roar to the sky!

This feeling of rapidly increasing strength was simply more intoxicating than anything in the world!

After venting, Lin Chen quickly calmed down.

He briefly dealt with the demonic beast corpses that were only left with fur and bones, covering up the traces of the battle, and then immediately left this bloody place.

He needed to find a safe and hidden place to smelt those two precious Demonic Cores! Especially that seventh-tier dark-attribute Demonic Core!

That was the real feast!

He believed that after he completely absorbed and refined these two Demonic Cores, his strength would definitely usher in another qualitative leap!

Carrying his excited mood and infinite anticipation for the future, Lin Chen's figure, like a spirit blending into the mountains, disappeared into the depths of the vast Green Peak Mountain Range.