Chapter 0016: Woe From Wolf Spirits

“Do you submit?” Yang Wu demanded, holding his crowbar steady above Fei Leng’s head.

Without bothering to wipe the blood from his face, the older man responded instantly, “Yes! I submit!”

He knew that if a ‘No’ escaped his lips, the young man would truly crack open his head, ending him for good.

Fei Leng had not expected such a swift defeat, though he could sense that the young man before him was as powerful as a Consummate Grade Foot Soldier. If Yang Wu had been any weaker, he might have had a chance, but as it was, fighting back would be a detrimental mistake. Silently, he cursed to himself, How crappy is my luck to meet a foe like this?

Having witnessed Yang Wu’s ruthless attacks, the surrounding inmates did not dare act rashly. That young man had mercilessly beaten Boss Fei, whom they had all worshiped, and it robbed them of their courage.

“Very good. You will all obey Skinny Monkey from now on. His word is as good as mine; do you hear me” Yang Wu’s tone was frigid as he gestured to Skinny Monkey behind him.

“Yes, I understand!” the disabled man hurriedly replied.

“You, over there, who goes by Bei Zi, do you have any objections?” The young man cast his gaze over Bei Zi, who nursed his injured hand.

Fear flashed in the man’s eyes as he stammered, “N-no objections here!”

“Excellent. From here on out, you all belong to the Wuhou Gang. Bear in mind, I will end anyone who dares to cause trouble from within!” Yang Wu’s gaze was as sharp as a blade as he announced his terms.

Without much suspense, Fei Long and Bei Zi had submitted to Yang Wu, now under the Wuhou Gang’s wings.

Yang Wu was only a step away from reaching the Consummate Grade, having already become a Superior Grade Foot Soldier. Furthermore, with his combat techniques and experience, defeating Fei Leng had been a breeze. On top of that, all of his senses—sight, hearing, smell, ect.—had grown sharper than the average person’s since he had begun cultivating the Supreme Nine Profound Art.

With these changes, Yang Wu had slowly come to realize that he could become a supreme expert among his generation as long as he continued to cultivate the art. Of course, he would need to successfully collect nine Profound Essence Energies and reach the Accomplished stage.

Currently, however, he was still weak, still at the introductory stage. His imprisonment only made finding those energies even more difficult.

While Skinny Monkey and Yang Wu finished bringing block 68 under their command, word of Centipede’s death reached Black Ape in cellblock 1, an area reserved for first-class felons and death-row inmates, all of whom were outstandingly powerful. Unfortunately for the gang leader, he was restricted to his section and could not venture to block 68 to teach these newcomers a lesson.

——

Meanwhile, in block 8, the bloody aura had finally withdrawn. After transporting the block’s inmates to another area, thousands of guards had surrounded the block, and once again, the warden and his deputies explored the pit in hopes of discovering its secret.

Although the deep pit no longer radiated the dangerous aura, the average man still could not get close. Wan Tianlong had dispatched five captains and fifty squad leaders, along with another five hundred guards to investigate further, yet most had ended up dead in the end. Only one captain had managed to escape alive but gravely injured. That man returned with shocking news. His team had found a bloody ritual array covered in ominous items as sacrificial offerings. Furthermore, an earthly spirit spring surrounded an altar, emitting an astounding level of Profound Energy.

Setting aside the items on the altar, the spirit spring was enough temptation to encourage Wan Tianlong and his men.

Not only could an earthly spirit spring reinforce one’s bones, but it could also cleanse the marrow, expand the meridians, alter one’s physique, and bolster one’s strength. It was an incredibly rare type of spirit spring and ultimately priceless.

Surely a bloody altar within an earthly spirit spring must harbor some precious secrets! Wan Tianlong, Zhao Changdao, and Lie Feng all thought, unabashed desire flashing in their eyes.

“Warden, we need to secure the location quickly!” Zhao Changdao urged.

“I agree,” Lie Feng echoed. “This is our territory, but if the barbarian forces in the vicinity catch wind of this, they’ll come to claim it. Dealing with them will be a pain.”

As the warden considered the potential issues, the blood-curdling howls of wolves interrupted his thoughts.

Owwoo! Owwoo!

The Smoke Signal Mountain Prison (Wolf Smoke Mountain Prison) earned its name from the wolves who reigned over the region. The Xia Dynasty might have claimed the area for its prison, but in truth, humans only occupied a fraction of the land. Ferocious wolf spirits ran rampant across the land beyond the prison, and not even Generals like Wan Tianlong dared to venture too deep into the mountains.

[TL Note: The word for “Smoke Signal Mountain Prison” can be literally translated as “Wolf Smoke Mountain Prison.” The usage of this name made use of the double meaning of the word for “wolf smoke,” which also means “smoke signal.” Since it was at the borders or near the barbarians’ territory, it was likely also used as an alarm system for attacks by the barbarian. Smoke signals made for a quick and effective way of sending a message across far distances.]

“Bad news, Warden. A large pack of wolf spirits is attacking the prison.” A soldier, tasked with patrolling the prison’s outskirts on horseback, galloped into block 8 to deliver the report, startling the three men.

“Soldiers, follow me! We will stop these wolf spirits!” The warden’s voice boomed as he gave the order.

By the time Wan Tianlong and his men reached the prison’s edge, a few thousand wolf spirits were already pressing close to block 8. Although small-scale strikes from the wolf spirits were not uncommon as they came looking for the wayward prisoner to snack on, such a large assault was quite rare.

Every one of the approaching wolf spirits was majestic and powerful. They struck a noble, proud image as they mercilessly ran down nearby humans, howling to the sky every now and then. Their coats shone in a variety of colors—crimson, azure, amber—and their eyes glittered with a horrific hunger.

As the wolf spirits thundered by, prisoners, scared out of their wits, ran for their lives.

“What?! There’re so many of them! Don’t eat me! I don’t want to die!”

“Damn wolf spirits, get lost! I’ll fight you all till my last breath!”

“Ahh! My arm! It ate my arm …!”

——

With the heavy shackles around the inmates’ ankles, they could not escape. Many suffered grievous wounds, and some were even swallowed alive. It was a terrible scene to behold.

The prisoners had no hope. A Consummate Grade Wolf General, a wolf spirit on par with the warden, led the pack in its brutal attack.

Unlike the rest of the beasts, the Wolf General did not charge into battle. Rather, it stood in the middle of the battlefield, one long howl after another escaping its throat. It almost seemed like it was giving orders to the thousands of wolf spirits swarming toward cellblock 8.

Huge and striking, the Wolf General’s coat glistened in like the blazing sun. Saliva dripped from its exposed fangs, and its howls sounded like calls for blood. Not only did the creature retain its primitive ferocity, but cunning intelligence also show in its gaze.

Wan Tianlong and his men reached the scene fast enough, and the warden wasted no time. He leapt into the air, and with his bow in hand, fired an arrow straight toward the Wolf General.

Zzzsh!

Still in the air, the warden instinctively settled five arrows on his bow, each arrowhead shining, and sent them all flying toward the beast in a deadly arc.

In response, the Wolf General opened its maw and spewed an iridescent, multicolored energy that blasted the projectiles into pieces.

Unfortunately, two of the four wolves along its flanks could not avoid the arrows in time. They wailed in pain when the arrows bit into their flesh, falling into growing pools of blood.

“Why is the wolf pack attacking?” The warden demanded, aghast, as he landed back atop his bull spirit.

Slightly slower than Wan Tianlong, a large number of guard captains, squad leaders, and guards emerged from the surrounding blocks to launch a formidable counterattack.

The Wolf General howled again, long and low, calling most of his pack to his side. The creature then spoke in the human tongue. “Are you this mountain prison’s warden?” it asked. “I am Lang Cha, alpha of the surrounding area. I smell that a King-level treasure has been unearthed. Surrender it to us and save your people from disaster.”

Its voice was hoarse and jarring, yet any animal spirit that could communicate in this language was no average being.

“It would be best if you retreated, Lang Cha. We bear no grudge against your pack, and no King-level treasure has been found. You cannot blame us for our ruthlessness if you insist on continuing this battle!” The warden solemnly warned the Wolf General. Frowning, he thought to himself, This wolf demon must be quite powerful to detect the secrets beneath block 8. It looks like we’re in for a tough fight.

“This is our territory, and everything within it belongs to our pack! If you refuse to hand it over, we will devour you all!” Lang Cha flashed its vicious fangs, snarling.

“How dare a mere Wolf General like you threaten us! I’ll take your head!” Zhao Changdao lambasted, pointing his saber at the wolf.

“My wolves, ravage the humans!” The Wolf General lost the last of his patience and, with a bellow, commanded his comrades to attack.

Instantly, several thousand wolf spirits pounced.

“Slay these wolves, men!” Left with no choice, the warden barked the order.

Wan Tianlong barrelled headlong into the pack atop his bull spirit. He released a seemingly endless stream of arrows from his bow, dropping a wolf spirit with each.

The warden had earned the nickname ‘Unrivaled Archer’ for a reason.

Elsewhere, Zhao Changdao locked eyes with the Wolf General and charged on his old tiger. Blood dripped from his saber as he swung, fully displaying the prowess of a General Realm cultivator.

Lie Feng had the responsibility of clearing out the scattered wolf spirits and preventing the beasts from causing even more panic within the prison.

Fortunately, there was no shortage of experts among the captains, including Wan Tianlong’s own daughter, who gave a spectacular performance. She road a snow leopard into battle, wielding a cobalt-blue spear. One by one, the wolf spirits fell, their blood blooming like a flower as she thrust her spear into her enemies.

Wan Lanzin was only twenty-two, yet she was stunning. Her armor was a similar blue to her weapon, and she wore a crown-like helmet, a flowery bet around her waist, and boots with a swirling cloud design on her feet. Within the prison, she was a dazzling, spirited flower.

Her glorious style was enough to make the guards swoon. Even the tortured prisoners could not help but pause to admire her valiance, despite the risk to their lives.

The young woman rode deep into the fray, hunting the wolves who broke away from the pack. Noticing five of the beasts veer off, she gave chase, shouting. “Evil beasts! I won’t let you cause any more harm!”

These five wolf spirits ran straight for cellblock 68 ….