Bathed in Blood

"Awoo..." Under the cover of night, wolf howls rose and fell in unbroken succession. Packs of wolf monsters closed in through the heavy fog, their eerie, greenish eyes chilling to the bone as they surrounded the area. Outside the Wolf Palace, Qin Ming stood motionless with his saber in hand. Dangerous creatures hemmed him in on all sides—he was completely encircled, leaving him truly with no way out, for even the skies above were watched by the formidable Black Peng looking down upon him. "Who tipped you off?" Qin Ming asked, a surge of fierce emotion churning in his chest. The four old demons had anticipated his arrival all along. Had someone sold him out, or had an unexpected slip occurred somewhere along the way? The four old demons had actually laid a deadly trap in advance, lying in wait for him. Standing four meters tall, the Silver Wolf King gleamed with brilliant, lustrous fur as if bathed in moonlight. Gripping its spiked wolf-tooth club, it bared a maw of snowy fangs and sneered coldly, "It's better that you die in the dark, clueless and confused. Today you struck this king with two slashes of your blade, and you still want to die knowing the truth? Keep dreaming! I'll make sure you go to your death suffocating with frustration!" A giant beast covered in fiery red scales spoke up. "Fourth Brother, you're far too useless. You were severely wounded in just a few breaths. If we had arrived a moment later, your Wolf Palace would have been wiped off the map." "Second Brother Fire Qilin Lion, this youth is extremely troublesome. Be careful in a moment," the Silver Wolf King warned, fresh blood still dripping profusely from its neck and chest. That giant beast boasted an extraordinary pedigree, possessing a trace of true Fire Qilin blood within its body, ranking second among the four old demons. Qin Ming frowned. Was he really going to die here today? Even going all out, he had failed to kill the fourth-ranked Silver Wolf King, and the other three old demons were bound to be even stronger. "Little brat, were you the one who killed my little brother a few days ago?" Old Donkey spoke, sitting inside a sedan chair with a taut donkey face, assuming a solemn, dignified air. The four creatures bearing its chair were grotesque and bizarre: a boar demon, a dog demon, a sheep demon, and a rat demon. Nothing about this entourage suggested benevolence. "I've never killed a donkey!" Qin Ming retorted. He was surveying the terrain, sizing up the disparity in strength between friend and foe, searching for the best direction to break through. "Insolence! How dare you disrespect Master Lü?" the dog demon carrying the sedan barked. Old Donkey stepped down from the sedan and stood upright, also nearing four meters in height. Clad in fine silks and satins, were it not for that jet-black donkey face, it would have resembled an old squire. It said in a chilly voice, "My little brother was Master Huang." With that, it lunged forward, attacking without hesitation! "Third Brother, watch out for his saber!" the Silver Wolf King shouted loudly. Old Donkey was fierce and powerful. Its four-meter frame exerted immense pressure, and its martial skill with fists and hooves was astonishing. As it charged upright, gravel flew and stones scattered amid gale-force winds and churning black fog. It truly looked like a great demon crossing the realm, its aura overpowering! Qin Ming did not dare show the slightest carelessness, raising his guard to the utmost. In an instant, the mutton-fat jade iron saber in his hand blazed with dazzling brilliance, cleaving through the dense black mist as he engaged the old donkey in close-quarters combat. It had to be said that Old Donkey's fist technique was formidable; sonic booms cracked as soon as it struck. It excelled at downward pounding fists, crashing its hooves down from above with booming reverberations. With every blow, its hoof-fists broke the sound barrier with terrifying force, shrouding both hooves in white vapor. The squire's robe Old Donkey wore whipped and snapped in the wind as it moved at high speed. Its footwork was equally intimidating and lethal. Kicking out a hoof from time to time with a sharp crack, it shattered the very ground beneath it. Old Donkey was a master of fist arts who shared mutual respect with the saber-master weasel. Now, throwing left and right punches, it wished nothing more than to smash the human youth into mincemeat on the spot. Yet, after merely a short clash, it retreated at extreme speed. It was not that it was outmatched—its cultivation was profound, and its heavenly light force was formidable. The issue was Qin Ming, who breached the demonic qi and fist radiance it projected, trading blows with the mutton-fat jade iron saber and giving its hooves a thorough trim. Old Donkey looked down at its two front hooves. Each was missing more than half its length, shorn away piece by piece in over a dozen thin shavings by the human youth's blade, leaving them nearly bald. Some of the wolf monsters wanted to laugh, but held back. "Bring my gauntlets!" Old Donkey said in a deep voice. As the party involved, it remained rigorous and terribly serious, looking as though it had never smiled in its life. The dog demon hurried forward at once, helping it put on gauntlets forged from special metal alloyed with a small amount of jade iron. The Fire Qilin Lion spoke up: "That donkey temper of yours is far too stubborn. We're here to kill him, not to spar. Why bother dueling him alone?" Old Donkey took counsel readily, replying at once, "Second Brother speaks rightly. Let us brothers strike together and dispatch him as soon as possible. This human youth is only in his teens, yet possesses such strength before even stepping into the realm of Outer Sages. He is truly unprecedented in all my years." Qin Ming's expression turned grave. If the donkey demon had worn its alloy gauntlets from the start, they would have fought on equal footing. Needless to say, the Fire Qilin Lion and the Black Peng were even more formidable; he likely was no match for them. If all four old demons attacked together now, under ordinary circumstances, he truly would have no way out alive. In a flash, Qin Ming moved, pouncing toward the Silver Wolf King, whom he had already slashed twice and left gravely wounded. The gleaming long saber in his hand radiated a chilling, intimidating gleam. Midair, a sonic boom exploded. The Black Peng swooped down with the momentum of thunder, letting out a roaring screech. It was not excessively massive, measuring perhaps ten meters across, yet its presence was intensely daunting. The Black Peng was like a blazing black sun radiating astonishing energy fluctuations. It arrived in an instant like lightning, its sharp talons seemingly distorting space and detonating the night fog. Even with the jade iron saber in hand, Qin Ming chose not to meet it head-on, shifting sideways swiftly to dodge. The Black Peng was too fast, surpassing every creature present, and exceedingly nimble. When its talons struck empty air, it swept out with its black wings in a fluid motion. The ten-meter wings carried a dark gleam, resembling burning black flames. The demonic qi, baleful aura, and heavenly light surging from its body blended into one. Though extending only a meter from its flesh, it was exceptionally terrifying. Qin Ming slashed with his jade iron saber. He barely cleaved into the field, still a foot away from the wing itself, before feeling as though he had plunged into a swamp. A frightening wave of force churned against the jade iron saber, nearly ripping it from his grip. With a booming crash, he was sent flying by the buffet of the Black Peng's wing. Struck by that mixture of heavenly light and baleful aura, even his own heavenly light force was nearly shattered. Qin Ming flew more than twenty meters, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He crashed to the ground, his body staggering, nearly collapsing on the spot. In midair, the Black Peng hovered upright, wings held to its sides like arms, its entire body steaming with thick dark light and baleful aura like towering black flames. Qin Ming's crisis had only just begun. The moment his feet touched down, the Fire Qilin Lion charged. Its momentum was staggering, shattering dirt and stone underfoot and shaking the earth. Its lion-like frame was draped in crimson armor flowing with fiery light; it was larger than a giant elephant, yet astonishingly swift. Qin Ming dodged continuously. Even though the Fire Qilin Lion was massive as a hill, it proved exceptionally agile, tracking his movements. Opening its maw, surging flames and heavenly light rolled forward like sweeping waves. Gritting his teeth, Qin Ming channeled his wind force, shifting rapidly to its flank and swinging the mutton-fat jade iron saber toward it. With its wide maw, bared fangs, and bristling mane, the Fire Qilin Lion's crimson armor clanged loudly. Demonic qi and heavenly light erupted together, casting brilliant red radiance in all directions. It sneered, taking the blade blow directly. Qin Ming's expression grew solemn, for his strike had failed once again. Although it cleaved into the dense red glow and flames, its force dissipated the moment it touched the creature's scales, robbed of its crushing power. Amid a metallic clatter, sparks flew in every direction, but he failed to breach the crimson scales. With a boom, the Fire Qilin Lion swung a paw as large as a winnowing basket, engulfed in crimson flame, swatting down mercilessly at Qin Ming. Even a full-grown elephant standing in its path would have been battered to pulp by that single blow. With no room to dodge, Qin Ming channeled his heavenly light force again and slashed forward with his long saber. Though he parried the paw, he was blasted backward more than a dozen meters. Qin Ming knew all too well that this Fire Qilin Lion also surpassed him in strength. The moment he hit the ground, Old Donkey had already rushed in, unleashing its fist technique upon him. At the same time, the Black Peng swooped down trailing endless dark light. Where the mixture of baleful aura and heavenly light touched the ground, rocks pulverized and the earth cracked apart, sweeping everything away. Old Donkey pulled back, clearing the path for the Black Peng. Qin Ming was plunged into a mortal crisis. In this instant, his three great wondrous arts and eighteen perfected heavenly light forces merged into one. His body rumbled, erupting with dazzling, sacred light. Yet even using the silk book method to unify the heavenly light throughout his body and displaying his strongest technique, he was still sent flying by the Black Peng, coughing up a mouthful of blood. Though his mutton-fat jade iron saber pierced through the creature's dark light and struck its wing, it merely sheared off a few black feathers without harming the flesh beneath. The heavenly light and baleful aura extending just over a meter from the Black Peng's body were of frightening quality, far exceeding any Outer Sage Qin Ming had ever encountered. Roar! A lion's roar shook the heavens, sending sand and stones flying. The Fire Qilin Lion arrived, bringing a pair of massive paws crashing down. Qin Ming resisted with all his might, but still could not endure the blow. Blood smeared across his nose and mouth as he was knocked flying. Across the surface of his body, even his unified heavenly light force dimmed, nearly shattered by the impact. The Fire Qilin Lion glanced at the crimson scales breached by the mutton-fat jade iron saber. A trace of blood had been drawn, but it was far from damaging bone or tendon. When Qin Ming crashed onto the ground a dozen meters away, not only did Old Donkey press the attack, but even the severely wounded Silver Wolf King closed in with its spiked club, swinging the heavy weapon down. Unable to rise in time, Qin Ming rolled rapidly across the dirt. The spiked club grazed his ear and smashed into the ground, obliterating dirt and rock to leave a deep crater. Old Donkey leaped high into the air, unleashing its fist technique with all four hooves at once, pounding downward. Qin Ming rolled again, evading four heavy hoof-fists before finally finding an opening to scramble to his feet. Yet the most powerful Black Peng appeared once more. Without flapping its wings, it seemed to hover motionless in the void, thrusting a talon forward as dark light burst forth. Qin Ming's saber failed to sever all the dark rays shooting from the talons, nor could his protective heavenly light completely block them. With a squelch, blood blossomed across his arm and chest, puncturing a bloody hole into each and nearly piercing his internal organs. The Fire Qilin Lion pressed forward, its basket-sized paw swatting down trailing blazing flames, red light churning in violent torrents. Unable to evade, Qin Ming gripped the saber with both hands, channeling his heavenly light force to meet it head-on. With a booming crash, he was driven down into the earth. The ground caved in and then fractured apart. At the same moment, the Silver Wolf King swung its spiked club across, while Old Donkey turned its back to Qin Ming and kicked out with its rear hooves. The Black Peng was too large to crowd in alongside the Fire Qilin Lion, so it hovered in midair, its eyes shooting two arcs of cold lightning as it gazed down upon the fray. Qin Ming was slammed violently into the crater by the giant lion paw, enveloped in flames and heavenly light. With a dull thud, the Silver Wolf King's spiked club swept across and struck his chest. Had the Fire Qilin Lion's massive paw above not blanketed and suppressed the space, the wolf would surely have smashed down on Qin Ming's skull. Qin Ming spat a mouthful of blood, his heavenly light nearly beaten apart. He had taken the blow head-on because the Fire Qilin Lion's twin paws had clamped down, threatening to crush him to pieces. Swinging the jade iron saber with all his might to resist, he felt excruciating pain in his chest as part of his heavenly light dispersed. A wolf fang drove into his flesh and snapped off inside. This was a true wolf-fang club! The massive iron club was embedded entirely with the fangs the Silver Wolf King had shed over the years as its cultivation advanced. It too had once known glory, nearly becoming a silver creature before ultimately failing its evolution. Qin Ming drew a deep breath, the wolf tooth lodged in his flesh while his chest took the brunt of the Fire Qilin Lion's assault. Agony tore through his back; Old Donkey had landed two kicks, snapping two ribs along his flank. Roar! The Fire Qilin Lion let out a low growl, a mocking sneer curling its lips. Clearly it had not yet unleashed its full strength. Now, it swung its massive paw with sudden fury. With a boom, the ground shattered. Covered in blood, Qin Ming was hammered into the earth, the heavenly light force around him collapsing. Yet he burst forth with heavenly light once more, vaulting clear. The second terrifying lion paw did not miss; it swept across and slammed into him. With a sickening crack, Qin Ming suffered devastating trauma, sustaining at least four bone fractures—his left arm and three ribs on his left side. Spitting a torrent of blood, he crashed down in the distance. The Silver Wolf King gave a sinister laugh, gripping its spiked club and pressing forward despite its own wounds. Old Donkey wore an indifferent expression, intent on avenging its little brother Huang Yuan. Struggling, Qin Ming scrambled to his feet. He still possessed one final trump card, and he wished most to use it against the Black Peng. Otherwise, even if he managed to break out, he could never outrun it. Unless he killed the Black Peng or severely crippled it, he was dead today without question! At this moment, bathed in blood, Qin Ming was surrounded on all sides by the four old demons. The Black Peng sank like a setting sun, dark light radiating outward. That was its protective shroud of light, terrifying and nearly impenetrable to outsiders. Now, it was exceedingly close to Qin Ming. Furthermore, it took the initiative, extending its talons. Qin Ming took a deep breath, steadying his condition. Regardless of the cost, he gathered his unified heavenly light force, focusing every shred into the jade iron saber in his hand. He looked as though he intended to fight the Black Peng to the death, determined to wage a bloody battle to the very end. Rumble! As the Black Peng drew near, the earth gave way in a staggering display, the dark light pouring from its frame truly awe-inspiring. Qin Ming resisted with everything he had, narrowly dodging its talons. Channeling all his strength, he cleaved through the dark light with his jade iron saber, stabbing toward its belly. Yet even with all his might, he merely grazed the Black Peng's surface before being stopped cold by the dark light. "Do you know what it means for an ant to try to shake a giant tree?" the Fire Qilin Lion said, stepping forward, its massive frame causing the earth to tremble faintly. At that moment, Qin Ming felt a sense of release. Having exerted every ounce of strength, his blade had parted the Black Peng's protective dark light and touched its flesh. Dripping with blood, he endured immense pressure within the dark light. His bones creaked and groaned as though they might give way at any second. The Black Peng was crushing him with its baleful aura and heavenly light, looking down with cold indifference. The heavenly light over Qin Ming's body had grown exceedingly dim. Suddenly, a beam of wondrous light erupted from within him. Enveloping a sword-shaped pendant carved like mutton-fat jade, it shot upward along the jade iron saber at blistering speed. The dark light in that area had already been dispersed in advance by the jade iron saber. With a squelching tear, the wondrous light propelled the thumb-sized, pure white sword straight into the Black Peng's body, churning violently inside. The miniature sword was forged from exotic metal—the very material found within the near-immortal Eight Trigrams Furnace. It could pierce through heavenly light, divine wisdom, and conscious spiritual light! In an instant, the pure white sword tore through the Black Peng's body and flew out. Though the wondrous light had dimmed, the blade still drove straight into the brow of the nearby Fire Qilin Lion. The turn of events was so abrupt that none of them had imagined the dying Qin Ming could still launch such a ferocious strike. "Ah...!" The Black Peng shrieked in agony, flapping its wings wildly as it fled into the night sky. The Fire Qilin Lion let out a deafening roar, unleashing all its power to force the pure white sword out. Yet the blade came away flecked with traces of brain matter. Shaking its head frantically and howling in pain, the Fire Qilin Lion retreated at top speed, clutching its skull with both massive paws. It, too, had been gravely wounded. This was an ability born of Qin Ming's sixth renewal. That sphere of wondrous light was equivalent to his strongest blow at peak condition, able to project several meters beyond his body unaffected by his physical frailty. As the wondrous light faded, Qin Ming used its last remaining glow to recall the pure white sword. He wanted desperately to press forward and finish them off, but he knew his own condition was abysmal. Even with the Fire Qilin Lion gravely wounded, he could not kill it. Holding the silver-white sword, Qin Ming lunged toward Old Donkey, who turned and fled in terror. Seeing both of its sworn brothers mysteriously crippled by this sword, how could it not be terrified? Qin Ming ignored it, sweeping his saber toward the Silver Wolf King. "You..." After several fierce clashes, both severely wounded figures staggered, and finally, the Silver Wolf King's head was severed. Hopeless and unwilling, the light in its eyes faded into darkness. With a slash of his blade, Qin Ming cut open its body and discovered a silver heart. Along with the scent of blood, a faint, sweet fragrance drifted from it. Snatching the silver heart, he sprinted into the distance. "Awoo..." The wolf monsters that had previously been ordered back howled and surged toward Qin Ming, but they could not impede him in the slightest. "Fourth Brother, go hunt him down! That human youth is at the end of his tether!" The Black Peng landed unsteadily on the ground. Its internal organs had suffered devastating damage, requiring time to recover. "Old Donkey, hurry!" the Fire Qilin Lion roared as well, its head splitting with agonizing pain, not daring to make any sudden moves for the moment. Qin Ming fled for his life across the Plain of Divine Demise.