Just as the massive spiked club was about to smash the wolf’s head into a pulp, an astonishing scene unfolded.
The wolf suddenly emitted a faint blue glow, twisted its body, and in an instant, shrank to the size of an ordinary gray wolf. The club narrowly missed its head, striking empty air instead. The wolf’s eyes flashed with an eerie green light as it flicked its tail, doubling its speed in an instant. It darted past the giant man and lunged at the officer opposite, its claws slashing viciously.
“Demon wolf!”
The officer’s face paled at the wolf’s bizarre transformation, and without hesitation, he drew the sword at his waist. A white glow flashed from a spirit tool ring on his hand, and the blade transformed into a flurry of sword shadows, shielding him from harm.
This seemingly unremarkable officer actually possessed a low-grade spirit tool.
The transformed wolf demon, now resembling an ordinary wolf, glanced at the sword shadows with disdain. It merely swiped its front claws through the air a few times, and suddenly, countless blue claw marks materialized, raining down upon the officer.
The sword shadows shattered upon contact with the claw marks, unable to withstand even a fraction of the attack. The web of blue light paused only briefly before contracting and descending.
Trapped within, the officer swung his sword desperately, but it was a futile last stand—his face had already turned ashen.
Just then, a figure flashed before him. Someone had inexplicably rushed into the claw net. A cold snort, though soft, reverberated in his ears like the tolling of a bell, leaving him momentarily dazed.
The figure raised a single hand, and a golden light surged forward, colliding with the claw marks.
A deafening explosion followed, and the blue claw marks disintegrated into nothingness under the golden radiance.
Overjoyed, the officer focused his gaze and recognized the man who had saved him—Han Li, another guard assigned to protect him.
Han Li slowly retracted his golden-glowing fists into his sleeves, his expression indifferent as he stared at the blue wolf demon hovering in mid-air.
The wolf demon, having halted its attack, scrutinized Han Li with wary eyes. The green bristles on its back stood on end, as if deeply apprehensive of him.
Though the demon beast couldn’t gauge Han Li’s cultivation level, its keen instinct for danger warned it that this human was a grave threat—capable of ending its life. It hesitated.
The giant man, having missed his strike, was equally startled by the wolf’s transformation. He quickly turned, bracing himself as if facing a formidable enemy.
Thus, Han Li and the giant man inadvertently formed a pincer attack. Other body refiners from the Tian Dong Trading Company rushed over, ready to encircle the demon.
The wolf demon’s eyes darted around before locking onto Han Li. With a sudden twist, it transformed into a streak of blue light, charging straight at the giant man.
Du Xiao, startled, instinctively raised his spiked club and sidestepped.
But the wolf demon feinted, soaring over his head and leaping off the city wall. The other mutated wolves followed suit, all but one—which had been slain—escaping over the battlements.
Han Li remained where he stood, showing no interest in pursuit.
Though his magic power was sealed, he had no desire to chase after such lowly demon beasts—creatures he wouldn’t have spared a glance in the past.
The officer, having narrowly escaped death, regained his composure and profusely thanked Han Li.
“Thank you, brother, for saving me. If not for you, I’d surely be dead.”
Han Li sighed and waved his hand dismissively.
“Though I saved you, other wolf demons have appeared elsewhere. The situation doesn’t look good.”
“Impossible! How could there be so many demon wolves?” The officer, surnamed Xiao, turned pale again as he scanned the city walls.
Chaos had erupted in four or five nearby sections. Thousands of gray wolves were swarming the battlements, while several glowing wolf demons hovered ominously overhead—identical to the one that had fled from them.
Not just Han Li and Xiao, but the Tian Dong Trading Company guards and ordinary soldiers all witnessed the scene. As wave after wave of wolves poured into the breached sections, despair settled over everyone. A chilling thought crossed their minds: *Had the city truly fallen?*
Just as the defenders teetered on the brink of collapse, a horn blast echoed across the walls. From the rear, hundreds of agile body refiners surged forward.
Clad in peculiar bone armor and wielding an assortment of glowing weapons—all low-grade spirit tools—they cut through the wolves like a hot knife through butter. Even the mutated wolves, fierce as they were, stood no chance against their coordinated attacks.
The hovering wolf demons, enraged, prepared to intervene, but a dozen body refiners leaped into the air, surrounding them.
Then, a long howl rose from the wolf horde beyond the walls.
At the sound, the wolf demons hesitated before retreating without engaging the body refiners. The remaining wolves on the walls followed suit, leaping down in droves.
Though the body refiners gave chase, over half the wolves escaped.
The same scene played out across the city—the wolf horde withdrew, ending the first day’s probing assault.
Both sides suffered losses, but the wolves bore the brunt, with over a hundred thousand dead. The human defenders, though suffering minimal casualties, had expended vast quantities of arrows and defensive equipment. It was hard to say who had truly gained the upper hand.
Under the glow of seven crescent moons, the battlefield was littered with furry corpses. Distant howls, no longer filled with rage but with sorrow, echoed under the cold moonlight as the wolf horde vanished into the night.
Exhausted soldiers slumped onto the bloodstained walls, some even dozing off on the spot. Even the body refiners, drained from relentless combat, sought brief respite.
“Don’t lie down! This isn’t the place to sleep. Reinforcements will arrive soon. We’ve survived the first battle—if nothing goes wrong, we can rest for two days. But until then, stay alert. If the wolves return now, we’re finished,” Officer Xiao urged sternly.
The promise of rest lifted the soldiers’ spirits, and they forced themselves back to their feet.
Han Li, having barely exerted himself, leaned against a battlement, gazing thoughtfully into the darkness where the wolves had retreated.
“Brother Han, we owe you our lives. If not for you driving off that wolf demon, we’d have shared the fate of the other guards,” Zhang Kui approached, smiling despite the blood staining his armor. He carried a golden shortsword, clearly having slain many wolves.
“It was mere chance. The wolves were already retreating,” Han Li replied calmly, eyeing Zhang Kui’s weapon.
“Even so, without your intervention, we’d have been decimated before the city’s ‘Spirit Squad’ arrived. Only you could face a wolf demon alone. Even with my Golden Glow Sword, my odds wouldn’t exceed thirty percent.” Zhang Kui chuckled wryly, sheathing the blade in an ornate scabbard before tucking it away.
Han Li glanced at the spirit tool.
He knew these so-called spirit tools were special artifacts designed for body refiners. Using “spirit rings” or “spirit bracelets,” they could channel power from spirit stones without requiring the wielder to possess magic power.
Though potent, spirit tools couldn’t be refined, had limited endurance, and consumed spirit stones rapidly—making them impractical for most body refiners.
Moreover, their power peaked at the level of top-grade spirit tools, far inferior to true treasures. Thus, high-tier body refiners scorned them, believing their own honed physiques to be the ultimate weapons—a philosophy oddly aligned with that of some demonic cultivators.
As Han Li pondered this, Zhang Kui fell silent before speaking again, his tone strange.
Han Li’s expression darkened at his words.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage