The Sacred Ruins

The sad and shrill cries of the wolf trembled the primitive mountains!

Black ripples shrouded in thick smoke gushed out of the wolf’s mouth. These sound waves agitated the air, causing a raging storm to sweep across the region. Vegetation was torn into pieces, and boulders that weighed tonnes were hurled into the air before malevolently exploding.

Chu Feng quickly fell back. Although the wolf was already on its deathbed, there was still of every likelihood that the beast would want to make a comeback.

"Aww..."

It was a terrifying howl. The beasts quivered in fear; birds that were flying nearby were struck out of the sky; some had even exploded in mid-air. These poor creatures became a gory mess of blood and mangled flesh. The once almighty beings were now only a mist of blood and some fluttering feathers!

The wolf was center of this black ripple. The ripple quickly dispersed outwards, wreaking tremendous havoc on the areas nearby!

Chu Feng countered the surging ripples with his yak roar. There were energy ripples streaming out of his mouth too.

The wolf’s head was drenched in blood. The only eye that it had left was punctured, causing it to go berserk. It roared and bellowed, dying to tear Chu Feng apart!

It couldn’t see anything, and it couldn’t tell when Chu Feng would be approaching it either. It could only hope that its enemy could be stopped by the ripples!

The wolf was the king of the mountains and the monarch of the plateau. Its power was far beyond that of a mutant. Even though the nuclear blast had taken half of its torso, there was still a sense of conceit wriggling on its mind. It feared no-one, not even the strongest mutant whom humanity had—its conceit, however, had blinded its eyes.

The Ash Wolf found the reality difficult to abide. No king should suffer such a crushing defeat.

Its blood-sodden body was etched with gaping wounds, and the only eye he had was punctured. The sight of its wretchedness was hard to bear.

"I could kill seven hundred thousand people, but I’ll die in the hand of one! Roar..." The wolf refuse to resign itself to defeat. It roared and bellowed to vent out its anger and its despair.

Ash Wolf could feel the decline of its vitality. It became weaker and weaker; before long, it would die of blood loss. In face of its death, the wolf was terrified and furious.

It was full of grievances. "I would rather have my noble body dismembered by a king than to be killed by you! You’re not worthy of my death!" the wolf roared.

"I need to live! I can’t die!" Ash Wolf said to itself. Suddenly, its body began to undergo an astonishing transformation. Its furs and skins cracked and fissured, and it looked like a bloody dog that had been boiled alive. Its chest and its tail puffed up like they were about to explode, but in the meantime, there was a terrifying stream of air gently curling upwards through those cracks.

The world outside might not be able to see, but Chu Feng, at such close quarters, could vividly see the horrific changes that were happening to its body. Those broken teeth fell out of their gums as if there were new teeth growing!

"What’s happening?!" Chu Feng was taken aback.

Initially, those forelimbs were bare and naked. There were no claws nor any meat left attached to the bones. But right now, as glints of light shone through those mangled flesh and stinky blood, it seemed like the wolf was growing a pair of new claws!

Its neck was on the verge of snapping, but the wound around its neck was also rapidly healing!

This wolf had the power of regeneration!

WHOOSH!

Chu Feng lunged for the wolf. He knew what a cornered dog could do. The retaliation might be fierce, but Chu Feng had resolved to fight his enemy to the death. The wolf was undergoing an astounding transformation, one that very much resembled moksha [1]!

His fist landed on the Ash Wolf’s body, crushing its spine and puncturing its chest. PUFF! He had dug a gaping hole through its body, and blood gushed out like a hot spring.

ROAR! AWWW!

The Ash Wolf roared and bellowed. Chu Feng’s fist had sent it flying across the air in a miserable way.

However, the beast was still regenerating. It roared and writhed in agony, but its fur and skin seemed to have been shed at a much faster rate. In the twinkling of an eye, the once sparse and bloody fur was no more; instead, the wolf was clothed in a fine layer of shiny hair.

This time, the fur was shinier, and the beast was more terrifying.

"A rebirth? No! That’s not gonna happen today!" Chu Feng directed all his power to his fists. In the meantime, his fists were in the position of Demon Ox Boxing Style. "KILL!" Chu Feng lunged at the wolf.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Chu Feng had astonishing power. His fists were like the horns of a demon ox who could pierce through every obstacle that were standing in the way. He wielded his fists left and right, up and down. More than a dozen of those boxing fists landed on his enemy’s torso. Blood gushed out of the wounds like flowers bursting into full bloom.

The Ash Wolf roared in anger, because it was in such a passive position!

It was anxious and fearful. It still needed time to thoroughly undergo its rebirth.

Back in the days when the upheavals first began, the wolf was one of the lucky ones. Strolling in the depth of the mountains, it had run into too many sacred trees and strange fruits, and one of them unlocked its power to regenerate at an astonishing rate.

However, there were prerequisites set for the wolf. It needed to first free itself from the shackles of the realm. It needed to cast off the spiritual yoke restraining it and hampering the effect of regeneration.

If it could cast off the chain and the shackles, the wolf would be able to come back to life again, reaching a state of nirvana. For the wolf, it would be a complete rebirth!

The Ash Wolf had gone crazy as its body madly rolled on the ground. The wolf was trying to break loose from the shackles and release the power of rebirth.

However, the wolf was already in a terrible state, which meant that it shouldn’t force itself to break loose from the shackles. Even if it did succeed in the end, it would only be enough to make the beast live on to see the sunlight of another day. The wolf knew this as well.

It wouldn’t be a complete rebirth for the wolf. The missing parts of its body would never come back, nor would the lost power and strength regenerate. The beast would never be who it was before. It would not be a king, but just another traumatized beast.

The prospect was bleak, but this was the only choice. It would be a total waste of this power, but without it, the wolf would soon die a horrid death.

Initially, the wolf had planned to recuperate for a few months before committing to this action, but everything had happened too quickly.

"Aww..."

Ash Wolf cried out with agony.

Chu Feng was still beating on the wolf’s chest. He had punctured many holes through its flimsy body, turning the once wholesome beast into a mesh-like sieve!

The new furs were drenched in blood too!

The wolf was fearful. As a beast king, it had never thought that it would be subjugated by a man. Days ago, it was a fearsome predator. It roared and whistled on Yunan-Guizhou Plateau to brandish its invincibility. It could make millions of lives perish and thousands of families go to rack and ruin in the twinkling of an eye. The wolf had once existed as a king and a god, but now, this wolf was a lamb, tied up and ready for slaughter.

"Aww..."

The Ash Wolf cried. In face of death, it chose to flee. Chu Feng’s fists were deadly, and it could not bear them anymore.

Sand and pebbles were rolling like billows of a stormy sea.

For people who were living in the world outside, the scene of action wasn’t captured very clearly, but vaguely, they could see what was going on.

People were all excited. They recalled the fierceness of the wolf and the cold-blooded ruthlessness of that beast. Seeing how this very beast were scurrying off like a frightened rat with a body drenched in blood, people ran an adrenalin high!

"Kill the bastard! Kill that son of a b*tch!"

People were roaring. They had waited for this moment for far too long.

BANG!

Suddenly, the wolf violently breathed out a puff of murderous air. All its broken teeth were gone, and they were then replaced by a new pair of buckteeth. The change was sudden and abrupt, making it an astonishing sight to behold.

This was the climax of its transformation!

It had completed its rebirth cycle, and this pair of buckteeth was going to be its best weapon.

Unluckily, the latter half of its torso was still missing, and it had also lost too much blood. Within the lost blood were some of the most essential energies, which powered its actions and movements. Without them, the wolf was in a terrible state.

The Ash Wolf was in the depths of despair. This was the end of the rebirth cycle, and the process had failed miserably.

"This is going to be the end of me," the wolf mumbled.

It had lost all hopes.

It roared and bellowed. Its eyes were still blind, so it relied heavily on its hearings and instinct. It could pinpoint where its enemy was, and this helped it plan to launch its final offensive on him.

"Roar..."

The wolf stopped running away. It swung around then lunged at Chu Feng!

In this desperate situation, the wolf was putting up a desperate fight!

Clearly, the wolf wanted to die with Chu Feng together.

People who were watching the live broadcast were astounded. Why did it seem like the wolf had suddenly become stronger? Why was it still so ferocious?

"How is this possible? Oh god! Did the Ash Wolf just recover from all those injuries? Why can’t it be killed?!"

"What a terrifying beast! Is this wolf immortal?"

"The wolf’s gotta be dead! It’s gotta be dead"

"What is happening?"

People were confused and restless.

...

As for Chu Feng, he looked just as clueless. He only saw the rapid growth of the furs and the insidious growth of those buckteeth, and he realized that this wolf was somehow recovering from all its injuries.

But how could he stand to see the wolf regenerating the missing flesh and the broken bones? These were the tokens of his achievements in this fight, and he wanted them to stay how they were.

"Kill!" Chu Feng roared.

He started using the special breathing technique. His chest rose and fell rhythmically as he arranged his fists into the positions that were described by Demon Ox Boxing Style. When the fist was coupled with the breath, the power would be multiplied—every punch would be a deadly one!

Gales blew as Chu Feng wielded his fists. The strong wind swept up sand and pebbles, filling the sky with dust and stones!

BOOM!

Chu Feng went toe-to-toe with the wolf. After rounds of boxing, he was certain that this wolf was near its death. The beast might seem crazy, but its power was in decline.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Chu Feng was now the crazier one. His fists were swinging so fast that they had broken the sound barrier. The sounds it made were even more explosive than a sudden clap of thunder!

Chu Feng bombarded the wolf’s skull with his fists. BANG! At last, the Ash Wolf was subjugated. It was sent flying in a miserable way; its head was blood-sodden, and its buckteeth were coarse and gloomy. It was a ferocious face.

Aww...

The wolf cried an unearthly cry as its body went into convulsions. It pitifully laid in a blood pool. It tried to stand up, but its effort was taken over by a seizure.

CLONK!

Chu Feng found his black dagger. He pulled it out of the stone crack then walked towards the wolf.

He wasn’t sure that the wolf would stay dead. "What if it regenerates again?" Chu Feng thought to himself, "I will need to chop your head to assure your death!"

Chu Feng was exhausted. He wobbled as he staggered forth. This had been a fierce battle for him, one that had truly demanded all his strength and power.

The Ash Wolf could foresee its death too. At this moment, there were only feelings of despair and refusal inside it. It refused to accept the reality, but its death seemed certain. In the end, the wolf made its very last roar.

"Aww..."

The sound trembled the entire primitive mountain, and the leaves in the virgin forest rustled down. All kinds of birds were trembling in fear; they hid in the bushes and behind the branches, too terrified to even breath with bated breath.

Because the roar was too loud!

The camera was set up at a distance to the scene of action, but the roar could still be heard. Even the people behind glass screens were taken back, because for them, that roar sounded like a clap of thunder exploding by their ears.

The Ash Wolf was going to die! People’s hearts trembled in excitement.

Many people vented out a sigh of relief. Finally, the wolf was dead. Finally, the grief and sorrow that had been weighing on their mind could be lifted.

Suddenly, something seemed to have scared Chu Feng stiff!

It was the premonition of danger striking on his instinct—something dangerous was coming on his way!

Suddenly, that pair of buckteeth became loose in the wolf’s mouth. The wolf pulled them out of its mouth then hurled them towards Chu Feng!

"Aww..." The wolf had been overcome with pain.

In the meantime, the dreary feeling of danger, prompted by Chu Feng’s instinct, was spreading throughout his body. The buckteeth were not the only danger; the real danger felt much larger, much deadlier. He felt as if he had been targeted by some deadly missiles that would soon come homing in on him.

For an instant, Chu Feng’s blood ran cold in his vein, but it was not because the wolf was still putting up a desperate resistance. Those buckteeth were deadly, but Chu Feng could evade them easily.

He acted with swift reflex. He pounced back then lay flat on the ground. That pair of buckteeth was splendid and white, but they were frighteningly sharp. They brushed past his face then pierced through a giant boulder. The teeth then hit the cliff of a hill and buried deep within there.

The tickling feeling was still crawling on his skin. The real danger was not over yet.

Chu Feng crawled forward towards the wolf. He could choose to evade the danger that was coming in his way, but he didn’t do so. Without chopping off the head of that wolf, he could not set his mind at rest.

PUFF!

Finally, after Chu Feng came near to the beast, he wielded his dagger and struck on its neck. The head went rolling on the ground with blood gushing out of its jugular.

BAGN! BANG! BANG!

Bullets suddenly began raining down.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Torrents of armor-piercing bullets and shells were crushing down on the region too.

Someone were bombarding this place with high-caliber weapons.

At this moment, the entire world was boiling over with shock and anger.

"For f*ck sake! Who is firing these bullets? Who are these people? Why would they do that?!"

"God! How wicked these people are! Why were they directing against someone who had rendered such an outstanding service for us human race! He is our hero, for god’s sake!"

People who were watching the broadcast all jumped to their feet. They were dying to find out who these people were so that they could strangle them alive.

"It’s over! He just fought with the Ash Wolf. Did you see how he staggered and tottered just then? He is exhausted; he is run down! He won’t have enough strength to support himself to fight another battle!"

There was a vast upsurge of indignation spreading in the public!

People were simmering with rage. They couldn’t stand to watch this. Some had flown off the handle, itching to find out who these butchers were so that they could kill them in the most brutal way possible.

"Ha Ha! This is what you call: ‘The mantis stalks the cicada, but behind them lurks the oriole.’ But I’ve got to admit, we wouldn’t be striking on you had you not already exhausted yourself to this degree. You are a spent force, man! You won’t even withstand a single blow! It’s time to call GAME OVER!"

In the distance, someone was insolently yelling and laughing.

"Ah..."

Ouyang Qing the Clairaudient wailed. He dashed forward like a madman with a big gun on his shoulder. He was about to risk his life with those ruffians to save his chief’s life.

His eyes had turned red. He ran because he needed to come closer to his enemies before he could accurately pinpoint where they were with his astonishing sense of hearing.

Du Huaijin the Clairvoyant was going crazy too. He ran shoulder to shoulder with Ouyang Qing while relaying the positions of their enemies to Ye Qingrou and Chen Luoyan.

"You’ll all go to hell!"

Every member of the team had gone berserk. They had never thought that anyone would set up such a frenzied attack on a wolf-slaying hero.

The place was heavy with billows of gunpowder smoke. The ground had been deformed by the shells, and the trees had been split and burned down by the bullets.

At this moment, Chu Feng was lying underneath the lifeless body of that headless wolf. His eyes were cold and merciless. He was clutching onto some very long bullets in his hand, which were fired by his enemies. There were some bullet holes on his clothes too.

However, none of those bullets had shot through his skin. Chu Feng came out of that surprise attack well and unscathed.

He did have exhausted himself in the fight with Ash Wolf, but the firmness of his skin was beyond what a man could imagine. Someone hidden in the dark was sniping at him, but those high-caliber bullets had proven to be powerless against him!

"You’re all going to die!" Chu Feng said with a cold and indifferent attitude.

He lay still on the ground, making use of the special breathing rhythm to drive a mysterious form of energy to flow in his veins. This energy was slowly regenerating his exhausted body.

...

[1] (In Hinduism and Jainism, release from the cycle of rebirth impelled by the law of karma)