The True Essence Fang Yuan had recovered inside the boar's belly ultimately went unused.
The beast tide itself was already under the observation of the Gu Yue clan's higher-ups. The appearance of the electric wolves was merely a small mishap. Soon, the clan's leadership responded swiftly.
Three Elders personally led the charge, stabilizing the situation with overwhelming force.
After a mere ten minutes, Fang Yuan heard the sounds of fighting outside the boar's carcass, along with the mournful howls of the electric wolves.
He quickly kicked the female Gu Master who had been blocking his way aside and crawled out, drenched in blood.
Fang Yuan wasn't worried about the electric wolves, of course. He was worried about being caught in the crossfire — if some Gu Master's stray attack landed on the boar corpse, he would suffer an utterly unjust death, and who could he possibly seek justice from then?
A living person suddenly burrowing out of a boar's belly gave the arriving Gu Masters, who had been locked in fierce combat with the electric wolves, quite a shock.
Fang Yuan was covered head to toe in blood, with one of the Wild Boar King's intestines still tangled around his leg. The pungent smell of blood emanating from his body made the Gu Masters furrow their brows slightly.
But Fang Yuan paid this no heed at all. He took several refreshing breaths, stretched his limbs, and surveyed the battlefield with an air of complete nonchalance.
Just as he had anticipated, there were five electric wolves in total.
But every last one of them was old, weak, sick, or injured. They were the bottom rung of the wolf nest. As the pack grew larger and stronger, the Wolf King, in order to preserve resources for the younger and healthier wolves, would drive out the old and infirm. Limited resources meant hard choices.
These electric wolves had banded together, first crashing into the surrounding beast herds, which then triggered chain reactions among the herds, ultimately forming this small-scale beast tide.
Under the Gu Masters' attacks, the five electric wolves quickly began to fall.
They had eaten far too much — their bellies were round and bloated, which hampered their combat ability. Meanwhile, the newly arrived Gu Masters each had their Empty Orifices brimming with True Essence, their combat power at Peak Stage, unlike Jiao San and his squad.
True Essence was especially critical to Gu Masters. A fallen phoenix is less than a chicken — when True Essence ran low, a Gu Master's combat power would plummet drastically. And a Gu Master without True Essence might be worse off than an ordinary mortal.
This was why Gu Insects like the Wine Worm and the Black and White Pig Gu were so precious.
It showed in this aspect above all.
First, with the Wine Worm, one could refine True Essence, allowing a Gu Master to effectively store far more of it.
And the strength amplification provided by the Black and White Pig Gu required no True Essence to take effect. Furthermore, after one person was done using the Black or White Pig Gu, it could be handed to another, making it enormously valuable for group operations.
The battle lasted a short while before it ended.
One by one, the five electric wolves collapsed. The relief squad that had arrived didn't push further in. Their True Essence had been significantly depleted and their combat power reduced considerably. Playing it safe, they held their position, resting while waiting for subsequent reinforcements.
The five-person squad split up: the scouting Gu Master stood guard, the other three used Yuan Stones to rapidly replenish their True Essence, and the treatment Gu Master knelt down to examine the female Gu Master's corpse.
"Dead..." The treatment Gu Master let out a deep sigh. From his mournful expression, it seemed he had known this female Gu Master.
Fang Yuan watched with cold detachment.
The female Gu Master he had knocked unconscious had been positioned in front of him the entire time. Now she was missing her right breast and one of her calves. On her arm was a gaping wound left by the electric wolf's gnawing, exposing the stark white bone of her forearm.
However, none of these wounds, nor the massive blood loss, were the true cause of her death.
What had actually killed her was cardiac paralysis.
The electric wolf's bites carried electric current. That current had surged through the unconscious female Gu Master's body, inducing cardiac arrest.
A body that had once been beautiful and alluring now lay motionless on the ground. After death, every trace of her former charm was gone — she was nothing more than a ghastly corpse.
"She's dead, and it's all your fault! You're a man — why did you hide behind a woman? You're a disgrace to your sex!" The treatment Gu Master snapped his head up, fixing his glare on Fang Yuan.
Fang Yuan shrugged indifferently, his expression perfectly placid. "As a matter of fact, she and I fought over the space inside. But I won in the end. I'm quite glad about that."
"You bastard!!" The treatment Gu Master lunged forward.
Thud.
Fang Yuan raised a foot and kicked him flying.
Treatment Gu Masters were generally weak in combat, and bound by clan rules, he didn't dare resort to Gu Insects. With pure physical strength alone, he was no match for Fang Yuan whatsoever.
"Vile scum!" The treatment Gu Master scrambled to his feet, face covered in dirt, and tried to charge again, but the scouting Gu Master held him back.
"If you believe I committed a crime and caused her death, then you're welcome to file a report with the Punishment Hall. I'll accept whatever comes." Fang Yuan gave the treatment Gu Master a flat glance, turned, and walked away.
"Damn you! Damn you!!" The treatment Gu Master's eyes seemed to spit fire as he stared hatefully at Fang Yuan's retreating back. He tried to rush forward, but the others held him tight.
"Calm down!"
"Even if you report it to the Punishment Hall, the clan won't punish him!"
"We all know you've been carrying a torch for her. Even if clan law can't touch him, we can spread the word about what he did..."
One by one, the squad members talked him down. Gradually, the treatment Gu Master's fury subsided, and he hung his head, sobbing quietly.
"A shipwreck. A man grabs a plank of wood and is temporarily saved. Then another man swims over, wanting to grab the same plank. But the plank can only support one person's weight. To save himself, the first man pushes the second away, and he drowns. The surviving man is later put on trial but not convicted. This is the Plank Incident on Earth."
"The meaning is clear: when forced by dire circumstances, harming another person's life in order to save your own will not result in punishment. On Earth, this falls under the legal doctrine of necessity. In this world, there are similar clan regulations. In other words, even if the treatment Gu Master reported me to the Punishment Hall, I would face no punishment. However..."
Fang Yuan walked back at an unhurried pace, lost in thought.
The path had been cleared. Occasionally, Fang Yuan would spot corpses lying on the ground. Most were beasts of various species, though here and there a Gu Master's body lay among them.
At the same time, group after group of reinforcements hurried toward the front lines. When they passed Fang Yuan, most of them cast curious, bewildered glances at the blood-soaked youth.
Fang Yuan paid them no mind. His eyes held a dim, distant light as he continued his musings.
"However... if it were discovered that I had knocked the female Gu Master unconscious beforehand, I would be severely punished for 'murdering a fellow clansman.' But at the time, no one should have seen that scene. Jiao San and Kong Jing both had their backs to me — they were busy fleeing for their lives. Hmm?"