Wariness

As Wu Tian clashed with the disciples of Wild Dog Cave, deep in the woods, on top of two towering Ancient Woods, Man Xiongmu was confronting the Master of Wild Dog Cave.

"Junior Brother Man Xiong, they're about to make their move. Are you sure you don't want to go help him?"

Tong Guan was still dressed in black robes and wearing a black cloak. His entire person looked gloomy and dangerous.

Man Xiongmu's expression remained calm as he said indifferently, "This place isn't far from there. Even if he can't win, he can hide inside. Why would I need to worry?"

"Oh? He can actually enter that senior's place of cultivation?" Tong Guan's heart sank again when he heard this.

If that white dog could truly enter the Forbidden Area halfway up the mountain, then its standing in that senior's heart was even more important than he had imagined.

That would be quite troublesome.

Man Xiongmu didn't look at Tong Guan's expression. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the clash in the distant forest.

"Senior Brother Tong, White Dragon is also a dog. Speaking of which, the inheritance of Wild Dog Cave suits him best."

"Could Senior Brother pass the Moon Swallowing Qi Circulation Diagram on to him?"

"Also, White Dragon is about to begin refining a Curse Artifact. He happens to be short of some ironwood. I heard Senior Brother is still hiding a piece of Thousand-Year Ironwood Heart?"

Tong Guan's expression turned somewhat ugly. As expected, this fellow was making a lion's demand. He not only wanted to kill someone, he also wanted the inheritance and spirit materials of Wild Dog Cave. That Thousand-Year Ironwood Heart was a Mid-grade Spirit Material.

Naturally, he wasn't afraid of Man Xiongmu, nor was he worried that that senior would directly attack him. What he was wary of was Wu Tian.

This time, Wu Tian had Huang Ren go after Tong Guan's own son, Tong Jin. It was a naked threat.

With that senior's decree, he didn't dare attack Wu Tian.

But Wu Tian dared to kill his son.

There was no way to guard against a thief for a thousand days.

If Tong Jin were accidentally killed by Wu Tian, what could he do?

Throw away his life to avenge him?

That was why he had chosen to compromise: for the sake of his son, he would toss out a few useless disciples and let the other side vent its anger.

But he hadn't expected Man Xiongmu to push his luck...

Tong Guan's gaze turned cold. Just as he was about to refuse, he heard Man Xiongmu say indifferently, "Grudges are easy to form but hard to resolve. White Dragon's temper is especially that of a dog—he never let the smallest slight go unanswered. Senior Brother, you'd better think it through."

"The clash isn't over yet. Why don't you take another look, Senior Brother?"

Tong Guan fell silent and likewise turned his gaze toward the battle in the woods.

Meanwhile, the four Wild Dog Cave disciples who had transformed into wild dogs were rapidly closing in after seeing the corpses and blood not far away.

The instant the two in front drew close to the corpses, a white blur shot out from the dense branches at a terrifying speed. Wu Tian already had the high ground, and with his frightening explosive power and speed, he became incredibly fast in that instant.

Bang!

The Wild Dog Cave disciple Wu Tian had targeted hadn't even sensed the enemy before a tremendous force sent him flipping through the air.

"Ah..."

He panicked and cried out despite himself.

But in the next moment, his voice abruptly ceased. A pair of razor-sharp fangs bit straight through his throat.

Splurt!

Blood sprayed in every direction, staining the snow-white fur red.

Only after the man died horribly did the other Wild Dog Cave disciple beside him react. His eyes nearly split with rage as he let out a furious roar, yet undisguisable fear and panic were mixed into it.

"You... you're courting death!"

Wu Tian gave him no time to react further. His powerful limbs slammed against the ground, and then, like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey, he kicked up a vicious gale and tore toward the enemy.

The Wild Dog Cave disciple's scalp went numb. Without thinking, he rolled across the ground, but by then Wu Tian had already pounced.

Both forepaws crashed onto the enemy, unleashing astonishing strength, while his razor-sharp teeth tore in without mercy.

Splurt!

Wu Tian's teeth pierced straight through the enemy's fur, but his eyes suddenly narrowed.

The prey that had been pinned down had actually transformed into a wild dog hide. The Wild Dog Cave disciple had shed his shell from within the hide like a Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell, then fled in the opposite direction without looking back.

This was the wondrous use of the beast robes from the Thirty-six Caves branches of Skull Mountain's Hundred Beasts Yin Soul Path. They not only allowed one to transform into flying birds and beasts, but also let one borrow the beast robe's Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell technique at the critical moment between life and death, escaping with one's life.

During the escape, one could also burn away the power within the beast robe completely, empower oneself, and erupt with even greater speed to flee for one's life.

It could be said that beast robes were the most practical means of combat and escape available to Skull Mountain disciples in the Qi Nourishing Realm.

This change had indeed caught Wu Tian off guard, but the other party had been thoroughly frightened. He fled without looking back, leaving his back exposed to Wu Tian.

"You're digging your own grave!"

Even though the other party's speed had surged, it still hadn't surpassed the limits of Wu Tian's speed. With the Thousand Mile Divine Speed innate ability, combined with the transformation of his body after becoming a spirit beast, he was far too fast.

His strength and speed had originally surpassed those of humans. His speed in particular was terrifying, rare even among spirit beasts.

Whoosh, whoosh~

Wind whipped across his cheeks. The fleeing Wild Dog Cave disciple's heart had nearly leaped into his throat. He had never imagined that the white dog that had only just become a spirit beast could be so ferocious.

In the blink of an eye, two of his fellow disciples had died.

If he hadn't reacted quickly just now, he probably wouldn't even have had time to cast the Form-Shifting Incantation before being bitten to death.

Fortunately, he had already seen the other two junior disciples—a brother and a sister—catching up. At last, delight appeared on his face.

"Junior Brother, Junior Sister, come help me!"

He shouted loudly. As long as the three of them joined up, they would certainly be able to deal with that dog.

He was even somewhat impatient to skin and dismember that white dog, venting the panic and fear buried deep in his heart.

However, the two Wild Dog Cave disciples facing him both showed terrified expressions and shouted, "Senior Brother, watch out!"

"What?" Startled by the cries of his junior brother and sister, he seemed to realize something and tried to turn around.

But it was already too late...

Splurt!

Amid a vicious gale, cold, bone-piercing fangs sank fiercely into his neck from behind his head. Excruciating pain spread through his entire body in an instant.

"Ahhhhhh..."

A hysterical scream rang through the woods. The horrifying sounds of bones cracking and agonized howls made the two Wild Dog Cave disciples who had caught up instantly pale.

They hurriedly stopped, no longer daring to approach.

Thud~

A corpse with the back of its neck nearly bitten to pieces fell to the ground. Wu Tian had pounced onto it from behind, his fangs viciously chewing until half the back of the skull was crushed. White brain matter, splintered bone, and scarlet blood were tangled together in a scene of utter carnage.

His fur, fangs, and mouth were all covered in blood. Standing atop the corpse, he coldly looked toward the two Wild Dog Cave disciples opposite him.

Both had transformed into wild dogs. One was covered entirely in black fur, while the other was a golden-yellow poodle. The latter was a female disciple.

As for the remaining three, their cultivation was weaker. They had yet to reach Qi Nurturing, Form Condensing or refine beast robes, so they were the slowest and had not yet caught up from behind.

Wu Tian extended his tongue and licked the blood from his fangs. The bloody scent filled him with indescribable excitement, an exhilaration that came from both his bloodline and soul.

The muscles in his hind legs contracted violently before he stamped down hard, nearly driving two bloody holes through the corpse beneath his feet. His body erupted with extreme speed as he pounced toward the enemies.