"Awooo!"
With a howl from the Sacrificial Spirit, a mutated giant wolf five meters long and over three meters tall charged out of the grass and collided with Azure Moon. This was its innate ability, [Wolf-Companion Collusion], which allowed it to forcibly enslave wolves weaker than itself. This time, it had summoned more than fifty mutated giant wolves to follow it.
"Awooo..." Savage wolf howls rang out, like the wailing of evil ghosts, chilling and sinister. Enormous figures lunged through the darkening forest, charging at Xiao Tian to kill him.
Pairs of emerald eyes glowed in the pitch-black forest like ghostly flames the size of human heads. White vapor streamed from the giant wolves' mouths and nostrils. Their gaping, bloody maws, horrifying red tongues, and ferocious fangs sent a heart-stopping wave of murderous savagery washing over him before they even drew near.
"Shhh, shhh, shhh-"
That azure moon sliced through the giant wolf's mouth and pierced its skull without losing any momentum. An Azure Bird seemed to cry within it. In an instant, it swept around in a circle and slaughtered all fifty giant wolves.
"Roar!"
The surrounding forest trembled as deafening beast roars rang out one after another. Relying on its powerful cultivation, the Wolf-Companion Beast forcibly drove a herd of Savage Beasts from the mountain forest toward Stone Village, like a mountain flash flood bursting forth.
"Petty tricks. You're delivering gifts to Stone Village.
"As expected of a sinister, cunning Wolf-Companion Beast. Are you abandoning everyone from Bei Village?"
Xiao Tian spoke calmly, shrinking to the size of a fist as he bounded swiftly through the forest. Each of his landing points was a Savage Beast's head, and a single step from him shattered its skull into pieces.
Xiao Tian had already locked onto the Wolf-Companion Beast. It was only 2.7 meters long and 1.2 meters tall at the shoulder, with a terribly disproportionate build. Its front legs were so short that one glance made it clear it was no good at running. However, it had a pair of fleshy wings covered in glossy yellow-brown fur.
This was an old Wolf-Companion Beast that had opened two Heavenly Grottos. Though the wrinkles on its wolfish face nearly sagged to the ground, that did nothing to change the fact that it had grown into a formidable creature.
Xiao Tian also understood why it had incited Bei Village to seize the Suanni's flesh and blood. It was not merely seeking a breakthrough; it had no choice but to stake everything on one desperate gamble. If it missed this opportunity, another breakthrough would be all but impossible, leaving it no path but to die of old age.
"Wooo..."
Xiao Tian was rather formidable, but his aura was only at the blood moving realm, not enough to scare the old Wolf-Companion Beast out of its wits. It was determined to obtain the Suanni Treasure Body, which was far too important to it. It flew onto a huge tree and let out a cry like the wailing of a vengeful ghost.
The hundred-odd Savage Beasts it had driven over charged toward Stone Village. This was an indiscriminate attack, and the people of Bei Village suffered a terrible calamity. Caught between attacks from the front and rear, they died miserable deaths.
Xiao Tian ignored the other Savage Beasts. Stone Village had deep reserves, and any Savage Beast below the cave heaven realm could do nothing to its villagers.
Besides, Shi Hao's battle was almost over. In the end, Bei Feng was merely delivering gifts to Little One. That string of treasures refined from the old Wolf-Companion Beast's teeth would ultimately become a little present for Shi Hao.
Xiao Tian had no interest whatsoever in treasures like those.
As for the people of Bei Village, they were truly useless. The beast had only been using them to toss a stone ahead and probe the path, testing Stone Village's reserves.
Xiao Tian shrank to the size of a locust and hopped between the leaves, stealthily approaching the old Wolf-Companion Beast.
The next moment, three azure moons appeared behind him. The luminous moons shone like jade discs, with three lifelike Azure Birds inside them. Beating their wings, they blasted toward the old Wolf-Companion Beast.
Startled, the old Wolf-Companion Beast swiftly dodged. Runes flickered in its mouth, condensing into golden radiance shaped like a gigantic wind blade. It spat the blade out, sending it crashing into the three azure moons. Both attacks dissolved into fragments of runes that rained down like a meteor shower.
Xiao Tian closed in. His body expanded amid burning crimson flames of light, while silver runes flowed over him like a gauzy silver robe. The phantom of a great silver mountain appeared behind him. His figure suddenly grew larger, and he brought down a palm bigger than a millstone, striking straight at the beast's head and face.
Clang!
The old Wolf-Companion Beast's cultivation was no mere decoration. Its short foreleg shot out, runes flickering as dazzling golden radiance blazed. A primordial treasure rune condensed and abruptly expanded, forming a huge golden claw that collided with Xiao Tian's attack.
Splat!
The huge golden claw formed from runes exploded outright. The old Wolf-Companion Beast's short golden foreleg twisted unnaturally and hung limp, broken bone ends piercing its flesh as drops of bright red blood flowed out. Its body hurtled toward the ground like a boulder launched from a catapult.
Xiao Tian felt a slight numbness in his hand. The cave heaven realm was nothing more than this.
Riding the momentum, his body expanded, wrapped in crimson flames of light. He stomped down, and with a "Splat!", drove the old Wolf-Companion Beast straight into a crack in the ground.
After that strike, Xiao Tian instantly shrank to the size of a thumb again and leaped onto a leaf ten meters above the ground, watching the old Wolf-Companion Beast beneath the mark left by his enormous foot.
"Big Brother, I'm here to help!"
Little Shi Hao shone brilliantly, a blazing white halo flowing around him. Strands of bone text, like chains and spiderwebs, wrapped around every inch of his body. An ancient beast hide mottled with blood could be seen on his chest, empowering him.
This was Stone Village's Ancestral Artifact. It was precisely this artifact that had allowed Stone Village to struggle on and survive, generation after generation, in this savage wilderness.
"Then be careful."
Xiao Tian did not refuse and gave him that warning.
He was a little surprised. This was actually a piece of hide from a Bian, an extraordinary Ancestral Artifact that briefly granted Little One the combat strength of the cave heaven realm.
"It's... dead."
Shi Hao looked at the Wolf-Companion Beast in the deep pit, with nowhere to vent his anger. He gave it a kick, and it flopped limply to the ground. All the bones in its body seemed to have shattered.
Shhh!
Xiao Tian struck, merging the three azure moons into one and cutting off the old Wolf-Companion Beast's head. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief. "Mm, it's really dead."
Shi Hao: "..."
He felt he had learned something, yet seemed unable to grasp it.
Meanwhile!
Caught between attacks from the front and rear, everyone from Bei Village had died. Of the hundred-odd people who had come, some were shot dead and others were slain by Shi Hao, but even more were bitten or trampled to death by the Savage Beasts.
"Come on, hurry back to Stone Village. It's no longer safe out here."
The old village chief, Shi Yunfeng, hurried over under the protection of Shi Linhu and Shi Feijiao. Shi Linhu had merged with Stone Village's other Ancestral Artifact, a beast bone. His entire body had grown to three meters tall, his bronze skin bulging in slabs and gleaming with a platinum sheen.
Xiao Tian gave him another surprised glance. Judging by that aura, this was the bone of a tiger beast king, also a descendant of a ferocious beast. It should have been a descendant of the White Tiger.
"Don't worry, Grandpa Chief. My big brother has already killed the old Wolf-Companion Beast."
Shi Hao spoke at once.
"Bring the Wolf-Companion Beast's corpse. It's a fine treasure. This isn't the place to talk."
Xiao Tian reminded them, his voice calm and composed.
Then he shrank to the size of a thumb and landed on Shi Hao's shoulder. "Hurry and find me some clothes. I want clean ones."
The villagers present vaguely caught Xiao Tian's words and all smiled. It was so dark now that none of them could see clearly anyway.
Everyone present had met Xiao Tian before. After everything they had experienced, especially given how close Shi Hao was to him, they had yet to sense any malice from Xiao Tian toward Stone Village. Otherwise, tonight would have been the perfect opportunity. With his strength, if he had fished in these troubled waters, Stone Village would probably already have ceased to exist.
Xiao Tian was already itching to go check in. All he needed to do was sit beneath the Willow Deity Tree for three minutes.
(End of chapter)
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