Chapter Forty: Fierce Battle

Man and beast clashed fiercely, their avatars forged from true essence, spiritual power, and the energies of heaven and earth showing signs of imminent collapse.

With a thunderous crash, the hand of the humanoid phantom collided with the wolf’s massive paw. An explosion of force erupted between them, shattering trees, pulverizing boulders, and rending the earth as if the world itself was coming undone.

Both combatants were forced back by the shockwave, their gazes locked in a glare that sparked with murderous intent.

Suddenly, the wolf avatar spun around, meeting the oncoming strike of a gigantic spear. Its massive body quivered from the impact, while the humanoid phantom wielding the spear had his hands split open by the backlash.

Seizing the moment as the wolf staggered, the other humanoid avatar lunged with his long blade. The arc of the blade flashed like a bolt of lightning, friction with the air sending up a storm of sparks that set the surrounding forest ablaze.

With a splitting crack, the heavy blow descended like a celestial thunderbolt, cleaving into the wolf’s ear. The ear burst apart, and the true essence animating the wolf avatar began to stream away in torrents.

The wolf avatar let out a howl that seemed to set the heavens on fire with its fury.

Once, wherever it went, countless demon beasts knelt in submission at its feet. It had reigned as the god of monsters, lord of life and death. Yet now, it suffered blow after blow, its massive form teetering on the brink of collapse—a reversal so tremendous it bordered on the absurd.

But the humanoid avatars paid the wolf’s wrath no mind and struck again with unrelenting ferocity.

One, brandishing his long blade, swept through the sky like lightning, the blade carrying the force to sever rivers as it hacked down in a mighty arc. The other, wielding a spear, pierced forward like a divine rainbow, the spearhead generating a swirling vortex of energy like a tornado barreling straight at the wolf.

Facing their onslaught, the wolf’s eyes flashed with a savage glint. It neither dodged nor retreated, but instead swept its forepaws forward, talons spread wide like the claws of a roc—unyielding, vast, and razor-sharp, meeting the spear and blade head-on.

Claws met steel, and the struggle reached an impasse. Yet, from the blade, waves of concussive force crashed down, like a spatial storm, shaking the wolf’s claws with a series of snapping sounds. The spear drilled forward with spiraling force, gouging cracks into the wolf’s paws as though they were being split by a gigantic drill.

After a brief stalemate, with a series of sharp cracks, both of the wolf avatar’s forepaws began to fracture before exploding completely.

Reeling from the injury, the wolf avatar’s strength faltered. Sensing victory, the two avatars prepared to press their advantage and end the beast once and for all—but suddenly, a surge of danger welled up within them.

They saw the wolf avatar’s aura grow even more menacing.

Before they could leap aside, the giant wolf’s jaws gaped wide, ejecting dozens of fangs as solid as steel, each speeding toward them like meteors.

Having just shattered the wolf’s forepaws, the two avatars had nearly exhausted their true essence. Now, faced with these lightning-fast projectiles, they could not hope to dodge. In desperation, they mustered their remaining strength, weapons whirling to deflect the onslaught.

A barrage of thunderous impacts rang out; most of the wolf’s fangs were smashed aside, but a handful struck home, piercing both avatars.

At once, the prodigious strength in their bodies began to ebb away, their auras rapidly weakening.

The wolf avatar seized its chance, jaws opening wide to spit multiple spheres of true essence. Instantly, a massive vortex of energy formed, swirling with annihilating power as it enveloped the two avatars.

Already grievously wounded by the wolf’s fangs, they found themselves overwhelmed by the barrage of essence spheres, their defenses in disarray. They slashed and stabbed desperately at the incoming attacks, but the shattering power of the spheres battered their forms, leaving them riddled with cracks.

In the end, their true essence all but spent, they collapsed to the ground, smashing two immense craters into the earth.

The wolf avatar eyed them warily where they lay, only relaxing after half a quarter-hour had passed and it was certain they could no longer fight. Dragging its crippled forepaws, it limped over to the fallen avatars, its eyes gleaming with a murderous light. It raised a hind paw, claws slashing toward their throats, slicing the air with a shrill, metallic whistle.

Suddenly, the two prostrate avatars slammed their palms into the ground, vaulting upright with a burst of strength. Simultaneously, their spear and blade flashed out, slashing into the wolf avatar’s flank, rending its body to the brink of explosion.

Ignoring its grievous wounds, the wolf avatar spat two enormous essence spheres that struck the two avatars before they could dodge. The impact split their bodies with countless fissures, true essence pouring uncontrollably from within.

A storm of thunderous detonations erupted from the three combatants. Their reserves of true essence erupted in a torrent, and within moments, all three avatars were obliterated, their forms dissipating into the air.

The unleashed force rampaged out of control, blasting the land as if a volcano had erupted, gouging a thousand-meter-wide crater into the earth.

"Monster, your life is forfeit!" a voice boomed like thunder, echoing far and wide.

Two figures, swift as fleeting shadows, chased after a gigantic wolf demon.

Their garments were torn in many places, deep wounds crisscrossing their bodies, fresh blood seeping from every gash.

"You two old fools, one day I’ll tear you to pieces!" the wolf demon snarled in a voice eerily human. Its fur was a dark, burnished gold, marred by two long, bone-deep blade wounds, its pelt drenched in blood.

In the blink of an eye, man and beast raced dozens of miles. As the wolf ran, it glanced back, and when its pursuers drew near, it spat several watermelon-sized orbs of true essence. The orbs, spinning with fearsome power, howled toward the two men.

One wielded a blade, the other a long spear; with precise strikes, they shattered every orb sent their way.

Seeing its attack thwarted, the wolf demon roared in rage and whirled around to engage in close combat. Blood sprayed from all parties, the battle fierce and brutal beyond words.

Finding itself at a disadvantage, the wolf demon turned and fled once more—this time, straight toward the woods where Liu Feng waited.

In moments, the wolf demon reached the small grove, its eyes immediately lighting upon two men lying on the ground, their cultivation abolished. A bloodthirsty gleam flashed in its eyes.

It strode over, jaws opening wide to devour them, their screams cut short as they were swallowed whole.

Then its gaze shifted to Liu Feng, its eyes glowing emerald with a terrifying light.

Liu Feng stared back in shock. He wanted to run, but the wolf demon had already locked onto him, its overwhelming aura pinning him in place, making escape impossible.

The beast loomed over him and struck, its claws slashing directly at Liu Feng’s chest.

Liu Feng could only smile bitterly. Two crises in a single day—last time, he had been saved by a beast pelt; this time, it seemed there would be no such luck. He could already feel the wolf’s claws brushing his skin.

A metallic clang rang out. Suddenly, the wolf demon let out a terrified howl.

The crushing pressure vanished. Liu Feng opened his eyes to see the wolf’s claws ensnared by a silvery-white beast pelt.

The pelt had grown enormous, its power wrapping around the wolf, binding it fast.