Chapter 35: Slaying the Demon Wolf with a Single Slash

Chapter 35: Chapter 35: Slaying the Demon Wolf with a Single Slash

"Hmph! Courting death."

Yi Xiaoyao snorted, his icy gaze fixed on Qi Stone.

This guy had lured the Silver Ghost Wolf over to him, wanting to drag him into the mess.

But Qi Stone never expected that Yi Xiaoyao, who he saw as just some country bumpkin, could unleash such power with a casual wave of his hand.

Before Qi Stone could even react to his shock, the Silver Ghost Wolf pounced on him, opened its massive, fanged maw, and with a CRUNCH, clamped down on his right leg.

"AHHH!!!"

A bloodcurdling scream tore from his throat. Veins bulged on Qi Stone’s face as he shrieked, blood gushing from his leg.

The commotion from Qi Stone drew the attention of the other eight people. When they saw his wretched state, their hearts sank.

But they soon breathed a sigh of relief, because the second-rank Silver Ghost Wolf’s next target wasn’t them, but Yi Xiaoyao.

The Silver Ghost Wolf lost interest in prey that couldn’t fight back. Its pair of eyes, glowing with a ghostly light, stared intently at Yi Xiaoyao before it.

Meanwhile, Qi Stone, amidst his howls of pain, saw the Silver Ghost Wolf lock onto Yi Xiaoyao and actually began to laugh, his face contorted in a grimace.

"AHHH!!! Even if I die, I’m taking you with me!!!"

In Qi Stone’s eyes, Yi Xiaoyao would suffer the same fate as him, or perhaps even worse.

Yi Xiaoyao completely ignored the crazed Qi Stone, his gaze meeting the Silver Ghost Wolf’s.

"What? You’ve come to die too, you beast?"

He gave the Silver Ghost Wolf a faint smile, then raised his hand and drew the Bloodthirsty Long Sword from his back.

"Perfect. I was just planning on taking your Demon Core."

As Yi Xiaoyao spoke with casual ease, the Spiritual Power in his body erupted. The crimson Bloodthirsty Long Sword became even more demonic, wreathed in dark Spiritual Power and Sword Qi, and radiated a cold, murderous intent.

The Silver Ghost Wolf seemed to understand human speech. Yi Xiaoyao’s declaration that he would take its Demon Core instantly enraged its lupine nature.

"AWOOO!"

With a terrifying howl, the Silver Ghost Wolf’s slender body, covered in silver, needle-like fur, leaped forward. In an instant, it transformed into a streak of silver light, lunging savagely at Yi Xiaoyao.

A thick, foul stench washed over Yi Xiaoyao from the Silver Ghost Wolf’s massive, fanged maw. The distance between him and the second-rank Demon Wolf was far too close.

At such a close range, a Demon Beast’s astonishing speed and explosive power gave it a huge advantage.

But Yi Xiaoyao’s face remained completely devoid of panic.

Because he had already identified the Silver Ghost Wolf’s weakness through observation.

The instant before those fangs could clamp down on Yi Xiaoyao’s head, a cold glint of light, a mixture of blood-red and black, flashed past.

The cold light vanished as quickly as it appeared. In that moment, it was as if time and space themselves had frozen.

Without moving a single step, Yi Xiaoyao watched as his Bloodthirsty Sword devoured the last drop of blood from its blade. The second-rank Demon Beast, comparable in strength to a First Realm Foundation Establishment cultivator, crashed to the ground.

The Silver Ghost Wolf’s corpse lay motionless. In the very center of its brow was a thin, bloody line.

Yi Xiaoyao had observed earlier that during their fights, the Silver Ghost Wolves always avoided and protected the spot between their brows.

That, therefore, was their weak point.

If Yi Xiaoyao hadn’t attacked this weak point, even using the first form of his strongest swordsmanship, the Nine Swords of Slaughter, he would never have been able to pierce the defensive fur of silver needles covering the Silver Ghost Wolf’s body in a single strike.

Lying on the ground, Qi Stone saw that the same Silver Ghost Wolf that had pushed him to the brink of death was so fragile before Yi Xiaoyao. He was so stunned that he forgot to scream, his mouth hanging wide open, unable to speak.

The eight young men and women fighting nearby saw Yi Xiaoyao slay the second-rank Demon Beast and were so shocked they almost dropped their weapons.

"He killed a second-rank Demon Beast in one strike! My god! Is this guy even human?"

"Th-this guy looks about our age, but his strength... it’s terrifying!"

The few youths who had previously called Yi Xiaoyao a "country bumpkin" and said he "couldn’t compare to them" suddenly felt a chill run down their spines.

After extracting the second-rank Silver Ghost Wolf’s Demon Core, Yi Xiaoyao looked over at the eight young men and women again, a playful smile on his lips.

"Now, do you still need my help?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the young men and women nodded vigorously. If things continued as they were, even if they managed to deal with the Demon Wolves, they would surely suffer casualties.

"Yes! We do! As long as you help us, you can have all the Demon Cores!"

"Big Brother, we were blind before and failed to recognize your greatness. If we offended you, please don’t hold it against us!"

"Big Brother, your Divine Techniques are vast! Please, help me! Senior Brother Qi Stone brought his troubles on himself when he offended you, but we didn’t do anything!"

Hearing their pleas for help, Yi Xiaoyao smiled and walked toward the group, his Bloodthirsty Sword in hand.

Just as they said, only Qi Stone had truly angered him. Besides, Yi Xiaoyao had shown up here intending to help them from the start.

The Flowing Light Swordsmanship created countless formless Sword Shadows. Yi Xiaoyao’s figure weaved through the Silver Ghost Wolf Pack as a continuous stream of agonized howls rang out.

To Yi Xiaoyao, these first-rank Demon Beasts were barely worth mentioning.

After just a few moments, only a field of wolf corpses remained.

All eight of them stood frozen in place, staring blankly at Yi Xiaoyao.

’The Demon Beasts that we couldn’t handle even when fighting with all our might... were dealt with so casually by Yi Xiaoyao?’

"So... so strong!"

The undisguised reverence in their eyes was plain to see.

No wonder Yi Xiaoyao had said he could help them earlier.

Besides, for someone who could single-handedly slaughter the entire Silver Ghost Wolf Pack, what was a single second-rank Demon Core?

Looking at it now, Qi Stone’s refusal of Yi Xiaoyao’s kind offer was an act of supreme foolishness.

*GULP!*

It was unclear who made the sound of swallowing, but it broke the strange silence.

"Young Master! Thank you for your help!"

The young woman, Yun Qian, gazed at Yi Xiaoyao, her heart pounding in her chest. A blush crept onto her pretty face as she thanked him in a soft voice.

The others immediately snapped out of it and also began to express their gratitude to Yi Xiaoyao. 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

"Yes, Big Brother, could you tell us your name? So that we may repay you in the future."

"There’s no need for repayment. My name is Yi Xiaoyao."

Yi Xiaoyao waved his hand, then glanced at them and asked, "Who are you all? Why are you in such a dangerous place without any elders accompanying you?"

The group exchanged glances, seeming to hesitate on whether to reveal their origins.

’If it weren’t for Yi Xiaoyao, most of us would have ended up in the bellies of those wolves.’

Thinking of this, Yun Qian immediately spoke up. "We are disciples participating in this year’s assessment for the Seven Kills Star Hall. The second part of the assessment is to enter this forest and hunt for enough Demon Cores."

"The Seven Kills Star Hall?"

Yi Xiaoyao nodded, a hint of curiosity in his eyes. He glanced at the wolf corpses on the ground and said, "Since you need Demon Cores, you can have all these first-rank Demon Wolves."

Hearing this, the group was overjoyed. "That’s great! There are sixteen Silver Ghost Wolves here. If the eight of us take two Demon Cores each, we’ll complete the assessment!"

Just then, a faint voice drifted over. "What about my share? It seems you’ve all forgotten about me, haven’t you?"

Everyone looked over. The one who had spoken was, surprisingly, Qi Stone.