Chapter 32 A Hard Battle
Chapter 32 A Hard Battle
The golden wolf head on the left said, “I bet you have never seen a werewolf as handsome as me.”
His voice was clear and resonant. As he spoke, he deliberately turned his body sideways, posing proudly and ignoring everyone else.
The silver wolf head snorted.
“Hmph. Stop being narcissistic. How could you possibly be more handsome than me?”
This time the voice was gentle.
I stared at them in disbelief.
“You have two personalities?”
The golden wolf head replied, “We have two heads. Naturally we have two brains, and separate personalities.”
The silver wolf head laughed.
“That’s right, kid. Scared? Hahaha! Even if you are scared, you are not allowed to run. Your only option is to fight us.”
I sneered.
“Hmph. Scared? Who said I’m scared? You two should be the ones who are afraid. I’ll tell you a secret—I’m not even human.”
I immediately began chanting.
“Darkness condense in thy soul. To have fallen is to be freed. Awaken! Myriad magical powers that slumber in my blood.”
Both wolf heads cried out in surprise at the same time.
“A Fallen Angel from the Demon Race!”
I gave a sinister smile.
“Wrong. I’m not from the Demon Race either.”
The two heads looked at each other, confusion filling their four eyes.
The golden head said, “Judging by your transformation, you are certainly not an emissary of the Beast God—if the Beast God even exists.”
I replied sarcastically, “And what about you? Aren’t you the so-called Wolf God?”
The silver head grinned.
“Since we are both impostors, let’s see who is stronger. Your Fallen Angel transformation… or this fake Wolf God.”
Before I could react further, the Wolf God suddenly turned into a streak of golden and silver light and rushed straight at me.
After transforming, my speed had greatly increased. I beat my wings and immediately dodged their attack. Even though I avoided the strike, their golden-silver chi brushed past my cheek, leaving a burning pain.
I did not dare be careless. I grabbed Black Sable and watched them closely.
The golden wolf head laughed loudly.
“Interesting! Very interesting! Fighting a Fallen Angel really is different.”
The silver head nodded.
“Why don’t we use that attack? He might be able to withstand it.”
Both heads nodded together and rushed toward me again.
But this time, only golden chi surrounded their body instead of both gold and silver. Although the intensity was lower than the previous attack, I still felt it would be unwise to confront it directly.
Just as I prepared to dodge, a giant frozen sphere suddenly appeared to my left. Countless ice spikes shot toward me through the air.
It was a Level-5 water-element spell, and its destructive power was enormous.
At the same moment, a cluster of dense fire orbs appeared on my other side. Each orb burned with a ghostly blue flame.
I had never seen this magic before, but I instinctively understood that taking it head-on would be extremely dangerous.
These two spells sealed my escape routes. I could not move left or right, nor could I retreat.
Not good.
If I retreat now, I’ll only keep retreating and fall completely into a disadvantage.
But I also had no confidence in confronting the magic attacks without injury.
So I made my decision.
I gritted my teeth and merged dark magic with Mad God chi to form a protective layer around my body.
“Violent Dance of the Mad Dragon!”
My entire body transformed into a fierce dragon and charged directly toward the Wolf God.
Just before colliding with him, a miniature tornado suddenly appeared between us. Although I passed through it, the power of my Violent Dance of the Mad Dragon was greatly weakened.
The two proud wolf heads appeared before me.
Then a terrifying golden chi blast struck.
Hong!
My body crashed heavily into the wall.
Even the barrier protecting the temple walls caved in slightly from the impact.
Every bone in my body felt as though it had shattered. Fresh blood flowed from the corner of my lips, and countless black feathers drifted through the air.
The Wolf God flashed beside me.
The golden head spoke to the silver head.
“Eh? This guy doesn’t seem badly injured. He’s quite tough.”
Using Black Sable for support, I slowly stood up, feeling disheartened.
This monster is too strong.
Even stronger than the six-winged Fallen Angel I encountered before.
Unless I transform into a Crimson Angel, I have no chance at all.
But my mind remained calm and clear.
Without overwhelming rage, I could not trigger the transformation.
And even if I transformed and won…
Could I fight the three thousand guards outside?
Would my entire plan collapse?
The silver wolf head spoke mockingly.
“That’s all you have? And you dared challenge us?”
I wiped the blood from my lips.
“So what if I challenged you? I have one question.”
Both heads replied simultaneously.
“You may ask.”
After speaking, the two heads glared at each other before turning away in annoyance.
I smiled bitterly.
“Why can you use magic without chanting? Are you really gods?”
The golden head chuckled.
“You made us very happy today, so I’ll tell you. Who said we didn’t chant? The one who attacked you with chi was me. The magic attacks were cast by him.”
He pointed to the silver head.
I suddenly understood.
Each of them could use both magic and chi.
No wonder only golden chi appeared during the previous attack.
Unfair.
Completely unfair.
I’m fighting two opponents at once.
The turquoise gem continuously released powerful life energy into my body, making me feel slightly better.
The silver wolf head said, “You entertained us today. How about this—we won’t kill you. Since you are stronger than Yin Jian, you can stay here and serve us.”
“Serve you?”
A surge of anger rose within my chest.
“I would rather die than be enslaved by you!”
“Hmph!”
The silver head sneered.
Before I knew what happened, a force struck me and sent me flying again. Although the impact was weaker than before, the humiliation was unbearable.
As I fell to the ground, I heard the golden head say to the silver one,
“This guy’s skin is extremely tough. Even that attack couldn’t damage his internal organs.”
“If it didn’t work the first time, then just hit him again.”
A flash of light.
My body lifted again and slammed into the opposite wall of the temple.
I was being tossed around like a sandbag.
But inside, I felt secretly pleased.
Because their attacks were slowly drawing out my anger.
I forced myself to recall the moment when Lei Hu insulted me… and the memory of that woman insulting my mother.
Gradually, changes began to occur within my body.
My muscles began swelling.
The Wolf God continued tossing me around easily, treating me like a toy. They deliberately avoided heavy blows.
When they sent me flying for the eleventh time, it finally happened.
My body suddenly stopped in midair.
A terrifying energy burst outward.
The golden wolf head cried out in shock.
“Look! His wings turned red! What’s happening? Is he bleeding? Maybe I hit him too hard earlier.”
The silver head replied, “You didn’t. I hit him earlier too, and he endured it.”
I slowly opened my crimson eyes.
“You asked for it.”
A red flash appeared behind them as I spread my wings.
Bang!
The Wolf God crashed to the ground.
They had blocked most of my lightning-fast strike, but the suddenness of the attack still allowed me to injure them slightly.
I turned and watched them carefully.
For the first time, both wolf heads sensed danger. The fur on their necks bristled.
“This monster suddenly became much stronger,” the golden head said.
The silver head responded, “Use our ultimate technique. Otherwise we won’t survive the next attack.”
I gripped Black Sable with both hands. Leaning slightly forward, I pointed the tip of the sword toward them.
The two wolf heads grew solemn and howled simultaneously.
Their clothes burst apart.
A brilliant golden and silver radiance exploded from their bodies.
When the light faded, I saw the Wolf God’s true form.
They had transformed into a gigantic wolf.
The beast stood three meters tall and nine meters long, its body half gold and half silver. Four eyes glared at me with savage fury.
So they can transform as well.
My body burned with crimson light as the power of the Crimson Angel enveloped me.
The Wolf God leaped into the air, its body spinning rapidly as it formed a golden-silver vortex.
Both voices shouted at once.
“Yin Jian-Gold Tornado Explosion!”
The condensed vortex shot toward me.
I roared, spread my wings, and pointed Black Sable forward.
Like a phoenix rising from hell, I charged fearlessly toward the attack.
At the instant our powers were about to collide, my mind suddenly cleared.
My purpose…
The reason I came here.
At the final moment, I forcibly changed my thrust into a sweeping motion.
An earth-shattering explosion echoed throughout the entire Wole Mountain range.
The temple of the wolf clan was blasted open. The barrier protecting it could not withstand energy of such magnitude.
The entire roof of the temple was blown away.
Golden, silver, and crimson energy surged into the sky.
Clouds within ninety miles were scattered by the shockwave. A light drizzle began falling over the mountains.
Across Yuna Territory, countless werewolves saw the magnificent scene. Most immediately knelt in worship, believing their Wolf God had performed a miracle.
But the Wolf God Guard on Wole Mountain knew the truth.
This was not a miracle.
Their god had faced an unprecedented challenger.
Yin Jian rushed into the temple with the guards.
Because of my orders, Wolf and the others did not dare act recklessly. They were blocked outside by the temple guards.
The Wolf God was the most important figure to Yin Jian. Protecting him outweighed all orders.
Inside the temple, everything lay in ruins. Broken walls and debris filled the hall.
At last Yin Jian found the Wolf God buried beneath rubble.
The two wolf heads had returned to their humanoid form. Blood flowed continuously from their mouths, and their four eyes looked dull.
Yin Jian supported the Wolf God and transferred his remaining chi into him.
“Lord Wolf God! Lord Wolf God! How are you?”
The two heads coughed weakly and gradually regained consciousness.
“Damn… that kid is impressive,” the silver head muttered. “He nearly killed us.”
Yin Jian was stunned. He had never imagined the revered Wolf God using such language.
The golden head said quietly, “Fortunately he held back at the last moment. Otherwise…”
“I wonder how he is now,” the silver head continued. “Yin Jian, we won’t die yet. Go find him. If he’s alive, he can’t be in good condition either.”
“Yes.”
Yin Jian ordered his men to support the Wolf God and began searching.
Soon they found me lying among the ruins.
I had returned to human form. My outer wounds had healed from berserk regeneration, but I lay motionless like a corpse.
Yin Jian lifted me and stared in shock.
“This… this isn’t the lionman from before. He’s human!”
The Wolf God approached slowly with assistance.
“That’s him,” the golden head said. “He was disguised when you saw him earlier. He’s not human. If I’m not mistaken, he’s a hybrid. He’s much stronger than we expected.”
“However, he held back his final attack. Otherwise the result would have been uncertain.”
He placed his hand on my chest.
“This kid’s life force is incredibly resilient. Despite such severe injuries, his vitality remains strong.”
The silver head nodded.
“Arrange a place for him. Do not allow anyone to harm him. We were injured in a fair fight.”
“Also arrange lodging for his subordinates. When he wakes up, I have questions to ask.”
“Our injuries are serious. We must heal immediately.”
Yin Jian hesitated.
“Injuring you is the gravest crime in our land. How can we allow him to remain here?”
Both wolf heads smiled bitterly.
“At the final moment he held back. If he had not, the outcome would be uncertain. How could we harm a defenseless man while he is injured?”
“If we did that, what right would we have to call ourselves the Wolf God?”
Yin Jian lowered his head in shame.
“As you command, my lord.”
With the help of the guards, the Wolf God returned to his chamber to heal.
My escorts and I were placed in a monastery.
Five hundred Wolf God Guard soldiers were assigned to “protect” us.
We were well fed and treated politely.
The only restriction was that no one was allowed to leave.
Seeing my severe injuries, Wolf did not dare cause trouble. He remained by my side in the monastery, hoping I would awaken soon.
While I remained unconscious, he could only feed me liquid food to sustain my life.
They also attempted to heal me using chi, but their energy could not enter my meridians. Afraid of injuring me further, they dared not force it.
In the end, I could only rely on myself to recover.
…..
Ten days later.
My body hurt. I could not move.
I woke with a low groan. At that moment I could not move at all. I rolled my eyes to look around and found myself in a refined and elegantly decorated room.
Where is this? Did I die? Did I go to hell?
Then why are there still wounds all over my body? Did the Wolf God Guard not kill me?
“Young Master, you finally woke up!”
After the surprised and delighted cry, Wolf appeared within my field of vision.
I asked hoarsely, “Where are we?”
Wolf replied, “We’re still on Wole Mountain. We’ve been placed under house arrest by those people. Their guards are everywhere outside. How are your injuries?”
His question reminded me of what had happened.
During the final clash I redirected Black Sable. The immense energy blasted both of us away. At that moment I believed I would die.
I never expected the Wolf God to be so powerful. He was the first opponent who could rival me even when I had transformed into the Crimson Angel.
However, because I held back at the final moment, the Wolf God also withdrew part of his power during the last strike.
The moment I was blasted away, I knew he would not die. His strength was still slightly greater than mine.
In that battle, I lost.
However, if I had truly risked my life, I could have ensured that we both perished together.
I examined the condition of my body.
“Miserable” was the only way to describe it.
Nearly all of my meridians were damaged. My Mad God chi had completely vanished. Only a small trace of dark magic remained in my mind.
Whether I could recover from this… even heaven might not know.
I smiled bitterly.
“I’m afraid my injuries won’t heal anytime soon. They didn’t make things difficult for you, did they?”
Wolf shook his head.
“Other than not letting us leave, they haven’t done anything else. They bring us good food every day. But there are several hundred guards outside. With our strength…”
“It’s fine,” I interrupted calmly. “Since the Wolf God didn’t kill me then, he has no reason to kill me now. Use this time to train. Only when my injuries recover will we have any chance of leaving.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“You may go now. I want to be alone for a while.”
Wolf left.
I tried to mobilize the remaining dark magic in my mind to heal myself, but the energy barely moved before stopping completely.
I tried again and again, but it was useless.
Only the turquoise gem continued sending life energy into my body, slowly repairing my meridians.
But at this rate…
I might need more than ten years to fully recover.
Suddenly I remembered something.
The time when I first transformed into the Crimson Angel.
Back then my body had also been severely damaged and my meridians badly exhausted.
When I was repairing my meridians at that time, Black Sable had helped me greatly. It had released dark magic and helped reorganize my meridians, giving me the opportunity to recover.
Thinking of this, I called out weakly,
“Wolf… come in.”
Because of my injuries my voice was extremely faint, but even that caused intense pain throughout my body.
Wolf had sharp hearing and immediately rushed to my bedside.
“Young Master.”
I forced myself to endure the pain.
“Where is my sword? Bring it to me.”
Wolf looked troubled.
“Young Master, when I found you that day, I didn’t see your sword.”
Only then did I remember.
During the final clash, Black Sable had been knocked from my hand. It must still be somewhere in the temple ruins.
“Can you go and ask them for it? That sword is very important to my recovery.”
Wolf nodded immediately.
“Yes. I’ll go right away.”
“Remember to be polite,” I reminded him. “I don’t want to fall out with them.”
Wolf turned and left the room.
Will those werewolves return Black Sable to me?
If I cannot recover it… my plan to spread the Beast God’s faith may fail completely.
Before long Wolf returned.
I asked in surprise, “That was quick. Why are you back already?”
His face was full of anger.
“Those bastards wouldn’t let me leave no matter what I said. In the end they only agreed to report it to their commander. If you hadn’t ordered me not to fight, I would have attacked them already.”
I frowned.
“Are you as impulsive as Mink? Remember this—if you can solve a problem with your mind, do not use your fists.”
“Impulsiveness only leads to ruin. No matter how difficult the situation is, you must remain calm. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“You may go. If they return my sword, bring it to me immediately.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
After hearing my words his expression changed repeatedly. I hoped he would remember them.
Three days passed.
There was still no response about the sword.
Whenever Wolf asked again, they always said they had already reported it to their commander, but there was still no reply.
Could Yin Jian have taken an interest in Black Sable?
But the sword would be useless to him. And he didn’t seem like that kind of person.
Just then a bearman guard hurried into the room.
He lowered his voice.
“Young Master, someone has come to see you.”
“Who?”
The bearman shook his head.
“I don’t know. The person is wearing a large cloak. I couldn’t see his face.”
A cloak?
Probably Yin Jian again.
I ordered, “Let him in. You stand guard outside. Do not let anyone disturb us.”
Soon the cloaked figure entered the room.
But the moment I saw him, I was shocked.
Even though I could not see his face, I knew immediately that this was not Yin Jian.
It was the Wolf God himself.
Even under the cloak, the difference between having one head and two heads was obvious.
“Why have you come?” I asked in surprise.
The Wolf God lifted his cloak, revealing the two wolf heads with their strangely childish expressions.
The golden head smiled.
“What? Are we not welcome?”
“I heard you were asking for your sword. So we brought it.”
I answered cautiously.
“Thank you. Please place it beside me.”
The Wolf God removed Black Sable from beneath his cloak and placed it on the bed.
The silver wolf head pressed his hand against my chest. A gentle energy tried to enter my body.
But just like before, the energy could not pass through my damaged meridians.
He frowned.
“The meridians in your body are completely disordered. Even though your life force is strong, recovery will be very difficult.”
I replied bitterly, “Whose fault do you think that is?”
The golden head sighed.
“That day, because you did not thrust your sword toward us, we withdrew some of our power at the final moment. Otherwise, no matter how strong your vitality is, you would not have survived.”
“Of course, our injuries were not light either.”
I snorted.
“Even if I died, I would have taken you with me.”
Both wolf heads shook their heads.
“You don’t believe me?” I said angrily. “Then we can try again after I recover.”
The silver wolf head answered calmly.
“It’s not that we don’t believe you. But given the situation that day, it would have been impossible for you to kill both of us.”
“We were seriously injured as well. Even now we have only recovered about thirty percent.”
“But you could not have killed both of us.”
I knew exactly what had happened that day.
It was true that I could have stabbed Black Sable into their hearts.
But judging from the silver wolf head’s expression, he was not joking.
He continued,
“You could have killed one of us. But not both.”
“We actually have two hearts.”
“That is why.”
The golden head pointed at the silver head.
“Thank you for not killing this one.”
The silver head immediately retorted,
“What do you mean killing me? You were the one about to be stabbed! Your heart is on the left!”
The golden head argued back.
“How do you know he wouldn’t stab the right side? Normal people have their hearts there too!”
Their quarrel startled me.
Suddenly both heads turned toward me.
“Well? Answer us. Which side were you planning to stab?”
I forced a bitter smile.
“Why argue about something that already passed? I never intended to kill you. I never even thought about which side to stab.”
In truth I had aimed for the left side.
But there was no reason to provoke them.
Both heads pouted and turned away from each other again.
Watching them made me want to laugh.
“So why did you bring me here? What are you planning to do with me?”
The two wolf heads suddenly became energetic.
The golden head spoke first.
“We don’t intend to harm you. Recover first. After that we will discuss things properly.”
The silver head nodded.
“That’s right. Your recovery is the most important thing. Our injuries will take about two months to heal as well. Let’s wait until then.”
Their behavior almost felt… eager to please.
It was strange.
Still, they were right. With my injuries I could do nothing.
I nodded sarcastically.
“Then I’ll trouble you to take care of us while I recover.”
The golden head laughed.
“Don’t mention it. We’ve already instructed Yin Jian. As long as you don’t try to leave, he will satisfy any reasonable requests.”
“We’ll take our leave now. Rest well.”
His words made me even more suspicious.
They clearly did not intend to kill us.
But they also had no intention of releasing us.
And they had mentioned wanting to discuss something with me once I recovered.
Combined with the loneliness they had spoken about earlier…
I think I understand what they want.
“Before you leave, could you send one of my escorts in?”
The Wolf God agreed and left.
Soon afterward the bearman escort entered.
“Young Master, what are your orders?”
“Help me sit up. Then place my sword beneath me.”
The bearman hurried to the bed and lifted my upper body.
His rough movements caused intense pain.
“Idiot! Can’t you be gentler?” I scolded.
He apologized repeatedly, placed Black Sable beneath my body, and slowly lowered me back down.
The moment my body touched the sword, a wave of cold energy flowed into me.
In an instant it spread through my entire body.
The pain gradually faded.
Excellent.
“You may go,” I said.
I carefully guided the newly arrived energy through my meridians.
The energy from Black Sable felt different from the dark magic I cultivated, yet they clearly originated from the same source.
I guided the energy through my heart meridian first, then directed it upward toward my mind.
My plan was to merge it with the chaotic dark magic remaining in my mind, then use the combined power to repair my meridians.
Time passed quickly.
Before I realized it, a full month had gone by.
I successfully reconnected the meridians linking my brain and heart.
I also cleared the meridians of my left arm.
Now I could slowly move my head and left arm.
Today I managed to circulate dark magic through my body once.
After finishing the cycle, I prepared to rest.
Suddenly I remembered something.
The turquoise gem hidden in my clothing.
Now that the meridians of my brain and heart were open…
If I place it on my forehead, perhaps its life field might accelerate my recovery.
Even if it fails, it can’t make things worse.
I reached my left hand toward the inner pocket where I had stored the gem.
But because my body was still weak and stiff, no matter how hard I tried, my hand could not reach the right side of my body.
I could not ask the escorts for help.
Our time together had been too short.
I had to remain cautious.
I tried again.
Still no success.
Frustrated, I rested my hand against my vest.
At that moment my fingers touched something hard.
It was a gem from the pocket on the lower left side of my vest.
I took it out and examined it.
It was one of the black gems—the type I had the most of.
Even Zi Yan did not know what they were for.
The fat baron who compensated me should not have given worthless stones…
Perhaps they had some hidden effect.
I placed the gem on my forehead and tried to sense its power.
Nothing happened.
It felt like nothing more than a small cold stone.
Damn it.
Did that bastard cheat me with useless stones?
In anger I accidentally tilted my head.
The black gem rolled off immediately.
I could not catch it in time.
Instinctively I opened my mouth.
The gem fell straight in.
I was quite pleased with myself.
If it had fallen to the right side of the bed, I would never have been able to retrieve it.
But just as I congratulated myself, something strange happened.
The gem began dissolving in my saliva.
Shocked, I tried to pull it out with my hand.
But the gem melted extremely quickly.
By the time my fingers reached my mouth, it had already turned into icy liquid and flowed down my throat.