Chapter 86

The pack of vicious wolves had besieged them for half a day, yet they could not climb the giant rock; the wolves' cunning nature led them to devise a plan—several wolves approached the rock, and immediately a few more scrambled onto their backs, stacking like arhats, pressing tightly against the rock to build height, attempting to reach the summit in this way.

The little girl was the first to notice this; she quickly tugged at Hu Xiaotian's collar. Hu Xiaotian grabbed his Water Fire Staff and smashed it down hard on the wolf at the top—blood sprayed, the Blue Wolf was struck dizzy and slipped off its companion's back. Having just driven one wolf away, another fearlessly scrambled up.

Hu Xiaotian dared not relax in the slightest, swinging his Water Fire Staff in wild blows to prevent the vicious wolves from using the human‑pyramid method to climb the giant rock.

The little girl also stepped forward, raising the black box in her hand and aiming at the wolves below—she unleashed a barrage. The Violent Rain Pear Blossom Needle lived up to its reputation; one volley struck seven or eight wolves, who screamed and collapsed, causing the already‑formed pyramid to collapse instantly. The wolves' brutality was extreme: seeing their companions at death's door, they felt no sympathy, instead rushing forward to fight over the flesh. Blood and flesh flew, wolf howls echoed, and the gory sight was nauseating.

The little girl covered her mouth and nose, turned her face aside, and vomited.

Although Hu Xiaotian also felt a bit nauseous, he still dared not let his guard down, holding his Water Fire Staff at the ready, fearing the wolves might seize the chance to climb up.

At that moment, cries of eagles rang from the sky as dozens of black eagles spread their wings and flew in, circling above them. Hu Xiaotian looked up and gasped—this time it was a joint land‑and‑air assault; earlier it had been a positional battle, now they were launching an aerial strike.

Dozens of black eagles nearly simultaneously dove downward. Hu Xiaotian felt vexed—'Beast Tamer', what a formidable profession existing in this world; without even showing its face, it had already mobilized such a massive flock of birds and beasts. If he were to lose today, wouldn't he be worse than the beasts themselves? Thinking of those four words, he recalled the joke he had made earlier, but now he could not laugh no matter what. He turned to the little girl and saw deep fear on her face. She aimed her Violent Rain Pear Blossom Needle at the airborne attackers, but after three rounds the steel needles inside were exhausted, leaving her with a useless needle case.

At the point of life and death, the two had completely lowered their guard toward each other. Hu Xiaotian produced the Violent Rain Pear Blossom Needle that Ande Quan had given him and handed it over. The little girl took the needle case, preparing to fire, when Hu Xiaotian said, 'Save some ammo—don't use it until the very end!' He raised his Water Fire Staff with both hands and struck a black eagle diving down. The blow hit the eagle's wing, sending feathers flying; the eagle cried out and spiraled down. Before it could hit the ground, a leaping Blue Wolf snatched it in its jaws. Immediately several vicious wolves closed in to seize the prey, and amid their struggle the eagle was torn to pieces in an instant.

Hu Xiaotian shielded the little girl, waving his Water Fire Staff so tightly that not even wind or rain could penetrate, temporarily blocking the black eagles' swooping attack. But as time passed, his strength waned, his arms grew sore and numb, and the staff felt much heavier. He managed to repel two eagles' advances, then turned his gaze toward the distant forest, feeling both anxious and worried, wondering how Murong Feiyan was faring at that moment.

Before entering the forest, Murong Feiyan's right shoulder had already been clawed by wolves. After finally breaking free of the wolves' encirclement and entering the woods, she turned her pretty face to examine her right shoulder, only to see the fabric torn by wolf claws and four shocking bloodstains on her shoulder. She bit her cherry lips, pressed a pressure point on her chest with her opposite hand to slow the bleeding, moved her arm a bit, and confirmed that no tendons or bones were injured. Looking back, she saw under the moonlight that dozens of hawks circled above a boulder in the night sky. Though some distance away, she could guess the perilous situation Hu Xiaotian and the little girl were in.

Murong Feiyan forcibly suppressed the urge to rush back and help, calmed her mind, steadied her breath, and listened intently. Intermittent howls continued to come from the dense forest ahead to her right; at first they sounded like a beast's cries, but upon closer discernment they seemed to be human voices.

Having pinpointed the source of the sound, Murong Feiyan leapt up to the treetops, darting and jumping between branches, silently approaching the spot where the noise originated.

The sound grew clearer. Using the treetops for cover, Murong Feiyan looked ahead and saw, about twenty zhang away, a gray‑clothed man sitting cross‑legged, his long hair hanging over his shoulders, a bronze mask on his face that reflected a deep metallic sheen in the moonlight. The mask was ugly and ferocious; he held a bamboo stick, tapping the ground rhythmically while muttering incantations, producing strange noises—sometimes like a beast's roar, sometimes like a bird's lament—imitated to perfection.

Murong Feiyan concluded that this man must be the Beast Tamer driving the pack of beasts to attack. She moved along the canopy, silently drawing nearer to the Beast Tamer, closing the distance to within ten zhang without being noticed. She drew a deep breath, sprang from the branches, thrust her sword straight forward with her right hand, and her lithe body spun through the air, reducing the gap to a single zhang in an instant with astonishing speed.

As Murong Feiyan burst from the canopy, the Beast Tamer had already sensed her; he lifted his head, and through the holes in his mask a pair of icy eyes gleamed with killing intent, while his throat emitted a strange 'ee‑ya' sound.

Whoosh! A dazzling silver beam shot from the left treetop toward Murong Feiyan.

Murong Feiyan, usually meticulous, had overlooked an archer hidden nearby; the arrow, fully drawn, whistled like a chasing wind toward her body. She had to abandon her killing strike, pulling her sword back to strike the arrow shaft. The shaft was not ordinary wood but forged fine steel; on impact they made a crisp 'Pop!' accompanied by the explosive clash of two opposing currents.

Murong Feiyan marveled at the arrow's tremendous force, and the recoil from that motion forced her to land.

Before her feet touched the ground, another arrow came from the treetop, aimed straight at her throat—its tip gleamed cold, the shaft and fletching silver, like a meteor streaking across the dark night, and in an instant it was before her.

With all her strength, Murong Feiyan swung her sword in an upward arc, catching the arrow shaft on the blade's tip; the high‑speed arrow was lifted and deflected from its original path, and the friction between shaft and blade at high speed produced a dazzling trail of sparks.

At the same moment, the Beast Tamer said nothing, his body springing suddenly from the ground, his claws snatching toward Murong Feiyan's lower body; the claw was soundless and colorless, utterly vicious.

Murong Feiyan's feet were still off the ground; she snapped out a lightning‑fast kick that arrived first despite being launched second, striking the Beast Tamer's wrist. He gave a sinister grin, then reversed his left wrist to press down hard on her ankle.

Murong Feiyan drew her legs back, performed a backward somersault, and landed on the grass behind her. The Beast Tamer, bare‑fisted, had hands like bird talons; his right index and middle fingers stabbed straight at her eyes, while his right foot followed up with a kick to her abdomen. Every move he made was a killing technique, each wicked and poisonous. His right‑hand attack on her eyes was actually a feint meant to distract her, whereas his silent, vicious right‑foot kick was the true lethal strike.

Murong Feiyan leaned back to dodge the Beast Tamer's right hand; he gloated, believing his right foot would surely land, but he did not expect her to suddenly thrust her sword downward, piercing his right thigh. Though her thrust was not particularly strong, the Beast Tamer threw his whole weight into it; their opposing motions combined their forces, and with a 'Pfft!' the sword ran straight through his calf. Feeling the pain, he cried out sharply and hastily withdrew his blood‑soaked right leg.

Murong Feiyan would not let such a golden opportunity pass; she swept her sword forward, cutting between the Beast Tamer's legs. The blade flashed, cleaving his torso from the crotch upward; blood spurted wildly and he died on the spot.

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