On the grassland at night, the Poison Whisker Wolf King raised its head and let out a long howl.
The hundreds of poison whisker wolves around him pricked their ears and shot forward like arrows.
The wolf pack split into two flanks to surround, their organization as tight as an army.
The young girl Ge Yao ran desperately.
But her horse had long been killed. Her red leather boots sank into the muddy swamp, heavy as if filled with lead.
The charging poison whisker wolves successfully surrounded her, then quickly closed in. But they were wary of the girl's powerful Gu worm, so they only circled, not daring to attack immediately.
Suddenly, a poison whisker wolf grew impatient and charged out. Moving so fast its body turned into a black shadow, it pounced at Ge Yao.
Ge Yao gave a delicate shout, activated her Gu worm, pointed a finger, and fired a pale blue water arrow.
The water arrow spiraled through and precisely pierced the poison whisker wolf's head.
This bold poison whisker wolf died on the spot. Its body fell onto the slightly rotting grass, rolled a few times, and then lay still.
Bright red blood soon flowed from the wound, soaking the surrounding grass.
The restive pack paused because of this, but the smell of blood in the air quickly stirred their wild nature and cruelty.
In an instant, hundreds of poison whisker wolves began to howl.
On Ge Yao's beautiful face were only despair and regret.
She should not have come alone to this Rotting Poison Grassland to look for a Snow Willow. Now she was in a desperate situation, about to be torn apart by the pack and devoured.
"Father, forgive me. Your daughter can no longer care for you!"
"Your daughter knows you found her a spouse for her own good. But your daughter really does not want to marry..."
"Ancestors in the Eternal Sky, if you have spirits there and can hear my prayer, please send a warrior to save me."
That last attack had drained the last wisp of silver true essence from Ge Yao's aperture. All she could do was pray.
The pack finally lost patience. The wolf king gave a cry, and all the poison whisker wolves immediately charged at the girl in the center, a frightening scene.
"I'm going to die!" Ge Yao's face paled. She stared blankly as the wolves closed in rapidly, at a loss for what to do.
Just then, a strong emerald light flashed.
The poison whisker wolves, blinded by the light, closed their eyes and whimpered. The charging wolves collided with each other, one fall causing another, their momentum instantly broken, causing chaos.
"What's happening?" Ge Yao was startled, her eyes streaming despite herself, and she strained to see.
In the emerald light, the silhouette of a young man appeared.
The emerald light dissipated abruptly. A naked man appeared before Ge Yao.
"O-one person?" Ge Yao's eyes widened, her mouth forming an O. She thought incredulously, "Did the ancestors in the Eternal Sky hear my prayer and actually send help?!"
But why was this savior not wearing clothes?!
A big question mark arose in Ge Yao's heart.
"The Northern Plains?" With bare feet on the grass, Fang Yuan quickly took in his surroundings.
"Hmm? There are people... and wolves?" Fang Yuan squinted. He had not expected that the moment he set foot on the Northern Plains, he would encounter an unexpected situation.
His trip to the Northern Plains was meant to be kept secret; he had not thought he would be exposed right after arriving.
The wolf king roared and suddenly leaped, mouth wide open, teeth sharp as knives aiming for Fang Yuan's neck.
"Hmph, a mere Hundred Beast King..." A sharp glint flashed in Fang Yuan's eyes. He pushed out his hand and released a golden dragon.
Fourth rank, Golden Dragon Gu!
Roar.
The four-clawed golden dragon roared, bared its claws, and flew out, slamming directly into the Poison Whisker Wolf King.
This Hundred Beast King instantly had all its bones shattered and was sent flying like a torn sack. After falling to the ground, it howled and struggled, but could not get up.
Fang Yuan frowned slightly and sent another golden dragon. Only then did he kill the Poison Whisker Wolf King.
With the wolf king dead, the pack instantly collapsed. Within a few breaths, they had fled over a hundred li away.
Only the wolf king's body remained, and the girl Ge Yao stared dumbly at Fang Yuan.
Fang Yuan turned his deep gaze toward the girl.
The girl wore a leather robe unique to the Northern Plains, long-sleeved, blue and white with gold embroidery on the edges, looking pure and noble.
Her waist was tied with a purple-gold belt, and her thick, black hair held many delicate and ornate hair ornaments.