In the Illusory Realm, there was neither sun nor moon, yet the transition between day and night mimicked the outside world perfectly. As dusk settled, Bai Yuqing returned to the valley, drenched in blood and radiating a palpable killing intent.
The moment she squeezed through the fissure and into the stone cave, a flicker of astonishment crossed Bai Yuqing’s usually placid eyes: Nie Kong, who was almost perpetually meditating by the wall, was behaving entirely out of character, raining punches and kicks upon the jade slab he treasured, sweat pouring from him in rivers.
“Boom! Boom! Boom…”
The sound of violent impact resonated incessantly.
“Sister Bai, you’re back a little early today.”
Nie Kong spoke without turning his head, driving another fist into the stone wall. Earlier that morning, after successfully advancing to the Second Tier, Nie Kong had intended to dedicate time to further cultivation. But, unexpectedly, the jade stele had ceased emitting even the faintest medicinal fragrance, leaving Nie Kong deeply frustrated.
Thus, the white jade stone wall had become Nie Kong’s dedicated practice tool for the techniques “Cloud- Flower Burst” and “Flying Flower Shadow Dance.” After more than half a month of cooperative practice, Nie Kong had achieved remarkable synergy with Xiangxiang; now, after a full day of intense drills, he had become quite adept at the “Cloud- Flower Burst.”
Simply put, the Cloud- Flower Burst involved condensing spiritual energy into the shape of a flower, followed by a dual detonation. The first explosion occurred at the precise moment before contact with the target, and the second simultaneously with the impact. The forces overlapped, resulting in a power far exceeding the simple “Flower Burst.”
Observing the flickering green light emanating from Nie Kong’s hands, and the rapid shifting of his feet to the front, back, left, and right, a strange light crossed Bai Yuqing’s eyes: “What kind of Wood-element spirit technique is that?”
Nie Kong ceased his practice, wiping sweat from his brow as he walked toward Bai Yuqing, chuckling, “Cloud- Flower Burst! Flying Flower Shadow Dance! Both created by me? How is it, decent power, right?” He winked at Bai Yuqing, once again taking credit for the little fellow’s achievements.
Bai Yuqing glanced at the stone wall, which bore no trace of damage, and snorted coolly, “Cloud- Flower Burst? Flying Flower Shadow Dance? The names sound quite nice.”
“If you have the guts, try punching that stone wall a few times yourself!”
Nie Kong rolled his eyes in exasperation, circled Bai Yuqing’s shapely figure a few times, and exclaimed with surprise, “Not bad, not bad, not a single scratch on you today. That saves me some trouble… Huh? What is this smell?” He scraped a bit of viscous blood from Bai Yuqing’s shoulder with his finger and brought it close to his nose for a sniff.
Bai Yuqing frowned. “Two wolves wandered near the valley entrance just now. I took care of them casually, and some blood splashed on me, covering me in this strange odor!”
“Wolves?”
Nie Kong froze for a moment, his expression suddenly shifting. “The wolves you killed, did they have silver fur and rings of golden patterns around their bodies?”
Seeing Nie Kong’s odd expression, Bai Yuqing shrugged dismissively. “Yes, what’s the problem?”
“A big problem.”
Recalling Nie Qingfeng’s description, Nie Kong’s face grew grave. “The two wolves you killed are called ‘Gold-Thread Silver Wolves.’ They were thought to be extinct outside; only in this Life-and-Death Illusory Realm do they still exist. These Gold-Thread Silver Wolves are only Second-Grade Spirit Beasts, but they exist in vast numbers and are incomparably ferocious, preferring to move in packs. Once you kill one of their members, they will quickly seek fierce retaliation. Now that you’re covered in their blood, they will likely follow the scent and track you down soon. We can’t stay in this cave; we must move immediately.”
“Awooo!”
As if to confirm Nie Kong’s words, a frenzied wolf howl echoed into the cave—clearly, some Gold-Thread Silver Wolves had discovered their kin’s corpses.
“Go!”
Nie Kong roared, pushed aside the fissure, and scrambled out.
If they remained in the cave, once surrounded by the Gold-Thread Silver Wolves, they would truly have nowhere to flee, their only hope lying in escaping outside.
“Awooo!”
The earth-shattering sound returned, as if a dozen Gold-Thread Silver Wolves were roaring simultaneously. Looking into the distance, Nie Kong spotted faint golden lights flickering incessantly at the valley mouth, and beyond the valley, large numbers of flashing golden lights were converging from all directions.
Nie Kong sucked in a sharp breath. In just this short time, the number of materialized Gold-Thread Silver Wolves likely reached several hundred. This number was still increasing, and exceeding a thousand was merely a matter of moments. According to Nie Qingfeng’s description, there were at least two thousand Gold-Thread Silver Wolves in this Life-and-Death Illusory Realm.
“Sister Bai, quickly!”
Nie Kong charged toward the gentle slope on the left side of the valley while calling back over his shoulder.
Just as the words left his mouth, a wave of thick, fishy wind swept past Nie Kong. It was Bai Yuqing’s slender, red silhouette darting past him, shooting straight toward the valley entrance. Her cool voice rang out concurrently: “Since I caused this trouble, I will resolve it. Nie Kong, you stay here; I’ll lure them away.”
“Hey! Come back!”
Nie Kong was slightly stunned, waving his hands and shouting urgently. However, as soon as Bai Yuqing’s figure appeared in the open, the Gold-Thread Silver Wolves at the valley mouth went into a frenzy, lunging wildly at her. Hundreds of spirit beasts roared in unison, quickly drowning out Nie Kong’s voice entirely.
Bai Yuqing’s figure moved like lightning; she evaded the lunging wolves and plunged into the dense woods outside the valley, leaving dust in her wake. Behind her, a vast expanse of golden light shimmered.
“Damn it!”
Watching Bai Yuqing’s graceful departure, Nie Kong cursed inwardly. That foolish girl, who said she caused the trouble? The swift gathering of hundreds of Gold-Thread Silver Wolves proved that even if she hadn’t acted, they would have soon detected the cave by scent. Luring them away—what good would that do? Wait, did I not scrape wolf blood on my fingers either…?
“Awooo!”
Amidst the howls, a foul, fishy stench washed over him. A Gold-Thread Silver Wolf had somehow crept up beside Nie Kong. It suddenly burst from the undergrowth, its two sharp forepaws aimed at Nie Kong’s chest, its gaping maw ready to bite at his head, its pale fangs dripping disgusting saliva.
In a hurry, Nie Kong swiftly shifted his feet, his body weaving unnervingly to the side of the Gold-Thread Silver Wolf, then unleashed his right fist with thunderous force.
“Cloud- Flower Burst!”
The emerald green flower burst open with a crash. Just as the Gold-Thread Silver Wolf emitted a scream, Nie Kong’s fist slammed solidly into its head, and another flower exploded. The wolf’s howl abruptly ceased; its skull shattered, and the carcass dropped heavily, spraying blood and brain matter everywhere.
Nie Kong inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, thankful for the “Flying Flower Shadow Dance” movement technique. Otherwise, he might have sustained injuries during the surprise attack by the Gold-Thread Silver Wolf.
“Awooo! Awooo!”
Two more Gold-Thread Silver Wolves howled and lunged at Nie Kong from a dozen meters away. At the valley mouth, tens of meters away, wolves that hadn’t managed to chase Bai Yuqing yet were alerted by their companions’ cries. Like starving ghosts spotting a feast, they charged forward with red eyes, spreading their limbs.
There must be at least fifty or sixty Gold-Thread Silver Wolves remaining in this valley!
Run!
The word flashed like lightning through Nie Kong’s mind. He propelled himself upward with a mighty leap, grabbing a dangling branch from a large tree ahead, swinging forward, and landing on the opposite slope of the valley before taking off in a frantic sprint.
The roars of the pursuing Gold-Thread Silver Wolves grew louder behind him, and the ground began to tremble. Without needing to look back, Nie Kong knew more wolves were hot on his heels, causing a surge of frustration. Most land-dwelling spirit beasts could climb trees; there was nowhere to hide when danger struck…
… P: Just two updates for today. … .