Ling Tian Sword God

Ling Chen finished eating the North Wind Rat and then began his daily cultivation. The Lingtian True Qi began to flow from his Dantian, spreading through his meridians before commencing a Zhou Tian cycle. Its color gradually shifted towards a light golden hue. His Ling Tian Sword Scripture was at the Third Stage, "River Inclusion." The total quantity of his True Qi was relatively large. However, with the Ling Tian Sword Scripture, every three stages marked a qualitative leap. Upon reaching the Fourth Stage, "Sword Heart," all his True Qi would need to be refined again to achieve a higher quality. By then, his strength would rise to another level. A thought flashed through his mind, and Ling Chen accelerated the circulation of his True Qi.

WHOOSH, WHOOSH, WHOOSH... The fierce wind howled, pressing the prairie grass low against the ground, unable to straighten. Amidst the howling wind, the faint sound of footsteps began to echo. Two blood-red lights slowly approached from the distance, steadily drawing nearer to Ling Chen's position.

Under the dim moonlight, one would see that the red lights were the eyes of Exotic Beasts. These were giant azure wolves, their fluffy fur like burning azure flames dancing in the fierce wind. Their blood-red eyes, devoid of emotion, focused intently on the campfire behind the large rock. Second-class Low-level Different Beasts—North Wind Mane Wolves.

The North Wind Mane Wolves' strength was average, but they were numerous. A glance in their direction revealed a sea of red eyes. By this point, the North Wind Mane Wolves could already see Ling Chen in profile as he sat meditating. Cruelty flashed in their eyes.

WHOOSH! One North Wind Mane Wolf crouched low and then sprang forward. In the next moment, its claws were less than three feet from Ling Chen. With just one more step, it could tear Ling Chen to pieces and savor his delicious flesh.

Without even looking, Ling Chen clenched his left fist. His punch, though launched second, landed first with an unembellished strike into the void, blasting the North Wind Mane Wolf over a hundred meters away. It tumbled dozens of times in mid-air before crashing. THUD! The wolf's body slammed heavily onto the ground. Its forehead burst open, red and white brain matter spilling out. It was dead in an instant.

ROAR! ROAR! However, the death of one North Wind Mane Wolf did not deter the others. They continued their fearless, death-defying charge.

"Beasts! Still courting death?" Ling Chen drew his Cloud-hidden Sword and swept it horizontally. The sword qi whipped up a fierce gale, instantly bisecting three North Wind Mane Wolves at the waist. Their intestines and organs spilled onto the ground, filling the air with the pungent stench of blood.

Only then did the remaining North Wind Mane Wolves begin to retreat. Though their Spiritual Wisdom was not high, it was significantly greater than that of ordinary prairie wolves. At this moment, they understood that the human before them was not to be trifled with. As the wolf pack retreated, Ling Chen sheathed his sword and resumed his meditation.

In this wilderness, encounters with Exotic Beasts were quite common. For Ling Chen, who had been out in the wilds for several days, it was not a particularly remarkable event.

However, a short while later, more rustling sounds echoed from the surroundings. Again? These beasts... Ling Chen furrowed his brow. But when he looked in the direction of the sound, he saw it wasn't the previous wolf pack—it was the sound of human footsteps.

"Those are the corpses of North Wind Mane Wolves! There are four of them. How did they die?" A somewhat shocked voice sounded soon after. Several figures clad in beast hides emerged into his line of sight, about seven or eight people in total.

Ling Chen only gave them a cursory glance and paid them little further attention. These must be hunters from the grasslands. However, Ling Chen found it surprising that these hunters were quite skilled; a few of them even possessed an aura comparable to that of a Martial Artist. These grassland tribes possessed innate strength. Having grown up consuming the flesh of Exotic Beasts, their constitutions were quite different from ordinary people. Even if they didn't practice martial arts from a young age like Disciples from Sects and Aristocratic Families, they still cultivated basic hand-to-hand combat techniques.

"Did you kill these North Wind Mane Wolves?" A hesitant voice suddenly carried over. Ling Chen looked up. Amongst the hunters, there was a young girl dressed in an animal-hide skirt. The girl looked to be only fourteen or fifteen. She was pretty, with wheat-colored skin. Although she didn't possess the delicate beauty of the women from Wind Country, she had a healthy, robust charm.

Just as Ling Chen was about to reply, a young man interjected with a sneer, "Impossible! Tana, what are you thinking? These North Wind Mane Wolves are extremely ferocious. This man looks so thin and frail, like a gust of wind could blow him over. His thighs aren't even as thick as our arms! There's no way he could have killed North Wind Mane Wolves."

"Zhuo Feng is right. These North Wind Mane Wolves were probably killed by some other Exotic Beasts on the grassland," another hunter chimed in.

Hearing this, Ling Chen merely smiled and let it be. There's no point in arguing about such things. If I were to claim I killed the North Wind Mane Wolves, these hunters would probably just ridicule me further.

"The pelts of these North Wind Mane Wolves are quite valuable. Don't you plan on keeping them, Your Excellency?" a hunter suddenly asked.

However, as soon as the words were out, Zhuo Feng shot him a stern look. My original plan was to wait until that fellow left and then secretly skin these wolves. I didn't expect this idiot to just blurt it out!

Ling Chen easily saw through their intentions. He waved his hand. "You can take them."

"Thank you!"

Technically, since Ling Chen had discovered the North Wind Mane Wolf corpses first, they belonged to him. They hadn't expected him to be so generous as to give them all away. If we sell all these pelts in the city, we could make a tidy profit—enough to cover the whole village's expenses for a month!

Zhuo Feng looked at Ling Chen as if he were an idiot. He probably doesn't even know these pelts are worth tens of thousands of taels of silver. This country bumpkin doesn't even want something so valuable.

The seven or eight hunters set to work, and the pelts of the four North Wind Mane Wolves were quickly stripped off. Although their value was somewhat reduced because the wolves had been bisected at the waist, meaning they weren't whole, they could still fetch a good price.

"Big Brother," the young girl in the animal-hide skirt said, approaching Ling Chen. "After we sell the pelts of these North Wind Mane Wolves, we'll give you half the silver. After all, you discovered them first."

"There's no need." Ling Chen smiled and shook his head. "I won't be staying here long, and I can't wait for you to go to the city and exchange them for money."

It's said that the people of the grasslands are simple and honest. From what I've seen, it seems to be true.

"Alright, Tana! I'm sure this fellow isn't short of money." Zhuo Feng wanted nothing more than to pull Tana away immediately. What an idiot! Someone gives us something for free, and she insists on giving it back. She's too stupid!

"Since you don't need the money, then please, be our guest in our village. It's too dangerous for you to spend the night alone on the grassland."

"Alright."

Ling Chen nodded. They mean well, and I can't bring myself to refuse them again. I'll just consider this part of my cultivation journey.

AROOO...

Just as Ling Chen and the hunters were about to leave, the earth suddenly began to tremble, and a resounding howl abruptly echoed. Accompanied by rustling sounds, a pack of North Wind Mane Wolves appeared in their sight, numbering around seven or eight. Then, an extremely ferocious aura permeated the night's darkness. The wolf pack parted, revealing a giant, snow-white wolf at its forefront. It was twice the size of the other North Wind Mane Wolves.

"Th-this... This is the North Wind Wolf King!"

Upon seeing the giant white wolf, Zhuo Feng screamed, his face a mask of terror.