Chapter 396 - 220: Return to Lin Yuan City (Part 2)

The convoy pressed on, and before long, it left the main road and entered an even more desolate region of rolling hills.

The road grew increasingly rugged, flanked by waist-high weeds and jagged, grotesque stones.

Just then, Escort Cao, riding at the very front of the procession, suddenly yanked hard on his reins!

"Whoa—"

The entire caravan ground to a halt.

"What’s wrong?"

"What’s happened?"

Everyone in the carriages poked their heads out to peer ahead.

There, on a hillside not far ahead, a large pack of behemoths wreathed in black smoke had appeared!

It was a pack of black wild wolves, each the size of a young calf!

They bared their sharp fangs, their blood-red eyes fixed on the caravan as low, menacing growls rumbled from their throats.

"They’re... Black Beasts of the Iron Skin Realm!"

A sharp-eyed Darts Master cried out, his voice trembling.

The entire caravan instantly erupted into chaos and panic.

The horses began to paw restlessly at the ground, neighing in terror.

Some of the more timid hands were so frightened their faces turned deathly pale and their legs grew weak.

Jiang Che frowned at the sight.

’What’s going on?’

’When did the Black Beasts outside the city get so powerful?’

He clearly remembered his first trip out of the city with a caravan three years ago. The Black Beasts they’d encountered back then were of the Bull Skin Realm at most.

Encountering one or two at the Stone Skin Realm had been considered extremely rare.

But now...

A pack of more than a dozen Iron Skin Realm wolves had appeared all at once!

And even...

Jiang Che’s gaze fell upon the alpha in the very center of the pack, a wolf a full size larger than the others.

The aura emanating from that Wolf King actually carried a faint ripple of Force!

’A Black Beast at the Force Integration Level!’

Although he could now easily kill these Black Beasts with the flick of a finger.

But this phenomenon wasn’t right!

There shouldn’t be so many high-level Black Beasts this close to the main road!

He had a nagging feeling that something terrible was brewing.

’Looks like I’ll have to get the Four Seas Tower to investigate this thoroughly once I’m back in Cangzhou.’

Just then, the wolf pack moved!

Like a black tide, they surged down the hillside in a mad rush.

Most of the caravan’s Darts Masters only had the cultivation of the Stone Skin Realm. Forget about facing the enemy; many of them could barely remain standing, their legs trembling so violently.

Jiang Che shook his head and was about to make his move.

But then he saw Escort Cao suddenly wheel his horse around and ride to the front of the magnificent carriage.

With a THUD, he tumbled from his horse and fell to his knees. Facing the carriage, he yelled in a pleading tone:

"Young Master Wang! Young Master Wang, help us! I beg you, please have your heroic guard intervene!"

A moment of silence passed within the carriage.

Then, a slender hand slowly lifted the silver-trimmed curtain.

Young Master Wang poked his head out. He glanced at the kneeling Escort Cao, then at the distant wolf pack, and said with a look of annoyance:

"A bunch of good-for-nothings! You can’t even handle a few beasts! If I’d known, I never would have traveled with a caravan of you peasants!"

As he spoke, he waved a hand at the Bone Forging Realm guard, who had been meditating with his eyes closed.

"Go. Slaughter those meddlesome beasts for me!"

"Yes, Young Master."

The guard in black slowly opened his eyes. With a flicker of movement, he instantly appeared in front of the black wolves, blocking their path.

He then drew the long saber from his waist and charged into the pack.

In his presence, the Iron Skin Realm black wolves—so incomparably ferocious in the eyes of the ordinary Darts Masters—were as helpless as clay chickens and pottery dogs, unable to withstand a single blow.

Even the Wolf King at the Force Integration Level only managed to last a few moments longer before its massive head was lopped off by a single slash of his saber.

After all was said and done, the black-clad guard hadn’t even furrowed his brow.

He then took out a hemp sack, dug out all the Black Crystals from the Black Beasts’ bodies, and packed them away. Then, under the envious and awestruck gazes of the Darts Masters, he returned to the side of the carriage.

The survivors immediately surrounded Young Master Wang’s carriage, all clamoring to express their thanks.

"Thank you, Young Master! Thank you, great hero, for saving our lives!"

That Young Master Wang, however, didn’t even show his face. He simply spoke from behind the door curtain, his voice dripping with disgust and impatience:

"So noisy! A bunch of useless things!"

"What are you all standing around for? Hurry up and clear the road so we can keep moving! If you delay my journey, can you bear the consequences?!"

The crowd exchanged glances, fell silent, and hastily scattered.

...

Once the wolf carcasses were cleared, the convoy set off again.

However, the atmosphere within the convoy had become exceptionally oppressive.

All the Darts Masters and hands traveled with their heads bowed in silence, the lighthearted chatter from before completely gone.

Although they had survived the ordeal, the attitude of Young Master Wang and his black-clad guard left everyone feeling deeply humiliated and wretched, but they were powerless to do anything about it.

They traveled for a while longer and were just about to pass through the desolate, hilly region.

Suddenly, a figure appeared in the middle of the road ahead, blocking their path.

The person wore a tattered black cloak and carried a huge, rust-spotted cleaver, standing perfectly still in the middle of the road.

He didn’t emit any powerful aura and looked like an ordinary, elderly woodcutter.

However, the very instant they saw the man’s face clearly!

The Bone Forging Realm guard who drove for Young Master Wang, the one with the cold and detached expression, suddenly had the color drain from his face. It turned deathly pale in an instant!