C22 Wounded Heavily!

The unyielding claws struck Lu Yi's body, yet they might as well have been scraping against diamond.

With a resounding bang, sparks erupted, leaving Lu Yi unscathed!

In that moment, Lu Yi was impervious to physical harm!

Such was the fearsome nature of Gale Summon; for a brief window, Lu Yi was untouchable, immune to all physical damage.

Though fleeting, this window of invulnerability was all Lu Yi needed.

After all, Gale Summon also boosted his speed!

In an instant, Lu Yi's silhouette blurred into a streak, swiftly creating a safe distance like a darting serpent.

Bathed in moonlight, Lu Yi spotted three wolf-like beasts with a predatory gaze fixed on him.

Their six dark green eyes radiated a chilling menace, reminiscent of spectral eyes from the netherworld.

Their bared, white fangs dripped with saliva.

"Iron Wolves?" Lu Yi was taken aback upon seeing the trio.

He then squinted slightly.

These three Iron Wolves possessed the prowess of the yellow level.

"Yellow level or not, today I'm eager to test your mettle!"

Fearless, Lu Yi brandished his Green Lotus Sword, surging forward with a burst of verdant sword qi.

"Green Lotus Sword Song!" Five sword qi shadows crisscrossed over the Iron Wolves, carving deep, bloody lacerations into their hides.

Had there been only one wolf, Lu Yi was certain it would have been a kill shot!

But he faced not one, but three Iron Wolves.

The Green Lotus Sword Song's damage diminished with each additional enemy it struck.

The trio of Iron Wolves divided the damage among them. Despite being riddled with gashes and dripping blood, they sustained no mortal wounds.

Boom!

The initially sluggish Iron Wolves snapped to action, lunging in unison.

Lu Yi found himself entangled in a fierce skirmish with the trio.

The tent was shredded in seconds, collateral damage of the fray.

Dust billowed into the night air.

The clamor of combat was jarringly loud in the still of the night.

The commotion swiftly drew the attention of onlookers.

A crowd gathered, exchanging glances as they watched Lu Yi fend off the group assault.

What in the world was happening?

They wanted to help but were utterly helpless.

The battle was ferociously intense.

They probably couldn't even withstand the residual effects of the fight.

Bang! Bang!

Amidst a whirlwind of flying sand and stones, the battle escalated.

Lu Yi was mentally timing the cooldown of his skills.

Just a few more seconds. With those precious seconds, Lu Yi could annihilate the three Iron-Scaled Wolves in an instant.

But in the thick of battle, seconds stretched into eternity, each one potentially tipping the scales between life and death.

As Lu Yi pondered how to buy a few more seconds, a figure burst forth from the crowd.

"Ice Hand!"

"Ice Seal!"

"Ice Field!"

Three abilities unleashed in the blink of an eye.

The three Iron-Scaled Wolves were instantly immobilized, frozen in place.

Lu Yi was ecstatic. Gong Binghan's timing was impeccable, the epitome of the ultimate support.

Lu Yi quickly retreated, wisely choosing not to engage the frozen Iron-Scaled Wolves head-on but to wait for his skills to recharge.

"Attack! Take down these three brutes!"

Zhang Ziping, who had been a mere spectator until now, sprang into action.

With a rallying cry, he led his men in a charge toward the three Iron-Scaled Wolves.

They approached with the ferocity of someone about to thrash a drowning dog.

But these were no easy targets; they were three Iron-Scaled Wolves of the yellow level.

Lu Yi tried to intervene, but it was already too late!

The gap between Gong Binghan and the three Iron-Scaled Wolves was simply too vast.

He couldn't control the wolves for long, and by the time Zhang Ziping and his men reached them,

the wolves had regained their movement.

Zhang Ziping's confidence vanished in an instant.

The merciless claws of the wolves struck, and several Liger Guards were savagely torn open.

Screams of terror and agony intertwined, creating a nightmarish scene.

Lu Yi and Gong Binghan exchanged a look, both at a loss for words.

Were these clueless souls really just marching to their doom?

"Ice Grasp!"

"Frozen Wasteland!"

Gong Binghan's skills had cooled down once again.

As the three Iron Wolves were immobilized by ice, Lu Yi swiftly unleashed Gale Summon alongside the Green Lotus Sword Song.

The frozen state of the Iron Wolves made it exceedingly easy for Lu Yi to manipulate the situation.

This time, Lu Yi focused his Green Lotus Sword Song on a single target.

In a flash, one Iron Wolf was shredded into five segments by the quintet of sword energies from the Green Lotus Sword Song.

Lu Yi's passive ability, Kiss of Death, allowed him to reduce his skill cooldown times after slaying a soul beast or a gifted individual.

Thus, he was able to quickly ready another Green Lotus Sword Song.

In collaboration with Gong Binghan, they vanquished the three Yellow Level Iron Wolves.

As the battle concluded and the swirling smoke cleared, Lu Yi finally assessed the camp's condition.

A brief inspection revealed the grim reality: over a dozen people had perished.

Before the Iron Wolves had stormed Lu Yi's tent, they had already stealthily claimed several lives.

Coupled with the casualties from the recent skirmish, the death toll stood at fifteen.

Among the fallen were eight members of the Liger Guard and seven prodigies from Flatminster's prominent families.

Lu Yi's foreboding premonition had proven accurate.

"Zhang Ziping, you were adamant about leading this expedition. Now that lives have been lost, will you answer for them?" Lu Yi demanded, his voice heavy with rage.

As the expedition leader, it was his duty to ensure the safety of his charges, yet the first day had seen the loss of more than a dozen lives.

In a group of five hundred, such a number might seem trivial.

But each of these individuals was a rare talent, their loss a significant blow to Flatminster, and a weight upon Lu Yi's conscience.

These lives need not have been lost.

Zhang Ziping, with a flicker in his eyes, fumbled for words before responding.

"How is this my fault? Yes, I proposed the idea, but they all consented to it.

Without their agreement, I couldn't have possibly coerced them into coming here, could I?

Besides, as the leader, it's your duty to protect them. Why shift the blame onto me when I'm merely an assistant?"

Zhang Ziping rambled on, his every word a desperate attempt to shift the blame.

"I..."

Lu Yi's temper flared upon hearing Zhang Ziping's brazen comments, feeling as though his heart was ablaze, ready to burst with fury.

"Hmph, keep making your excuses. True justice lies within the conscience of the people."

With a dismissive snort, Lu Yi indicated he was done entertaining Zhang Ziping's antics. There were casualties to attend to, lives lost and others wounded.

His patience for Zhang Ziping's deflections exhausted, Lu Yi turned his attention to the injured, his priority clear.