Chapter 156: The Trials of Xyl (Part-21)

Standing in her place was a fully-grown, humanoid werewolf — thick fur, sharp jaws, glowing golden eyes, and claws long enough to shred steel. Her shredded arm healed in seconds, flesh knitting together like time reversing.

The Leopard Queen froze, unsure if it was still dealing with prey… or a rival predator.

Nixian didn’t hesitate.

She lunged, grabbing the leopard’s throat with one clawed hand and slamming it down. The ground quaked as the massive beast hit the forest floor with a heavy THUD.

She landed right after it, baring her fangs, and sank them into the leopard’s neck. Blood splattered everywhere as the huge predator struggled beneath her.

Lin Fang arrived just as the werewolf lifted the Leopard Queen by the throat, biting deep, snarling like a creature born to kill.

He froze. “What the..”

The werewolf turned toward him slowly, drool and blood dripping from its jaws. Its golden eyes locked onto him, seeming to be filled with hunger.

He quickly used Inspection, thinking of it as some monster at first.

*Ding!

ERROR: Unable to inspect humans.

Lin Fang blinked in surprise. “Humans? No way—”

A thought clicked. “Sun Nixian? Is that you?”

The werewolf only growled deeper, tighening her muscles before launching itself at him at a blurring speed.

Nixian—no, the monster she had become—lunged with a speed that didn’t match her tiny human frame. Claws tore through the air like curved blades.

Lin Fang twisted his body when the attack reached him, sliding under her swipe, as he summoned the twin daggers into his hands with a sharp flick.

With a swing, he slashed across her abdomen while sliding past her.

Blood sprayed across the leaves.

He spun quickly, coming back to his feet and turning to face her, expecting some hesitation in pain.

Instead, he watched the gash close before his eyes.

Her flesh pulled together, fur regrew, and skin sealed like it was nothing.

*Graaa*

The werewolf raised its head and roared, a horrifying, guttural sound that vibrated the ground.

Lin Fang narrowed his eyes. “Great… she regenerates too.”

She jumped at him again, but he thrust out his palm in counter.

“Astral Chains!”

The spectral chains burst upward from the ground, glowing a cold blue as they snapped around her limbs and torso.

The werewolf snarled and jerked violently, dragging deep grooves in the ground as she struggled. Electricity sparked along the chains as Lin Fang sent a burst of mana through them, zapping her over and over.

But the creature barely slowed down.

If anything, the shocks made her angrier.

Alpha’s voice cut sharply through his mind. “This won’t suppress her for long. You need salt water to increase the power of your electric currents to knock her out, but not kill her. Find it, now.”

“Salt water? In a forest? Where in the hell would I get one?” Lin Fang mentally snapped.

“Did you forget? The lake in Sector 77 is actually a saltwater lake. Luckily for you, you’re near a saltwater lake. The one where the regional boss lives. Head there and lure her in. That’s your best shot.”

Lin Fang clenched his jaw. Astral Chains were draining him at an absurd rate, with over ten thousand mana per second. He couldn’t afford to keep binding her. Hence, he released the skill and backed off fast.

The chains vanished.

*Graaaa*

Nixian’s monstrous growl echoed through the trees as she broke free. The werewolf’s gaze snapped toward him, and in the next second, she charged.

“Fine. Come on then,” Lin Fang muttered and sprinted away.

They tore through the forest for several minutes.

Branches snapped as Nixian leapt between trees with her claws digging into bark, closing the distance every time he gained some. She appeared to be faster than him in short bursts, forcing him to zig-zag, dodge, and redirect her every few seconds.

But in reality, Lin Fang was merely not trying to get away from her. He tried to maintain a close distance between them so that she continued to chase him. That’s why he didn’t even use his Mana Boots for the speed and merely powered his legs with mana.

Keeping her focused only on him—never letting her veer off course- the next forty-five minutes were spent in frantic running. Sweat dripped down his back.

But he never stopped until the trees thinned and the sound of waves echoed between the trunks.

Alpha’s voice rose urgently. “Straight ahead. You’re here.”

Lin Fang burst out into the open…

However, froze in mid-step, staring at the scene.

“What a worst timing…”

In front of his eyes, a massive serpent, easily three hundred feet long, towered above the water, thrashing wildly as it snapped at a wyvern circling above it.

On the wyvern’s back, Lin Fang recognized Li Ying, whose spear was glowing with sparks as she dove, slashing the serpent’s eye.

On the shore, Bu Mokong stood with a quivering stance with blood on his face, while the white-haired teenager—Ryan Zhao—dragged his sword with casual confidence, aiming for the snake’s exposed wounds.

They were in the middle of an all-out battle.

And right then, loud pounding footsteps approached as Nixian’s shadow emerged from the trees as she chased after Lin Fang. He exhaled through his teeth. “Great. Out of all the lakes in this entire wilderness… it had to be this one.”

The werewolf roared behind him.

The King-tier anaconda hissed at the newcomers.

Everyone—humans and monsters alike—felt the sudden spike of killing intent. All eyes turned as two new figures emerged from the treeline: a masked man in a black wolf mask, and behind him… a hulking werewolf dripping with blood and fury.

The Green Anaconda King paused mid-strike, its massive head turning toward them, tongue flicking out with a low, rattling hiss. Li Ying froze atop her wyvern. Bu Mokong stiffened. Even Ryan Zhao’s confident smirk twitched slightly.

Lin Fang didn’t waste time.

He wasn’t here to greet old acquaintances, especially not these three.

He saw them, recognized them instantly, and immediately veered away, breaking off from the battlefield and sprinting along the shore. His boots splashed through the wet sand as he muttered under his breath, “Not dealing with those two again…”

But the werewolf behind him stopped dead in its tracks.

It didn’t follow Lin Fang. Instead, it turned toward the lake.

And in the next second, with a guttural roar, the werewolf launched itself straight at the Green Anaconda King.

Its punch connected with a deafening crack.

The gigantic serpent—easily weighing several tons—was actually pushed back by the force and crashed into the lake with an explosive splash that drenched Bu Mokong and Ryan from head to toe.

“Crap—careful!” Mokong shouted, stumbling backward while wiping water from his eyes. “It’s a werewolf!”

Ryan blinked in disbelief. “Wait… werewolves are real?”

The beast didn’t wait for an answer. The serpent burst from the water again, hissing in rage, only for the werewolf to leap onto its body, sinking its claws deep between its scales. The monster thrashed violently, whipping its long body left and right, but the werewolf clung on, trying to kill the serpent.

Meanwhile, Li Ying descended on her wyvern with a frown, staring at Ryan. “They’re real, alright. Plenty of types, too. Some come from other realms, some are mutated humans, and some are grown in labs. But whatever kind she is… she’s not our concern.”

She pointed her spear toward the mask-wearing man jogging their way.

“That guy is.”

Ryan raised a brow as Lin Fang approached, “You know him?”

“In a way,” Li Ying muttered with a serious nod. “But I wasn’t sure whether he is an ally or an enemy. Best not an enemy…”

Meanwhile, Lin Fang reached their side, but didn’t stop to talk. He didn’t greet them at all.

Instead, he said flatly, “Move,” and then darted past them.

He jumped toward the werewolf and anaconda’s battle, and immediately missed the leap, just short of a full meter from reaching the monster, splashing straight into the lake.

There was a long, awkward silence.

The three elites stared for a moment. “…”

Then Ryan burst out laughing. “Oh, that’s rich! What a clown. And you were hyping him up like he was some monster, Li Ying.”

Li Ying’s face burned red. “Don’t underestimate his strength, Ryan.”

Bu Mokong cleared his throat and pretended he didn’t see any of it. “Anyway… better to wait,” he muttered quickly. “Let the werewolf and the regional lord wear each other down, and when they’re weak, we finish them both off. Easy.”

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