Chapter Twenty-One: Another Advancement

Zhou Tian did not move slowly, but the wolf cavalry were even faster. Among all the organized cavalry forces, although wolf riders lacked endurance, their short-distance speed was unquestionably the highest. Now, Zhou Tian only discovered their presence when they had already reached his side; to think of escaping at that point was naturally impossible—there was no way to outrun those wolf riders.

He had barely crawled a meter before he felt his body constrict, and then the world seemed to rush past him in reverse. When he came to his senses, he realized he had already been stuffed directly into a sack by one of the wolf cavalry.

Zhou Tian was speechless. Why did he feel so unlucky? The truth was, he had never sought out trouble. If nothing had come looking for him, perhaps Zhou Tian would have found a place to live out his days in seclusion. He had no desire to stir up trouble, but that didn’t mean he feared it. If left alone, he would never cause a ruckus, but now that others had come to his doorstep, Zhou Tian certainly wouldn’t just let himself be devoured without resistance.

Fortunately, had Zhou Tian appeared outwardly dangerous, the wolf cavalry would have surely taken every precaution to restrain him tightly. In that case, even if he wanted to break free, it would have been difficult. But since Zhou Tian looked, for all the world, like a harmless snake, neither venomous nor magical, the wolf cavalry perceived him as no threat at all and took little care in guarding him.

“To think a sack could hold me—what a joke!” Dragged once again into trouble, Zhou Tian muttered resentfully, but wasted no time in launching a surprise attack on the wolf cavalry.

“Ah!” Suddenly, a member of the patrolling wolf cavalry collapsed to the ground, his face blackening, and within moments, he was dead.

This abrupt change stunned the remaining wolf cavalry. Though not the most powerful among the beastmen, these wolf riders were still considered formidable—members of one of the continent’s most renowned military units. To die in battle was nothing unusual, since many out there were stronger than they, and being slain by a superior foe was simply part of life.

But what unsettled them was that, during patrol, their comrade had died without any of them knowing how it happened. Faced with such a bizarre occurrence, fear took root among the wolf cavalry.

They remained alert for a while, and, only after confirming that no enemies lurked nearby, did they sheath their weapons and approach the body of their fallen comrade.

“Be careful!” Of course, Zhou Tian was the one who had killed the wolf rider. A simple sack could never have held him. Not long after being bagged, Zhou Tian had bitten the wolf rider. With the potency of his venom, the rider died instantly. Zhou Tian then hid in the sack, and only when the others came close did he suddenly spring forth, launching himself at the nearest wolf cavalry.

Though one of the wolf cavalry saw Zhou Tian and managed to shout a warning, his attack was so sudden that, caught off guard, the others could not dodge in time. As Zhou Tian spat a jet of venom at several of them, they had barely begun to move when his poison splashed over each of them.

Previously, a casual bite had sufficed to kill one wolf rider, but now Zhou Tian, sparing no effort, unleashed a torrent of venom with far deadlier effect. The moment the poison touched them, the wolf cavalry collapsed in agony, clawing at the burns before melting away into puddles of venom.

Seeing the ferocity of Zhou Tian’s poison, the remaining wolf cavalry were terrified, not daring to approach. But for the living, the deaths of their comrades could not be ignored—especially by their blood kin.

For beastmen, blood kin were as close as siblings, but, born in beast form, they were condemned to serve as mounts. Beastmen were brutal to other creatures, but treated their blood kin as family; indeed, throughout their lives, their closest companions were usually their own kin, serving as their mounts.

To watch one’s kin die before one’s eyes was a grief even the not-so-intelligent giant wolves felt acutely. And as the enemy who had killed their family, Zhou Tian instantly became the focus of their vengeance.

Even knowing how dangerous Zhou Tian was, the giant wolves immediately attacked him. Their courage was admirable, but their fate was sealed.

There was a great disparity in strength between Zhou Tian and the giant wolves. As they lunged at him, he whipped his tail and sent one flying. Then, anticipating their movements, he bowled over several more. As the first clash concluded, Zhou Tian bit the nearest wolf, poisoning it on the spot.

In just one round, he had dispatched two giant wolves. Yet, even with this success, Zhou Tian did not escape unscathed. His defense was far inferior to his offensive power; though he had taken down two wolves in one go, the desperate attacks of the others left him with several wounds.

The battle was not over yet. After Zhou Tian finished off the wolves, the other wolf cavalry, seeing what had happened, silently joined the fray.

With their arrival, the pressure on Zhou Tian mounted, but he showed no fear. Coiling defensively on the ground, he waited for their attack.

“Attack!” At the leader’s command, the second wave of assault began.

Though Zhou Tian managed to kill a wolf cavalryman with every strike, he could not ignore their attacks. With each kill, he gained more wounds in return. If things continued this way, Zhou Tian would inevitably lose—outnumbered, even if he killed dozens, blood loss alone might finish him off.

Yet, if Zhou Tian truly saw no hope of victory, he would never have fought so stubbornly without resorting to items from his system’s store. Spiritual energy was precious, but compared to his life, Zhou Tian would not hesitate to spend it all.

When both Zhou Tian and the wolf cavalry squad were grievously wounded, Zhou Tian, after killing another wolf rider with his venom, suddenly stiffened in place.

Like a snake shedding its skin, Zhou Tian underwent a sudden transformation in the midst of battle. His body grew larger, and all his ghastly wounds vanished without a trace.

It was clear why this had happened: Zhou Tian had leveled up. In the previous battle aiding the elves and beastmen, he had already gained most of the experience needed for the next level. Though these wolf cavalry might not have given as much experience as the elite beastmen sent behind enemy lines, every kill added up. After so much carnage, it was only natural that Zhou Tian had finally accumulated enough to advance.