The Awakening Intelligence Eighth-Layer Wild Boar King

Five hunters were surrounding and hunting a wild boar.

Zhou Qi swept his gaze over them, and a system panel popped up:

[Name: Pei Qiang (Hunter)]

[Realm: Qi Refining Fourth Layer (Early Stage)]

[Art: Basic Hunting Art (Minor Mastery)]

[Weakness: Muddled spiritual energy, unstable foundation]

Of the other four, three were at Qi Refining Third Layer and one at Qi Refining Second Layer, all cultivators from the very bottom rung.

He then looked at the wild boar:

[Name: Black-Haired Wild Boar]

[Realm: Awakening Intelligence Fifth Layer (Equivalent to a human's Fifth Layer of Qi Refinement)]

[Talents: Thick hide and tough flesh, astonishing brute strength]

[Weakness: Weak defense at the hind leg joints]

Zhou Qi withdrew his gaze and leaned against the tree trunk, with no intention of interfering.

Such things were common in the deep mountains and old forests. Hunters gambled with their lives, Demonic Beasts fought to survive, and each relied on their own skills.

This was how they earned their living, while he was merely watching the spectacle.

The battle in the clearing had already become clear.

Though the wild boar was fierce, it was outnumbered and had been worn down for a long time. At last, it revealed an opening.

One hunter seized the opportunity and slashed at the joint of the boar's left hind leg.

With a crisp crack.

The boar let out a miserable howl. Its hind leg gave way, and half its body collapsed.

"Brother Qiang!"

The hunter shouted excitedly.

The hunter named Pei Qiang followed up with another slash at the hind leg, directly chopping it off.

The wild boar crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Pei Qiang lunged forward and brought his blade down toward the boar's neck.

"Pfft!"

The slash tore hide and flesh apart, but the boar had not yet breathed its last. Its limbs twitched as it struggled desperately.

Pei Qiang gritted his teeth and hacked three or four more times. The others hurriedly joined in, and they finally killed the wild boar completely.

"It's dead! It's dead!"

"Hahaha, this beast will fetch quite a bit of silver!"

"Brother Qiang is mighty!"

The five hunters cheered, patting one another on the shoulders with excitement written all over their faces.

Pei Qiang wiped the blood from his face and grinned. "Quit celebrating and hurry up. It'll be dark soon, and these mountains aren't safe."

He pulled a dagger from his waist, crouched down, and prepared to gut the boar.

The other four gathered around, chattering over how much silver the boar could be traded for.

Watching from afar, Zhou Qi's lips curved faintly.

The happiness of those at the bottom was just that simple.

He was about to leave.

Then suddenly, an aura came from afar.

Zhou Qi's gaze sharpened.

The aura approached with incredible speed. When he first sensed it, it had still been several li away, yet after only a few breaths, it had drawn much closer.

The sound of its running was like war drums pounding.

Zhou Qi looked up. Deep within the dense forest, a massive black shadow was rapidly approaching.

Wherever it passed, trees shook and countless birds took flight in alarm.

It was a full circle larger than the wild boar from before.

Zhou Qi focused his eyes, and a system panel popped up:

[Name: Black-Haired Boar King]

[Realm: Awakening Intelligence Eighth Layer (Equivalent to a human's eighth-layer Qi Refining)]

[Talents: Berserk Charge, extremely strong hide and flesh defense]

[Weakness: Relatively slow speed, clumsy turns]

Zhou Qi raised an eyebrow.

Eighth-layer Qi Refining?

A whole realm higher than Silly Dog.

In the clearing, the five hunters were still immersed in the joy of their harvest, utterly unaware that danger was closing in.

Pei Qiang was the first to sense that something was wrong.

He was crouching on the ground, carving up the boar, when he suddenly felt the earth tremble faintly. The trees and grass began to quiver as well.

Years of hunting experience made him alert in an instant. He dropped flat to the ground and pressed his ear against the earth.

After listening for only a moment, his face changed drastically.

"Run!"

Pei Qiang sprang up and shouted at the other four, "Something big is coming! Climb the trees! Hurry, climb the trees!"

The four were stunned at first, but when they saw Pei Qiang's deathly pale face, they immediately understood. Without another word, they followed him in a mad dash toward the edge of the clearing.

After running more than twenty zhang, Pei Qiang pointed at a tree so thick it would take two people to encircle it. "That one! Get up, quickly!"

The five scrambled up the tree, each clinging tightly to a sturdy branch.

Zhou Qi watched from afar and shook his head.

Too late.

The Wild Boar King had already spotted them.

Or rather, it had spotted the dead wild boar.

The next moment, a colossal beast burst out from the edge of the forest.

It was a black giant boar even more robust than a full-grown water buffalo. Two tusks jutted forward like spears, while its scarlet eyes brimmed with savagery.

It rushed to the gutted boar, lowered its head to sniff it, then raised its head and let out an earth-shaking howl.

"Aooo...!!"

The cry was filled with grief and fury.

Zhou Qi understood at once.

They were a pair.

They had killed its wife. There was no way this could end peacefully.

Sure enough, after howling, the Wild Boar King fixed its scarlet eyes on the five figures in the tree.

It pawed at the ground three or four times with its hind hooves, suddenly lowered its head, and charged at the tree like a black war chariot.

"Boom...!!"

The deafening impact shook the heavens.

The entire tree swayed violently. Leaves fell like rain, and a huge crack split open along the trunk.

The five people in the tree clung desperately to the branches. One of them even dropped his blade, but no one dared retrieve it.

The Wild Boar King retreated more than ten steps, shook its head, and charged again.

"Boom...!!"

Another blow.

The crack in the trunk widened further, letting out a teeth-grinding creak.

The Wild Boar King retreated once more, preparing for a third charge.

Just then, one of the hunters lost his grip and was shaken loose by the violent tremors.

"Aah...!"

He screamed as he fell straight down from several zhang high.

The Wild Boar King had been staring fixedly at the tree. Seeing someone fall, it immediately raised its head and flicked its two tusks forward.

"Pfft—"

The tusks pierced through his chest.

Before the hunter could even scream, he was skewered in midair, blood dripping down the tusks.

"Da Lin!!!"

The four people in the tree cried out in grief.

The Wild Boar King violently tossed its head, flinging the hunter named Da Lin from its tusks.

His body slammed into the tree trunk under the immense force, then crashed heavily to the ground.

Da Lin lay beneath the tree, frothing blood from his mouth as his body convulsed.

His mouth opened and closed as though he wanted to say something, but not a single word came out.

He clearly would not survive.

The four in the tree had red eyes, yet none dared climb down.

The Wild Boar King lowered its head and rammed Da Lin with savage force, as if venting its rage.

Under the crushing pressure, his heart, liver, and spleen burst apart and splattered everywhere.

The Wild Boar King retreated another dozen steps, gathering momentum.

Two more charges, and this tree would surely fall.

Standing in a tree some distance away, Zhou Qi took in the entire scene.

He looked at the Wild Boar King, then at the four despairing hunters in the tree.

Should he save them or not?

He was no saint. He should not meddle in such affairs.

But just then, a thought flashed through his mind.

This place was already at the border between Western Profound City and Blackstone City.

Judging from these hunters' clothing and accents, they were clearly mountain folk from a nearby village.

If they truly belonged to Western Profound City's jurisdiction...

Zhou Qi narrowed his eyes.

He did not know how extensive the Champion Marquis's influence was.

But he knew that everything within five thousand li of Blackstone City belonged to the Marquis Residence's territory.

Although Western Profound City was not under the Champion Marquis's control, it was still part of the Great Yong Dynasty. If the Marquis Residence issued a wanted notice across the seas or sent a letter requesting assistance, the City Lord's Manor of Western Profound City might well be willing to grant that favor.

Entering Western Profound City rashly without a legitimate identity was far too risky.

But if he could use these hunters to sneak into their village, first grind his cultivation arts and martial techniques to the limit, then obtain a local identity...

In such a remote and impoverished place, who could tell whether there was one more person or one fewer in the village?

Zhou Qi calculated rapidly.

A moment later, he made his decision.

His figure flashed, and he leaped down from the tree.