Howl—!
Five frenzy lightning wolves raised their heads and howled.
Rain poured from the sky, forming curtains of water that blurred vision. Dark clouds covered Qing Mao mountain, and lightning flashed from time to time, illuminating the battlefield for a brief instant before darkness returned.
"Quick, reinforce the northern gate!"
"Healing Gu Master! Someone is heavily injured here!"
"Kill them, don't let them climb over the wall!"
The wolves' howls and the Gu Masters' shouts mixed together. The sound of rain, wind, thunder, and killing filled the village.
Outside the walls, countless lightning wolves rushed forward. The pitfall traps had already been filled with wolf corpses. Behind the ordinary lightning wolves, bold lightning wolves pushed the pack forward, while frenzy lightning wolves watched for chances to break through.
Rank one and Rank two Gu Masters fought on the front lines. Moonblades flew continuously, cutting into the wolf pack. But the wolves did not retreat. Lightning currents and lightning balls shot toward the village walls, causing blood and screams to scatter in the rain.
Fang Ming stood on the western wall.
He was now a clan elder. His task was to suppress this section of the battlefield.
"Elder Fang Ming, this is the newest injury report from the medicine hall. Please take a look!" A Gu Master in charge of information hurried over and handed him a bamboo slip with both hands.
Fang Ming accepted it.
"You may leave."
The Gu Master cupped his fists and quickly ran off. His speed was very fast; all Gu Masters who transmitted information during the wolf tide had at least one movement-type Gu.
Fang Ming opened the report and looked through it.
The numbers were not pleasant.
After several attacks, the clan's casualties had continued to rise. Some groups had been completely destroyed, while others had only one or two injured survivors. The medicine hall was under great pressure, and even Gu Yue Yao Ji could no longer maintain her usual calm expression.
But Fang Ming was not surprised.
This wolf tide was different from ordinary ones.
He poured primeval essence into his palm. A thin crescent of moonlight appeared and reduced the report to ashes.
Such reports were only for clan elders. If the contents spread, the village's panic would worsen.
Fang Ming closed his eyes briefly and looked into his aperture.
The aperture walls were no longer the rough state of a newly advanced Rank three. They had become thicker and more stable. His primeval sea shone with white silver light, far deeper than what an initial stage Rank three Gu Master should possess.
After obtaining his Rank three Gu worms, Fang Ming had used three White Silver Relic Gu in succession.
The first pushed him from Rank three initial stage to middle stage.
The second pushed him from middle stage to upper stage.
The third pushed him from upper stage to peak stage.
This was too fast.
If revealed, even A-grade aptitude and Chi branch support would not be enough to explain it. Thus, Fang Ming only showed the aura of a newly advanced Rank three. In battle, he also restrained the power of his Gu worms and controlled the amount of white silver primeval essence he used.
A peak stage Rank three's attack and an initial stage Rank three's attack were not the same.
The difference could not be shown casually.
But concealment had a limit.
If danger truly arrived, Fang Ming would not hesitate to use his full strength.
Survival came before secrecy.
Rank three peak stage was also not his final goal. Before Qing Mao Mountain's disaster arrived, he needed to stabilize his foundation and search for a chance to attack Rank four.
Only Rank four would give him more confidence to leave this mountain alive.
Inside his aperture, several Gu worms rested quietly.
Moon Edge Gu resided in his palm, appearing as a thin crescent mark.
Thunderwings Gu stayed on his back, forming two faint lightning-shaped tattoos.
Sky Canopy Gu floated above the primeval sea like a white-shelled beetle.
Iron Skin Gu sank lower, no longer his main defense but still useful.
Bookworm Gu remained quiet.
As for the hidden Gu, they were naturally kept deeper.
Howl!
A sharp wolf howl suddenly cut through the battlefield.
Fang Ming opened his eyes.
A messenger rushed over through the rain. "Lord elder, the northern side is under pressure! A frenzy lightning wolf has broken through the outer defense. Elder Jiang Jian and two other elders are blocking it, but they request assistance!"
Fang Ming's gaze moved toward the northern side.
Lightning flashed.
In that instant, he saw the shadow of a huge wolf moving near the wall.
Crack!
Lightning sounded from his back.
A pair of blue thunder wings spread out. They were not flesh and blood, but formed from condensed lightning. With one flap, Fang Ming rose from the wall and flew through the rain.
Thunderwings Gu consumed primeval essence quickly.
A newly advanced Rank three would not dare to use it recklessly.
Fang Ming could.
But he still controlled the output, making his speed appear fast yet not abnormal.
Rain struck his face as he crossed the battlefield.
Below him, Gu Masters looked up in shock.
"Elder Fang Ming!"
"He is going to the northern side!"
"He can fly?"
"That is Thunderwings Gu!"
Fang Ming ignored the voices.
In several breaths, he reached the northern battlefield.
A frenzy lightning wolf was trying to force open a breach. Its body was larger than ordinary wolves, and lightning flashed across its fur. Several clan elders surrounded it, but the rain and wolf pack made the situation chaotic.
At the side of the battlefield, a Rank one Gu Master had fallen near a broken section of the wall. Her leg was injured, and she could not retreat quickly.
The frenzy lightning wolf suddenly swung its tail.
The wolf tail tore through the rain, striking toward the young Gu Master.
Her face turned pale.
With her cultivation, she could neither dodge nor block it.
At this moment, a white canopy appeared above her.
Bang!
The wolf tail struck the canopy, causing a violent tremor. The young Gu Master was knocked backward by the shockwave, but the fatal blow was blocked.
Fang Ming landed in front of her.
Sky Canopy Gu's white light covered him like a faint barrier.
"The battlefield here is dangerous. Retreat," Fang Ming said.
The young Gu Master stared at his back blankly.
She knew Fang Ming.
Not long ago, he had still been the academy's number one student. Now, he was already standing before her as a Rank three clan elder.
A nearby healing Gu Master quickly dragged her away.
Fang Ming no longer paid attention to her.
The frenzy lightning wolf turned its head toward him.
Its eyes were filled with vicious light.
Fang Ming raised his hand.
Moon Edge Gu.
A thin crescent moonblade flew out.
It was different from Moonglow Gu's moonblade. This blade was narrower and faster, carrying a cold sharpness. It cut across the frenzy lightning wolf's front leg, opening a long wound.
Blood immediately flowed out.
The wound was not deep enough.
Fang Ming had restrained the force.
If he used peak stage primeval essence fully, the injury would not be this shallow.
The frenzy lightning wolf roared and pounced.
Fang Ming's thunder wings flashed. He moved sideways, avoiding the direct charge, then sent out another Moon Edge blade.
This time, the crescent cut toward the wolf's eye.
The wolf lowered its head, and the blade sliced across its ear instead.
One elder shouted, "Good! Restrain it!"
The other elders immediately attacked.
Moonblades, vines, and stone spikes struck the frenzy lightning wolf from different directions. The wolf howled angrily, lightning bursting from its body and forcing the elders to retreat.
Fang Ming activated Sky Canopy Gu again.
The white canopy blocked several arcs of lightning.
The defense shook fiercely.
Fang Ming deliberately stepped back half a step, making his face pale slightly.
To others, this looked like the pressure of a newly advanced elder facing a frenzy lightning wolf.
In truth, his primeval essence was still abundant.
He raised his palm again.
Another Moon Edge blade flew out.
This blade cut the wolf's injured front leg at the same spot.
The wound deepened.
The frenzy lightning wolf's movement slowed.
The nearby elders saw the chance and attacked together. After several more exchanges, the frenzy lightning wolf finally let out a mournful howl and collapsed under the joint assault.
Fang Ming lowered his hand.
Rainwater flowed down his sleeve.
His breathing was slightly heavy.
Not too heavy.
Not too steady.
The balance had to be right.
An elder glanced at him and nodded. "Elder Fang Ming, good timing."
"It was a joint effort," Fang Ming replied.
His words were plain and modest.
The elder did not say more. In the wolf tide, no one had time for empty courtesy.
Soon, another report came.
The eastern side was under pressure.
Fang Ming looked at the battlefield, then spread his Thunderwings Gu again and moved toward the next point.
Far away, Gu Yue Bo stood on a higher platform, watching the situation.
Beside him was a close aide.
"What do you think of Fang Ming?" Gu Yue Bo asked.
The aide looked toward the northern side and replied, "Elder Fang Ming has just advanced, but his performance is stable. He chose Thunderwings Gu from the clan, received Sky Canopy Gu from Chi Lian, and refined Moon Edge Gu afterward. With offense, defense, and movement, his foundation is already complete."
The aide paused, then continued, "He also saved a junior Gu Master earlier. Many people saw it. His reputation should rise quickly after this."
Gu Yue Bo nodded slightly.
Fang Ming was different from Fang Yuan.
Fang Ming was A-grade, had performed well since the academy, and had Chi branch support. His rise was fast, but not impossible to explain on the surface.
Still, it was too fast.
Gu Yue Bo had been clan leader for many years; he naturally would not be fooled by surface reasons alone.
But now was not peaceful times.
The wolf tide was severe. The clan needed every Rank three fighting strength it had. If he investigated Fang Ming too deeply now, it would not only waste manpower, it might also provoke Chi Lian and create factional conflict during a crisis.
That was not worth it.
"Withdraw the hidden inquiries for now," Gu Yue Bo said.
The aide was slightly startled, but quickly cupped his fists. "Yes, clan leader."
Gu Yue Bo looked at Fang Ming's figure moving through the rain.
"No matter what secrets he has, he is useful now."
Lightning flashed again.
On the battlefield, Fang Ming landed near another section of the wall. Moon Edge Gu flickered in his palm, and a thin crescent blade cut into the charging wolf pack.
The wolf tide had given Fang Ming time to breathe and stabilize, but only for now.
It would not be long before Gu Yue Fang Yuan advanced to Rank three. A month at most. When that happened, Gu Yue Bo and the elders' attention would naturally shift toward him.
Compared to Fang Ming, Fang Yuan's advancement would be much harder to explain.
A C-grade talent reaching Rank three so quickly was too abnormal.
At that time, Fang Ming's own doubts would become less eye-catching.
But there were not many opportunities left on Qing Mao Mountain.
Gu Yue Bo's Rank four Gu worms were one.
The Divine Investigator was another, barely.
Once Tie Xue Leng arrived, Qing Mao Mountain's final disaster would not be far away. Fang Ming might only have one chance to copy a Gu from him before he died.
But the most important target was still Gu Yue Bo.
If Fang Ming reached Rank four and copied one of Gu Yue Bo's core Gu worms, his position would change completely.
By then, suspicion would no longer matter as much.
If others questioned his rapid progress, he could push everything onto the Flower Wine Monk inheritance. Whether the explanation was reasonable or not would not be important.
Rank four was a powerhouse on Qing Mao Mountain.
In this world, strength was truth.
As long as Fang Ming had enough power, even an absurd explanation would become acceptable. Others would not only believe it, they would help convince themselves it was true.