Xie Guannan had already crossed Su Rongyue off his name list.
The greatest advantage of a Tier 2 wolf demon was its speed.
Xie Guannan let out a sneer. "Heh, I might not run fast, but being faster than you is enough!"
Letting Su Han act as a snack for a moment—let alone one Xie Guannan, even two Xie Guannan would not be enough for a single meal for this Tier 2 wolf demon.
Although Su Han was acting as the rearguard, the wolf demon would inevitably catch up.
Xie Guannan had only one thought: run fast.
How could the wolf demon let its prey go? It immediately gave chase along the direction Xie Guannan had fled.
By seizing a head start, Xie Guannan managed to put a bit of distance between them.
But that was a Tier 2 wolf demon, not the dog demon from earlier, and certainly not a pig demon.
As Xie Guannan vaulted across the tree trunks, he skillfully used his movement technique to glance backward.
Greeting him head-on was the wolf demon's leaping, blood-stained maw.
Xie Guannan: ???
I really thank you!
How did it catch up already?
If I hadn't looked back, would I have been pounced on and killed by this wolf demon the very next second?
In an instant.
"Imprison the heavens, halt all mortals."
Almost instantly cast, the wolf demon's momentum froze mid-air, causing it to drop straight down and stumble awkwardly.
It only tumbled for a moment before fully recovering.
Forget three seconds.
There wasn't even half a second.
As if Xie Guannan would have the leisure to look at the wolf demon!
His spot was already completely empty of Xie Guannan's figure! He had long since made his escape.
However, Xie Guannan changed directions.
After running halfway, the human figure vanished. The wolf demon sniffed the residual scent in the air, then changed direction and continued the pursuit.
-009 Profiting!
As if spotting an acquaintance, Xie Guannan's eyes lit up.
"The two of you, the beast is right behind me, leave quickly or there won't be anyone left to collect your corpses!" Xie Guannan shouted to the two figures beneath the tree.
The two had also noticed Xie Guannan sprinting past overhead.
They were somewhat baffled by his remark.
The burly, rugged man slapped his thigh and laughed at the bamboo-pole-thin man, "Look at that, no real skill yet daring to go deep into the forest—now you've gone and gotten yourself into trouble, I'm dying of laughter."
In contrast, the thin man remained silent, standing frozen in place with his face completely falling.
His eyes were filled with sheer terror.
He turned on his heel and prepared to run.
Noticing the thin man's reaction, the burly man quickly grabbed him and asked, "What's wrong with you? Why are you reacting like this? Did you see a ghost?"
"Little Bamboo, what are you afraid of? How strong can the beasts in this outer fringe possibly be? Could we be lucky enough to run into a Tier 2 one?"
The thin man felt like cursing up a storm.
He pointed at the Tier 2 wolf demon charging from behind and screamed at the top of his lungs, "I really give up on you, you blockhead! Can't you see the Tier 2 wolf demon right behind him? That's a Tier 2 wolf demon! Looking at you, you're the one who looks like a ghost."
"The two of us combined might not even be its match, and you're asking what my reaction should be? Should I be grinning from ear to ear?"
Realization finally dawning on him, the burly man turned tail and ran.
Leaving the thin man standing alone in the howling wind.
The thin man's jaw dropped.
Watching the burly man abandon him, he mentally saluted the other's ancestors for eighteen generations.
Just a moment ago he wouldn't let him run, yet now he was running the fastest.
Then, the horror catching up from behind flashed through his mind.
Daring not hesitate for even a second, he mustered every ounce of strength he had left, but how could that outrun a Tier 2 wolf demon?
In what felt like a single breath.
"Thud—"
The wolf demon heavily slammed the thin man to the ground, opening its massive jaws to bite down at his neck.
Just then, a heavy saber slashed toward the wolf demon's head.
It was the burly man, who had turned back after fleeing.
Making a sudden counter-attack—how sharp was the wolf demon? How could it be struck by such a clumsy slash?
It abruptly knocked the thin man aside, tumbling him away, then vaulted backward to dodge the blow.
The thin man wasn't quite so lucky, though the burly man exercised extreme control.
The tip of the blade missed the thin man by a mere millimeter.
Just as he wanted to heave a sigh of relief, he realized he had nearly lost the rest of his life.
Out of the wolf's mouth and straight into the tiger's den.
Scared out of his wits, the thin man broke out in a cold sweat.
The next instant, pointing angrily at the burly man, he shouted, "For goodness' sake, big brother, can you aim a little better? If you had chopped down like that, did you give any thought to your sister-in-law's future happiness?"
Xie Guannan, watching from behind a tree, wore a look of profound shock: "Holy crap, that's explosive." He didn't leave; a fight between these two sides was bound to end poorly, and he might just be able to profit from it!
The burly man hadn't thought much of it, assuming the thin man was just joking.
He casually replied, "I didn't expect you to have such a hidden secret."
"I was just expressing a sentiment, an expression, understand? Don't take it seriously!" the thin man explained defensively, his heart fluttering with panic.
With an awkward laugh, the thin man quickly added, "Let's not talk about that now, let's deal with the wolf demon in front of us first, or neither of us will be going home tonight."
.......
Night gradually deepened.
Under the moonlight, two men and a wolf stood in a standoff, the atmosphere rather awkward.
Neither side had managed to subdue the other.
Both men bore numerous claw marks and terrifying gashes torn by the wolf's teeth.
The wolf demon didn't look much better either, its body covered in saber wounds, and one of its legs trembling.
It had lost some of its balance.
The wolf demon, which had possessed plenty of fighting spirit at first, had now lost all interest.
Although it was a Tier 2 beast and stronger than the two humans, it couldn't stand the fact that these two kept popping pills.
"Old Brawny, got any more pills? Share some with me, I can't hold on much longer." Clutching his waist, the thin man begged the burly man for supplies.
The burly man patted his treasure pouch. "Not many left, I need them for myself."
Indignation flared in the thin man. "If I weren't holding the wolf demon back, would you have ever gotten a chance to slash it?"
As if understanding their conversation, the wolf demon realized this fight was going nowhere and its dinner was a bust.
These humans still had pills, but it didn't.
Without the slightest hesitation, it turned and bolted deeper into the forest.
With one leg trembling, it was obvious that this injury had a massive impact on its speed.
The burly man brandished his three-meter-long saber and prepared to give chase, but the thin man immediately stopped him.
Stating each word with absolute deadpan seriousness, he asked: "It's this late, can you see clearly?"
"Can't see clearly!"
"Then do you want your sister-in-law to live as a widow?"
"Don't want that."
"Still want to kill this wolf demon?"
"Want to, aren't you tempted by this wolf demon's beast core?"
The thin man slapped his palm against his forehead, utterly speechless. Are you an absolute idiot?
"You don't want the first two, so what? It's not 'third time's the charm' here—you suddenly want the third one? Can you use your brain for once?!"
The burly man actually did try using his brain.
It made his blood boil with pure exasperation.
"Fine, if you want to go, go by yourself. I have nothing to say, I'm leaving." The thin man turned and walked away.
The burly man stood frozen in the wind.
"Hey, wait for me! You're really lacking in loyalty, just walking away like that," the burly man grumbled irritably.
Catching up to him, he asked again, "So what did you mean about sister-in-law?"
"Nothing."
"Spill it."
"Just... you know, neither deep nor shallow, nothing to talk about."
The burly man's right hand was already drifting toward his saber.
Sensing the situation turning south, the thin man quickly thought better of it.
"A wise man doesn't fight when the odds are against him, and of the thirty-six stratagems, running is the best." The two bickered away, completely forgetting how Xie Guannan had set them up earlier.
.......
The wolf demon limped its way back to the junction between the outer fringe and the outer layer.
"Whoosh—"
The silence of the night shattered as a sharp arrow cut through the air, its cold light reflecting the surrounding scenery.
A mournful howl rang out.
The arrow struck true, piercing the injured wolf demon's neck. The beast collapsed instantly, its throat run through by the missile.
It crashed into a pool of blood, its eyes fixed in a desperate stare at the direction the arrow had come from.
To its dying breath, the wolf demon never expected that the ultimate winner would be this weakest of weaklings, Xie Guannan—a mere Level 1 Qi Condensation cultivator.
Now that it was nighttime, Xie Guannan received a hundred percent boost across all attributes.
Infusing the arrow with spiritual power, doubling the damage, this single strike rivaled the strength of a Mid-stage Qi Condensation cultivator.
Coupled with the fact that the wolf demon was already injured and completely caught off guard, this strike punched right through its neck.
The outcome was entirely predictable. Xie Guannan leaped down from the treetop, his shadow stretched long under the moonlight.
He drew a short blade from his shadow, deftly carving out the wolf demon's beast core in two or three swift motions, and stowed it into his storage ring.
His movements were crisp and decisive, without a hint of hesitation.
He then transferred the beast core into the storage ring designated for medicinal pills.
After briefly dealing with the wolf demon's carcass, he departed with dashing flair!
A storage ring.
Coming to a place like this naturally required making thorough preparations.
This was a large-capacity storage ring he had begged from the Xiang family servant, meant specifically for hauling beast carcasses. Better to have empty space than to run out of room.
After all, he was only at the Early-stage Qi Condensation level and hadn't yet reached the point of going without food.
Having finished tidying up, he prepared to leave.
The very next second.
"Roar— roar— roar—"
Another wolf demon lunged at him, moving with terrifying speed.
-010 Nighttime, attributes doubled.
Dark green pupils, brimming with murderous intent.
Xie Guannan barely had time to dodge.
Remaining calm in the face of danger was second nature to Xie Guannan; he threw his body to the side.
Yet with the wolf demon's speed, though his mind reacted, this frail body failed to keep up—he simply couldn't evade it in time.
Action lagging behind thought, Xie Guannan had only one conclusion: this body was still far too trashy!
"Thud———"
He was sent flying by a direct impact from the wolf demon.
Instantly, the wolf demon snapped its massive jaws wide, its teeth as sharp as blades, tearing forward for the kill.
Since things had reached this point—
The next instant, Xie Guannan forcefully exerted strength from his lower back, steadying his posture and accelerating backward.
At the same time.
Imprison the heavens, halt all mortals!
The wolf demon's body froze in place, dropping downward as its bite missed completely, its two front paws swiping at empty air.
Slumping to the ground, the wolf demon glared with even more vicious eyes, as if wanting to devour Xie Guannan whole.
A jolt ran through Xie Guannan's heart: "The wolf demon from earlier was probably its packmate!"
"Dammit, this wolf demon is also Tier 2! I don't have much spiritual power left, run!"
Xie Guannan was in no condition to fight this Tier 2 beast right now.
Fortunately, he had used *Imprison the heavens, halt all mortals*.
Under the cover of night, burning half his spiritual power had pinned it for three seconds. If he risked his life, he might have had a sliver of a chance to kill this wolf demon too.
And after killing it?
Even if he didn't die, he'd be half-crippled!
Was he supposed to go see his fiancée dragging a half-crippled body?
What would other people think of that?!
Besides, the environment of the Beast Forest was extremely disadvantageous to him.
Without a second thought, he decisively leaped back up into the treetops, where he could advance to attack or retreat to defend.
Using the same tactic as before, he secured a favorable vantage point, holding out for as long as he possibly could.
If he couldn't win, he could try running.
With it being nighttime, his only advantage was the buff from the *Black Abyss Divine Scripture*—a double multiplier granting twice the speed, making the effects quite considerable.
His absorption of spiritual power and recovery of stamina were both exceptionally fast.
His speed was also doubled compared to daytime, which gave him the confidence to flee. The wolf demon below pursued him relentlessly.
"Did I just poke a wolf's nest?" Xie Guannan couldn't help muttering a complaint.
Reincarnation?
Aside from remembering the cultivation technique of the Black Abyss Divine Scripture, he didn't recall a single other thing.
Oh right, there was also a manual on alchemy and the Five Elements Arts!
The Five Elements Arts were for healing, but he couldn't exactly sit down in meditation to practice right now!
Fundamentally speaking, the Black Abyss Divine Scripture's double attribute bonus was already monstrously overpowered.
Yet he was simply too weak to unleash its true potential; his starting capital was too small, so even doubled, the total was still meager.
Xie Guannan's sole thought right now was to get out.
He couldn't afford to linger. Two figures cut through the treetops amid the dark night.
The wolf demon chased closely behind him.
"Next time, I'm definitely picking a soft persimmon to squeeze," Xie Guannan resolved inwardly, hardening his determination.
He retreated toward the outer perimeter. Although this area was a mixed zone of Tier 1 and Tier 2 beasts, who would have expected his luck to be so stellar as to run straight into two Tier 2 beasts back-to-back?
Wolf packs were fiercely loyal creatures, driven either by the desire to repay kindness or exact vengeance. Right now, this was a blood feud—the kind meant for total annihilation.
......
One hour later, the moonlight dimmed slightly, as if growing weary of watching.
One man, one wolf—one fleeing, one pursuing.
If not for the favor of the dark night, Xie Guannan would likely have been unable to fly away even with wings.
The junction connecting Jianghai City and the Beast Forest.
Xie Guannan and the Tier 2 wolf demon arrived here. Standing atop the city walls of Jianghai City were guards.
Though few in number, every single one of them was an expert of the Third Realm, the Void Transformation Realm.
Everything has its conqueror, and absolute strength can shatter any technique; against a Third Realm expert, how could a wolf demon possibly resist?
Not to mention there was more than one guard!
Atop the city wall, a guard noticed a wolf and a human.
Xie Guannan was the one being chased.
"Quick, someone's coming from over there!"
"Looks like a young man at the Tier 1 level."
"He's being chased by a beast! Quick, provide cover!"
The guard hastily unleashed his cultivation base. A wave of oppressive pressure surged past Xie Guannan and rolled toward the wolf demon. Caught in the violent shockwave, the charging wolf demon was nearly flipped onto its back.
"Foul beast, back down at once!" the guard bellowed, using his voice to intimidate the wolf demon.
Naturally, the wolf demon wasn't foolish enough to press on. Seeing the unfavorable situation, it chose not to linger.
It spun around and sprinted back into the forest, shooting Xie Guannan one last vicious glare.
Xie Guannan had seen all sorts of big scenes; how could he be frightened by a beast's glare? He wasn't raised to scare easily.
Whether the wolf demon left or planned to ambush him again, Xie Guannan neither knew nor needed to know—he had already escaped to a safe zone.
Xie Guannan quickly leaped up onto the city wall, taking a deep breath.
He hurriedly expressed his gratitude.
"Many thanks to you seniors for stepping in. If not for you, I'd probably be serving as this wolf demon's dinner tonight."
Because it was nighttime, the guards on the wall had somewhat hazy vision, and they certainly saw no need to waste spiritual power scanning him with divine sense—it simply wasn't necessary.
Thus, they didn't recognize the youth before them as the eldest young master of the Xie family.
Had they recognized him, they would likely have been astonished. The Xie family's eldest young master was a notoriously useless good-for-nothing; how could he possibly come to a place like this?
And on top of that, running all the way here while provoking a Tier 2 beast.
"Kid, you're only at Level 1 Qi Condensation, why on earth did you go provoking a Tier 2 beast?" the guard asked, deeply puzzled.
"An accident, an accident, ahaha." Xie Guannan scratched his head and laughed it off.
"You really shouldn't do that, you must always put your own life first," one of the more kind-faced guards earnestly exhorted Xie Guannan.
Xie Guannan actually wanted to say that the bigger the waves, the more valuable the fish; wealth is sought in peril; how can you catch tiger cubs without entering the tiger's den... and other such "wild theories."
"It really was an accident, an accident." But thinking of how wretchedly the wolf demon had chased him, the words on the tip of his tongue turned right back into an accident.
Xie Guannan knew well that acting cool wasn't done this way; it had to be backed by strength, not empty boasting!
Xie Guannan's repeated talk of accidents left the guards entirely at a loss for words.
Who would believe that was an accident? If you hadn't gone deep in, would the beasts inside have come out looking for you?
The kind guard continued, "That wolf demon is notoriously vindictive. Don't go wandering into that section of the forest casually anymore, your life is what matters."
Nodding, Xie Guannan acknowledged the advice.
Then he took his leave.
"The Jianghai Beast Forest is so huge, I, Guannan, still want to take a look around."
"Besides, not the entire forest is territory belonging to that wolf demon. I can just enter from a different direction."
With just a few sentences, Xie Guannan successfully convinced himself.
No sooner thought than done.
This time, avoiding the areas where the wolf demon roamed and hunted, he chose to exit through another city gate of Jianghai City.
Entering from this direction would put him tens of thousands of miles away from that wolf demon.
As he went out, the city guard offered another warning to mind the night and not venture too deeply.
-011 The Delivery Boy
Mind *and* not?
Doesn't that just mean do it? Xie Guannan nodded heavily, completely convincing himself.
If the guard knew how Xie Guannan interpreted that, he'd probably die of speechlessness!
The outer fringe of the forest.
Xie Guannan first found a quiet spot.
After checking his surroundings to ensure there were no beasts or human cultivators in sight,
he sat cross-legged on the ground and pulled out a crystal-like object about half the size of a fist.
It was precisely the beast core of that Tier 2 wolf demon—also the crystal nucleus of a beast.
Xie Guannan wanted to take advantage of the deep night to refine the Tier 2 wolf demon's beast core.
The moonlight dimmed a fraction further, seeming to take on a hint of departure.
The fist-sized wolf demon beast core gradually shrank.
Before long, a pile of residue materialized in Xie Guannan's palm.
The Tier 2 beast core was refined.
His cultivation broke through: Early-stage Qi Condensation, peak of Level 3, leaving only a single step away from Level 4 Qi Condensation.
Strike while the iron is hot.
Especially with the cultivation speed bonus granted by the nighttime state.
He decided to break through to Level 4 Qi Condensation in one go.
As spiritual energy continuously poured into Xie Guannan's dantian,
before long,
an aura of Level 4 Qi Condensation erupted from Xie Guannan's body.
"Reached Level 4 Qi Condensation just like that; returning to my peak is just around the corner." Xie Guannan clenched his fists.
He began roaming along the outer layer of the Beast Forest.
His goal was to harvest as many beast cores as possible and pick some soft persimmons.
If he ran into another Tier 2 beast like that wolf demon again, all he could do would be to scurry away in disgrace.
Though the number of beasts was vast, it was ultimately limited, while the greedy desires of human cultivators were infinite.
As for Xie Guannan's mindset, it was better to pack until it couldn't hold anymore rather than leave space—if it couldn't hold, he'd cram it to death.
That carried a bit of selfishness, but how could anyone call him selfish? He was merely boosting his strength to protect the people who mattered, to protect his friends.
How could that possibly be defined as selfish?
He sprinted through the trees, the rustle of leaves filling the air.
The next instant,
something seemed to whistle right past his ear.