Chapter Fourteen: Survival of the Fittest

The heavy body of the Wind-Earth Bear crashed to the ground, uttering a few mournful cries before falling silent forever.

Lin Feng and Helian Ruoxue were drenched in sweat, lying motionless in the grass, hearts pounding as they prayed for the Moon-Howling Heavenly Wolf to leave quickly.

Beasts possessed keen spiritual senses and had long noticed the distant observers hundreds of meters away, but despite its pyrrhic victory, the Moon-Howling Heavenly Wolf seemed uninterested, glancing suspiciously around before turning to leave.

“Where do you think you’re going, beast!” Suddenly, a thunderous shout echoed from the crystal-clear sky, startling both the hidden pair and the Moon-Howling Heavenly Wolf.

Before the speaker even appeared, the voice arrived first. In an instant, two figures emerged from the northern mountains and the sea of clouds, treading upon the air, leaving behind long comet tails that wove together—one red, one multicolored—creating an overwhelming display.

“Damn!” Lin Feng, without a second thought, sprang from behind a camellia bush and rushed toward the fallen Wind-Earth Bear. Helian Ruoxue hesitated for a moment, then followed, sword in hand and teeth clenched; this treasure had been awaited at great risk—how could they let others claim it so easily?

The Moon-Howling Heavenly Wolf howled toward the sky, swung its lone arm, and disappeared into the distance in a whirlwind, traveling several miles in an instant.

“Where do you think you’re running!” This time, the angry shout was accompanied by a colossal golden mace engraved with a dancing dragon—the shaft blood-red, its edges cold as ice, the handle adorned with a golden dragon writhing wildly, radiating a murderous aura!

Beneath the mace stood a man in a red robe, fiery hair bristling, eyes glaring, feet planted atop another mace shaped like a phoenix, as he summoned the dragon-mace overhead with all his strength.

“Dragon-Breaking Mace!”

The golden glass dragon, shining with countless rays, let out a sky-shaking roar, shooting a myriad of golden beams with unstoppable force straight at the fleeing wolf.

“Roar!” The desperate Moon-Howling Heavenly Wolf suddenly curled up, every hair bristling, the tuft of blue bristles on its body glowing with a strange indigo light. With a sharp cry, it forcibly shed the bristles, sending them crashing into the golden light.

Boom! The two masses of radiance collided fiercely—the man in red groaned, his chest struck as if by a hammer, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, nearly tumbling off his phoenix-mace.

The Moon-Howling Heavenly Wolf fared worse, tumbling over several times, snapping countless trees, before scrambling up and fleeing westward.

“Heavenly Capital Spirit Fire Array!” The wolf had not gone far before a disheveled Taoist, riding on five-colored coins, pointed a finger, trapping it between four pillars of blazing fire that appeared out of nowhere.

“It’s him!” Lin Feng and Helian Ruoxue recognized the man; his name was “Qian Cai,” if memory served.

The man in red snorted coldly, his twin maces alternating beneath his feet as he instantly shifted to Qian Cai’s side, face full of displeasure. “No need for you to interfere, senior brother. If I can’t subdue it, how can Zhou Kuigang ever stand among our fellow disciples?”

Qian Cai chuckled, glancing at the wolf raging within the array. His eyes twinkled as he replied, “Fourth junior brother, I was just worried it might escape. Your twin maces are far too grand for dealing with such a beast…”

“Hmph!” Zhou Kuigang ignored him, raised his dragon-mace once more, and with a single blow, slew the helpless Moon-Howling Heavenly Wolf.

The beast’s dying howl was so agonizing that it shattered the composure of all who heard it, leaving them unsettled for a long time.

A flash of golden light, and the wolf’s right paw was severed at the root, snatched by Zhou Kuigang and vanished from sight.

“Junior brother, do you want the wolf’s pelt?” Qian Cai stroked his small mustache, his crafty eyes flickering as he kept the array intact.

“If you want it, take it,” the red-robed giant replied, turning away and flying to the Wind-Earth Bear’s corpse, arriving faster than Lin Feng and Helian Ruoxue.

“I’ll take this.” Without so much as a glance at them, Zhou Kuigang formed a spirit seal and stored the enormous bear’s body, along with the severed wolf paw, into his mustard seed pouch.

“You!” Helian Ruoxue was so furious at his blatant seizure of unclaimed loot that she couldn’t speak, her brows arched and she stomped her foot.

Lin Feng’s anger flared; the more he looked at the red-robed man, the more it infuriated him. At last, he could no longer restrain himself and shouted, “What gives you the right to steal what’s ours? Just because you’re strong, you think you can do whatever you want?”

“Hm?” Zhou Kuigang turned, his face icy, and an overwhelming aura erupted, instantly pressing the pair flat to the ground!

In the face of such mortal pressure, ordinary people were like lonely boats tossed on a vast sea, utterly powerless—even moving was a struggle.

“Hmph! You’re courting death! Killing you is like crushing ants!” The red-robed man swept his sleeve, apparently unwilling to waste words. With a shrill cry, his twin maces pierced the air and vanished in an instant, as if he had never been there at all.

The two lay on the ground, gasping for breath, covered in mud as if just pulled from a pond—utterly bedraggled.

The man riding on five-colored coins shook his head, formed a hand seal, and produced a small glass bottle, approaching with a cheerful grin. “My junior brother has a temper. Take these two Enhancement Pills as compensation.”

“Enhancement Pills!?” Lin Feng’s heart leapt when he saw the delicate white pills, wreathed in purple flame.

Taking one of these pills would double the speed of qi refining for at least a month! Of course, such pills only worked for qi refiners; for true experts, they were mere trash.

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Qian Cai smiled, his sly face seeming much gentler. “Compared to the Wind-Earth Bear, the Enhancement Pills are more practical for disciples like you. Accept them!”

The pair took the precious pills without hesitation; even just two were better than returning empty-handed.

Satisfied, Qian Cai laughed and rode the rainbow winds away.

“People can’t be judged by appearances. He looks like a rogue, but he’s much kinder than that red-robed brute,” Helian Ruoxue murmured, staring off at the clouds.

“We risked our lives for hours, and that guy had no sense of justice. He’ll get his comeuppance!” Lin Feng clenched his fists, gazing coldly at the distant peaks. “Someday, I’ll make him repay double for what he’s done today!”

Their hearts still stirred, unable to recover from the recent ordeal, when Du Song Song approached, looking puzzled and muddy as if he’d just burrowed through a pigsty.

“Where’s the beast, the beast?”

Helian Ruoxue laughed, “Look at you—the beast was dealt with long ago!”

“Ah? Oh, good. Senior sister, what happened to you two…” Du Song Song noticed they too looked as if they’d rolled on the ground, and was curious.

“It’s a long story! Let’s find a place to wash up,” Lin Feng said, face flushed, then led the way toward Fallen Immortal Valley.

The three found a clear spring, changed into clean clothes, and washed off the mud by the mountain stream, kindling a fire to dry their garments.

Helian Ruoxue, being a woman, kept her distance. After a while, the two suddenly heard a sharp scream from the distant undergrowth, grabbed their weapons, and rushed over.

“Senior sister!” Behind a cluster of azaleas was Helian Ruoxue’s changing spot; the two glanced at each other, neither daring to jump over and look.

“Whimper…” A strange sound came from there, and Lin Feng and Du Song Song exchanged anxious, uncertain glances.

Just then, Helian Ruoxue emerged from the azalea cluster, her new attire making her look even more radiant. In her arms was a small puppy, gazing up with pitiful eyes, its fur jet-black, four paws snowy white, chubby and wriggling.

“Look, what an adorable little fellow! I wonder how it ended up here—if it met a wild beast, it wouldn’t have survived.” Helian Ruoxue used a silk cloth to gently clean the puppy’s white paws, her gaze soft with maternal warmth.

The girl before him overlapped with a shadow in Lin Feng’s mind—the mischievous, clever girl who once held a white fox. Would he ever see her again? Lin Feng was dazed.

Du Song Song drooled, greedily eyeing the puppy and imagining it roasting over the fire.

“Boss, since there’s already a fire, how about stewing up some dog meat?” he said, eyes gleaming.

“I’ll stew you!” Helian Ruoxue tapped him on the head.

The puppy whimpered twice, wriggled free from the Shura Maiden’s arms, wagged its tail, and hopped to Lin Feng’s feet, clearly delighted.

“Huh? Junior brother, it seems to like you a lot,” Helian Ruoxue said with a radiant smile.

Lin Feng gave a wry smile as he picked it up—turns out, it was a male.

“Alas… dog meat’s off the menu,” Du Song Song sighed, returning to dry his clothes.

After a simple meal, the trio continued their journey. With the lively pup, their travels felt less dull. Helian Ruoxue gave it a grand name: Black Steed.

By dusk, they reached a dense forest, shrouded by towering trees that blocked out the sky, making the woods seem deep and eerie. No birds or beasts could be heard.

“Careful! This place doesn’t seem clean,” Helian Ruoxue said, alert as she led the way.

“Whimper…” The puppy cried, jumped from Lin Feng’s arms, and scrambled into a patch of waist-high grass and vines.

Suddenly, a wave of blood stench wafted from ahead. All three paled, raised their weapons, and held their breath.

Lin Feng used his spear to part the vines and peered cautiously. Despite all their mental preparation, he still shuddered and stepped back three paces in fright.

The Moon-Howling Heavenly Wolf! Behind the vines, the beast’s solitary eye bulged round, its tongue lolling nearly two feet, its face grotesquely terrifying.

Looking closer, they saw it was already dead, its corpse stiff as stone.

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Shocked and delighted, Lin Feng’s expression froze.

“No way! We’ve struck it rich!” Du Song Song cried, dashing forward.

“It’s really it! Two Moon-Howling Heavenly Wolves in all, and this one-eyed wolf is smaller—how did it die here?” Lin Feng wondered, calculating inwardly.

The little pup rushed to the wolf’s corpse, whimpering as it licked its face. The three exchanged pale, anxious glances.

This was no puppy—it was a young Heavenly Wolf!

“Junior brother Lin, what should we do?” Helian Ruoxue no longer found the creature cute. When it grew up and became that terrifying, bloodthirsty beast, who would dare keep it?

Lin Feng, of course, had considered the consequences and was caught in a dilemma.

After pondering a moment, he picked up the wolf cub and said, “Look—how does it resemble that beast? From today, I’ll raise this pup, train it from a young age, and forbid it from eating meat. Let’s see how it turns out.”

Helian Ruoxue chuckled, “Junior brother, it’s up to you. I’ll keep your secret.”

Lin Feng laughed lightly and said to Du Song Song, “For Black Steed’s sake, let’s bury its kin. Even beasts have family bonds—if we show no compassion, we’re worse than them. Let’s leave the treasure be. What do you think, senior sister?”

Du Song Song protested loudly, “Senior sister, don’t listen to Little Lin! In half a month, the Hidden Pavilion opens and I haven’t saved enough contribution points…”

Helian Ruoxue was at a loss. The materials from the Moon-Howling Heavenly Wolf could fetch hundreds of points, but faced with the orphaned cub, she couldn’t bring herself to commit such cruelty.

“Junior brother Du, I won’t take part in this. You decide,” Helian Ruoxue sighed, walking out of the shadowy forest alone.

“Little Song, dig a pit and bury it. We’ll wait outside!” Lin Feng followed, the blood stench unbearable.

“Why do good things never come my way…” Du Song Song grumbled, drawing his knife and glancing at the massive wolf corpse. Even the golden-winged finch shrieked and flew off in disgust at the scene.

For the sake of the wolf’s upbringing, tonight’s supper was steamed buns and pickles, with fresh spring water. Unexpectedly, Black Steed wasn’t picky and ate with gusto.

After dinner, Du Song Song finally emerged from the woods, filthy and sweating, casting furtive glances at Lin Feng and Black Steed.

“Whimper…” The wolf cub suddenly darted over and bit his trouser leg.

“Hey… don’t… don’t bite!” Du Song Song hopped anxiously, not daring to scold it—guilty, after all.

Lin Feng saw his behavior and suddenly understood, angrily shouting, “Little Song, how could you do such a thing!”

Du Song Song, embarrassed, turned and pulled two furry giant claws—each three feet long—from his bulging pack.

“Boss, senior sister, these are so precious, I just couldn’t resist taking them…”

“Hmph, keep them yourself!” Lin Feng, frustrated, took Black Steed and sat sulking by the fire.

Helian Ruoxue shook her head, giving Du Song Song a long look and signaling him to put the claws away.

“Junior brother Lin, since Du took them, it would be a waste not to use them. I think we should stick to our plan: if we find rare herbs in Fallen Immortal Valley, keep the wolf claws as a memento for Black Steed. If not, we can reconsider. What do you say?”

Lin Feng thought for a moment, then smiled, “As you wish, senior sister.”

“Wow, Little Lin, you’re not angry anymore…” Du Song Song popped up, his chubby face glowing in the firelight.

“Whimper…” Black Steed squirmed restlessly in Lin Feng’s arms, baring its teeth and claws.

Laughter rang out.

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