20demayo Chapter 34: Guarding the Town Gate Alone
Chapter 34: Guarding the Town Gate Alone
Outside the town gate.
This so-called gate was nothing more than two thick wooden planks nailed together. The hinges were long since rusted, creaking loudly when pushed. The door panels were riddled with wormholes and cracks, and a gust of wind could see through the gaps to the outside. At this moment, the gate was wide open—it was Lin Yan who had opened it himself when he went out.
He doesn't need this door to protect him. Or rather, his very presence here is the door to Blackrock Town.
Lin Yan stood alone, sword in hand, in the middle of the dirt road about ten zhang away from the town gate. The terrain here was slightly higher; in front of him was a small, open wasteland covered with low-lying wild grass, and further away, the edge of the forest stretched out, the dark shadows of the trees standing like ghosts. A wind blew from the woods, carrying the scent of grass and trees, as well as the stench of demon wolves, brushing against his face with a cool, refreshing touch.
The smoke and dust were already close at hand, the stench so thick it was almost unbearable, making one's nose sting. He could clearly see the saliva dripping from the mouths of the leading wolves, the thick yellow liquid splashing onto the ground, raising tiny specks of dirt; he could see the bloodstains on their claws, whether their own or that of their own kind, the dark red blood congealed on their tips like dried mud; and he could see the madness in their eyes, a ferocity that disregarded life and death.
At the forefront of the wolf pack's dust cloud, a massive, chilling silver figure staggered but rapidly approached. It was a giant wolf covered in blood—its silver-gray fur was now mottled with dark red, charred black, and mud stains; its left shoulder blade was sunken, and the wound on its neck continued to ooze blood as it ran; each breath was accompanied by a hissing, leaky gasp and bloody froth.
However, its speed did not decrease in the slightest. The burning in its blood-red eyes was no longer the usual ferocity, but a near-mad, destructive light that seemed to want to incinerate everything. Though its body was mangled, its running posture carried the final madness of a dying monarch; each step splashed up mud mixed with blood, like a silver comet trailing the shadow of death, crashing straight and resolutely towards the town gate—and the lone figure blocking its path.
That was the wolf king. It was no longer merely a hunting beast, but a vengeful spirit dragging its broken body, carrying endless resentment and destructive desire, wanting to drag everything before it, including itself, into hell.
The wolf king's target was originally the town, but its eyes immediately fell on this lone human blocking its path. Lin Yan possessed an aura that it found utterly repulsive, even faintly frightening—the smell of its kin's blood being devoured after its nest was robbed the previous night! This smell was like a needle piercing its heart, enraging it.
"Roar—!" The wolf king roared, its voice shaking the surrounding wild grass. Its blood-red eyes were fixed on Lin Yan, the killing intent in its gaze almost piercing through him. It didn't change direction; instead, it increased its speed, its hooves flying, dust billowing as if it wanted to crush this ant who dared to provoke it and taint its own kind first!
The dozens of demonic wolves beside and behind it seemed to receive a command, roaring as they scattered from both sides, like a black tide splitting into two streams. One stream surged toward Lin Yan, while the other bypassed him and pounced on the open town gate behind him, as well as the gap further away—they wanted to bypass this obstacle and rush directly into the town to slaughter to their heart's content!
The wolf king was extremely cunning. It planned to use the pack to restrain Lin Yan, even overwhelm him, while simultaneously attacking the very place he most wanted to protect. This was the most vicious, yet also the most effective, strategy.
"Want to go over there?" Lin Yan's voice was icy, like a frosty stone. Facing the surging pack of wolves and the terrifying wolf king, he didn't retreat; instead, he took a step forward. His foot landed on the dirt road with a soft "plop," and dirt squeezed out from between his toes.
Within his body, his perfected Body Tempering cultivation erupted without reservation! His blood and qi surged like a river bursting its banks, roaring through his meridians and causing them to tingle slightly; his muscles and bones resonated, with faint thunderous sounds emanating from them, every inch of his muscles tense, filled with explosive power; his gray-black Devouring Spirit True Essence surged at an unprecedented speed, his meridians were stretched to the point of swelling, and the mark on his chest was so hot it felt like it was about to burn, burning his heart with pain, but also bringing a continuous stream of power.
[Swiftness] Talent - Activate!
His figure left a faint afterimage in place, and his true form shot out like a ghost, not to meet the wolf king, but to rush towards the pack of wolves on the left that was trying to bypass him and pounce on the town gate! There were five or six demon wolves there, moving extremely fast, and they were about to reach the town gate.
The blade flashed suddenly!
The dark gray blade's light wasn't dazzling; in fact, it was somewhat dull, yet it carried a chilling aura, as if it could devour all light and life. Where the blade passed, the air emitted a low, mournful wail, like the weeping of a departed soul.
"puff!"
The wolf at the forefront, in its early stage of Body Tempering, didn't even see the flash of the blade before its massive head shot skyward. Blood gushed from its neck like a fountain, splashing high into the air and landing on the ground, staining a large area of earth red. Lin Yan's figure passed by the headless wolf without pausing for a moment. His left hand shot out like lightning, its five fingers curved like hooks, and fiercely dug into the side of another wolf beside him—there was an old wound there, left from last night.
Soul-Devouring Body, at full power!
A terrifying suction force erupted instantly, and the demon wolf let out a mournful howl. Its robust body shrank visibly, its once round belly rapidly collapsing. A vast amount of vital energy, mixed with a trace of demonic power, surged into Lin Yan's body like a river bursting its banks! A throbbing, slightly painful swelling spread through his meridians, as if they were about to burst, but more than that, there was a wild, exhilarating feeling of overflowing power. Every cell was cheering, absorbing this power!
Absorb, transform, replenish what's lost! Sustain through battle! This is the domineering nature of the Soul-Devouring Body!
Without pausing, Lin Yan withdrew his hand, his fingertips still stained with the wolf's blood and bits of flesh. He spun around, his longsword sweeping across the air with a whistling sound, severing a wolf that was trying to pounce on his calf in half! Blood and entrails splattered everywhere, the pungent stench of blood instantly filling the air, making people dizzy, but it only made Lin Yan's eyes shine even brighter.
His speed was incredible! With the [Swiftness] talent enhanced, he was like a phantom to these Body Tempering Realm wolves, impossible to track. With each flash of his blade, a wolf was either killed or maimed. And with every contact, given the chance, his left hand would transform into a life-devouring claw, frantically plundering the wolf's life force and demonic power!
In just a few breaths, the five or six demonic wolves on the left all fell into pools of blood, their corpses piled haphazardly on the ground, becoming part of Lin Yan's inner power. His aura, far from weakening due to the battle, instead grew even more intense with the replenishment from the devouring, as if the surrounding air itself was being heated, faintly showing a restless energy about to break through some kind of constraint—the barrier of the Profound Realm, now clearer than ever before under the extreme combat and power replenishment!
"Awooo—!!!"
Upon witnessing this scene, the wolf king's bloodshot eyes were filled with such fury that they almost burst forth!
It abruptly changed direction, its silver form arcing through the air with a ferocious, crushing power, as it pounced straight at Lin Yan! Its four hooves pounded the ground, leaving deep hoofprints and raising clouds of dust. It wanted to tear this despicable human to pieces with its own hands and let him taste the most painful way to die!
Under the wolf king's roar, even more demonic wolves abandoned their direct assault on the town gate and instead swarmed in from all directions. Their eyes were red, their teeth bared, and they growled menacingly, forming a black net that enveloped Lin Yan. They intended to overwhelm this dangerous human with sheer numbers!
Lin Yan was instantly surrounded by dozens of demonic wolves, their shadows all around him, the stench almost making him vomit. In the distance, the silver figure drew ever closer, the wolf king's aura pressing down like a mountain, making it difficult for him to breathe—that was the pressure of the Profound Realm, vastly different from that of the Body Tempering Realm.
He was surrounded by wolves in front and the wolf king was after him, ready to claim his life.
Lin Yan stood with his knife in hand, amidst the piles of wolf carcasses. He was covered in blood, his face and body stained with blood and grime, some of his own, but mostly from the demon wolves. Blood streamed down his cheeks, dripping onto the blade before sliding to the ground. He was breathing heavily, his chest heaving, but his eyes shone with a terrifying light, like the brightest star in the darkest night, and a near-mad smile even played at the corners of his lips.
Good timing!
The Devouring Spirit True Essence within his body had reached its peak, each flow accompanied by a tearing pain in his meridians, yet it only fueled his excitement. The barrier leading to the Profound Realm was right before him; with just a little more effort, he could break through! He needed more pressure, more battles, more… Devouring!
The long sword pointed diagonally at the ground, and drops of blood slowly dripped down the blade, hitting the ground with a "thud" and mixing with the blood all over the ground.
Lin Yan gazed at the surging pack of wolves and the ever-approaching silver giant, slowly exhaling a breath of foul air tinged with the smell of blood. The foul air dissipated in the air, carrying his resolute determination.
The next moment, he took the initiative and his gray-black figure transformed into a whirlwind of death, charging fiercely into the densest part of the wolf pack!
They stood guard at the town gate, fighting to the death, refusing to retreat!