Chapter 102: The Struggle Between Fish and Wolf

Chapter 102: The Battle Between Fish and Wolves

The forest was lush and verdant, with the occasional hum of bees drifting through the quiet valley, making the place feel even more serene and cool. Qi Fei sat quietly with his legs crossed, entering a meditative state.

In this moment of tranquility, Qi Fei’s spirit was deeply nourished by the natural energy of the world. He could clearly feel his primordial spirit growing stronger, his sea of consciousness expanding, and even his body warming with an indescribable comfort. These dragonfish had long lived in the stream; although they were low-level beasts with little value in their core spirits, they were prized by cultivators and warriors alike for their delicious meat. This meat not only replenished physical energy but also served as a potent spiritual medicine to aid cultivation.

Before long, although Qi Fei’s eyes remained closed as before, the scenery around him seemed to imprint vividly and vividly into his consciousness. He noticed the faintly trembling pearl, the sunlight bathing the grass and trees, the occasional unidentified bird flying nearby, and then—a small wolf, seemingly motionless yet intently watching him. Wait, how did a wolf pup appear here? This realization caused Qi Fei’s body to shudder involuntarily.

His spirit disturbed, Qi Fei could no longer maintain his meditative state. Suddenly, he sprang forward with a forceful push from his legs, launching himself like a hawk striking a rabbit toward a nearby thicket. During his moment of spiritual insight, he had clearly seen the golden-silver wolf king that had disappeared after entering the den, now motionless and watching him from afar.

Qi Fei didn’t know how this creature had managed to conceal its presence so well, coming within several meters without being detected by his powerful spirit. If he hadn’t accidentally touched the edge of his meditative state, he might never have noticed the wolf’s shadow tailing him.

He was also unsure when the wolf had started following him. The last time he entered meditation was three days ago, when his spirit had suddenly become highly sensitive, able to sense a radius of twenty meters, yet he had not detected this golden-silver wolf king then. “But since you dare follow me, prepare to meet your fate!” Qi Fei gritted his teeth.

As he landed in the grass, he indeed saw the golden-silver wolf king’s presence. At the same moment, the wolf evidently noticed Qi Fei’s movement. Before Qi Fei could touch it, the wolf swiftly darted several meters away, evading capture. Qi Fei had never expected to catch it in a single move—after all, it had been watching him closely, ready to react at the slightest movement.

From the start, Qi Fei’s plan was simply to force it to reveal itself, then use his slight speed advantage to capture it. After all, he had finished the last piece of dragonfish meat earlier.

He had been considering whether to return to the stream to hunt more dragonfish, but now that this higher-quality golden-silver wolf king had come to him, he was naturally unwilling to let the opportunity slip by. In the next instant, Qi Fei swiftly adjusted his body, pushing off with the tips of his toes without bothering to steady himself, and shot toward the wolf. Having faced the wolf’s speed before, the creature’s face immediately showed a human-like panic, and without waiting for Qi Fei’s next move, it flicked its tail and fled hastily in another direction.

Seeing this, Qi Fei had no choice but to give chase again. Thus, in the forest among the trees, a man and a wolf engaged in a chase and escape, as if playing a game of hide-and-seek, each trying to conceal their presence. Taking advantage of the many obstacles in the woods, the golden-silver wolf king was clearly more agile than Qi Fei.

Though Qi Fei relied on his nimble movements, the wolf consistently evaded him at critical moments, repeating the chase and failed capture over and over. This frustration made Qi Fei increasingly irate. After yet another failed attempt, he stopped, glaring at the wolf as it darted elusive through the woods. “If only the Cold Soul Blade could break through this golden-silver wolf king’s defense. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have so many chances to escape. The Blade Draw technique, due to the distance, is even less effective. It’s true that these two attack techniques are powerful in direct confrontation, but in this situation, they just aren’t enough!”

Qi Fei sighed inwardly, realizing he indeed had too few attack methods. Facing such a situation, he decided to stop and give up the pursuit. For one, continuing would be futile; for another, after several hours of chasing, his food supply was already exhausted. He felt hunger gnawing at his stomach and, after orienting himself, planned to hunt some dragonfish for food.

However, strangely, when Qi Fei stopped, the golden-silver wolf king didn’t flee but instead remained quietly watching from a distance of about ten meters.

Even when Qi Fei began to retreat quickly, the creature followed, always maintaining a distance of about ten meters. The wolf clearly understood that at this range, Qi Fei was powerless against it. Seeing the wolf persistently trailing like a troublesome little ghost, Qi Fei was both angry and helpless. “Well, follow me then. We’re still in the forest. Once we reach open land, I’ll see how you escape my hunt,” he thought with a helpless sigh as he headed toward the small stream he had visited before.

Thinking it through, Qi Fei wanted to test once more whether eating dragonfish meat could help him ascend to the innate realm. Also, only the flat area ahead was wide enough—if the golden-silver wolf king followed there, he might be able to capture it. After traveling several days, Qi Fei arrived near the small stream again. The intelligent golden-silver wolf king clearly sensed the danger of this place and dared not follow him onto the flat ground. Yet it seemed unwilling to give up, pacing anxiously at the edge of the clearing, visibly restless.

Qi Fei barely glanced at the wolf’s odd behavior and paid it no mind.

Catching the wolf was merely a secondary thought. Even if the golden-silver wolf king was extraordinary, it was still just a small beast, enough only for a single meal. Qi Fei didn’t expect to enter the meditative state and grasp the heavenly path just by eating it. Hunting the plentiful dragonfish, each of which could feed him for days, was the wiser, more reliable choice.

Setting aside the golden-silver wolf king, Qi Fei prepared to find a large stone weighing several hundred pounds to throw into the pool, hoping to scare up several cloud-black dragonfish as before.

Looking around for a boulder, Qi Fei was surprised to find the stone he had thrown last time had somehow been retrieved and placed back at the original spot. While surprised, this spared him the trouble of searching for a suitable stone. But as he lifted the round stone to the water’s edge, the stream suddenly churned violently before he could throw it.

“What…?” Surprised, Qi Fei quickly put the stone down. This was obviously a sign that the dragonfish were about to emerge. The next moment, Qi Fei drew his Cold Soul Blade and took a defensive stance. Though the cloud-black dragonfish were no match for his Blade Draw technique, he dared not be careless before the fish revealed themselves.

After all, he couldn’t see through the water; who knew how many dragonfish might burst out at once?

Holding the blade tightly, Qi Fei fixed his gaze on the water’s surface, not even blinking. Moments later, as the water churned more violently, about ten dark shapes surged upward from the depths.

Seeing the shadows, Qi Fei felt somewhat relieved. Ten fish were still within his manageable range, unlikely to pose great danger.

But when they leapt out of the water, Qi Fei’s heart skipped a beat, and he retreated two steps before fiercely unleashing the fourteen cuts of his Blade Draw technique. Before him were ten dragonfish much stronger than the cloud-black ones—pure white from head to tail. The moment they emerged, as if sensing an attack, they suddenly shook their heads and tails, scattering in different directions.

In an instant, the dragonfish charged at Qi Fei from all sides. Each opened a terrifying maw, their mouths lined with six to seven-inch-long venomous fangs glinting chillingly in the sunlight. This scale of attack was far fiercer than the cloud-black dragonfish.

It was easy to deduce that, aside from some special dragonfish, the larger the dragonfish, the tougher the opponent.

Seeing these pure white dragonfish, Qi Fei knew they were no ordinary beasts. Their aura alone revealed they were peak-level ninth-rank demons, probably among the very top of their kind. Their immediate aggressive charge showed their ferocious combat intent.

Despite the shock, Qi Fei showed no sign of weakness. Especially considering these white dragonfish lived with the cloud-black ones and seemed even higher-level, he fantasized that devouring their meat would greatly benefit him. Under his Blade Draw attack, he imagined himself finally breaking through to the innate realm.

But clearly, this hope was unrealistic.

Even with the might of the Cold Soul Blade, his fourteen strikes only staggered the white dragonfish momentarily. His blade could only pierce about an inch into their tough hides, unable to penetrate further.

Such attacks not only failed to seriously injure them but also provoked strange, fierce roars. After a brief pause, the ten white dragonfish rapidly closed ranks and charged together, determined to swallow Qi Fei whole and refusing to relent.

Shocked, Qi Fei realized his attacks couldn’t break their defenses. Facing such strength, if there had been only one or two, he might have fought, but with so many, he had no intention of lingering.

If he couldn’t kill them, he would become their prey. In such a mismatch, not fleeing would be foolish.

The white dragonfish gave no quarter, swiftly pursuing Qi Fei as he fled.

Glancing behind during his escape, Qi Fei noticed that before the dragonfish reached the deep aquatic grass, it seemed to part automatically, as if avoiding them. Their movements no longer resembled swimming but low flight. This eerie sight made Qi Fei’s scalp tingle.

Naturally, he dared not dawdle. In moments, he burst from the open area.

But just before exiting, Qi Fei noticed something strange: the golden-silver wolf king wasn’t fleeing with him but seemed extremely excited. It jumped in place, flexing its small paws and licking its tender pink tongue in a surprisingly human-like manner, as if a child eyeing a delicious treat, eager to grab it.

This sight stunned Qi Fei. Realizing wolves loved dragonfish, he watched as this eighth-rank golden-silver wolf king, ignoring the pressure of the ten ninth-rank white dragonfish, dashed forward like lightning. It extended its tiny paw—no bigger than Qi Fei’s finger—and fiercely jabbed the belly of the lead white dragonfish about seven inches deep!

This little creature dared to challenge these dragonfish far above its rank!

Qi Fei, whose speed wasn’t much faster than the white dragonfish, stopped mid-flight, turning to watch this strange wolf’s battle with the dragonfish. If possible, he wouldn’t mind quietly taking the wolf’s corpse after the white dragonfish killed it.

Without enhanced spiritual food, the golden-silver wolf king’s death would still provide a decent meal.

But what happened next shocked Qi Fei so profoundly that he nearly lost his wits! The lead white dragonfish, faced with the wolf’s attack, suddenly seemed clumsy, unable to dodge. The tiny paw, no larger than Qi Fei’s finger, stabbed deeply into its belly.

A deafening, earth-shaking roar erupted from the dragonfish’s mouth. Despite the dragonfish’s legendary resilience, it barely struggled before becoming a stiff corpse. This pure white dragonfish, barely scratched by Qi Fei’s Blade Draw, was so easily slain by the small golden-silver wolf king!

This was beyond Qi Fei’s expectations. Was this little wolf merely an eighth-rank beast fleeing from him, or was it a powerful entity capable of slaying peak ninth-rank beasts?

Qi Fei watched in disbelief as the wolf felled the white dragonfish, the other nine dragonfish hesitating to approach.

He thought life’s mysteries couldn’t be stranger: this wolf seemed to have been playing dumb before, fleeing from him, but now appeared a heroic warrior on the battlefield. Such a sudden reversal was astounding.

For a moment, Qi Fei wondered if the golden-silver wolf king had been pretending all along, only now revealing its true nature.

If so, he didn’t know how to face this crisis. How could this small beast so easily kill a white dragonfish whose defense even his Blade Draw couldn’t break?

Furthermore, after killing the dragonfish, the wolf casually used its tiny paw to slice open the dragonfish’s belly, blood gushing out. Qi Fei expected the wolf to deeply anger the other peak ninth-rank dragonfish, as such beings never tolerated disrespect. Usually, a strong warrior answers a weak challenger with overwhelming force.

But instead, the wolf quietly dug inside the dragonfish’s belly, pulled out a jade-green fish pearl, and swallowed it slowly.

The other dragonfish seemed terrified, not daring to fight head-on. Instead, they wagged their tails anxiously, eyes wide with fear, slowly retreating bit by bit.

The strange scene left Qi Fei stunned.