Volume Two — The Map of the Nine Provinces Appears, and I Enter the Spirit Ruins Chapter 124: Surrounding and Slaying the Wolf King

Chen Yu and his companion had only walked a short distance when they suddenly heard the sounds of battle erupting outside the valley.

Their hearts sank. "This is bad," they thought. "Something has gone wrong."

They rushed out of Wolf Valley, only to find Princess Muyang and her group locked in combat with the Demon Wind Wolf King at the valley entrance.

"Attack!" Chen Yu and Hong Dong did not hesitate, charging fiercely toward the beast.

The Demon Wind Wolf King, seeing them emerge from the valley, immediately realized what had happened. "Hateful humans! You dared to scheme against me!" it roared, seemingly desperate to tear them to shreds.

Although the Demon Wind Wolf King possessed the cultivation of the Celestial Realm, it was clearly near exhaustion following its earlier battle with Xuan Kongzi. It was precisely because of this that Chen Yu dared to face it head-on.

"Sword Art of the Unrefined: Dragon Subduing, Tiger Taming!" Chen Yu slashed down with a heavy strike. The impact forced both sides to recoil.

"Well done!" Hong Dong shouted in excitement. He leaped into the air, bringing his blade down upon the beast. "Slaughter of a Hundred Armies!"

The Wolf King, already off-balance from Chen Yu’s strike, had no way to defend itself. In an instant, Hong Dong carved a deep wound into its back.

The beast howled in rage. Had it not been injured beforehand, these treacherous thieves would never have been able to harm it. But now, surrounded and with no hope of escape, it had no choice but to fight for survival.

Boom! A dozen attacks converged on the creature. The Demon Wind Wolf King proved its status as a Celestial-level beast, relying on its raw physical strength to endure the onslaught. It swiped its sharp claws, sending out blades of wind that sliced through the group. Those who were careless were cut in two, and many others were wounded.

"Seeking death!" The strongest among them, Hong Dong and Princess Muyang, held cultivation at the Yin-Yang Realm. Their power was formidable, and they fought the heavily wounded Wolf King to a standstill.

Chen Yu, after a brief respite, rejoined the fray. Although his cultivation was only at the First Origin Second Aperture stage, his strength was not to be underestimated. Together with Hong Dong and the others, he kept pace with the beast, refusing to yield.

As the Wolf King lost more blood, its strength inevitably waned—this was their chance.

The battle was exceptionally fierce. Many, including Wu Yi and his group, had sustained severe injuries, yet no one took a step back. They knew the Wolf King had reached its limit. Chen Yu remained vigilant, fearing that if they pushed too hard, the beast might unleash a final, desperate counterattack before it died.

***

Consequently, Chen Yu and the others shifted their strategy, focusing on harassment and encirclement.

The Demon Wind Wolf King’s gait was unsteady; it could barely stand. It glared at them with eyes filled with bitter resentment. Its blood was nearly drained, and its vision blurred.

Chen Yu, who had been closely monitoring the beast, suddenly surged forward like a bolt of golden light, driving his sword deep into the Wolf King’s jaw.

"Mountain-Shaking, Wind-and-Rain Sword!"

*Squelch.* The Wolf King’s body shuddered as blood sprayed from its jaw. It let out a weak roar, attempting to strike back, but found its strength rapidly fading.

Princess Muyang and Hong Dong did not waste this opportunity. They struck with fury, instantly decapitating the monster.

"It’s dead!" the group cheered.

"Clear the battlefield immediately and get out of here," Chen Yu ordered. This was the Demon Wind Ridge, a place fraught with danger. Even with the Wolf King dead, their crisis was not over. They had to leave as soon as possible.

The others raised no objections; they had long since been won over by Chen Yu’s guidance and protection throughout their journey.

Chen Yu learned from them that when the Wolf King had suddenly returned and Chen Yu and Hong Dong had failed to emerge from the valley, the group had panicked and tried to stall the beast. They had not expected the creature to be so powerful despite its injuries; had Chen Yu and his companion not arrived when they did, most of them would have perished.

Chen Yu blamed no one, instead thanking them, for they had, in turn, saved his life.

"Junior Brother Chen Yu, which way should we go now?" Princess Muyang asked.

"The people from the Xuan Kong Sect mentioned they would rendezvous with Xuan Kongzi at Yajiao Mountain. Given the direction from which the Wolf King returned, we should simply head in the opposite direction," Chen Yu analyzed.

Princess Muyang and the others agreed, finding his reasoning sound.

And so, after seven or eight days of hard travel, they finally emerged from the perilous Demon Wind Ridge. While they had lost a few people along the way, the survivors were filled with relief and excitement.

"Keep moving! We are still a distance from the Daqing Capital. We cannot let our guard down yet."

***

As they drew closer to the Daqing Capital, they encountered two or three more ambushes, but they dealt with them with relative ease.

"Once we pass that mountain, we will be safe."

Everyone nodded, but no one dared to truly relax. That mountain was the only path to the capital, and they feared the enemy had already set an ambush there.

"Junior Brother Chen Yu, do you have any ideas?" Princess Muyang asked, and the others turned their eyes toward him.

Chen Yu shook his head. "Either we force our way through, or we disperse and infiltrate individually. However, I fear neither will be simple."

"Then which method would you choose?"

"I would force our way through," Chen Yu replied, offering a strategy that left everyone bewildered.

"The Xuan Kong Sect has lost so many disciples along the way, and the true mastermind has yet to show their face. That pass is likely heavily fortified," Chen Yu explained. "We might be able to slip through, but Princess, you might not. Only by creating a massive disturbance and drawing attention to ourselves can we force the enemy to be cautious. After all, you are a Princess."

Chen Yu then added, "I assume you have already notified the Prince’s Estate to send reinforcements to meet us?"

Seeing that Chen Yu had guessed correctly, Princess Muyang smiled. "Nothing escapes you, Junior Brother Chen Yu."

"Let’s go. I want to see if that mastermind will finally show themselves." A sharp, warlike aura emanated from the Princess.

Chen Yu nodded to himself. *It seems Princess Muyang intended to use herself as bait from the very beginning. Even without me, she likely would have made it through unscathed. The Xuan Kong Sect was merely a disposable pawn in their grand game.*

Reflecting on this, Chen Yu sighed inwardly. *It seems one truly cannot underestimate the people of this world.*