Chapter 13: The Slaying of the Wolf King

After driving away the beast, Qin Xingchen glanced around and suddenly realized he seemed to be lost. Thinking back, after parting ways with Su Jingya and the others, if he had returned to Wushan City to buy a map, he wouldn’t have gotten lost in the Luoyin Mountain Range.

“Well, it looks like I can only climb up the cliff first and try to rely on the terrain to find my way back,” he thought.

With that in mind, he began climbing the cliff he had come from. Once atop the cliff, he tried to retrace his steps based on the memory of the terrain where he had been chased by the red-striped saber-toothed tiger. Yet, the more he walked, the more lost he became.

He pressed on. Over the next two hours, he occasionally slew some first- or second-tier beasts. When encountering third-tier beasts, he would simply brandish his beast fire as a deterrent. Thankfully, he had yet to meet any beasts above third tier, so he could traverse the mountains freely.

After another hour, he arrived at a high plateau. From his vantage point, he looked down onto a grassy field and saw four figures surrounded by a pack of first- and second-tier Blood Wolf Beasts.

“They are…” Qin Xingchen’s eyes sharpened in recognition.

Indeed, the four people surrounded by the beasts were Su Jingya and her companions. Qin Xingchen had not expected to run into them again here.

On the grass below, Su Jingya and the others bore various wounds from the relentless attacks of the Blood Wolf Beasts.

“Sister, I’m scared!” Su Xiaonuan hid trembling behind Su Jingya, her small frame quivering with fear. Born into a prominent family, pampered since childhood and never venturing far, this was her first time insisting on journeying to the Luoyin Mountain Range for experience. But she hadn’t imagined the outside world to be so terrifying, a place where a single misstep could cost one’s life at any moment.

Lu Zitian frowned deeply. “This is bad. Among these first and second-tier beasts, the weakest possess the strength of an eighth-level Body Refinement practitioner, and the strongest have reached the eighth level of the Blood Cultivation realm. How are we supposed to escape now?”

Chen Lixue was nearly paralyzed with fear, her body trembling as she looked at Su Jingya. “Jing… Jingya, there are too many beasts, and they’re too strong. What should we do? Are we all going to die here?”

“Shut up!” Before Su Jingya could speak, Lu Zitian scolded Chen Lixue harshly, “It’s all your fault. If you hadn’t been greedy and tried to grab those wolf pups, the Blood Wolf Beasts wouldn’t have chased us this far. Look what you’ve done — you’ve endangered all four of us. Why are you so reckless?”

“I…” Chen Lixue was furious but looked aggrieved. “I just thought the little wolf pups in the cave were cute, so I wanted to hold one. Who knew these beasts were so stingy? I even returned the pup to them afterward. What more do they want? Can’t they just leave us alone? Hmph!”

Su Jingya looked exasperated. “Why don’t you go up and reason with them? Ask them to let us go.”

“I…” Chen Lixue stammered, “I… I’m scared!”

Su Jingya snapped coldly, “If you’re scared, then shut up!”

Chen Lixue looked at Su Jingya with tears welling up, “Jingya, we’re friends. How can you talk to me like this? You’ve never been this harsh before…”

Su Jingya’s eyes blazed with anger. “Ever since you and Lu Zitian looked down on Qin Xingchen like that, I stopped considering you two friends!”

Lu Zitian looked puzzled. “Jingya, we’ve been good friends for years. How can you blame us for someone we just met? Besides, that Qin Xingchen guy isn’t worthy to be our friend anyway…”

Su Jingya’s expression darkened. “You, too, shut up!”

Lu Zitian was awkward. “…”

Su Jingya scanned the surrounding wolves, her eyes gleaming sharply. Then she said to Lu Zitian and Chen Lixue, “When we break through their encirclement, I’ll hold off the pack. If you still consider me a friend, I want you to take my little sister and escape. Can you do that?”

Chen Lixue was stunned. “Jingya… Are you planning to sacrifice yourself to protect us?”

Lu Zitian was speechless.

Su Jingya said firmly, “Enough nonsense! I’ll ask again — can you do it?”

At those words, Su Xiaonuan clung to Su Jingya’s arm, sobbing, “Sister, let’s go together. Xiaonuan doesn’t want to leave you behind. Boohoo~”

Su Jingya ignored the crying and continued looking at Lu Zitian and Chen Lixue. “Can you do it?”

“Of course not!” Chen Lixue was bewildered, but Lu Zitian shook his head. “Jingya, are you insulting me? I’m a man. At this life-or-death moment, having a woman protect me so I can survive—what kind of man would I be?”

His gaze turned to the wolves. “You three girls go first. I’ll cover the rear. If I die, just inform my Lu family.”

Su Jingya was taken aback. This Lu Zitian actually seemed like a real man at this moment.

Suddenly, Lu Zitian shouted to the three women, “Go!”

With that, he drew his long sword and charged toward the pack of Blood Wolf Beasts.

At that moment, all the wolves lunged at the four people.

Su Jingya warned Su Xiaonuan, “Xiaonuan, stay close behind me. Don’t be afraid!”

Hearing this, Su Xiaonuan wiped her tears but stopped crying. Though terrified, her eyes grew resolute. “Sister, Xiaonuan doesn’t want you to die. No! Xiaonuan will protect you!”

Then, to Su Jingya’s astonishment, Su Xiaonuan charged at a first-tier Blood Wolf Beast, clenched her tiny fist, and struck, “Hiya!”

This beast was roughly as strong as a sixth-level Body Refinement cultivator. Under Su Xiaonuan’s furious punch, she who was at the eighth level of Body Refinement, the wolf was knocked flying several meters.

The three other women stared in disbelief. They hadn’t expected the little girl to be so fierce when angry.

At that moment, a larger first-tier Blood Wolf Beast lunged toward Su Xiaonuan. This beast was equivalent to a tenth-level Body Refinement warrior, and its terrifying appearance made Su Xiaonuan’s legs buckle. She fell to the ground, frozen with fear and unable to move.

“Xiaonuan!” Su Jingya rushed toward her, full of concern.

But it was too late.

The beast was about to pounce on the prone girl when its claws passed through empty air. The person—had vanished!

“Xiaonuan!” Su Jingya frantically scanned the area until her gaze landed on a figure not far off.

“Qin Gongzi!” Su Jingya exclaimed in shock.

The newcomer was none other than Qin Xingchen, holding the terrified Su Xiaonuan in his arms.

Elsewhere, Lu Zitian and Chen Lixue were equally surprised.

“Big Brother!” Su Xiaonuan’s face lit up with joy upon opening her eyes and seeing Qin Xingchen.

Qin Xingchen smiled faintly. After setting Su Xiaonuan down, a first-tier Blood Wolf Beast immediately lunged at him. With a swift swing of his long sword, the beast’s head flew clean off.

More first-tier Blood Wolf Beasts rushed at him. With a flash of movement, one after another fell to the ground, their bodies severed and blood spraying wildly.

Seeing this, the other Blood Wolf Beasts ceased their attacks on Su Jingya and her group, focusing solely on Qin Xingchen as they closed in on him.

A wolf howl echoed through the air.

From the pack, the largest Blood Wolf Beast stepped forward.

It was a late second-tier beast, with strength comparable to an eighth-level Blood Cultivation warrior.

“This is bad!” Su Jingya’s face grew grave. “That’s the Wolf King!”

She, Lu Zitian, and Chen Lixue together had nearly been slain by this wolf king not long ago. Qin Xingchen, who was only a first-level Blood Cultivation cultivator, could hardly contend with it.

Su Jingya urged Qin Xingchen, “Qin Gongzi, don’t rush in recklessly. We’ll face the Wolf King together!”

But before she finished speaking, Qin Xingchen had already charged in front of the wolf king.

The beast’s body surged upward, slashing its sharp claws through the air with a piercing whoosh. One strike from these claws could split a person in two.

Yet when the claw passed through Qin Xingchen, it struck only empty air—it had passed through a shadow.

By the time the wolf king reacted, Qin Xingchen had already appeared behind it. The beast turned sharply as Qin Xingchen swung his long sword backward.

In an instant, the wolf king’s head flew off, and its body collapsed, severed and lifeless.

Su Jingya and the others stood rooted, mouths agape and faces filled with shock at the scene before them.