This was based on information from various Demon Hunting Squads, combined with military reconnaissance.
That saved Lu Jun a great deal of effort. After several days of constantly asking veteran soldiers and old hunters for advice, the two of them could just about pass as competent hunters. At the very least, they wouldn't get lost, could find water sources, and knew how to read tracks and droppings to avoid danger and hunt down Magic Wolves.
At that moment, two figures were making their way through the dense forest. One was tall and slender; the other was a little shorter and lean.
Following the directions on the military map, Lu Mei arrived at a low-lying valley. The two immediately spotted Magic Wolf droppings and the bones of some wild beasts.
"I'm a Wind Element Mage. I'll scout ahead."
Seeing this, Lu Mei volunteered without hesitation.
Lu Jun didn't argue or try to show off. He watched his sister's graceful figure disappear into the distance, then quietly crouched in the woods downwind of the valley, wearing his camouflage uniform.
Before long, Lu Mei returned along her Wind Track, her expression grave. "It's definitely a nest of Magic Wolves. I caught a glimpse from far away. The Alpha Wolf isn't a Warrior-level Demon Beast, but it's an Advancement Period Servant-level one. It won't be easy to deal with."
In simple terms, the Advancement Period was half a step away from the Warrior level. Demon Beasts at this stage were clearly much stronger than others of the same level, as they were undergoing a crucial transformation.
As long as they weren't injured and had enough nourishment, they could advance in as little as a few months or as long as a year or two.
An Advancement Period Servant-level Demon Beast wasn't something an Elementary Mage could handle. Even a dozen of them would be slaughtered. Only an Intermediate Mage could seriously wound one with a single Intermediate Magic spell.
"Can I hold off fifty Servant-level ones on my own?"
Lu Jun frowned, then asked, "Did you check the surrounding area? There shouldn't be any other Demon Beasts, right?"
His sister shook her head. "No. Usually, no threatening creatures can survive near a nest's territory."
The worst thing when hunting Demon Beasts was for another group of them to suddenly intrude halfway through a planned operation.
Then Lu Jun surveyed the surrounding terrain. His sharp eyes caught a landslide on a small hill at the edge of the distant valley. The summit looked wide enough for, at most, three One-Eyed Magic Wolves to attack at once.
If he fell among fifty wolves, he might not last long. But against three at a time, as long as his magic power held out, he wouldn't leave the front line.
Hearing her younger brother's idea, Lu Mei's eyes lit up. "That could work. I checked that spot. The slope is slippery, and there's a lake behind it. If things get too rough, we can use Water Shield and jump down to escape easily."
The two of them took a roundabout route up the rugged, slippery slope. Looking over the relatively flat platform at the summit, Lu Jun suggested, "We can set some boulders up here. If we run out of magic power during the fight, we can push them down to knock the Magic Wolves back."
Lu Mei replied confidently, "That's easy. Watch this Earth and Wood Mage get to work."
She didn't need to use Primary Level Three Earth Element Magic. Even a Level One [Earth Wave] would do the trick.
Rumble!
As soon as she finished speaking, she deftly controlled her Star Tracks. An apricot-yellow trail formed, and the ground beneath their feet trembled. Layer upon layer of earth rolled like waves, lifting the boulders at the foot of the hill and carrying them up one by one.
The slope worked like an automatic elevator, slowly rising and falling without requiring any effort.
Before long, seven or eight boulders, each as tall as a person, crowded the summit.
Lu Jun looked around, then walked to the cliff edge and peered down. A clear lake came into view below. Everything was in place!
He felt he'd gained a new understanding. This was the first time he'd grasped just how wondrous magic could be. Even Primary Magic, used well, could be incredibly destructive and had countless ingenious applications.
After resting for a while and recovering their strength, Lu Mei stood up and smiled at her younger brother. "Stay right here and don't move. I'll go lure the Magic Wolves over."
At her words, Lu Jun's mouth twitched. He fired back without hesitation, "Okay, Mom!"
Lu Mei's graceful figure stumbled as she started to leave. She turned and shot him a reproachful glance, her eyes irresistibly alluring.
A little joke before the battle eased their tension considerably.
Lu Jun summoned his Gold Heavy Sword in advance and also cast Level Two Water Shield on himself.
Not long after his sister left, he stood atop the hill and saw a violent sandstorm rise in the valley below, like a tornado. As expected, Lu Mei had blasted the nest with a single Intermediate Wind Disk.
Buzz, buzz, buzz!
Soon after, he felt the ground tremble slightly. Smoke billowed in the distance, and he estimated that fifty Demon Beasts were chasing his sister toward him.
A moment later, a gust of wind swept past. Lu Mei's figure flashed into view. As soon as she ran back, she panted, still shaken. "They're coming. Get ready."
"Okay. Stay behind me and cast your magic."
Lu Jun's expression turned serious. He gripped the Heavy Sword and stood at the entrance to the summit. The sword expanded to three times its size, like a massive door panel, planted there with the imposing aura of one man holding off a thousand.
Seeing his imposing back as he stood with sword in hand, Lu Mei stared for a moment, a strange sense of safety rising in her heart. Then she covered her face. Why was she acting lovestruck?
Thud, thud, thud!
Lu Jun had no time to worry about his sister. He gazed down at the vast herd charging toward them. This wasn't an exaggeration: imagine fifty vans lined up across an endless desert, charging forward. The sight would be utterly shocking.
Any creature standing in their way would feel its heart tremble, and might even try to flee instinctively.
But Lu Jun had been tempered by hardship. The more ferocious the scene, the stronger the Killing Intent in his heart. The Shock Gold Sword in his hand seemed to sense its owner's mood and began to hum faintly.
Fortunately, the two of them were on a hilltop. The cloud of yellow dust below slowed as soon as it reached the foot of the hill. The effort of climbing completely checked the wolves' charge.
Intermediate Wind Disk
As the smoke cleared from the foot of the hill, Lu Jun saw a crowd of One-Eyed Magic Wolves jostling over one another as they charged uphill, as though they couldn't wait to tear Lu Mei to pieces.
The pack's fury was easy to understand. They'd been lounging in the valley after eating their fill, only for a Wind Disk to sweep away their home and instantly kill a number of their young.
Now it was practically a fight to the death.
Lu Jun gripped his Heavy Sword and watched the wolves. When the fifty Magic Wolves had covered a third of the distance, he calculated the timing and said decisively, "That's far enough! Release the boulders!"
He wasn't going to wait until the wolves were nearly on top of them before using their trump card.
Although this was a world of magic, inertia and acceleration still existed. At least, a Primary Level Earth Element spell couldn't propel a boulder from a standstill fast enough to kill a Servant-level Demon Beast.
So he needed to leave enough room for it to pick up speed. A third of the way was just right.
Rumble!
Lu Mei reacted quickly, releasing the Earth Element spell [Earth Wave]. Seven or eight person-high boulders rumbled down the slope, starting slowly and then gathering speed.
At last, they hurtled down with unstoppable speed, like seven meteorites crashing toward the wolves below.
Thud, thud, thud... Splurt!
Lu Jun watched as every boulder that struck the densely packed Magic Wolves kicked up a wave of yellow earth, accompanied by sprays of scarlet blood.
Each boulder often sent five or six giant wolves flying. The Magic Wolves hit first fared miserably under the tremendous inertia, their upper bodies crushed to pulp. Their deaths were gruesome.
What was truly alarming, of course, was the Alpha Wolf. Its body was twice the size of the other wolves, and it stood a full four meters tall. Charging at the front, it met the boulders head-on.
But the Advancement Period One-Eyed Giant Wolf actually smashed one of the hurtling boulders apart with its hard skull. Its whole body dipped only slightly under the impact. It shook its head, then charged forward again on its massive legs.
Fortunately, the ordinary Magic Wolves weren't nearly so terrifying. After the first barrage, all fifty of them were injured, six or seven lay dead, and several more were so badly hurt they couldn't move at the foot of the hill.
Awoo!
That wasn't all. Lu Mei took advantage of the moment to control her Stars. Green trails crisscrossed beneath her feet, forming seven Star Tracks that outlined a diagram of turbulent wind magic.
Five or six seconds later, storm elements whirled wildly around her. The surrounding air was instantly sucked away. Centered on the proud figure of this mature beauty, rapidly spinning currents surged under the influence of the green Wind Element Star Chart, swiftly transforming into a colossal storm that swept up every speck of dust in the area.
Lu Mei's feet lifted off the ground, leaving her half-floating in the eye of the storm. Green currents encircled her, making her look like the Queen of the Wind.
A tornado rose into the air, a full ten meters tall and two meters across.
Watching his sister, Lu Jun was stunned. He narrowed his eyes. Without the Heavy Sword in his hand to support him, he would have been swaying. Sand kept whipping at him, stinging his skin.
"Intermediate Level One Wind Disk!"
Lu Mei gave a soft cry. The enormous tornado around her rushed toward the foot of the hill. The farther it went, the stronger the wind grew, until it finally peaked and began to weaken, following a U-shaped curve.
Yellow dust filled the air and the storm roared. Lu Jun could no longer see clearly. It seemed that his sister, who wielded the violent power of the wind, had taken control of everything.
Awoo, awoo...
Before long, the tornado barreled down the slope and slammed straight into the wolf pack.
Only then did Lu Jun see ten One-Eyed Giant Wolves get swept bodily into the tornado. They spun more than ten meters into the air, were flung high, then hurled down hard.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Every wolf hit the ground with its body shattered, its skin battered all over by sand and stones. At that height—three or four stories—they were killed on impact.
In just two waves of attacks, twenty Magic Wolves were taken out, not counting those left severely wounded with limbs missing.
Awoo!
The twenty-odd survivors hesitated, but the Wolf King seemed to have gone berserk. Like a gambler staking everything, it howled at the sky, then charged wildly on all fours, its speed surging as it raced toward the summit like a heavy truck.
The nearby Magic Wolves were roused and charged along with the Alpha Wolf.
But Lu Mei's expression was cold as she cast the Primary Level Three Earth Element spell [Earth Wave]. She released it almost once per second, casting three or four spells in a row before the wolves reached the summit.
Rumble!
The charging wolves found pits suddenly collapsing beneath their feet. One or two occasionally fell in. Though the pits didn't do much damage, it still took them a while to climb back out.
That left only a dozen or so Magic Wolves for Lu Jun to deal with.
"Whew!" Lu Jun sucked in a sharp breath. Letting an Intermediate Mage cast spells at will was practically a disaster.
Lu Mei smiled and gave her younger brother a casual glance. "You see how impressive your big sister is now? Hold them off for a little while. I'll cast another Intermediate Wind Element spell and take out the Advancement Period Alpha Wolf."
"Got it!" Lu Jun grew serious. Looking down at the approaching pack, he didn't foolishly wait in place. Instead, he gripped the Shock Gold Sword with both hands and fixed his gaze on the charging Alpha Wolf.
As luck would have it, the Wolf King looked at him too. Their eyes met, both filled with Killing Aura.
Without warning, Lu Jun stepped onto a Wind Track and darted forward. Using the downhill acceleration and the power of magic, he wasn't so much running as gliding several yards with each step, as if he could shrink the ground beneath his feet.
Buzz, buzz, buzz!
Lu Jun angled his long sword downward, scraping it along the ground as sparks flew. He blurred into a streak, trailing azure water and swirling green wind. All he could hear was a sonic boom. His mind was fixed on the ferocious, enormous Advancement Period Servant-level Demon Beast before him.
Thud!
The two met in an instant. Lu Jun was like an azure-blue cannonball, slamming into the One-Eyed Magic Wolf with no thought for his life. Before they clashed, he'd gripped the sword in both hands and held it upright before his brow.
The nearly four-meter-long greatsword carried tremendous momentum as it came down, ready to cleave through anything.
But the One-Eyed Magic Wolf leader reacted quickly. It sensed a deadly threat from the sword and shuddered with fear, immediately activating its innate demonic ability. A layer of blood-colored black covered its body.
Most Servant-level Demon Beasts didn't have demonic abilities; it depended on their bloodline. But those in the Advancement Period had begun to awaken some. Their power was comparable to Primary Level Three Magic, and it would grow even stronger once they reached the Warrior level.
The Advancement Period Demon Beast was already far more robust than a Giant Eyed Rat Demon, and its demonic ability made its defenses even tougher.
When Lu Jun brought the Heavy Sword down, it felt like he was chopping into a tree. He could still cut a deep wound, but slicing the creature in half in one blow wasn't realistic.
A deafening crash sent a wave of air surging outward and dust flying everywhere. The two figures were thrown backward at the same speed.
The difference was that Lu Jun flew only a few meters. He performed a backflip in midair and landed steadily, grunting as he staggered back several steps. The Alpha Wolf, on the other hand, tumbled several times and smashed through several jagged rocks before finally stopping.
Seeing this, the One-Eyed Magic Wolves scattered, unwilling to foolishly rush in and shield their leader.
In theory, even with tremendous momentum, a human's strength and weight couldn't possibly shake a giant beast that stood four meters tall.
But they shouldn't forget that the Heavy Sword in Lu Jun's hands weighed at least a hundred pounds more than it should. And the supple currents of Water Shield had dissipated the impact's recoil.
He steadied himself and looked down at the Alpha Wolf. A deep, bloody gash had appeared across its shoulder.
Roar!
The Alpha Wolf stood up, shook its head, and charged at him again. Before it reached him, the dozen or so wolves around it had already rushed close.
The situation had turned dangerous in an instant.
Gold Element Primary Level Three, Golden Radiance!
Surrounded by wolves, Lu Jun didn't panic. He charged into the pack along the crisscrossing Wind Tracks and fought his way through. One slash sent a Magic Wolf flying; a Spinning Slash beheaded another that tried to ambush him from behind.
His swordsmanship had no set style. Or rather, it was utterly plain and straightforward. Every strike was lethal, meant only to kill.
But there were too many Magic Wolves around him. Even with the Wind Track at his disposal, Lu Jun sometimes slipped up. The Alpha Wolf was cunning; after taking a hit, it stopped trying to fight him head-on and instead directed its pack to hunt him down.
Thud!
At last, Lu Jun swung once more, driving a Magic Wolf back. He was about to dodge along the Wind Track, but exhaustion slowed him for a moment. The Advancement Period Magic Wolf seized that opening, accelerating its massive body and striking him with a vicious claw.
Lu Mei, watching from afar, cried out in alarm. "Lu Jun!"
She was also entangled by several Magic Wolves. While dodging along her Wind Track, she used Earth Wave to block them and tried to buy time to control an Intermediate Magic spell.
But the Demon Beasts weren't stupid. Judging by the damage she'd caused earlier, Lu Mei was the real threat.
That left Lu Mei no chance to act. Both of her Elements focused on movement and control, and only her Intermediate Magic had any real killing power. But controlling a Star Chart took at least four seconds.
Before you continue