Jiang Lan crouched down, took out a collection vial, and began processing the three Ironback Wolf carcasses.
He cut open their chests, removed their hearts, and inserted the collection vial, letting the blood essence flow inside.
By now, Jiang Lan was quite familiar with the process.
His hands moved swiftly. In less than five minutes, he had three vials of blood essence and three Beast Cores.
After putting everything in his backpack, Jiang Lan wiped the blood from his hands on an Ironback Wolf carcass. Only then did he stand and continue deeper into the ruins.
At this point, Jiang Lan was like a tank in human form.
In less than an hour, he had killed eleven Ironback Wolves.
Not a bad haul.
But it still fell a little short of his expectations.
Jiang Lan checked the time. He had about half an hour left before everyone regrouped.
Hmm... that should be enough. I'll check a little farther ahead.
With that thought, he quickened his pace and headed deeper into the ruins.
Ten minutes later, Jiang Lan suddenly stopped.
"Awooo!"
A thunderous howl rang out from the ruins ahead.
It still sounded like an Ironback Wolf, but this howl was many times deeper and more powerful than the others.
Jiang Lan narrowed his eyes and looked toward the sound.
An enormous Ferocious Beast slowly emerged from a half-collapsed apartment building ahead.
That Ferocious Beast resembled an Ironback Wolf, but it was several times larger, standing nearly two meters at the shoulder. Its fur was dark red, and its eyes blazed like two fiercely burning flames, filled with savage malice.
Jiang Lan's pupils contracted slightly.
An Ironback Wolf King?
The superior form of an Ironback Wolf—a Second-Tier Ferocious Beast.
Jiang Lan instinctively clenched his fists.
The last time he had encountered a Second-Tier Ferocious Beast, the Bloodfang Tiger, his indestructible diamond body had only reached the first level. All he could do was flee for his life with the group.
But now, his strength was on an entirely different level.
Even a Second-Tier Ferocious Beast might not be able to break through his defenses.
Almost instantly, Jiang Lan made his decision.
Let's do this!
Across from him, the Ironback Wolf King had clearly noticed Jiang Lan as well. A low growl rumbled in its throat.
"Roar!"
Then it drove off with all four limbs, its massive body hurtling toward Jiang Lan like a heavy truck.
The Ironback Wolf King was so fast that Jiang Lan did not even have time to dodge. He could only cross his arms in front of himself.
Boom!
With a deafening crash, Jiang Lan felt a terrifying force slam into him. He staggered back four or five steps before barely managing to stop.
He took a moment to assess himself.
His arms were numb, with a faint, swollen ache.
But that was all.
The Ironback Wolf King's blow had not even injured him.
He slowly raised his head, a glimmer of excitement flashing in his eyes.
He had withstood a Second-Tier Ferocious Beast's full-force strike.
Now it was his turn.
"Roar!"
When the giant wolf saw that its first attack had failed, it roared furiously and pounced again. It raised an enormous claw and brought it down toward Jiang Lan's head with a piercing rush of air.
Jiang Lan sidestepped the strike, but the giant wolf reacted just as quickly. It twisted sharply in midair, sweeping its tail toward his waist like a steel whip.
Thud!
Unable to dodge in time, Jiang Lan took the tail squarely and flew two or three meters sideways into a broken wall.
Boom!
The wall shattered, scattering dust everywhere.
Jiang Lan rose from the rubble, brushed the dust off himself, and moved his slightly sore, numb body to loosen it up.
A Meridian Opening martial artist who took that blow head-on would probably have suffered several broken bones.
Yet he was still largely unharmed.
If he had to describe it, it just hurt a little.
The indestructible diamond body really was incredible.
The Ironback Wolf King seemed to realize that the human before it would not be easy to handle. Instead of rushing in again, it lowered its body and fixed its beastly eyes on Jiang Lan.
Jiang Lan stared at the Second-Tier Ferocious Beast before him, his mind racing.
This thing far outclassed him in both strength and speed. If he fought it head-on, he would not die, but he would not gain much ground either.
Still, his advantage was equally obvious.
His defenses were strong enough to take the hits.
As long as he could withstand them, there was nothing to fear.
All he needed to do was find an opening.
An opening that would let him land a decisive blow.
The man and wolf faced off for a long time. Finally, the Ironback Wolf King lost patience first. With a low growl, it lunged at Jiang Lan again.
This time, Jiang Lan was ready. He sidestepped the Ironback Wolf King's pounce.
Then, seizing the opening as the Ironback Wolf King missed its attack, Jiang Lan drove a fist into its lower back.
Thud!
As his fist struck the giant wolf, Jiang Lan could clearly feel that its hide and flesh were far tougher than a First-Tier Ferocious Beast's. His punch made its body sway, but did little real damage.
The giant wolf roared in pain, whipped around, and lashed out with a claw.
Jiang Lan raised his arm to block.
Thud!
An immense force struck him. He retreated another two steps, a sharp sting shooting through his arm.
Jiang Lan drew a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and charged in again.
Over the next few minutes, Jiang Lan and the Ironback Wolf King fought fiercely at close quarters, every punch striking flesh.
The Ironback Wolf King was ferocious, its attacks crashing over him in an unending tide.
But no matter how many blows Jiang Lan took, he remained completely uninjured.
And although each of his punches did little damage on its own, they added up. Even the Ironback Wolf King was beginning to struggle.
A little while later, the giant wolf's movements had become noticeably slower.
Seeing this, Jiang Lan's eyes flashed.
Now!
He suddenly stepped forward, clamped both hands around the Ironback Wolf King's muzzle, and threw his full strength into forcing it down.
Thud!
He pinned the Wolf King's head firmly to the ground. Its limbs thrashed wildly, gouging furrows in the earth.
Gritting his teeth, Jiang Lan held the giant wolf's head down with one hand. He clenched the other into a fist, raised it high, and hammered it into the back of the wolf's skull.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
Punch after punch landed, each one pounding flesh.
The giant wolf's struggles grew weaker, and its cries grew quieter.
When the final punch landed, the giant wolf convulsed violently once, then went still.
"Hah... hah..."
Breathing heavily, Jiang Lan slowly released his grip and stood.
He looked down at his hands. His fists were covered in the giant wolf's blood, and his knuckles felt sore and swollen.
Then he inspected the rest of himself.
His combat uniform was a complete wreck, hanging off him in tatters, with claw marks across his chest and stomach.
But his skin was only slightly red. There were no actual wounds.
The fight had been messy, but the outcome was good.
He had beaten a Second-Tier Ferocious Beast, the Ironback Wolf King, to death with his bare hands.
Three punches to kill the Ironback Wolf King!
Jiang Lan took a deep breath to steady his excitement, crouched down, and took out a collection vial.
Now came the exciting part: collecting his spoils.
He picked up the long saber beside him and cut open the Ironback Wolf King's belly.
Not only was its body much larger, but its heart was also far bigger than a tier-one Ironback Wolf's.
Still, it only yielded one vial of blood essence...