Single Blade Slaughters the Wolf Pack

Deep in the dense forest, the howling of wolves was shrill and mournful.

Qin Meng's line of sight suddenly cleared. His gaze, sharp as cold electricity, swept across the scene.

Dozens of paces away, more than a dozen forest wolves were snarling and frantically lunging at two trees.

These wolves were as sturdy as calves, their fur a pure cyan. Their limbs were shockingly thick, especially their hind legs, which were so well-developed that they could stand half-upright. Their sharp claws dug deep into the bark as they attempted to climb or ram the trunks.

The wolves of this world were completely different from those in Qin Meng's memories.

These forest wolves were a handful for even an ordinary hunter; a single one would be a struggle for a common martial artist. If there were many, even a warrior in the body forging realm would have to avoid their edge.

In particular, the red-haired alpha wolf was the size of a tiger, its eyes blood-red. The baleful aura emanating from its roars made it clear that it possessed the bloodline of a demonic beast, making it exceptionally ferocious.

Qin Meng recognized the three people in the trees at a glance: Li Tiezhu, Qin Xiaoshan, and Wang Tieniu.

His cheek twitched violently.

Li Tiezhu was a childhood friend he had grown up with.

As for Qin Xiaoshan, the Qin surname was a major clan in Luming Fort, so they were distantly related.

Wang Tieniu went without saying; he was the grandson of old hunter wang, the man who had taught him his martial skill.

Qin Meng had heard the shouting as he crept over, and he had already guessed the general situation.

When they sold the deer last time, he had noticed something off about the kid's eyes. That eager, restless energy was bound to cause trouble sooner or later.

Because of this, he had specifically spoken to old man wang, telling him that the mountain had been restless lately and that he must keep a close eye on this hotheaded youth and ensure he didn't venture into the mountains rashly.

He hadn't expected that they wouldn't be able to avoid it after all.

Up in the trees, the atmosphere was suffocating.

Qin Xiaoshan leaned against a branch, his complexion shifting from pale to ashen. Although the wound on his leg had been tightly bound by Li Tiezhu with strips of torn cloth, blood continued to seep out, soaking the coarse fabric a dark red.

His breathing grew weaker, each inhalation accompanied by a difficult, wheezing sound.

"Xiaoshan, hold on." Li Tiezhu kept a vigilant eye on the wolf pack ramming the tree below while patting Qin Xiaoshan's face firmly.

"Stay with me. The pack will retreat soon."

"As soon as we get down the mountain, we'll head straight to town and find the best doctor. You'll be fine."

He spoke with ironclad certainty, but the cold sweat rolling down his temples betrayed his inner anxiety.

Qin Xiaoshan managed a weak tug at the corner of his mouth. He wanted to say something, but only a faint breath escaped his lips.

In the other tree, Wang Tieniu clung tightly to the violently shaking trunk, his knuckles white. He looked at Qin Xiaoshan's condition, then glanced at the increasingly frenzied wolf pack below, the stubbornness finally fading from his face.

"It was me... I was the one who insisted on heading deeper..."

"It was me who wouldn't drop the prey, drawing the pack in." His voice was hoarse, carrying an imperceptible tremor. "With Xiaoshan like this... I..."

"Saying that now is useless." Li Tiezhu growled, his eyes locked firmly onto the red-haired alpha wolf. "Hold onto the tree tight, don't let go!"

The red-haired alpha wolf seemed to sense the desperate aura of the humans in the tree, a flash of cunning ferocity appearing in its eyes.

It stepped back a few paces, raised its neck, and let out a low, triumphant whimper, then—

"Awoooo—!"

The long howl tore through the forest, carrying the cruelty of a sure victory.

The wolf pack responded, becoming even more frantic, the force of their impacts against the tree intensifying once more.

The "crack" of fissures spreading across the ancient tree Wang Tieniu was clinging to was clearly audible.

"You're courting death."

A cold voice drifted from the forest to the side.

Qin Meng's face was as gloomy as water. Without a shred of hesitation, he reached back and unslung his three-stone heavy bow. His fingers plucked three arrows in quick succession, nocking them, drawing the string, and aiming—his movements were fluid, so fast they left only afterimages.

The bowstring hummed!

The power of the three-stone heavy bow far exceeded that of a standard hunting bow; the arrows let out a sharp hiss as they tore through the air, moving too fast for the naked eye to track!

The red-haired alpha wolf was not lacking in intelligence. Almost the moment the bowstring sounded, it sensed the lethal danger. Its red fur stood on end, and it lunged to the side, trying to dodge.

But it was a fraction too slow.

"Puchi!"

The arrow missed the intended neck but pierced deep into its hind leg joint, blood gushing out like a fountain!

"Awooo!" The excruciating pain cut the alpha wolf's howl short, turning it into a shrill cry of agony. The pack's assault faltered, falling into a brief moment of chaos.

The three people in the tree were stunned for a moment.

Then, joy exploded in Li Tiezhu's eyes: "Someone is here! We're saved!"

Before the words had even faded—

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The sounds of arrows piercing the air merged into one! Qin Meng's gaze was cold as ice, his wrist steady as a rock. He drew arrows and pulled the bow, his speed so fast he barely seemed to aim.

In the span of two breaths, he had fired five arrows in a row.

Every arrow was tricky and vicious, aimed directly at lethal spots like the wolf's neck or eye sockets.

Howls erupted everywhere.

Five cyan wolves fell to the ground in response, either killed instantly or struggling with severe injuries.

The remaining cyan wolves instantly abandoned their assault on the tree. Under the command of the alpha wolf, which was roaring in pain, they turned around. More than a dozen crimson wolf eyes locked onto Qin Meng in unison, and like a gray tide, they lunged forward.

Qin Meng did not change his expression. He slung his longbow onto his back, gripped the hilt of his zhanma dao with one hand, and stomped his foot heavily. Instead of dodging, he charged head-on into the wolf pack. He intended to capture the ringleader first and slay that red-haired alpha wolf!

"Brother Meng? It's Brother Meng!" Wang Tieniu had the sharpest eyes; he shouted with such excitement that his voice cracked. "Brother Meng has come up the mountain too! We're saved!"

Li Tiezhu and Qin Xiaoshan also recognized the newcomer, and the heavy stones in their hearts crashed to the ground. But before they could even finish exhaling, their pupils suddenly constricted—

Qin Meng had already collided violently with the charging red-haired alpha wolf.

Although the alpha wolf had an arrow in its hind leg, its ferocity only grew more manic. With eyes wide open and its blood-filled maw snapping directly at Qin Meng's throat, its front claws swept across, bringing a foul wind with them. It looked as if it wanted to tear Qin Meng into shreds.

Qin Meng's gaze grew increasingly cold. He did not dodge. Relying on the reach advantage of his weapon, the zhanma dao transformed into a streak of black light, thrusting rapidly from bottom to top.

This strike was fast, accurate, and ruthless!

The zhanma dao was already hard and sharp, and now, an invisible aura of sharpness swirled around the blade—this was the effect of the evil-slaying blade-breaking saber's "sharpness" ability.

"Pfft—!"

The long blade pierced fiercely into the wolf's mouth, penetrated the upper jaw, and the tip burst out from the top of its skull.

Qin Meng flicked his wrist violently and twisted with force, causing the blade to spin wildly inside the wolf's cranium! With a push and a twist, he instantly pulverized its brain tissue.

Even though the red-haired alpha wolf was a demonic beast, it could not withstand such destructive devastation.

The giant wolf trembled violently, emitting a muffled, whimpering whine. The ferocity in its eyes was entirely replaced by shock and unwillingness. After a few twitches of its limbs, its massive body crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The moment he slew the alpha wolf, a red light flickered in Qin Meng's palm. A strange suction force spread along the blade, frantically seizing the demonic beast's life source.

[Life source +18%]

[Deprived of blood wolf bloodline talent: blood shadow]

Two lines of pale golden text flashed before his eyes and vanished.

Qin Meng remained expressionless. He kicked the still-twitching wolf carcass away and brandished his long blade, charging into the remaining seven or eight cyan wolves like a fierce tiger entering a flock of sheep.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

The remnants of the wolf pack slammed on their brakes. Seeing the miserable state of their leader and smelling the scent of blood and death, which had grown several times stronger in the air, they faltered.

"Awoo—!" The seven or eight cyan wolves let out terrified whimpers, their bloodthirsty red glow replaced by primal fear. The pack collapsed instantly; having lost all will to fight, they turned and fled frantically in different directions!

Qin Meng moved, his speed hitting its peak!

He caught up in a few strides to the cyan wolf lagging at the back, which was stumbling due to an arrow in its leg. He thrust his zhanma dao into its flank, the blade piercing through its chest and out the other side.

[Life source +6%]

Without stopping, he turned toward another wolf. Terrified out of its wits, the beast scrambled to accelerate.

But Qin Meng was faster. He swept in from the side and delivered a horizontal slash!

The wolf's head went flying.

[Life source +6.5%]

Next, he caught up to another cyan wolf, slaying it on the spot, before doubling back to finish off the five cyan wolves that had fallen to arrows.

In the blink of an eye, the ground beneath the tree was littered with wolf carcasses, the stench of blood thick and suffocating. The pack that had been so ferocious just moments ago, forcing the three of them up the tree to await death, was now either dead or scattered in flight.

The three people in the tree were dumbfounded, unable to snap out of their stupor for a long time.

"Is... is this really Brother Meng?" Wang Tieniu muttered, his face full of disbelief.

He knew clearly that Qin Meng had not yet begun cultivation and was still considered an "ordinary person" to this day.

An ordinary person... capable of slaughtering a wolf pack like this?

That blade, those arrows, that speed... he was leagues ahead of him!