"If I'd had such a powerful physique back then, that demon's palm strike would have left me with no more than minor injuries instead of nearly robbing me of all my combat strength!"
Tang Jie clenched his fist, feeling as if the air itself might explode between his fingers. He thought to himself.
In his battle with that demon, Tang Jie had taken a palm strike from it. His Golden Bell Shield had shattered, and he himself had been so badly wounded that he could no longer fight. But if it had been the current him, he would not have ended up in such a sorry state. He could have endured the strike head-on and still possessed the strength to counterattack!
"Nearly two months have been wasted... The chances of finding that woman are probably almost nonexistent now. Still, I might as well go take a look at Peerless City."
Tang Jie sighed. He had wasted far too much time here. Finding the woman who had left that message was practically impossible, but he still wanted to go to Peerless City and have a look.
Tang Jie packed his belongings and prepared to bid farewell to Tie Dong and Tie Niu.
"You're leaving? All right... If you get injured again or anything, you're welcome to come to our clinic." Upon learning that Tang Jie was leaving, Tie Dong was somewhat surprised, but he did not try to stop him. Instead, he smiled.
"Yeah. Hopefully I won't end up injured that badly again." Tang Jie smiled as well.
"N-no! Something's happened to Brother Tie!"
Just as Tang Jie finished saying goodbye and was about to leave, a man in coarse clothing ran into the clinic from outside. His face was filled with terror.
"What happened to Tie Niu? Take your time and tell me!"
Tie Dong was startled when he heard this, but he still maintained his composure. The man was an apprentice at their clinic, yet he was now trembling with fear.
The man swallowed and stammered, "Th-this morning, Brother Tie Niu and I went to the Red Maple Forest nearby to gather medicinal herbs, but we ran into several strangely dressed men in there. They said something about needing bait. One of them cut off Brother Tie's arm with a single sword strike from several meters away... I was so frightened that I ran away at once. Those men didn't chase me..."
Tie Dong's body swayed faintly as he listened, and his face turned pale.
"They cut off someone's arm with a single sword strike from several meters away... Could they be cultivators?" Tang Jie was also slightly startled when he heard this. He knew that there was an eighty or ninety percent chance cultivators had done it, but what did they want to use Tie Niu as bait for?
"Young... Young Master Tang, you have to help me... My children were killed by bandits while they were out treating someone, and he's my only grandson..." Tie Dong looked at Tang Jie pleadingly, looking as if he might kneel before him at any moment.
From the clinic apprentice's description, Tie Dong knew that the men who had captured Tie Niu were no ordinary people. Even if he reported it to the authorities, the few soldiers in their small town would probably be powerless.
Only the unfathomable Tang Jie might be able to rescue Tie Niu!
"Don't worry. There's no way I can stand by and do nothing. Where is the Red Maple Forest?" Tang Jie supported Tie Dong, who was trying to kneel, and comforted him before asking.
Tie Dong and Tie Niu had carried him back from the woods in the past. Tang Jie had to repay that kindness. Now that Tie Niu was in danger, with Tang Jie's character, there was no way he could stand idly by!
"It's east of Maple Forest Town... You'll see it once you leave the town," Tie Dong hurriedly replied.
"All right. I'll go take a look first."
Tang Jie nodded, then immediately used his movement technique. His figure dragged a phantom behind it and vanished from the clinic at a speed impossible for ordinary eyes to follow, heading east toward the Red Maple Forest.
"We'll hurry there too!" Tie Dong said at once. He and the clinic apprentice then also hurried toward the Red Maple Forest.
At that moment, a brutally cruel scene was unfolding within the Red Maple Forest.
The maple leaves were as red as blood. Tie Niu was hanging upside down from a large tree, one of his arms severed at the elbow. Blood dripped steadily onto the ground.
Tie Niu's face was deathly pale. Anger filled it, but fear filled it even more. He wanted to shout, but earlier, the triangular-eyed man had forced him to swallow some unknown pill. It had left his body numb and entirely beyond his control. He could not even move a finger.
"Wh-why... are you doing this to me?" Tie Niu was utterly bewildered. He had not offended those men, so why had they attacked him without saying a word? Were these so-called cultivators really this overbearing and cruel? How were they any different from beasts?
In a thicket not far from that tree, three people were waiting in silence.
"Will this really work? Will that Crimson Blood Wolf come?"
Among the three men, one wearing a black hood spoke with a deep frown.
The sinister man chuckled. "Crimson Blood Wolves are extremely sensitive to the smell of blood. It'll come. If it doesn't, we'll capture a few more people and slowly bleed them. Sooner or later, we'll draw it out."
The three of them were disciples of the cultivation sect Mystic Spirit Peak. Not long ago, they had accepted a sect mission to hunt a Crimson Blood Wolf and bring back its demon core.
After making some inquiries, the three learned that a Crimson Blood Wolf was hiding in the Red Maple Forest.
Crimson Blood Wolves were exceptionally sensitive to blood. Just as the three cultivators from Mystic Spirit Peak were considering how to lure it out, they happened to encounter Tie Niu and his companion, who had entered the Red Maple Forest to gather herbs.
How could the three of them refuse bait that had delivered itself to their door? They immediately captured Tie Niu, chopped off one of his arms, and hung him up, hoping to see whether the blood flowing from him would attract the Crimson Blood Wolf.
As for whether this was too cruel, the three did not care. As cultivators, killing a mere ordinary villager was nothing. Tie Niu could only blame his bad luck for running into them!
"Hm? It's here!"
The sinister man's eyes lit up. In the distant Red Maple Forest, a massive creature was slowly emerging. It was a giant wolf over three meters long, its entire body blood-red. Its eyes glittered with vicious light, filling anyone who met its gaze with fear and making them tremble, their fighting spirit completely extinguished!
The Crimson Blood Wolf was a demonic beast that reached the peak of Rank One upon adulthood. It was savage by nature and ranked among the strongest peak Rank One demonic beasts. It was exceptionally sensitive to the smell of blood. Once it fixed its sights on prey, it would pursue it relentlessly until one of them was dead.
"Don't make a sound. Once the Crimson Blood Wolf eats this boy's flesh, the poison will take effect. Then we'll move in. Taking it down will be effortless," one of the triangular-eyed men whispered.
Earlier, the triangular-eyed man had forced Tie Niu to swallow a poisonous pill. Anyone who consumed it would become numb and weak, making movement difficult. Even a demonic beast would temporarily lose control of its body after being poisoned!
Having the Crimson Blood Wolf eat Tie Niu, then killing it while the poison was taking effect—this was the plan of the three Mystic Spirit Peak cultivators, allowing them to minimize the risk.
The three then concealed their auras and suppressed their breathing as much as possible, waiting silently.
The Crimson Blood Wolf sniffed the air. It saw Tie Niu hanging upside down from the tree in the distance. After looking around and finding nothing unusual, it slowly walked toward him.
"Th-this... this is a demonic beast? Help... someone help me!"
Tie Niu clearly saw the enormous Crimson Blood Wolf approaching him. Fear surged through him, and he wanted to scream for help, but the poisonous pill had numbed his tongue, making it impossible for him to speak.
The Crimson Blood Wolf walked beneath Tie Niu and looked up at him, blood-colored light flickering in its eyes. As a demonic beast, its intelligence was not high. Although it was puzzled by the presence of prey hanging here, the sweet, bloody scent constantly wafting from Tie Niu's severed arm made its saliva run, and it could no longer restrain its desire to feast!
"Boom, boom, boom, boom!"
The Crimson Blood Wolf bared a ferocious look and prepared to tear Tie Niu from the tree and feast on him. But its ears suddenly twitched. It had heard a rumbling sound—the trembling of the ground!
It was as if... a gigantic ferocious beast was charging this way. The tremors grew from distant to near, and in almost an instant, they had reached the vicinity!
Before you continue