"If we could find a thousand mounts capable of countering the Mastiff Lions, then the Mastiff Lion Legion would pose no threat to us. Unfortunately, finding a thousand such mounts in a short time is exceedingly difficult... For now, fire attack is the only option we have," Zhuge Yishi stated calmly. While the Mastiff Lions were extraordinarily strong, they were covered in dense fur; initiating an attack with fire would undoubtedly be the superior strategy...

"Fire attack? But we don't have that many flaming arrows, nor do we have enough archers. Before we can even injure many Mastiff Lion warriors, they will have charged us. How will we defend ourselves then?" Ye Longyi, however, frowned and spoke up...

"This is the only plan I can devise to minimize our losses," Zhuge Yishi responded placidly, showing no inclination to refute Ye Longyi's concerns...

The house of the foremost strategist in the world did not make him a god capable of foreseeing everything under heaven...

"Very well, Brother Zhuge shall make the arrangements then," Ye Jingyu spoke at this moment. He trusted that since Zhuge Yishi had proposed a fire attack, there must be a sound reason behind it. Were the people of the Zhuge family truly undeserving of their great reputation?

"I accept the commission..." Zhuge Yishi nodded, a profound light flickering deep within his eyes...

"Aooo! Wooooh!" Just then, a sudden, massive howl pierced the air from outside. Everyone present stiffened, and Ye Jingyu's expression shifted dramatically. He knew that sound intimately—it was the cry of a Taotie. Xiaotao Tao had run off hunting after their army had encamped. Could she have encountered some terrible danger to elicit such a call?

"Bieli, Longyi, follow me to investigate. Brother Zhuge, I leave matters here to you," Ye Jingyu rose abruptly from his seat, snatched the iron saber resting nearby, and rushed toward the tent flap...

Bieli and Ye Longyi exchanged a glance, swiftly grabbing their weapons before following Ye Jingyu out...

Zhuge Yishi and the others exchanged looks, their eyes filled with inexplicable meaning...

Rushing out of the command tent, they followed the direction of the sound for several hundred meters, passing through the continuous lines of the encampment until they reached a hillside. From there, they could see the towering peaks of the Tiangang Mountain Range, scraping the clouds—the vast, boundless range looked like a colossal dragon lying dormant upon the earth...

Ye Jingyu made no stop, plunging immediately into the jungle at the foot of the Tiangang Mountains. Ye Longyi and Bieli naturally kept pace, following closely behind...

As they traversed a stretch of dense woods, they spotted a pack of famished wolves surrounding a small foal, entirely black, their eyes gleaming with a mixture of terror and avarice...

Nearby lay three or four wolf corpses; their heads were all shattered, clearly having been kicked apart...

Could this little foal have kicked them to death?

Seeing this sight, the three men were utterly astonished...

As for Xiaotao Tao, she was perched atop a large boulder a hundred meters away, incessantly calling out, while wolf after wolf continuously converged from all directions, intent on preying upon the little foal...

What... what was going on? It looked almost as if Xiaotao Tao had summoned these hungry wolves herself? As a formidable being surpassing the Saint-level Desolate Beasts, could she not even manage a single foal?

Just as Ye Jingyu was marveling at the scene, the leading wolves suddenly lunged toward the black foal. Their speed was terrifying, leaving mere afterimages in the air...

"Ao..." The foal reared its head and let out a long cry—it was not the neighing of a horse, but sounded rather like a dragon's roar...

Its small body jerked back and forth, and it suddenly lashed out a hoof, connecting viciously with the head of one wolf. A sharp crack sounded, and the wolf's head exploded, spraying gore and viscous brain matter everywhere...

This shocking display left Ye Jingyu and the others completely petrified...

A mere foal possessing such devastating power? Was this a dream?

Yet, something even more astonishing occurred. The foal moved like an agile spirit, its black silhouette constantly darting and weaving, leaving only streaks in the void. With every leap, it managed to blast the head off a hungry wolf—every strike a fatal blow, leaving absolutely none unharmed...

In less than half an hour, over a dozen more wolf corpses littered the ground. The remaining wolves dared not attack rashly any longer; they merely encircled the foal, their eyes now radiating pure dread...

Xiaotao Tao in the distance ceased her calling. Its sheep-like body transformed into the pure white, highly predatory Shen Tanshi form. Standing only the size of a large wolf-dog, it began to walk step by step toward the foal. The ferocious wolves automatically parted to either side, as if greeting their king...

Their gazes were filled with extreme reverence...

The Shen Tanshi was already an exceptionally vicious wolf variant, and the Taotie itself was a fierce beast.

Ye Jingyu felt his thoughts growing muddled. What exactly did this creature intend? Why gather so many vicious wolves simply to confront a little foal?

Seeing Xiaotao Tao approach, the foal’s eyes also showed an expression of solemnity—yes, a genuine, almost human expression of caution. This scene utterly shattered Ye Jingyu's capacity for thought. Could this... could this be a high-level Desolate Beast that even Xiaotao Tao treated with such seriousness?

"Aooooo!" Xiaotao Tao suddenly let out a long, powerful roar that shook the entire forest. The surrounding wolves were terrified into prostration, too frightened to move, their bodies trembling uncontrollably...

"Ao ao..." The foal was not to be outdone, matching the dragon-like cry. It repeatedly stamped its hooves on the massive stones beneath it, and Ye Jingyu and the others watched as those huge stones were pulverized beneath its impact...