Chapter Six: Beyond Expectation

In the depths of the Beast Mountain Range, at the clearing at the far edge of Ten-Thousand Medicines Ridge.

"Now!"

Seeing the elders reveal themselves, Ye Xuan wasted no time. His palm moved, weaving intricate seals.

"Fire Element Shadow Technique—Blazing Blade Storm!"

As the seals formed, a massive storm of fire erupted, surging forth with scorching heat, sweeping toward the Golden Rampage Wolf.

Beside him, the Ye clan elders unleashed their own abilities, techniques of every element roaring toward the Golden Rampage Wolf.

"Metal Element Hunt—Dark Arrow!"

"Water Element Spirit—Hound Demon!"

"Earth Element Seal—Spiked Array!"

"Wood Element Summon—Frenzied Bear!"

...

Faced with the sheer number and formidable power of their attacks, the Golden Rampage Wolf dared not underestimate them. It raised its head in a furious howl; golden light coursed over its body, its fur bristling like steel needles, growing rapidly to form a long pelt that enveloped both itself and the young wolf behind it, blocking every attack with impenetrable defense.

"Feather Wall—damned Golden Rampage Wolf, it’s advanced to the sixth tier after all," Ye Xuan muttered under his breath, secretly relieved he hadn’t acted recklessly. With only late-stage Five Elements cultivation, facing a sixth-tier Golden Rampage Wolf would have meant certain defeat.

Though it withstood the barrage, the Golden Rampage Wolf suffered. Not one to simply endure, it shook out its pelt, launching those steel-like hairs at the Ye clan members in a deadly volley.

Everyone was startled but reacted swiftly, dodging or raising swords in defense. Yet the sheer number and speed of the hairs made it impossible to avoid all; soon, several Ye clan disciples cried out as they were struck.

After this counterattack, the Golden Rampage Wolf didn't pause. It propelled itself forward with explosive speed, charging at a Ye clan elder like lightning.

The elder stood his ground, sinking his waist and preparing to meet the attack, but the Golden Rampage Wolf feinted, stopping short of him and instead twisting to lunge at a black-robed elder nearby, claws gleaming with deadly intent.

The black-robed elder was caught off guard, unable to dodge in time. In desperation, he raised his broad axe to block.

Bang!

At contact, the black-robed elder was sent flying like a broken kite, tumbling back more than ten yards, blood spurting from his lips, gouging a deep furrow in the earth as he landed.

Seeing him so quickly defeated, everyone was shocked and rushed forward, swords raised against the Golden Rampage Wolf. None present could match it one-on-one; if allowed to pick them off individually, disaster would follow. Their only hope lay in a coordinated assault.

With a fierce glint in its eyes, the Golden Rampage Wolf pressed forward instead of retreating, plunging into battle with the elders.

---

Though the Golden Rampage Wolf had reached the early sixth tier, the Ye clan elders were formidable in their own right: one late-stage Five Elements, one mid-stage, and eight mid-stage Four Symbols cultivators. Now nine joined forces, compensating for their lack of cultivation with sheer numbers, barely holding their own against the beast.

But the Golden Rampage Wolf moved with astonishing speed and attacked from unpredictable angles. The elders managed, but it taxed them heavily. Before long, several were wounded, yet they persisted.

"If this continues, defeat is inevitable. We need a plan!" Ye Xuan frowned, fending off the beast while exchanging a glance with a black-robed elder.

The elder nodded in understanding, hands flashing as he formed a sequence of strange seals, shouting, "Quagmire Swamp!"

At his command, the ground before the young Golden Rampage Wolf shimmered, revealing a circular formation more than fifteen feet across, inscribed with mysterious earth-yellow runes, arranged in a six-pointed star. The formation blended seamlessly with the terrain, its runes and techniques matching the earth’s color.

As the formation activated, Ye Xuan broke away from the battle and charged toward the wounded young wolf nearby.

"Despicable humans, courting death!" The Golden Rampage Wolf roared in fury, swinging its claws to force back the others, then twisting its body to chase Ye Xuan at full speed.

A few bounds brought the beast to Ye Xuan, landing before the young wolf—right into their trap.

Boom!

The moment it entered, the formation whirred to life, runes spinning, and the solid ground inside collapsed, turning to sticky swamp. The Golden Rampage Wolf found itself at the center of the six-pointed star.

As the swamp formed, the beast struggled to stand, sinking as muddy tendrils shot out to bind its legs.

"Now!"

Seeing their chance, the elders wasted no time, unleashing a flurry of attacks.

Trapped in the mire, the Golden Rampage Wolf thrashed in rage, desperate to escape, but the more it struggled, the faster it sank—while still fending off the elders’ fierce assault, its situation grew dire.

"Frenzied Bear—go!"

At the swamp’s edge, a wood-element summoner commanded his beast forward, sorrow flickering in his eyes at the loss of a fourth-tier summon, but the urgency left no room for hesitation. If the Golden Rampage Wolf escaped, the cost would be far greater.

The Frenzied Bear roared, its massive body leaping straight at the trapped beast.

Struggling in vain, the Golden Rampage Wolf saw the bear descending. In a burst of desperation, it stood upright, tearing free its forepaws, then slashed with savage force at its own trapped hind leg, severing it at the knee. Using its forepaw to push off the stump, it flipped through the air, evading the bear’s crushing blow and escaping the swamp formation.

Thud! Thud!

The Frenzied Bear crashed into the swamp, sending mud flying before being swallowed up.

The Golden Rampage Wolf hit the ground hard, blood pouring from its severed limb, but it paid no heed, its cold eyes locked onto the humans, growling low, its aura clearly diminished.

---

Seeing the beast wounded and down, the elders exhaled in relief. Distant Ye clan disciples cheered, applauding in delight; such a battle was a rare spectacle, even in a prestigious clan like theirs.

Ye Xuan, holding his Tempered Blade, allowed a faint smile. Though the losses were grave—several elders badly wounded, over a dozen disciples dead or injured, and himself lightly hurt—had the swamp formation not forced the beast to cripple itself, the damage would have been far worse. But if this price meant acquiring a sixth-tier crystal core and a fifth-tier herb, it was worth it.

"Ye Chen, go retrieve the Golden Rampage Wolf’s crystal core," Ye Xuan said, glancing at the exhausted beast, turning to a mid-stage Four Symbols fire-element elder.

Ye Chen nodded, spear in hand, approaching the beast with a hint of greed in his eyes. A sixth-tier core, if refined, would push his cultivation to late-stage Four Symbols—if luck favored him, perhaps even into the Five Elements.

Standing before the beast, Ye Chen wasted no time. With a flick of his wrist, he spun the spear, murmuring, "Dragonfall Spear!"

Despite the wolf’s grievous injuries, Ye Chen dared not underestimate it—after all, a sixth-tier beast was dangerous even on the brink of death. He unleashed a fourth-tier martial technique.

As his shout rang out, the silver spear danced, weaving countless overlapping shadows, finally merging into a massive spear-dragon, roaring as it lunged at the beast.

Swish!

Seeing the spear-dragon approach, the Golden Rampage Wolf once more formed a feather wall.

Pfft!

The spear pierced through, sinking deep into the beast’s body, blood gushing forth. With its limb severed and energy depleted, even the feather wall's defense was weakened.

Roar!!

The Golden Rampage Wolf howled in agony, glaring at them with hatred. "Despicable wretches!"

Ye Chen was unperturbed, replying calmly, "On the battlefield, deception is a virtue. Our cultivation is beneath yours—without cunning, we would be the ones lying here."

The beast snorted coldly, unable to refute him.

"Your crystal core is mine. Rest in peace." Ye Chen raised his spear once more.

"Taking my crystal core won’t be so easy!" With a sudden laugh, the Golden Rampage Wolf seized Ye Chen’s spear, bloodlust flaring in its eyes as its body began to glow with a sinister red light.

"It’s going to self-destruct! Everyone, retreat!" Ye Xuan shouted, realizing the danger.

Everyone panicked, fleeing at once—Ye Chen abandoned his spear and darted away in terror. The self-destruction of a sixth-tier beast was no joke; even a glancing blow would cripple a mid-stage Four Symbols cultivator.

"Too late." Bathed in red light, the Golden Rampage Wolf laughed grimly, turning to gaze at the young wolf with eyes full of tenderness and love.

The red glow intensified, its body swelling. At that critical moment, a thin figure dashed fearlessly toward the Golden Nectar Fruit.

"Courting death!" Seeing Ye Zihan coveting the fruit in such peril, Ye Xuan cursed, but did not intervene, retreating at speed.

Ye Zihan rushed to the fruit, wasting no time. With both hands, he uprooted the entire plant. As he did so, the red light erupted, and with an earth-shaking boom, the explosion thundered across the land.