C14 The Pursuit of the Wolf Demon!

Beneath the pitch-black veil of night, an hour had passed since Lin Xuan and Big Yellow departed. Far from the dense woods, a massive cloud of black mist swept through the air, arriving above the forest canopy in mere moments. Emerging from the mist was a Qi Refining demon, a creature with the head of a wolf and the body of a man.

A vicious scar marred the right eye of the wolf demon, adding to its menacing appearance. Slung over its shoulder was a broadsword, tarnished with rust except for the blade itself, which had been honed to a deadly sharpness. In the weak moonlight, the blade's edge gleamed with a chilling light that set hearts racing with fear.

Hovering high above, the Black Wolf Demon twitched its nose, its piercing gaze descending upon a deep pit below. The scent of blood wafted up from the pit, nearly ten feet deep. Despite the dust that masked it, the demon's keen sense of smell easily detected the trace.

"That's the Eagle Demon's scent!" The Black-fur Wolf Demon's pupils contracted, a glint of cold light flashing within.

Without hesitation, it stepped forward, transforming into a swift shadow that reached the pit's edge in a blink. Raising its right hand, tendrils of black mist coalesced at its fingertips, forming a sword qi several inches long that shattered the earth, revealing the blood-soaked soil beneath.

Scattered around the blood were plucked feathers—a grim clue.

"Could the Eagle Demon have been devoured?" The Wolf Demon surveyed the area with a heavy tone in its voice.

It then commenced a meticulous search of the vicinity, spanning several hundred feet.

A quarter of an hour later, the Wolf Demon returned to the pit, its face clouded with frustration. It had assumed the Eagle Demon, overwhelmed by poison, had been consumed by the forest's creatures. Yet, the search yielded no trace of any Demonic Beast of note.

No, more accurately, it seemed as if the creatures that once inhabited this forest had been eradicated by their own kind. Evidence of a fire—burnt ashes—lay by a nearby stream.

"The entry recommendation token for the Jade Water Hall must not be lost!" With a hardened resolve, the Wolf Demon retrieved a black wooden box from a worn storage bag at its waist. The box was etched with several scarlet runes, hinting at its importance.

The Black-fur Wolf Demon lifted the seal from the wooden box. A verdant silkworm emerged, nearly four inches in length, with a pair of translucent cicada wings folded against its body. The Wolf Demon extended his right hand and presented it to the silkworm. With a sharp snap, the Soul Chasing Gu opened its jagged maw and bit fiercely into his flesh. The Wolf Demon felt a significant portion of his blood energy being consumed by the creature.

Once the Soul Chasing Gu was satiated, it got down to business. Its cicada wings unfurled with a buzz, and the Venomous Insect gracefully levitated before darting over to a pit in the ground. It circled the pit, then plucked a slightly chipped yellow scale from the dense grass nearby. After inspecting the scale and catching the scent, the Soul Chasing Gu's wings beat vigorously, transforming it into a swift blur as it pursued the trail left by Lin Xuan.

The creature's speed was comparable to an arrow soaring from its bow. Witnessing this, the Wolf Demon's eyes gleamed with anticipation. Conjuring a sinister demonic wind, he followed in hot pursuit, confident he had pinpointed his quarry's location. The Soul Chasing Gu's ability to detect the soul scent of other demonic beings was not limited to mere olfactory traces. While physical scents could be masked, the lingering essence of a soul was far more challenging to conceal. This unique skill gave the Wolf Demon an edge over others, allowing him to track the Eagle Demon's movements.

Meanwhile, a hundred miles away in a secluded forest, Lin Xuan and Big Yellow were guided by the directional marker on the Jade Water Hall token, speeding northward into uncharted lands. They encountered various monster auras along the way—mostly from lesser creatures, though some were from more formidable beasts.

Yet, sensing the formidable presence emanating from Lin Xuan and Big Yellow, the majority of these monsters wisely chose to steer clear. Lin Xuan and Big Yellow had no intention of engaging with these creatures, their focus fixed on the path ahead.

Lin Xuan and Big Yellow had no intention of wasting time with those goons. Their priority was to reach the territory governed by the Jade Water Hall as quickly as possible. Time flew swiftly, and before they knew it, half an hour had passed.

Perched atop a majestic tree, hundreds of feet tall, Lin Xuan and Big Yellow gazed into the distance. Bathed in the moon's silvery glow, a river stretched out before them, its surface hundreds of feet across, shimmering and strikingly visible. They couldn't be sure how far they'd traveled, but by their best estimate, they had covered at least three hundred miles. Once they crossed that river, they could finally take a breather.

After scaling several mountain peaks, they were confident that even if the Eagle Demon had followers on their trail, catching up over such a vast distance was out of the question.

Suddenly, a sense of urgency gripped Lin Xuan and Big Yellow as they detected an immensely strong presence rapidly approaching from behind. They spun around to face the source.

In the distance, atop the canopy, a thick black mist charged towards them. "A Qi Refining Stage Demonic Cultivator!" Lin Xuan's eyes, a brilliant blue, sparkled with insight. His spirit energy enhanced his vision, allowing him to discern a Black-fur Wolf Demon within the fog, a rusty broadsword slung over its shoulder, its purple-red eyes fixed intently on them.

"Chasing troops!" Lin Xuan's spirit sank. The aggressiveness of the approach left little doubt—this was likely the pursuer of the Eagle Demon.

"Big Yellow, get ready for Earth Escape!" Lin Xuan commanded. He grabbed Big Yellow, who was momentarily dazed, and yanked his snake body down into the shelter of the tree's roots.

Within moments, they thudded heavily onto the forest floor, Lin Xuan signaling to Big Yellow. Their adversary was a level above them; a direct confrontation could land them in a ditch, so the safer option was to make a run for it.

As Lin Xuan hit the ground, a scar-faced Wolf Demon enveloped in black smoke burst forth from the dense foliage above, its eyes alight with excitement as it fixed its gaze on Lin Xuan below.

"Activate the illusion!" Lin Xuan commanded, and as his dreamy blue eyes locked with those of the Wolf Demon, the divine sense in his mind surged forth like an unstoppable tide.