ARK SPIRIT

Hao Nhien accelerated.

From the mountainside behind him came the continuous crash of rolling stones and snapping trees. Amid those sounds, a frigid killing intent drew steadily closer, so intense that he did not need to look back to feel danger hanging just behind his neck.

It was nothing like the Gray Shadow Wolves already pursuing him. This presence felt heavier, sharper, like an invisible blade hovering at the base of his skull, making his scalp prickle and the hairs along his arms rise.

Hao Nhien bit the tip of his tongue. The faint taste of blood helped clear his mind.

Fighting was not an option.

Whatever was coming down the mountain had clearly surpassed the second rank. If it truly was the King of this Gray Shadow Wolf population, then its strength had at least entered the third rank, enough to rival a powerful Foundation Establishment cultivator. At the eighth layer of Qi Condensation, even with the Spirit Sword and the Tieu Dao Sword, Hao Nhien had no chance of facing it head on.

But continuing straight ahead was little different from waiting to be caught.

An idea quickly took shape.

The Tieu Dao Encyclopedia had mentioned that large demonic beast populations often occupied distinct territories, especially those ruled by a King. The boundaries were not always obvious, but the signs of life within them would change.

If he could cross into the territory of another powerful existence, the King behind him would at least have to hesitate.

Hao Nhien changed direction at once.

Instead of continuing deeper along the valley, he cut left across a low rocky slope and rushed toward a thinner stretch of forest below. His foot landed on a moss covered stone and slid nearly half a zhang, but he turned with the motion and used the momentum to spring sideways.

A Gray Shadow Wolf behind him followed his original path and slammed headfirst into a dead tree.

The crack of breaking wood rang through the forest before being swallowed by the pursuit behind him.

The pack continued following the Blood Scent Lure clinging to his body. Howls, claws scraping over stone, and undergrowth tearing apart blended into a single violent roar, as though a black storm were sweeping through the woods at his back.

Hao Nhien did not mind the noise.

He needed it.

If the region ahead truly belonged to another population, a disturbance this large might attract whatever ruled it.

A heavy impact suddenly sounded behind him.

It was far too deep to have come from an ordinary Gray Shadow Wolf.

Several trees fell in succession.

Hao Nhien did not turn around, but his expression darkened.

The King had descended faster than he expected.

A blade cold gust swept across his back. His already torn robe split open in several more places, and a thin line of blood appeared across his left shoulder.

The distance was closing.

Hao Nhien searched the terrain ahead.

The forest was changing. The trees grew sparser, the ground sloped downward, and a narrow stream cut between two ridges. On the opposite bank, the vegetation became denser but noticeably different. Many low shrubs carried dark purple leaves, while long black marks scarred several trunks as though something corrosive had passed over them.

A broad groove also ran through the mud near the water and disappeared into the forest.

It was not a footprint.

Something large and long had dragged itself through there.

Hao Nhien’s eyes sharpened.

He could not be certain there was another King on the far side, but this was clearly not an area the Gray Shadow Wolves frequented.

That was enough to gamble on.

He pulled a small bottle from his storage pouch.

Qi Recovery Liquid.

Hao Nhien bit off the stopper and drank the entire contents.

The cool medicine slipped down his throat and quickly spread through his meridians. His wounds still hurt, and exhaustion from the repeated battles still weighed on his body, but enough of his depleted true qi returned for him to force his movement technique to a higher pace for a short distance.

He drove both feet into the ground.

His body shot toward the stream.

Behind him, a second rank Gray Shadow Wolf had already closed to within ten zhang.

Hao Nhien abruptly changed direction and plunged through a dense curtain of black vines growing between two boulders. The beast followed without hesitation.

The instant it leapt in, Hao Nhien turned.

The Tieu Dao Sword flashed.

Stolen novel; please report.

Not at the wolf.

At the vines above it.

The tangled mass of black thorns collapsed, wrapping around half the beast’s body. It roared and tore through them with brute force, but the obstruction still held it for two breaths.

Two breaths were enough.

Hao Nhien crossed the stream.

Cold water splashed across his wounds, sending sharp pain through his body, but his pace never slowed. The moment he reached the opposite bank, he noticed the change behind him.

The pursuit was no longer as relentless.

Several Gray Shadow Wolves slowed as they reached the water. A few stepped into the stream, then stopped, heads lowered as their noses worked the air. The two second rank wolves advanced several more steps before hesitating as well, the fur along their backs standing on end.

They still wanted to chase him.

But they were no longer comfortable doing so.

Hao Nhien knew his guess had been at least partly correct.

This was a boundary.

He did not stop to confirm it.

The most dangerous thing behind him was still approaching.

Hao Nhien pushed deeper into the unfamiliar territory. The corrosive marks on the trees became more frequent, and now and then he spotted fragments of black scales caught among exposed roots, each nearly the size of his palm.

He remembered the detail and kept moving.

After finding a dense cluster of vegetation wedged between two large rocks, Hao Nhien slipped deep inside and used the surrounding branches to block the view from outside.

Then he moved with a thought.

A pale blue entrance appeared before him.

He stepped through.

The Cosmic Ark shrank at once and disappeared among the roots and fallen leaves.

The moment Hao Nhien entered the Cosmic Ark’s Cave Dwelling, he had to brace one hand against the floor. His chest rose and fell heavily, cold sweat ran down his back, and blood from several claw wounds continued seeping through his robe.

He sat down, but did not begin regulating his breathing.

His intent shifted.

A faint screen of light appeared in front of him, resembling a still sheet of water standing upright in the air. The scene outside gradually came into view.

This was the first time Hao Nhien had deliberately used the Cosmic Ark in this way.

By focusing his intent, he could observe the area around the hidden Ark without leaving the Cave Dwelling.

His gaze remained fixed on the screen.

It did not take long for the forest outside to shake.

The Gray Shadow Wolves near the stream all lowered their bodies.

A dark gray figure descended from the opposite mountainside.

It moved faster than any Gray Shadow Wolf Hao Nhien had ever seen. Each time its claws touched stone, its massive body swept forward another long distance while faint silver currents of wind curled around it.

It landed beside the stream.

The ground trembled slightly.

Hao Nhien narrowed his eyes.

The Gray Shadow Wolf King.

Its body was far larger than that of the silver wolf he had just killed, with high shoulders, a thick neck, and dark gray fur streaked with silver along the spine. Thin currents of wind continually wound through its coat, sometimes lifting dry leaves nearby and slicing them apart in midair.

A wind affinity.

Hao Nhien had witnessed far greater power in the memories and experiences he carried, but at his current cultivation, the gap between himself and the King before him was still enough to send a chill down his spine.

Every Gray Shadow Wolf behind it lowered its head.

Even the two second rank beasts did not advance.

The Gray Shadow Wolf King approached the water and lowered its muzzle to sniff.

The wind around it shifted.

Leaves across the stream shook sharply, and the shrubs near the place where Hao Nhien had vanished began to sway.

He did not know whether the beast could detect the Cosmic Ark.

Nothing had ever seen through the treasure before, but he had also never tried hiding directly beneath the notice of an existence this powerful.

The King raised its head.

Its red silver gaze settled on the forest across the stream.

For a moment, Hao Nhien felt as though it were staring directly at him.

He knew that feeling might not be real. His footprints, the lingering scent of the Blood Scent Lure, traces of blood, and disturbed water all led toward this area. Those clues alone were enough for an intelligent demonic beast to become suspicious.

The Gray Shadow Wolf King opened its mouth.

A deep howl rolled out.

The wind around it immediately strengthened.

Thin branches near the bank bent under the pressure, several fragile leaves were torn apart by the sharpened current, and crossing ripples spread across the surface of the stream as small stones rolled from the shore.

It was not enough power to flatten the forest.

Yet a single howl had altered everything within several dozen zhang.

Hao Nhien’s expression grew more serious.

If he were still outside, he had no desire to test how long his defensive artifact could endure.

The Gray Shadow Wolf King did not cross the stream immediately.

It remained at the water’s edge, its gaze fixed on the opposite bank. The wind around its body grew denser, making it clear that the killing intent had not faded.

That reaction only strengthened Hao Nhien’s belief that the silver wolf he had killed held a special position within the population.

He did not know the exact relationship between them.

Nor did he need to.

The fact that a King had personally pursued him all the way to the territorial boundary said enough.

The beast slowly raised one front paw and placed it at the edge of the water.

At that exact moment, a low, heavy sound came from deep within the forest on the other side.

It was not a wolf.

The sound resembled massive stones grinding together inside a mountain.

The Gray Shadow Wolf King stopped.

The wind surrounding it changed direction.

Through the screen, Hao Nhien saw distant bushes begin to move even though no wind had reached them.

Then came a long hiss.

Cold.

Sharp.

A section of cliff on the opposite mountainside suddenly split open. Loose stones fell away, revealing a deep dark fissure within.

From that darkness, an enormous serpent head slowly emerged.

Hao Nhien immediately remembered the broad trail and black scales he had seen after crossing the stream.

Those signs had not been random.

The serpent raised its head.

Black scales covered its body, reflecting a cold blue violet sheen beneath the moonlight. Its vertical golden eyes were far calmer than the violence burning within the Gray Shadow Wolf King.

A long red tongue slid out.

A thin veil of dark purple mist spread from its mouth. The nearest leaves curled the moment the haze touched them, their color rapidly darkening.

A Python King.

Hao Nhien did not know its exact species, but its size, the reaction of the surroundings, and the Gray Shadow Wolf King’s behavior were enough to establish its status.

The Python King slid farther out of the fissure.

More and more of its body emerged, black scales scraping against stone with a low rasp. It did not need to descend to the stream. By raising half its body from the mountainside, its golden eyes already overlooked the entire region below.

The Gray Shadow Wolf King lowered its head.

Its front claws dug deep into the earth.

A low growl came from its throat.

The Python King answered by raising itself higher, then swept its tail across a nearby outcrop.

The stone cracked.

Neither beast advanced.

Neither retreated.

Hao Nhien could not know what they were thinking. Their posture and reactions, however, told him enough.

One wanted to cross.

The other would not allow it.

The Gray Shadow Wolf King moved half a step deeper into the stream.

The Python King immediately lowered its head, neck bending into a poised striking curve. The poisonous mist around its jaws thickened, and several shrubs below began to wither.

The wolf stopped.

Silver wind continued winding through its dark gray fur while poison mist crept silently across the stones on the opposite bank.

Only a stream a few steps wide separated them.

Hao Nhien sat motionless within the Cosmic Ark, his eyes fixed on the screen.

He did not know whether the confrontation would end in battle or warning.

But now he understood why the Gray Shadow Wolves had been reluctant to cross the water.

That narrow stream did more than divide two mountainsides.

It divided the territories of two Kings.