Chapter Sixteen: Successive Sacrifices

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They still had more important matters ahead; judging by the formation, there were at most twenty or so wolves, which should be easy enough for them to handle.

“It’s the Red Moon now. The wolves are probably at their strongest,” Hao Yun said gravely, wiping his brow.

The Book of Beasts only mentioned that during the full moon, and especially the Red Moon, wolves would unleash their wild nature, growing long fangs. How much their attack power increased was unknown.

But one thing was certain: their attacks would be more dangerous. Facing the unknown was always harder than dealing with the familiar.

Hao Po’s eyes were wide open, seemingly unaffected by the tension. He was carefully observing the surroundings, waiting for the last ray of light to burst forth. When the brilliance was at its peak, that would be the moment to strike.

The shards of crystal shifted little by little. Where their light touched, the ground gradually brightened, as if night were being transformed into day.

Yet the difference remained. Each wolf’s body glowed red—whether it was caused by the crystals or the Red Moon itself was uncertain—but the effect was haunting.

The trees lit up, making the red shine on the wolves' bodies appear even more uncanny. The sky grew brighter. Was this what it looked like when the source of light was fully unleashed?

Hao Po’s hand moved. The sword vanished from his grip. In a flash of light and shadow, his right arm swept forward, tracing an arc through the air.

Leaves nearby scattered instantly; a close look would reveal the air itself had been compressed.

A crescent-shaped beam of light swept forward, slicing through the forest in an instant, vanishing without a trace.

From within the woods came a sudden wolf’s howl, as though one had been struck. The trees trembled in response.

The forest fell eerily silent—no more howls, not even the rustle of leaves.

Hao Po’s strike, from unsheathing to returning his blade, all happened in a heartbeat, quicker than the blink of an eye.

True internal force, released outward! The blade’s light flashed for dozens of meters! Innate Astral Energy? Ruoxi’s eyes widened in shock.

Innate Astral Energy could be projected beyond the body, but only for an inch's distance. How could his strike travel dozens of meters? Was his level even higher?

At such a stage, force surged from every pore, tearing through air currents and transforming into tangible energy—power so great it was nearly unparalleled.

He drew and sheathed his blade.

“Let’s go!” Hao Po darted toward the light, feet flashing with strength, splitting the air with a crack as if compressing it.

“The alpha is dead. Now, without a leader, the wolves should be much easier to handle,” Hao Yun observed where the blade had struck.

“Move! Don’t fall behind!” Hao Tian watched as Hao Po rushed ahead at full strength to clear the path. Was there something even more dangerous ahead that needed to be dealt with first?

Ruoxi and Xiaoshan exchanged glances and hurried after them, having no idea what their mission was or which way to go.

Next time, they needed to clarify these things before setting out. This time, they had rushed in blindly.

The surrounding wolves began to pace about, opening and closing their jaws as if murmuring among themselves.

“Awooo!”

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A single wolf’s howl echoed across the night sky, rough and low, carrying a sense of restraint, misery, and menace. Xiaoshan shuddered at the sound, goosebumps prickling all over his arms.

A Red Moon hung in the sky, surrounded by wolves baring their fangs and ready to pounce at a moment’s notice, tearing their prey apart.

Nothing could be more terrifying than this.

Upon hearing the howl, the wolves’ red eyes grew even brighter, as if the entire night became more luminous.

The wolves began to move. Perhaps they had lost patience, or perhaps they feared their prey might escape. They launched their attack.

This was their signal to strike.

“Watch out for their fangs!” Hao Yun warned, never forgetting this feature of the wolves.

Under the crystal shards’ glow, the fangs appeared white; under the Red Moon, they gleamed red. Whether it was the moonlight or something else, the change was undeniable.

Hao Yun couldn’t be mistaken—his memory was nearly photographic, and such a vivid detail could not be overlooked.

The wolves advanced, but their ranks did not fall into chaos with the attack. Their formation remained tight and orderly, no wolf more than a meter ahead of the others, each covering and cooperating with its packmates.

It wasn’t long before the wolves caught up, their target the straggler at the rear—Xiaoshan.

Within a hundred meters, the pack suddenly accelerated, focusing on the tail end of their prey.

One wolf broke from the group, lunging forward and snapping its jaws at Xiaoshan’s thigh.

Xiaoshan’s mind raced, trying to figure out how to minimize the damage. He shifted his footing slightly, but not enough to evade the attack.

The wolf’s fangs clamped onto his thigh, its head shaking violently, as if intent on tearing his leg clean off.

Pain shot through Xiaoshan’s leg, making him stagger. Yet his motion sent the wolf flying, and he swung his sword at its head.

The wolf, startled, released his thigh and was hurled away.

The pack saw their vanguard thrown aside but did not hesitate, leaping over the fallen wolf and continuing their pursuit.

Their cooperation did not falter. As one wolf was thrown down, another immediately lunged at Xiaoshan.

This time, the wolf went for Xiaoshan’s left leg, perhaps judging the sword in his right hand too difficult to counter.

Xiaoshan’s speed was just a hair too slow, and the wolf clamped its jaws onto him again.

He hadn’t even recovered from the pain in one leg before the other was bitten.

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He tried the same tactic, shaking his left leg to jostle the wolf biting him. The wolf’s body jerked in response, but its jaws held firm.

He wanted to move his sword, but realized that running made it nearly impossible to bring the blade to his left leg.

A large pack of wolves bore down behind him—he couldn’t stop!

“Use your hand!”

A sudden thought lit up Xiaoshan’s eyes. He reached for the wolf’s head, channeling all the energy he had left into his left arm.

The wolf seemed to sense what was coming and slowed its frantic thrashing.

Xiaoshan’s large hand gripped the wolf’s head tightly. The animal’s front and hind paws flailed, searching for purchase, but it was futile.

Xiaoshan’s fingers dug in. The wolf’s jaws loosened at last, and with a cry, it was flung aside.

“Run faster! Draw your sword! Use your blade to kill them!” Hao Yun called out, his own hands never pausing. With a thrust of his left hand, his sword pierced through—a flash of white followed by a wash of red. Each strike brought down a wolf.

“So fierce!” Xiaoshan was stunned by the scene before him.

And Hao Tian was even more formidable. Unlike Hao Yun, who fought defensively, Hao Tian immediately struck out at any wolf that came near, never missing his mark.

Xiaoshan looked down at his own sword, hesitating over whether to draw it.

“Focus! Especially you, Xiaoshan!” Hao Yun, taking in the whole scene, reminded them sharply.

“Maybe I can kill a wolf with one strike, too,” Xiaoshan muttered to himself, watching Hao Tian and the others, his confidence growing. Yet he also worried that if he hesitated, he’d freeze up and be unable to move at all.

“If I don’t use the sword, both legs will be bitten. But if I use it…?” Xiaoshan gazed enviously at the others, awed by their skill and composure.

Even Ruoxi was unscathed—though wielding her sword looked strenuous, she managed to hold her ground.

Xiaoshan knew that indecision was a martial artist’s greatest enemy. Some choices had to be made on the spot, weighing what was best.

But while he hesitated, two or three wolves charged him at once, throwing him into confusion.

He swept his right hand in an arc around his body, forcing the wolves to recoil half a step, but one of them seized the opportunity and bit his left leg.

With no choice, Xiaoshan grabbed the wolf’s head with his left hand and flung it away.

He realized then that he could no longer afford to hesitate. With wolves pressing from behind, coming in wave after wave, if he kept dithering, he’d be overwhelmed before he even knew what happened.