The old lady finally no longer had to struggle with death; she could rest.
She departed in peace, leaving Zhao Hao with six key fragments.
As expected of a bronze-level fighter who had battled for over two hundred years, it was no wonder the werewolves coveted the power of their guardians and wished to replace them. This old lady must have been a formidable warrior in her youth!
At this moment, Zhao Hao's main body was already rushing over.
Because the old lady was being closely watched by many werewolves, her death would not remain a secret for long. His shadow clone's strength was insufficient to handle the situation, so his main body needed to arrive quickly.
As for the Queen, a mind fragment—the Phantom Raven clone—would be left behind!
This was Zhao Hao's last mind clone. With his current strength, he could only split into three mind clones.
One Ender Dragon Zhao, Reslin, was showing off to Snow White. Snow White treated him as an honored guest, almost offering herself as collateral to bind this bronze-level fighter. To maintain his mysterious persona, Zhao Hao resisted the temptation!
Another, Li Aotian Zhao, was joyriding on the production team's swift horse towards the south. Along the way, he engaged in any conflict that arose, preferring action over words. It was a smooth journey, and he managed to collect two more key fragments. He was already heading towards the coast.
The last one was originally a backup, and it was now staying with the Evil Queen.
His main body, however, arrived to assist Little Red Riding Hood in taming the werewolves.
Indeed, the werewolves sensed the old lady's demise.
Most of them maintained restraint, engaging in internal strife and attempting to elect a leader to command all werewolves.
However, some ambitious werewolves secretly lurked, converging towards Little Red Riding Hood's home.
They all desired the old lady's power. Once they possessed it, wouldn't leading the other werewolves be a natural progression?
Of course, they were also rivals amongst themselves, and encounters would inevitably lead to deadly battles.
Those who took such risks were generally those with decent strength within the werewolf community but lacked their own established base. Their only path to realizing their ambitions lay here!
Previously, they had all feared the old lady. Even when she was on her deathbed, no one dared to act rashly.
Now that she was dead, it was a matter of who had the most cunning plans!
...
Little Red Riding Hood, carrying a basket, hurried home along the forest path. She seemed to have just returned from a village outside the dark forest, the basket containing some purchased bread.
Little Red Riding Hood's werewolf bloodline was diluted, and having lived in a human village since childhood, she was not easily identified by hunters. She often went to villages and towns to buy necessities.
A werewolf, hidden in the distant treetops, spying on Little Red Riding Hood, pondered: She just returned from outside, and she doesn't seem to know the old lady is dead?!
Little Red Riding Hood's strength was considered top-tier among the werewolves, being the descendant of a bronze-level expert. If she could be dealt with through other means, that would be even better!
With this thought, he rushed towards what was once Little Red Riding Hood's home, a forbidden area for all werewolves, intending to make arrangements beforehand.
There were cunning individuals among the werewolves!
At Little Red Riding Hood's home, a fierce battle was already underway. Four werewolves were fighting for their lives, and three other bodies lay on the ground.
Then, this cunning werewolf fell. He possessed more patience and cunning than the others, having remained hidden, waiting to be the mantis catching the cicada while the oriole followed.
He succeeded.
When the last victor, battered and bruised but triumphant, was about to push open the wooden door, this hidden wolf dealt a fatal blow to his heart from behind, killing him.
However, just as he had suspected, there was no "source of power" in the house, nor was the old lady's body present.
"The old lady must have made some preparations... so the clue lies with Little Red Riding Hood! The old lady cherished her granddaughter dearly; she must have revealed the secret of her power to Little Red Riding Hood long ago. If I can capture Little Red Riding Hood... hehehehehe!"
He cleaned up the battlefield, then put on the old lady's nightgown and wig, lying on the old lady's bed, quietly awaiting Little Red Riding Hood's arrival.
Little Red Riding Hood pushed open the door. "Grandma, I bought bread."
"Thank you, Little Red Riding Hood. Come closer, let me take a good look at you."
"Grandma, why are your ears so big?"
"The better to hear you with, my dear."
"But Grandma, why are your eyes so big?" Little Red Riding Hood asked again.
"The better to see you with, my dear."
"Grandma, why are your hands so big too?"
"The better to hold you with, my dear."
"Grandma, why is your mouth so frighteningly large?"
"The better to eat you with!"
The cunning werewolf, disguised as the old lady, lunged forward. Little Red Riding Hood, who was prepared, was about to act when suddenly a figure rushed out from the side and kicked the cunning werewolf flying, shattering the wooden wall and sending him outside.
"Are you alright, Little Red Riding Hood!" William asked dashingly, wiping the golden fur from his forehead.
"W-William?" Little Red Riding Hood's eyes widened, and her ears perked up.
Where was Zhao Hao? Why did William suddenly appear?!
Zhao Hao, who was hiding in the shadows, preparing to act, was also puzzled: Why did a big-tailed wolf suddenly appear?! Is he trying to play hero and save the damsel here?!
That cunning werewolf was indeed cunning, but William, the Holy Hound, was ten times more so!
The cunning werewolf merely wanted to impersonate the old lady and capture Little Red Riding Hood. William, however, had even more audacious plans for personal gain!
Thus, William and the cunning werewolf began to fight.
Although William had been severely injured by Zhanen Zhao's ambush, he had now recovered to Black Iron Tier 5 thanks to the resurgence of psychic energy and his previous accumulation.
Not to mention that he understood more profound applications of psychic energy, knew more spells, and his combat skills and experience far surpassed the werewolf's. He also possessed "divine blood," so even holding back, he only fought for three to four minutes, sustaining minor injuries before killing the cunning werewolf.
William feigned exhaustion, stumbled a few steps, and collapsed not far from Little Red Riding Hood. Even so, he looked up with a face full of infatuated concern and asked, "Little Red Riding Hood, are you not injured?"
"It's good that you're not. I was so worried about you~" he said, shaking the golden fur on his forehead with flair.
William couldn't help but feel pleased. His golden hair was exceptionally beautiful; even as a werewolf, he was the most dazzling cub!
What he didn't realize was that he had subtly begun to accept his werewolf identity.
In fact, many ordinary people trapped in this strange realm were also undergoing a subtle assimilation into the fairy tale.
They began to identify with their roles in the story, even forgetting their past lives in reality.
After all, this was a strange realm, and besides the dangers of the environment, the world itself was perilous.
Originally, William intended to be the hero who saves the beauty, combined with a bitter strategy, to deceive the naive Little Red Riding Hood. But Little Red Riding Hood stood there, looking at him with confusion.
Damn it, why isn't this little yellow-haired girl coming to help me? Doesn't she have any compassion?!
At this moment, Zhao Hao emerged from the shadows. "Thank you, Mr. William."
Zhao Hao gently put his arm around Little Red Riding Hood's shoulder, pulling her behind him to hide.
William's furry face immediately turned red. An extreme sense of shame filled his heart. He was actually being treated like a circus act! In front of me, you guys... you guys... Ah~~~ I'm going to kill you! Kill!
He leaped forward without warning, but Zhao Hao, mid-air, struck him away with the Dragon Grasp technique.
Although the shadow clone only had Black Iron Tier 3 strength at the moment, the Dragon Grasp technique had the effect of challenging higher tiers, directly sending William flying over ten meters away, crashing through a large tree and spitting blood.
"Damn it! You damnable beast! Lowly creature! How dare you... how dare you injure me! I will not let you go!"
The contaminated divine blood within him began to boil, his entire form enlarged, the fur on his body turned golden, saliva dripped from his mouth, and his psychic energy began to surge.
In an instant, he crossed over ten meters, moving like a phantom around Zhao Hao and Little Red Riding Hood, his claws like steel knives, scraping sparks on the barrier's surface!
Zhao Hao held the barrier for more than three minutes, finally breathing a sigh of relief. His main body had arrived.
With a "bang," the Zhao Hao beside Little Red Riding Hood vanished in a puff of white smoke. Both Little Red Riding Hood and William were stunned.
Little Red Riding Hood was terrified! Already suffering from the death of a loved one, she now saw her only support disappear before her eyes, and she was on the verge of collapse, tears welling up in her eyes.
Just as William was about to press his advantage and break the barrier, another spherical barrier suddenly enveloped him and began to contract.
Zhao Hao's main body appeared on a nearby tree.
"Phew~ Luckily, I made it in time."
Zhao Hao formed his hand into a claw and began to tighten it. The spherical barrier on the other side rapidly contracted, crushing William. Despite his desperate resistance, it was futile, and even his bones creaked. Finally, with a "snap," the barrier exploded, and William was blown into countless pieces.
Little Red Riding Hood, like a cannonball, crashed into Zhao Hao's arms with a "bang," sobbing uncontrollably. She thought he was gone!
"Alright, stop crying. Good girl~ Now, take me to find those werewolves, and we'll unify them."
...
With his strength laid bare, Zhao Hao stopped pretending and revealed his true colors.
Dozens of werewolves were still roaring that humans dared to trespass into their territory. Zhao Hao used the Dragon Grasp technique, swatting away over twenty werewolves, and then cast a large barrier to encompass all of them.
"I have a word, please listen. The old lady asked me to look after you before she left, so from now on, I will lead you to make a living. I have spoken. Who agrees and who opposes?"
Meanwhile, on the other side, Snow White, who had gained the help of the powerful Ender Dragon, and the Evil Queen, who had acquired a host of powerful collaborators, were both full of confidence, believing victory was within their grasp. They felt that defeating their opponents and becoming the sole ruler of the Black Forest was just a matter of time. xxs1
Thus, they launched a full-scale war.
Both sides had previously gathered many witches in the Black Forest. Now, they had agreed to a major battle on the blood moon night three days later!
Fatty: "Ritian, why are you suddenly so quiet? That Queen seems to regard you highly, yet you barely pay her any attention. That's not like you!"
Zhao Hao: "Ah?"
The shadow clone Zhao Hao took a moment to respond: "Of course, I must remain chaste for Elena!"
Fatty: "Give me a break! Are you hiding something from me?"
Zhao Hao: Must wrap this up quickly! My God, managing four tasks at once is too difficult; my 'CPU' is starting to lag!