Driving Wolves to Devour Tigers

The cave was damp and cold, its depths shrouded in darkness. Wang Quan leaned against the wall, panting, feeling his spiritual energy gradually depleting. He knew he could no longer face Yan Qing and Huang Hu head-on. The relentless pursuit left him with no time to recover. His remaining spiritual energy was almost gone, and if the battle continued, he would be cornered into a desperate situation.

But just then, Wang Quan noticed strange marks on the ground. They were long, narrow crawling tracks, radiating faint demonic energy with an oppressive aura.

"What is this...?" Wang Quan furrowed his brow, and a bold idea formed in his mind. He didn't know what kind of beast left these tracks, but there was no doubt that a powerful monster was lurking deep within the cave.

"Perhaps, I can use this beast's strength to strike back." Wang Quan quickly made up his mind. He had no other choice. With his spiritual energy depleted and no chance of a direct confrontation, he could only resort to external forces. His plan was to employ the tactic of "driving wolves to devour tigers," luring the beast to engage with his pursuers and leaving both sides injured.

Clenching his teeth, Wang Quan stepped further into the cave.

The deeper he ventured, the more the path narrowed, the air thick with the scent of demonic energy. The stone walls were covered in moss and vines, suggesting that the cave had been here for a long time.

Soon, Wang Quan saw more crawling marks on the ground, and the traces became larger as the demonic energy grew denser.

"It seems this beast is quite powerful," he thought, feeling both nervous and excited. He carefully followed the trail, and before long, the cave's end appeared before him.

A thick wave of demonic energy hit him, accompanied by a foul, damp smell. Wang Quan followed the source of the energy and saw a massive nest at the far end of the cave. Coiled within it was an enormous beast.

The beast was jet-black, resembling a giant earthworm several meters long, its body covered in thick scales. Its abdomen writhed slowly, as if ready to devour anything in its path. At the moment, the beast was sleeping in its nest, breathing deeply, oblivious to Wang Quan's presence.

"Earth Dragon Worm..." Wang Quan's heart skipped a beat. This beast was a type of low-level earth dragon, known for its incredibly tough physical body. Although it couldn't fly or burrow like its higher-level kin, it was formidable, especially in underground environments.

Judging by the demonic energy it emitted, this Earth Dragon Worm was at the sixth stage of Qi Refining. While not comparable to a Foundation Establishment beast, it was more than enough to deal with Huang Hu and Yan Qing, who were at the fifth and fourth stages of Qi Refining.

"Perfect," Wang Quan thought coldly. Since he had encountered this beast, he planned to use it to turn the tide against his pursuers.

Rather than rashly disturbing the Earth Dragon Worm, Wang Quan carefully approached the nest, focusing his remaining spiritual energy into his palm. Then, with a sudden strike, he slammed his hand against the cave wall, creating a deafening noise.

Boom!

The loud crash reverberated throughout the cave. The Earth Dragon Worm jolted awake, its massive body writhing as its scales scraped against the stone walls, producing a sharp, grating sound. Its enormous eyes slowly opened, gleaming with ferocious light as they locked onto Wang Quan.

Roar!

A low, guttural roar echoed through the cave, causing the entire structure to tremble.

Knowing he couldn't possibly fight the beast, Wang Quan smirked coldly and swiftly turned to flee. As expected, the Earth Dragon Worm, enraged by the intrusion into its territory, slithered out of its nest in pursuit, its gigantic body undulating through the cave with a surge of demonic energy.

"Let's see how you like this gift," Wang Quan thought with a sneer. He carefully maintained a certain distance from the beast, leading it directly toward the direction where Huang Hu, Yan Qing, and their men were searching.

At the cave's entrance, Huang Hu and Yan Qing were still searching for Wang Quan, their spiritual senses extending out but unable to detect his presence.

"He must be hiding deeper in the cave. Keep searching!" Yan Qing barked, growing impatient.

However, just as they were about to press further into the cave, a violent tremor shook the ground, followed by a wave of demonic energy that sent chills down their spines.

"What is that?" Huang Hu's eyes narrowed, instantly alert. He glanced toward the cave's depths, hearing the low growl of a beast getting closer.

Moments later, they spotted Wang Quan rushing toward them from deep within the cave.

"There's Wang Quan! After him—" Yan Qing's shout was cut off when he suddenly felt a surge of murderous intent behind him. He whipped around just in time to see the giant Earth Dragon Worm slithering out of the cave, radiating overwhelming demonic energy as it charged toward them.

"What is that monster?!" Yan Qing's face turned pale, fear flickering in his eyes.

"A beast! A sixth-stage Qi Refining beast!" Huang Hu growled, his long blade flashing as he summoned his spiritual energy to form a protective barrier around himself. He knew they were no match for such a creature, especially in the narrow confines of the cave, where the beast's threat was magnified.

The Earth Dragon Worm's massive body barreled forward, causing the cave to tremble violently. Huang Hu gritted his teeth and swung his blade at the creature, but his spiritual energy attack landed on its scales with a loud clang, as if striking solid metal, doing no damage.

"Retreat!" Huang Hu roared, realizing the danger, and quickly pulled back toward the cave entrance.

But the Earth Dragon Worm moved with terrifying speed, its enormous body sweeping through the cave like a moving wall. One of Yan Qing's companions, a third-stage Qi Refining disciple, was caught in its path and sent flying. He didn't even have time to scream before the beast devoured him whole, leaving only bloodstains in its wake.

"Damn it!" Yan Qing's eyes were wide with terror as he stumbled backward. The Earth Dragon Worm showed no signs of stopping, continuing to bear down on them with unrelenting force.

Wang Quan stood at a distance, watching coldly. Just as he had expected, the appearance of the Earth Dragon Worm had thrown Huang Hu and the others into complete disarray. Despite their considerable strength, they stood no chance against a sixth-stage Qi Refining beast, especially in the cave's narrow confines, where their spiritual energy was ineffective.

"The fun is just beginning," Wang Quan thought, a smirk playing on his lips. He knew he couldn't defeat Huang Hu and the others in a direct fight, but with the help of the beast, they would pay dearly for pursuing him.

However, Wang Quan also understood that staying in the cave wasn't safe. While the Earth Dragon Worm was focused on Huang Hu and his men for now, it could easily turn on him at any moment.

Without wasting any more time, Wang Quan quickly retreated toward the cave's exit, intending to leave while chaos reigned behind him.