C21 Using Poison to Attack Poison!

As Zhang Heng finished speaking, the Lord of Ten Thousand Wolves needed no translation from the bald man or his companion. It tilted its head, pondered briefly, and then fixed its gaze on Zhang Heng, nodding slowly twice.

It followed this gesture with a skyward howl, then turned to regard the bald man and his companion. The bald man quickly translated: "The Lord of Ten Thousand Wolves has accepted your request. Moreover, it has stated that if you can accomplish the task, it will grant you access to the Devil Doctor Ye He's legacy."

"Complete the required trial, and the legacy of Devil Doctor Ye He will be yours."

Their words made Zhang Heng regard the Lord of Ten Thousand Wolves with newfound respect. He hadn't expected such a display of cunning—using both the carrot and the stick. This creature's intelligence was evidently leagues beyond that of its brethren.

Despite his curiosity about the Devil Doctor's legacy, Zhang Heng wasn't overly eager. The Devil Doctor was a figure of both good and evil, a human who bore the title of the devil, indicating a volatile and unpredictable nature. Dying of illness must have been a bitter end for such a person. Who could say whether he hadn't imbued his legacy with his own frustrations and bitterness for future inheritors to endure?

At this point, Zhang Heng had one goal: to fulfill the creature's request and then distance himself from this place of trouble, never to return.

The Lord of Ten Thousand Wolves seemed to understand the expression on Zhang Heng's face. When Zhang Heng remained silent, it let out another long howl. To Zhang Heng, the sound was indistinguishable from any other, but the bald man and his disheveled companion seemed to grasp its meaning.

As the creature's howling ceased, the bald man said with a wry smile, "You're quite unique. The Devil Doctor Ye He's legacy is coveted by many, yet you seem utterly disinterested. The Lord of Ten Thousand Wolves finds that surprising."

"Alas," he continued, "it's a shame that the Devil Doctor Ye He deemed us lacking in talent, unworthy of his legacy."

The disheveled man continued, "Since you're not interested, let's cut to the chase and discuss the task the Lord of the Ten Thousand Wolves has for you this time."

Zhang Heng turned his head to look at the two men, all ears.

The bald man spoke up first. "There's been a surge in the hunting of Swift Shadow Demon Wolves lately. Moreover, they've posted an anonymous mission at your Valiantheart Academy in Lanta to draw others into helping them with the hunt."

It didn't surprise Zhang Heng that they knew he was a disciple from Valiantheart Academy; after all, he was wearing the academy's robe for new students.

Considering that many of those who came here for training were fellow students, it wasn't odd that they recognized academy members.

"So, you want me to stop them?" Zhang Heng asked with a frown. "But how can I stop them if I don't even know who they are?"

The young man with messy hair cracked a confident smile. "You might not know them, but the Lord of the Ten Thousand Wolves does, and he can help you find them."

The bald youth added, "Your task is to eliminate them, not a single one spared."

Zhang Heng's confusion deepened. "I'm only at the peak of the Qi Refining level. Are you sure I can take them on?"

"Moreover, if I'm capable of handling them, why haven't the Swift Shadow Demon Wolves taken matters into their own paws and hunted them down themselves? Why do they need me to step in?"

It was widely believed that the Lord of the Ten Thousand Wolves had reached the second major level of the brave, the Chakra Realm.

If even the Lord of the Ten Thousand Wolves couldn't handle these foes, how could Zhang Heng stand a chance?

Hearing Zhang Heng's concerns, the two men exchanged a helpless glance at the Lord of the Ten Thousand Wolves before explaining, "The Devil Doctor Ye He had commanded the Lord of the Ten Thousand Wolves and the other wolf kings not to stray from the vicinity of Gray Wolf Cliff."

Zhang Heng's brow furrowed. "The Devil Doctor has passed away. Are they really that obedient?"

The man with the unruly hair scoffed, "Who would dare ignore the Devil Doctor Ye He's commands? Even in death, his words carry the weight of law."

The bald man interjected, "Those wolf kings who defied his commands mysteriously dropped dead the moment they left this area."

"The Lord of the Ten Thousand Wolves and the other wolf kings aren't ready to die just yet, so naturally, they can't leave this place."

"That's why we need your assistance to handle those individuals."

Zhang Heng inquired further, as it was a matter of life and death for him, and he needed to proceed with caution.

"Aren't there Shadow Swift Demon Wolves out there who have reached the peak of the first Qi Refining level, or even the second level?"

"Why not send them into battle?"

Upon hearing Zhang Heng's question, the Lord of the Ten Thousand Wolves hung his head in a rare display of dejection, letting out a resigned growl as if a husky spirit had taken hold of him.

The bald man clarified, "We've tried that already, but all the Shadow Swift Demon Wolves that went ended up disappearing without a trace."

"That's why the Lord of the Ten Thousand Wolves believes that to outwit cunning humans, we need to rely on cunning humans themselves."

Zhang Heng stared at the leader of the Shadow Swift Demon Wolves, internally mocking, "Impressive, you even understand fighting fire with fire!"

Mid-mockery, he realized he was essentially insulting himself.

Then it dawned on Zhang Heng to consider his human identity. How could he justify killing his own kind so readily?

He immediately challenged the two men with a stern voice, "Like you, I am human. Yet now you're asking me to hunt down my own kind. Would you agree to do such a thing if you were in my shoes?"

Before the Lord of the Ten Thousand Wolves could respond, the bald man cheerfully replied, "If we were in your position and had the power, we would not hesitate to eliminate them, leaving none alive."

The man with unkempt hair chimed in without a moment's delay, "Absolutely, I'd do the same."

"Because we've witnessed them setting traps, plundering braves, and not only seizing their possessions but also mercilessly slaughtering every last one of their captives."

The bald man's indignation surged, "Eliminating such human filth, you'd be doing a service. Others would thank you for it."

"Eliminating such scoundrels is a service to humanity. Otherwise, who knows how many brave souls would fall to them in the future."

After much coaxing and persuasion, Zhang Heng finally, albeit reluctantly, agreed to take on the task.

Now it was time to hash out the specifics.

"I need to know everything about these individuals."

"How many there are, their levels of cultivation, the Origin Weapons and ultimate techniques they excel in, as well as their personality traits and habits..."

Zhang Heng rattled off a list of questions.

The bald man cracked a smile, stroking his shiny scalp with a grimace, "Well, we don't have much intel."

"The Swift Shadow Demon Wolves outside of Gray Wolf Cliff handle most of the tracking."

"Those wolves can't hold a candle to the Master of Ten Thousand Wolves."

"At best, they can sense the direction of their target and proceed with the hunt."

"Complex tasks like counting are beyond them."

"They're clueless about cultivation levels, Origin Weapons, ultimate techniques, personalities, and habits."

Finishing his explanation, the bald man stood there grinning, expecting Zhang Heng to blow his top.

But after a moment, Zhang Heng didn't lose his cool. He simply responded, "Understood."

This unexpected calm earned him newfound respect from the bald man and his companion.

What they didn't realize was that Zhang Heng felt like unleashing a tirade himself, but he knew that losing his temper was often futile. In his past life, there was a term specifically for when someone raged impotently: "impotent fury."

A capable person wouldn't lose control of their emotions; only the powerless would frequently have hysterical outbursts.

A wise person expresses their anger through actions, as this is the only way to truly intimidate an adversary.

After a brief contemplation, Zhang Heng had already formulated his next plan of action.

Firstly, he would leverage the strengths of the Swift Shadow Demon Wolves to locate the enemy.

Then, he would take his time to covertly observe and understand them.

He aimed to acquire as much detailed information as possible about each individual.

He would identify each person's weaknesses and vulnerabilities that he could exploit.

Finally, it was time to embark on the next hunting mission.

Zhang Heng reminded himself to exercise extreme caution with those individuals.

The fact that they had managed to evade the swift Wind Shadow Demon Wolves and even slay a second-grade yellow-ranked Qi Refining Wind Shadow Demon Wolf spoke volumes about their level of danger.

Deep down, Zhang Heng had marked each of them as a severe threat.

Regaining his focus, Zhang Heng noticed the bald man and his companion looking at him, seemingly hesitant to speak.

"What is it?" Zhang Heng inquired.

"The Master of the Ten Thousand Wolves has sent us to ask when we are departing."

"After all, with each passing day, we risk losing another Wind Shadow Demon Wolf."

Zhang Heng nodded. "I understand. We can set out immediately."

"Right now?"

The two men were taken aback by Zhang Heng's readiness to depart.

"Do we need to prepare anything?"

The bald man asked urgently.

"Are there any powerful secret weapons here?"

They both paused, then shook their heads.

Secret weapons did exist, namely the Ten Thousand Wolves King and his retinue of over a hundred second-grade Qi Refining Wolf Kings.

Regrettably, these secret weapons were visible but not transportable, leaving one feeling frustrated.

Zhang Heng waited briefly, but seeing them shake their heads, he didn't want to crush their spirits, so he suggested, "Then pack some delicious food. It's good to have extra to stave off hunger on the road."

With renewed enthusiasm, the two men hurried off to make preparations.

Shortly after, they reappeared before Zhang Heng, each donning a vine armor and wielding a three-pronged steel fork, with a lustrous green bamboo tube at their waists.

Zhang Heng was astonished to discover that the purple-black vine armor and the seemingly crude steel forks were actually mid-grade yellow-rank weapons.

However, regarding the green bamboo tubes, Zhang Heng could not detect even a trace of a Yuan Weapon's presence.