Several days later, Qingzhu Mountain.
A somewhat strange group was making its way with difficulty along the mountain path.
These people were vaguely divided into three clusters, with Zhang Tianxiang at the center, each maintaining a cautious distance from the others.
This Zhang Tianxiang was also a clever fellow. Seeing these “righteous heroes” coming to lend a hand, his eyes darting about, pondering something unknown inside his mind.
“Big Brother Zhang! We have people who are highly skilled in tracking. They’ve already confirmed that the demon wolf is currently lingering near the mountain god’s temple on White Jade Peak. There’s absolutely no mistake about it!”
Zhu Si wore a fawning smile on his face, confidently asserting his claim.
The other two groups of reincarnators nearby merely snorted coldly, refraining from undermining each other.
A few days earlier, once the deadline was set, these three groups of reincarnators immediately grew restless and began approaching Zhang Tianxiang. After getting to know each other and discovering they were all new reincarnators from the Main Temple, they temporarily formed an alliance for mutual offense and defense.
Although this alliance was extremely fragile, relying solely on the personal integrity of each reincarnator, it could barely hold together until the next mission appeared.
At this moment, within the consciousness of these reincarnators, the Main Temple’s main quest had clearly changed:
[Step Two of the Main Quest – Contact! Completed!]
[Final Quest Initiated – Eliminate the Demon!]
[Objective: Assist Zhang Tianxiang in driving away the demon wolf of Qingzhu Mountain!]
[Quest Completion Reward: 100 minor merits!]
…
“White Jade Peak? The mountain god’s temple?”
Zhang Tianxiang pondered deeply.
Seeing this, Zhu Si was delighted and hurried forward to offer advice, secretly feeling very pleased with himself: “Haha… I’ve listened to storytelling before. I know that the demon wolf’s physical prowess comes from cultivating a demonic technique that separates its soul from its body, allowing the body to heal rapidly from any injury, which is why it escaped several previous attacks… Just destroy the jar where it stores its Yuan Shen, and this demon will surely die without a burial place!”
But just as he was about to speak, a tremendous force came upon his hand.
Han Hu and Ji Fu exchanged glances and slightly shook their heads at him.
The other two groups of reincarnators also remained inactive, causing Zhu Si’s heart to tighten. He realized that these important figures likely had their eyes on the benefits from killing the demon wolf.
Give something, get something—that was also the rule of the Main Temple.
If one could kill the demon wolf alone, the rewards would surely be very generous.
Under such immense temptation, it was indeed easy for people to forget the danger.
The mountain grew steeper. In silence, the group arrived before a small mountain god’s temple. The temple was tiny, with only one main hall. The paint on its plaque had mostly peeled off, covered with a thick layer of spider webs.
On the earthen platform inside the hall stood a mountain god statue, equally dilapidated, nearly unrecognizable as to its original appearance.
Ji Fu, Daoist Wu Ling, and the other reincarnators fell into deep thought upon seeing this statue.
“The demon wolf’s jar for its Yuan Shen is hidden inside this statue. What audacity… Perhaps it even intends to collect human worship and ascend to the position of mountain god!”
Ji Fu and San Gu exchanged glances, both seeing in each other’s eyes an unwillingness to yield.
In the original story, when Zhang Tianxiang first came here, he had returned defeated, only to later discover the jar hidden inside the statue by sheer coincidence, which allowed him to defeat the demon wolf decisively.
Of course, for these reincarnators, the previous steps were omitted, allowing them to proceed directly to the final step.
However, with the current standoff among the three factions and Zhang Tianxiang’s presence, it was difficult to openly fight and seize the jar.
“Cursed! If it weren’t for the fear of the demon wolf’s power, I could have come here earlier…”
Ji Fu cursed under his breath while glancing at the other group of reincarnators.
This group was the most secretive, seemingly led by a pair of strong brothers, but also included a young scholar-like figure with deep, calculating eyes, drawing Ji Fu’s attention.
“We have already discovered the demon wolf’s whereabouts!”
While resting inside the mountain god’s temple, eating dry rations, two hired hunters soon returned with their report.
“Excellent!”
Zhang Tianxiang stood up, his expression excited, gripping the sword at his waist tightly!
In this world, a scholar’s sword was no mere ornament. Even within the government, there were special trainings in swordsmanship. Scholars cultivated their minds and spirits, and when combined with superior sword techniques, they became like fish in water.
“Against the demon wolf, fewer but capable individuals are better. This humble Daoist will wait here for good news!”
According to the prior agreement within Ji Fu’s team, Daoist Wu Ling stepped forward to speak.
“Hmph!”
San Gu snorted coldly: “Scholar, I shall accompany you!”
Exchanging a covert signal, several of her fellow reincarnators feigned exhaustion and stubbornly refused to move.
“Ha ha… Brother Zhang, I’m afraid I’m not much help, being physically weak, but I can cheer you on from here! Fortunately, these few brothers of mine are quite strong and can offer you some assistance!”
The young scholar bowed politely with a faint smile.
“Wait a moment!”
The two strong men beside him suddenly changed expressions, whispering to each other: “You go! We’ll leave one person here!”
Apparently, they were deeply impressed by the young man’s cunning intelligence and naturally unwilling to let him stay behind alone to reap the benefits.
“All of you act so hesitantly. Later, I still have many things to consult with all of you!”
Zhang Tianxiang coldly snorted and followed the hunters out.
These people were secretive and suspicious, not appearing to be upright individuals. If it weren’t for San Gu’s background as a county magistrate’s aide, he wouldn’t have associated with any of them.
Now seeing their apparent interest in this mountain god’s temple, his eyes flickered with contemplation.
…
Zhang Tianxiang’s group grew increasingly distant, disappearing into the mountain forest within moments.
“Haha… The demon wolf’s physical body will be dealt with by Zhang Tianxiang. This jar should be ours for the taking!”
Inside the mountain god’s temple, the big man laughed wildly, his massive hand reaching toward the altar.
“Wait a moment!”
Daoist Wu Ling sensed something amiss and had just begun to raise his hand to stop him when a voice rapidly echoed in his ear:
[Ding!]
[You have received a side quest – Destroy the Jar!]
[Quest Description: Due to interference from various reincarnators, Zhang Tianxiang’s progress in eliminating the wolf demon has been significantly accelerated. At this point, you must destroy the jar without Zhang Tianxiang’s assistance!]
[Note: The wolf demon has already sensed your arrival. Its Yuan Shen will gain increased power depending on the number of Reincarnators present!]
[Quest Success Reward: 100 minor merits!]
…
There was no penalty for failure, because failure itself required no punishment.
After reading this quest, Daoist Wu Ling almost spat out a mouthful of old blood.
“How despicable!”
This was the only thought in his mind.
According to Zhu Si’s account, in the storytelling, this wolf demon’s jar was merely an ordinary clay jar containing some expired cured meat, something a child could easily smash.
But how did the wolf demon’s primordial spirit end up here, and even gain strength based on the number of reincarnators?
He glanced around and immediately noticed many pale faces—many of the Reincarnators, unwilling to risk their lives against the demon wolf’s terrifying regenerative abilities, had instead come here seeking easy gains.
“Aowu!”
At this moment, a dense black mist suddenly emerged from the statue.
With a tearing sound, the entire mountain god’s temple was enveloped in thick fog. In the dim light, the statue could be seen shattering, a streak of black energy wrapping around a clay jar, transforming into a floating black wolf of colossal size, its eyes glowing green, its howl piercing and heart-wrenching, almost causing dizziness and vertigo at the mere sight.
[Ding! You have entered the Seven-Slaughtering Demon Wolf Formation!]
[Until the formation is destroyed, you will continuously suffer from demonic suppression, with your magical power reduced by two-tenths and your spiritual awareness weakened by two-tenths!]
[The wolf demon’s Yuan Shen will gain half of the magical power and spiritual awareness you lose!]
A string of prompts appeared, causing despair to surface on Daoist Wu Ling’s face.
…
“Hehe…”
In the distance, the young scholar’s lips curled into a faint smile: “If you’re not the protagonist, don’t try to do what the protagonist does! The jar is vital to the demon wolf’s life, how could it really be so easily obtained? Just because Zhang Tianxiang could do it doesn’t mean you can take shortcuts…”
“What are you smiling at?”
One of the strong men beside him, unaware that his own brother was already in dire straits, asked with an unpleasant gaze.
“Nothing much?”
The young man lightly laughed and suddenly stepped forward: “Big Brother Zhang, I just remembered something that might be related to this demon wolf…”
The big man’s joints cracked loudly as he gritted his teeth, unable to move.
San Gu and Ji Fu, watching from the side, secretly chuckled to themselves, firmly noting the discord within this team of reincarnators, though no one knew what schemes they were brewing.
“Here it is!”
A hunter wearing animal skins suddenly shouted, thrusting his steel fork into the nearby bushes, impaling a half-eaten young deer.
“Aowu!”
A wolf’s howl rang out, shaking the winds and clouds, causing the surrounding trees to bend over.
In the darkness, two emerald-green eyes like ghost fires swiftly approached, revealing the demon wolf’s true form.
It was as large as a warhorse, its entire body covered in pitch-black fur, with two long fangs stained with blood and eyes that seemed to burn with an eerie fire.
“What a beast!”
Had these two hunters ever seen such a terrifying wolf before? Under the demon’s oppressive aura, their limbs froze, their steel forks and bows completely unable to strike.
Seeing this, Zhang Tianxiang cursed and drew his sword.
Wengweng!
A hazy glow immediately appeared on his sword, carrying an aura of unbreakable sharpness.
“What a fine sword technique!”
Ji Yi looked on, his heart sinking.
Zhang Tianxiang, who had concealed his abilities, possessed swordsmanship worthy of a master. Yet even in the storytelling, he couldn’t defeat the demon wolf directly and had to resort to deception, destroying its jar.
By this calculation, just how powerful was this demon wolf?
“Kill!”
At this moment, two figures in cloaks behind San Gu suddenly shouted, tearing off their outerwear and charging forward. Their bodies shimmered with radiant light, revealing high-quality chainmail armor underneath. Their long knives emitted a dark glow—clearly elite soldiers!
“Didn’t expect this woman to be able to borrow such elite fighters?”
Ji Yi looked at the confident San Gu with a trace of caution in his eyes.
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