Danwu Refining Spirit

Chapter Seventy-Nine: Bitter Battle

Caught off guard, Xiao Chong's clothes were set ablaze by the flames, and he hurriedly patted them out to extinguish the fire.

"You have such skills? No wonder your name contains the word 'Blazing Flame,' you do have some skill. But if your skills stop here, then today is your death day."

Seeing that the Crimson-Eyed Flame Wolf seemed a little sluggish after spewing flames, Xiao Chong felt that he had found its weakness and began to run around it, making gestures as he ran.

The Crimson-Eyed Flame Wolf was still dizzy from the punch and couldn't get up for a long time, only able to spin around in front of Xiao Chong. Every time Xiao Chong got close and swung his fist, the Crimson-Eyed Flame Wolf would breathe out a burst of flame.

After several rounds, Xiao Chong ran faster and faster, becoming almost invisible. The Crimson-Eyed Flame Wolf, however, became increasingly confused, its flames growing weaker and weaker until finally only a thin, intermittent line of fire remained.

"You little punk, you're still too green to fight me!" Seeing the Crimson-Eyed Flame Wolf exhausted like a stray dog, no longer the imposing creature it once was, Xiao Chong chuckled, channeled his Yuan Power into his fist, and punched it on the forehead.

The first two punches were delivered in a panic, relying on physical strength, but this punch was specially infused with Yuan energy, so the effect was quite different.

"Boom!"

The fist slammed solidly into the Crimson-Eyed Flame Wolf's forehead, causing its brains to splatter and bloom like countless peach blossoms.

"After being tempered by the power of the stars, my body is indeed very different from before. The destructive power contained in this punch is several times greater."

Now, if I were to encounter a ferocious beast like the Bloodthirsty Silver Bear in Broken Soul Ridge, I doubt I could end the fight with just a few punches.

Xiao Chong was feeling smug after his punch had worked when he suddenly saw a flash of light in the peach blossom. He quickly reached out and picked it up, only to find it was a beast core the size of an egg yolk.

"Good stuff, good quality! Perfect for drinking with." The spirit of the cauldron buzzed incessantly in Xiao Chong's mind like a fly that had smelled fish.

Xiao Chong's face stiffened instantly, and he retorted angrily, "Where were you when I was in danger? Why are you jumping out now that there's something to gain?"

"Don't you know what spring drowsiness and autumn fatigue are? I've been feeling really tired these past few days, so I've been a bit sleepy." Dingling chuckled dryly, then said impatiently, "You'd better eat it while it's still fresh, otherwise the effects will be diminished."

This guy is getting more and more ridiculous. He has the nerve to come up with such a flimsy excuse.

Xiao Chong was so angry that his teeth itched, but he was powerless to do anything about the spirit of the cauldron.

We can't just cut off his energy supply over something so trivial. A stronger cauldron spirit would also benefit me. Besides, aside from being a chatterbox, he's actually helped me a lot lately.

"I'll listen to Dingling and take it back to soak in wine." With no other choice, Xiao Chong could only wipe the red and white brain matter off the beast core and put it in his pocket to keep it safe.

But Dingling wouldn't have it. He waited for a long time but Xiao Chong still didn't take it, and he couldn't help but start nagging again.

"Why not just eat it now? There's no village or shop in sight. Do you really want to fry it or cook it? Even if you did, you wouldn't be able to find any seasonings."

When Dingling started talking incessantly again, Xiao Chong quickly interrupted him, saying, "You shut up right now, or I'll feed them all to the dogs!"

"Alright, I'll wait a bit longer. But remember, not a single one can be wasted. The Crown Prince still needs these things to take human form." After nagging like an old lady for a while, the cauldron spirit fell silent, feeling aggrieved.

"You're smart enough to know what's good for you!" Xiao Chong spat angrily, turned around and found the pulse measuring device lying on the ground, preparing to rest for a while before leaving quickly.

Just as they sat down, several more wolf howls echoed from afar, each one sounding more urgent than the last. Looking up, they saw another fiery wolf with crimson eyes appear in a mountain hollow far to the north.

Immediately afterwards, two, three, and in a short while, nearly a hundred Crimson-Eyed Flame Wolves appeared one after another, converging into a torrent in their field of vision, a mighty army rushing towards them. Moreover, with the howling of the wolves, there seemed to be more and more of them.

"Oh no, if we fall into the hands of wolves, we'll be burned to ashes!"

Xiao Chong couldn't imagine the scene of a pack of wolves arriving and ten thousand flames erupting at once. He was so frightened that he jumped up like a rabbit and rushed south.

The wolves, of course, would not easily let go of their soon-to-be-eaten meal, howling and chasing after it, raising clouds of dust several meters high.

Logically, Xiao Chong, being a Martial Apprentice cultivator, should be faster than the pack of wolves. However, this mountain range was the home ground of the Crimson-Eyed Flame Wolves, who, taking advantage of the terrain and being extremely familiar with the environment, gradually caught up with Xiao Chong.

Therefore, it didn't take long for the first few Crimson-Eyed Flame Wolves to reach Xiao Chong's back.

"We can't run anymore. We need to take care of these Crimson Flame Wolves first, otherwise the wolf pack will keep growing and we'll be in trouble."

Having made up his mind, Xiao Chong stopped abruptly and turned to face the wolf pack behind him.

A crimson-eyed fiery wolf, which was charging ahead, was chasing after Xiao Chong when it suddenly stopped and crashed into him.

Taking advantage of the momentum, Xiao Chong took two steps back to dissipate the impact. He reached out with one hand to grab the wolf's ear, and with the other arm raised, he delivered a powerful elbow strike to the wolf's head.

"Crack!"

With a crisp snap, the crimson-eyed flame wolf's neck was severed, its head drooped, and it lay lifeless on the ground.

Upon seeing this, the other crimson-eyed flame wolves stopped and unleashed a barrage of flames at Xiao Chong.

These Crimson-Eyed Flame Wolves were quite clever; the flames they spewed were not chaotic but intertwined, subtly forming a network of fire.

Having learned from his experience fighting the first Crimson-Eyed Flame Wolf, Xiao Chong was no longer as disheveled as before. He dodged and punched simultaneously. The wind from his punches surged and whooshed, forcefully changing the direction of the flames.

Taking advantage of the moment after the first wave of flames subsided and before the second wave followed, Xiao Chong moved like a butterfly flitting through the firelight, his figure weaving left and right, his punches striking with the force of thunder.

Each punch accurately struck a crimson-eyed blazing wolf, hitting its crown, ear, or back of the head—all vital points.

Before the crimson-eyed flame wolves could even howl, their heads were smashed and their bones were broken, blood gushing from their foreheads like a rain of blood.

After the first batch of several Crimson-Eyed Flame Wolves that had caught up were all taken down, Xiao Chong looked back at the densely packed, ever-closer pack of wolves, and felt a chill run down his spine. He hurriedly and frantically took out the beast core and fled south again.

There's no way around it; "A lone wolf is nothing to worry about, but ten thousand are invincible"—this is the most accurate description of the Crimson-Eyed Flame Wolf's combat strength.

Even a large number of ants can kill an elephant. With Xiao Chong's strength, he can handle a dozen or so lone wolves, but it would be difficult to deal with more than that. And if the number of wolves exceeds a hundred, he would only be able to run for his life.

If the wolf pack truly reached tens of thousands in size, let alone Xiao Chong, even if Yin Changkong, a Martial Master, were present, he would definitely be eaten until not even a bone fragment would remain.

Therefore, Xiao Chong had no choice but to flee, hoping that the other five would receive the warning and arrive in time to join him in resisting the wolf pack's attack.

But the wolves behind them were wild beasts living in the mountains and forests, and they ran through the mountains with ease and speed.

In particular, the wolf pack was aroused when they passed by the wolf carcasses, as if each wolf was determined to avenge its companions.

In contrast, Xiao Chong's speed was much slower than on flat ground, and with this difference in speed, the distance between the two became shorter and shorter.

Not long after, the wolf pack caught up to within a few feet of Xiao Chong.

"I'm afraid we can't escape now. Let's just hold out for a while longer." Xiao Chong stopped helplessly, turned to face the wolf pack, and prepared for battle.

"Awooo—Awooo—" Seeing their prey stop, the wolf pack immediately launched an attack.

One after another, crimson-eyed fiery wolves surrounded Xiao Chong, opening their blood-red maws and biting, pouncing with their claws, and ramming him with their bodies, one after another, in an endless stream.

Fortunately, the wolf pack was quite dense, squeezing Xiao Chong into a relatively small space, so they did not attack with fire.

Xiao Chong roused himself, stood still, and used his fists in conjunction with his movements, dodging and parrying, punching and kicking, each strike accurately and effectively hitting the vital points of a Crimson-Eyed Flaming Wolf. In just a short while, the ground was piled high with wolf carcasses with broken bones and severed tendons.

Seeing that the attack was ineffective, a particularly robust, pure white wolf with red eyes and no stray hairs suddenly stood up from the outermost pack and let out a very unusual howl.

Upon hearing the sharp howl, the wolf pack in front of Xiao Chong abruptly halted their attack and retreated. Xiao Chong was taken aback, wondering what was going on, when he saw the wolf pack attack again.

This time, however, the wolf pack changed its tactics. Instead of being as disorganized as before, one group blocked Xiao Chong's retreat, while the other group of a dozen or so wolves formed a horizontal line in front of Xiao Chong and began to attack with fire.

"Could that white, crimson-eyed, fiery wolf be the wolf king?" Looking at the now orderly pack of wolves before him, Xiao Chong felt a chill run down his spine and wondered to himself.

In that moment of hesitation, a wave of heat swept over them, and the flames spewed by the wolves were already imminent. Xiao Chong had no time to think; he stomped his foot on the ground, his body leaping into the air, narrowly avoiding the wave of flames.

However, the wolf pack, having received guidance from the wolf king, was much smarter than before. After the dozen or so Crimson-Eyed Flame Wolves breathed fire, they quickly ran to the sides, and the gaps they created were filled by the dozen or so Crimson-Eyed Flame Wolves behind them.

Xiao Chong had just landed and hadn't even had time to steady himself when the second wave of wolves spewed flames at him.

"Damn, it even knows how to cover positions and provide fire support! It's practically a superhuman!" Xiao Chong shouted, and in his haste, he had to leap more than ten feet into the air again to dodge the flames.

However, the wolves were too numerous, and before Xiao Chong could land, the third wave of flames arrived. In desperation, Xiao Chong could only wave his sleeve and punch at the flames directly in front of him.

"call!"

The flames were deflected by the force of the punch, thankfully avoiding burning his head and face, but the residual heat of the flames had already slightly scorched a corner of his robe.

"Oh no, at this rate, we'll be engulfed in flames and turned into roasted pigs sooner or later!"

Xiao Chong was filled with anxiety, but couldn't find a good way to deal with it. Just as he was struggling to hold on, the wolf pack in the distance suddenly became agitated, and a loud, clear howl was rapidly approaching him.