Fang Yuan remained indifferent as he weaved his way through the wolf pack.
A layer of white jade light glowed around his body, shielding him from the lightning wolves' frenzied bites and claws. But each hit that landed drained his primeval essence at a rapid pace.
Not far behind, Bai Ning Bing's nostrils flared, releasing streams of water vapor that swirled into a spherical barrier around him.
As the lightning wolves slammed into this watery shield, the force of their charges was dispersed by the flowing moisture, causing them to be repelled by waves of rippling water.
In truth, Bai Ning Bing's current performance wasn't all that outstanding. Although he had reached Rank three, he had suppressed his cultivation to fight with only Rank two strength—at least according to him.
Even so, Bai Ning Bing had a slight edge over Fang Yuan in speed and primeval essence reserves. But with the interference of the wolf pack, the gap between the two began to widen.
What truly made the difference was their physical strength.
Fang Yuan possessed the strength of two boars and more, whereas Bai Ning Bing was slightly weaker in this regard. Fang Yuan could push forward despite the wolves' attacks. Bai Ning Bing's water shield, while effective in deflecting some strikes, lacked the force to clear a path as Fang Yuan could.
A bold lightning wolf took notice of the two.
With a commanding howl, it signaled the surrounding wolves to make way, instantly creating an opening.
It charged forward without hesitation, baring down on Fang Yuan.
The four trapped Gu Masters grew visibly anxious as they watched the scene unfold.
Behind them, Bai Ning Bing let out a hearty laugh, amused by the development.
But in the blink of an eye, Fang Yuan vanished like a ripple disappearing into still water.
Bai Ning Bing's laughter cut short, stunned by the sudden disappearance, just like the Gu Masters below.
The bold lightning wolf, unable to stop its charge and now robbed of its target, let out a furious howl and turned its rage on Bai Ning Bing instead.
Bai Ning Bing, seeing this, couldn't help but grin once more, his amusement returning.
"Hehehe, this is really interesting- you really are interesting! Hahaha, then I shall start my meal with this appetizer!" As he finished speaking, his eyes transitioned, changing from black to a shade of blue the same color as that of the sky.
Taking position, he lifted one leg like a flamingo and extended his ice blade, beginning to spin in place. His rotation rapidly gained momentum, and the ice blade cut through the air in sweeping arcs, leaving behind streaks of sword energy that whirled like a tornado. These dazzling sword slashes solidified into a fierce blizzard, quickly swallowing the wolf pack in a flurry of snow and ice.
Countless lightning wolves were ripped apart, reduced to minced flesh tossed violently by the storm.
Yet, barely a drop of blood hit the surroundings — nearly all of it was instantly frozen within the freezing cyclone.
The bold lightning wolf growled defiantly and activated the Gu worm within its body. Sparks of golden electricity flickered across its fur, and its hairs stood erect. Electric chains coiled around its limbs and torso, forming a glimmering suit of chainmail-like armor.
With a surge of strength, it lunged forward like a golden comet, charging straight into the heart of the storm.
A booming impact echoed throughout the valley as the blizzard came to a halt. A broken shard of the ice blade was flung into the air, embedding itself into a rocky cliff with a sharp thunk.
The thick mist cleared.
On the exposed ground, the bold lightning wolf lay motionless — its heart had been pierced by an ice blade, a blow that had ended its life in an instant.
Bai Ning Bing chuckled, withdrawing the ice blade from the wolf's corpse, clearly savoring his victory.
Although the weapon had snapped in half and the remaining piece was riddled with cracks, he didn't seem to mind.
Calmly, he raised his left hand and ran it over the damaged blade. As his hand passed over it, a chilly mist spread across the surface, starting from the hilt and spreading along the blade's length.
Wherever the mist reached, the ice blade was repaired — its surface restored, its edge honed anew.
Before long, the weapon had fully regrown, a sharp new tip replacing the shattered end.
The wolf pack scattered after losing their leader, but Fang Yuan had already vanished without a trace.
"We will definitely remember Lord Bai Ning Bong's act of saving us!" The few Gu Masters that survived went up and gratefully paid their respects to Bai Ning Bing.
Only Gu Yue Man Shi stayed on the spot, his expression being uncertain.
Back then, he lost to Bai Ning Bing, and was very indignant, but was let off by the latter. Now, though he had already successfully refined the Monolith Gu, upon seeing Bai Ning Bing again, he did not have any confidence to challenge him anymore.
Bai Ning Bing snorted. Suddenly his arm moved, and the ice blade drew a few shining traces in the air.
"This…"
"Ah!"
The three Gu Masters were caught off guard, not expecting their savior just moments ago to attack. They carried a look of disbelief as they laid on the ground, forever.
"Bai Ning Bing, what are you doing?!" Gu Yue Man Shi screamed, shocked and angry at the sudden manslaughter.
"Murdering of course. Is something wrong in your head, isn't this obvious?" Bai Ning Bing shrugged and laughed coldly.
"Accursed bastard!" Gu Yu Man Shi tightly clenched his fists out of rage while he gritted his teeth and scolded the other master. "Our three clans have formed an alliance, yet you attack our Gu Yue clansman; this is a violation of our alliance treaty! If you have any problems, come at me, I'm here. Nevermind, it is time we settle our grudge from back then!"
Saying so, Gu Yue Man Shi shouted and took a few steps, charging towards Bai Ning Bing.
He activated the Monolith Gu with all his strength, and all the muscles on his body bulked up while a thick rock skin formed. His entire appearance had turned into a rock man.
"Courting death." Bai Ning Bing laughed coldly, raising his blade.
The sharp ice blade came down relentlessly, first hacking Gu Yue Man Shi's head, moving down past his brows before carving through his nose, lips and throat. The blade quickly came to a rest after it bisected the Gu Master down past his chest in an instant.
Rock fragments flew out as the ice blade hit the abdomen, and the blade snapped. But the icy mist had already frozen all the remaining life force left in Man Shi's body.
He fell to the ground with a splatter, as dead as can be.
The rock skin on his body slowly vanished, revealing his true form.
"Looks familiar…" Bai Ning Bing shook the wrist that was hurt by the vibration of the rock; he had pretty much forgotten the incident where he spared Man Shi.
He shook his head, turning around and facing the wide valley to shout.
"Come out. The Gu Masters you want dead, I've done it for you. Come come come, let's have a life and death match!" Just as Bai Ning Bing's words had finished, Fang Yuan appeared not far away.
The white-haired young man's eyes lit up with excitement as he raised his ice blade and slashed at Fang Yuan.
Fang Yuan gave a silent laugh in response, then turned and walked away without hesitation.
Bai Ning Bing yelled in frustration at Fang Yuan's continued escape and once again gave chase without pause.
As they ran, Fang Yuan deliberately led Bai Ning Bing toward the nearest battlefield, where Xiong Li's group was already engaged in a fierce fight against a pack of lightning wolves led by a bold lightning wolf.
This wolf pack had clearly also been drawn there by Fang Yuan's earlier efforts.
"Everyone put in more effort, the wolf pack is at its limit! The south-east direction sent a distress signal, it's been a while, they need our help!" Xiong Li urged on his group, but halfway through, he could no longer speak when he saw Fang Yuan, and the Bai Ning Bing persistantly behind him.
Ever since Fang Yuan surrendered, Xiong Li no longer cared about him. Thus, his gaze quickly shifted from Fang Yuan to Bai Ning Bing.
"Bai Ning Bing!" Xiong Li's eyes spewed fire upon seeing the white clothed, white haired young man, his heart uncontrollably growing with rage.
Not long ago, Bai Ning Bing had suddenly appeared before him and launched an attack without saying a word, an event that remained vivid in his memory.
At that time, Bai Ning Bing had even deliberately suppressed his cultivation to Rank two.
Xiong Li had been completely unprepared and suffered a crushing defeat. His personal dignity, along with the reputation of his clan, had been mercilessly trampled by Bai Ning Bing. To him, this was an unbearable humiliation — how could he not be filled with rage?
"Wait, Bai Ning Bing seems to be chasing Fang Yuan." Xiong Lin suddenly noticed.
He had a short and stocky build, with a round bald head that gleamed in the light. Xiong Li was the same age as Fang Yuan, but thanks to his B-grade talent, he was considered the most promising new Gu Master of his generation in the Xiong clan.
He had already reached Rank two, and with the experience he had gained so far, he had matured significantly.
Despite the growing tension, Xiong Li managed to hold back his urge to act.
Fang Yuan belonged to the Gu Yue clan, not the Xiong clan. Although the three clans had formed an alliance, their relationships weren't particularly close. Since an outsider was involved in the fight, the best course was to stay out of it.
The members of Xiong Li's group were about to remain neutral and observe from a distance — but Fang Yuan had anticipated this. With a single sentence, he changed their stance completely.
Drawing near the group, Fang Yuan shouted out in a panicked and fearful tone. "I saw the Plunder Gu on him, protect me! Bai Ning Bing is trying to eliminate all witnesses!"