Bai Yunfei's head snapped up. An expression of rare ferocity appeared on his face. His eyes turned ice-cold as they locked onto the arrogant youth.
"Get lost!"
His sudden eruption caused everyone present to freeze momentarily. Liu Meng and Xiao Ning, in particular, stared at him in stunned disbelief; they had never seen Bai Yunfei behave like this.
As for the black-clad youth, after staring blankly at Bai Yunfei for a second, he pointed incredulously at his own nose. "You... you're telling me to get lost?"
Bai Yunfei's brow furrowed. He glanced briefly at Liu Meng beside him, then fixed his gaze fiercely back on the youth, his voice laced with impatience. "I don't care why you're here. I'm in a very bad mood. Don't provoke me!"
The black-clad youth glared at Bai Yunfei for a long moment. Suddenly, as if fury had peaked into amusement, he pointed a finger at Bai Yunfei and barked a laugh. "Ha ha ha! Fine! Fine! Daring to speak to this young master like that! Trying to play the hero in front of your woman? Hmph! Know your limits!"
Without warning, he lunged forward, his hand snaking out to grab Bai Yunfei's collar! This person was utterly lawless—disagreement meant immediate violence.
Seeing the attack, which seemed casual but carried substantial force, Bai Yunfei's pupils constricted. He twisted his body, his right fist lashing out instantaneously. Thud! The youth was knocked back two steps. Simultaneously, the stool beneath Bai Yunfei emitted a sharp crack!, straining under the force.
"Eh? A Soul Master?!" The youth stopped, letting out a surprised exclamation. His eyes shone with an unexpected 'delight' as they fixed on Bai Yunfei.
"Ha ha! Didn't expect you to be a Soul Master! Excellent, excellent! This young master loves crushing opponents who actually have some skill!" Declaring this, the youth actually wore an expression of excitement as he launched himself at Bai Yunfei once more.
"Utter madness!" Seeing the renewed attack, fury flashed in Bai Yunfei's eyes. He surged to his feet instantly, stepping forward and driving a punch straight towards the youth's face. A flicker of surprise crossed the youth's eyes. Mid-charge, he suddenly leaped sideways with startling agility, like a cat, landing to Bai Yunfei's left side. His fingers curled into claws, aiming directly for Bai Yunfei's neck!
His fingernails were abnormally long and seemed to glint with a cold, metallic sheen. They whistled past where Bai Yunfei's jugular vein had been a split-second earlier—only catching air. Bai Yunfei had already shifted half a step back. Without pause, he threw another punch, landing it solidly on the youth's right shoulder.
Though he hadn't used the Wave Folding Technique, the blow still carried significant force. The youth couldn't stop himself from stumbling backwards, crashing into a table before finally regaining his balance. Rubbing his shoulder, he stared at Bai Yunfei, his face a mixture of shock and reassessment.
"Mid-stage Soul Warrior!"
In that brief exchange, both fighters had gauged the other's strength. They were evenly matched—both at the Mid-stage Soul Warrior realm.
Up on the second floor, the other patrons had already fled at the first sign of fighting. Only the four of them remained. Liu Meng and Xiao Ning had retreated to the side, watching the youth opposite with expressions of confusion.
"Heh heh, not bad, not bad," the youth sneered, shaking out his right arm, his arrogance undiminished. He shot a calculating glance towards Liu Meng behind Bai Yunfei, his eyes narrowing with a predatory gleam. "Little beauty, watch as I beat this man to a pulp! Then you'll follow this young master!"
He refocused on Bai Yunfei, deliberately stepping back a few paces. "Hmph! Don't think matching my realm means you can stand against me, boy! Let me tell you, this young master is leagues beyond you! I'll show you something you insignificant sect disciples could only dream of possessing in your entire lifetimes..."
He raised his left hand and swept it forward. Abruptly, without any warning, a massive grey shadow materialized in the air before him.
Bai Yunfei had been puzzled by the youth's retreat. But when he saw the true form of the grey shadow, his face abruptly transformed. His eyes widened in utter disbelief.
Standing before the black-clad youth was a colossal grey wolf!!
Its body was the size of a small calf, supported by thick, powerful limbs. Coarse grey fur, sharp as needles and seeming to glint faintly, covered its entire frame. Fangs were slightly bared, its body coiled low, and thick saliva dripped slowly from its maw. Its eyes burned a deep red, yet held not a trace of sentient life—only pure, mindless ferocity.
A wave of savage, bestial aura crashed over Bai Yunfei. He instinctively took a step back, shock and horror flooding his features. He had never encountered anything like this; he had no idea what was happening.
...
Thousands of meters away, along another bustling street, a silver-robed man with long hair walked slowly, deep in thought. It was Hong Yin.
The small white creature perched on his right shoulder, as usual, seemed to be asleep. Suddenly, its long whiskers twitched. Its eyes snapped open instantly. Within those tiny murine pupils flashed an intensely human-like expression of shock. It stood up on its hind legs and let out a series of urgent squeaks.
Feeling the creature's agitation, Hong Yin stopped immediately. He tilted his head, looking at it with concern. "Little Tang? What's wrong?"
Little Tang stood upright, its tiny nose twitching as if concentrating intently. After a few seconds, it raised both small paws and pointed insistently to Hong Yin's right, squeaking even more urgently.
Frowning, Hong Yin closed his eyes, focusing his senses in the direction Little Tang indicated. After a few heartbeats, his eyes snapped open, flashing with piercing light. "The aura of a Soul Beast! And this feeling..." He didn't finish the sentence, but his frown deepened. After a moment's thought, he turned and strode into a nearby alley. The moment he rounded the corner of the alley, he vanished without a trace!
Pedestrians flowed past; everything was normal. No one noticed that a living man had just disappeared into thin air…
...
Back inside the tavern, the black-clad youth laughed loudly, thoroughly pleased by the sheer shock on Bai Yunfei's face. "What's the matter? Stunned speechless? Never seen one before? Scared?" he sneered arrogantly. "Hmph! Able to store a Soul Beast within a space ring—the secret techniques of my Beast Taming Sect are beyond the comprehension of nobodies from minor sects! Thunderwolf, attack!"
At his command, the colossal grey wolf launched itself forward. Its speed was staggering—it seemed to vanish from its original spot and reappear before Bai Yunfei in the blink of an eye! Its enormous jaws gaped open; Bai Yunfei could practically smell the fetid stench of its maw.
Utter terror seized Bai Yunfei. He had fought packs of wolves in the mountains before, but compared to this monstrous beast, those forest wolves were like kittens next to a tiger. Its speed was beyond anything he could have imagined. He barely registered its movement before it was upon him!
Instinct took over. His feet shifted, his body swaying sharply to the right. The Thunderwolf's razor-sharp claws whistled past his ear. He shuffled his feet frantically, managing to shift his body half a meter—just barely evading the deadly pounce.
However, as the immense body of the Thunderwolf hurtled past Bai Yunfei, his face suddenly blanched white!
Because Liu Meng was standing directly behind him!
In his panic to dodge, Bai Yunfei had forgotten the most crucial point!
For a heart-stopping instant, Bai Yunfei felt his blood run cold. He whirled around—just in time to see the Thunderwolf's bulk hurtling towards the two young women!
Liu Meng and Xiao Ning had actually been standing quite far back, giving Bai Yunfei and the youth ample space to fight. Who could have predicted the youth would suddenly unleash such a monstrous beast?
To the Thunderwolf, that distance was nothing!
Bai Yunfei opened his mouth to shout a warning, but it was far too late. His eyes turned crimson with desperation. He channeled his Soul Force to its absolute limit, pouring every ounce into his legs. He manipulated every muscle, bone, and pressure point he could control with unprecedented intensity, then launched himself towards Liu Meng with blinding speed!
But it wasn't enough! From his current position, reaching her before the Thunderwolf struck was impossible!
Everything happened in a flash. Just as Bai Yunfei's body tensed to move, Liu Meng reacted. She seized Xiao Ning's arm and, in the split second before the wolf's claws could tear into her, twisted her body with impossible grace, narrowly avoiding the lethal blow!
Bai Yunfei's eyes narrowed in disbelief as he reached Liu Meng's side. He pushed her and Xiao Ning further aside, then spun back towards the beast. His right fist, fueled by panic and rage, shot straight out, connecting with a brutal impact against the Thunderwolf's flank just as it landed!
BANG! The massive wolf was sent flying several meters by the blow, crashing through a table. Its claws scraped long grooves into the wooden floorboards as it slid. Yet, it merely shook itself, crouched low, and lunged back towards Bai Yunfei without the slightest pause!
Fury blazed in Bai Yunfei's eyes. Instead of dodging, he charged straight at the beast! As the wolf's claws swept towards him, Bai Yunfei threw himself sideways. As the snapping jaws surged past his head, his falling body somehow arrested its momentum. He regained his balance with a swift twist, muscles bulging in his right arm as he drove a devastating punch into the Thunderwolf's exposed belly!
NINEFOLD FIST FORCE!
Another heavy thud echoed through the room, mingled this time with the faint sound of tearing cloth. The colossal wolf was sent hurtling sideways through the air—right towards the spot where the black-clad youth stood opposite!
The youth, who had been watching the fight between man and beast with amused interest, now gaped in shock. His prized Soul Beast came hurtling back at him, struck by a punch of terrifying power. He scrambled to dive out of the way.
The Thunderwolf twisted in mid-air, landing heavily but steadily on its feet. Despite taking a Ninefold Fist Force blow head-on, it showed no apparent ill effects. It was as if it couldn't even feel the damage its body had sustained. It let out a guttural snarl and charged Bai Yunfei once more.
Bai Yunfei's expression was grim. His right hand flashed, and the blazing Fire-tipped Spear materialized instantly. He tensed, ready to meet the charging beast.
But he had barely taken half a step before he froze dead in his tracks.
Because between him and the charging Thunderwolf, a figure had appeared!
Utterly without warning. None of the occupants of the second floor had seen how he arrived. One blink—and an extra person stood there as if materialized from thin air.
It was Hong Yin!