To lure a tiger from its mountain, you need something capable of drawing the Northern Plains Giant Wolves away. As the thought struck him, Yu Yan suddenly hit upon a very good idea.
In the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Yu Yan had harvested a Spirit herb highly beneficial to Spirit Beasts—about thirty-thousand-years old. With the right method to release its aroma, it should pull every Northern Plains Giant Wolf in the area after it.
Wu Xue had no use for this herb; it had something better. Trading it now for the Immortal Herb moon cleansing lotus was no waste.
"Xiao Wu, come here…"
The plan needed Xiao Wu's help, so Yu Yan had her step closer and explained it in full.
"No problem. Leave it to me and Wu Xue."
Imagining what they were about to do, Xiao Wu couldn't help a mischievous giggle.
Standing quietly nearby, Wu Xue watched the giggling Xiao Wu, puffed a puzzled breath, then turned its attention back to the snow at its paws.
Using a method recorded in the Breaking Clan's herbal codex to activate the herb's properties, Yu Yan and Xiao Wu found a cave in the area and settled in to wait for the moon cleansing lotus to reach full maturity.
As the day of blossoming drew nearer, the anomalies in the region grew obvious, drawing many nearby Spirit Masters.
The same Northern Plains Giant Wolves that had blocked Yu Yan and Xiao Wu now barred other intruders, successfully protecting the moon cleansing lotus.
Why say the wolves protected it? Because Yu Yan observed that these Spirit Masters harvested herbs in the crudest way possible—grabbing them bare-handed.
Picking the moon cleansing lotus incorrectly would ruin its medicinal power.
Storing it wrongly would let its potency drain away until it withered.
As the saying goes: swift horses are common, but a true judge of horses is rare.
On the Douluo Continent the very concept of Immortal Herbs scarcely existed. Beyond their rarity, people simply had no proper way to pick, store, or use them.
Days passed. On the fourth night after Yu Yan's arrival, the moonlight over the wolves' mountain range thickened to a peak—the sign that the moon cleansing lotus was ripening.
"Xiao Wu, it's all yours now."
Standing before the cave, certain the lotus would bloom that night, Yu Yan handed her the beast-luring herb.
"Go pick the moon cleansing lotus in peace. I'll keep the wolves running in circles."
Xiao Wu took the herb and caught its strong, lingering fragrance.
"Be careful. Signal if there's trouble; I'll come at once."
With a confident smile, Xiao Wu called forth her Lunar Profound Rabbit Martial Soul, activated her First Soul Skill—Comprehensive Amplification—and sprinted toward the wolves' mountain.
When the Northern Plains Giant Wolves caught the scent—now super-charged with fragrant silk immortal product pollen and several other herbs—they erupted. Howls rolled through the peaks, drawing every eye, human and beast alike.
Relying on her agility and Teleportation, Xiao Wu circled the wolves' range once, then darted toward another area.
A commanding howl shook the forest, and countless wolves moved like disciplined soldiers, tracking her trail.
Making no effort to hide, face concealed, Xiao Wu burst out of the wolves' domain in full view of every Spirit Master, practically shouting that she carried treasure.
These Spirit Masters had waited ages for a chance at the wolves' prize; now someone was fleeing with it. Of course they gave chase.
Snatching loot from a human was easier than from a pack of wolves—or so most of them believed.
Hidden in the black fog Wu Xue released, Yu Yan watched the horde of Spirit Masters and Spirit Beasts racing after Xiao Wu, unsure whether to laugh or sigh at Xiao Wu's delight.
Before entering the wolves' mountain, Yu Yan scanned the surroundings and spotted several Spirit Masters still lingering, hoping to slip in and loot.
Finding no truly powerful foes, he entered under cover of Wu Xue's fog and followed the moonlight to locate the moon cleansing lotus.
Inside the range he noticed not every wolf had left; a group still guarded a huge cave—their den, where small cubs could be seen.
Cradling Spirit Cat Wu Xue, Yu Yan skirted the den and continued up the slope.
After a search he found the moon cleansing lotus on a gentle slope, radiating Moonlight Energy.
Beside it lay an enormous Northern Plains Giant Wolf. Its ice-crystal mane flashed gorgeous colors in the moonlight; powerful limbs and gleaming fangs gave it a regal air.
Its swaying tail exuded an eerie chill: special ice-marrow neurotoxin unique to the wolf king, able to freeze prey dead within seconds.
"A thirty-thousand-year wolf… I need to draw it away or find someone else to distract it."
He glanced at Wu Xue in his arms, wondering if the cat could serve as bait.
Sensing his intent, Wu Xue shook its head frantically: it was only a newly advanced Ten Thousand Year Spirit Beast—no match for a thirty-thousand-year king.
Yu Yan looked around for some unlucky stand-in.
Spotting several Spirit Masters sneaking uphill, he picked up a pebble, stepped outside Wu Xue's fog, and hurled it. The stone smacked the wolf king square on the nose, snapping its attention to him.
Facing the human, the highly intelligent wolf king growled a warning, body coiling to spring.
Just as the Northern Plains Giant Wolf King was about to attack, Yu Yan turned and ran, not pausing for even an instant.
Stung by this opponent who had taunted it and then fled, the Northern Plains Giant Wolf King's lupine face showed bewilderment; it did not give chase at once, wondering what the human was scheming—and whether it should follow.
After sprinting some distance, Yu Yan sensed no movement behind him. Glancing back, he saw the Northern Plains Giant Wolf King still standing in place.
Locking eyes with the wolf king for a moment, Yu Yan bent, scooped up a stone, and hurled it at the beast.
Already on guard, the Northern Plains Giant Wolf King simply sidestepped the straight-flying rock.
After dodging, the wolf king stared at the human, puzzled. Why such a feeble attack? What was the point—or the hidden aim?
As leader of its kind, the Northern Plains Giant Wolf King was both clever and thoughtful.
Seeing the wolf king refuse the bait, Yu Yan tried a new ploy. He summoned his Ice and Fire Twin Flood Dragon Martial Soul; a blue and a red energy dragon appeared and fused into his body.
The Ice and Fire Twin Dragons Martial Soul Possession resembled that of the Ice and Fire Twin Fish, still ice on the left and fire on the right, only far more imposing.
His pupils became vertical slits, faint energy scales lined his arms, and icy sparks and embers drifted around him. Beyond these changes, an Aura unique to top-tier draconic Spirits pressed outward.
Sensing the transformation, the Northern Plains Giant Wolf King shifted from contemplation to an offensive stance; it now felt mortal danger from the Spirit Master.
With no intention of truly fighting, Yu Yan raised his hand and released First Fire Fish Skill—no, now it was First Fire Flood Dragon Skill: Blazing Breath.
Having evolved from fish to flood dragon, Blazing Breath burned far hotter; jets of flame shot from the energy dragon head, sealing every path the wolf king might take.
The Northern Plains Giant Wolf King answered with a blast of wintry wind. Flame met frost, the clash thundering through the peaks and drawing both Spirit Masters and the other Northern Plains Giant Wolves.
The wolves still in the mountains howled, asking their king if he needed aid, but he was locked in fierce combat with Yu Yan and had no time to reply.
With no orders given, the wolves held back, while treasure-seeking Spirit Masters in the mountains moved, converging by unspoken agreement toward the commotion.
Noticing the wolf king seemed to be guarding the Immortal Herb moon cleansing lotus, Yu Yan began aiming attacks ever closer to it.
The Northern Plains Giant Wolf King, tending the plant and waiting for it to ripen, stepped in front to shield it from the strikes.
Wave after wave of blows left the wolf king increasingly furious.
"Meow!"
Spirit Cat Wu Xue, prowling watchfully nearby, sensed approaching people and raced to Yu Yan's side, mewing her report.
After another volley of Blazing Breath, Yu Yan used Cang Feng Secret Art to mask his Aura; Wu Xue released black mist that shrouded them both, and they vanished from the wolf king's sight.
"Awoo!"
Clever though it was, the Northern Plains Giant Wolf King could not master its temper; the relentless harassment enraged it.
With anger nowhere to vent, the wolf king spotted the fastest Spirit Master arriving and, in frustration, spat a freezing gale at him.
Caught off guard by the sudden blast, the unfortunate Spirit Master hastily invoked Martial Soul Possession and channelled spirit power to block.
The wind failed to break through; surviving the assault, the Spirit Master spotted the moon cleansing lotus behind the wolf king. He did not recognize it, yet sensed it was extraordinary.
Regaining his footing, he revealed six spirit rings and prepared to fight the wolf king for the obviously priceless snow lotus.
More Spirit Masters arrived; exchanging glances, they attacked the Northern Plains Giant Wolf King together.
Once numbers grew, a classic truth emerged.
One monk fetches water, two monks carry the bucket, three monks go thirsty.
At first, the lone Spirit King traded blow for blow with the wolf king.
When two more Spirit Masters appeared, mutual wariness aside, their combined strength could suppress the beast.
But with more than three, their greatest enemy became each other; holding back in unison, they were soon the ones being pushed back.
While wolf and Spirit Masters tangled, Yu Yan—cradling Wu Xue—reached the moon cleansing lotus. From his golden scepter he drew a dagger forged of ice crystal ore, ready to harvest.
The bamboo scrolls were clear: only a blade of ice crystal could cut the lotus, after which it must be sealed in ice to preserve its potency—only then could it be stored long-term.
When the surrounding Moonlight Energy grew dense enough, the lotus bud unfurled fully—the sign of perfect ripeness.
The fragrance of the fully bloomed moon cleansing lotus made both wolf king and Spirit Masters feel their cultivation rise ever so slightly.
Just as the wolf king spun to swallow it and the Spirit Masters gathered strength to seize it, the moon cleansing lotus vanished into thin air.
"Wait—someone's at the snow lotus! He's stealing the herb!"
Though Wu Xue's black mist was potent, Spirit Masters with keen special senses pierced it and spotted the pair within.
After swiftly plucking the moon cleansing lotus and encasing it in ice, Yu Yan tried to slip away with the least disturbance and rendezvous with Xiao Wu.
Yet ideals are beautiful, reality cruel: a radiant ripple swept over them, locking onto their position.