Rock Wolf Leader
The moment the lead wolf stepped out of the cave, the entire low, rocky mountain fell silent.
It stood at the cave entrance, its dark crimson vertical pupils sweeping over the faces of everyone present one by one, as if counting its prey. Its four thick legs were rooted to the ground, its claws buried deep in the loose stones. Every step it took produced a crunching grind. The row of jagged spines along its back gleamed a cold gray in the scattered light, while a thick layer of earthy-yellow Soul Power wreathed its body. The air grew heavy under the pressure, and the clumps of wild grass nearest it were pressed flat against the ground.
The bald man's expression changed.
"Over six thousand years." He tightened his grip on his hatchet, his throat dry. "Damn it, didn't the report say four thousand?"
The short-haired woman had already raised her curved blades across her chest, three Soul Rings-yellow, yellow, and purple-circling her. She gritted her teeth and said nothing, but Ning Buhui saw her fingers tighten a little more around her blades.
"Don't panic." The bald man lowered his voice. "There are plenty of us. It's not like we have no chance of winning. A Hui, you-"
"I know." Ning Buhui had already retreated to a position just behind the middle of the group. He swept his gaze across the field. The other seven Rock Wolves were closing in around them in a fan, while the lead wolf strolled forward behind them, slowly drawing closer. His mind raced. The group had three Power Attack System cultivators, two Agility Attack System cultivators, one Defense System cultivator, and him as their one Control System cultivator. They were more than enough to deal with a four-thousand-year-old lead wolf, and they could just about fight a five-thousand-year-old one. But with seven adult Rock Wolves added to the count, their chances of winning were slim.
The bald man moved first. He stepped forward and swept his hatchet sideways, sending a crimson axe gleam straight at the lead wolf's face. The wolf didn't dodge. It raised its left forepaw and met the blow head-on. The axe gleam struck its rocky, scaly hide, sending out nothing but a shower of sparks. It didn't leave so much as a white mark. The bald man stared in shock.
"This beast's hide is too thick! I can't cut through it!" he roared.
The short-haired woman sprang in from the flank, crossing her blades as silver light flashed. She was fast, changing positions four times in three breaths. Every slash aimed precisely at the seams in the lead wolf's scales behind its legs, along its belly, and at the back of its neck. Irritated, the lead wolf swept its rocky tail at her with a howling rush of wind. The woman barely avoided it with a backflip, the tip of the tail brushing past her short armor and leaving a deep gouge across its surface.
"I'll hold it off! Clear out the other seven first!" the bald man shouted. His Third Soul Ring lit up. Rock-Shaking Heavy Cleave. His whole body wrapped in crimson Soul Power, he cleaved down at the lead wolf head-on. He put all his strength into the blow, forcing the wolf back half a step, but the backlash sent him staggering back three steps, a trace of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.
Ning Buhui stopped watching the lead wolf and brought his attention back to the seven Rock Wolves closing in from all sides. Though they weren't as terrifying as the lead wolf, every one of them was an adult, standing waist-high at the shoulder, with sharp teeth and claws and swift movements. They split into three groups and pressed in at once: two from the left, two from the right, and three from the front.
Ning Buhui activated his Second Soul Ring with all his strength. Vine Locks the Nine Nether Regions. Three pitch-black chains shot out of the pagoda at once. The three Rock Wolves in front were charging at the head of the pack, and the chains wrapped precisely around their bodies, bringing them to an abrupt halt. Ning Buhui flicked his wrist, tightening the chains and dragging the three wolves to the ground in a tangled heap. But the four Rock Wolves on either side had already pounced within reach.
"The left side is mine!" The short-haired woman swept back from the flank, striking with both blades to stop the two on the left. Her curved blades were fast and precise, every slash aimed at a Rock Wolf's neck or eye socket. The two on the right were met by the young man with the short spear on his back and the man carrying a longsword. With one weapon each, they barely managed to hold off the attack.
Ning Buhui withdrew his gaze and focused on the three Rock Wolves before him. The chains coiled around them again and again, binding them so tightly they couldn't move. Then he called the two remaining men over to finish them off.
After dealing with the three in front of him, Ning Buhui turned his gaze to the right. The man with the short spear was already having some trouble holding out. Ning Buhui acted at once, his First Soul Skill lighting up and interrupting a Rock Wolf's forward pounce. The chains shot out again and wrapped precisely around one of them, while the other nimbly dodged. Ning Buhui paid the other wolf no mind and instead called for the man with the short spear to kill the one he had caught quickly.
In just a few dozen breaths, he had broken the seven Rock Wolves' assault, and four of them had already lost their lives. Keeping an eye on the battlefield, he restrained the Rock Wolves and worked with the others to quickly deal with the ones remaining before them.
With his precise control, all seven adult Rock Wolves fell.
From the start of the battle to its end, no more than the time it took to drink a cup of tea had passed.
But in that time, the bald man had already been pushed to his limit. He struggled to fend off the lead wolf, the web between his thumb and forefinger split open by the recoil of his own attacks. A rocky claw had torn a great gash in the leather armor over his left shoulder, and blood streamed down. The short-haired woman, who had already finished fighting on this side and gone to help, could barely harm the lead wolf with her two blades. She could only rely on dodging and interference to keep it occupied. The lead wolf grew impatient with the two of them pestering it, and when it saw that the other wolves in its pack had been slain, it threw back its head and howled in rage. The earthy-yellow Soul Power around it surged, and it slammed its forepaws heavily into the ground.
The earth trembled. A rock spike erupted from beneath the bald man's feet. Unable to dodge in time, he was pierced through the lower leg and fell to the ground screaming. The short-haired woman cried out and rushed over to pull him away, but the lead wolf seized the chance to turn, sweeping its rocky tail at them with a sound like the air being torn apart.
"Get down!" The man carrying the longsword rushed forward and blocked the tail. He was sent flying, slammed into the rock wall, and spat out a mouthful of blood.
Ning Buhui's pupils contracted sharply. The lead wolf had gone mad, and every attack from here on would carry brute force capable of destroying heaven and earth. Two of the group's three Soul Elders were already down, and the rest simply couldn't withstand it. If this dragged on, they would only be picked off one by one. He gritted his teeth and tightened his right hand around the Nine Hell Soul-Suppressing Pagoda.
He couldn't wait any longer. The light of his Third Soul Ring began to flicker in and out of sight.