Shangguan Yuting had never seen the thousands of white wolves emerge at the same time before.
It was staggering.
On the boundless, wind-swept pasture, every white wolf looked like a silver flash of lightning. They sprinted against the wind, sending puffs of snow mist to roll in the wind like a long dragon. No scene could be more spectacular than that.
“White wolves are divine animals with rare intelligence. They never plague herdsmen or obstruct them from raising livestock. Sometimes, they even help herdsmen banish wild beasts coveting their cattle. For that reason, white wolves are held in high regard by pasture herdsmen.”
Staring at the overspread wolf army in the distance, Jiang Qiubai expressed his awe for those creatures to Shangguan Yuting.
For every creature that had grown up on the pasture, white wolves were naturally awe-inspiring and respectable. They were regarded as auspicious beasts, the guardians of the pasture.
As he spoke of that, Shangguan Yuting was slightly curious about those white wolves.
Then, as if talking to himself only, Jiang Qiubai muttered, “Anyway, this is weird. I doubt there was a time when packs of white wolves this size appeared on the pasture before, was there?”
Although wolves lived in packs, considering that the number of white wolves was much smaller than other kinds of wolves, their packs were even more scarce. According to the observation and the records the Wolf Temple made on white wolves, during the past century, the total number of white wolves on the pasture had been less than 100,000. The packs were mainly constituted by dozens of or a few hundred wolves, and they were spread over different regions of the vast pasture.
Through the existing records, the largest pack ever contained 1,300 white wolves, which was recorded several centuries ago. That pack was formed by a powerful King of White Wolves but later fell apart after that king died.
Ever since then, no white wolf packs had had over 1,000 members on the pasture.
However, the pack they saw had evidently over 10,000 members.
What was more, those white wolves were hurtling on in a certain formation, and none of them broke the rank. They were undoubtedly a well-organized and stringent-disciplined pack… That was quite odd.
“They are coming at us!” Shangguan Yuting cried in alarm.
The white wolves rushed towards them as if they were in an army. About 500 meters away from them, the troop on the flanks stretched to left and right respectively to form a curve. Then, like well-trained cavalry, they outflanked the two from both sides. If someone was looking at them from the sky at that moment, they would see the wolves lined up in a crescent-shaped formation while Jiang Qiubai and Shangguan Yuting were surrounded in the middle of the very crescent.
“Seems that the King of White Wolves wants a word with us.”
A hint of surprise gleamed in Jiang Qiubai’s eyes.
Every white wolf was strong and fierce. Their king was a creature that could not be measured by normal standards. Even the king of a pack consisting of only a dozen white wolves had the intelligence of a grown-up man as well as the combat ability on par with a Natural Expert.
As for the White Wolf King of the pack that was recorded as the largest one in history, it was called Emperor Brightness and had the combat ability of a Sage-to-be. It had been alarmingly gifted. And the pack under its leadership had dominated the pasture like an army. At that time, even the three great empires and the top nine Holy Clans had also been quite afraid of that pack.
So, how terrifying could the strength of the king that reigned over 10,000 white wolves be?
Even a Sage like Jiang Qiubai was slightly staggered at that moment.
He was also quite interested in the king of that white wolf pack.
“Is it possible that another Emperor Brightness has quietly risen to power on the pasture?”
He noticed that Shangguan Yuting looked quite apprehensive as she was surrounded by the wolves.
“Don’t be scared. White wolves are divine beasts. The King of White Wolves is even as sacred as a deity. It possesses supreme intelligence…” said Jiang Qiubai, giving her a reassuring smile.
Shortly, the two were completely besieged by more than 10,000 white wolves.
All of a sudden, the hurtling wolves skidded to a halt.
Those white wolves crouched upon the thick layer of snow. The fragments of snowflakes they stirred up as they dashed on slowly fell to the ground again. The pack that was in motion just a second ago abruptly turned into a static scene, which imposed an impressive visual impact upon the two human beings.
Shangguan Yuting willed herself to calm down and examine those white beasts.
Each of those white wolves was much larger than an ordinary wolf on the pasture, almost the size of a white pony. When they were seated on the snow-covered pasture, they were about six and a half feet in height. Under the moonlight-like pure white fur, she could dimly see their powerfully-built muscles and their streamlined body curves full of wild beauty. She felt they were violent beasts that survived the fiery pits of Hades.
Undoubtedly, they were enigmatic creatures combining beauty, holiness, fierceness, and savageness.
They put her under huge pressure when she looked at them.
Their eyes were faint red. In their pupils, intelligence that as high as humans’ was glinting.
At that moment, over 10,000 massive white wolves were sitting on their spots in perfect quietness and order, as if they were well-trained soldiers waiting for instructions.
The sight was magnificent and mystifying. Shangguan Yuting could not help murmuring her astonishment in her head.
Given she had been practicing the Xiantian Skill, which was quite different from the martial arts on Divine Land in that it was centered on the nature of the Taoist magic arts in the universe and pursued the origin of life and the Great Way, her body had been altered and improved as the skill gradually worked its magic. By then, she had become most sensitive towards creatures other than human beings.
When Shangguan Yuting was in Chang’an, Daji, the little white fox, had only been friendly with her and Li Mu. That actually had something to do with the said Xiantian Skill. The descendant of the Ninetails had sensed the Taoist Natural qi the two carried, so its instinct had told it to be kind with them.
By that moment, the little white fox was still coiled up in Shangguan Yuting’s arms without making a sound.
It was apparent that it was kind of afraid of the white wolf pack.
Shrilling howls broke the silence.
The large white wolves all raised their heads with their noses pointing heavenward. The howls certainly traveled to a hundred miles away.
Jiang Qiubai said, “The King of White Wolves is about to reveal itself. Judging by the scale of the pack, I’m afraid to say, the king is at least in the Sage Realm. Yes, it can inherit the title as Emperor Brightness II.”
Sage Realm?
At least?
Upon hearing that remark, Shangguan Yuting was slightly stunned.
By that time, she was no longer that Top Beauty in the brothels, who was ignorant of all the ways of Jianghu and the martial arts society. Having spent those months with Li Mu, Shangguan Yuting already registered the rules of the martial world. She was, of course, well aware of how inconceivably breathtaking the phrase ‘Sage Realm’ was.
A white wolf in the Sage Realm?
That sounded just incredible.
But when Jiang Qiubai told her that, she found it quite convincing.
Because Jiang Qiubai was a Sage himself.
Shangguan Yuting had long figured that out, for her dear Brother Mu had once mentioned that only experts in or above the Sage Realm could crack the deployment in Knife Hut.
Sure enough, the white wolf pack split in two to make way for their king.
A colossal wolf, the size of a burly horse, slowly marched up to the front from behind an ice-covered hill. Its white fur was as smooth as jade-made. Its robust legs and huge body were rather daunting. An invisible pressure started to spread across the field. Compared to that wolf, the rest of the large white wolves appeared to be simply minuscule. As it went past, those in its vicinity all lowered their heads deferentially.
Is that the King of White Wolves?
Shangguan Yuting measured the wolf with her eyes in intense curiosity.
The white wolf in the Sage Realm?
Jiang Qiubai, however, took on a tinge of astonishment.
This is not right. Though this white wolf is way larger and ferocious than the rest, and it sure has the aura of a king… it is merely a wolf in the Celestial Being Realm instead of the Sage Realm. How can it be?
Jiang Qiubai knew a wolf in the Celestial Being Realm could by no means rule a pack with more than 10,000 members.
Right at that moment, another horse-sized white wolf slowly stalked down to them from behind that hill. It crunched its way on the snow to that first huge wolf and then stood by it, gazing at the two human beings.
“Another king? Is it also in the Sage Realm?” Shangguan Yuting probed despite herself.
Jiang Qiubai shook his head.
This is too weird.
How could there be two kings in one pack of wolves?
Furthermore, the second one was even larger than the first. Its majestic aura was also richer. For all that, it was still just in the Celestial Being Realm. So far, two equally powerful kings had appeared in one pack… Even though white wolves were highly intelligent and deity-like, they could never have two kings ruling one pack.
By that time, out of respect for the Sage-leveled King of the White Wolves, Jiang Qiubai had not sent out his spiritual force to observe the surroundings. Thus, he had no idea what was behind that snow-capped hill a short way away, either.
But in that instant, Jiang Qiubai had a vague feeling that something was wrong.
Right then, from behind that hill, a third wolf, which could have been the king, paced its way to the first two wolves and stood poised. Its posture was dignified, and its steps and paces were practically the same as the first two wolves. It looked like they were trained to be like that…
If the wolves they saw at first were well-disciplined soldiers, then, the three huge ones were the generals commanding the army.
Nonetheless, generals were just generals, not the king.
Yet, what kind of creature had trained those potential Wolf Kings into generals?
To Jiang Qiubai’s utter bewilderment, next, a total of 11 king-sized white wolves presented themselves from behind that snow-capped hill one after another. They joined the first three huge wolves and lined up to both sides as if guards flanking the real king.
Afterward, the wolves howled simultaneously again.
All the white wolves faced up to the sky, as though they were whooping and making salutes.
Jiang Qiubai’s pupils shrank rapidly.
He knew the real king was about to come to the stage.
The mysterious King of the White Wolves, which had tamed 14 wolves in the Celestial Being Realm and curiously united 14 smaller packs, would appear in any second. Even though Jiang Qiubai was already a Sage, he was looking forward to seeing what would happen next. By that time, he had worked out the reason for the abrupt appearance of a pack with over 10,000 wolves… That was obviously because a mighty creature had conquered all the packs that were scattered on the pasture and merged them into one in less than a year.
What could it be?
Did a new Emperor Brightness come into being?
“The Wolf King is of a graceful kind. If it was really a second Emperor Brightness, it would be the most elegant creature you can ever see on the pasture, perhaps a masterpiece of the Everlasting Heaven.” Jiang Qiubai irresistibly expressed his admiration.
He had once met that Emperor Brightness. That was an experience he would never forget.
Moments later, as Jiang Qiubai expectantly stared at that hill and Shangguan Yuting fixed her eyes upon it with great curiosity, a series of brisk sounds were heard from the back of that hill.
“Woof, woof, woof!”
With the clear barks, a little thing with black-and-white fur edged its way out from the hill.
That creature was smaller than ordinary white wolves. It had fat cheeks and drooping ears. Shaking its thick tail and plump buttocks, it scampered towards them without a trace of elegance. As it ran, its pink tongue stuck out and issued white mist. Although it was wearing a smile, it looked slightly dumb, slightly hilarious, and strongly ingratiating.
That creature turned out to be…
A do, do, do, dog!?
Shangguan Yuting was dumbstruck. She swiftly looked sideways at Jiang Qiubai.
