The earth shook. Wolf packs appeared on the horizon like a tidal wave, an unending torrent. Countless wolves galloped in a chaotic mass. There were Wind Wolves, swift as flying. Water Wolves, white as snow. Night Wolves, dark and agile. Turtleback Wolves, sturdy and stable. Vermilion Flame Wolves, wreathed in blazing fire.
Hundred Wolf Kings, Thousand Wolf Kings, Ten-Thousand Wolf Kings led the horde. Mutated beast wolves traveled among the ranks, highly conspicuous.
There were Blood Forest Wolves, carrying a forest of bones on their backs, towering like mountains. Fish Fin Wolves, armored like elephants, capable on land and in water. Mad Wolves, silver-grey with three eyes, battle-maniacs.
In the Imperial Court Blessed Land, under the pale gold sky, Azure Sky Wolf Packs galloped through the air, their howls spirited and extraordinary.
Fang Yuan sat steadily on the back of an Azure Sky Ten-Thousand Wolf King. The fierce wind couldn't move his iron-hard, resolute face.
His eyes were dark and deep. Gazing down at the scene before him, his thoughts were impossible to fathom.
Although his wolves had been scattered upon first entering the Imperial Court Blessed Land, Fang Yuan had long since issued missions. Since entering, he had worked tirelessly to recall his original wolf pack and recruit countless wild wolves. Now, the pack galloping below was like a river or sea, roaring forward numbering five hundred thousand!
At this point, he was truly at the peak of the mortal world.
In the beginning of the Imperial Court contest, he was called one of the Five Beast Kings, along with Jiang Baoya and Ma Zun. After the contest, by common acclaim of the Northern Plains, he was the foremost contemporary Grandmaster of the Enslavement Path.
Besides his deep attainments in the Enslavement Path, he also possessed shocking power in the Strength Path and the strength of a Master of Flight, commanding awe and respect.
Who did not respect the Wolf King, the Shadow of Chang Mountain? Who did not fear him?
Looking across the Northern Plains, how many could truly be considered his match?
At this moment, however, a voice was 'discouraging' him in Fang Yuan's mind.
"Hehehe, little boy, you actually want to merge the Enslavement and Strength Paths? Quite the ambition. But big sister here advises you to give up this idea as soon as possible."
Mo Yao's Will laughed again. "Enslavement and Strength are two distinct paths. Merging them is a problem that has stumped people for a thousand years. It's already incredibly difficult for you to cultivate both. Why not cut your losses and retreat from this difficulty? Why do things that bring no benefit? Sigh. Your big sister has been through this. You must understand, there are thousands of paths and countless schools. The strength of a Gu Master does not lie in how many paths they walk, but in how far they walk on one path."
Mo Yao sincerely tried to persuade him. But Fang Yuan snorted dismissively. "A task is done if one is determined. What's there to fear? The merging of the Enslavement and Strength Paths is a problem of a thousand years precisely because someone like me, Fang Yuan, has never appeared before. Sooner or later, I will dominate the world, leave my name on the pages of history, and stand alongside the likes of Star Constellation, Red Lotus, and Paradise Earth."
Star Constellation, Red Lotus, Paradise Earth — they were all Rank 9 Gu Venerables. In the long river of human history, across countless eras, there had only been ten of them so far.
Fang Yuan was still a mortal. Yet he dared to dream of becoming such a figure. It was like an ant wanting to become an elephant.
Such ambition and words left Mo Yao's Will speechless for a moment.
...
"Roar!"
"Kill! Annihilate all these little Earth Devil Beasts!"
"Where is the healing Gu Master? Someone's injured! Come and assist!"
The beasts roared, and the Gu Masters shouted. A small-scale battle was at its most critical moment.
The small battlefield was filled with pits, littered with severed limbs and splashed blood. Five or six Gu Masters were locked in fierce combat with an Earth Devil Beast King. Around them lay a large number of Earth Devil Beast corpses.
These Earth Devil Beasts had humanoid bodies and serpentine tails. Their faces were like bats, with upturned noses and prominent ears. They were completely pitch-black, covered in a fleshy carapace. Growing out of the front, back, and sides of their chests were five or six fleshy whips. The short ones were a *zhang* long, while the long ones reached over two *zhang*.
The fleshy whips were like hands, as flexible as snakes. Their lashes carried tremendous momentum, and they could be used for both offense and defense.
The Earth Devil Beasts lived underground, but not very deep. They often built their nests in shallow burrows.
They were highly valuable. Their eyes, fur, and snake tails were all excellent and rare materials for refining Gu. Even rarer were the long and short fleshy whips on their bodies. The longer, the better. A whip over two *zhang* was often priceless, with no market price to speak of.
Earth Devil Beasts were becoming rarer and rarer in the Northern Plains. But in the Imperial Court Blessed Land, there were a great many. For example, this region, spanning ten thousand *li*, was entirely populated by Earth Devil Beast herds.
Wealth touches the heart. Because this place was not far from the Sacred Palace, many Gu Masters often formed parties and came here to hunt.
This team locked in battle was one such group.
Most of the Gu Masters in the team had hunted Earth Devil Beasts three or four times and were relatively experienced.
This time, however, they had run into trouble. Although they had lured only a little over a hundred beasts, a number they had under control, they hadn't expected that the beast king wasn't an ordinary Hundred Beast King, but an old and frail Thousand Beast King. This Beast King was old and sick, unable to fight effectively, but the wild Gu parasitizing its body were of a genuine Third Rank level.
Among mortal Gu Masters, First Rank were apprentices, just starting out, with very weak combat strength. Second Rank Gu Masters formed the backbone of forces, very common.
Third Rank Gu Masters were called elders, the core of a faction, their numbers sharply lower. Fourth Rank Gu Masters were the leaders of factions, leaders of thousands. Fifth Rank Gu Masters were the pinnacle of the mortal world, even rarer.
The Earth Devil Thousand Beast King itself was nothing to fear, but possessing several Third Rank wild Gu, its combat power was far beyond what this team could handle.
If not for the fact that, at the start of the battle, the team leader, Jiang Dong, was resolute and experienced, had decisively commanded some of the best members to dive into the herd and hold the Earth Devil Beast King firmly in place, leaving the others to slaughter the small beasts, the Gu Master team would have already been routed.
"Everyone, a little more effort! This old beast is about to die! If we persevere, we will win!" Jiang Dong shouted loudly as he moved and dodged, trying to raise morale.
The group's responses were uneven. They barely managed to focus their spirits.