After his Spirit increased by one, Li Heng continued to search for Blood Wolves on Wolf King Mountain.
Li Heng reassessed his strength. He could take on three Blood Wolves at most, and even that was his absolute limit. He would have to stay completely focused the entire time.
After all, he had to watch out for the Blood Wolves’ Soul Energy Skills!
Although he knew that any injuries sustained inside the Dungeon would heal upon exiting, Li Heng still fought with extreme caution. The memory of the pain was still fresh in his mind.
At the same time, Li Heng needed to avoid injury as much as possible. This was how he improved his focus and trained his Spirit.
If he encountered four or more Blood Wolves, Li Heng would activate his Wolf Walk Technique and flee without a second thought. That was a fight he truly couldn’t win.
His fight against three Blood Wolves at once was the most perilous battle Li Heng had faced since entering the Wolf King Mountain Dungeon. He was even hit in the left shoulder by a Soul Energy Skill, leaving a minor burn that was now bleeding!
’Getting hit by a Soul Energy Skill really hurts!’
At the same time, Li Heng felt a surge of relief. ’Thank goodness I wasn’t hit by that terrifying Soul Energy Skill from the severely wounded Blood Wolf King last time. Otherwise, I’d have been a goner for sure.’
An injured left shoulder meant this trip to Wolf King Mountain was over. Li Heng decided to head down the mountain, farm some sturdy wild wolves, and harvest a bit more soul energy before leaving.
After all, he could still move, albeit barely. The injury didn’t affect his Wolf Walk Technique, as long as he was careful not to strain his left arm.
So he headed back down the mountain the way he came. Inside the Dungeon, Li Heng was splattered with wolf blood and his own blood from his shoulder. He cut a bloody and somewhat bizarre figure.
’Good thing these bloodstains will disappear after I leave the Dungeon. Otherwise, people might wonder what I’ve been up to,’ Li Heng quipped to himself as he hurried down the mountain.
However, Li Heng hadn’t been walking for more than a few minutes when wolf howls began to echo across all of Wolf King Mountain, ringing louder and louder in his ears.
The scent of blood immediately drifted past his nose.
’Wait! This situation... It couldn’t be...’
The situation felt familiar. After all these days, Li Heng was once again reminded of the time he encountered the severely wounded Blood Wolf King during the secret realm placement test.
The howls grew closer, the sounds becoming more and more frequent, so much so that Li Heng found them grating.
CLANG!
A sound like grinding metal erupted from Li Heng’s Cyan Blade Longsword as two pairs of blood-red fangs clamped down on the blade!
But those two pairs of blood-red fangs were merely the prelude. After Li Heng raised his Longsword to block them, he sensed the scent of blood behind him again—and it was approaching with exceptional ferocity!
He sensed the danger from behind, but the force from the two pairs of fangs in front of him was considerable.
Dodging the danger from behind meant getting wounded by the fangs before him. But Li Heng had a feeling that if he didn’t dodge, the result would be far worse than a simple injury.
After a moment’s thought, Li Heng’s right hand suddenly went slack, releasing the pressure on his blade. He chose to turn and face the ferocious, unknown threat.
The instant he turned, the two pairs of blood-red fangs exploded against his back!
SPLURT!
His back burned with searing pain, and Li Heng spat out a mouthful of blood. This was the first time he had ever been so severely injured.
As he turned, Li Heng finally got a clear look at the unknown threat!
Blood Wolf King: Severely Wounded
Level: 18
Rank: Tier One High-Grade Soul Beast
Strength: 12 (-10)
Agility: 9 (-10)
Spirit: 7 (-10)
Soul Energy: 180
Soul Energy Skills: Blood Rip, Wolf Pack’s Call (Disabled), Blood Fang Shatter
The severely wounded Blood Wolf King, drenched in its own blood, had its fangs clamped onto Li Heng’s Cyan Blade Longsword. Its forelimbs hadn’t stopped moving, and a crimson light suddenly erupted.
Li Heng’s eyes narrowed. He swung his Cyan Blade Longsword down with all his might, trying to interrupt the wounded Wolf King’s "casting." His 17 points of Strength were on full display; he successfully overpowered the severely wounded Blood Wolf King, forcing its head down a little.
Then, the scent of two bloody attacks suddenly came from behind him again. Li Heng knew that the Blood Wolves who had unleashed those fangs were launching another round of Soul Energy Skills.
But Li Heng couldn’t be in two places at once. He simply had no way to deal with the threat from behind. Even though the Blood Wolf King was wounded and all three of its main stats were reduced, the pressure it exerted was too immense to ignore.
Veins bulged on his forehead. ’I’ve been through a Dungeon before. My injuries were reset last time, so I should be able to return unharmed this time, too.’
Having come to this conclusion, Li Heng gritted his teeth. He decided to ignore the danger from behind and focus everything on confronting the severely wounded Blood Wolf King in front of him!
"Wolf Walk Technique!"
Even at close range, activating the Wolf Walk Technique would boost his speed. He wasn’t hoping to dodge the attacks from behind, but it would make it easier to fight the severely wounded Blood Wolf King.
Putting more force into his hands, he changed the angle of his Cyan Blade Longsword from a block to a thrust, aiming for the severely wounded Blood Wolf King’s throat. But the beast seemed to know his intentions and retreated, trying to get out of his attack range.
Having already committed to the attack, Li Heng wasn’t about to let this chance go. He leaned forward, pursuing the wounded Blood Wolf King, his Cyan Blade Longsword following its every move.
Adrenaline surged. Li Heng’s focus was stretched to its absolute limit. The force behind his Longsword remained steady as he aimed straight for the wounded Blood Wolf King’s neck.
Li Heng’s Agility was already higher than the wounded Blood Wolf King’s. With the Wolf Walk Technique active, he caught up to it in an instant.
The severely wounded Blood Wolf King hadn’t expected Li Heng to catch up so quickly. Caught off guard, it instantly formed a pair of blood-red fangs and aimed them at the incoming Cyan Blade Longsword!
Just as Li Heng’s Cyan Blade Longsword was about to strike the wounded Blood Wolf King, the two blood-red fangs from behind slammed into his back.
BANG!
BANG!
Two more Soul Energy Skills hit his back!
BLERGH—
His back was screaming in agony, as if it were being scorched by fire. Li Heng desperately wanted to collapse to the ground and curl up until the pain passed, but in this situation, the moment he fell, the severely wounded Blood Wolf King’s bloody fangs would be at his throat.
Besides, his attack was already in motion. He had to see it through!
"Die!"
Li Heng gritted his teeth, endured the pain, and aimed for the wounded Blood Wolf King’s abdomen. His Cyan Blade Longsword swept out in a horizontal slice, an extension of his own body’s movement!
SLICE—
As they passed each other, the severely wounded Blood Wolf King’s bloody fangs struck Li Heng’s already injured left shoulder. Blood erupted from the wound, which was now deep enough to reveal bone.
Meanwhile, Li Heng’s Cyan Blade Longsword sliced straight through the severely wounded Blood Wolf King’s abdomen. The beast crashed heavily to the ground, obviously dead!
The severely wounded Blood Wolf King was dead!
Li Heng’s nerves had been stretched taut throughout the entire fight. Even when a system notification announced the Blood Wolf King’s death, he didn’t relax, because two more pairs of blood-red fangs were flying straight at him!
"Exit Dungeon!"
His back and left shoulder throbbed with pain as if they were being roasted over a fire. Li Heng knew he had no fight left in him, so he chose to exit the Dungeon at the first possible moment.
A moment later, Li Heng was back in the secluded park. The first thing he did was check his injuries.
His back didn’t hurt. He couldn’t feel any wounds. Even the school uniform covering his left shoulder was completely unscathed! All that remained was the painful memory of his injuries, still vivid in his mind.
’So it’s true... Getting injured is no problem!’
And so, the nerves that Li Heng had kept stretched taut finally relaxed. His body went slack, and he slumped to the ground.
At that moment, as Li Heng finally allowed his nerves to relax completely, his Spirit attribute increased by one!