Swift Wind Wolves

Before long, Su Yu had appeared at the entrance to Swift Wind Valley.

According to the map, this was the primary habitat of the Swift Wind Wolves.

He reined in his aura, and his Soul Power rippled outward in every direction.

Found one!

Three hundred paces to the southeast, a lone adult Swift Wind Wolf was drinking from a stream.

The beast stood nearly five feet at the shoulder. Distinctive blue-green markings streaked its silvery-gray fur, and its fangs were over an inch long.

The instant Su Yu spotted it, the Swift Wind Wolf abruptly raised its head, its amber pupils contracting sharply!

Whoosh—

A sudden whistle split the air. In the blink of an eye, the beast had crossed a hundred paces, its claws darting straight for Su Yu's throat!

The speed of that pounce rivaled the full-force burst of a Qi Refining Level 7 martial artist.

Su Yu stopped suppressing his cultivation. The spiritual power of Qi Refining Level 6 erupted from him.

The moment his iron sword left its sheath, a visible blue-green whirlwind coiled around its blade.

Wind Sweeps Clouds!

The clash of metal rang out like an explosion, and the sword met the claws in a flash of blinding sparks.

The Swift Wind Wolf was knocked back three zhang. When it landed, its claws carved deep furrows into the ground.

It shook its head, a flash of almost human surprise in its eyes.

How could a human whose aura was weaker than its own block its pounce head-on?

Giving it no time to think, Su Yu launched an attack.

This time, his swordplay held a hint of profound intent. Before the blade even arrived, its fierce wind had already carved cracks into the ground.

It was the might of the Sword Momentum he had first glimpsed yesterday!

The Swift Wind Wolf roared furiously. A blue-green glow rose around it, and it grew another three parts faster.

As man and beast crossed paths, several streams of blood sprayed into the air.

At last, the Gale Sword Style, empowered by Sword Momentum, broke through the beast's defenses!

The wounded Swift Wind Wolf went completely berserk, its eyes red as rubies.

It held nothing back. Its innate ability, Swift Wind Acceleration, surged to full force, its body so fast it left afterimages.

Su Yu, however, remained unnaturally calm.

With his Soul Power sensing every movement, the Swift Wind Wolf's actions seemed as clear as slow motion.

When the beast pounced again, he turned precisely to the side—

Unable to halt its momentum, the Swift Wind Wolf slammed into an ancient tree behind him.

The thick trunk snapped in half. Amid a flurry of wood chips, Su Yu's killing blow arrived!

Swift as Wind, Fast as Lightning!

His blade, wrapped in fierce Sword Momentum, pierced the Swift Wind Wolf between the brows like a bolt of lightning.

The strike was impossibly fast. Even as the tip emerged from the back of its skull, the ferocity in the wolf's eyes had yet to fade.

The Swift Wind Wolf's corpse twitched a few times, then fell still.

Su Yu swiftly cut open the wolf's belly. He was in luck.

A blue-green Beast Core, about the size of a pigeon's egg, glimmered faintly.

As expected of a demon beast comparable to a Qi Refining Level 7 martial artist...

Su Yu wiped the blood from the Beast Core, his heart unmoved.

His powerful Soul Power had made him perfectly accustomed to killing; he even felt a faint thrill.

After recovering his spiritual power with a brief meditation, Su Yu suddenly felt every hair on his body stand on end!

Through his Soul Power, he sensed an even more terrifying aura approaching at breakneck speed.

Judging from the fluctuations in its spiritual power, it was at least a Level 1 High Rank Swift Wind Wolf!

Awoo—

A vicious wolf howl tore through the night. Before Su Yu could even catch his breath, another streak of blue-green lightning shot out of the woods.

It was a Swift Wind Wolf that had just advanced to Level 1 High Rank. Demonic energy roiled around it. Though its realm had yet to stabilize, the pressure it radiated was already comparable to a Qi Refining Realm Level 8 martial artist!

There was another one!

Su Yu's heart lurched, and he hastily raised his sword to block.

A deafening crash rang out. His iron sword shuddered violently, and he was flung backward like a kite with its strings cut. He smashed through three ancient trees before finally coming to a stop.

His internal organs felt as though they had been displaced, and a mouthful of blood surged from his throat.

The beast gave him no chance to catch his breath. A ghostly blue light flared around its four claws as it rushed at him in a blur of afterimages.

Su Yu endured the agony and unleashed the Gale Sword Style with all his strength. Sword Light formed a curtain before him, laying down layer upon layer of defense.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The clash of metal rang without end. Each collision shook Su Yu until the web between his thumb and forefinger split open.

The longer he fought, the more alarmed he became. This Swift Wind Wolf was nearly twice as fast as the previous one, and the demonic power coating its claws was exceptionally fierce.

At this rate, defeat was inevitable...

Just as Su Yu began to falter, the pale-yellow orb inside him suddenly trembled.

A cool sensation coursed through his body, and his mind cleared in an instant.

In a daze, the sword techniques he had practiced in the past began to break apart and recombine in his mind. The essentials of the Gale Sword Style became clearer than ever before.

So this was how the Swift as Wind, Fast as Lightning move was meant to flow into the next!

A brilliant light flashed in Su Yu's eyes as his swordplay abruptly changed.

His previously sluggish Sword Momentum suddenly flowed freely. He managed to steady his footing against the Swift Wind Wolf's Sudden Storm of attacks.

The beast seemed to sense its prey had changed. A flash of surprise crossed its emerald eyes.

But it soon roared and retreated three steps, then slammed its forepaw into the ground.

Where the earth cracked, two solid-looking blue claw-shadows burst from beneath the soil, shrieking as they shot straight for Su Yu's throat!

Not good!

The breath of death rushed toward him, and every hair on Su Yu's body stood on end.

At this critical moment, the essentials of the Gale Sword Style poured into his mind like heavenly dew.

In a flash of inspiration, Su Yu swept his iron sword through a perfect arc. The blade stirred the surrounding air, forming a small whirlwind!

The whirlwind of Sword Qi collided with the claw-shadows in a thunderous blast.

The shockwave flung plants and trees away within a ten-zhang radius. Su Yu staggered back seven steps, blood trickling from his mouth, but his eyes blazed with joy.

The Gale Sword Style had reached perfection! And the Gale Sword Momentum... had finally taken shape!

At that moment, the iron sword in his hand seemed to come alive. Every move flowed naturally, and his Sword Momentum surged on like a mighty river.

Even more remarkably, the air around him flowed with his swordplay, forming a unique domain within three zhang of his body.

The Swift Wind Wolf had clearly not expected its prey to transform so suddenly. Enraged, it bristled from head to tail, and demonic power formed blue flames across its body.

It kicked off with its hind legs, moving another three parts faster, and thrust its claws straight toward Su Yu's heart!

Just what I wanted!

Su Yu neither dodged nor retreated, instead sending his sword along an unexpected path.

At the very instant the claws were about to touch his chest, his body swayed like a willow in the wind, narrowly evading the fatal blow.

At the same time, his iron sword rose in a sweeping strike, leaving a foot-long gash in the wolf's belly.

Awooo—!

The wounded wolf demon erupted in fury, its attacks growing more and more savage.

But Su Yu had now formed the Gale Sword Momentum. Though he was still at a disadvantage, he could at least hold his own.

The two fought back and forth. In the blink of an eye, they had exchanged over a hundred blows. Sword Qi crisscrossed through the woods, and wolf howls rang without pause.

Gradually, Su Yu noticed the wolf demon's movements slowing. Demonic blood kept dripping from its wounds.

Knowing the moment had come, he suddenly changed his move, aiming a Wind Sweeps Clouds strike at the wolf's eyes.

The wolf demon dodged in a hurry, falling right into Su Yu's trap.

That move was only a feint!

The real killing blow was hidden in the Sudden Storm that followed!

The iron sword pierced the wolf demon's skull with deadly precision. Su Yu twisted the blade, instantly ending the beast's life.

Su Yu dropped to one knee and gasped for breath, his right hand trembling uncontrollably around the sword.

The battle had been perilous in the extreme. If he had not comprehended the Gale Sword Momentum at the last moment, he would likely have been the one lying dead on the ground.

Daring not waste a moment, Su Yu forced himself to his feet and flicked his sword, extracting the Beast Core.

The blue-green crystal still held some warmth, and he could faintly sense the surging demonic power within it.

This place wasn't safe to linger...

He quickly swallowed a Spirit Replenishing Pill and a Blood Replenishing Pill. Without even pausing to meditate, Su Yu used his movement technique and sped toward Crescent Valley.

He had learned his lesson the hard way and didn't want to repeat his mistake.

If another Swift Wind Wolf showed up, he would have no chance of holding it off in his current state.

More terrifying still, Swift Wind Wolves were known to live in packs. If he attracted the entire pack, he would surely die.

At the thought, Su Yu quickened his pace.

His blue robe fluttered in the night wind, and in the blink of an eye, he disappeared into the depths of the woods.

Less than half a quarter of an hour after he left, more than a dozen blue-green figures converged from every direction.

At their head was a massive Silverback Wolf King. It lowered its head to sniff its companion's corpse, then suddenly threw back its head and let out a mournful howl.

Awoo—

The wolf's howl echoed through the valley, startling countless birds into flight.

The nearby martial artists blanched. Someone cried out, "It's the Swift Wind Wolf Pack! Run!"

At once, the martial artists out hunting abandoned all else, gathered up their prey, and scattered in every direction.