Soft winds danced across a canopy of withering trees, their crooked branches draped in moss and violet-colored mist that clung to the trunks like living fog.
The forest path narrow and barely visible was damp with old leaves, trodden footprints, and the faint glimmer of spirit dew that sparkled in the rare shafts of sunlight piercing through the thick clouds above. Silence filled the atmosphere, broken only by the distant caws of night crows and the low rustle of wind whispering through the pines.
Mike sat on a moss-covered boulder beneath a crooked cedar tree, the parchment scroll clutched gently in his hands. His fingertips trembled as they traced the ancient ink symbols.
The scroll was unlike anything else its edges lined with faded golden threads, the surface warm, humming with quiet power.
Above them, the sky was a canvas of pale lavender, its peace contrasting the turmoil within Mike's heart.
He whispered, "My mother…" letting the words slip into the forest air, fragile and soft.
Jian Dao stepped closer, brushing aside a low-hanging vine. "If you truly treasure this her legacy you should try to understand it. Don't just hold it. Open it. Let it show you what it holds."
Mike's eyes flickered with hope. "Yeah… yeah, Master. I want to know everything."
He sat cross-legged on the damp earth, placing the scroll before him. With a deep breath, he channelled his Qi into his fingers and touched the seal gently.
A sharp crackle ran through his hands. The scroll pulsed… then refused to open.
"Eh?" Mike looked confused. "It… it won't budge."
From behind, a dry laugh echoed. Huo Chuntian leaned against a twisted tree trunk, arms folded. "See? You're not quite ready yet. The technique is beyond your current understanding and cultivation. Let's not waste time here."
The group agreed with reluctant nods, and they began moving. The path ahead turned darker, the forest now eerily silent. Rotten leaves clung to their boots, and the air smelled thick with iron and mildew. As they stepped deeper, the ground sloped down, winding toward a valley where the trees grew twisted like tormented souls. A chilling purple aura blanketed everything, from the jagged stones to the shriveled grass that barely swayed.
A few days passed. Finally, Huo Chuntian, his gaze fixed on the rising pillars of bone-like trees ahead, pointed. "There it is the territory of the Wolf Tribe."
They halted.
Mike squinted. The structures ahead resembled half-buried stone dens, their entrances surrounded by spiked wooden fences, stained with old blood and carvings of warbeasts. Strange birds circled overhead, screeching once before vanishing into the grey sky.
"We can talk to them… can't we?" Mike asked, uncertain.
"No," Huo Chuntian replied, his face serious. "Wolves don't negotiate. They prefer to tear things apart." He stepped toward Mike and placed his hand lightly on his forehead. "I've placed a mark on you. When the time comes, I'll enter your body and lend you my power."
Mike blinked. "You'll… take over?"
"Partially. You'll keep your mind, but I'll handle the fight. For that moment, your cultivation will reach Jing Ying - 5 Stars. Trust me."
Mike nodded hesitantly. With a shimmer of blue light, Huo Chuntian dissolved into a stream of spiritual mist and entered Mike's body through the forehead mark. Mike staggered slightly, feeling a rush of strength and clarity.
Soon, a pack of snarling wolves emerged from the crooked woodland ahead. Their fur was coated in violet scales, eyes burning with a toxic green hue. The air buzzed as they circled.
Without a command, the battle began.
Jian Dao twirled his blade, his strikes fast and precise. "Mike! Behind you!"
But the warning came too late.
A beast leaped at him but Mike didn't flinch.
Or rather Huo Chuntian, now controlling Mike, didn't.
"Too slow," he muttered, ducking and slamming his fist into the beast's ribs. With a crack, the creature flew into a jagged tree trunk.
"I'll handle this," Huo Chuntian's voice echoed through Mike's mouth. "Let's clean up these mongrels."
They fought under a sky darkened with gathering clouds. The ground cracked beneath the pressure of Qi, wolf claws clashed against steel, and the air rang with cries of pain and rage.
And then a sudden shift.
A pulse of dark energy erupted from deep within the ground. The soil split, and a crystal formed mid-air shimmering with deep purple veins, spinning violently. A deep, echoing howl followed. The crystal shattered.
From within stepped a towering beast half-man, half-wolf. Clad in bone armor, his claws glinted like obsidian blades. Dark fur shimmered with unnatural light. His yellow eyes radiated contempt.
"I am Messiah of Wolves," he announced, voice thunderous. "And you trespass in MY dominion!"
The ground beneath their feet vibrated with his energy. Trees wilted. The sky turned a deeper gray.
Jian Dao stepped forward, unfazed. "We're here only for one thing. Let us take it, and no one has to die."
Messiah chuckled, deep and rumbling. "Ah… So bold. What are you here for?"
Huo Chuntian, still in control, replied sharply. "We seek the Thousand Trunked Soul Hammer. We know it's here."
The beast flinched slightly just a twitch but enough.
They knew he was lying.
"That's a mistake," Messiah said, eyes narrowing. "You won't find what doesn't exist."
Jian Dao smirked. "Then we'll just take a quick look, won't we?"
Messiah clenched his fists. The air grew heavier.
The winds stopped.
Far from them, on the other side of the forest by the lake where Mike once awakened three figures stepped onto the blackened shore. Ru Fenglie, Bao Wuhen, and Han Zetsu. The surface of the lake rippled beneath their boots.
"They were here," Han Zetsu said, his voice like venom. "Find them. Fast."
The leaves above barely moved, but the tension in the air was like an arrow drawn to its limit.
The hunt had truly begun.