Chapter Sixteen: Ma Mingming’s Decision

The first to be infuriated by Ma Qiqi’s reckless act was Li Fusi.

“Come back!”

With a furious shout, Li Fusi rushed forward to intercept her.

But the standoff had already been shattered.

The scaly armored weasel-wolf seemed to deem Ma Mingming harmless, tossing him to the ground. It straightened up and strode heavily toward Ma Qiqi. Though its pace wasn’t fast, each step was weighty enough to crack the ground with a web of fissures. When it was about five meters away from Ma Qiqi, it suddenly leaped and swung its paw straight at her head.

Li Fusi was quicker. He reached her first, shoving Ma Qiqi aside and raising his sword horizontally to block the armored beast’s blow.

Clang!

The sheer force of the blow from the weasel-wolf’s three-taloned paw far surpassed Li Fusi’s expectations. The Tang blade, Qiushui, was hammered down hard. If Li Fusi hadn’t braced the blade with his shoulder, the impact would have shattered half his body.

Gritting his teeth against the burning pain in his shoulder, Li Fusi opened his mouth and unleashed a wave of frigid breath at the monster’s face. At the same time, Qiushui’s blade was sheathed in frost, and with a crackling sound, he drew it free from the beast’s claws.

At such close range, the armored weasel-wolf had no time to dodge. It could only raise its other forearm to shield its eyes and vulnerable spots. Yet the freezing breath, so effective elsewhere, barely worked on this creature. Both the monster’s arm and its densely-scaled rodent face merely caught a dusting of frost, failing to freeze it outright.

Li Fusi wasn’t surprised. Judging by its strength, this armored weasel-wolf was at least upper mid-tier among Ten-Death class monsters. It seemed to be the leader of the group inhabiting the reservoir.

The beast glanced at the frost on its arm, and its hideous rodent face stretched into a savage smile, growing even more terrifying. With a flick of its frozen scales, the plates fell like dandruff to the ground. It wiped its face, shedding all frost-touched scales. Yet in the next instant, new scales sprouted from the exposed skin at a pace visible to the eye.

This creature’s armor could withstand both Qiushui and the icy breath, and it possessed regenerative abilities. Its strength and size were formidable, and with its previous display of innate abilities from within the stone pillars, Li Fusi cursed inwardly at the trouble. This abomination possessed both physical and elemental talents—a rare and deadly combination.

The armored weasel-wolf allowed Li Fusi no time to think. It charged forward, armored and fearless, slashing wildly at Li Fusi’s head with both claws. Then it spun, lashed with its tail, kicked sideways, and drove its knee forward—all while Li Fusi blocked with his blade, each clash sending up clouds of icy mist.

From a distance, if one ignored the beast’s monstrous form, the scene resembled a duel between two martial masters at the pinnacle of their arts.

As the armored weasel-wolf lunged at Li Fusi, the iron-winged and tiger-striped weasel-wolves simultaneously sprang into action, targeting Ma Qiqi’s group.

Ma Qiqi, shoved to the ground by Li Fusi, scrambled to her feet the moment the armored beast and Li Fusi locked in combat, her only thought to reach her brother Ma Mingming.

But just as she was steps away, the iron-winged weasel-wolf zipped behind her like the wind, wings spread to slice at her neck.

“Flew” wasn’t quite right—it was more of a glide or a frantic flutter. The iron-winged weasel-wolf did indeed have wings, with feathers as hard as steel, but much like a pheasant, it couldn’t truly fly—only glide short distances to slash at prey with its iron wings.

Ma Qiqi, her mind unsettled, could only react instinctively, raising the chicken-leg bone she carried to block the attack.

In a blink, the iron wing struck the bone. Though it didn’t break, the force of the blow sent Ma Qiqi flying.

In midair, completely exposed, Ma Qiqi was at the mercy of the iron-winged beast. It flipped and spun, both wings rotating like windmills to cut her in two.

Floating helplessly, Ma Qiqi’s mind went blank. She felt death upon her, reaching out instinctively toward her brother.

At that desperate moment, two pairs of pure white wings crossed before her like shields, enveloping her. A burly, bare-chested man caught her in his arms.

A slicing sound—the iron wings struck the feathers, spraying blood and white plumes. Though the wings were large, they weren’t hardened; the iron feathers cut a gap right through them, stripping away their earlier sacred sheen.

Ma Qiqi stared at her brother’s wounded shoulder, blood streaming from the gash, and called out in confusion, “Brother…”

Ma Mingming was in poor shape—unlike Niu Shan, who had awakened full of vitality. He wavered, barely holding on. Glancing at Li Fusi and Niu Shan, he said nothing, but suddenly spread his wings and beat them powerfully.

Those pure white wings were the manifestation of Ma Mingming’s awakened innate gift—the Celestial Horse Wings.

The Ma family, a semi-demon clan of Kyoto, traced their bloodline to the ancient beast known as the Celestial Horse. The Celestial Horse Wings were the clan’s most potent and iconic physical gift; it was said that at their peak, one could soar to the heavens.

The first power these wings granted Ma Mingming was flight—at a speed the iron-winged weasel-wolf could never match.

With a single beat, the Celestial Horse Wings whipped up a wild gale. Folding his wings, Ma Mingming and his sister vanished down a water channel in an instant.

Elsewhere, when Li Fusi shoved Ma Qiqi aside, Niu Shan had been left alone, surrounded by the tiger-striped and three other Ten-Death class weasel-wolves. He glanced at the Ma siblings, then at Li Fusi locked in battle, and finally at the tiger-striped beast advancing toward him.

“Woof,” it growled.

“Moo,” Niu Shan replied uncertainly.

The tiger-striped weasel-wolf’s gaze darkened. The other three beasts quickly retreated, as though leaving a dueling ground for the two.

Yet the tiger-striped beast made no move, simply glaring at Niu Shan with murderous eyes.

Niu Shan was still confused when suddenly his back felt as if it bore a crushing weight. His waist buckled, his limbs were as if filled with molten lead, and he could not move at all. The ground beneath him even began to collapse under the pressure of the tiger-striped beast’s innate “Tiger’s Dominion.”

Unbeknownst to Niu Shan, even Li Fusi—when previously beset by the iron-winged and tiger-striped monsters—hadn’t faced such oppressive “Tiger’s Dominion.”

Although a wild-born half-demon, Niu Shan had seen much. He quickly realized the tiger-striped weasel-wolf’s talent belonged to the Perception element, one of the six primary elements, focused on the mind. While lamenting his predicament, he understood why the other beasts had withdrawn.

But knowing this didn’t help. Instead, the rare and powerful talents of the three monsters—armored, iron-winged, and tiger-striped—made him all the more anxious.

Niu Shan was holding out only by relying on his newly awakened physical talent, but he was unused to his powers. If this continued, he’d likely be mentally crushed into a fool or a vegetable by the “Tiger’s Dominion.”

At this moment, the four members of Blood Trace Action Team Eighteen remaining in the underground reservoir were split into three groups, each simultaneously under siege. As Niu Shan fell to his knees at his most perilous moment, a streak of black flashed like lightning toward the tiger-striped weasel-wolf.

As it neared, the black streak revealed a snake’s head with two venomous fangs, striking fiercely for the beast’s neck.

The tiger-striped beast reacted swiftly, both dodging and withdrawing its Perception skill from Niu Shan, instead casting it around itself.

The black streak—Vile Serpent Xiao Xie—was affected by “Tiger’s Dominion,” its attack angle skewed and missing the target.

But Xiao Xie was not so easily dealt with. “Tiger’s Dominion” seemed to affect it less than Niu Shan. As its bite missed, it coiled around the beast, entangling it with “Serpent Bind.”

Meanwhile, Li Fusi’s duel with the armored weasel-wolf was intense. In truth, the beast did not understand martial arts; its upright posture and vicious swipes and bites were simply instinct. Though its moves were few and direct, each strike targeted vital points. After all, many martial arts techniques were derived from the predatory motions of animals—such as the Five Animals Play, which borrowed from tigers, bears, and the like. Thus, the weasel-wolf kept Li Fusi fully engaged.

While fending off the armored beast, Li Fusi kept an eye on the others. When he saw Ma Mingming spirit Ma Qiqi away, he immediately understood his intent.

Given the situation in the reservoir, if the three younger ones remained, they’d likely die—perhaps even drag Li Fusi down with them. It was better for them to split up, drawing some of the monsters’ attention, giving Li Fusi a chance to take them out one by one.

Whether or not Li Fusi agreed, Ma Mingming had already acted. Hesitation would only make things worse. Best to go with the flow. Li Fusi shouted, “Niu Shan, break out! Xiao Xie, protect him!”

Niu Shan, glimpsing the Ma siblings’ retreat during a brief respite, did not hesitate. As soon as the captain gave the order, he dashed down another waterway.

Vile Serpent Xiao Xie, still struggling with “Tiger’s Dominion” to strangle the tiger-striped beast, had been locked in a contest of endurance. Upon hearing Li Fusi’s command, Xiao Xie hissed, released its grip, and slithered after Niu Shan.

As expected, once the three young ones split into two groups and fled, the tiger-striped beast and its three Ten-Death class fellows chased after Niu Shan and Xiao Xie, while the iron-winged beast launched itself solo after the Ma siblings. In the reservoir, only the armored weasel-wolf and six lesser Ten-Death class weasel-wolves remained.

If not for its monstrous appearance and inability to speak, the armored weasel-wolf’s intelligence could almost be considered human—an enemy in every sense.

Li Fusi drew a deep breath and began to pace slowly, watching the hideous monsters through the pillars. His gaze grew steady and cold, settling into a deathly calm.

Black trench coat, dead eyes, an expression devoid of desire, and the icy sheen of the blade Qiushui—this was the Li Fusi who had always hunted monsters alone.

It wasn’t that Li Fusi had never worked with others, but the three young ones were no real teammates for him. He’d never played a teacher’s role either.

With those three remaining, Li Fusi could not guarantee their safety under attack by a dozen Ten-Death class monsters.

So when Ma Mingming made the decision to use themselves as bait, giving Li Fusi the chance to take down the enemy one by one, Li Fusi felt anger, worry, a shift in his view of them, and above all, a determination not to let a single one of them die.

“I know you can understand me.”

Li Fusi reached behind his back into his coat and drew a short, straight-bladed dagger identical in style to Qiushui. Gripping it in reverse, he stood at the center of the encircling monsters and addressed the armored weasel-wolf.

“It may not matter to them, but if they die, I’ll chop your filthy brood into pieces and bury you someplace worse than hell.”

Suddenly, a white icy mist rose around Li Fusi, enveloping him. The mist spread swiftly, and wherever it passed, the reservoir floor softened, bulged, and cracked, until gray-green, fetid liquid began to seep from the fissures.

“Swampland: Realm!”