An army approaches

Bluestone Mountain.

The summer mountain breeze was cool and refreshing, and everyone in the tribe was practicing the cultivation method Mingye had passed down.

Combined with the meat from the Leopard Tribe's vanguard, it was more than enough to meet the entire tribe's cultivation needs.

Beside a cliff, Kōga wore a pained expression as he performed a series of strange movements, circulating his blood energy.

Mingye sat cross-legged on a large bluestone, casually guiding Kōga's cultivation.

"Brother, can I take a break? Isn't this good enough?"

Kōga panted, his body wracked by pain unlike anything he had ever experienced. He trembled, looking as though he might collapse at any moment.

"Kōga, if you don't work hard at your daily cultivation and always think good enough is enough, you'll pay dearly when you face a real battle!"

Mingye quietly refined his own blood energy. With his current foundation, he no longer needed those complicated movements to circulate it. His powerful control allowed him to set his blood energy flowing whenever he wished!

He looked calmly at Kōga and spoke evenly. Cultivation was tedious, and Kōga was still very young, interested only in playing.

But that simply would not do. Mingye could not remain the Demon Wolf Tribe's only strong member. A truly great tribe needed people who could serve as its pillars.

Kōga had considerable talent, possessing the power to control the wind.

Letting him grow as he had in the original story would be far too wasteful.

Besides, as Mingye's younger brother, how could he be so mediocre?

"But brother, this is so tiring. Can't I just leave the fighting to you?"

Kōga asked innocently. At his tender age, he was simply that naïve.

"Our wolf tribe is a tribe of warriors. If all you know is how to hide behind me, then you're no brother of mine!"

Mingye snapped coldly. An elder brother was like a father, and he refused to let his own flesh and blood become as useless, arrogant, and disgraceful as he had been in the original course of events.

"Brother, I'll keep practicing. You... please don't be angry..."

It was the first time Kōga had seen his gentle brother so angry. He no longer dared complain about being tired and obediently resumed his cultivation.

He idolized his brother. Whenever he was with his friends, he could boast about how amazing his brother was, and he thoroughly enjoyed that feeling.

But his admiration was real, and so was his fear.

Having lost his parents at a young age, he depended on his brother. If Mingye truly refused to acknowledge him as his younger brother, Kōga simply could not bear it.

So Kōga gritted his teeth and endured the pain without daring to make a sound. He circulated his blood energy, combining it with the Demon Power control method Mingye had taught him as he carefully explored and grasped its workings.

Only when Mingye saw Kōga acting this way did his expression soften.

Judging by the timing... Inuyasha should be born soon. The war between the cats and dogs might end within the next few months...

Mingye pondered this inwardly. Kōga and Inuyasha were around the same age, but his arrival had caused Kōga to be born a little earlier.

Still, the time of Inuyasha's birth was drawing near.

But before that, I need to deal with the scum at hand...

Mingye raised his eyes slightly, his gaze seeming to pierce the void and behold the approaching leopard army in the distance.

The summer wind carried the army's scent to him, and Mingye also sensed waves of intense demonic aura and murderous intent.

"Lord Mingye... the enemy is coming!"

Chongli stopped cultivating as well. His golden fur fluttered in the mountain breeze, and a sharp gleam flashed in his eyes.

He had also sensed the army's presence. With the bloodline power of a savage beast within him, his natural gifts were considerable.

"Mingye, the demon wolves have caught the Leopard Tribe's scent. There are a lot of them, and they're closing in on Bluestone Mountain fast!"

The Old Chief appeared beside the cliff as well, his expression grave. Stronger demons were certain to be among the attackers this time.

"Keep cultivating without worry. I'll be right back!"

Mingye raised a hand slightly. His calm words eased even the Old Chief's anxious heart.

Kōga also realized that more enemies were coming. Distracted, he briefly lost control of the blood energy within his body.

"Focus. Keep cultivating!"

Mingye barked coldly. Distraction was the greatest danger when circulating blood energy, as it could easily lead to injury.

At Mingye's words, Kōga barely managed to steady his blood energy and strained to remain focused.

"Let's go, Chongli!"

The moment Mingye finished speaking, Chongli understood his intent. Demon Power surged within him, and his body abruptly transformed, growing several dozen feet larger.

Mingye stepped onto Chongli's back. With a single leap, Chongli covered well over a hundred feet.

After learning to circulate his blood energy, Chongli had tapped into his own bloodline power, allowing him to enlarge his body, send his blood energy boiling, and boost his combat strength by several tenths!

"I never imagined that this seemingly weak monkey possessed such power!"

The Old Chief's expression shifted, astonishment stirring within him. It was his first time seeing Chongli undergo such a transformation.

He had thought Chongli was merely a little demon who served as something like a mascot. Yet the fierce, explosive aura unleashed by this transformation instantly put pressure on the Old Chief.

Above all, it was the bloodline aura of the savage beast Zhu Yan, bearing down on the Old Chief's mind, that truly shocked him.

Kōga had seen it once over the past few days, so the sight did not astonish him.

A barrier rose, enveloping all of Bluestone Mountain.

Normally, the barrier's power remained concealed. With Mingye in the territory, there was no need to keep it fully deployed.

At this change, the Demon Wolf Tribe understood that enemies were approaching, and a considerable stir swept through them.

The Old Chief went down to calm the tribespeople, telling everyone to cultivate with peace of mind and await Mingye's triumphant return.

The barrier had been deployed to prevent any demons from luring Mingye away and launching a sneak attack.

The Demon Wolf Tribe was still too weak, leaving Mingye no choice but to exercise such caution.

Among the eight thousand leopards in the army, some had assumed their true forms. Their enormous bodies were bulkier than the trees, yet their speed did not suffer.

At their head, the Leopard King remained in human form. His eyes were so piercing that ordinary demons dared not meet them. Riding a leopard, he exuded authority without anger, his aura radiating steadily.

Even that natural outpouring was enough to fill nearby demons and creatures with dread.

And with eight thousand Leopard Tribe members behind him, dense demonic aura rose into the sky, seeming to form black clouds overhead. Those clouds were condensed demonic aura, intimidating everything around them.

A figure slipped swiftly through the forest. Suddenly, he stopped, sensing the leopard army's presence.

He leaped up and landed on a high vantage point.

"To think the Leopard King himself is leading an army of eight thousand tribespeople!"

Sunlight fell upon the figure, revealing a soft-featured face. The red iron fan on his back shimmered with a scorching aura.

It was Red Evil Ogre, whom Tōga had sent to Bluestone Mountain to invite Mingye.

He had traveled all the way from the Dog Tribe Base to the vicinity of Bluestone Mountain, arriving at precisely the same time as the leopard army.

The Leopard Tribe's army had not appeared on the battlefield before, remaining hidden within the Leopard Cat Tribe's base. Who would have thought its first deployment would be against the Demon Wolf Tribe on Bluestone Mountain?

Red Evil Ogre had assumed that this tribe would eventually become one of the main forces attacking his Dog Tribe.

"But how will you handle this... Mingye of the demon wolves...?"

Red Evil Ogre was eager to see just how strong Mingye, the demon wolf whose fame had recently soared, truly was.

Today offered the perfect opportunity.