NOVEL NEXT Ch. 23
Chapter 23: Taming the Wolf Pack
After Jiang Zhaoming finished speaking, Yan Chen dismounted in one motion and strode toward the Moon-Howling Wolf King.
With every step he took, the aura around him surged higher, emanating the pressure unique to a cultivator of the Divine Power Realm!
“Roar...”
Sensing danger, the Moon-Howling Wolf King instinctively took several steps back, but quickly bared its fangs and growled, refusing to show weakness.
“Little wolf, submit obediently!”
Yan Chen suddenly accelerated—his figure flashed like lightning and closed in on the Wolf King in an instant.
The Wolf King roared in fury, its enormous claws slicing through the air as they came crashing down!
“Bang!”
Yan Chen neither dodged nor evaded.
He raised a single arm to block, forcibly taking the blow head-on.
The snow beneath his feet cracked apart with a sharp “kacha”, spiderweb fissures spreading in all directions.
A flicker of shock flashed across the Wolf King’s eyes.
Just as it was about to retreat, Yan Chen grabbed its forelimb and threw it over his shoulder.
“Boom!”
The Wolf King’s massive body slammed into the snow, sending white flakes flying everywhere.
Before it could struggle back up, Yan Chen leapt atop it, straddling its back.
He pressed one hand against its skull while the other clenched into a fist, spirit power swirling around it with terrifying intensity.
“Surrender—or die!”
The Wolf King seemed to understand his words and began thrashing wildly, but Yan Chen remained unmoved, as steady as a mountain.
The surrounding Moon-Hidden Wolves, seeing this, wanted to pounce forward.
However, as soon as Yan Chen released a surge of his blood energy and spirit power, none dared approach.
Especially when they saw their leader pinned down so helplessly, all of them froze in place.
Yan Chen’s gaze turned colder as he looked down at the Moon-Howling Wolf.
“Surrender—or die.”
This time, his voice was quiet, but the killing intent radiating from him seemed almost tangible, forcing the Moon-Howling Wolf to lower its head.
Moments passed.
Just as Yan Chen was about to strike, the Moon-Howling Wolf suddenly let out a pitiful howl of surrender.
Yan Chen snorted, grabbed the wolf by its neck, lifted it up, and gave its rear a firm kick.
“Go! Pay your respects to our Prince!”
As a demon wolf of the Tempering Bones Realm, nourished by immense blood energy, its intelligence was far from low.
It tucked its tail between its legs and limped toward Jiang Zhaoming.
Jiang Zhaoming pushed through the crowd and stepped forward alone.
He reached out and patted the wolf’s head.
Upon seeing its leader yield, one Moon-Hidden Wolf let out a defiant howl.
The Moon-Howling Wolf turned its head and glared fiercely at it, but the Moon-Hidden Wolf did not flinch.
Before anyone could react, a sharp blade split that wolf’s head cleanly in two.
Under the shocked gazes of both men and beasts, a flying blade whirled back to Jiang Zhaoming’s hand and sank into his skin.
It was the Divine Artifact · Thousand Mechanisms Gu, in its Rift-Blade Form.
At that, the wolves all tucked their tails tightly, none daring to challenge the Moon-Howling Wolf again.
The Moon-Howling Wolf gave a soft whine and lay down at Jiang Zhaoming’s feet.
The rest of the pack followed its lead, prostrating themselves on the ground.
Jiang Zhaoming stroked the wolf’s head and said, “Tell your kin to gather here.”
The Moon-Howling Wolf lifted its head and gave a low howl.
When Jiang Zhaoming’s eyes grew cold, it no longer dared hesitate and let out a long, resonant howl to summon its companions.
Soon, the snowy plain filled with one Moon-Howling Wolf and one hundred forty-nine Moon-Hidden Wolves.
Jiang Zhaoming looked very satisfied.
He turned to Yan Chen and said, “General Yan, what do you think—can these wolves be of use?”
Hearing this, Yan Chen frowned and thought for a moment.
“We could slaughter these wicked wolves and use their flesh and blood as nourishment for our troops.”
He was not wrong—creatures with such vigorous blood energy made excellent sustenance for warriors.
At those words, Jiang Zhaoming’s face twitched, and the Moon-Howling Wolf tucked its tail even tighter, letting out a low, sorrowful cry.
“General Yan, these giant wolves have fine physiques and considerable size.
Could we not train them into cavalry mounts instead?”
Yan Chen rubbed his chin, glancing at the surrounding Moon-Hidden Wolves.
Each was nearly the size of an ordinary warhorse.
“Your Highness, there are too few of these wolves. It would be difficult to form a sizable cavalry force.”
“I see... what a pity.”
Jiang Zhaoming sighed, then looked at the Moon-Howling Wolf.
At that moment, the Moon-Howling Wolf was trembling so badly it nearly bit its own tongue.
Yet all it could do was lift a forepaw, pointing toward the direction of its den, while whining pitifully.
The soldiers of the Prefecture Army exchanged bewildered glances at this strange sight.
Xu Xian, standing behind Jiang Zhaoming, spoke up.
“Your Highness, this wolf seems quite intelligent—it appears to want to communicate with us.”
Upon hearing him, the Moon-Howling Wolf howled twice, then clasped its forepaws together and shook them up and down.
Jiang Zhaoming followed the gesture.
“General Yan, take some men and check that den.”
Yan Chen clasped his hands.
“Your subordinate obeys.”
He then led a squad into the den, emerging several minutes later from the opposite side.
“Your Highness! The interior of this den is covered by a strange layer of ice crystals. Apart from that, there is nothing unusual.”
Hearing this, Jiang Zhaoming grew even more curious about how this den could have produced the Moon-Howling Wolf.
Seeing that the conquerors of its pack had found nothing special, the Moon-Howling Wolf began pleading again.
“Your Highness, wolves are cunning by nature—it might just be toying with us. Perhaps we should simply slay them all.”
As Xu Xian said this, the Moon-Howling Wolf waved its paws frantically, howling even louder.
Jiang Zhaoming naturally understood what it meant, though he chose not to reveal it outright.
He asked again, “General Yan, are you certain there’s nothing unusual about this den?”
Yan Chen thought carefully before answering.
“If Your Highness insists there must be something unique... there actually is.”
“Oh? Speak.”
“Your subordinate can sense that this den is absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.”
“Spiritual energy?” Jiang Zhaoming raised a brow.
Spiritual energy was not something ordinary people could sense—only cultivators of the Divine Power Realm and above could perceive it.
“So, what you mean, General Yan... is that this den truly hides some mystery.”
After pondering for a moment, Jiang Zhaoming said, “Very well, General Yan. Take some men and remain here to observe.”
Yan Chen nodded, then glanced at the Moon-Howling Wolf.
“Your Highness, and what of these giant wolves?”
The Moon-Howling Wolf howled twice and lay down beside Yan Chen, clearly wanting to stay.
“Forget it. The army will camp here for now. I want to see just what is different about this den.”
Soon, the Prefecture Army began setting up camp.
Since Jiang Zhaoming had brought only his elite troops this time, such harsh conditions posed no problem for them.
As bonfires blazed to life, night gradually descended.
The soldiers chained all the giant wolves, then gathered around the fires to roast meat.
As for the meat—naturally, it came from the food the wolves had stored for the winter.
The wolves could only sit aside and watch.
As the night deepened, icy winds from the Tianwu Plateau grew ever more biting.
Just when no one expected anything unusual, a shout rang out: “Look! The den!”
Everyone turned toward it—only to see thick mist rising from the ice crystals covering the den, shrouding it completely.
The eerie sight made even Yan Chen frown.
“Your Highness, I can feel that the concentration of spiritual energy there has reached an extremely high level.”
Before Jiang Zhaoming could respond, a long wolf’s howl echoed from within the den.