Meng Xuan's fake name was Chu Zhang. He needed to keep his true identity hidden as long as he remained in this demonic zone. There was always the chance of meeting other people who had also chosen this place to hunt.
From afar, one could see roughly shaped caves where the Hell Hounds nested, each pack holding its own territory. The Hell Hound Demonic Zone was considered an upper-tier zone.
The difference between an upper-tier and a lower-tier zone was simple: the upper-tier zones contained denser demonic energy, and within them lurked stronger and more vicious beasts than those of lower-tier zones.
All demonic zones were structured like giant circles—the deeper one went toward the center, the stronger the beasts became. The leap in strength between a lower-tier demonic zone and an upper-tier one was vast.
At the very center, there was always one final boss—a monstrous beast guarding the essence core of the demonic zone.
Meng Xuan had chosen the Hell Hound Demonic Zone because its beasts controlled flame attributes. He needed a flame technique to strengthen his fighting ability.
The moment he stepped out of the forest, he spotted one of the beasts wandering around.
It resembled a wolf and a dog at the same time, its body covered in red-brown fur that had sustained a grievous injury. It was likely a lone wolf, one cast away from its pack,or it as escape from hunters' attacks.
The beast suddenly stopped in its tracks, turning its head slowly toward Meng Xuan.
He wasn't surprised. Hell Hounds were famous for their sharp sense of smell.
The beast growled, shifting its two hind legs into a pouncing stance. It opened its mouth, and a ball of fire began to form. In the next instant, the ball shot forth, tearing through the air and leaving behind a blazing trail.
Meng Xuan was already prepared. He leapt to the side, narrowly dodging the attack.
The Hell Hound roared and charged forward, its blade-like fangs gleaming in the dim light. Meng Xuan twisted his body left, avoiding its snapping jaws by a hair's breadth.
He retaliated with a powerful punch aimed at the beast's head.
The Hell Hound staggered back with a gruesome growl, trying to form another fireball. But before it could finish, its view was swallowed by a surge of dark flame.
The black fire consumed the beast entirely, leaving nothing behind but a dark-blue, elliptical-shaped demonic core.
Meng Xuan let out a quiet sigh. I still need to fully master the Primordial Demonic Flame…
The Hell Hound's fangs and fur were precious materials, worth a fortune if exchanged.
He picked up his first loot before carefully approaching the wolf's den.
Meng Xuan didn't rush inside recklessly—that would have been courting death. Instead, he stopped three meters from the cave entrance and tossed in a stone he had picked up.
The sound of the stone striking the floor disturbed the den.
Soon, another Hell Hound appeared at the mouth of the cave. Meng Xuan was already prepared. A flame ball followed immediately after its emergence, lighting up the darkness within.
Mengxuan didn't notice another hell hound creeping up behind the one he had just killed, but before he could create another flame ball, the beast instantly closed the distance. He couldn't dodge in time and rolled on the ground, narrowly avoiding the crushing pressure of its four legs.
The beast was fast, but Mengxuan was human with sharp reflexes, and he had been training his body. His overall strength had also greatly improved.
He stood up swiftly, and before the hell hound could open its mouth to unleash a flame ball, his leg lashed out. A solid kick landed against the beast's jaw. A sharp cracking sound echoed, and the creature's mouth hung low.
Mengxuan didn't stop there. He launched a barrage of punches at its head. The beast couldn't withstand the furious assault and was pushed back, staggering under the immense force pounding into its skull.
With a final desperate struggle, it tried to retreat toward the cave, but what it met instead was a dark flame ball.
It let out a shrill cry, and like the rest, its body was devoured by black fire.
Mengxuan used different methods to cut down the hell hounds. He wasn't planning to enter too deep yet. At the end of the cave lurked the alpha of the pack—a beast known to be at the initial rank of the Master Stage, if compared to cultivators.
There were three types of packs: low-level, mid-level, and high-level.
The current wolf pack Mengxuan faced was a low-level one. Their alpha was only at the initial rank of the Master Stage. Mid-level packs usually had alphas at the peak of the Master Stage or higher. High-level packs had alphas above the Master Stage entirely. Their population sizes also grew according to their levels.
At present, Mengxuan could barely handle a low-level pack. At most, he might have a one percent chance against a mid-level pack, but facing a high-level pack was impossible.
He had already slain a dozen of these hell hounds. Just as he caught his breath, four to five more beasts came charging out at once.using the surrounding environment to his advantage made it easyto kill them quickly.
Time flowed on, and Mengxuan was able to bring down dozens of hell hounds. Their demonic cores littered the floor.
When he finally thought the cave was safe enough, he crept deeper, his steps silent as he aimed for the alpha of the pack.
A few more hell hounds lurked in the shadows. Though Mengxuan was meticulous, he still sustained some injuries. But thanks to the demon self-healing attributes within him, his body recovered swiftly.
The deeper he went into the dark cave, the stronger the aura of the Master Stage pressed upon him.
He suddenly stopped before a secluded compartment. Inside lay the alpha of the pack.
Its body was larger than a normal hell hound's, its four legs sprawled lazily across the floor as it slept.
The moment Mengxuan stepped into the compartment, the beast's red, flame-like eyes slowly opened, locking onto him.
Instantly, the alpha stood up before it was engulfed in red flames.Its fur bristled and its gaze burned with killing intent as it turned toward Mengxuan.