"Hm hm hm~ Hm hm hm hm~ Hm hm~"
During the cleanup that followed, An Ning tagged closely behind Ji Jue, radiant with joy, humming an out-of-tune tune.
She was in high spirits.
The severed limbs and minced flesh flying everywhere did not dampen her mood in the slightest; even the air seemed to have turned fragrant.
Heaven knew what she was thinking about. Every now and then, she would gaze off into empty air and let out an inexplicable, bashful giggle.
*Brother Ji Jue looked at my neck!*
*What does that mean?*
*It means Brother Ji Jue has me in his heart!*
*It means I'm different from everyone else to him.*
*Otherwise, why would he only look at me and not at anyone else's neck?!*
And then... she watched as Ji Jue bent over in the muck and blood, picked up the surviving spine of a mutated beast, and examined it lovingly from top to bottom, stroking it from end to end with clicking tongue and awe.
"..."
The corner of An Ning's eye twitched. She forcibly wrenched her gaze away.
*Dead things don't count!*
"What's wrong with you?"
Ji Jue turned around, baffled, looking at An Ning who had been tilting her chin high and strutting back and forth right in front of him. "Did you get a stiff neck or something?"
"..."
An Ning fell silent, her face dropping into a scowl.
She kicked Ji Jue in the shin.
Then turned and marched off.
"Hey, where are you going?"
"Catching mice!"
An Ning huffed back in response and walked away without looking back.
Seeing that Ji Jue wasn't coming after her, she stalked back in a huff, kicked him again, and then stalked off once more.
"..."
And so, having done absolutely nothing yet mysteriously getting kicked twice, Ji Jue felt his fists itch.
Regardless, the work at hand had to be done.
He had to focus on what was in front of him.
Sweeping the battlefield was meticulous work. To anyone else, the filthy, reeking battlefield was nothing more than a pit of mud and gore, but to a craftsman like Ji Jue, it was practically a landscape illuminated by beams of loot.
White, green, blue, gold...
"The drop rates around here are crazy high."
Muttering nonsense that no one else could understand, Ji Jue quickly began appraising the residual value of the materials. Then, one by one, he ground those dead corrupted ones to bone and scattered their ashes!
With the circulation of quicksilver, every shred of remaining life within the mutated beasts was sucked dry, reduced to dust.
He had almost been too late.
Because the Kingdom of the Woods was also ceaselessly siphoning away the life and spiritus of all the dead, funneling it toward the colossal tree that filled the vault of heaven.
A mere moment of hesitation or delay would have led to massive losses.
The predatory nature of the Wolf of the Woods was simply too terrifying.
In Ji Jue's perception, it was like a black hole.
At this moment, the Kingdom of the Woods formed by Shangri-La had turned into an enclosed sacrificial altar; the offering had begun long ago.
In the end, all life and spiritus would converge toward the center under the gravitational pull of the Wolf Sin, fueling the birth and Metamorphosis of the third unholy wolf.
The gifts of slaughter and the rewards for conflict were merely catalysts meant to accelerate this process; thus, it drew no distinctions and turned no one away.
Just like when a gambler entered a casino and sat at the table—their identity and wealth ceased to matter. Win or lose, all currency flowed steadily into the house's coffers.
In fact, given the Wolf of the Woods's predatory essence, even the slaughter and struggle itself were counted as part of the sacrifice...
*Kill! Kill! Kill!*
*No need for the rot of Tianyuan's dogma, nor any heed to the fetters of the White Stag's balance! To live in this world is to devour, to fight, to seize, to plunder!*
*Why hide one's true, ugly visage behind so-called morality? Why wear a mask to hypocritically conceal one's nature?*
*Just bare your fangs! To gorge yourself to your heart's content is enough!*
Ji Jue's footsteps faltered slightly.
A trance.
In resonance with the Kingdom of the Woods, merely focusing his mind to feel it caused countless insights to surge within his heart, churning incessantly.
It was like endless, fragmented voices whispering in his ear. The more intently he listened, the harder it became to tell whether they were murmurs of enlightenment or the panting of beasts. The sound only grew louder, steadily swelling to a deafening roar.
In the end, amidst the roars of beasts and the screams of men, a cold, transcendent voice seemed to emerge, knocking open the door to his heart and reaching the deepest depths of his soul, posing an offhand question.
It, he, *He* asked:
—*"What distinguishes man from the beasts? Precious little."*
*Snap!*
Chunjun vibrated, banishing all stray thoughts and annihilating the lingering ripples.
"So much damn nonsense."
Ji Jue cast a cold glance at the colossal tree in the sky and withdrew his gaze.
Soon, the convoy began moving forward again.
With the battlefield cleared, the mission had to continue.
Tong Shan's vanguard convoy was not only tasked with scouting and clearing a path for the following command center, but also responsible for sweeping the area and eliminating threats to pave the way for establishing the forward base.
They had to reach the designated location before sunset today.
Everything else had to be finished on the road.
Bandaging and treating the wounded, as well as the upkeep and maintenance Ji Jue had promised for alchemical creations, and distributing and reclaiming spoils.
"Eighty, eighty, this one sixty, this one's a bonus throw-in..."
Inside the massive RV—spacious enough for everyone in the team to meet and rest—Ji Jue sat behind a makeshift table. He calmly scanned the items brought up to him, his left hand examining them while his right never stopped moving, swiftly issuing standard Association appraisal forms and stamping them for certification.
If they didn't want to sell, they could pack it up and take it back. If they were willing to hand it over directly to Ji Jue, it was converted directly into its equivalent value. Those who wanted cash would get a transfer once they got out; those who wanted precious metals could settle immediately in gold or spiritus crystals. And for anyone willing to buy goods on the spot or sign up for a card, they even got a twenty percent discount on merchandise.
"'Master Ji,' sorry to trouble you."
Ji Liu squeezed forward with an ingratiating grin and dropped his coffin-sized weapon case onto the table. "Give me the full package."
"You really don't hold back at all, Da Liu," Ji Jue remarked with a sigh. He popped the case open, his palm running along a longsword. Instantly, a brilliant gleam erupted from the blade. Under the power of Non-Offensive, the adjustment of its spiritus structure, clearing of internal channels, and physical repairs were completed entirely, along with sharpening and attunement using the arts of the Nine Forms heritage.
Finally, he raised the tip and gave it a slight flick. The entire longsword vibrated and hummed like a living thing.
In under five seconds, the maintenance and upkeep of a sword had been completed before everyone's dumbfounded gazes!
What normally took an ordinary craftsman an entire day was accomplished in a single stroke, without the slightest haste or superficiality. Anyone holding it could instantly feel a superior grip and the smooth, unobstructed flow of spiritus.
It was as if it had undergone meticulous reworking and tempering.
While its general structure hadn't changed, the details were worlds apart. Even its Association grade rating had ticked up a notch, from an A- to an A.
Next came the great axe, spear, handguns...
Smooth as flowing water.
Once the entire set was finished, the space in front of Ji Jue was jammed solid.
"Master Ji, I was here first!"
"I'm truly sincere, Master Ji! Look at mine, look at mine!"
"Look at mine first!"
"Don't push, everyone, take it slow. Line up, there's enough for everyone, everyone—"
Ji Jue remained calm, his hands moving non-stop, clearing the work in front of him at a pace visible to the naked eye.
Weapons, armor, and accessories belonging to numerous Celestial Chosen flowed through his hands like water, accompanied by a constant stream of thanks. Whether the gratitude was genuine or not, after inspecting their gear, everyone looked at Ji Jue with an extra layer of respect.
"Thank you for your hard work, Master Ji."
"Anytime, anytime."
"Master Ji is amazing! I was about to scrap this, and you actually fixed it?"
"Just a small matter, don't mention it."
Ji Jue waved a hand with a smile and took the next item from the queue. In the brief lulls between tasks, he glanced beside him: "An Ning?"
An Ning fell silent for an instant, looking hesitant: "Um, I can't quite be sure."
Ji Jue nodded in understanding: "Taking them down first before checking works just the same."
"Alright."
The girl stood up abruptly, planted her foot on the table, and vaulted into the air. Mid-leap, a Flying Light shot forth, cleaving through the air and thrusting straight toward the Desolate Ruins cultivator who had just been clutching his newly repaired gear in ecstatic delight.
In that sudden turn of events, the Desolate Ruins cultivator froze, eyes wide with disbelief. He instinctively screamed in terror, crying for help toward Tong Shan in the passenger seat.
Tong Shan was expressionless.
Not only was he cold, but he also slammed his hand down toward the man pleading for help!
Telekinesis surged like a tempest, locking down everything in an instant and converging toward the center—the exact second An Ning moved, Tong Shan had struck without a second thought!
If Ji Jue felt something was wrong, there was no need to hesitate.
Even if there hadn't been an issue, there was now!
—You, a Desolate Ruins cultivator without a single piece of perception- or reflex-enhancing gear on your entire body, were ambushed by Flying Light. Even if she deliberately slowed it down for you, how could your neural reflexes possibly be that fast?!
*Boom!*
In an instant, amidst the clash of telekinesis, the terrified, screaming Desolate Ruins cultivator was blown apart—or rather, the layer of human skin draped over him was.
Like a stone carapace, the human skin blasted outward, turning into countless sharp shards that sprayed indiscriminately in all directions, striking everything inside the RV.
At the same time, it darted outward, hurtling toward the RV walls in an attempt to break out. Right in midair, a grayish-green hand rose and clamped firmly onto the erupting beam of Flying Light, fingers cracking with sizzling friction.
It had managed to buy itself a split second of opportunity after all.
It didn't even need a full second. At the thought, the cabin wall was already within reach; as long as it shattered the glass, it could unleash its speed and escape with ease—
*Bang!*
The wolf that had charged out suddenly rebounded back.
Darkness swam before its eyes.
It felt as if it had slammed headfirst into an iron wall!
It wasn't just the pulling force of the obstructing telekinesis; it was the vehicle cabin itself. The originally fragile cabin had suddenly turned into an unyielding mountain.
[Earth Bears and Sea Embraces]!
Ji Jue didn't even need to lift a finger. Before having An Ning strike, he had already turned the entire cabin into an inescapable cage. Forget a wolf—as long as he was willing to expend spiritus, it could hold up against two rounds of point-blank close-in weapon system fire.
Thrown back by the collision, the wolf let out a shrill, agonizing shriek midair. Rolling sound waves exploded through the cabin. In that piercing screech, everyone's vision blurred. Caught unprepared, the panic, anxiety, and bewilderment they had suppressed throughout the journey burst forth all at once, making them freeze involuntarily. Some whose mental defenses were lacking even cried out in distress alongside it.
Right then, Ji Jue clenched his fingers into a fist and slammed it into his palm.
His metalized palms collided, releasing a thunderous boom.
Chunjun's sword hum rippled out, roughly scouring away all power stirring their consciousness and minds within the shriek, then struck down mercilessly upon everyone's souls.
Jolted by the shock of pain, the dazed Celestial Chosen snapped awake instantly.
Before the wolf could even hit the floor, Ji Xue was already hurtling forward. Through a thousandfold acceleration of time, she charged straight at the unmasked corrupted one.
It looked almost like she was throwing herself into the fire.
Yet she was not the weapon; the weapon was her biological brother, Ji Liu, whom she had grabbed and swung down toward the wolf like a club!
*Bam!*
Ji Liu hadn't even processed what was happening before his vision blurred, feeling his head slam into something with a loud smack. Yet their longstanding sibling chemistry prompted him to enter a combat reflex state without hesitation.
Regardless of where he was or what was going on, blood flames exploded outward. Foregoing swords, spears, or staves, he spread his arms and executed a savage bearhug. Clamping onto an arm, he gripped it tight, his other hand sliding upward—paying no mind to whose neck he was throttling, he simply locked on and refused to let go.
The raw physical prowess of the Swarm erupted; fractures cracked continuously.
The howling wolf contorted violently, attempting to wrench free by force, only to see another beam of Flying Light striking right toward its face. When it tried to dodge, its surroundings were completely sealed off by telekinesis.
Its only way out was to face it head-on and take the hit—
*Thump!*
The Flying Light wedged into its forehead. Gravely wounded, the surviving wolf went utterly berserk.
Unfortunately, before it could mount a dying struggle, it could no longer move.
It froze where it stood.
As if petrified.
Only the hiltless bone blade lodged in its forehead buzzed softly.
The projectile used for this second Flying Light was Ji Jue's Heaven-Made Creation: the bone blade, Mercy!
Only now did the chaos in the cabin finally ripple outward.
The cries and shouts came late.
They had worked together too little and lacked the tacit understanding of Tong Shan and his core companions; none of them had realized that a wolf had infiltrated their ranks.
In the moment of discovery, far too few people had reacted without hesitation.
Most had hesitated, even fearing this was a sign of infighting or betrayal, and sought to flee.
Now that the situation was clear, fear and cold sweat finally broke out.
"It was He Li?!"
The first person to recognize the wolf's disguise stared with wide eyes, incredulous. "No, where's He Li?! He was beside me the whole time! When did... Brother Shan, believe me! I—I really..."
The more he spoke, the more terrified he became.
Because during the melee just now, he had even been saved by him!
"Rest easy, don't panic."
Tong Shan patted his shoulder, without the slightest suspicion. "If I truly suspected you, would I dare stand this close to you? Do you think I don't value my neck?"
Just like that, he deftly smoothed over the aftermath and reassured his subordinate.
The Wolf's disguise was simply too overpowered, especially for an old wolf like this who had been wreaking havoc for years before now—each of them was more cunning than the last.
Soon, after an inspection, everyone was cleared of suspicion.
However, the atmosphere within the team grew noticeably grim.
After all, having a wolf sneak in out of nowhere was enough to rattle anyone. Could there be a second? A third?
More to the point... when had this wolf slipped in?
No one had noticed from start to finish!
In any case, including the Aether user poisoned to death in the skirmish earlier, the vanguard had now confirmed its second casualty.
"Brave as hell, aren't you?"
Ji Jue lowered his eyes, glancing at the terrified, stiffened wolf still feebly twitching. "Trying to play blind-spot games right under my nose?"
"It really was one."
After inspecting it, An Ning grew dejected. How had she failed to notice it first?
Then again, they had just fought a major battle against a pack of wolves, and everyone had some trace of their scent clinging to them. If she had really wanted to distinguish it, she would have had to poke everyone one by one with Flying Light...
"Brother Ji Jue, how did you notice?" she asked, unable to believe it. How could an Embers cultivator be sharper than a White Stag Hunter? Had something gone wrong?
"We craftsmen have our own tricks."
Ji Jue replied without missing a beat. Within the resonance and perception of the Kingdom of the Woods, he could sense the aura of any 'kin.'
But immediately after, he noticed something was wrong.
The aura of the wolf before him was fading at a visible rate...
When Ji Jue reached out, he sensed a massive rift that had torn open in its soul. Under the self-destruction of the Oath of Wolf Blood, its consciousness and soul had both been ruined along with it.
Under the restraint of the bone blade, it had actually succeeded in killing itself?
No, it wasn't suicide; it was a sacrifice.
It had willingly offered its soul and consciousness to the entire Kingdom of the Woods, thereby bringing about the annihilation of its awareness and its death.
Such decisive ruthlessness took Ji Jue aback for a moment.
He barely had time to pull the bone blade free before the destruction of its soul spread to its flesh, preventing the death of the wolf from damaging the blade's spirituality.
After all, by his understanding, wolves loved nothing more than desperate, dying struggles. Even on the verge of death, they would fight back with everything they had, stalling for time without caring how pathetic they looked.
Could someone who turned into a wolf really be some sort of principled martyr?
Yet right now, from the final glimmer of light in the creature's eyes, Ji Jue could actually sense a feeling of relief and fortune.
As if it feared living and accidentally letting something slip far more than death itself...
Ji Jue was astonished. "Is the Wolf Lord's deterrence really that terrifying?"
"Wolves of the Heart are just like that."
An Ning shrugged. "The Oath of Wolf Blood grants absolute dominion and control over wolves. With a single thought, the Wolf Lord can make his subordinates wish they were dead, or even extract their souls and lives.
"Mountain Wolves are tough-lived, so there's still a slight chance of interrogation, but if a Wolf of the Heart touches even a minor taboo, being able to die counts as the Wolf Lord's mercy."
While they spoke, Ji Jue thought for a moment and forcibly used Solid Alchemy to arrest the rate of necrosis in the body.
Then, he produced a scalpel, cut open the wolf's abdomen, and removed its stomach.
A sour, putrid stench immediately wafted out.
It made one frown.
Ji Jue examined the remnants of roasted meat and grains inside, and his gaze shifted subtly.
Tong Shan glanced over, and his previously calm expression grew several shades graver.
In that brief instant, the two exchanged a knowing look without uttering a word. Before the others could look over, Ji Jue set a fire that incinerated the remaining tissue along with the wolf.
"The hidden threat has been eliminated. Everyone, put your minds at ease."
Tong Shan's steady smile dispelled the lingering gloom. "In future battles, make sure to stay alert. No one is to act alone."
Pretending not to notice that inside the wolf's stomach was the very same lunch everyone else had eaten...
Just like that, putting those trifling questions out of their minds, the convoy rolled forward.
Deeper into the dark.
Chapter 631