Chapter 38: Flaying Complete

At dawn, on Ramhorn Mountain, a giant wolf two meters long with horns atop its head let out a low growl, filled with both anger and fear. Each night for several days, vicious wolves had vanished without a trace, and no matter what it did, the disappearances could not be stopped. It was as though, in the darkness, a gaping maw awaited, ready to swallow up any wolf that ventured near.

A mournful whimper echoed as its gaze swept across its fellow beasts. The horned wolf seethed, uncertain how to vent its frustration. Compared to itself, these other creatures seemed hopelessly dull. With no other recourse, it could only ascend toward the mountain’s summit.

Atop Ramhorn Mountain, a massive wolf stretched three meters from nose to tail, its body covered in azure fur, a single horn rising from its brow, a mouth full of sharp fangs, and eyes that gleamed emerald like twin jewels. Reclining upon a great blue stone, it breathed in a steady rhythm, the spiritual energy around it stirring with each inhalation and exhalation.

Witnessing this, the newly arrived horned wolf dared not disturb the scene and merely waited in silence.

After a while, the giant wolf completed its cultivation and opened its eyes.

Without hesitation, the horned wolf whined, recounting all that had transpired.

A glint of intelligence flickered in the wolf king’s eyes—sharper and more lucid than those of ordinary horned wolves. As the leader, its spirit surpassed that of its kin.

“Organized hunting…” Its mind drifted as it gazed down over the forests from its lofty perch, contemplating the possibilities.

The deaths of ordinary wolves did not trouble it much; new ones would be born soon enough. In fact, with food growing scarce of late, thinning the ranks was no great loss to the pack. And yet, there was a scent of danger in these events that it could not ignore.

Its eyes grew cold as it recalled its thoughts and issued a command.

The horned wolf was puzzled; the wolf king instructed it to ignore the disappearances, to maintain the status quo, and even to send some wolves out hunting. This order seemed wholly unreasonable.

But under the wolf king’s chilling gaze, the horned wolf could only whimper and silently withdraw.

As it departed, the wolf king shifted, exposing its soft underbelly—a savage wound still marked its flesh.

Memories of what had occurred on Five Immortals Mountain flashed through its mind, and a trace of fear flickered in its gaze.

Sticking out its tongue, the giant wolf licked its wound, forcibly suppressing the terror within and sinking once more into cultivation.

Now, like a startled bird, it dared not take any risks. All it wished was to buy time—enough to heal and then break through to the next stage of Qi Refinement. Everything else was trivial by comparison.

And so, a strange accord arose between the wolves and the rats, each acting according to their own needs.

Three days later, deep within a grove, Jiang Chen extended his hand toward a fallen wolf.

“Skinning…”

A rune activated; with a casual tear, a flawless wolf pelt appeared in his grasp.

Jiang Chen exhaled softly as he beheld the result. After days of practice, he had finally mastered the skinning rune.

“With this, I can now use Skinning in real combat.”

He scrutinized the pelt, satisfied to find no imperfections. Compared to the Bloodflame technique, this rune was far more difficult to learn. He had devoted considerable effort to mastering it, and only through this recent opportunity—and with the reluctant help of so many vicious wolves—had he finally made it his own. It was now the second rune he had mastered.

“My abilities have reached their current limit. There won’t be further progress in the short term. It’s time to pay the wolf king a visit.”

He tossed aside the pelt, flicked a spark of bloodflame to ignite the wolf’s corpse, and strode away.

No sooner had he left than several shadows darted from the thicket, converging on the burning corpse. The rats greedily absorbed the wolf’s blood essence; some grew stronger, while others perished from the strain.

Watching as some of their companions died from overindulgence, one rat let out a shrill cry, seized a corpse, and hurled it into the flames. Then it resumed its gleeful absorption—the fall of one wolf fed ten rats.

With this peculiar power, the rat horde grew stronger through battle. Not only had they not been crushed in their struggle with the wolves, but they were thriving; in both numbers and strength, they now surpassed their former peak.

The next morning, just before dawn, when most creatures were at their weakest, a chorus of shrill squeaks sounded as masses of rats gathered at the foot of Ramhorn Mountain, forming a surging tide in the darkness.

A mighty figure stood atop a boulder—Rat Paragon—issuing the command to attack.

In an instant, the rats went mad, surging up the mountain. The howls of wolves and the cries of rats soon mingled, and the stench of blood spread through the air.

Following the breach made by the rats, Jiang Chen ascended Ramhorn Mountain at a measured pace, Rat Paragon by his side.

“I wonder if, after this battle, a few more mutant rats will be born,” Jiang Chen mused, watching the fallen rats and wolves with indifference.

Let soldiers fight soldiers, generals face generals. With his current strength, ordinary wolves posed no threat. Since he could deploy the rat horde, he would not waste effort on lesser foes. Though he was confident he could face the wolf king, he preferred to preserve his energy.

As he drew near the summit, a figure blocked his path—a horned wolf, one of the pack’s lieutenants.

Jiang Chen ignored it, drifting upward like a willow catkin. The horned wolf moved to block him, but Rat Paragon leapt in its way.

Its tail lashed the ground, leaving deep gouges in the earth as it stared coldly at the horned wolf, making clear that this was its opponent.

Jiang Chen paid no further heed to their duel. With Rat Paragon’s strength, even if it could not defeat the horned wolf outright, it could hold its own for some time. His focus was fixed on the wolf king; he sensed its gaze locked upon him, ready to strike at the slightest misstep.

Meanwhile, at the summit, the wolf king’s eyes flashed with impatience and murderous intent as it watched Jiang Chen approach without pause.

“I’ve delayed long enough—my wounds are nearly healed. Since you come to me of your own accord, you’ll make a fine meal.”

Realizing that the intruder was a human cultivator and not one of the savage monsters from Five Immortals Mountain, its killing intent surged. Being bullied by those beasts was one thing—but a human? Did they think the wolf king was to be trifled with?

In the next instant, the wolf king rose to its full, imposing height.