Yunxi would never allow her spoils to be intercepted. With a wave of her sleeve, she swept up the corpse of the fourth-rank snow wolf she had hunted.
"Awoo!"
A long howl came from the back of the wolf pack.
Yunxi and Xun Kun flashed to the other side of the five-person team. The snow wolf pack instinctively parted, revealing a snow wolf with a pure white body and a tuft of ice-blue fur between its brows. Its powerful strides carried it to the front of the group, and its ice-blue eyes swept over Yunxi and Xun Kun.
The five cultivators gripped their weapons tightly, wary eyes fixed on the Snow Wolf King. They could sense this wolf was of the fifth rank, equivalent to a Divine Transformation cultivator. Against such a beast, the five of them were no match, especially with over thirty third and fourth-rank wolves surrounding them. That was why, when one of them had called for help earlier, no one had objected.1
The Snow Wolf King sensed danger from Yunxi and Xun Kun. It paced anxiously in place before speaking in a deep, resonant voice.
"Human cultivators, return my child. Otherwise, I will fight to the death to keep you here."
Its cold gaze swept toward the female cultivator who had called for aid earlier.
Another sharp howl pierced the air. Moments later, a slightly smaller snow wolf leapt to the Snow Wolf King's side. Its ice-blue eyes burned with fury as it glared at the five-person team, though it did not ignore Yunxi and Xun Kun, carefully gauging their strength.
Yunxi raised an eyebrow. A single glance told her this wolf was once fifth-rank as well but had dropped to the fourth rank due to giving birth. The Snow Wolf King had come chasing after its stolen pup, and the wolf mother, disregarding her weakened state, had followed.
So these five had stumbled into the Snow Wolf King's den? How convenient.
"Zūnzhě, we didn't steal its cub," one male cultivator quickly denied.
Yunxi's tone was casual. "You say you did not, but why else would the wolves pursue you so relentlessly? The Snow Wolf King can surely recognize its own offspring's scent."
The female cultivator who had cried for help frowned. "Zūnzhě, you are a human cultivator. Why side with them?"
Yunxi chuckled softly. "In that case, I will not meddle in your trial."
She turned on her heel and walked away. Xun Kun followed without a word.
He had no desire to involve himself with such foolish people. Ran Xi had been kind enough to help, and yet these fools blamed her for not taking their side. Without Yunxi and Xun Kun holding the wolves at bay, the five of them would be torn apart soon enough. Did they truly think the Snow Wolf King was so easy to reason with?
The only reason it had spoken was because the two of them were here. Even with their cultivation suppressed, their strength was undeniable. The killing intent that clung to them after emerging from the Shanhe Scroll was enough to make the Snow Wolf King wary. He wanted to see what would happen to the five once they were gone.
Their departure was so swift that even the wolf pack was momentarily stunned. After all, these were the same two who had so efficiently slaughtered their companions just moments ago.
A male cultivator's forehead veins bulged with anger as he roared at the outspoken female cultivator.
"Zou Suyao, Zou Hexuan! Hand over the cub now! Otherwise, do not expect my help. No one will clean up your mess this time!"
The two siblings' faces darkened.
"Senior Brother, why are you siding against us?" Zou Suyao snapped.
The more composed female cultivator nearby shot them a disdainful look before silently retreating. Without warning, she crushed a teleportation talisman, vanishing from sight.
The man addressed as Senior Brother activated a Heartlink Knot and teleported away as well. Neither departure triggered a response from the wolf pack. The Snow Wolf King and his mate remained focused on the Zou siblings.
The remaining male cultivator clasped his hands respectfully toward the Snow Wolf King. "I did not touch your cub, and I will not aid them. I leave now."
With that, he vanished using Shrinking the Ground to an Inch.
The Zou siblings' expressions turned ashen as the wolves encircled them once again, awaiting their king's command.
Zou Suyao clenched her teeth in fury. She had never been abandoned by her own companions before.
"Those bastards… Once we leave this secret realm, I will make them pay."
Her younger brother, Zou Hexuan, said irritably, "Sister, what now? Return the cub to them! Otherwise, we will not get out alive."
Cruel determination flashed in Zou Suyao's eyes. From her spirit beast pouch, she yanked out a tiny snow wolf pup, eyes still closed, its snowy fur glimmering faintly with an icy-blue sheen. The tuft of ice-blue fur on its forehead marked it as the Snow Wolf King's child, and its bloodline was extraordinarily pure.
Yunxi's eyes glimmered with understanding. No wonder Zou Suyao had stolen it. If she contracted this cub, it would grow into a tremendous asset in the future. Yunxi could see why she was reluctant to part with it.
But Xun Kun frowned.
"This Zou Suyao harbors ill intent."
Yunxi and Xun Kun had not gone far, cloaked in the snowstorm's concealment.
Though they disliked the five cultivators, they had not planned to watch them be slaughtered. As long as the cub was returned, the Snow Wolf King might spare them for Yunxi and Xun Kun's sake.
But disaster struck quickly. As Zou Suyao tossed the cub, she secretly slipped an Explosive Talisman into its tiny arms. As the pup arced through the air, she coldly uttered, "Explode," and she and Zou Hexuan simultaneously crushed teleportation talismans.
"Damn it!"
Yunxi could only curse as the talisman detonated mid-air. The pup wailed pitifully as its body was torn apart, ice-blue blood splattering in all directions.
The wolf mother howled in grief, charging frantically toward her falling cub. The Snow Wolf King's icy-blue eyes turned a pure, terrifying blue. Its enraged howl reverberated across the snowy plains.
With a swipe of his claws, countless spatial rifts erupted around the Zou siblings' fading silhouettes, shredding their bodies mid-teleportation. They perished without even a scream.
The entire wolf pack gathered around the grieving wolf mother, their mournful cries filling the sky, echoing with fury. Other snow beasts throughout the secret realm answered their call.
The Snow Wolf King's blazing eyes locked on Yunxi and Xun Kun's hidden forms, bared fangs gleaming with killing intent.
"These two fools," Xun Kun muttered. "They've managed to spark a war between cultivators and the beasts of this realm all on their own. At this rate, even without the evil cultivators, the ones who entered this realm will die because of them."
Yunxi stepped forward, sweeping her sleeve to dispel her concealment. She appeared before the Snow Wolf King.
"I can save your child," she said.