Chapter 23: The Height of Shamelessness

"Screech!"

The sword in Li Xingyun's hand plunged into the body of the Howling Moon Wolf.

However, it could only penetrate about half an inch before it could go any deeper.

The terrifying defense of a Level 4 demonic beast meant its bones were every bit as hard as the sword in Li Xingyun's hand.

"Awoooo—!"

In pain, the Howling Moon Wolf opened its maw and howled, firing another blast of Astral Qi Blades from its mouth.

Li Xingyun hurriedly drew his sword to block, but he still took a hit. Although he had clearly practiced defensive cultivation techniques and avoided serious injury, the wound was still quite gruesome.

Coupled with the terrifying force unleashed by the Astral Qi Blade, he failed to steady himself and was sent flying, crashing into a tree.

Such an injury might mean nothing to a peak third-stage Martial Vein cultivator, but in a duel between experts, life and death hang by a thread.

He was already no match for the Howling Moon Wolf, and now that he had been knocked down, the beast would not miss the opportunity. It lunged forward with a sudden leap.

"Senior Brother Xingyun!"

Seeing this, the Li family disciples were struck with terror; some even covered their eyes.

"Clang!"

Just as it seemed Li Xingyun was about to perish in the Howling Moon Wolf's bloody maw, a streak of sword light suddenly flew past, weaving through obstacles to strike the wolf.

"Awoooo—!"

The Howling Moon Wolf let out a hysterical, ear-piercing scream, so shrill that several Li family disciples fainted on the spot, foaming at the mouth.

The surrounding vegetation rustled violently, as if trembling from the sound of the howl.

The Li family disciples looked on in astonishment, finding that the sword light had already flown away, while the wound on the Howling Moon Wolf's forehead had grown significantly deeper.

This strike had precisely hit the wound Li Xingyun had previously left on the wolf's forehead.

The sword light darted back and forth. In that split second, when the Howling Moon Wolf attempted to locate its attacker, it found no one there.

Meanwhile, Li Xingyun took the opportunity to escape.

He was a clever man; knowing someone had assisted him, he decided to prioritize saving his own life regardless of who it was.

However, the Howling Moon Wolf was clearly not going to let him go easily.

Unable to find the sneak attacker, the wolf directed all its fury toward the Li family disciples.

It began a frenzied pursuit!

"Ah—!"

"Ah!"

Screams rang out one after another.

In an instant, two Li family disciples were already dead.

Though Li Xingyun wanted to stop the wolf, he was powerless; due to excessive blood loss, he was already feeling dizzy and lightheaded.

Just as it seemed the Li family disciples present would be slaughtered to a man, the sword light appeared once more!

Clang!

It once again struck the previous wound with unerring precision!

Awoooo—!

No matter how strong the Howling Moon Wolf was, it was still only a Level 4 demonic beast.

Ling Xiao's Hundred-Step Flying Sword had reached the Ninth Layer Great Perfection. Combined with the power boost from the Clear Wind Sword and the exponential increase in strength from the "Qi Bursting Art," he struck the existing wound twice in rapid succession.

No matter how hard the bones were, they were finally pierced through!

Of course, thinking he could kill the wolf with just this would be a bit wishful thinking.

However, the wolf was in the open, while Ling Xiao remained in the shadows, continuously unleashing the Hundred-Step Flying Sword.

After every strike, he changed his position. By the time the Howling Moon Wolf reached his location, it could only howl at the sky in frustration.

By the time the wolf focused its target on Ling Xiao, the Li family disciples had already begun to retreat. They had witnessed the wolf's terrifying power firsthand.

If they didn't run now, they truly wouldn't have a chance later.

"Let's go, Senior Brother Xingyun! Forget whoever is helping, at least we've managed to save our lives today!"

Seeing that Li Xingyun was still reluctant to leave, the others urged him on.

Li Xingyun gave a grunt of assent, but he was clearly still hesitant. The wolf's aura had weakened significantly; it looked as though it was on the verge of death.

To leave just like this felt like a waste.

Truth be told, it was Li Xingyun who had inflicted the initial wound on the wolf.

"Awoooo—!"

At that moment, the Howling Moon Wolf suddenly let out a cry and turned to flee deep into the jungle.

"Hahaha, I won't let you die so easily!"

Amidst loud laughter, a figure chased after the direction the wolf had fled.

Using the "Cloud Soaring Steps," Ling Xiao's speed was far greater than that of the wolf, whose steps were faltering due to blood loss.

This wolf was a treasure trove; it was worth over forty or fifty thousand taels of silver. He couldn't let half a day's hard work go to waste.

After all, he hadn't intervened to save Li Xingyun; ultimately, he had simply seen an opportunity to kill the beast.

"Isn't that the Ling family disciple from just now?"

Someone recognized Ling Xiao.

"Yes, I think his name is Ling Xiao. His movement technique is terrifying—how can he be so fast?"

"That flying sword technique must have been his. Where did he get such a martial art? I've never heard of the Ling family possessing such sword skills."

"Hmph, if it weren't for him, we wouldn't have lost so many people!"

"Exactly! If Senior Brother Xingyun hadn't wounded the wolf first, could he have done anything?"

Among the Li family disciples, there were clearly those with strength comparable to or greater than Ling Xiao who harbored resentment.

Aside from Li Xingyun, who was at the peak of the third-stage Martial Vein, there were three others at the third-stage Martial Vein.

Naturally, they looked down on Ling Xiao, feeling he was merely taking credit for others' work.

"Heh, but it's fine. Once he kills the wolf, we can just swoop in and take the spoils," a third-stage Martial Vein disciple sneered.

Li Xingyun's expression was cold, appearing to share the same sentiment.

"That's not taking spoils. We were the ones who lured the wolf out to kill it in the first place. No one asked him to help!" someone else argued.

"Awoooo—!"

Just then, a mournful cry drifted from several hundred meters away. Everyone could tell it was the final death rattle.

"Is it dead?"

"Let's go! Let's go see!"

Li Xingyun waved his hand, and the group followed. Although three people had died, they still had over a dozen members left; they were not afraid of Ling Xiao.

Not far away, Ling Xiao was sitting cross-legged on the ground, wiping sweat from his forehead.

He was using the "Qi Recovery Art" to replenish his true qi.

To kill the Howling Moon Wolf, he had used the "Qi Bursting Art" repeatedly, which had heavily depleted his reserves.

Now that he had finally killed it, his true qi was nearly exhausted.

He was worried the Li family disciples would come looking for trouble, so instead of rushing to scavenge the carcass, he focused on recovering his qi.

If they did come looking for trouble, he would at least be prepared.

In addition to the "Qi Recovery Art," he was chewing on a type of medicinal herb used to refine "Qi Recovery Pills."

While the effect was certainly inferior to a pill, something was better than nothing.

Being able to kill a Level 4 Howling Moon Wolf with only a peak second-stage Martial Vein cultivation could only be described as luck.

Without the wound Li Xingyun had opened, his attacks wouldn't have even breached the wolf's defense.

Though it was frustrating, it was the reality.

When the gap in realms is too large, even the most powerful techniques struggle to bridge it.

It seemed that increasing his cultivation was an urgent necessity.

A moment later, the Li family disciples indeed arrived at the scene, led by Li Xingyun.

"Brother Ling, we were the ones who discovered this Howling Moon Wolf and lured it out. Since Brother Ling helped kill it, we will naturally give you a share of the spoils as compensation," Li Xingyun said, his tone calm and composed.

However, in Ling Xiao's eyes, the "elegant young master" had just transformed into a piece of filth.

*Shameless bastard!*