Wolf Pack

A biting cold wind swept through the vast mountain forest, with withered yellow branches rustling and swaying in the gale. The bleak chill seeped through the entire Azure Sun Mountains.

More than a hundred Martial Suppression Office martial artists had long since divided into twenty squads according to regulations. Each squad was led by a Second Tier Chief Banner Officer and accompanied by several First Tier Banner Officers.

Yet the boundless Azure Sun Mountains stretched for hundreds of miles, its peaks layered upon peaks and its forests deep and secluded. Once those twenty squads scattered into the vast wilderness, they seemed as frail and insignificant as droplets falling into the sea.

Three days had passed since they entered Azure Sun Mountain. The long trek and constant mental strain had steadily worn away at everyone's strength and patience.

In order to investigate the traces of savage beasts, the squads continued pressing deeper into the mountain range. The distances between them had stretched farther and farther until they had long lost the ability to watch over one another.

Shen Lie's squad, where Lin Qing was stationed, was likewise exhausted. Heavy weariness hung over everyone's brows.

It was already winter. Though no sweeping snowstorm had fallen, the bone-piercing cold wind that whistled through the forest still cut painfully against their skin.

No one in this squad had reached the Third Tier and could not remain untouched by heat or cold. During the day, they could still stave off the chill through constant movement. Once night fell, however, they could only light a bonfire and huddle close to its glow for warmth.

When they had been on the outskirts of the mountain range, the creatures active there had mostly been ordinary wild beasts, which did not dare approach the camp after nightfall. Everyone had been able to rest briefly. But as the squad continued deeper, their surroundings grew ever darker and more perilous, and savage beasts lurking in the dense forests and ravines began appearing with increasing frequency.

Ordinary First and Second Tier savage beasts possessed no intelligence to restrain them. Brutal and bloodthirsty by nature, they never judged the strength of their opponents. The moment they sensed the presence of humans, they would launch a ferocious hunt.

Most of those savage beasts were skilled at lying in wait and concealing themselves. Only after slowly closing in would they suddenly erupt into an ambush, leaving people unable to guard against them.

For several days in a row, even though they took turns keeping watch, no one dared fall into a deep sleep. At the slightest rustle of wind or grass, they would jolt awake. Their taut nerves and endless vigilance weighed everyone down until they were exhausted in both body and mind.

Lin Qing was in slightly better condition. The Life-Nourishing Art within him circulated day and night without cease, allowing him to barely hold on. The others in the squad, by contrast, all looked haggard, their eyes webbed with fine bloodshot veins.

As the squad leader, Shen Lie had not slept at all. Many Second Tier savage beasts lurked in the depths of Azure Sun Mountain. These beasts possessed tremendous strength and shocking explosive power. If one launched a surprise attack, even Shen Lie himself risked injury or death. He had to remain vigilant at all times.

Just as everyone was physically and mentally spent, nearing the limit of what they could endure, a striking burst of red fireworks suddenly exploded in the dreary afternoon sky dozens of miles away.

That was a signal flare specially made by the Martial Suppression Office!

The instant they saw that flare, the taut strings in everyone's hearts abruptly loosened. More than half the gloom between their brows dispersed, and the fatigue suppressed for days seemed to fade somewhat as well. The Third Tier savage beast had already been found. They only needed to reach the vicinity to rendezvous with the other squads.

Once several squads gathered together, with several Second Tier Chief Banner Officers joining forces to hold the line, they could deal with anything calmly so long as they did not encounter a pack of Second Tier savage beasts. Everyone would even be able to take turns getting a good night's sleep.

No one had expected that danger often lurked in the very instant one let down one's guard.

A pitch-black figure suddenly sprang from the dense forest behind them without warning, carrying a biting, bloody stench as it pounced straight at Lu Xuan, whose back was turned toward it.

The sudden change caught Lu Xuan completely unprepared. He had no time to react as the shadow of death instantly enveloped him.

Shi Man's pupils abruptly shrank, and every hair on his body stood on end. He let out a heart-rending roar: "Watch out!"

At that critical moment, Lin Qing's right hand had silently gripped the hilt of the Hundred-Forged Embroidered Spring Saber at his waist. His knuckles tensed slightly, every muscle in his body poised to strike. He only needed to wait for the right angle before he could unleash a Drawn-Blade Slash and save Lu Xuan in an instant.

But from the corner of his eye, he saw a nimble figure move first.

Shen Lie abruptly shifted sideways and reached Lu Xuan's side in an instant. His solid right shoulder slammed fiercely into Lu Xuan's waist, forcibly shoving him away from the savage beast's attack path.

At the same time, the black shadow had already lunged before Shen Lie. It was right at hand, leaving no time to draw his saber and gather strength. Yet Shen Lie remained calm in the face of danger. With a twist of his wrist, the sheathed long saber at his waist instantly blocked across his chest.

"Clang!"

The dull collision rang out, but Shen Lie's heart steadied slightly. This was only the strength of a First Tier savage beast.

Borrowing the force to gather momentum, he sharply drew his arm back before thrusting it forward with explosive force, sending the charging black shadow flying several yards away.

Only then did everyone clearly see the attacker's true appearance.

It was a savage wolf covered in grayish-black fur. Its fangs were bared, saliva dripping from its mouth, while its scarlet beast eyes brimmed with bloodthirsty ferocity. Its limbs were thick and powerful, its claws and teeth razor-sharp, and a heavy rank stench radiated from its entire body.

The instant he saw what the savage beast was, even Lin Qing, whose expression had remained calm, felt a troublesome sensation rise in his heart.

Wolf-type savage beasts were pack animals by nature, their blood carrying the instinct to hunt together. Only a very small number of old wolves cast out by their packs would wander alone in search of food. Yet this savage wolf before them was powerfully built, its fur glossy, and it was in its prime. It could never be a lone wolf.

The moment that thought arose, dense rustling sounds came from the deep forest all around them.

Bushes shook, dead branches snapped, and grayish-black wolf shadows emerged from the forests, ravines, and thickets in every direction. Their cold beast eyes locked onto the five members of the squad, and their icy Killing Intent intertwined and coiled around them, trapping everyone in a tight encirclement. There were at least twenty or thirty wolves.

Behind the wolf pack, an enormous giant wolf slowly stepped forward, drawing particular attention. It was fully twice the size of the ordinary savage wolves around it, its limbs as thick as pillars, its fur black as ink, its back arched, and its Killing Intent soaring to the heavens.

Mighty Qi and Blood surged and churned within its body, condensing into a skyful of pale red, bloody mist that continuously evaporated and rose. In the end, it gathered above its head into a wisp of gray-red smoke that slowly roiled.

Blood Qi Wolf Smoke!

This was the mark of the Second-Tier Peak, and it also meant it had gained the qualifications to step into the Third Tier.

Without question, this giant wolf was the wolf king of the savage wolf pack, a Second-Tier Peak savage beast.

Before anyone could react, before even the wolves could react, Shen Lie made his decision at once. A cold gleam flashed in his eyes as he drew his long saber with a backhand motion and charged fiercely in the direction opposite the wolf king, shouting sharply, "Break through with me!"

At the juncture of life and death, hesitation meant death. The four others instantly came to their senses. Daring not delay, they followed closely behind Shen Lie as they broke out.

Shen Lie lunged forward, his long saber sweeping horizontally. The fierce saber wind forcibly cleaved through the obstruction of several First Tier savage wolves ahead, tearing open a narrow breach in the encirclement in the blink of an eye.

Seizing that fleeting chance, the five of them erupted with all their strength and truly charged out of the wolf pack's encirclement.

But the mountain forest terrain was complicated and thick with vegetation. Their running speed ultimately could not compare to the savage wolves that had roamed the mountains and forests since birth.

Barely moments after breaking free, heavy pounding footsteps sounded behind them. A large pack of savage wolves pursued relentlessly, biting hard at their heels. Even more deadly, wolf shadows on both sides swiftly wheeled around and threaded past them, circling ahead in an attempt to block their route again and complete a second encirclement.

Shen Lie's gaze sharpened. He abruptly stopped and turned around, pointing his long saber toward the pursuing wolf pack as he spoke in an utterly decisive tone:

"Split up! Break out toward the signal!"

Su Ye, who had always been quiet and reserved, suddenly changed expression and could not help crying out urgently, "Lord Shen!"

Shen Lie glanced back calmly, his expression composed and his tone brimming with confidence:

"Don't worry. If I want to get away, this pack of savage beasts cannot keep me."

The instant his words fell, the Qi and Blood Realm around him erupted with a thunderous roar. Billowing heat rose into the air, and vast Qi and Blood surged skyward. It was also Blood Qi Wolf Smoke!

It turned out Shen Lie had unknowingly reached the point where he stood only one step from the Third Tier. With that being the case, there truly was no need to worry about Shen Lie's safety.

The others no longer hesitated. They exchanged glances, then immediately scattered and fled madly in different directions.

Shen Lie remained behind alone to face the wolf pack at his back, while savage wolves from both sides gradually closed in as well.

In battles between opponents of the same tier, martial artists were often inferior to savage beasts. Savage beasts were born in the wild, and slaughter was an instinct carved into their bloodlines. Day after day, they fought to survive.

Though Shen Lie had likewise reached the realm of Blood Qi Wolf Smoke, barely protecting himself was already his limit. There was no way he could shield everyone under the siege of the wolf pack. Splitting up and fleeing was their only path to survival.

The four figures raced away in different directions and soon vanished into the dense forest.

Lin Qing deliberately slowed down somewhat instead of fleeing blindly. After the other three had completely gone far away, he quietly changed direction. His steps were light, his aura restrained, and like a hunter stalking through the dark night, he silently followed behind the three of them.

With his current true combat strength, these First Tier savage wolves were nothing to fear.

Two and a half months ago, Lin Qing had already condensed the Blood Qi Veil. With his cultivation technique continuously circulating during this time, his foundation of Qi and Blood and physical strength had long surpassed those of ordinary early and middle Second Tier martial artists.

Added to that was the support of Yellow Rank Beginner Body Control, allowing him to execute and withdraw his moves freely and apply force with precise efficiency. Though he had not reached the realm of Blood Qi Wolf Smoke, even if he fought Shen Lie—who had one foot in the Third Tier—to the death, Lin Qing might not necessarily lose.

While tracking them, several First Tier savage wolves that had separated from the pack to pursue them alone entered Lin Qing's sight one after another. His movement technique was nimble as he silently closed in. Before long, a few brief wolf howls sounded through the forest before silence returned.

In only a short while, the scattered savage wolves pursuing Su Ye, Shi Man, and Lu Xuan had all been silently slain by Lin Qing.

After dealing with every pursuer, Lin Qing did not go reunite with the three. He had other plans this time.

Sun Shaoping had previously mentioned that the sudden appearance of high-tier savage beasts must mean some treasure had emerged.

This time, Lin Qing intended to explore the secrets and opportunities of Azure Sun Mountain.