The puppet ranks, far off, began to falter.
"What is that?"
The soldiers who had retreated to the city gate rubbed their eyes, looking at the disintegrating puppet army. It was as if something was rampaging within them, causing the puppets, which had been standing and walking, to fall in disarray.
Something more ferocious was tearing at them, and the puppets, which would attack any living being, seemed to have lost their targets, merely spinning around foolishly.
"Awooo—"
A distant, high-pitched wolf howl echoed, and a snow-white figure suddenly appeared on the field.
"A wolf! It's a wolf pack!"
On the hillside, Xiao Shan, who had been observing the scene, his gaze sharply narrowed.
The snow wolf king stood proudly atop the pile of corpses, surveying its wolf army.
And upon its back, it carried a figure, wrapped in a red robe, as passionate as fire.
He knew, it must be… For a moment, his heart leaped, and he watched the scene below, unblinking.
"The Goddess! That is our Great Jing Goddess!" the strategist shouted, followed by the generals.
The entire army erupted.
"Long live the Goddess!"
"Long live the Goddess!"
...
The thick scent of blood and the stench of decaying corpses on the battlefield made Ling Yao feel dizzy. The area around her was cleared; the puppets could not avoid it, and the wolf pack moved as if through empty space.
They devoured voraciously, tearing the flesh from the puppets and consuming it. Those reduced to mere skeletons could no longer cause harm, and they collapsed in a heap.
"Xiao Yu, have you found the demoness?" Ling Yao asked.
"In the eastern mountain forest. Once Yu senses her, and we confirm her exact location, Goddess, please bear with it a little longer." The snow wolf's ears twitched, its icy gaze sweeping across the area.
Ling Yao nodded. Unable to bear the overwhelming stench, she unleashed a burst of fire, reducing the nearby puppets to ashes.
"She's moving! She wants to retreat with the puppet army! Goddess, go!"
The snow wolf leaped into the sky, carrying Ling Yao towards the forest.
At the same time, Xiao Shan, who had been watching her intently, also flashed forward, rushing in her direction.
Sai Erbo, the Queen of Qi Rong, was seething with dark fury. She had used the same tactic again, and it was that damned lead wolf!
Could it be that she, too, remembered her past life?
Her puppet army could not be destroyed here!
She urgently chanted words with a strange cadence, waving her arms to make the puppets, whose bodies were still intact, retreat.
However, the wolf pack was also numerous. Seeing the puppets attempting to flee, even though they had eaten their fill, they dragged their prey, preventing them from leaving.
For a time, this slowed the puppets' movements.
Sai Erbo's chanting grew more frantic, her face contorted with malice.
A wave of dark energy emanated from her, causing even the surrounding vegetation to wither, as if their life force were draining away.
Suddenly, the wind howled mournfully.
A ball of bright, scorching fire surged towards the woman wrapped in the black robe.
Sai Erbo's pupils reflected the fiery red light.
"Ah—"
A piercing scream, the black robe fell to the ground, burning to ashes, while a visible shadow eerily drifted away, reforming into a human.
"Feng Ling Yao! You deserve to die!"
This was the skin she had painstakingly cultivated over this period! It had taken dozens of male companions!
Ling Yao leaped from the snow wolf's back. How many skins did this demoness have?
However, at this moment, she could finally see the woman's face.
Her appearance was pale and sickly, her lips as red as blood, and her eyes as gloomy as a viper lurking in the mountains, ready to strike.
It was particularly unsettling.
Now, she was clad in gray, while Ling Yao opposite her was in a dazzling red, signifying their different statuses.
Sai Erbo's gaze grew increasingly venomous. Why should her Ma clan be eternally enslaved?
"Feng Ling Yao, no, Princess A Yin Xi Rui, I never expected that after losing the Spirit Pearl, you would still cultivate into this red flame. How did you do it?"
She truly couldn't comprehend it. Clearly, in this life, she had the advantage, reincarnating before Feng Ling Yao and awakening earlier. Moreover, she had damaged her body, yet why did she still possess such great power?
Ling Yao did not understand what she was saying and calmly raised her hand.
"Hateful! Xiao Shan must be the Divine Lord of Da Yao! I never imagined he was hidden so deeply that even I couldn't uncover him! The Great Jing are truly all treacherous people!"
If she had found him earlier, would Feng Ling Yao be able to flaunt her power here?
It was truly hateful!
"Goddess, she wants to run!" the youth urgently reminded her.
Ling Yao, who had intended to extract more information, did not hesitate upon hearing this and unleashed her flames.
The woman frantically dodged, flinging black fire with her arms. However, when the black fire met the red flame, it was like a child encountering a brute; it vanished without even a struggle.
Finally, the red flames almost enveloped her. She screamed and charged forward, breaking through the encirclement.
But the corner of her gray robe had clearly caught fire.
She only had this one skin left!
This was her true form. Ling Yao could not possibly let her escape and quickly pursued.
But just as she caught up, a figure in front suddenly split into three!
She had more skins?
No! Ling Yao stopped the flames she was about to unleash. The two figures in front lunged at her uncontrollably.
Only the gray shadow continued to flee. Ling Yao dodged to the side and struck her back with another palm.
Unfortunately, it seemed to have been deflected by her evasion, and the woman ran off with a ball of flame on her back.
Even if not dead, she was severely injured.
Yet, a hidden danger remained. Ling Yao stomped her foot in hatred.
At this moment, the two people lying on the ground also struggled to get up, their faces filled with terror.
They were two men, and familiar ones at that – Nan Pei and his companion.
The basket beside them rolled on the ground, spilling freshly picked tea.
"Xiao, Miss Xiao?"
Nan Pei looked at Ling Yao, whose face was filled with ferocity, with trepidation, finding it hard to believe. Although she looked terrifying, she was still more amiable than the woman with fire on her body from earlier.
How was Miss Xiao here?
Did she have flames in her hands just now?
The snow wolf grumbled, "These two idiots, daring to run up the mountain at this time."
Indeed, it was a miracle they were still alive. Ling Yao tightened her red robe and expressionlessly climbed onto the snow wolf's back.
However, the snow wolf then said, "Goddess, the Divine Lord has arrived."
Divine Lord?
Ling Yao looked up and saw Xiao Shan approaching in full armor.
Was Xiao Shan truly the Divine Lord of Da Yao?
"Brother Xiao?" Nan Pei cried out in disbelief.
His companion nudged him and stammered, "Don't call out randomly. Look at his spear!"
The spear in the man's hand was dark and ancient, simple and unadorned, emitting a faint chill.
The Thousand-Year Black Iron Spear, the weapon of the Divine Martial General.
He remembered Nan Pei once saying: "I know a hunter brother, who shares the same name as the Divine Martial General. He is also tall and mighty, quite extraordinary. If he joined the army, perhaps he could also become a general."
Could it be, could it be this person…
Nan Pei naturally saw it, and he had also seen military commanders. The person before him, clad in golden scale armor and wearing a beast-head helmet, this attire clearly belonged to… the Commander-in-Chief.
The Divine Martial General.
Nan Pei's legs went weak, and he almost fell to the ground again.
The hunter Xiao Shan from Bozi Village at the foot of Qingyun Mountain, who had killed a fierce tiger.
Was he, the Divine Martial General?