At the same time, Ding Laosan, Chen Chen, and Cheng Hao charged into the Gale Wolf pack.
"Third Soul Skill — Whirling Sweep!"
Ding Laosan, wielding a Nine-Toothed Rake, summoned his purple soul ring. The rake spun fiercely as he swept it across the battlefield. One by one, century- and millennium-level Gale Wolves were sent flying, their bodies exploding into chunks of flesh and gore.
"Fourth Soul Skill — Raining Swordstorm!"
Chen Chen's Seven-Kill Sword split into hundreds of blue energy swords, each one sparkling like falling cherry blossoms as they shot toward another group of Gale Wolves, forming a dazzling and deadly barrage.
"Fourth Soul Skill — Windriding Divine Hawk!"
A purple soul ring flared beneath Cheng Hao. From his aerial position, his soul skill manifested a flock of pale blue-white eagles, which dove into the wolves below, erupting with soul force. A large portion of the wolf pack was killed or injured instantly.
Ding Laosan and Chen Chen were both Soul Emperors and Cheng Hao was a Soul King—in terms of soul master rankings, comparable to Beast King-level soul beasts. Against the Gale Wolf pack, they held an overwhelming advantage in rank, instantly reversing the Blackmoon Wolves' disadvantage, even gaining the upper hand.
The Gale Wolves could only rely on their numbers to hold them off.
...
In front of the "Rest Camp" cave, a figure radiating immense pressure rapidly approached, stepping through the air and landing in front of Chen Xiaojun.
"You seem rather calm," said the newcomer—Chen Yu—with a slight smile.
When Chen Xiaojun went into the woods for his first training, Chen Yu had arranged for Chen Wu, an agility-type soul master, to protect him at all times. He had also notified Ling Yunxiao in advance to be on standby in the area. Otherwise, there'd have been no need for a high-rank Soul Sage to guard the perimeter—just having a Soul Emperor was already quite a luxury.
Chen Yu himself had been sleeping in his clothes, prepared for the worst. And sure enough, something had happened—though not directly to Chen Xiaojun.
As soon as he saw the distress signal, he immediately rushed over.
"Grandpa!" Chen Xiaojun stood at attention and replied solemnly, "Overestimating oneself always ends up hurting others as well."
Chen Yu nodded slightly, a flash of approval passing through his eyes.
"You're not going to help Uncle Wu?" Chen Xiaojun asked.
"Someone already went. Just a few hundred Gale Wolves—no need for overkill. You're not curious to go see for yourself?"
"I am! But I don't want to distract anyone."
The light in Chen Yu's eyes brightened a bit. He smiled and said, "Come on. With me protecting you, there's no problem."
With that, he pulled out his Seven-Kill Sword and enlarged it, gesturing for Chen Xiaojun to hop on. Then, they flew toward Blackmoon Ridge.
Windcloud Fan — Top-tier Grade-7 Martial Soul.
"Third Soul Skill — Cloud Veil!"
A thick fog enveloped a ten-zhang (30-meter) radius around Ling Yunxiao, obstructing vision. Additionally, enemy creatures inside the mist would slowly have their soul power drained.
The Windstorm Demon Wolf leader, its vision obscured, let out a howl. Threads of dark cyan soul power quickly wrapped around its body—and in the blink of an eye, it vanished.
"Hm?" Ling Yunxiao was momentarily surprised.
Wolves have exceptionally keen senses. Their sense of smell is 100 times that of a human, and their hearing is among the best in the animal kingdom. Even with impaired night vision, they can still swiftly locate their enemies.
"Uncle, be careful! That's the Windstorm Demon Wolf's Rapid Shadow Dash!" Chen Wu warned.
Before he even finished speaking, Ling Yunxiao—unlike Chen Wu who was flying via sword—was standing still, concentrating soul power. Suddenly, he was struck and sent flying backward, a deep claw mark slashed across his left shoulder.
Then, five dense dark cyan sword blades chased after the airborne Ling Yunxiao. He fanned his Windcloud Fan mid-air, releasing the soul power orb he'd just gathered. With a boom, he managed to block the wind blades.
But the Windstorm Demon Wolf leaped high into the air, enduring the explosion, and appeared right in front of Ling Yunxiao, baring its gray-blue claws.
Ling Yunxiao spun and threw his fan at the wolf. The wolf twisted its head to take the blow but still managed to plunge its massive claw into Ling Yunxiao's chest. Even though it got injured in return, it was determined to take one enemy down first.
Given the wolf's massive frame, its claw practically covered Ling Yunxiao's entire chest.
"Uncle! Fourth Soul Skill — Seven-Kill Annihilation!"
Chen Wu's purple fourth soul ring flared. His Seven-Kill Sword glowed with a ghostly blue light—different from the usual sky blue. A streak of piercing cold light shot through the air like an arrow, rushing toward the wolf leader.
Meanwhile, Ling Yunxiao gripped the giant claw with both hands and gave a faint smirk.
"Fourth Soul Skill — Storm Lock!"
Chains of wind and mist wrapped tightly around the Windstorm Demon Wolf, not only binding it but also suppressing its soul power.
At the same time, Ling Yun xiao's form began to fade—revealing the use of his:
Fifth Soul Skill — Twin Fan Shadows,
A soul clone that retains 70% of the original's power.
This wasn't just an illusion—it could even use soul skills. A rare and powerful ten-thousand-year soul skill.
"Seventh Soul Skill — Windcloud True Body!"
"Azure Sea Sky Fan!"
From the sky, a humanoid figure wielding a 23- to 24-meter-long fan descended. The formerly pale white fan had turned into a brilliant turquoise.
With a single downward sweep, the Azure Sea Sky Fan sliced through the air like a bolt of blue lightning. The space around it trembled under its ferocious power. A piercing sonic boom rang out—low, deep, and chilling.
This was a fan technique Ling Yunxiao had developed himself, inspired by the Chen clan's ultimate sword technique Sword Light: Azure Sea Heaven Blade.
Since the Windstorm Demon Wolf was still tightly bound by the clone, unable to move its soul power, it had already been hit by Chen Wu's Seven-Kill Annihilation—which not only inflicted physical damage but also a mental attack.
It let out a blood-curdling scream, blood spurting everywhere. Its strength waned; its paws slipped—it could barely keep standing.
Though Gale Wolves are relatively small in size, this Windstorm Demon Wolf leader was only about 4.5 meters long—nowhere near big enough to dodge a 20-meter Azure Sea Sky Fan barreling toward it at high speed.
Sensing its life in danger, the wolf opened its bloody maw and launched a Wind Cone at the giant fan. The cone rapidly expanded to three zhang (10 meters) wide, crashing into the Azure Sea Sky Fan.
Boom boom boom…!
Thunderous crashes resounded as the shockwave from the collision pressed the wolf leader to the ground.
But the soul power it managed to muster in such haste was insufficient. The fan, though reduced to only five or six meters in length after the clash, still struck its target.
The demon wolf was smashed into the ground, a massive wound torn open on its body. Blue-brown blood spilled from the gash, and blood also trickled from its eyes, ears, and mouth.
It slowly tried to get up—body trembling—seriously injured.
"Granduncle's strength and cunning are amazing… he outwitted the Windstorm Demon Wolf," Chen Xiaojun murmured to himself, standing midair atop his sword.
"Your granduncle Yunxiao has always been graceful and clever," Chen Yu said with a chuckle.
"That move, Cloud Veil, seemed like a mistake, tricking the Windstorm Demon Wolf into underestimating them. But in fact, it was a trap.
If it had been a standard face-to-face confrontation, even your granduncle and Chen Wu together might not have been able to defeat this top-tier Windstorm Demon Wolf.
His Martial Soul, the Windcloud Fan, is a top-grade soul weapon, with wind, water, and ice attributes. It was personally taught to him by your Grandma Hanxin's father—your great-uncle.
Combined with our Chen clan's secret sword techniques, his combat strength is naturally extraordinary.
Also, remember: fan-type Martial Souls are all about balancing softness and strength, the interplay between yin and yang. If you ever face one in the future, stay sharp."