Something occurred to Shen Fan.
Expanding the range of his Soul Eye once more, he was startled to find four young men dressed in white, weapons in hand, hiding behind a massive rock in a standoff with the Red-eyed Wolf King.
Three of them were the very same Fang Jian, Gu Gang, and Wang Qian that Shen Fan had seen earlier.
The fourth was a youth with sharp, sword-like eyebrows, whose cultivation was at the Peak of Third Stage of Meridian Opening.
His cultivation and aura were even stronger than Fang Jian’s.
‘Could the injured Mid-Tier Ferocious Beast be the Red-eyed Wolf King?’ Shen Fan wondered in astonishment.
He suddenly recalled what Fang Jian had said at the time.
Besides, if the Red-eyed Wolf King wasn’t injured, Fang Jian and his group wouldn’t even be a mouthful for it.
Even a Martial Artist at the Fourth Rank of Meridian Opening wouldn’t dare to confront it.
Shen Fan focused his Soul Eye, sweeping it over the Red-eyed Wolf King.
Sure enough, he found a deep gash on the beast’s waist, looking as if it had been hacked by a massive chopper!
‘Who on earth could possibly injure the Red-eyed Wolf King, with its Copper Skin and Iron Bones?
Could it have been a Martial Artist?’ Shen Fan muttered to himself.
A copper head, an iron tail, but a vulnerable midsection—this was a trait of all wolves, and the Red-eyed Wolf King was no exception.
But injuring its waist would require immense power.
Bright red blood poured from the Red-eyed Wolf King’s waist, flowing like a small stream.
The one who had wounded the Red-eyed Wolf King was undoubtedly a true master; a single slash had directly severed an artery within its body.
Moreover, judging by the color of the wound, it wasn’t recent.
The scab had already turned black, meaning it was at least a month old.
At this moment, the sword-browed youth and Fang Jian were both using Fine Steel Long Swords, while Gu Gang and Wang Qian each held a great-saber with both hands.
Their expressions were grave as they seemed to be preparing to attack.
In the space of several dozen feet separating them from the Red-eyed Wolf King, a Martial Disciple at the Second Rank of Meridian Opening lay on the ground, covered in blood and utterly lifeless.
His head was missing.
‘If I’m not mistaken, that Second Rank Martial Disciple was just cannon fodder.
He was either used to test the Red-eyed Wolf King’s strength or to lure it out.
A Martial Disciple’s head is a great tonic for the Red-eyed Wolf King.’
Shen Fan’s face darkened, and a flash of killing intent crossed his mind.
He raged internally, ‘Those three really are up to no good.
They saw my low cultivation and wanted to use me as cannon fodder to lure out the Red-eyed Wolf King.’
He crushed a stone in his hand, his disgust for the disciples of Bai Shan Academy growing even stronger.
They would stop at nothing to achieve their goals.
If he had gone with them to hunt the Demon Beast back then, the headless corpse on the ground would have been his.
No wonder people always say: when you’re out in the world, trust no one.
AWOOO!
The Red-eyed Wolf King threw its head back and howled.
Its massive body trembled, as if it could no longer hold itself up and was about to die from blood loss.
At this moment, its strength was weakened by at least eighty percent.
“Kill! It’s about to go all out! Don’t let it seize the initiative!” The sword-browed youth, who seemed to be the leader of the group, leaped lightly and flashed forward several dozen feet.
His Fine Steel Long Sword traced an elegant flower pattern as he stabbed toward the Red-eyed Wolf King’s waist.
The Long Sword was like a streak of light, flashing through the air as it stabbed toward the Red-eyed Wolf King.
The only sound was the hum of the sword before the blade struck the Red-eyed Wolf King!
‘Such a fast Body Technique, such a fast sword!’ Shen Fan marveled.
The sword-browed youth’s draw and attack were a single, fluid motion.
Taking advantage of the Red-eyed Wolf King’s greatly reduced strength, he was actually able to launch an effective attack with ease.
Moreover, his Body Technique was like an eel, slippery and evasive; it seemed he was sticking right to the Red-eyed Wolf King.
However, the Red-eyed Wolf King was, after all, a King among Fierce Beasts.
With a slight movement of its massive body, it dodged the attack on its weak spot.
Its tail, like an iron whip, whistled through the air, striking the Fine Steel Long Sword with impossible speed.
CLANG!
The wolf’s tail suddenly surged with power, deflecting the sharp sword.
Without losing any speed, it shot straight for the sword-browed youth’s neck.
If this strike landed, the sword-browed youth would surely be decapitated.
The sword-browed youth’s expression changed slightly.
He sidestepped to dodge the blow, simultaneously slashing with his long sword to leave a faint green sword mark on the Red-eyed Wolf King’s body.
Using the rebound force, he leaped back more than ten steps, staring at the Red-eyed Wolf King with a wary expression.
“Attack together! The Red-eyed Wolf King is at less than fifteen percent of its full strength right now. Nothing to be afraid of! If we just push a little harder, we can wear it down until it’s dead. Get up here and block it off!” The sword-browed youth had a keen eye; his assessment was nearly identical to Shen Fan’s.
‘This sword-browed youth’s strength is close to that of the Top Ten Disciples on Black Water Academy’s Outer List!’ Shen Fan thought, feeling a little wary.
His Body Technique and Swordsmanship were both High-tier Martial Skills.
His Swordsmanship, in particular, was a High-tier Martial Technique that had already reached the Small Success Realm—it was both fast and vicious.
Even the injured Red-eyed Wolf King was extremely wary of the sword-browed youth, focusing all its attention on him.
As for Fang Jian and the others, it couldn’t care less.
At this point, the four of them took up positions where they could attack and defend each other, and began to encircle the Red-eyed Wolf King.
Surprised Swan Slash!
The sword-browed youth gripped his sword with both hands.
Seeing the Red-eyed Wolf King pounce with its front claws, he met it head-on instead of retreating or dodging.
The sound of metal clashing was accompanied by a shower of sparks.
Countless Sword Shadows tumbled through the air as Sword Qi filled the space, hissing audibly.
Three Forms of Surprised Swan Slash!
Gripping his sword with both hands, he poured all his strength into it.
The blade’s edge flared as he followed the gaps between the wolf’s claws and landed three consecutive slashes.
The wolf’s paw split open, and blood flew everywhere!
‘It really is a High-tier Martial Skill.
The power of that slash is on par with my Fast Blade at the Great Success stage.
It actually broke through the Red-eyed Wolf King’s Defense!’ Shen Fan murmured, gaining a new understanding of the sword-browed youth’s strength.
The Red-eyed Wolf King roared in fury.
It raised its other paw high, its blue-green claws like sharp swords, and swiped at the sword-browed youth!
With a flick of his wrist, the sword-browed youth created a Sword Curtain that barely blocked the claw’s strike.
He stumbled back more than ten steps, his face instantly turning pale.
“Watch out! It’s going for a desperate, all-out attack! Don’t take it head-on!” The sword-browed youth had suffered a great loss.
He looked on in horror, noticing a change in the Red-eyed Wolf King’s eyes, and cried out in alarm.
A Mid-Tier Ferocious Beast was a Mid-Tier Ferocious Beast, after all.
Even gravely injured, if it unleashed a suicidal burst of power, it could still deliver a fatal blow.
A nearly imperceptible red light flowed from the Red-eyed Wolf King’s eyes into its claws, which began to glow with a crimson radiance.
‘Yuan Jin!’ Shen Fan’s Heart Spirit trembled.
The red light forced out by the Red-eyed Wolf King was identical to the Yuan Jin of human Cultivators!
Empowered by Yuan Jin, the aura of the Red-eyed Wolf King changed dramatically.
A savage presence enveloped the entire area, and layers of red mist began to radiate from it.
Shen Fan’s Soul Eye was not afraid of such confusion, but the sword-browed youth and the others all showed different expressions as they retreated in haste.
Among them, Wang Qian was careless for a moment and was enveloped by the red mist.
His Heart Spirit became confused, and he began to let out strange giggles, clearly trapped in an Illusion Realm.
Seizing the opportunity, the Red-eyed Wolf King swiped its claw.
A red beam of energy flashed, tearing Wang Qian’s body apart.
The wolf then lunged forward with its head and swallowed his.
At that moment, the edge of the sword-browed youth’s long sword flared brightly as he struck out again, as fast as a startled swan.
A red light flashed on the Red-eyed Wolf King’s back, forming a thin red membrane that repelled the Long Sword.
It then crouched and leaped, reappearing several dozen feet away and fleeing like a gust of wind.
The Red-eyed Wolf King’s Spiritual Wisdom was extremely high.
It knew that it could not afford to continue wearing itself down against the sword-browed youth’s group; otherwise, death was certain.
“The Red-eyed Wolf King just expended its Yuan Jin to attack, which will worsen its injuries. It’s an arrow at the end of its flight—it might even die on the way! Let’s hurry and chase it down before something else happens.” The sword-browed youth paid no mind to the dead Wang Qian.
He hoisted a large bag that had been hidden behind the giant rock, executed his Body Technique, and gave chase.