Chapter Sixty: Turning the Tide

With one sweep of the “Crescent Slash,” a swath of death seven meters wide and twenty-three meters long was carved through the boar horde. Though the actual result was only the slaughter of fourteen or fifteen boar monsters, the significance was far greater. The brutal deaths of those beasts not only struck fear into the hearts of the ones charging behind, but their corpses became obstacles, blocking the advance of their companions.

Without pause, Li Yunfei, after delivering the blow straight ahead, swung his blade left-forward, left, right-forward, and right, one after another. This full-force outburst cost him over thirty percent of his spiritual power, but the results were tremendous. More than seventy boar monsters were slain outright. Most importantly, the momentum of the boar charge was all but broken, and chaos reigned among them.

Now it was up to the donkey-headed wolves to prove their cunning.

A braying cry, ridiculous under other circumstances but now resounding with vigor, echoed through the valley—the donkey-headed wolf king rallied its kind. In an instant, brays rose in chorus. The donkey-headed wolves, who had been retreating step by step, steadied themselves and began to counterattack.

Deprived of their speed and the force of their charge, the boars found themselves at a disadvantage. One by one, the donkey-headed wolves leapt into the fray, their claws piercing boar flesh like daggers, their sharp wolf fangs tearing out great chunks of meat, severing arteries and windpipes in a single bite.

Stationary, the boars’ only means of attack were their twin tusks, which proved useless against the nimble donkey-headed wolves. Unable to build up speed, the boars were no longer a threat, and the wolves had no fear of plunging into their midst. Each time a wolf entered the herd, it unleashed a storm of carnage before retreating to recover, only to pounce again moments later.

Even if the occasional wolf was gored by a tusk, their casualties were negligible compared to the slaughter in the boars’ initial charge. The tide of battle was utterly reversed. Though the white boar king and its elite monsters, spared from Li Yunfei’s attacks, had halted their advance, they could no longer influence the battle.

The donkey-headed wolf king led its warriors around the untouched area, launching wild attacks on the boar horde while the white boar king could only watch helplessly. Its followers could not withstand the donkey-headed wolf king; only the white boar king itself could face that foe.

Now, the donkey-headed wolf king was no longer intimidated. It unleashed its speed, circling the white boar king in a relentless assault. Like its rival, it had gathered demon power to form a phantom body; its sharp claws and fangs struck with pinpoint accuracy, breaking through the white boar king’s defense. Thus, the white boar king expended several times the demon power of its opponent; at this rate, it was only a matter of time before it was worn down.

With the arrival of Li Yunfei and the little fox, the donkey-headed wolves had truly turned the tables.

Li Yunfei stood, blade in hand, as the donkey-headed wolves swept past him, leaping from his sides to pummel the boar monsters into the earth. Seeing this, he was reassured and cast his gaze toward the rear of the boar horde.

The boar demons, unable to muster a charge, posed no threat to the little fox. Her incredible speed allowed her to run circles around them. Though she could not break through their protective demon aura in a short time, she darted from one spot to another, setting fires as she went. Over thirty boar demons turned into a frantic firefighting squad, unable to even get close to her.

Sometimes, using the explosions of her fireballs as cover, she would dart past them to set the lesser boar monsters ablaze at the rear. The boar demons snorted in frustration, but were powerless to stop her.

Seeing the little fox so thoroughly at ease, Li Yunfei turned his attention back to the heart of the battle, leaping toward the duel between the donkey-headed wolf king and the white boar king.

That was where the highest-level monsters clashed.

Li Yunfei vaulted four or five meters into the air, arcing over more than ten meters. As he began to fall, several donkey-headed wolves leapt up toward his feet. Lowering their heads and arching their backs, they offered themselves as stepping stones.

Li Yunfei was amazed—such intelligent beasts! Though these donkey-headed wolves were nothing more than mutated monsters, not yet truly sentient, they seemed to understand that he was there to aid their king, and cooperated by giving him a boost.

It seemed that donkey-headed wolves were exceptionally intelligent by nature; even unawakened, they possessed considerable wit.

He did not stand on ceremony. Pushing off the back of one leaping wolf, he soared onward.

Each time he began to descend, another donkey-headed wolf would jump up, sending him forward again. Thus, Li Yunfei traversed the battlefield, vaulting fifty meters to reach the very core of the battle.

He ignored the boar demons, and joined the donkey-headed wolf king in attacking the white boar king. Using sword energy against the white boar king was inefficient, no more than a battle of attrition. So Li Yunfei decisively sheathed his guandao and, with a flick of his wrist, produced a stack of talismans.

He took a seven-star step and began to chant, “Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper, divine energy unites the heavens. Mighty Saint of Heaven’s Might, your radiance shines in myriad forms. Above and below, sever the source of evil, cut down demons, obliterate their traces, subdue a thousand fiends... Strike!”

As he spoke the final word, he cast the talismans into the air. Infused with spiritual power, the talismans flew like daggers toward the white boar king.

The donkey-headed wolf king sensed the brilliant power imbued in the talismans—forces that greatly restrained demon power—and leapt clear to avoid them.

A barrage of explosions rang out as dozens of talismans struck the white boar king’s phantom body, causing it to writhe and contort as if under an artillery bombardment. Though these talismans did not inflict actual wounds, they drained a tremendous amount of demon power.

This was why fighting demons and ghosts with brute spiritual power was wasteful; using talismans and Daoist arts, one could force the enemy to spend three or even five times as much energy for every bit expended.

The white boar king glared at Li Yunfei, its lantern-like eyes burning red with hatred. A battle that should have been a sure victory had been undone by this accursed human. Its hatred for humanity now knew no bounds.

With a piercing scream, the white boar king suddenly lowered its head. Its phantom body of demon power detached and charged straight at Li Yunfei like a missile.