Huang Shi felt his body burning in agonizing tandem with his waning flames. A bone-deep exhaustion began to sway his balance, making his limbs feel as heavy as lead, while the rhythmic throb of his bleeding left arm served as a visceral, stinging reminder of his own arrogance.
I can't fall down... if I let my knees hit the dirt now, that other fucking wolf is gonna make me his breakfast...
Gritting his teeth until they nearly cracked, he forced his trembling legs to lock straight. He called upon the final dregs of his power, enveloping his battered frame in a protective shroud of Sunfyre.
Standing amidst the scorched rubble and the drifting, grey ash of his fallen enemy, his golden eyes pierced through the smoke with a ferocious, predatory light. In that moment, bathed in flickering radiance, he looked less like a wounded cultivator and more like a vengeful god of fire and ash.
The remaining Elementary Profound Grayscale Wolves began to tremble uncontrollably. The sheer intensity of the heat radiating from him was a physical barrier, forcing them to shrink back as if he were a walking plague.
He wasn't sure which of them broke first, but a sudden, pathetic howl of terror ripped through the air. One wolf bolted, vanishing into the dense foliage, and the rest followed suit after a moment of panicked hesitation—glancing briefly at their surviving leader before their gaze landed on the charred remains of their other now dead leader.
The sight of Huang Shi's sharp, golden eyes—seemingly screaming for more blood—was the final straw. They turned and ran like hell.
However, the remaining Alpha Grayscale Wolf lingered, its body tensed in a mask of hesitation. Instinctively, it could sense that its human target was flagging; it knew the previous clash had exacted a heavy toll on his reserves.
This was a golden opportunity for bloody revenge. Yet, when those indifferent golden eyes locked onto its own, and the burning Sunfyre flared up in a silent challenge, the beast's courage withered. It let out a low, submissive whimper and retreated into the shadows in a frantic haste.
Huang Shi watched them disappear and simply waited. He refused to show even a flicker of weakness, standing as still and immovable as a mountain.
Minutes ticked by. Just as he suspected, the Alpha appeared at the very edge of his vision, prowling through the brush and searching for a moment of true vulnerability. Huang Shi didn't give it an inch.
He raised his hand with slow, deliberate precision. Now that the technique had been etched into his soul, forming the weapon was as natural as drawing breath. Though the cost to his spiritual energy was significant, he didn't need a full-power strike; he just needed a convincing bluff.
A new golden blade manifested in the air before him. It was smaller—roughly half the size of the original—but it crackled with the same concentrated Sunfyre, radiating the oppressive atmospheric pressure of a miniature sun.
[Sunfyre Obliteration Sword]
With a flick of his right hand, the golden sword ascended. Then, with a piercing howl of displaced air, the streak of golden light launched itself straight for the lurking wolf.
AWOO!!!
The Alpha, already traumatized by the horrific death of its companion, saw the incoming light and felt its fear skyrocket. It turned to flee, tail tucked between its legs, but Huang Shi had underestimated the sheer potency of his own creation.
Even at half-strength, the sword moved with a relentless, guided speed that the Nascent Profound beast could not outrun. It caught the monster mid-stride, erupting in a violent display of light.
BOOOM!
A massive explosion of Sunfyre once again resounded throughout the quiet forest, causing the Alpha Grayscale Wolf to howl in pain. Its stone-like gray scales started to melt under the searing heat as blood and flame enveloped its body.
This time, the injury was not light by any stretch of the imagination; it was clearly a very heavy injury, as its spiritual energy was constantly being burned off while its blood and bone were set on fire. It ran as fast as it could into the forest, finally leaving Huang Shi and its previous hideout behind, and this time it was no fake; clearly, it was very afraid of him.
Huang Shi finally couldn't keep up the façade as he dropped to the ground on his knees while panting heavily. He had never been this injured in his life; he had never been so close to death. He wanted to sleep, to lie down, to rest, but he knew that he couldn't do that. He knew that if he lost consciousness here, some other predator would find him and would treat him as easy prey.
I.. need to move… if I don't.. all my hard work will be for nothing…
Huang Shi forced himself to stand up. His injuries were quite severe; his bones had shown slight signs of breaking as his physical body was clearly inferior to his enemies. The deep gash at his left arm was even worse, as the previous attack had left it hanging in a mangled mess; if left untreated, he could potentially lose it forever.
He tried to force himself to move, albeit slowly, towards the hideout of the Grayscale Wolves. His previous goal was starting to elude his senses, his mind being muddled.
What was I doing here again?
What Huang Shi didn't know was that the massive wound on his left arm had caused him to lose a large amount of blood; this caused him to start hallucinating. Fortunately, or unfortunately, something happened—an encounter, one that would change his life forever.
"You look about to die, do you need any help?"
A cold voice rang by his ears—not cold in the sense that she was emotionless, but more regal, like she was an emperor that had ruled over millions of people, like she was a person above the masses, a person that could not be defied.
[WARNING! THE HOST HAS ENCOUNTERED THE PROTAGONIST OF THIS WORLD! THE SYSTEM SUGGESTS PRUDENCE OF THE HIGHEST ORDER]