Strike while the enemy is down.
A poetic chant, like a soul incantation, echoed across the battlefield:
"The spring river rises, flowing level with the sea;
The moon over the sea rises together with the tide."
A transparent, illusory surface of water appeared beneath the demon wolf's feet. Streams of sword energy surged upward from the ground, resembling the spring tide of a mighty river, with an overwhelming sword presence.
In the sky above, these sword auras converged into a moon-shaped mass of energy, linking with the surging sea of sword qi on the ground.
The scene looked as if a bright moon was rising over the ocean, emerging alongside the tide—sword light illuminating the battlefield, competing with the moon in the sky.
This was Chen Wu's swordsmanship ultimate move: "Sword Tide: Bright Moon over the Vast Sea."
The demon wolf, now covered in countless gashes from the rising sword energy, howled in despair as it watched the sea of sword energy and the moon-shaped sword core close in.
Dark soundwaves burst outward in every direction, colliding with and dispersing many of the incoming sword strikes. But the moon-shaped energy mass kept descending.
The demon wolf leader looked intently at the sword sphere above it, then scanned the surroundings.
—The other two Windstorm Demon Wolves were being overwhelmed by Old Black.
—On another front, a third Windstorm Demon Wolf and the Greenwind Cangwolf King, though they had killed the Blackmoon Shadow Wolves, had also been dragged into mutual destruction by the Wolf Queen.
—The Greenwind Cangwolf King was gravely wounded and was being pushed back by Chen Chen, seemingly about to meet the same fate.
The battle was nearly decided.
Realizing this, the demon wolf leader's gaze hardened—it had made a decision. It let out a strange, mournful howl:
"Awoo… awooo—… awooo… oooh…"
After a moment of silence, the second-strongest Windstorm Demon Wolf—one of thirty thousand years—responded with a howl of its own.
Gray-blue winds surged around its body, forming a small tornado as it charged toward Old Black. It also let out a command-like howl to the last remaining Windstorm Demon Wolf, then dashed at Old Black.
The last Windstorm Demon Wolf scanned the surroundings deeply, then let out a sorrowful wail. Immediately, the entire Gale Wolf pack began to howl, and it led most of them to retreat into the mountains.
Only that second Windstorm Demon Wolf, the wounded Greenwind Cangwolf King, and a small group of Gale Wolves remained behind to cover the retreat.
The Blackmoon Wolf pack did not pursue, instead rushing to finish off the rear guard wolves.
The sword qi sphere finally struck the demon wolf leader. A fresh cry of agony rang out. Both of its front claws were now completely gone, and its body was like a lump of mangled flesh, barely clinging to life.
"Chen Wu, wait."
Ling Yunxiao's voice stopped him.
"Uncle, what is it?"
Chen Wu, just about to deliver the final blow, turned to look.
Though Ling Yunxiao's clothes were torn and his breathing unsteady, he was radiating a powerful spiritual pressure.
At that moment, Chen Yu and Chen Xiaojun descended from the sky.
"Congratulations, Yunxiao," Chen Yu said. "You've broken through Level 80. So, you plan to use this Windstorm Demon Wolf as your eighth soul beast? It's just a little over fifty thousand years old. That's only equivalent to a Soul Sage in soul power. Are you sure about this?"
"Brother Yu," Ling Yunxiao replied with determination, "it may be slightly lower in years, but not by much. More importantly, it's a true Royal-Class soul beast, and its innate skills fit me very well—whether it's the dark cyan hurricane vortex, the dark cyan blades, the Giant Spirit Wind Cone, or even that despair howl just now. All of them suit my Windcloud Fan. A wind-type soul beast is a perfect match for me. The fit is what matters."
"As long as you're sure," Chen Yu nodded. "Go ahead."
Ling Yunxiao approached and, with a sweep of his fan, ended the demon wolf leader's life.
A deep black soul ring emerged. Ling Yunxiao sat cross-legged, drawing it toward himself. The soul ring floated above his head, pouring immense energy into him.
Soon, a dark cyan cocoon enveloped Ling Yunxiao—created by the massive energy swirling around him.
With each wave of absorption, the cocoon flashed once.
The battlefield gradually fell silent. Before long, there was no more fighting.
Old Black looked around—only thirty to forty Blackmoon Wolves remained. Over half the pack had died, and even the Wolf Queen was gone.
It raised its head to the moon and let out a loud, mournful howl, echoing with the feeling of:
"Alone, I mourn the vastness of heaven and earth,
Tears fall with no one to witness."
The remaining wolves howled in sorrow with it. Their cries echoed through the forest, loud enough to be heard for miles.
The Blackmoon Wolves began gathering the bodies of their fallen—both their kind and those from the Gale Wolf pack.
Meanwhile, the Chen family members gathered near Ling Yunxiao to protect him. Chen Wu reported the situation to Chen Yu.
"Cheng Hao, return to the village and report our safety. Ding Laosan, Chen Chen, you're both lightly injured—get some rest.
Chen Wu, what exactly happened?"
"I'm not entirely sure," Chen Wu replied. "I sensed a massive soul force disturbance and rushed over. When I arrived, Old Black and the others were already in danger, so I jumped into the fight and ambushed one of the Windstorm Demon Wolves…"
...
"What are they doing?" Chen Xiaojun asked, puzzled by the wolf's behavior.
Chen Wu explained, "They're handling their own dead. Probably burying them.
As for the Gale Wolf corpses, they'll probably eat them. Soul beasts eating other soul beasts can boost their cultivation—especially those of the same species."
Old Black slowly approached Chen Yu and lay down, whining:
"Awoo… ooo…"
Chen Yu sensed it with spiritual perception.
"Old Black, my condolences. I'll investigate this incident. You need to focus on training, breaking through, and raising more pups."
"Ooo…"
"You suffered because your cultivation was too low. Be glad the enemy leader didn't see you as a threat at first and didn't act directly—he just sent those three wolves against you."
"It's taken you over 200 years to break through to forty thousand years. Not slow, but not fast either.
If you had reached fifty thousand and become a True King-class soul beast, you wouldn't have been so badly beaten, and your pack wouldn't have suffered so much."
Old Black had been there since the Chen family moved to this area. Back then, it had just passed the ten-thousand-year mark.
"...Ooo…"
"Here, take the demon wolf leader's corpse. After devouring it, you should gain some refinement.
Wait—what's this? A soul bone?!"
Chen Yu summoned the battered corpse of the demon wolf and sliced open its rear right leg.
Sure enough, a dark cyan leg bone fell out—matching the beast's color, radiant and dazzling. The fierce and volatile energy it exuded was enough to make anyone tremble.
"What a pitiful death. Then again, it didn't expect outside reinforcements—and human soul masters, no less," Chen Yu muttered.
"Awoo..."
...
Not long after, three figures rushed in from the distance—Cheng Hao, Ye Xiuxin, and Chen Hanxin.
After hearing Cheng Hao's report, Chen Wenchao back in the village had sent Hanxin and Ye Xiuxin, worried for her husband and son.
"Xiuxin, tend to their injuries," Chen Hanxin instructed.
Though not a pure healer, Ye Xiuxin's healing ability was top-tier, especially thanks to her Seven-Colored Begonia Bracelet, one of the ten best in terms of healing.
"Third Soul Skill — Begonia Blooming"
From the carved begonia patterns on her bracelet, a seven-colored flower with seven petals bloomed—delicate and radiant, petals drifting ethereally through the air. Petals brushed past Ye Xiuxin's jade-white arms, emitting a celestial aura.
This skill enhanced the targets' vitality and stamina.
"Fifth Soul Skill — Spring Wind and Jade Dew"
Droplets of radiant nectar fell from the heart of the begonia flower—bright like pearls, gleaming and clear, intoxicatingly beautiful. It was as if:
"The morning dew nourishes all beneath heaven."
This ten-thousand-year skill purified everyone's negative statuses and replenished their soul power.
Vitality, stamina, soul power, status cleansing—after the full treatment, everyone was rejuvenated. Their wounds, fatigue, and poison were gone—including Chen Xiaojun.
Three hours later, Ling Yunxiao's absorption neared its end. The dark cyan cocoon around him gradually thinned.
Huff... huff... huff...
His breathing steadied and calmed.
Another ten or so minutes passed. Ling Yunxiao finally opened his eyes.
"Yunxiao, how do you feel?" Chen Hanxin asked eagerly.
"Excellent. No trouble at all. Haha! Brother Yu, Hanxin—I've officially reached Level 81. I'm finally a Soul Douluo!"
Ling Yunxiao was overjoyed. Though clever and talented, his physical aptitude was only slightly above average—his innate soul power was just over Level 7, not quite 8.
"Congratulations, Father!"
"Congratulations, Uncle!"
"Congratulations…"
"Congrats, Captain!"
Ling Yunxiao was an Elder of the village and Captain of the Defense Team, responsible for guarding the north and east gates, patrolling the lakeside, maintaining village security, and protecting key infrastructure.
"Yunxiao, you're 67 now. Level 81 Soul Douluo. Take this."
Chen Yu handed him the right leg bone of the Windstorm Demon Wolf.
"Absorb it when we return. You should be able to break through to Level 82.
At this rate, you might awaken spiritual intent, evolve your Martial Soul, and break into Title Douluo before age 80."
Ling Yunxiao stared in surprise.
"This is… from that Windstorm Demon Wolf? Brother, it's too valuable. I'm already getting old. Give it to Xun'er."
Xun'er referred to Chen Xun, the clan's young heir.
Everyone fell silent—it was a soul bone from a beast over 50,000 years old.
"Nonsense," Chen Yu replied. "Soul bones are best used by those who've absorbed the matching soul ring. No need to be polite—we've watched you and my sister (Hanxin) grow up. Besides, it was your kill. The Chen family doesn't hoard rewards."
"Also, Chen Wu—you played a big part in this too. There's a ten-thousand-year wind-type soul bone in the clan treasury. It'll be your reward. Sound good?"
"Thank you, Uncle Yu!" Chen Wu beamed.
He was just support during the kill, so getting a soul bone was an unexpected windfall.
"Yunxiao, just take it. We'll take care of Xun'er," Chen Hanxin added.
"Alright then, I'll accept it with gratitude."
Seeing his wife speak, Ling Yunxiao set aside his hesitation.
When the group returned to the village, the sky was just beginning to brighten in the east.
Even Chen Xiaojun was brought back—the wolf pack's drastic changes meant further challenges were no longer appropriate. Chen Yu ordered everyone to rest.
That afternoon, in Chen Yu's study, grandfather and grandson reviewed the previous day's battle.
"Grandpa, what exactly is a 'True King-class' soul beast?" Chen Xiaojun asked.
"It's equivalent to a high-level Soul Sage. Among soul beasts, those over ten thousand years are divided by combat strength into:
Beast King, War King, True King, Ancient King, and Saint King.
They correspond to our soul master ranks of Soul King, Soul Emperor, Soul Sage, Soul Douluo, and Title Douluo."