Chapter 32: The Iron-Haired Wild Boar

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All his companions were fivefold Spirit Refiners. Only Ling Dehai had reached the sixth refinement, making him the strongest member of the group. He bounded through the mountains with astonishing agility.

After years of living in the wilderness, every mercenary had developed considerable skill.

They landed without a sound and leapt between the trees like monkeys, traversing great distances without alarming any passing demon beasts.

Qin Liang followed with the Windwalking Step while releasing his perception, remaining alert to his surroundings.

After two hours, they crossed a vast stretch of dense forest and arrived at the foot of a high mountain. They stopped on the trunk of a great tree. Including Qin Liang, there were six of them, and their movements were exceedingly stealthy.

“Brother Qin, your movement technique is impressive!” Mu Chuan said admiringly. “On your first trip into the mountains, you managed to avoid attracting the attention of any demon beasts. You’re the first person I’ve seen do that. I thought we would run into a great horde of beasts, but it seems I was worrying for nothing.”

“You flatter me. Have we arrived?” Qin Liang quickly steered the conversation back on course.

Ling Dehai raised a hand, signaling everyone to remain silent. Then he drew a bone saber from his Cosmos Pouch and gripped it tightly. The other mercenaries also took out their weapons and prepared themselves.

Mu Chuan gestured for Qin Liang to look ahead. There, half-hidden beneath creeping vines, was the faint outline of a cave.

“The entrance is more than five meters high. The demon beast inside is probably enormous as well. Everyone, be careful. If anything goes wrong, withdraw immediately. Safety comes first.” Ling Dehai was clearly experienced and issued his orders without delay.

He turned to Qin Liang and cautioned him, “Young Master Qin, this is your first time in the mountains, and you’re not yet accustomed to fighting demon beasts. You can watch from the side for now. After we slay the beast, we’ll enter the cave together.”

“Understood. Be careful, Brother Ling.” Qin Liang nodded.

Mu Chuan took out a piece of meat about the size of his palm, dipped it in a bucket of blood, and tossed it toward the cave entrance.

“Get ready,” Ling Dehai said in a low voice.

After a brief wait, the vines at the cave mouth began to sway. An iron-haired wild boar crawled out from within. Its tusks curved menacingly, its breathing was heavy, and it stood more than three meters tall. Every step it took caused the earth to tremble faintly.

Its bristles were sharp as steel needles, glimmering with a cold sheen. Anyone pierced by them would be crippled at best and killed at worst.

As Qin Liang gazed at the iron-haired boar, he began to wonder whether he should use its vital essence to cultivate the Berserk Beast Body.

The Berserk Beast Body was a body-tempering secret art with only three stages. Qin Liang therefore had only three chances to use beast blood to cultivate it. This was one of his trump cards, and the remaining two uses had to be chosen with the utmost care.

After what had happened with the Blue Wolf Frenzy, Qin Liang knew that the stronger the demon beast, the greater the effect of its vital essence.

The meat released a rich scent of blood, drawing the iron-haired boar closer.

Even so, it remained extremely cautious. It glanced around after every step, ready to retreat into the cave at the slightest disturbance.

The closer it came to the meat, the farther it moved from the cave entrance.

When it was two meters away from the entrance, Ling Dehai decisively hurled the bone saber in his hand. It tore through the air with a shrill whistle, and in an instant, the blade was embedded in the ground between the iron-haired boar and the cave.

He had plenty of experience and knew that this kind of demon beast possessed thick, tough hide. Its bristles in particular were as hard as iron.

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If they stabbed directly at the beast, they would not only fail to injure it but would also frighten it away.

If the boar returned to the cave, luring it out again would be extremely difficult. Thus, Ling Dehai’s first strike was meant to cut off its path of retreat.

“Attack!” Ling Dehai ordered.

Whoosh, whoosh—

Five men leapt down from the surrounding trees, instantly surrounding the iron-haired boar from five directions.

While the boar was still startled and confused, Ling Dehai landed at the cave entrance, seized the bone saber, and swung it with all his strength.

Bang!

The iron-haired boar took the blow, but its bristles were so hard that the strike failed to injure it in the slightest.

It turned and fled in Mu Chuan’s direction, charging wildly. Despite its massive frame, it was by no means slow.

Mu Chuan was prepared. Gripping an iron spear, he thrust it toward the boar’s head. The spear stirred the air into a roaring gale, sending grass clippings flying and scattering earth and stones wherever it passed.

At the same time, the other four men rushed forward as well. Some wielded sabers, others swords, and murderous intent surged in every direction.

The iron-haired boar twisted its body, shaking off the spear while also flinging several bristles into the air. They shot forth like steel needles with terrifying force. Their passage produced a piercing shriek, like arrows splitting the sky.

“Not good! Take cover!” Mu Chuan shouted.

An iron shield appeared in his hand, and he easily blocked the flying bristles. Metallic clangs rang out one after another.

The others reacted just as quickly, some drawing shields while others ducked behind the great trees.

Ling Dehai wildly swung his bone saber, rapidly deflecting the bristles as he closed in. At the same time, a brilliant radiance ignited around his body. It was the spiritual glow produced only by a sixthfold Spirit Refiner, capable of strengthening the body.

Swish, swish, swish—

He flashed through the trees like a figure cast in burnished brass, hacking at the boar with furious speed.

The bone saber collided with the bristles, the resulting crashes deafening. Several of the iron-hard hairs were cut away, and Ling Dehai’s assault was exceptionally fierce.

“Go help him! I’ll cover you!” Mu Chuan shouted.

He drew a hardwood bow and an arrow, nocked the shaft, bent the bow, and took aim at the iron-haired boar.

Three mercenaries charged in with their weapons raised, joining Ling Dehai in his fierce battle against the beast.

The two sides clashed violently before separating again. Mu Chuan released the bowstring at precisely the right moment, and the arrow shot through the air.

Hiss!

The arrow pierced the iron-haired boar’s ear, grazing its head before embedding itself in the tree behind it. Leaves were shaken loose and came fluttering down, testimony to the extraordinary force of the shot.

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Hidden among the branches, Qin Liang watched in dazzled fascination. When Ling Dehai released his spiritual glow, in particular, the dazzling brass-colored radiance made him resemble a blazing sun, brilliant beyond compare.

“So this is what a sixthfold Spirit Refiner is like?”

Qin Liang could see that, with the spiritual glow enhancing him, Ling Dehai’s strength had risen dramatically. Every sweep of his blade carried enough force to split mountains and shatter rocks.

“Keep going!” Ling Dehai roared.

He charged forward with the bone saber in hand, sending broken branches and splinters flying wherever he passed.

The iron-haired boar let out an unwilling howl. A savage glint shone in its eyes as it stamped all four hooves against the earth. An ocher spiritual glow rose around its body, while the tusks before its mouth lengthened by nearly half a meter, gleaming coldly like a pair of steel blades.

“It’s a sixthfold Spirit Refiner too?” Mu Chuan and the others exclaimed in alarm.

The information they had received had made no mention of the iron-haired boar’s cultivation. The situation had suddenly become extremely troublesome.

“You’re no match for it. Fall back!” Ling Dehai shouted, his expression turning grim.

He himself continued charging forward with the bone saber, realizing that they might have provoked something they should never have touched. But matters had already reached this point, and they had no choice but to fight on.

The moment anyone showed fear or retreated, they would surrender the initiative completely.

Clang, clang, clang—

In a very short span of time, the two sides clashed countless times, moving almost as fast as lightning.

It truly was a demon beast of the mountains. The forest was its battlefield, and among the undergrowth it moved like a fish through water.

Mu Chuan and the others were only fivefold Spirit Refiners. Facing a sixthfold Spirit Refining boar was exceedingly difficult, so they could only remain at a distance, bend their bows, and fire occasional arrows to support Ling Dehai and harass the beast.

Even so, they still found themselves in peril from time to time.

The iron-haired boar was furious at being unable to reach the men attacking from afar. Its body suddenly shuddered, and its spiritual glow blazed brightly. Dozens of bristles flew from its body like needles, shooting toward the group with deadly intent.

Nearby, Ling Dehai swung his saber frantically, blocking the bristles as best he could, but a few still slipped past him.

“All of you, watch out for those bristles!” he warned his companions.

The iron-hard bristles were incredibly sharp. They tore through the leaves with a hissing sound, and fivefold Spirit Refiners found them nearly impossible to evade.

Seeing the danger closing in on Mu Chuan and the others, Qin Liang decisively leapt down from the branch.

It was time for him to act.

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