Chapter Thirty-Four: Sinister

Liu Feng looked toward the cold gleam and saw a small dagger, shimmering with a jet-black light, flashing toward him in the blink of an eye. Suddenly, he extended his palm, channeling his true energy, which swirled into a vortex of air, enveloping the dagger. The dagger’s momentum was halted by the swirling current, and it landed lightly in Liu Feng’s hand.

He glanced in the direction the dagger had come from, catching a glimpse of a shadowy figure that vanished into the woods. At this moment, Li Ying and the others walked over, noticing the dagger in Liu Feng’s grasp, anger flickering across their faces.

“Are you all right, Liu Feng?” Li Feng asked, his voice full of concern.

“I’m fine,” Liu Feng replied. “I just can’t fathom who would target me.”

“This is where the Blackwind Wolves roam,” Li Ying said angrily. “We’re supposed to work together to hunt these beasts. Who would stoop so low as to harm their own companion?”

“Only by joining forces can we overcome this crisis. Why turn on each other?” Zhao Yueqiu echoed, her expression troubled.

Liu Feng observed the anger on their faces but remained calm. “Let’s not bother with these despicable sorts any longer,” he said evenly.

“I hope no one tries to cause trouble again,” Wang Yun said, his face clouded with anger.

Li Ying looked toward the ten people who had been surrounded by Blackwind Wolves and asked, “What about you? Will you join us, or do you want to go your own way?”

The leader of the group replied, “It’s too dangerous here. There is strength in numbers. I agree to join forces and form one group.”

The other nine nodded in agreement.

“Since you all agree, let’s rest for a bit and tend to our wounds before continuing the hunt,” Li Ying suggested.

He paused, then added, “I’ll extract the beast cores from the Blackwind Wolf carcasses. We’ll distribute them according to everyone’s contribution. How does that sound?”

Everyone agreed without objection.

Li Ying then walked over to the corpses, drew a sharp short sword, and slit open their bodies, retrieving crystalline stones—the beast cores of these monsters.

The rest of the group found places to sit. Some took out food to replenish their energy; others applied medicinal powder to staunch their wounds and began to bind them.

Liu Feng sat down, took some food from his storage pouch to stave off hunger, and drank a few mouthfuls of water. Then, he carefully examined the small dagger in his hand. Its entire body shimmered with a cold, black light, its edge exuding a chill that testified to its deadly sharpness.

Just then, Li Feng came over and asked, “Well? Have you found any clues?”

Liu Feng shook his head. “There’s nothing to be learned from this dagger.”

Li Feng took the dagger, scrutinized it, and said, “There are no patterns or markings on it. Nothing suspicious at all.”

Wang Yun joined them. “When we hunt the Blackwind Wolves again, we should stick together. If anyone is left alone, they might fall prey to another sneak attack.”

“All right, we’ll stay together,” Liu Feng agreed.

The group fell silent and rested. About an hour later, Li Ying stood and announced, “Everyone’s had enough rest. Let’s continue searching for the Blackwind Wolves.”

The group rose, forming small clusters of three or five, and headed deeper into the forest. After traveling about half a mile, they heard a chorus of howls.

Liu Feng was the first to dash toward the sound, weaving through the trees until the undergrowth thinned out ahead. There, at the base of a small hill, he saw roughly thirty Blackwind Wolves gathered, tearing apart the carcass of a large animal.

The others soon caught up.

“Everyone, get ready. We’ll charge together,” Li Ying instructed. He glanced at Liu Feng. “You and I are the strongest here—we’ll take on the fiercest of the pack.”

“No problem,” Liu Feng replied.

By now, the wolves had picked the carcass clean, leaving only bones. Satiated, they lounged on the ground.

Seeing this, Li Ying waved his hand. “Now! While their guard is down—attack!”

The group burst from the woods at full speed, reaching the wolves in an instant. The Blackwind Wolves sprang to their feet, eyes glinting with a chilling predatory light as they stared down the intruders.

Li Ying struck first, kicking a wolf in the belly with such force that the air itself exploded with a crack. The wolf had no time to react; it was sent flying, landing with a crash and moving no more.

Liu Feng launched a mighty punch, his fist surging with brutal power and explosive force, crashing down on another wolf.

Bang!

The blow struck the wolf’s neck, hurling its body through the air. It let out a piercing wail before crashing to the ground. Before it could rise, Liu Feng was upon it, his foot striking like lightning at its midsection. With a final howl, its life was snuffed out.

Li Feng, too, was locked in combat with a wolf. His fists moved like meteors chasing the moon, leaving afterimages in the air as he pummeled at the beast. The wolf tried to dodge, but could not escape the thunderous blows.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The wolf was struck dozens of times in a heartbeat, collapsing in convulsions. Before it could recover, Li Feng’s feet descended on its belly like a pair of great iron hammers, brimming with explosive energy.

Crack!

With a crisp snap, the wolf fell limp, its life extinguished.

All around, the group clashed with the Blackwind Wolves. Dust billowed, and even stones on the ground were shattered by the surge of energy, fragments shooting in all directions.

Liu Feng unleashed his full might, his fists flashing like thunder and lightning, filling the air with continuous detonations. Two more wolves were driven back by his relentless assault. In a critical moment, Liu Feng delivered two rapid kicks, each infused with wild power, slamming into the wolves’ bellies and ending their lives.

On Li Ying’s side, three more wolves were quickly dispatched.

Soon, only about twenty wolves remained, and the pressure on the group lessened considerably.

“Help! Someone help me!” Suddenly, Liu Feng heard a woman’s cry for help. Startled, he rushed toward the source of the sound. The voice seemed to shift, now near, now far. After running for nearly a mile, he finally spotted a young woman beneath a tree.

He hurried over and saw that she was a young maiden in green.

“Miss, are you all right?” Liu Feng asked.

“I’m fine,” the maiden replied.

“Hahaha! She may be fine, but you’re in for trouble,” a mocking voice rang out.

A dozen men stepped out from behind the tree.

Liu Feng looked at the girl and said, “You lured me here—what is it you want?”

“What do we want? To teach you a lesson, of course,” one of the men sneered arrogantly.