Chapter Forty-Seven: A Narrow Escape

Boom!

“Ah...”

The green light unleashed by the wolf demon was terrifying and blindingly fast. In an instant, it crashed into Lan Qirou before she could even attempt to defend or evade. She was struck down in a heartbeat.

Lan Qirou let out a heart-wrenching scream as her body was smashed against the crossbeam of the roof. Blue smoke billowed from her skin as if she were about to burst into flames. She tumbled painfully to the ground, convulsing violently, her face twisted in agony. The black pearl in her mouth suddenly shot back inside with a hiss.

“Die, you mangy wolf!”

At that moment, Feng Yuan made his move. Raising his hand, he sent a blast of golden light crashing towards the wolf demon's body.

With a thunderous crash, the golden light struck the demon, sending sparks flying in all directions. The wolf demon merely shuddered, its massive form nearly unchanged, as if Feng Yuan’s full force was nothing more than a child’s kick against a pillar. The attack did nothing.

The wolf demon’s gaze snapped from Lan Qirou to Lu Yan. Retracting the pearl at its lips, it flashed a mocking grin. “Hmph! Human, with such paltry strength, you’re not even fit to scratch my itch. Now watch as I grind you to dust!”

With those words, the wolf demon lunged at Feng Yuan, its gaping jaws aiming straight for his head.

Lan Qirou lay gravely wounded on the ground. No one could come to Feng Yuan’s aid now; his only hope lay in saving himself.

But after witnessing the power gap between himself and the wolf demon, Feng Yuan realized it was like a child facing an adult—there was simply no contest. He could neither fight nor flee, for every escape route was blocked by the demon’s hulking body. There was no way out.

“Ha!”

Unwilling to die, Feng Yuan launched another bolt of golden light, aiming it straight at the wolf demon’s mouth.

A furious roar erupted from the demon. It spat a torrent of green light, several times larger than Feng Yuan’s attack, and the two blasts collided with explosive force.

Once again, the green light shattered Feng Yuan’s golden blast and slammed into him, sending him crashing to the ground with a scream. Blood spurted from his lips as if his entire body had been torn apart, every bone rattled to pieces, leaving him utterly powerless.

The wolf demon’s massive forepaws crashed down on Feng Yuan’s chest, forcing another mouthful of blood from him. Pain threatened to drag him into unconsciousness as the demon’s fangs, sharp and reeking, descended toward his head.

“Wolf demon, stay your hand from my young master!”

Just as the wolf demon’s jaws were about to close on Feng Yuan’s skull, a clear and commanding voice rang out from the doorway. A small white fox appeared, baring its fangs and spitting out a golden pearl. A surge of radiant golden light burst forth, transforming into a shining sword that stabbed fiercely toward the wolf demon’s back.

The wolf demon froze, twisting to look. Its pupils widened as the golden light shot toward it, but there was no time to dodge.

With a deafening crash, the golden sword struck the demon’s back, flames and smoke erupting. The wolf demon was thrown against the wall behind Feng Yuan with a tremendous impact, shaking the wall before it bounced and crashed to the ground in front of Feng Yuan, writhing in pain as blood poured from the wound, staining its gray fur crimson.

The little white fox’s attack ripped through the demon’s formidable defenses, leaving it grievously wounded.

Watching from the ground, Lan Qirou’s eyes widened in shock. She had faced this white fox before, but it hadn’t been nearly so powerful—otherwise, she would have been obliterated long ago. She hadn’t expected the fox to reveal such strength now; if they fought again, she wouldn’t survive even a single blow.

Feng Yuan stared at the little white fox in disbelief. “Xiaoxiao... is that you?”

The fox’s cry just now had sounded exactly like Hu Xiao’s voice.

“It’s me, young master!” the fox replied. In a flash of green light, her form shifted—Hu Xiao stood where the fox had been.

“My god!” Feng Yuan exclaimed, his eyes wide with astonishment.

“Curses! You vile little fox, why attack me? We are of the same kind!” the wolf demon snarled, struggling to rise, rage and pain contorting its features.

“The young master is my benefactor. I will not allow you to harm him. Leave now, and I’ll pretend today never happened. Otherwise, you’ll have only yourself to blame for what happens next!” Hu Xiao retorted coldly.

“Hmph! Such arrogance for one so young. You only succeeded by ambush. Do you truly believe you can defeat me? Watch as I devour you!” With a furious roar, the wolf demon leapt at Hu Xiao.

At that instant, Lan Qirou, still prone on the ground, mustered her strength and unleashed her black pearl, sending it hurtling into the wolf demon’s wounded back.

A blast of fire and a spray of blood followed as the black pearl struck home. The wolf demon screamed and crashed to the ground, blood pooling around its twitching body.

“Finish it... kill him, I’m spent!” Lan Qirou gasped, recalling her black pearl before collapsing, utterly drained.

With a shout, Hu Xiao spat another bolt of golden light, this time targeting the demon’s torn back.

The force of the blow split the monster’s body in two, blood and entrails spilling across the floor, filling the air with a foul stench.

Yet the wolf demon was not dead. A flash of green light erupted from its severed upper half, which shot into the air, racing towards the roof in a desperate bid to escape.

“Don’t even think of running!” Feng Yuan cried. With the last of his strength, he hurled a golden bolt at the fleeing wolf’s head.

The attack struck the demon’s eye, where its defenses were weakest. Blood spurted everywhere as the creature crashed to the floor.

Hu Xiao acted again, unleashing her golden pearl. Twin beams of golden light flew out, transforming into two swords that cleaved into the demon’s skull.

With an earth-shattering explosion and a final agonized howl, a fist-sized hole was blasted through the wolf demon’s head. Blood and brain matter splattered across the floor until, at last, the creature moved no more. It was dead.