Old Dog Bei

"The Sacrificial Spirit of our clan has arrived. Not one of you will get out alive!" Bei Shan, leader of Bei Village's hunting party, shouted.

"Isn't it just an old bei? It's lived this long, and even its teeth have fallen out. I doubt it can even walk anymore. What use could it be?" Shi Lin sneered, deliberately belittling it.

Bei Village's Sacrificial Spirit was a bei, and the clan had taken its surname from the beast.

Dozens of giant wolves howled furiously, their long cries filling the air. The surrounding killing intent grew stronger; they could pounce at any moment.

"Not one of you will survive!" Bei Liqing said icily.

"Then come and try!" Shi Lin replied.

"Attack!"

Forty or fifty giant wolves launched tentative attacks, pouncing at them from time to time. Little One defended while Shi Lin focused on attacking. After a few strikes, he had killed eight giant wolves. Their enormous carcasses lay sprawled across the ground, and the mountain forest reeked of blood.

An entire hour passed, yet Bei Village's Sacrificial Spirit still did not appear. Only the giant wolves were attacking, while Bei Shan and the others kept loosing cold arrows.

Under the two boys' combined assault, Bei Village, which had held the advantage, quickly lost its nerve.

The number of Bei Village's people dwindled by more than half. Meanwhile, the two boys grew more valiant with every kill, and the runes in their hands multiplied.

"Awooo..."

A howl rang out, like a mountain ghost weeping, sending a chill through the air. In the distance, a strange creature flew toward them, beating its wings.

It was just over two meters long, its yellow-brown fur glossy, though it looked very old. Wrinkles creased its wolf-like face. It was a rare bei, one seldom seen even among countless wolves.

Its forelegs were very short, and it could hardly walk on its own. Usually, it had to lie on the back of a giant wolf. Fortunately, its bloodline was powerful, and it had grown a pair of wings that let it fly.

Clearly, the old bei was terrifying. Primitive runes flickered faintly across its body; it was an extremely powerful vicious beast!

Shi Lin watched the old bei from afar.

"It's only at the Blood-Moving Stage!" Shi Lin said with deliberate mockery.

The old bei seemed to hear Shi Lin's taunt. It looked at him coldly, greed and cunning plain in its eyes.

In the old bei's eyes, it was hard to stomach a little child daring to look down on it. Yet it did not attack rashly.

It stared greedily at the Suanni's remains. The Suanni Precious Body was of immense importance to it; it could transform its very body and soul.

"Lord Sacrificial Spirit, you've finally arrived!" Bei Liqing cried excitedly.

The old bei nodded.

"Lord Sacrificial Spirit, these two little brats are powerful. They've mastered Bone Text and killed many of our people. You must teach him a good lesson!" Bei Liqing fanned the flames from the sidelines.

"Old man, why are you wasting your breath? You old dog, get over here and meet your death!" Shi Lin pointed at the old bei and shouted.

The old bei could no longer hold back. It launched an attack.

Runes flickered in its mouth, gathering into a radiant glow that it spat out.

Shi Lin formed a rune with one hand, conjuring a purple bird-like vicious beast. Its phantom surged upward, transforming into a whirlwind that shot into the sky and swept up every blade of grass and tree nearby, snapping them in two.

The radiant glow spat out by the old bei collided with the phantom of the purple bird.

The old bei's body jerked to a halt. Its radiant attack was blocked, and it looked startled; its gaze burned even more fiercely.

Now, it coveted not only the Suanni and the Crimson Precious Horn, but also the art Shi Lin had used. It wanted to seize them all. Its eyes gleamed with cold, venomous light. With a howl, giant wolves appeared all around them again, charging at its command to aid its attack.

The situation was dire. The old bei refused to approach, instead circling overhead and watching for an opening to strike.

"Old dog, what are you circling around up there for? Get down here and meet your death!"

Then Shi Lin flicked both hands, and dozens of Golden Moons appeared out of thin air. With a wave, he sent them all flying toward the old bei.

As a Sacrificial Spirit, it should have inspired fear in the people of the Great Wilderness. Now, however, it was being treated with contempt. The old bei did not grow angry; its gaze remained cold, and it never lost its patience.

It was so powerful that on any ordinary day, it could have easily destroyed a village. Yet now it was being so cautious, a frustrating sight.

The old bei moved. Runes flickered, and golden radiance flashed across its short foreclaws. A primitive Treasure Rune took shape and crashed down. A golden giant claw could be seen clearly, sweeping through the air toward them.

The golden claw collided with the Golden Moons. Lightning flashed and thunder roared, illuminating the dark sky in a terrifying spectacle.

The golden claw failed to block every Golden Moon. Several that slipped past slashed toward the old bei, which hurriedly swung out its other golden claw to stop them.

"Old dog, is that all you've got? Take another one!"

Shi Lin flung out one Golden Moon after another. The old bei used both golden claws to block them, gradually running out of strength.

Shi Lin, however, grew more and more valiant, golden light radiating from his body ever brighter.

Just as the old bei was struggling to fend off the attacks, Shi Lin summoned a gigantic Purple Emperor Immortal Eagle and sent it at the old bei.

Before the old bei could react, the attack had already struck.

With a crack like a mountain collapsing, the golden giant claw shattered. The blurred image of an ancient immortal bird wrapped around its true body and squeezed with all its might. A shrill scream rang through the sky.

The vicious, cunning old bei's two-meter-long body was nearly torn in half. It struggled free, but one sharp claw still struck its hind leg. With a crack, the leg twisted grotesquely, completely deformed.

The old bei seethed with fury and shot into the sky, circling high above. It had suffered a grievous wound, something it could not tolerate—for it was cunning and vicious, and had never been one to accept a loss.

The old bei went berserk, circling constantly and occasionally swooping down to attack at incredible speed.

But under Shi Lin's dense barrage of Golden Moons, the old bei continued to suffer injuries.

"Old dog, is this all you're capable of? Give it up. You can't beat me!" Shi Lin sneered.

Below, under Shi Hao's fierce assault, the vicious beasts and giant wolves lay dead everywhere.

A strange glint flashed through the old bei's eyes. It reached out with its giant golden claw to grab the Green-Scaled Eagle.

Shi Hao hurriedly intercepted it, slashing at the old bei with a giant Golden Moon. The old bei casually blocked it, only to be sent flying.

"Don't you dare hurt Aunt Green-Scaled Eagle!" Shi Hao shouted.

The old bei had never imagined that a child so small could be this terrifyingly powerful.

Shi Lin threw several more Golden Moons at the old bei.

The old bei had no time to dodge. A shower of blood fell as it gave a shrill howl. Its body was nearly shattered, part of its rear half gone—a horrific sight. It fled without looking back.

Even as powerful as the vicious bei was, it had no thought of fighting back. It only wanted to escape as quickly as possible. Its fur stood on end, and it fled in a panic like a stray dog.

"Old dog, don't even think about running!"

"Let me show you the new art I just comprehended!" Shi Lin lowered his hands. Runes flowed slowly across his palms, gathering into a strange pattern.

He raised both hands and pointed them at the fleeing old bei.

At once, the runes in his palms went wild. They interwove, divine radiance blossomed, and a purple eagle-shaped pattern appeared behind Shi Lin.

"Old dog, meet your end!" Shi Lin shouted.

"Purple Emperor Immortal Eagle Art!"

The runes in Shi Lin's hands erupted with purple light. The pattern behind him released a massive shock wave that raced after the old bei.

The old bei seemed to sense something. It looked back—and saw hell itself.

The vicious bei shrieked in terror, every hair on its body standing on end. It beat its wings with all its might, golden runes interweaving as it pushed its speed to the limit. But all of it was futile.

"Awooo..." The old bei struggled, its eyes filled with terror as it let out a heart-rending howl that shook the mountains and ravines.

The shock wave pierced the old bei's ruined body. Radiance blazed as Bei Village's Sacrificial Spirit screamed, then burst apart. Its fur and bones had aged and cracked like rotten wood, tumbling from the night sky.

"Lord Sacrificial Spirit, you... you died just like that?!" Bei Liqing could hardly believe that a little child had killed their village's incomparably powerful Sacrificial Spirit.

"Impossible! This can't be!" Bei Liqing could not believe any of it.

"Attack! Kill every last person from Bei Village!" a loud shout rang out.

At the same time, arrows swept through the air like a locust swarm, and flying spears streaked down like meteors. Waves of screams rose from Bei Village.

The people of Stone Village had arrived. Leading them was the old clan chief, Shi Yunfeng, along with Shi Linhu, Shi Feijiao, and the others. Their faces were ablaze with fury as they continued shooting.

"Cheep, cheep..."

Dapeng, Xiao Qing, and Ziyun beat their wings, charging along the ground. They still could not truly fly, but they were extremely fast. They rushed toward the Green-Scaled Eagle, all crying out in sorrow.

The three young birds each pressed themselves against one of their mother's wounds, shielding her with their bodies from the iron arrows. They cried piteously, rubbing their heads against their mother's body, each cry sounding as if their hearts were bleeding.

"Quick, hurry and retreat!" Bei Shan called to the remaining people of Bei Village.

"After them!"

The people of Stone Village unleashed their full strength, hounding Bei Village's people until they could barely flee.

"Back to the village!"

With the danger over, they lifted the Suanni Precious Body and carried the crimson-red Precious Horn, blazing like scarlet clouds, and the rest, charging toward the village.

Stone Village had won a great victory this time. Only a few people had been wounded, while almost everyone from Bei Village had been killed.

"Lin Hu, Feijiao, take the Ancestral Artifact and intercept that group from Bei Village. Don't let a single one escape—kill every last one of them!" Shi Yunfeng was decisive. After tending to the wounded, he immediately issued this bloodthirsty command, determined to wipe out the fleeing people from Bei Village and prevent future trouble.

Little One had fought for an entire day, battling vicious beasts to seize the Suanni Precious Body and fighting Bei Village's people as well. He had suffered several arrow wounds and was already utterly exhausted.

Even so, he volunteered to join the pursuit. Shi Yunfeng hesitated briefly, then finally agreed. Jade had to be carved to become a useful vessel; Little One needed to endure the baptism of blood and fire if he was to grow up.

Shi Lin joined the fight as well. He was one of the main forces, but still had plenty of energy.

It was bound to be a sleepless night. Shi Linhu and Shi Feijiao carried the Ancestral Artifact and led their clansmen in ruthlessly hunting down the young and able-bodied from Bei Village.

Blood splattered and lives were reaped. The moonlit night was bleak, the mountain forest stained red, and mountain beasts cried out. The air was cold and murderous.

In the brutal Great Wilderness, human lives were sometimes cheaper than grass. Many brave men had died in the jaws of vicious beasts, and the death toll was always high. Yet today, it was humans slaughtering their own kind.

Bei Village had sent out a total of 123 people. Half had died in the beast tide, and most of the survivors were injured. When they learned that their Sacrificial Spirit was dead, their morale plummeted, and they nearly fell apart.

What followed was a one-sided pursuit. The people of Stone Village counted the bodies as they continued to hunt down and search for the fugitives, eliminating them one by one.

With the vicious bei dead, the giant wolves abandoned the people of Bei Village and returned to the mountains. Some even turned on the Bei clansmen, biting many of them to death on the spot.

"You vicious old bastard, where do you think you're going?!"

Shi Linhu roared and drew his giant bow. An iron arrow shot forth, its cold gleam illuminating the forest. With a thud, it sank into the back of Bei Liqing's heart, its thick shaft punching through and spraying a great sheet of blood.

"I hate this!" the Bei Village clan chief roared.

"You old bastard, you've done every evil under the sun. You'd be better off ending your own life!" Shi Feijiao attacked as well, swinging his greatsword down. With a thud, a bloodstained head flew several meters through the air and landed on the ground.

Bei Liqing was dead. The surviving people of Bei Village turned pale and trembled in terror, each fleeing for their lives.

"Whoosh!"

A cold arrow shot out, flying toward the back of Little One's head. It was vicious and accurate; if it struck, it would pierce straight through his skull.

Shi Hao heard the rush of air and dodged swiftly. He spun around and glared at a patch of forest, fury burning in his eyes as he shouted, "You again!"

A burly man was hiding in the bushes, but he had now been exposed. He stood two meters and thirty or forty centimeters tall, his powerful muscles gleaming with a bronze sheen. It was none other than Bei Shan, leader of Bei Village's hunting party.

When Little One first clashed with the people of Bei Village, his first arrow wound had been inflicted by Bei Shan. Hiding in the shadows back then, Bei Shan had shot through one of Shi Hao's arms, drawing a great deal of blood. Now he had struck again.

"Hum!"

Shi Hao raised his hand, and the Beast Tooth String shot out like a gleaming white divine chain, radiating light. It surged forward, and with a crack, twisted Bei Shan's giant bow to pieces.

With the vicious bei dead, the Treasure Rune had lost all connection to it. Little One wielded it with ever greater ease, like an extension of his own arm. The sparkling Beast Tooth String was indestructible and possessed tremendous power.

Bei Shan drew his greatsword and charged at Little One. Its icy gleam cut through the forest. The strength in his arms was a shocking five or six thousand jin. He swung the broad blade with both hands, and it seemed to cleave down like a bolt of lightning.

Runes flickered at Little One's fingertips. The Beast Tooth String glittered like stars, every tooth crystal clear. It coiled around the shining greatsword, and after several cracks, twisted it to pieces, leaving nothing but scrap metal. Such was the power of a Treasure Artifact. "Pfft!" "Pfft!"...

The forty-two smooth, sparkling beast teeth flew out one by one, transforming into divine spears, arrows of light, and more. They smashed into Bei Shan's body. Blood surged up as his arms, legs, and the rest of his limbs were all broken. His two-meter-tall, powerful body crashed to the ground with a boom.

The points of light gathered together, forming the pure-white Beast Tooth String again. It wrapped around Shi Hao's wrist, shimmering brilliantly.

"Little One, kill him!" Shi Linhu strode over and said solemnly.

"Little brat, I never thought you'd really grow into a force to be reckoned with. Too bad my arrow only pierced your forearm. I should've put one through your throat." Bei Shan bared his white teeth, his expression vicious.

"Fine!" Shi Hao closed his eyes, remembering the scene of Uncle A Wen being shot through the chest by Bei Shan. His eyes snapped open, and he swung the greatsword down. With a "pfft," the man's head rolled away, spraying blood everywhere.

"Uncle Lin Hu, I'm tired," Little One said softly, letting the greatsword fall.

He had fought all day, constantly unleashing the Silver Moon. His enemies had grown more fearsome with every battle: vicious beasts, ruthless men, and the vicious bei. He had suffered several arrow wounds and was exhausted in both body and spirit. When he finished speaking, he closed his eyes.

"Get some sleep." Shi Linhu carried him on his back.

By the time Shi Hao woke again, a day and a night had passed. His wounds had been treated and had already scabbed over. The pursuit of the people from Bei Village was over as well; every last one of them had been killed. This time, Stone Village had struck with iron-blooded ruthlessness, sparing no one. They had not let a single person from that group escape. More than a hundred heads had been piled together in a gruesome heap, while others had been thrown to the beasts before the villagers could even reach them.