Waving his hand, Wolf King Lan sent forth his small group of wolves.
They were only ordinary wolves, so they could provide little more than a distraction.
Cutting horizontally, the Demonic Cultivator tore the air apart with his weapons.
They were similar to a type of pole arm, but both blade and shaft were of equal length, totalling close to two meters long.
Each blade was carried with terrifying strength, cutting the air with a dull whistle.
Manoeuvring around the Demonic Cultivator's violent swings, the twenty-or-so wolves ran around under Wolf King Lan's control.
With numbers as their strength, they could occupy every angle against their enemy.
Should this be even a First Foundation Cultivator, or even a Second Foundation Cultivator, they would find it difficult to handle such disadvantageous positioning.
However...
'A Third Foundation Cultivator...'
Cultivators with higher battle prowess than the former Foundations.
The use of Immersion allows one to observe their surroundings without the use of their eyes.
While Second Foundation Cultivators can access lower levels of perception, referred to as Flesh Perception, Third Foundation Cultivators can perceive the world through Divine Perception.
A Second Foundation Cultiator can see the superficial world around them. If one is surrounded, they can observe every angle and react accordingly.
That does not mean that one can counteract such disadvantageous positioning.
A Third Foundation Cultivator can not only see the superficial world, but also that which is described to be 'within' or 'behind'; beyond the superficial.
Muscular movements underneath the skin. Nerve signals which lie within the muscles and spine. Emotions which reside within one's intentions.
When a person attacks, when they will their body to attack, when they think about attacking, this can all be read through the subtlies beyond the superficial.
With that in mind, the plentiful wolves, despite wielding better positioning, mean very little to a Third Foundation Cultivator.
When the first wolf began to pounce, its head was torn in half with a horizontal swipe.
When the second and third growled and bared their teeth, they showed their killing intent.
When the other wolves twitched, receiving their instructions to move, they revealed their intentions.
Surging forth, the twenty-or-so wolves rush the Demonic Cultivator fearlessly.
'I'm expecting that large wolf behind him to act as the cornerstone of his retaliation, but what does it matter to me?'
'Those who enslave beasts to fight others are not worthy to fight me! Not including that fool behind me...'
"Hahaha! Why don't you place these wolves in a line so I can kill them all quicker!"
The two blades shone with a dim light, radiating a deep red aura of malevolent killing intent.
Dao Art — Flowing Blood!
In just three breaths' time, the dual-wielded blades severed a wolf's head from its neck, stabbed a wolf's stomach open, and tore into another wolf's spine.
Three breaths to kill three wolves, and this relentless torrent wasn't finished.
While sending his wolves to their deaths, Wolf King Lan mounted his large wolf and activated a Dao Art.
"...!"
"Don't try to escape!"
Yelling, the dual-wielding Demonic Cultivator burst from the encirclement of the wolves, raising his blade to attack Wolf King Lan.
Smashing his blade against the ground, soil and rock were uplifted into a small cloud.
"I missed?!"
Looking around, he scanned the area with Immersion, but couldn't find anything besides the ordinary wolves.
"A Dao Art which can hide from Immersion? I should've expected a coward would wield such a thing. Is he trying to escape back to the Settlement? With only that injured Mystical Wolk King, his battle strength has fallen; he would pose no threat to me or—..."
With a powerful backhand, he smashed apart the head of a wolf which pounced upon him, and more followed after.
"He is still attacking? These wolves are hardly a match, so why send them to their deaths like this...? It couldn't be...!"
...
Running with an injured figure, the Mystical Wolf King's speed was slower than usual, but that did not stop its relentless sprint.
Winds whistled in his ears, and the makeshift garb of wolf fur was flailing from his shoulders.
Lowering his head to better break through the wind, Wolf King Lan held his weapon in hand, a halberd with a damaged blade.
'As long as I can reach that Life Taming Monarch, I can end his life! His battle strength should be lower than my own, even at this point. With this Mystical Beast King, we can defeat him... no... I can't risk him overwriting my kinship over this wolf... But...'
Soon to arrive at the Iron Mountain divot's edge, Wolf King Lan dismounted the Mystical Wolf King.
"I do not want you to interfere, lest you get enslaved by the enemy. Remain nearby but do not let yourself be detected."
With a low whine, the Mystical Wolf King lowered its head.
"I will return alive, I assure you, but I will need aid to return to the Settlement, so please, help me then."
There was reluctant agreement in the beast's expression.
Wolf King Lan stuck a Dao Art medium to the Wolf's fur coat, allowing it to erase its presence and disappear.
Turning to face the Southern edge of Iron Mountain's divot, Wolf King Lan ran forward.
Scaling the slope of the divot, he arrived at the higher plane of the edge.
"So, you intend to strike me while I am weak?"
Locking his gaze with the enemy's gaze, Wolf King Lan stares down at the pale Life Taming Monarch.
'His skin has healed, but he wounds remain evident.'
"Fiend, you attacked the Settlement I was tasked to defend, and you dared to flaunt this power that does not belong to you!"
"Enslavement? Hahaha... yes, I obtained the Dao Art from scriptures attained from the East."
Gritting his teeth, Wolf King Lan held up his halberd and pointed it daringly towards the Demonic fiend.
"Life Taming Monarch, by the will of my family, I will have you slain, and retake the heritage that was never yours!"
"Is that so...? Do you truly think that you can defeat me? Don't make me laugh!"
Cackling through his strained throat, Life Taming Monarch waved his hand and sent forth several insects that burst from the ground.