The Five Demon Wolves

Shortly after Red Evil Ogre left, the Demon Wolf Tribe members arrived at the battlefield.

"This..."

"So many ice sculptures!"

"All eight thousand leopards and the Leopard King died by Lord Mingye's sword!"

All the Demon Wolf Tribe members stood dazed, stunned by the sight before them.

"Just how powerful has Mingye become...?!"

When the Old Chief heard Chongli say that the Leopard Army had been wiped out, he could hardly believe it. He had thought Mingye would, at most, drive them back.

Yet everything before his eyes was real. Mingye truly had slaughtered the entire Leopard Army.

Seeing his tribespeople arrive, Mingye ordered everyone to clear the battlefield.

He headed toward Bluestone Mountain instead. This battle had indeed taken a considerable toll on him.

Only after Mingye left did the tribespeople come to their senses. They cleared the battlefield, carrying the leopards back to their territory one by one.

Leopard soup would surely taste good...

The Demon Wolf Tribe members were all excited. They would have no shortage of food for some time.

After dying, the members of the Leopard Tribe had reverted to their original forms, their beast bodies much larger than ordinary wild animals.

Moreover, traces of spiritual energy remained in these yokai's flesh, which would aid their cultivation.

Combined with the many methods Mingye had taught them, they would be able to absorb that spiritual energy to the fullest and strengthen themselves.

Aside from needing to rest after the battle, Mingye had chosen to leave for the Dog Tribe Base in three days because his reputation was growing ever greater.

Demon wolf tribes everywhere had learned that a truly powerful figure had emerged among their people and won the recognition of the Sacred Artifact, the Five Thunder Finger.

Numerous demon wolf tribes were making their way to Bluestone Mountain. Whoever obtained the Five Thunder Finger was the king of the Demon Wolf Tribe!

And after annihilating the Leopard Army, Mingye's strength would inspire even greater loyalty among the Demon Wolf Tribe members scattered across the land.

Each local group of Demon Wolf Tribe members numbered anywhere from several hundred to over a thousand. Such a massive shift would shake the entire Demon World.

The Demon Wolf Tribe would flourish again, becoming a genuinely powerful tribe once more.

Sure enough, by the second day, several thousand Demon Wolf Tribe members had arrived at Bluestone Mountain.

After displaying a few of his abilities, Mingye easily brought them into submission.

These Demon Wolf Tribe members all stayed at Bluestone Mountain to learn the various secret arts Mingye taught.

For three consecutive days, Demon Wolf Tribe members kept arriving at Bluestone Mountain, filling even the nearby mountains with members of the tribe.

Now, Bluestone Mountain housed as many as twenty thousand Demon Wolf Tribe members, with more still coming from farther away. No tribe in the Demon World was more widely scattered than theirs.

Their numbers were staggering, enough to rival those of the Dog Tribe and the Leopard Cat Tribe.

Among them, the chiefs of several branch tribes possessed strength comparable to yokai who had cultivated for over five hundred years.

After practicing Mingye's secret arts, they would become even stronger.

At the edge of a cliff.

"Akamaru, until I return, I'm entrusting the defense of Bluestone Mountain to you and the others!"

With his hands clasped behind his back, Mingye addressed a demon wolf dressed in red robes.

"Understood. The others and I will defend Bluestone Mountain with our lives!"

Akamaru gazed respectfully at Mingye's back. He ranked among the strongest beneath Mingye, alongside four other Demon Wolf Tribe members.

The Five Demon Wolves were the strongest under Mingye, and Akamaru was the best of the five.

Mingye nodded slightly. All five possessed considerable talent and strength far beyond that of ordinary yokai.

The Five Demon Wolves wielded the powers of wind, fire, earth, lightning, and water respectively, something he had never anticipated.

Each of them had been the most talented and powerful member of their own tribe.

After practicing Mingye's secret arts, they had drawn out even more of the elemental power within them.

None of these five had appeared in the original course of events. Presumably, they might have lost their lives during the intervening hundred-odd years.

Now, Mingye's influence had gathered all these Demon Wolf Tribe members at Bluestone Mountain, giving the five a chance to emerge.

That was Mingye's conclusion. After all, Kōga was still so young, and by the time he grew up and Inuyasha's seal was broken, more than a hundred years would have passed.

With over a century in between, it was only natural for unforeseen events to occur.

"Chongli, let's go."

Mingye took a single step, and his figure had already crossed more than a hundred feet.

Chongli also turned into a streak of golden light, following beside Mingye.

Akamaru stood silently in place, watching Mingye leave until his figure vanished completely.

His respectful expression turned cold and stern, and he let out a wolf's howl.

Moments later, four figures appeared at the cliff's edge, each arriving in a different fashion.

Raiga appeared first, lightning flashing all over his body. A fierce gust followed, bringing Feng Xie with it.

The ground trembled as water vapor rose, and Fei Tu and Shui Yue arrived almost simultaneously.

"What is it?"

Raiga spoke first, his hair standing on end and lightning radiating from his body. He was not tall or imposing, but his aura was fierce.

Feng Xie's face was deathly pale, almost sickly, and his body looked so frail that a breeze might topple him. Yet that was merely his appearance. The air currents around him shifted with every breath he took.

True to his name, Fei Tu was stout, the fattest of the group, and he was still biting into a leopard's leg.

Shui Yue was the only woman. Dressed in blue, with long sky-blue hair drifting in the wind, she possessed an intelligent, exquisite beauty.

As Raiga spoke, the others also turned to Akamaru.

"Lord Mingye has ordered us to remain vigilant at all times and guard against attacks from the Leopard Cat Tribe!"

Akamaru spoke coldly. Though his body brimmed with scorching heat, his temperament was utterly aloof.

"Understood!"

Raiga, Feng Xie, Fei Tu, and Shui Yue exchanged glances, realizing that Lord Mingye had already left Bluestone Mountain.

To them, Mingye's commands were decrees from heaven. No one dared disobey.

"Disperse!"

Akamaru swept his hand, and the four immediately vanished, each heading in a different direction to stand guard against any yokai attack.

Akamaru remained at the center, overseeing all the demon wolves' affairs.

With these five standing guard, along with the Guardian Barrier Mingye had set up, no one in the Demon World could hope to conquer Bluestone Mountain unless a Greater Yokai intervened.

Moreover, Mingye had left the Thunder Rage Sword at Bluestone Mountain, as a precaution in case Greater Yokai such as Michinaga of the Leopard Cat Tribe, Flying Moth, or Ryūkotsusei appeared.

After all, the Demon Wolf Tribe's reputation was spreading ever farther, and none of those Great Yokai would want such an enormous tribe to rise to power again.

By leaving the Thunder Rage Sword behind, Mingye would know immediately if it was used, thanks to the sword's power.

He would return as fast as possible. He had to leave such a contingency in place.

After all, Ryūkotsusei's willingness to launch a sneak attack in the original course of events showed that these Greater Yokai cared nothing for fairness.

As long as they could win, they would stop at nothing.

Yokai had no regard for benevolence or morality!