At this very moment, everything was about to come to an end. Li Qiu had completed the circulation of the small heavenly cycle for the fifth time and was just about to force the heat throughout his entire body.
"Bang!"
Li Qiu felt his dantian suddenly begin to swirl slowly, like a vortex. That trace of azure energy reappeared, darting rapidly through his entire body; his previously damaged meridians began to knit back together. After traversing his entire body, the azure energy returned to his dantian. Unlike the previous times, it did not vanish. As the vortex spun, Li Qiu felt something akin to the azure energy continuously pouring into him from outside his body, and his dantian began to fill.
A Cyan Wolf’s fangs bit down fiercely into Li Qiu’s face; his lean, fair, and youthful features were on the verge of being crushed.
*Crack.* The Cyan Wolf’s fangs were snapped off by a layer of azure light. Immediately after, a powerful force surged out, knocking the beast several yards away. Unlike the fate of the previous wolf, this one managed to tumble through the air, dissipating the force before landing.
The Cyan Wolf stared at Li Qiu in lingering fear; this young man was truly extraordinary.
At this moment, the White Wolf Leader had noticed Li Qiu’s strange state. It growled in a low voice, almost as if talking to itself. Wang Suo, who lay severely wounded on the ground, shuddered involuntarily upon hearing that low growl.
Another Cyan Wolf stood ten paces away from Li Qiu, cautious and showing no intent to charge—it was unclear whether it was out of fear or simply because the leader had not issued further commands.
Li Qiu kept his eyes slightly closed. Inside, he felt as if his heart were a surging, roaring ocean. He could feel it—he could feel it very clearly.
Although his eyes were closed, everything around him was perfectly visible: the terror of the wolf pack, the wariness of the White Wolf, the blood on the ground, even the fish and shrimp swimming in the water—all of it seemed to be right before his eyes.
Li Qiu had finally developed divine sense. He had finally opened the gates to cultivation and entered Qi Condensation Level 1.
From this day on, would he be entering a different world? A world where immortals and demons battled, where one could reach into the sky to pluck the moon or dive into the deep to catch turtles?
With a flicker of his divine sense, Li Qiu entered the Storage Bag that the Old Scholar had given him. He felt that the space inside was as large as a house. Inside lay the final three levels of the Azure Wood Formula, several stones brimming with spiritual energy, a few sheets of talisman paper, and various miscellaneous items. Li Qiu did not have time to examine them closely. He saw that the talisman papers were inscribed with "Fire Talisman," "Vajra Talisman," "Water Dragon Talisman," and others. There were also several sheets whose characters he did not recognize; they were not from Huazhu Kingdom and appeared to be of great antiquity.
Li Qiu took out a "Fire Talisman." Feeling the searing heat radiating from it, he felt victory was within his grasp.
He already knew how to use this Fire Talisman: he simply needed to trigger it with his own magical power. With this talisman in hand, Li Qiu looked coldly at the White Wolf Leader. *Today,* he thought, *we shall settle our new grievances and old debts once and for all.*
On the White Wolf Leader’s back, the White Fox noticed Li Qiu’s transformation. Its previously lethargic and weary expression grew increasingly tense; it let out high-pitched squeaks and cowered. The White Wolf Leader growled in dissatisfaction and glanced at Li Qiu, a flash of contempt in its eyes.
The moon was gradually sinking, and the moonlight was dimming. The White Wolf Leader looked at the moon, lowered its head, and took several deep breaths with its eyes closed. Suddenly, it snapped its eyes open and bared its blood-red maw toward Li Qiu.
Li Qiu did not hear the previous growls. Suddenly, he felt a ripple in the air, and a fierce gust of wind rushed toward him. He hurriedly twisted his body to the side, noticing that his reflexes had become much sharper.
The gust of wind flashed past Li Qiu and slammed into the forest on the other side of the river. The next moment, he heard a series of "crack-crack" sounds from the opposite bank as trees as thick as bowls were instantly felled.
Li Qiu thought to himself, *That was close.* He had known the White Wolf Leader was not to be trifled with, but he had not expected it to be this difficult. That gust of wind was clearly a blade—to turn wind into blades, how much cultivation must that require?
*A monster!* Li Qiu defined the White Wolf Leader and the White Fox before him.
As he thought this, the White Wolf Leader opened its mouth again, and another wind blade shot toward him.
Li Qiu dodged the strike, thinking, *Although I have practiced immortal arts, I lack any means of attack. This feeling of being a passive target is truly unbearable.*
Seeing that its first two wind blades had failed, the White Wolf Leader did not seem anxious. It opened its mouth again, and this time, two wind blades shot out simultaneously.
The wind blades were swift; one slashed toward the fallen Li Zhuo, and the other still aimed for Li Qiu.
Li Qiu could dodge one, but the other would surely strike Li Zhuo.
Helpless, Li Qiu dodged one wind blade and positioned his body in front of Li Zhuo, channeling his energy until his whole body was bathed in azure light, bracing himself for the blade.
"Clang!" It sounded like a blade striking an anvil.
A dazzling light erupted from Li Qiu’s body before vanishing in a flash.
Li Qiu felt as if his internal organs had been displaced. The energy in his dantian was in turmoil, and he struggled to stabilize himself for a long moment. However, the White Wolf Leader’s third wave of wind blades arrived—two more.
One aimed for Wang Suo, and the other struck directly at Zheng Shude.
Li Qiu felt completely helpless, as if "heaven would not answer and the earth would not respond."
He could not save both Wang Suo and Zheng Shude at the same time. His heart was in complete disarray.
Suddenly, he saw the young White Wolf he had tied up and thrown next to Wang Suo.
A hundred thoughts raced through his mind, and a plan formed.
Li Qiu lunged toward Wang Suo, grabbed the young White Wolf, channeled all his energy into his arm, and threw the creature with all his might at the wind blade aiming for Zheng Shude. At the same time, he turned his back to shield Wang Suo. Another "Clang!" sounded, and Li Qiu collapsed to the ground.
The young White Wolf, thrown by Li Qiu, shot toward the wind blade like an arrow. The White Fox was so terrified its face twisted. The White Wolf Leader was shocked; it bared its fangs and kicked out with its front hooves, sending the corpse that Li Zhuo had been lying next to—which had been knocked over by Li Qiu earlier—flying toward the wind blade.
The corpse zipped toward the wind blade like lightning and was easily sliced in two with a wet *thud*. The wind blade, its momentum barely diminished, continued toward the young White Wolf.
The White Fox and the White Wolf Leader let out desperate howls, both bowing their heads, unable to bear the sight of the young White Wolf being sliced to death.
Just then, two soft *thuds* sounded, followed by the heavy impact of something hitting the ground.
The White Wolf Leader and the White Fox hurriedly raised their heads, joyfully surprised to see the young White Wolf right beside them, safe and sound, save for its bound limbs and mouth.
Not far away, there lay the corpses of three Cyan Wolves, each cleanly sliced in two. Aside from the one the White Wolf Leader had kicked over, the other two had been loyal followers who had rushed forward to shield their master from the wind blade. Unfortunately, the wind blade was too powerful, and both wolves were cut in half.
With this, all four of the White Wolf Leader’s Cyan Wolf subordinates had died in battle.
The White Wolf Leader’s eyes turned blood-red, and its lips trembled. Those four Cyan Wolves had followed it for many years; they were master and servant in name, but brothers in heart.
*Today, I will surely trample this opponent beneath my hooves.*
Not far away, Li Qiu staggered and managed to stand up once more. Feeling the menacing hatred behind him, Li Qiu slowly turned around.
When he saw the three halved Cyan Wolf corpses on the ground, Li Qiu smiled—a smile of sheer triumph.
*You lured me to fight the Fierce Tiger with the lives of my parents, and today, I have made you kill your own subordinates with your own hands.*
Success and failure shift in the blink of an eye.
Li Qiu picked up the "Fire Talisman," ready to strike. As soon as the leader charged again, he would burn these beasts to death.
Opposite Li Qiu, the White Fox leapt off the White Wolf Leader’s back. Gone was its previous lethargy; it ran to the young White Wolf and bit through the ropes. Freed, the wolf stood up and rubbed against the White Fox affectionately.
Seeing that the young White Wolf was unharmed, the White Fox felt relieved. Witnessing the mortal enmity between the White Wolf Leader and Li Qiu, it hurriedly growled at the White Wolf Leader.
Hearing this, the White Wolf Leader turned to look at the young White Wolf, raised its head, and let out three long howls. The pack of Gray Wolves, upon hearing the signal, turned and retreated, gathering beside their leader.
The White Wolf Leader, the White Fox, and the young White Wolf turned and withdrew, with a hundred or so Gray Wolves bringing up the rear. The entire pack retreated in perfect order. From time to time, the White Wolf Leader looked back, casting a look of utter contempt at Li Qiu, and let out several strange growls.
Wang Suo heard the sounds, and his body shuddered again.
Li Qiu had not expected the wolf pack to retreat so cleanly and decisively, without a hint of hesitation. Seeing Wang Suo shivering, he hurriedly helped him up.
Wang Suo stared blankly at the direction where the wolves had disappeared, muttering to himself.
Li Qiu was puzzled and asked, "Third Brother, can you actually hear that leader’s growls?"
Wang Suo nodded heavily.
Li Qiu did not believe it; the leader was no ordinary beast, and how could a regular person understand it? Still, he did not want to argue, as Wang Suo was severely injured. So, Li Qiu followed his lead and asked, "Oh? And what did it say?"
"It said that we are all nothing but ants," Wang Suo replied, not turning back.