Chapter Fifty-Nine: Battle Wolf (End)

The cries gradually died down. The snow wolves neither retreated nor advanced; only the alpha continued to growl and snarl, as if still trying to rally its pack. Standing atop the mountain of corpses, Liu Ji roughly estimated that there were still twenty or thirty wolves left. For a pack of around two hundred, this was near annihilation. Even if they managed to escape the humans, they would not elude the covetous gaze of their own kind, eager for this territory.

Such are the cruel laws of survival in nature.

Yet this standoff remained a formidable threat to the Tang army, whose numbers were hardly superior. Perhaps, as night fell, these beasts—masters of nocturnal hunting—would launch a deadly assault.

Liu Ji had no intention of letting the outcome wait until night.

Under the gaze of all, he stepped down from the heap of corpses, the heavy unfamiliar blade resting on his shoulder. He walked with measured steps across frozen wolf bodies, heading beyond the formation.

"What is the commander doing?"

"Is he mad?"

Zhang Wujia paid no heed to the murmurs of his men. He believed Liu Ji would never make a pointless sacrifice or act without purpose. This thought allowed him to guess the rough outline of Liu Ji’s plan.

"Quick, tend to the wounded. Those who can still walk, follow me."

He hefted his unfamiliar blade, leading several spear and crossbowmen behind Liu Ji.

The men leaving the Tang formation stirred the remaining wolves, causing a ripple of agitation. The alpha watched warily as they drew closer. At the forefront, Liu Ji was the one who had wounded it earlier, and the wolf sensed a threat. Its claws scraped at the snow, sending up a spray of icy shards.

A few dozen paces from the wolves, Liu Ji stopped and signaled his companions to halt. Zhang Wujia and his followers fanned out in a loose line, their numbers far fewer than the wolves, yet their presence was no less imposing.

"Ah!"

Liu Ji opened his mouth and let out a roar, fierce as a lion or tiger. The wolves, overawed by his dominance, dared neither to advance nor retreat. The alpha, its gray-green eyes glaring, watched him for a long moment before slowly stepping forward.

It understood Liu Ji's intent: a challenger confronting the old master, just as it had once done. Such a challenge could not be refused, especially now.

Liu Ji’s earlier arrow had struck its abdomen, leaving only a small dark mark. If not for its snow-white fur, even that would be hard to discern.

This wolf was much larger than the others. Facing it, Liu Ji seemed small, even the blade on his shoulder appeared more massive than himself.

Yet the giant wolf was cautious. Its steel-like claws made a cracking sound with each step on the ice.

It gathered its strength bit by bit. Suddenly, Liu Ji smiled, a smile so unsettling that it caused the wolf to pause; it was more terrifying than rage.

"Come, beast," he said.

He raised his unfamiliar blade, gripping it with both hands. His breath followed his heart, his heart followed his will. With a swift turn of the wrist, he spun the blade in a flourish, standing firm and unyielding before the savage creature.

"Howl!"

The giant wolf, sensing it could not match him in a standoff, growled and charged with startling speed, belying its massive frame. Liu Ji barely managed to raise his blade to block.

A sharp crack sounded. Liu Ji felt as if struck by lightning; his arms trembled from the force, and the unfamiliar blade flew from his grasp, landing some distance away.

His heart was seized by alarm. What a cunning beast, feigning weakness to deceive! The thought flashed by; he dropped low, rolling to the side to evade the wolf’s sweeping claw, drawing the saber at his waist in one fluid motion.

"Careful!" Zhang Wujia cried, but at such a distance, he could not hope to intervene.

Liu Ji had just steadied himself when a white blur, wind whistling, rushed at him. In that desperate moment, he slapped the ice with both hands, pushed off with his feet, and sprang into the air, narrowly avoiding the wolf’s tail.

What a beast! The reversal stirred his fighting spirit even more. This world was indeed fascinating—even wild creatures were so clever.

So be it.

Without the weight of the unfamiliar blade, Liu Ji felt light, his fur-clad figure more agile. Before the giant wolf could turn, he lunged, slashing its hind leg. Beneath the thick fur, the muscle was rock-hard; the blow barely counted as a scratch.

Unwilling to give up, Liu Ji pursued, leaping onto the wolf’s back. Holding the saber like a dagger, he plunged it into the beast’s spine, his body following to press down.

In agony, the giant wolf tried to turn and bite, reaching back with its forepaws, but could not reach. Forced to roll on the ground, it sought to throw off the man atop it or crush him outright.

Liu Ji had anticipated this move. As the wolf rolled, he abandoned the saber and leaped aside, rolling in the same manner and crouching on the ice. He signaled to Zhang Wujia and the others not to intervene.

For he had already eyed his landing spot before jumping—the unfamiliar blade lay nearby, waiting for its master's hand.

The giant wolf was not so lucky. Its roll did throw Liu Ji off, but drove the saber deep into its body, a pain so excruciating it could not help but cry out.

How could it still live?

Not only Liu Ji, but Zhang Wujia and his men were astonished. The three-foot blade had nearly pierced the wolf’s entire torso. After a few howls, it turned, its eyes bulging like bronze bells, fierce glare blazing like fire.

A dying beast is most dangerous!

Liu Ji dared not be careless. He picked up his unfamiliar blade and strode forward, feet planted firmly in a bow stance. Power surged from his waist and abdomen, his arms bulged with veins, and the blade, angled fifteen degrees, whistled as it cleaved toward the wolf’s massive form.

A blow to fell a horse!

Zhang Wujia silently admired him; this strike was the blade’s perfection—seemingly ordinary, yet unstoppable, with the force to split mountains and shatter stone.

The giant wolf recognized the danger and retreated with all four limbs. Its wounds slowed it momentarily, and the sharp blade sliced from cheek to brow, splitting the bone and tearing the flesh, a horrifying sight.

Yet even this was but a minor wound. Before Liu Ji could finish his blow, the wolf counterattacked. Its hind legs, thick as a man’s waist, drove against the ground, forepaws reaching out to strike at Liu Ji’s blade as before.

Liu Ji showed no fear, shouting as he raised the blade in a whirlwind, meeting the steel-like paw head-on.

Bang!

The clash rang like metal on stone. Liu Ji’s hands trembled from the shock, nearly losing his grip on the hilt. He mustered strength from his waist and abdomen, legs stiff as iron pillars. The wooden soles of his shoes pressed hard against the ice, producing a harsh creaking.

What a beast! Before it, all men—Da Nangqi, Zhang Wujia—were powerless.

The greater the challenge, the fiercer Liu Ji’s spirit. He twisted with all his might, the steel blade grinding against the heavy paw, sending sparks flying.

In pain, the giant wolf released its grip, crouched low, eyes glaring, growling softly, its ferocity now spent.