Ninety-Seven: The Silver Wolf

Page 1/3

Chapter Ninety-Seven: The Silver-Gold Wolf

The wolf—a fierce yet loyal beast—shares a resemblance to a wolfdog, but its snout is slightly longer and sharper, its muzzle a bit broader, and its ears stand erect without bending. Its tail hangs straight down, and its fur is a brownish-gray. However, when these wolves evolve into demonic beasts, their innate instincts turn savage; they become bloodthirsty predators, preying on the weak. The law of “the weak are prey to the strong” applies not only in the cultivation world but also among these inherently powerful beasts with limited intelligence.

Qi Fei had no intention of disturbing the silver-gold wolves before him.

“So that’s how it is. These demonic beasts gather together but still bully the weaker ones among their kind!” Qi Fei muttered to himself in surprise as he observed the scene. Then, somewhat frustrated, he said, “Old Tong He, hundreds of these silver-gold wolves and yet no sign of the Silver-Gold Wolf King. Judging by their numbers, this wolf pack must be large, and it’s possible the Wolf King is a ninth-rank demonic beast who’s lived for over a thousand years. What do you think? Should we follow these hundreds of wolves and check out their den?”

He said this because Qi Fei knew that any demonic beast pack with a ninth-rank beast would not consume food on the spot. Instead, ordinary beasts would bring the prey back to the den for the ninth-rank leader to select. Only the leftovers rejected by the leader would be eaten by the lower-ranked beasts.

This well-known rule was ironclad among all creatures except humans in the Divine Continent. Sure enough, after the pack chased away the intruders, two wolves dug up a prized mushroom, evidently intending to bring it back to their den. Seeing this, Qi Fei quietly withdrew the throwing knives from his hand, preparing to stealthily follow them.

Though it was certain that the Silver-Gold Wolf King would be in the den along with many others, making it a dangerous endeavor, Qi Fei thought the risk was worth it for the chance to capture such a rare beast.

But just as the wolves all turned and began returning the way they came, Qi Fei concealed himself and prepared to follow from his hiding spot.

Before he could make a move, Old Tong He’s voice suddenly sounded, “Hey, kid, hold on! Don’t rush! You’ve always considered yourself clever, so don’t fall for these beasts’ tricks.”

Qi Fei was stunned by the remark and asked, “What’s going on?”

Tong He smiled slightly and warned, “Use your spirit to sense carefully. About five or six yards northwest, in that thicket, isn’t there a special demonic beast hiding?”

Qi Fei immediately stopped moving and focused his spirit to sense that direction. Sure enough, he detected a beast lurking motionless, barely breathing. Without Tong He’s tip-off and his spirit’s sharpness, he might have overlooked it. The hidden beast was also a silver-gold wolf.

“This must be the Silver-Gold Wolf King. Didn’t expect this little creature to be so clever,” Qi Fei thought, impressed by the wolf’s cunning and suspicion. He had previously dismissed the idea that such beasts possessed high intelligence, but now he had firsthand proof.

If he had moved earlier, the Wolf King would have fled immediately and not reappeared anytime soon. This realization also suggested the pack was smaller than Qi Fei had imagined, possibly just a few hundred wolves. If the Wolf King had been a ninth-rank beast, the pack’s size and influence would have been much larger.

Recalling when he first encountered Zhuo Jin’er, who had stolen a newborn hippo king and was chased by over a thousand antelopes, it was clear that a true ninth-rank beast’s pack would not be so small. The modest size of this pack implied the Wolf King was not yet ninth-rank.

After waiting quietly, the hundreds of wolves stopped after a short distance. After a brief pause, crackling sounds came from the thicket. The hidden beast moved cautiously, slowly extending a forepaw and then its whole body. Qi Fei saw a distinct blood-red scar about the thickness of a finger on the wolf’s abdomen.

Apart from the scar, the Wolf King was no different in size or appearance from ordinary silver-gold wolves. Qi Fei gripped four throwing knives, intending to shatter its limbs and capture it alive.

But before he could act, the Wolf King suddenly sensed danger and retreated swiftly into the thicket, remaining motionless afterward.

“Hmph, Old Tong He, this little beast sensed us already?!” Qi Fei withdrew his hand in surprise and confusion.

He had been extremely concealed—so much so that many innate beasts passing by wouldn’t detect him. Yet the Wolf King, apparently only an eighth-rank beast, seemed to sense his imminent attack and dodged preemptively. Beast senses for danger were strong but not usually this sharp.

Looking at Tong He, who had transformed into a dense black mist entwined around a small tree branch, Qi Fei saw the old man shake slightly, revealing his human-like head. “Don’t be impatient. This little beast won’t show itself so easily. Let’s observe more,” he said, pointing to the thicket where the Wolf King hid.

Qi Fei sensed again and was relieved to find the Wolf King remained in its original hiding place, watching stealthily with cunning eyes, showing no sign of fleeing.

If it truly sensed danger, ordinary beasts would have fled immediately, not linger. Considering the hundreds of ordinary wolves remained gathered calmly, Qi Fei inwardly chuckled, “This little beast is way too sly!”

Clearly, the Wolf King’s brief appearance was a test for unseen threats. If there were ambushers nearby, this move would draw attention and provoke a chase, allowing the Wolf King to escape with preparation.

Indeed, this little beast lived up to its reputation for cunning and suspicion.

But under Qi Fei and Tong He’s watchful gaze, such antics were futile. After about fifteen minutes, the Wolf King seemed confident there was no danger and boldly emerged from the thicket, happily joining the waiting pack to feast on the century-old mushroom.

At that moment, several throwing knives shot through the air like meteors, aiming at its limbs.

Perhaps its guard was down while feeding, or it was dulled by the earlier safety assessment, but the four knives struck their mark after flashing in the air.

“Ah?!” Qi Fei called out softly, surprised. The knives, thrown with the Eight-Armed Thunder Fist technique, failed to shatter the beast’s limbs as expected. Instead, they turned to wisps of smoke upon contact, dissipating into the air.

“How is its defense so strong that even the Eight-Armed Thunder Fist can’t harm it?!” Qi Fei was shocked.

The Wolf King yelped twice, then ordered its hundreds of subordinates to surround and protect it as they fled in panic. Qi Fei abandoned further analysis and leapt from cover, chasing after the pack.

By his speed, he should have been much faster than a normal silver-gold wolf. Yet when he surged out, the pack suddenly seemed to awaken, their speed matching his. Though he knew this was their bloodlust state, the doubling of their speed still astonished him.

Fortunately, the distance remained manageable—about ten yards—and with his strong spirit, losing track was unlikely. Knowing beasts instinctively flee to their dens when frightened, Qi Fei resolved to follow them there and capture the Wolf King, reasoning that no beast’s intelligence could surpass a human’s.

So he trailed the pack for roughly a hundred miles until they entered a valley.

This valley was surrounded on three sides by mountains, with a narrow passage at the entrance barely wide enough for four abreast. Inside, the valley opened into a broad plain spanning several miles.

“This is a hidden paradise, truly a place fit for a mansion!” Qi Fei admired briefly but had no time for sightseeing. He soon found a den entrance, about the size of an adult’s head, and pondered how to force the pack out without entering himself to capture the Wolf King.

Smoking them out was the simplest and most practical method.

As the saying goes, “A cunning rabbit has three burrows.” An eighth-rank Silver-Gold Wolf King surely wasn’t less intelligent than a roe deer. Since it had entered this den, there must be more than one exit. The first step was to find and block all other exits; otherwise, lighting a fire at one would be useless if they escaped elsewhere.

Qi Fei was familiar with smoking out game, having once smoked deer to improve his diet during hard times. Though the intelligence of an eighth-rank beast differed from a deer, and den structures varied, the basic survival principles were similar. After half a day’s search, he found and sealed one exit.

Whether there were other exits he missed he couldn’t be sure, so he planned to observe once the smoke was lit.

Page 2/3

He estimated the wolves could not remain in bloodlust indefinitely. Next time he encountered them, his speed would allow him to catch them easily, making capturing the Wolf King less difficult.

Gathering dry wood and some wet grass, Qi Fei started a fire at the sealed den entrance. The smoke billowed inside.

Soon, using his spirit, he detected faint howls from deep within the den.

Clearly, despite their demonic nature, these beasts retained instinct—they did not seek alternative exits but fled along the known tunnels.

The howls intensified, and when Qi Fei fanned the smoke further inside, the wolves could no longer endure it and scrambled out in panic.

At this point, the leadership of the supposed ninth-rank beast was ineffective; the orderly formation was broken.

Qi Fei smiled slightly and watched as the wolves burst out. He flicked his hand, sending throwing knives flying, dropping dozens of wolves that dared to attack. He waited for the scarred Wolf King to appear, ready to capture it. This ambush tactic was highly effective; as a child, Qi Fei had often caught deer this way, smoking them until weak and then turning them into food.

He expected a similar scene now, but his habitual awareness overlooked something.

While scrutinizing the fleeing wolves, a larger shadow darted past. Looking up, Qi Fei saw the Wolf King emerging from the den, carrying an ordinary wolf with it.

After leaving the den, the Wolf King cleverly commanded the ordinary wolves to attack Qi Fei while it fled in another direction.

“This little beast knows well to save itself for another day,” Qi Fei smiled, abandoning the smoke and fire strategy. He drew dozens of throwing knives, ruthlessly dispatching the attacking wolves using the Eight-Armed Thunder Fist technique, then chased the Wolf King.

With maximum speed, Qi Fei soon caught up. Although he had struck the Wolf King’s limbs, the beast’s agility allowed it to dodge Qi Fei’s attempts to seize its neck. The chase swiftly covered over ten miles within the valley.

Soon, they reached the valley’s dead end.

Just when Qi Fei thought the Wolf King had nowhere left to run, the small beast spun quickly and charged at a massive, seemingly impenetrable rock.

Qi Fei gasped in disbelief. “Is this little beast trying to kill itself?!”

But his thought was quickly proven absurd.

When the Wolf King struck the rock, the massive stone appeared to soften, like it had lost its strength. The wolf passed through it as if piercing a mountain, vanishing abruptly from Qi Fei’s sight.

“What kind of strange situation is this?!” Qi Fei was dumbfounded.

He leapt to the rock, certain he had not hallucinated. The stone had indeed softened momentarily.

Though uncertain, he reached out to touch the huge rock, which should have been rock-hard.

Suddenly, just as Qi Fei expected, something odd happened.

Page 3/3