In the frigid lands, after my exile, I began to slay demons and monsters.

Chapter 83 The Wolf Pack of the Grasslands

Ning Xiaoxi frowned as she looked at the thoughts in Han Ya Gui Shi's mind. There was news that the heart of the eldest son of the Bai family was in her possession.

This is a bit of a trap. Besides the older brother, the only outsiders present were the Vice Pavilion Master, Tianjie, and Tianyou. First, there was the questioning from the Vice Pavilion Master and Tianyou at the Muyun Mountain City residence, and then Bai Qingyun's questioning from Bingyuan Prefecture. So, how did the news get out?

After shattering the demon cores of several crow demons, Lingjingxin secretly absorbed the demonic power within them.

Ning Xiaoxi was a little unhappy. "Tuanzi, this time I really am a Fuwa (lucky mascot)."

[They're just pushing you into the limelight. They tell you to keep a low profile, but then force you to show your true colors. What a despicable person!]

These two clearly know of each other's existence but can't cooperate. Now that I'm another factor, I'm an uncontrollable element. Tianwei wants to pull me into their game, to make me a pawn. Even if I die, I'll just be a sinner who's recently been freed from sin.

[A heart whose purpose is unknown is not important to you; it's just bait to give you practice.]

The heart on the fountain beat a beat slower, clearly feeling slighted.

Hehe, Tuanzi, it'll be sad if you say that to it.

[Oh dear, this rootless thing actually thinks it's alive!]

Ning Xiaoxi patted her chest and chuckled softly.

The Spirit Crystal Heart circled merrily around the heart, while the Jade Cabbage lay obediently in the fountain, absorbing the spiritual liquid.

The rustling sound of falling snow carried far across the silent grassland. Ning Xiaoxi hadn't noticed it while tracking, but after sensing it, she realized that she had already traveled more than thirty miles from her campsite.

The hazy white halo of the snow appeared to have a faint blue glow in the darkness. As she walked, Ning Xiaoxi gradually slowed down.

Suddenly, a slight yet chilly wind swept by, sending snowflakes fluttering up like restless ghosts. Then, in the distant darkness, a few eerie green lights flickered, like will-o'-the-wisps, slowly moving towards them. As they drew closer, the green lights grew denser.

"A pack of wolves?" Ning Xiaoxi steadied herself, and her defensive shield immediately activated.

Their figures gradually became clearer, their thick fur covered with snowflakes, yet this did not hinder their agile steps in the slightest. The wolf king, the leader, was tall and upright, taking steady and powerful strides, each step leaving deep claw marks on the snow. Its dark green eyes, filled with coldness and majesty, were fixed on Ning Xiaoxi, as if assessing her worth.

The wolves followed closely behind. After noticing Ning Xiaoxi watching them, they either whimpered softly or rubbed against each other, slowly forming a circle. The sounds they made were particularly clear in the quiet night, breaking the previous tranquility.

Ning Xiaoxi slowly scanned the surrounding wolf pack. There were actually fifty or sixty of them! That was quite a lot! She couldn't handle it!

"Awoo!"

The wolf king's voice was long, deep, and powerful, seemingly causing the snow beneath his feet to tremble and startling the snow on the branches, instantly filling the snowy night with an atmosphere of tension and danger.

"You haven't even cultivated a demon core yet, you're not even a demon, and you still want to join in the fun?" Ning Xiaoxi looked back at the wolf king's dark green eyes.

"Awoo!"

A wolf howl echoed from afar. Unlike the wolf king's powerful howl, this one was much clearer, and Ning Xiaoxi could even sense a sense of urgency in it.

Upon hearing the sound, the wolf king suddenly leaped up and ran away as fast as lightning.

Before Ning Xiaoxi could react, she saw the wolf king skim past her not far from her defensive shield and rush straight into the night. The surrounding wolf pack also quickly followed the wolf king and disappeared completely in the blink of an eye.

Ning Xiaoxi narrowed her eyes. What did that mean? Had she misunderstood? Was it not coming for her? But the wolf king was really fast; she almost didn't have time to react.

With a quick glance, Ning Xiaoxi used her Swift Steps to follow the wolf pack's retreating figures.

After running for nearly twenty miles, the swift wolf pack began to slow down and gradually formed an encirclement around the wolf.

Ning Xiaoxi applied an invisibility talisman to herself and silently followed behind the Wolf King.

"Awoo!"

The silence of the snowy night was broken by a loud wolf howl, followed by a low roar echoing from behind the snow slope, signaling the imminent outbreak of a major battle.

Surrounded by wolves, four snow leopards appeared like phantoms. Their white fur, covered with unique black spots, blended perfectly with the snow, except for their cold, yellow eyes that gleamed with a bloodthirsty light in the darkness. Judging from their size and demeanor, they resembled a mother leopard with three newly-adult cubs.

Looking further inside, four strong wolves stood in a row, protecting three young and weak cubs and a mother wolf behind them. There were six or seven wolf carcasses on the ground, their blood splattered all over the snow.

The four male wolves bared their teeth, their breath instantly condensing into white mist in the cold air. Upon seeing the alpha wolf return, they pawed at the ground, carving deep furrows in the snow, beginning their display of power against the snow leopard.

The larger snow leopard attacked the wolf king first, its body darting out like lightning, aiming straight for the wolf king's neck. Undeterred, the wolf king sidestepped, dodging the snow leopard's sharp claws, then turned and bit at the snow leopard's neck. The snow leopard nimbly twisted its body, its long tail sweeping across, whistling as it struck the wolf king. The wolf king leaped away, avoiding the fierce attack.

At this moment, the other three snow leopards also pounced on the wolf pack. Snowflakes flew everywhere, and howls and roars mingled together. A young wolf, unable to dodge in time, was clawed on the back by a snow leopard; blood gushed out, staining the pristine snow red, yet it stubbornly turned and fought back. The wolf pack's coordinated attack was on full display; when one snow leopard attacked, several wolves would simultaneously pounce from different directions, leaving the snow leopard unable to defend itself.

Snow leopards are clearly not good at teamwork. Soon, two snow leopards were overtaken by the wolf pack, their throats bitten, and their blood splattered on the snow. The larger snow leopard sprang into action, dodging the wolf alpha's attack, and with a single swipe of its paw, it drove back two attacking wolves, calling out to the surrounded snow leopards as they fled into the night.

[Is that snow leopard stupid? It clearly heard the howling of the wolf pack and saw the wolf alpha return, so why did it still charge straight at them? With so many wolves, it was practically offering itself up as food!]

They are merely animals acting on their hunting instincts; they are neither demons nor monsters, nor humans. They lack the capacity for thought and the ability to weigh pros and cons. They fight if they can win, and run if they can't.

Just then, Ning Xiaoxi suddenly noticed a small dark shadow sneaking up on the wolf and snow leopard carcasses. Wherever it passed, a faint shadow would emerge from the corpses and be swallowed whole by the small dark shadow.

[That dark figure looks familiar.]

[What about your Spirit Crystal Heart that you're not familiar with?]