Chapter 86

The pack of wolves surrounded for a long time but could not climb up the massive rock. Being cunning by nature, they came up with a plan. Several wolves approached the rock, and immediately other wolves climbed onto their backs, stacking themselves like a human pyramid against the rock, trying to climb to the top in this way.

The little girl was the first to notice this situation and quickly tugged at Hu Xiaotian's sleeve. Hu Xiaotian picked up the water-fire staff and struck the wolf at the top with all his might. As the staff fell, blood splattered, and the green wolf, dazed, slid off its companions. Just as one was repelled, another climbed up fearlessly.

Hu Xiaotian did not dare to relax for a moment, swinging the water-fire staff wildly to prevent the wolves from using the human pyramid method to climb the rock.

The little girl also joined in, raising the black box in her hand and aiming it at the wolves below, firing a round. The暴雨梨花针 (Bao Yu Li Hua Zhen, a type of dart) was truly formidable; after one round, seven or eight wolves were hit, howling in pain as they fell. The formation they had built up immediately collapsed. The wolves, extremely cruel, showed no sympathy for their dying companions and instead rushed forward to tear them apart, blood and flesh flying everywhere, the scene of carnage was nauseating.

The little girl covered her nose and mouth, turning her face to the side to vomit.

Although Hu Xiaotian also felt somewhat nauseated, he did not dare to let his guard down, holding the water-fire staff ready, fearing that the wolves would take the opportunity to climb up.

At this moment, the sound of eagles came from the sky, and dozens of black eagles spread their wings and flew over, circling above their heads. Hu Xiaotian looked up and was taken aback. It seemed that this was a combined land and air assault. The previous battle was a ground battle, and now it had turned into an air raid.

Dozens of black eagles almost simultaneously dove down. Hu Xiaotian was frustrated. A beastmaster, it turned out that such a powerful and cool profession existed in this world. Without even showing their face, they had already launched such a large-scale animal army. If he lost today, wouldn't he be worse than a beast? Thinking of these words, he couldn't help but recall the joke he had told earlier, but now he couldn't laugh at all. He turned to the little girl and saw the deep fear on her face. She aimed the暴雨梨花针 (Bao Yu Li Hua Zhen) at the sky, but after three rounds, it had become a useless needle box.

At the critical moment of life and death, the two had completely put aside their guard. Hu Xiaotian took out the暴雨梨花针 (Bao Yu Li Hua Zhen) given to him by An Dequan and handed it to her. The little girl took the needle box and was about to shoot when Hu Xiaotian said, "Save some bullets, don't use them unless it's the last resort!" He raised the water-fire staff with both hands and struck a black eagle that was diving down, hitting its wing. Feathers flew, and the black eagle screamed as it spiraled down. Before it hit the ground, it was snatched by a leaping green wolf, and several wolves immediately surrounded it, tearing it apart in an instant.

Hu Xiaotian protected the little girl, swinging the water-fire staff so fiercely that it blocked the black eagles' attacks from the sky. However, as time passed, his strength gradually waned, his arms became sore, and the water-fire staff felt heavier. He repelled two black eagles and looked towards the distant forest, feeling anxious and worried, wondering how Murong Feiyang was doing.

Before entering the forest, Murong Feiyang's right shoulder had been scratched by a wolf's claw. She managed to break free from the wolves' encirclement and enter the forest. She turned her face to look at her right shoulder and saw that the shoulder of her clothes had been torn by the wolf's claws, leaving four shocking blood marks. She bit her lip, pressed a point on her chest to slow the bleeding, and moved her arm to confirm that no tendons or bones were injured. Looking back, she saw under the moonlight that dozens of eagles were circling over the massive rock. Although they were at a distance, she could guess the dangerous situation Hu Xiaotian and the little girl were in.

Murong Feiyang suppressed the impulse to rush back to help, calmed her mind, and listened intently. In the dense forest to her right, intermittent howls could still be heard. At first, it seemed like the sound of some wild animal, but upon closer inspection, it was clearly human.

Murong Feiyang identified the source of the sound, leaped onto a tree branch, and moved stealthily through the branches, gradually approaching the source of the sound.

The sound became clearer, and Murong Feiyang, using the cover of the treetops, looked ahead. About twenty yards away, a man in gray sat cross-legged, his long hair hanging over his shoulders, wearing a bronze mask that reflected a deep metallic glow in the moonlight. The mask was ugly and fierce, and he held a bamboo stick, rhythmically tapping the ground while muttering strange sounds, sometimes like a wild animal's roar, sometimes like a bird's cry, mimicking them perfectly.

Murong Feiyang was certain that this man was the beastmaster who had driven the animals to attack. She climbed along the treetops, quietly approaching the beastmaster, reducing the distance to about ten yards. The beastmaster still did not notice. Murong Feiyang took a deep breath, leaped from the branch, and thrust her sword forward, her body spiraling in the air, closing the distance to about one yard in an instant.

As Murong Feiyang emerged from the treetops, the beastmaster noticed her. He raised his head, and through the holes in the mask, a pair of cold, murderous eyes glared at her. He made a strange sound in his throat.

Whoosh! From the treetops on the left, a dazzling silver light shot towards Murong Feiyang.

Murong Feiyang, who had overlooked this detail, did not notice the archer hidden nearby. The arrow, charged with force, shot towards her like a bolt of lightning. She had to abandon her killing blow, deflecting the arrow with her sword. The arrow was not made of wood but of fine steel. The collision produced a sharp crack and a burst of air.

Before her feet touched the ground, another arrow shot from the treetops, aiming for her throat. The arrowhead glinted coldly, the silver shaft and tail feathers like a meteor streaking through the night, reaching her in an instant.

Murong Feiyang used all her strength, swinging her sword in an arc, the tip of the sword deflecting the arrow, which was deflected off course, creating a trail of sparks from the high-speed friction.

At the same time, the beastmaster, without a word, leaped from the ground, his claws aiming for Murong Feiyang's lower body. The attack was silent and extremely vicious.

Murong Feiyang, still in the air, kicked out with her right foot, striking the beastmaster's wrist. The beastmaster sneered, his left wrist twisting to press down on Murong Feiyang's ankle.

Murong Feiyang retracted her feet, performing a backflip, landing on the grass behind her. The beastmaster, bare-handed, his hands like bird claws, aimed his right index and middle fingers at Murong Feiyang's eyes and kicked her abdomen with his right foot. Every move was a killing blow, each one vicious and deadly. The attack on her eyes was a feint to distract her, while the silent kick to her abdomen was the fatal move.

Murong Feiyang leaned back to avoid the beastmaster's right hand. The beastmaster was delighted, thinking his right foot would surely succeed, but unexpectedly, Murong Feiyang thrust her sword downward, striking the beastmaster's right leg. The force of the sword was not great, but the beastmaster had used all his strength. The relative motion added to the force, and with a "pu" sound, the sword pierced through the beastmaster's calf. The beastmaster, reacting quickly, let out a scream of pain and retracted his bleeding leg.

Murong Feiyang would not let this opportunity pass, and her sword cut between the beastmaster's legs. The sword flashed, and the beastmaster's legs were split open, blood gushing out, and he died on the spot.