Chapter 29: The Oriole Behind

The attack from the Wind Blade Spell and the searing pain scattered Qiuhan’s focus; his unstable footing sent him plummeting from midair. As he landed, he quickly summoned what little spiritual energy he had just replenished. At the very instant the Azure Wolf Beast charged at him, he cast the Earth Escape Technique and burrowed underground to flee.

Mounds of earth bulged on the surface as Qiuhan sped away beneath, the Azure Wolf Beast hot on his trail, following the shifting ground above. After nearly an hour, Qiuhan emerged, barely poking his head out, only to see the wolf beast still rushing toward him. He hurriedly slipped back underground.

And so it went, hour after hour. Each time Qiuhan surfaced, the wolf beast remained, steadfastly lying in wait. Resigned, Qiuhan settled cross-legged beneath the earth, gripping a spirit stone in each hand to restore his spiritual power. Meanwhile, the Azure Wolf Beast continued its patient vigil above.

A day passed. Qiuhan’s spiritual energy was fully restored, and after applying a special healing salve from his sect, his wounds had healed completely. Now he was ready to face the beast and vent his pent-up rage.

Qiuhan’s original goal had been to hunt down the seven roaming Azure Wolf Beasts. He was the hunter, and they were his prey. Yet this last wolf beast had nearly claimed his life, forcing him to take refuge underground, and now it refused to leave, lying in ambush for his return.

“Hmph, let’s see who is truly the hunter and who the prey,” Qiuhan thought, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. He activated his spiritual shield once more, retrieved three defensive talismans from his storage pouch, and layered them around himself. Then, he shot up from the earth in a sudden burst.

The resting Azure Wolf Beast saw Qiuhan erupt from the ground. With a low snarl and jaws wide, it unleashed a Wind Blade toward him. Qiuhan neither dodged nor flinched. He raised his right hand and, with equal swiftness, cast his own Wind Blade Spell at the beast.

The wolf’s Wind Blade struck the first layer of Qiuhan’s defenses with a crisp crack—shattering it, then breaking the second as well. But the attack’s force was spent. At the same time, Qiuhan’s Wind Blade hit the wolf beast. It tried to dodge, but too late—both its forelegs were severed in an instant.

Blood poured forth as the beast collapsed, its front half sprawled on the ground, propped up only by its hind legs. Qiuhan wasted no time. He drew forth the Icefeather Ring from his pouch and infused it with spiritual power—the ring spun rapidly in the air. Locking his spiritual sense onto the wounded beast, he unleashed a hundred ice needles, each one piercing into the writhing wolf beast, ending its life in a flash.

Pleased, Qiuhan stowed the Icefeather Ring. With this final Azure Wolf Beast slain, he could finally rest and prepare for his next hunt. He stored the beast’s corpse in his pouch, took out a few spirit stones, and sat down cross-legged to recover his spent energy.

The following day, in the very forest where Qiuhan had first hunted the Azure Wolf Beasts, a new pack emerged—another group out searching for food. As the previous seven had already fallen to Qiuhan, now ten more prowled the woods. This time, the pack was noticeably stronger: seven boasted the power of eighth-stage Qi Refining cultivators, and the other three rivaled the tenth stage.

Against such a pack, Qiuhan had no hope of victory. If the three strongest beasts attacked him together, he could hardly guarantee his survival; carelessness could cost him his life.

Qiuhan hovered in midair, observing the pack below before descending to the ground and cautiously trailing behind them. The beasts scattered to forage, seemingly at random, but a careful eye would note the precise, measured distances between them—a disciplined formation. Spread over a thousand-foot radius, if one met an enemy, the rest would swiftly converge.

Hiding behind dense trees and thick underbrush, Qiuhan stalked the weakest among them, waiting for a chance to strike.

After two hours, his opportunity came: one wolf beast drifted from the group, slipping alone into the depths of the forest. The others, oblivious, did not notice their companion’s absence.

Now is the time, Qiuhan thought, silently tailing the lone beast deeper into the woods. Suddenly, the wolf broke into a run. Surprised, Qiuhan hastened his pace to keep up.

He soon saw the wolf chasing a white hare—spiritual sense revealed it was a first-rank, low-grade demon beast. The wolf, having discovered its prey, was intent on the hunt.

The wolf soon closed in, leaping forward and bringing down the rabbit. In moments, it killed the beast and began devouring its flesh, unaware that a human cultivator crept ever closer.

With the wolf’s back turned and its mouth full of fresh meat, Qiuhan focused his will. He whispered an incantation, flicked his right hand, and six slender ice needles flew through the air, striking the feasting beast. Then six ice arrows followed in quick succession.

From the initial attack to the beast’s demise, only a single breath passed. The wolf died with scraps of meat still clinging to its jaws, not even managing a cry—a perfect illustration of the old saying: while the mantis stalks the cicada, the oriole lurks behind.

This outcome came as no surprise to Qiuhan. Without wasting a single motion, he stored the corpse in his pouch, glanced at the remaining wolves ahead, and his eyes gleamed with cold intent.

By dusk, Qiuhan had slain six of the seven eighth-stage Azure Wolf Beasts in the pack of ten—only four remained. The air was thick with the stench of blood, and with their keen sense of smell, the survivors were uneasy.

The last four gathered together, moving as one, hoping to return to Spiritshade Valley before nightfall.

The sun was setting, casting a golden glow through the woods and making the mountains even more beautiful at dusk. Qiuhan, hidden in the shadows, watched the last four wolves. He could see their heightened vigilance, their bodies tense, their minds intent on retreat.

“I can’t let them escape. If these wolves make it back, and the Spiritshade Valley pack realizes I’ve killed fifteen of their number in just a few days, they’ll be on alert. After that, it will be much harder to whittle down their numbers. No, tonight, I must finish them here.”