Chapter 72 - Taunted by a Demon Wolf
The river water rolled out from a massive mountain range, surrounded by treacherous peaks and shrouded in darkness by a spread of tall trees.
The occasional roars of beasts reverberated in the forest, striking fear into many hearts.
Whirr.
Suddenly, a gust of cold wind swept out from the mountain range, sending chills down the spines of those caught in its path and giving them goosebumps.
Roar!
The roar of an enormous tiger, about twenty-five to twenty-six feet long, reverberated through the forest as it engaged in a fierce battle with a teenager—Chen Fan.
The tiger was stronger than a peak seventh-level martial artist, just a step away from the eighth level. Still, Chen Fan fought it with his bare hands, ripping its fur and tearing its flesh, making the ground slick with the tiger’s blood.
“Undefeated King’s Fist! Die!”
Chen Fan suddenly leaped up, diving in front of the tiger.
A terrifying and ferocious force struck the tiger, sending it flying like a rubber ball. Finally, it crashed into a number of tall, ancient trees before stopping.
The huge tiger let out a whimper and breathed its final breath—Chen Fan’s attack had made its organs explode.
After harvesting the valuable parts of the huge tiger’s corpse, Chen Fan dug a pit and filled it with his prey’s blood as usual. He took out Xiaobai’s cocoon and dropped it into the blood pool to aid the ape’s recovery.
Chen Fan sat in the lotus position and used his cultivation technique to refill his exhausted energy reserves.
......
Whoosh!
Chen Fan dashed into the dense forest, his cultivation technique in full swing. Primeval qi flowed along the surface of his skin, emitting a faint luster. His silhouette flashed a few times in the forest as he covered a great distance.
He was determined to elevate his cultivation to the eighth level as quickly as possible because that would increase his combat strength by more than tenfold. With such power, he wouldn’t fear facing Qi Grandmasters; they wouldn’t stand a chance against him.
The fastest way to increase one’s cultivation level was through intense combat—battling demon beasts and other foes.
He would gradually grow stronger by incessantly depleting and recovering his primeval qi.
He could also become stronger by absorbing primeval qi from primeval stones. However, primeval qi gathered like that was usually less powerful.
Fighting and killing constantly, exhausting his primeval qi crazily, recovering, and condensing the recovered primeval qi was the best method to grow stronger.
In the dense forest, the towering trees reached hundreds of feet into the sky, their lush branches and leaves blocking out the light.
The ground was covered in dead leaves and branches, exuding a rotten and dangerous aura. Vaguely visible were poisonous insects and snakes coiled within the grass.
These low-level demon beasts failed to pique Chen Fan's interest. He saw no point in killing them, as they weren’t worth much. So, fighting them would be a waste of time.
After passing over a thousand trees in one go, Chen Fan stopped to catch his breath on a huge tree. Suddenly, a gust carrying a fishy stench blew from behind him.
Quickly turning around, he saw a massive python, thicker than his waist, its mouth wide open and lunging at him. The stench from its maw was overwhelming, and its teeth flashed with a bluish light, obviously poisonous.
“Oh, man.”
Chen Fan swiftly leaped onto another huge tree, evading the python's bite.
What a vicious python!
The python had coiled around an ancient tree and launched a sneak attack to devour Chen Fan when his guard was down. Had he not been vigilant, he might have lost his life inside the python's mouth.
The python’s scales were light ashen with a delicate luster, seemingly impervious to blades and spears.
Its triangular eyes were staring at Chen Fan, shining with cunning and intelligence. Since Chen Fan had dodged its attack, the huge python opened its mouth wide, an air vortex revolving within.
Poof!
The vortex condensed into a poisonous gas bomb about the size of a baby’s head. It flew out like an arrow, creating ripples in the air and producing a buzzing noise.
“Wretched beast!”
Chen Fan curled his fingers and conjured an even larger air ball, shattering the bomb.
The python was surprised.
It had attacked because the prey seemed to be a seventh-level practitioner. However, seeing the prey effortlessly dispel the poisonous gas bomb made it feel a hint of danger.
The huge python sprang into action, slithering down the tree to escape.
However, when it arrived at the tree base, a lightning bolt tore through the space. Chen Fan’s sword, Killing Wind, impaled the python firmly to the tree trunk, killing it instantly.
Normally, merely being impaled wouldn’t have killed such a strong python, as it had a robust life force. However, Killing Wind carried the ferocious and overbearing powers of lightning that disintegrated the python’s very soul.
Chen Fan jumped down the tree and executed his normal routine.
This python wasn’t a low-level demon beast; it was close to advancing to the eighth level. Perhaps it recognized Chen Fan’s low cultivation and wanted to devour him to advance its level. Alas, it ended up getting slain easily by Chen Fan.
......
In the blink of an eye, ten days passed.
Chen Fan spent the time delving deeper into the Qingyang Mountain Range and fighting numerous demon beasts.
He had fought Blood Feral Boars—that moved in a herd—Swift Tiger, Blood Sucking Bat, Giant Wasp, Demon Hunting Spider, Man Eating Ant, and more. Among them were some tier-one, eighth-level demon beasts, all of which Chen Fan managed to slay.
“Hmm, such a bloody stench.” Chen Fan’s nose twitched, picking up a faint scent of blood in the air as he moved between trees.
He leaped down from a massive tree and hurried to an open area in the forest.
He soon found over a dozen large wolves, each covered in glossy silver fur, feasting on human corpses. These corpses, wearing the uniforms of the Spring Autumn Sect disciples, appeared to be outer sect members who had come to the Qingyang Mountain Range for training but had fallen victim to the powerful Silverback Demon Wolves.
Silverback Demon Wolves were even stronger than the python from before. They were a notorious species of demon beasts, organized and disciplined, and their tough fur made them impervious to ordinary weapons. To them, the forest was their backyard.
Encountering a Silverback Demon Wolf alone in the forest, especially for those not strong enough to defend themselves, would surely lead to tragedy.
Not sound, be it even wind or leaves rustling, could escape their sharp hearing. The demon wolves’ ears twitched, and they quickly noticed Chen Fan’s presence. They stopped feasting and turned their heads in his direction.
Rustle.
Surprisingly, they showed no alarm at his approach.
One particularly large and robust male wolf even extended its front paw as if taunting Chen Fan to come closer.
This display of contempt and provocation was extremely unusual.
The situation was extremely bizarre.
A beast gesturing and taunting like a person was a strange sight indeed.
However, Chen Fan, aware that demon beasts possessed considerable intelligence, wasn't surprised. This alpha male wolf at the tier-one, eighth level had likely attained spirit status. It had intelligence comparable to that of an adult human.
Knowing that, however, didn’t mean that Chen Fan didn’t find the action hateful.
He was at the seventh level and had combat strength comparable to Qi Grandmasters. Still, a demon beast was looking down on him. Anyone in his position would be furious.
Of course, this anger was only valid if one had the strength to back it up. If not, survival would be the primary concern.
“Wretched beast! I will turn you into a ghost!”
Chen Fan rebuked the Silverback Demon Wolf.
The wolf, understanding his words, was enraged and let out a howl. It swiped its claws, conjuring a powerful gust of wind that transformed into whistling blades.
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