Thousand Wolf Mountain.
It lay about nine li north of Four Seas Village.
But amid these mountains, nine li was hardly a short distance.
But now—
Led by Li Youming, ten Martial Artists in total made their way forward, with Li Deyang, Li Xiuwu, and the others following behind him.
As for Deputy Village Chief Chen Mazi, he had stayed behind in Four Seas Village with the remaining four Martial Artists.
And farther away from them—
Several young people were sneaking around, hiding behind a large tree and staring wide-eyed.
These young people were villagers from Zhang Family Village and Liao Family Village. At that moment, their hearts were pounding with nerves.
If they hadn't been following orders from their respective village chiefs, they would have run away at once.
Where were they?
Thousand Wolf Mountain!
Who would dare go near this place on an ordinary day?
The demon wolves lived on the mountain. This was the forbidden ground of the Four Villages!
"Go into the mountain with us and kill every last one of those wolf cubs."
Li Youming gave the order.
"Yes."
Li Deyang and the others accepted solemnly.
Every one of them held a sharpened woodcutter's knife, their muscles bulging and their eyes bright and alert.
Their spirits were completely different from before.
After all, they were now Martial Artists in the Body Refining Realm. Their qi and blood had undergone a Metamorphosis!
And they had also mastered the Gale Blade Technique. Of course they were different.
With a sharp blade in hand, the urge to kill came naturally!
"Into the mountain."
Li Youming swept his hand forward and strode into Thousand Wolf Mountain, his expression grave.
The ten men followed behind him, spreading out slightly.
"They've all gone in!"
"Look at Li Xiuwu. Compared to before, he's practically a different person!"
"And Li Youming—is that really old man Li Youming? Why does he look barely past thirty?"
The young people from Zhang Family Village and Liao Family Village exclaimed in astonishment, exchanging glances.
Could it be—
The Land God of Li Family Village—no, Four Seas Village—had truly answered their prayers?
Was the rumor true that old man Li Youming had received a blessing and regained his youth?
Had Li Xiuwu and the others received blessings too, becoming Martial Artists?
No matter how wild a rumor got, it was still just a rumor.
But now, they had seen with their own eyes how much the people of Four Seas Village had changed!
They couldn't help but believe it, at least a little.
"Let's wait."
"If they really can slay the Wolf Demon, then the story about the Four Seas Village Land God answering their prayers must be true."
Zhang Qi'an said gravely.
He was the most outstanding young man in Zhang Family Village and had already reached the brink of qi and blood Metamorphosis.
He'd probably undergo Metamorphosis in a year or two, advance to the Body Refining Realm, and become a Martial Artist.
"Let's wait farther away,"
one of the young people from the Liao family said.
The others nodded and immediately retreated a good distance.
The trees in Thousand Wolf Mountain grew thickly, with towering trees and low shrubs everywhere.
There was also a great deal of snow, stretching white and bright as far as the eye could see.
The eleven men breathed clouds of white into the air as they climbed the mountain.
"Awoo—!"
A wolf's howl suddenly came from nearby. A wild wolf with green eyes emerged and stared fixedly at Li Youming and his companions, drool dripping from its jaws.
One wild wolf after another appeared behind it. Each stood a head taller than an ordinary wolf, and they looked vicious beyond measure.
"Kill them all."
Li Youming's expression didn't change as he gave the order.
"Kill!"
Li Deyang shouted and charged forward first.
He was a Martial Artist at the peak of the first tier.
The village's only saber was in his hands. He took two strides for every one and reached a wild wolf in an instant, bringing his saber down!
His speed was as fast as lightning!
It was the Gale Blade Technique!
Qi and blood flowed along the saber, glimmering faintly red. The air split apart, and before the wild wolf could react, its head had been cleaved off!
Wolf blood sprayed everywhere!
"Awoo—!"
The other wolves roared furiously and pounced at the group!
"Kill!"
Li Xiuwu roared, murder gleaming in his eyes. He unleashed the Gale Blade Technique, dodged a wolf's lunge, and swung his blade down!
Thud!
A wolf's head soared into the air!
The other villagers surged forward with unstoppable momentum. It was their first time fighting for their lives—
But the insights into the Gale Blade Technique granted to them by the Blessing Talisman were the real thing!
Each of them wielded the technique as though they had practiced it for years. In no time at all, they had killed all fifteen wild wolves.
Scalding wolf blood sprayed across the snow, where it bloomed like plum blossoms.
"Keep moving."
Li Youming said calmly.
He led the ten men farther up the mountain.
Pack after pack of wild wolves attacked along the way, but every one of them fell beneath their blades.
They even encountered wolf leaders comparable to the middle and upper ranks of the first tier, but Li Deyang cut them down in a few swift strokes.
Less than an hour later—
The group spotted a massive cave in the distance.
"We've reached Wolf Demon Cave."
"Back away."
Li Youming said solemnly.
Li Deyang and the others nodded and immediately withdrew several dozen zhang, taking cover behind the trunks of large trees.
"I am the Temple Keeper of Four Seas Village, and by the oracle of Lord Zhangyue, the Orthodox Land God, I have come to slay the Wolf Demon!"
Li Youming took a deep breath, then shouted at the top of his lungs.
His voice rolled out in waves, whipping up the snow!
The echoing roar even carried beyond Thousand Wolf Mountain, reverberating across the slopes—
[The Temple Keeper of Four Seas Village, by the oracle of Lord Zhangyue, the Orthodox Land God, has come to slay the Wolf Demon!]
[...By the oracle of Lord Zhangyue, the Orthodox Land God, has come to slay the Wolf Demon!]
[...Has come to slay the Wolf Demon!]
[...Wolf Demon!]
The villagers of Zhang Family Village and Liao Family Village at the foot of the mountain heard the rumbling echoes, and every one of them looked stunned.
Was that the voice of old man Li Youming?
It had come all the way down from Thousand Wolf Mountain?
Old man Li Youming, who had been frail and stooped with age, had become this powerful?
He must really have received a blessing from the Land God!
Boom!
A rumble came from Wolf Demon Cave, and the earth quivered faintly.
The snow near the cave shook loose.
Snowflakes swirled from the branches of the trees nearby.
"An Orthodox Land God?"
A deep, icy voice came from inside Wolf Demon Cave.
"What Orthodox God is there in this world?"
"If there is one, then I'd better have a taste of what a Deity is like!"
"I'll eat you first, then smash your Land God Temple and devour your whole family!"
The next moment—
A gigantic wolf, over two zhang tall, strode out of Wolf Demon Cave.
Its icy eyes were blood-red, its fur black as ink, and black demonic aura swirled around its body.
It looked down at Li Youming, contempt in its eyes.
And this was the sort of wretch who dared come looking for trouble?
It opened its jaws, about to bite Li Youming!
At the same time, demonic aura billowed from its body, forming a gigantic wolf claw. It planned to grab Li Youming first, then gobble him up in one bite!
Behind him—
Seeing the enormous Wolf Demon right in front of them,
Li Deyang, Li Xiuwu, and the others were terribly nervous, sweat covering their foreheads and backs.
This was the infamous, terrifying Wolf Demon!
Just looking at it—
They felt as if a mountain had been dropped on their backs. The pressure was terrifying, and their faces turned pale.
"Wretch! How dare you show disrespect to an Orthodox God?"
"I humbly beseech Lord Zhangyue's Divine Might to descend!"
Even as he faced the enormous, terrifying Wolf Demon, Li Youming's expression remained unchanged. He spoke with devout reverence.
Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately performed the Deity Invocation Art!
The Wolf Demon was so powerful that it had already surpassed his limits.
He couldn't possibly match it on his own.
Only by invoking Lord Zhangyue's Divine Might could he slay the Wolf Demon!
Boom!
As his voice fell, a dazzling golden light suddenly shot out from the Land God Temple in Four Seas Village.
It swept across Zhang Family Village and Liao Family Village, then streaked across the sky like a rainbow, landing on Li Youming in Thousand Wolf Mountain!
Divine Might surged within the golden light!
Terrifying pressure rolled outward.
At that moment—
The gigantic Wolf Demon couldn't move at all. Terror filled its face, and boundless fear rose in its heart!
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