Chapter Twenty-Two: The Blood Wolf

Although Wang Luo possessed an abundance of blood energy within his body, he could only manipulate a small portion of it, an amount comparable to his spiritual power, while the rest remained concealed within his blood. Only when his accessible blood energy was depleted would the hidden reserves emerge, replenishing his lost energy and keeping him in peak condition. This was why Wang Luo never feared battles of attrition.

A thunderous howl erupted from the rear of the wolf pack as blood-red light flared atop the bone sword. Wang Luo noticed the wolves hesitate, then growled lowly as they retreated, their emerald eyes still locked intently upon him.

At some point, two moons had risen high into the sky, mischievous moonbeams filtering through the forest canopy, forming scattered, trembling patches of light that rendered the shadowy woodland all the more eerie.

Amidst the faint moonlight and the uncanny forest, a giant wolf over two meters tall, its entire body crimson as blood, strode forward like a sovereign through the path automatically opened by its kin.

The wolf king halted at the forefront of the pack, its bloodthirsty eyes reflecting excitement, curiosity, and doubt—complex, almost human emotions—as it stared fixedly at the bone sword shrouded in hazy scarlet glow not far away.

Wang Luo gazed in astonishment at the blood-colored giant wolf—not because its hue differed from the other wild wolves, but because he sensed blood energy emanating from it.

He was certain his senses did not deceive him, for the unruly blood energy within the wolf’s body darted restlessly, never settling.

The blood wolf fixed its gaze on the faint crimson light atop the bone sword in the hands of the frail human opposite. It could sense that the hazy glow matched the overwhelming energy that nearly burst from within its own body.

It remembered, half a year ago, after advancing to the second rank, that this strange energy had suddenly appeared inside it. At first, it was scarce, and with little intelligence at the time, it acted purely on instinct, paying little heed to the unruly energy.

But later, it found the energy growing steadily, making it ever more intelligent and powerful. Within three months, it had broken through from the second rank to the fourth, becoming the wolf king—a feat that had previously taken five arduous years to reach the second rank.

As its intelligence increased, it began to study this strange energy, discovering that after every meal, the energy within would increase, yet it remained impossible to control.

The energy constantly roamed through its body, making it feel as though ants were gnawing at it everywhere, every moment.

Lately, its feeding became less frequent, as it sensed the strange energy had grown to a point almost beyond what it could bear. At any moment, it feared the energy would burst its body apart, and despite its newfound intelligence, it had no idea what to do.

Feeling the turbulent, ever-restless energy threatening to break free, the blood wolf shifted its gaze away from the bone sword and looked to the frail human.

It sensed that this human was not much weaker than itself. Its keen mind deduced that if the human could help, it might survive—magical beasts feared death, especially intelligent ones, but they also possessed their own dignity and pride.

A glance at the panther behind the human—seemingly asleep, expertly hidden—gave the blood wolf a sense of danger. It instinctively felt the panther was a formidable magical beast. Yet why would such a powerful creature follow this frail human? Could it be the human’s magical companion?

Puzzled, the blood wolf quickly reasoned: if even such a mighty beast followed him, the human must be formidable. Its gaze grew resolute.

It made its decision: if the frail human could defeat it, it would submit; otherwise, it would rather die by bursting apart.

Wang Luo sized up the blood-colored giant wolf, which stared blankly at his bone sword, lost in thought. He could tell it was stronger than himself, at the peak of the early Foundation stage, but it seemed to harbor no hostility.

Suddenly, Wang Luo noticed the blood wolf’s gaze shift from the bone sword, passing over the panther, then settling on him.

With a determined look, the blood wolf let out a howl full of fighting spirit, staring at Wang Luo as magical energy surged through its core, and the blood energy within began to rampage gleefully.

The howl startled Wang Luo—its resonance reminded him of the panther’s roar. But he had no time to ponder, for the blood-colored giant wolf was already charging toward him, covering fifty meters in a blink.

The wolf pack responded to their king’s howl with supportive cries. The little white lion paused, a bit displeased, before hopping beside the panther, curiously watching the now-awake beast and whimpering questions.

The panther ignored the white lion, focusing on Wang Luo standing before it. It wondered why the blood wolf sought to become the human’s companion. Was it, like itself, a subordinate of the Lion King? Was this why the Lion King forbade it from revealing its aura or taking action?

Wang Luo tensed, preparing to engage, when he suddenly saw the blood wolf—leaping mid-air toward him—suddenly pause, coughing up a mouthful of blood before crashing to the ground nearby. Its body trembled, emitting pained whimpers.

Stunned, Wang Luo watched the fallen blood wolf. He had just sensed a thread of blood energy within it suddenly explode, leaving it in this state.

The wolf pack erupted in turmoil at their king’s sudden collapse, howling in rage and grief, their bloodthirsty eyes now tinged with undisguisable fear, fixed upon Wang Luo.

On the ground, the blood wolf struggled through agony, its limbs shaking as it stood, glaring at Wang Luo and letting out a domineering howl. The pack instantly quieted.

Wang Luo watched the blood wolf, its eyes full of pain, as another thread of blood energy exploded within it, causing it to spit blood again and tremble slightly—yet it remained unyielding.

Though uncertain of the exact torment it endured, Wang Luo knew the pain was more than most could bear, familiar as he was with the power of blood energy.

The little white lion hopped onto Wang Luo’s shoulder again, curious about the blood wolf on the ground. For reasons unknown, the panther walked to Wang Luo’s side, also staring at the wolf, lost in thought. Seeing the panther, Wang Luo’s eyes brightened as he conceived a clever plan that would serve two purposes.

Otherworld Azure Dragon Chapter 22: Blood Wolf—completed!