Xiao Ling, who had been watching the battle until now while maintaining his formation, finally began to let out a long sigh. "This is the toughest battle we've done so far. How are you all doing?"

The first thing Xiao Ling had to do was check on everyone's current condition.

To him, everyone looked exhausted and tired, but even so, he still had to check on the situation.

"We lost three people. And as for the others, it doesn't seem to be looking too good."

Jie Jiu answered that after seeing firsthand the casualties in this fight and thoroughly checking the condition of the others.

Even though all three of them passed away, none of them looked sad, or perhaps they were too tired to express it. Instead, they looked like they knew it—or perhaps they expected it to happen.

Probably because everyone who came had prepared themselves for this possibility. And there is also the possibility that it could happen to anyone here.

It seems that everyone has made peace with it and accepted it.

Xiao Ling, who had finished observing the situation, had the same feeling as everyone else. Even he himself didn't have time to do it.

This fight drained everyone's energy, not to mention Xiao Ling, who constantly had to maintain his formation.

Some of them immediately fell down and lay down to rest for a moment, while others took a sitting position and started catching their breath again.

Xiao Ling, who understood the situation, took out an object from his pocket; the pocket he was carrying was no ordinary pocket, but a Magic Tool. Magic Tools was called a Thousand Pouch—it was made of horned sheepskin that had been infused with magic formations and was used to store items.

Xiao Ling took out a jug containing water and two different pills. He began to open the lid of the jug to gulp down the contents, then handed it to Jie Jiu along with the previous pills.

"I don't think the amount is enough for everyone left."

Xiao Ling spoke of the number of Essence Replenishment Pills he had counted.

"There's nothing to be done with it. We have to use the best of what we have." Jie Jiu seemed to have exhausted his spiritual essence while fighting with the Big-Footed Night Bear.

Xiao Ling agreed with what Jie Jiu said; he had to use what he had. He also ate another pill that he had taken out; unlike the Essence Repleshiment Pill, which was bluish white in color, this pill was white with a slight brownish.

The biggest difference between the two pills, apart from their color, is the effect they provide. The white and slightly brownish pills do not have any special effects related to cultivator. These pills only provide the benefit of replacing what the body needs—these pills are called Fasting pills.

Unlike Essence Replenishment Pills, Fasting Pills were very easy to make if they had the necessary ingredients— hence, almost all cultivators had them.

These pills are especially useful for cultivators who are still in the Essence Condesation realm, as in this realm cultivators still do not have techniques that can replace their body's needs. Another advantage of this pill is that it is very easy to carry and also durable when compared to food in general. Someone who eats one pill can replace the body's needs for one day.

Most cultivators choose these pills to abstain from the gluttony of worldly pleasures that have nothing to do with their cultivation. Moreover, these pills are not only for cultivators but also for ordinary people; ordinary people who eat these pills also get the effects—in the mortal world, these pills are used for weight-loss diets. The only drawback was that it didn't taste good.

Xiao Ling was currently resting in a cross-legged position while trying to restore the spiritual essence that had been drained from him. Although he had taken the Essence Replenishment Pill, in reality, his spiritual essence had still not returned completely.

Xiao Ling could only sense half of his overall spiritual essence from the Essence Replenishment Pill, so he was doing meditation to try and gather the deficient amount.

***

After the previous battle, which was very noisy thanks to the Big-Footed Night Bear, the surrounding area finally returned to silence, with only the sound of the wind rubbing against the leaves. Unlike during the day, the night air was much colder, with the wind blowing strongly. However, it was still not enough to make Xiao Ling and the others shiver from the cold.

The silence that returned to the forest did not seem to last long. As there began to be several voices coming from all over, everyone began to realize the danger that was slowly approaching.

Xiao Ling focused on his hearing, knowing that all the sounds were coming from all directions and trying to surround them.

This was bad. There seemed to be no opening to escape.

Xiao Ling knew that their current situation was very bad based on the sounds coming, and he realized that they were currently surrounded.

"Everyone, get ready—tonight is going to be a nightmare."

Xiao Ling felt that this would be the start of a long night.

Jie Jiu sighed. "That's right. I don't think we'll be able to rest tonight."

Not long after their fight was over with the Big-Footed Night Bear, they would now face an obstacle that had just appeared.

Everyone seemed to have prepared themselves— Xiao Ling had also set up his talismans in every corner of the area, preparing himself for the worst that would happen.

Voices from all directions began to be heard more and more clearly, trying to make their presence known behind the trees and the darkness of the night.

The first thing that was clearly visible was the blood-red color—not one—but two adjacent pairs, and a very large number, surrounding from every angle.

"Hey, hey, hey... isn't this too dangerous?" Hee So asked.

"Yes. We're really in trouble." Su Han replied.

When something behind the two pairs of blood-red color was seen coming out from behind the trees thanks to the moonlight, it were the Night Wolves.

Perhaps it was the smell of blood carried by the wind from this area that lured all these Night Wolves to come, or perhaps it was the death of the lord of this place—the Big-Footed Night Bear.

But one thing was for sure—the Night Wolves had come and gathered in large numbers.

What made Xiao Ling anxious was not the Night Wolves themselves, but rather the number of them that began to appear one after another.

This was undoubtedly the case. There was a possibility that the number could easily exceed one hundred.

Xiao Ling observed every Night Wolves in sight, as well as those still hiding behind the trees, and made a quick estimate based on that.

It was no exaggeration if Xiao Ling called it more than a hundred, because currently the ones that had already been spotted reached even thirty Night Wolves that were currently sneaking around observing their prey.

"Form a defense! Don't let there be the slightest gap!"

Jie Jiu began to give orders by creating a circle defense that could protect against attacks coming from all directions. This defense can close every gap and guard every part of everyone.

Everyone was already in their respective positions with Xiao Ling in the center as the anchor that could connect all areas.

Xiao Ling had been preparing and observing the Night Wolves' every move—before suddenly there was a long howl before the Night Wolves started attacking simultaneously from all directions.

Xiao Ling quickly formed a hand seal and instantly activated one of his formation techniques.

"[Formation: Earth Gravity Pressure]."

This was the formation Xiao Ling chose when he saw that the ones attacking them at the moment were the Night Wolves.

Any Night Wolves that came to attack them had to enter the formation circle that Xiao Ling had made and were immediately cut down one by one.

As expected, the Night Wolves would not be a big problem for Xiao Ling, but the number of them that kept coming one after another like waves would be a challenge to his endurance.

Even for Xiao Ling, a long-term battle would be a terrifying threat to him—not only would he have to constantly concentrate on maintaining the formation, but he would also have to minimize the spiritual essence that had to be used.

Since he no longer had any Essence Replenishment Pills left, he no longer had a backup that could restore his spiritual essence instantly. He had to think of a way to end this situation quickly.

Xiao Ling tried to maintain his formation as much as possible while looking in all directions, trying to find something he had missed.

Unlike the Big-Footed Night Bear, who lives alone, the Night Wolves are pack creatures. It's no surprise that one leads a pack of Night Wolves of this size.

Even if an animal has developed a beast core, they still can't get rid of their nature.

This is true for almost anything that has evolved at its core—except for a few rare cases.

There it is!

Xiao Ling saw a Night Wolves in the distance, staring at him as if it were watching its prey.

The Night Wolves were much larger than usual, even having horns that rose above both pairs of eyes. There were several wounds on its face, but that only made its appearance more cruel and ruthless than the typical Night Wolves.

"Over there! I see the leader!"

Jie Jiu and the others looked in the direction indicated by Xiao Ling's shout. Even though they were busy fighting against the Night Wolves pack, they still managed to distract themselves for a moment and look at the leader of the Night Wolves pack.

"Good job, Xiao Ling. If we can kill it, then we can stop this horde of Night Wolves."

Jie Jiu praised Xiao Ling for finding the root of this problem directly.

When faced with a herd of wild animals, one of the quickest options is to kill the leader. A leader is often referred to as an Alpha—they are the most dominant and powerful, having the top position in the herd. When an Alpha dies, the herd loses the chain of command and becomes divided, in which case it is easier to eliminate the others or force the others to retreat and flee.

However, no matter what it looked like, the Alpha looked very different from the average Night Wolves. And plus, to be able to lead a pack of over a hundred Night Wolves was not an ordinary thing but a real abnormality.

That monster... there's no way this is that thing, right? Xiao Ling thought.

Among animals that live in places rich in spiritual energy, such as herds or large groups, rare phenomena can sometimes occur. Of course, this is not a common occurrence, but while it is sometimes unlikely, it is not impossible either.

This rare phenomenon is often referred to as an anomaly—the birth of a new, distinct variant within its own species. Depending on the species, these new variants are usually considered kings within their own flock.

These variants can be distinguished from others by their physique or abilities, such as having abnormal body proportions or unique abilities not shared by their own species.

In this case, the Night Wolves leading the pack could be classified as such. Based on its physique, it is much larger than the others and has large horns that rise above both pairs of eyes. It was still unknown whether or not it had any other unique abilities, but from its appearance, there was no harm in assuming that it did. Being able to lead and control over a hundred packs of Night Wolves alone could already be called an ability.

It was better to assume that the alpha was leading this pack as the Variant Night Wolves King.

Xiao Ling decided so rather than regretting having underestimated it.

"Jie Jiu. There are something different about the Night Wolves leading this pack. I think it's the Variant Night Wolves King."

Jie Jiu, who was busy killing one by one the incoming Night Wolves, glanced once again and stared at it longer than before.

"Yes, there's no mistaking it. This is the first time I've seen a Night Wolves in such a form."

Jie Jiu admitted that what Xiao Ling had concluded was probably correct.

This attack that lasted for quite some time would end if they managed to kill the Variant Night Wolves King. After all, this attack was commanded by that Magical Beast.

"I'll try to spear him." Jie Jiu exclaimed.

Jie Jiu sheathed his sword again and took out a spear that hung on his back. Taking a step back to find a good position—his previous position was quickly filled by Su Han and Hee So, who immediately backed up each other partially from where Jie Jiu temporarily left off.

Jie Jiu tried to do what he did before when he killed the Red Feather Black Spider with a single strike. After estimating the distance between the two, he began to take a deep breath before finally throwing his spear with incredible speed.

The spear slid powerfully and precisely towards the Variant Night Wolves King without giving it any time to dodge—or so it should have.

But the Variant Night Wolves King, who had seen the attack, managed to dodge it by nimbly jumping aside before hitting him with a hair's breadth.

"Damn it. That monster managed to avoid it." For the first time Jie Jiu seemed to express his frustration.

It was an expression that Jie Jiu rarely showed—no matter the circumstances, Jie Jiu always maintained a calm and unperturbed expression.

"Hahaha! Old man! Don't let it bother you!" Hee So said, trying to encourage Jie Jiu.

Hee So was the type of person who always said what was on his mind without thinking—so when he saw Jie Jiu expressing his feelings, he would naturally say it right away.

"Boy! You're still forty years too early to lecture me!" Jie Jiu exclaimed as he beheaded the Night Wolves, seemingly returning to his original position.

It seemed that what Hee So was trying to do didn't go down well with Jie Jiu. Of course that didn't only apply to Jie Jiu, but anyone would feel that way if someone much younger—young enough to be considered a grandchild—said something like that, especially in that tone.

But regardless, the conversation between the two of them seemed to break the ice, making Su Han and a few others seem to soften their expressions and laugh.

For everyone, a little laughter wasn't bad to brighten up the current situation and atmosphere, which looked very dark and gloomy.