Hunting Wolf Bandits

The staff member flipped through the records:

"One month ago, a Seven Treasures Caravan discovered a small pack of about five or six Wolf Bandits approximately one hundred and twelve li west of Songpeikeer City."

Xia Yan took the record handed over by the staff member.

If one were to travel another hundred li west from this location, they would reach the sea. With abundant seafood and no shortage of food, and given the Wolf Bandits' high mobility, it was indeed possible to encounter them there.

Furthermore, since the intelligence was provided by the Seven Treasures Caravan, it was essentially accurate.

Although Wolf Bandits generally appear in groups, much like primitive tribes, they are not entirely united internally.

On the contrary, being naturally bloodthirsty, they would not mind tasting the flesh of their own kind.

Internal conflicts and contradictions lead to splits, which in turn create new packs of Wolf Bandits.

This is almost the only reason small-scale Wolf Bandit packs come into existence.

The only thing that suppresses the group is a powerful leader capable of forcing them to bow and obey; therefore, the larger the Wolf Bandit pack, the stronger the leader's power.

For those packs exceeding five hundred in number, the leader must possess strength at the ten-thousand-year level.

Thus, the only thing that can be certain about a small-scale Wolf Bandit pack is that

the leader cannot be too powerful.

"Let me confirm one last time: two hundred Gold Soul Coins for a juvenile Wolf Bandit, and five hundred Gold Soul Coins for an adult, correct?"

"Uh..."

The staff member hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"Yes, Lord Soul Master. However, Wolf Bandits rarely act alone; they are always in groups. A typical adult individual has strength equivalent to a human two-ring or three-ring Soul Master. They have a keen sense of smell, are highly aggressive, and can manipulate wind-attribute energy in combat. Once they set their sights on you, it is a fight to the death. Even a juvenile Wolf Bandit can manipulate wind energy, and their strength is not to be underestimated..."

"Lord Soul Master, I hope you will reconsider."

Clearly, she truly could not believe that Xia Yan could take on a small pack of Wolf Bandits alone.

"Young man..."

In a corner of the hall, a middle-aged man who had been resting in a chair also spoke up to warn him: "Looking at you, your strength should be decent, but even a Soul Ancestor wouldn't dare pat their chest and guarantee they could defeat a pack of five or six Wolf Bandits. Don't even think about a sneak attack; their noses are as sharp as ghosts..."

It was obvious he also believed Xia Yan was going to his death.

Xia Yan nodded politely: "Thank you, I will give it careful consideration."

These words were not mockery, but well-intentioned advice, which he naturally accepted.

After Xia Yan walked out of the hall, watching his disappearing back, the middle-aged man drained his wine glass in one gulp and sighed again.

Sigh, young people these days don't listen to advice. Isn't living a good life better?

Arriving at the market, Xia Yan replenished the food supplies he had half-consumed.

Along the way, he also bought some local grassland specialties, such as air-dried beef jerky and milk curds.

Afterward, he set off toward the west.

The grassland did not have the undulating terrain of Notting City; it was entirely flat, allowing one to see ten li away at a glance.

He had learned that if one could travel in a straight line, the distance from Songpeikeer City to the sea was only a little over two hundred li. A fast caravan could reach it in just over three days, while a slower one would take at most five.

However, caravans must bypass locations where Wolf Bandits are most likely to appear, so at least three days must be added to this time.

But for Xia Yan, a journey of over a hundred li would take no more than an hour.

Looking at the map, he estimated his position in his mind.

After covering the approximate distance, Xia Yan began to search the grassland.

Half an hour later:

"Screech!"

The Jade Green Bird let out a clear cry; it had spotted the Wolf Bandits!

Xia Yan immediately looked over. A few li ahead, a small group of Wolf Bandits was wandering across the grassland, six in total.

Their fur was blackish-gray, and their appearance resembled upright werewolves, draped in tattered armor.

This armor could only have been obtained by plundering human Soul Masters.

"Let's go!"

The Jade Green Bird flew rapidly toward them.

At the same time, it flapped its wings, unleashing several cyan wind blades that whistled through the air.

"ROAR!!"

The Wolf Bandits discovered the Jade Green Bird almost immediately, assuming an offensive stance.

Their bodies were covered in a layer of cyan light, and a faint cyan phantom even manifested over their already razor-sharp wolf claws.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The wind blades from the Jade Green Bird were dodged one after another by the Wolf Bandits, striking the grass and kicking up large clouds of dust.

However, in a blind spot that none of the Wolf Bandits noticed, the Datura Snake suddenly appeared in the grass, opened its jaws, and sprayed a corrosive, deadly poison onto the hind leg of one of the Wolf Bandits.

That Wolf Bandit only felt a sudden chill in its hind leg and thought nothing of it, but it was immediately followed by a wave of numbness, as if it could no longer exert any strength...

"Awoooooo!!!"

A tearing, excruciating pain instantly assaulted its brain, and it suddenly collapsed to the ground, howling in agony.

The surrounding Wolf Bandits looked over, only to discover that its entire right hind leg had already been reduced to a bloody mess!

Scalding blood gushed out, and as it thrashed about, it stained the patch of grass beneath it crimson.

"?!"

The tallest leader of the Wolf Bandits could not comprehend what had happened; apart from the suddenly appearing bird spirit beast and the human spirit master, there were no other threats around!

The limited intelligence of a low-level spirit beast could not allow it to deduce the cause, so it could only ignore the situation for the moment, focusing on killing the bird spirit beast and the human spirit master before dealing with its kin.

Yet, when it turned its gaze back, it discovered that

there was nothing in the sky... both the human and the spirit beast had completely vanished!

"Awooo?!"

"Awoooooo?!"

The five Wolf Bandits were shocked, immediately huddling together and abandoning their injured companion, moving far away from it.

According to their survival instincts, once a companion was injured, the attacker would almost certainly target the injured one first, so they could use it as bait!

The five Wolf Bandits could not understand why Xia Yan had suddenly disappeared, but they made the choice most favorable to their own survival.

Just as they were looking around vigilantly, the bodies of Xia Yan and the Jade Green Bird instantly reappeared in the sky, slashing several cyan wind blades toward them!

"Roar!!"

The leader of the Wolf Bandits let out a roar, and after dodging the attack, its sharp wolf claws immediately flung out several wind blades of its own.

However, just as it was focused on the battle and keeping a wary eye on its surroundings, the Datura Snake appeared once more, spraying highly corrosive venom onto its legs and the legs of the Wolf Bandit beside it.

"Awoooooo!!"

Two Wolf Bandits collapsed in pain almost simultaneously, clutching their thighs and rolling about while howling.

The remaining three Wolf Bandits looked over sharply, their terrified gazes still failing to spot the Datura Snake, seeing only their struggling kin.

Without any communication, almost at the same moment, their bodies erupted with a dense cyan light, and without hesitation, they bolted in different directions.

They were fleeing!

Fear crowded out everything else in their brains, Run!

But how could Xia Yan possibly give them the chance?

The speed of the Jade Green Bird far exceeded theirs, and Xia Yan summoned the Demon Suppressing Pagoda, revealing his first spirit ring.

In an instant, countless surging snake shadows erupted from the shadows between the blades of grass, binding one Wolf Bandit tightly, while sharp phantom fangs pierced through its eyeballs and skin, injecting violent snake venom into its flesh.

"Awoooooo!!"

The snake shadows, transformed into chains, coiled tightly around its neck.

The wolf claws that could once easily slice through the bodies of prey were now only able to flail about powerlessly.

In less than twenty seconds, it stopped struggling altogether.