The giant wolf before them was nearly twenty feet long. Its blue-and-white fur gleamed beneath the setting sun, its sharp claws flashed with cold light, and its two enormous fangs looked savage and terrifying. Its sturdy body seemed to contain endless power.
Even more astonishingly, a biting gale coiled around the beast. Any grass, trees, or fallen leaves that touched it were utterly pulverized by the fierce wind.
"It's actually a Storm Wolf. A beast like this is powerful enough to have reached the level of a Monster Beast, but why would it appear on the outskirts of the Black Dragon Mountain Range? Strange..."
The Storm Wolf bared its fangs and continuously let out low growls. Its wolf eyes were blood-red, its body arched, as though it would pounce at any moment. Li Mu frowned.
The Immortal Realm was vast and boundless, filled with abundant Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi. Thus, it was not only the Human Race who benefited. Over countless years, other birds and beasts had also awakened their intelligence, inherited bloodline talents, gathered the essence of the sun and moon, and accumulated strength day after day until they, too, cultivated incomparably powerful abilities.
Such clans, distinct from ordinary beasts, were collectively known as Monster Beasts.
Over the past ten thousand years, as the cultivation system had steadily improved, humanity's footprints had spread to every corner of the Immortal Realm. Powerful empires had been established, magnificent cities had risen, yet even so, the regions where humans gathered and lived only accounted for thirty percent. The deep mountains, rivers and seas, deserts, and Gobi wastelands still belonged to the kingdom of Monster Beasts.
Monster Beasts were roughly divided into nine levels according to their strength. A Level 1 Monster Beast was comparable to a human Half-step Foundation Establishment cultivator. A Level Two Monster Beast was equivalent to those at Entry and major attainment in the Foundation Establishment Realm, while a Level Three Monster Beast could rival experts at Foundation Establishment Realm Perfection. And so on. Legend had it that Level Nine Monster Beasts even possessed the strength of Ascension Realm experts. Upon reaching that stage, they could no longer be called beasts, but Beast Gods.
Unlike the human cultivation system, Monster Beasts could mostly pass down their strength through their bloodlines. Coupled with the fact that beast clans generally lived far longer than humans, their accumulation over tens of millions of years had made Monster Beasts a force in the Immortal Realm that could not be ignored.
"Brother Mu, this Storm Wolf is so powerful. Look at how dense the storm element around it is. We can feel it even from so far away."
Xiaoyu flashed over to Li Mu's side. The sudden Monster Beast attack had greatly surprised her as well. When the Hundred Herbs Hall team had gathered herbs in this area before, they had never found any traces of large beasts living here, much less a Monster Beast.
"That's right. This Storm Wolf is definitely an extremely powerful existence even among Level 1 Demon Beasts. Ordinary Half-step Foundation Establishment cultivators probably aren't even its match."
Li Mu stared fixedly at the Storm Wolf before him. Monster Beasts like this could control the storm element, and this innate ability inherited through bloodline often caught human cultivators of the same level completely off guard in battle.
The standoff between the two humans and the wolf soon ended. The giant wolf suddenly threw back its head and howled, then instantly exerted force through its hind legs, revealing its incomparably sharp claws as it pounced at Li Mu and Xiaoyu.
Li Mu did not hesitate. The instant the Storm Wolf leaped up, the Shadowless Sword had already left its sheath. A black flash streaked through the air, and a stream of Sword Qi directly met the giant wolf's claws.
"Xiaoyu, I'll stop it head-on. Look for an opportunity to strike from behind."
The Sword Qi collided with the giant wolf in midair with a thunderous boom. The Storm Wolf's body was forcibly halted. Without even waiting for it to land, Li Mu stepped forward and thrust out his sword, aiming directly for the Storm Wolf's vital neck. At the same time, he did not forget to have Xiaoyu circle behind the giant wolf, ready to deliver a fatal blow at any moment.
All this happened within a single breath. Li Mu's combat wisdom and grasp of the larger battle situation, allowing him to make the most correct response at the instant an attack arrived, left Xiaoyu full of admiration.
A sword like a startled swan, impossible to evade. Li Mu believed this thrust would surely grievously wound the Storm Wolf, but things were clearly not as smooth as he had imagined. Just as the sword tip touched the Storm Wolf, a ferocious gale sprang up from nowhere and heavily struck Li Mu in the chest.
"Brother Mu! You beast, take this!"
Watching helplessly as Li Mu was sent flying by the sudden strange wind, Xiaoyu could no longer care about the original plan. She instantly drew the leather whip from her waist, turning it into countless whip shadows in the air that pressed toward the Storm Wolf, which wanted to pursue its advantage. The whip carried bursts of air-exploding cracks and possessed astonishing force, forcing the Storm Wolf to temporarily avoid its edge.
"Damn, I didn't expect to fall for this beast's trick. I still lack experience fighting Monster Beasts. That attack just now must have been its innate skill. Good thing I'm wearing the Thorn Armor—it absorbed part of the damage. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't even be able to stand now."
Li Mu spat out the blood in his mouth, touched his chest, and found that there was no serious injury. Enduring the pain, he hurriedly climbed to his feet and rejoined Xiaoyu's battle against the Storm Wolf.
"This beast is too powerful. Its control over the storm element makes it faster than even me when I use the Li Family Sword Style. Looks like I'll have to rely on the Thorn Armor's active skill to win."
Li Mu exchanged several more frontal clashes with the Storm Wolf and found that his sword techniques could not do anything to the Monster Beast before him. He immediately began adjusting his tactics.
"Xiaoyu, leave all its physical attacks to me. Sorry for the trouble, but hold off its storm element attacks."
Li Mu blocked another claw strike from the Storm Wolf with his sword and shouted to Xiaoyu, who was continuously cracking her whip in the distance. The Storm Wolf's attacks were becoming increasingly violent. He decided to delay no longer and stake everything on a single throw.
Taking advantage of Xiaoyu's long whip shattering the wind blades the Storm Wolf spat from its mouth, Li Mu unleashed his Movement Technique with all his strength. In the blink of an eye, he reached beneath the giant wolf's belly, swung his sword, and slashed toward its soft underbelly.
The Shadowless Sword was indestructible, and it was striking the Monster Beast's weakest point of defense—its abdomen. The gleaming blade sliced through the Storm Wolf's skin and plunged three feet deep. Blood immediately burst forth, splashing Li Mu from head to toe.
The Storm Wolf howled in pain, then furiously raised its right claw and directly slammed it into Li Mu.
"Ancient Thorn Armor, activate."
As a mysterious crimson stream of light flashed, the Storm Wolf's enraged blow was completely absorbed by Li Mu's armor. Yet the enormous momentum still smashed him viciously to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Li Mu was knocked so hard by the ground's rebound that the world spun around him. Before he could even rise, the Storm Wolf's claws struck down again. Disregarding all dignity, Li Mu rolled like a lazy donkey and barely dodged the blow.
Unfortunately, the Storm Wolf in its fury was terrifying beyond compare. Li Mu had only just gotten to his feet when he saw the enormous wolf tail sweeping toward him. Instinctively, he activated the Thorn Armor's skill and absorbed a great deal of the damage, but the force still sent him flying backward once more. He crashed through several thick poplar trees in midair before finally coming to a stop.
Another mouthful of blood sprayed from his lips. He had clearly suffered serious internal injuries.
"Damn it, this beast's strength is insane. If I take a few more hits, the recoil alone will kill me."
Pain from its wounded abdomen had already driven the Storm Wolf completely mad. Terrifying energy gathered in its mouth, and it fired dozens of wind blades in succession at Li Mu, who lay on the ground, intending to tear apart the human who had injured it.
"Ha!"
A petite figure flashed forward and landed before Li Mu. A jade-like arm swung, whip shadows danced, and every wind blade in the air was intercepted.
But Xiaoyu's cultivation had not even reached Half-step Foundation Establishment. After continuous battle and unleashing attacks at full strength, she was now drenched in fragrant sweat. Her lovely face had begun to turn pale, the Yuan Qi within her was about to run dry, and her standing legs trembled faintly. Yet she did not retreat, and even the long whip in her hand showed not the slightest weakness.
Brother Mu told me to block every wind blade. No matter what, I have to do it. Even if I die, I cannot give up!
The girl's heart cried out again and again. Her body seemed to regain a little strength, and the power of her long whip increased by several degrees. For a time, the airtight curtain of whip shadows shielded Li Mu completely.
Li Mu knew that Xiaoyu had reached her limit and was only holding on through sheer willpower. He drew a deep breath, pushed himself up with both hands, rose to his feet, and suddenly exerted force beneath his feet. Like a ghost, he charged directly toward the Storm Wolf's claws.
The terrifying fangs were right before him. Li Mu could even see thick saliva dripping from the giant wolf's blood-filled maw. Without the slightest hesitation, he fiercely thrust out the Shadowless Sword in his hand. At the same time, the crimson glow around the Thorn Armor was directly drawn into the Shadowless Sword.
"Ancient Thorn Armor, return it to its owner, activate!"
The giant wolf's fangs were already close at hand and would pierce Li Mu's chest the next second. With this sword strike, he would either succeed or die.
The originally pitch-black Shadowless Sword had turned a brilliant crimson. The Thorn Armor poured the immense damage it had absorbed into the Shadowless Sword through a strange method. Such enormous energy was utterly beyond comparison to the battle with Nangong Qi. The sword continuously rang out, its blade trembling, while the overflowing red energy made it bloom with a dazzling sharpness Li Mu had never seen before.
Red Sword Qi burst from the blade, stretching more than ten feet long. It directly pierced into the Storm Wolf's mouth and emerged from the back of its neck, impaling the entire beast clean through.
The wolf's fangs were now only inches away from Li Mu, yet they could not advance even half an inch further. Everything seemed to freeze at that moment.
In an instant, the Sword Qi claimed the life of the powerful Monster Beast. Its enormous body crashed down, followed by Li Mu, whose entire body had gone limp. That final strike had utterly drained every last bit of his strength.
A figure caught Li Mu steadily before he hit the ground. Lying in the girl's arms, Li Mu finally let out a sigh of relief. His consciousness began to blur, overwhelming exhaustion washed over him, and his eyelids felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.
"Brother Mu, don't scare Xiaoyu. You absolutely can't let anything happen to you!"
The girl's fragrance made Li Mu even sleepier. Looking at Xiaoyu, who had already cried herself into a tearful mess, Li Mu barely forced out a smile to show that he was all right. Then his head tilted to one side, and he fainted.
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