Chapter 9: The Alpha Wolf
The Leader's spiritual energy manifested as a swirling mist of silver and black. The remaining wolves took positions at its flanks, their movements now perfectly synchronized with their alpha's will.
"I don't suppose you have any more mysterious tokens that could help us?" Lin Tian asked, his sword held in a defensive stance.
"No," Zhao Lingfeng replied, trying to keep his voice steady. "But I do have a strategy."
Before either cultivator could react, it launched forward with explosive force. Its massive form crossed the distance between them in an instant, spiritual pressure alone causing the nearby spirit herbs to wither.
Lin Tian moved like flowing water, pulling Zhao Lingfeng aside as the Leader's claws raked through the space they'd occupied. Stone shattered where its attack landed, leaving deep gouges in the ancient floor.
"Your strategy?" Lin Tian prompted, parrying a strike from one of the flanking wolves.
"Right." Zhao Lingfeng ducked under another wolf's lunge. "The Leader's using some kind of spiritual technique to enhance its pack. See how their movements are more coordinated now?"
As if to prove his point, the Level 11 wolf and its Level 10 companion attacked in perfect unison, forcing Lin Tian to defend both high and low simultaneously. His enhanced abilities let him meet their assault, but the Leader was already moving again, its massive form a blur of silver and black.
"If we can break its concentration—" Zhao Lingfeng began, but had to roll away as the Leader's claws nearly took his head off. The attack carried such force that he felt his spiritual energy waver just from the near miss.
Lin Tian's sword flashed, catching the [LV11 Tiger-Eyed Spirit Wolf] across its flank. The strike opened a deep gash.
[Damage: 185!]
The wolf staggered but didn't fall, its enhanced vitality keeping it in the fight. Blood matted its dark fur, but its movements remained deadly precise under the Leader's influence.
"We need to separate them," Lin Tian called out, his sword techniques skilfully kept the wolves temporarily at bay. "The Leader's technique has a range limit."
Zhao Lingfeng nodded, understanding dawning. "The pillars. We can use them to break line of sight!"
They split up, each taking a different route through the forest of ancient pillars. The Leader hesitated for a crucial moment, its control over its pack members wavering as it tried to track both targets. The Level 11 wolf pursued Lin Tian, while the Level 10 companions followed Zhao Lingfeng.
That moment of divided attention was all Lin Tian needed.
His sword moved like lightning, catching the [LV11 Tiger-Eyed Spirit Wolf] in mid-lunge. The blade, guided by their shared battle insight, found a vital point beneath its jaw.
[Fatal Strike! Damage: 225]
[LV11 Tiger-Eyed Spirit Wolf has been slain!]
[Experience gained:
Lin Tian: 450 (70% contribution)
Zhao Lingfeng: 200 (30% contribution)]
[Party Bonus: +195 experience each.]
[Total Experience: Lin Tian: 645 Zhao Lingfeng: 395]
[You have obtained +12 Achievement Points.]
The leader's roar shook the chamber, rage and something like grief coloring its spiritual pressure... But beneath that bestial cry, there was a shift in the spiritual energies permeating the chamber.
"Nice!" Zhao Lingfeng called out, perhaps too loudly in his excitement. The battle was going better than he'd expected. With his enhanced perception, he could track the remaining Level 10 wolf circling his pillar, its movements seemingly less coordinated now that the Leader's attention was split.
Fatal mistake.
He'd forgotten the first rule of any dungeon experience.
Never celebrate early and stay
Both remaining Level 10 wolves suddenly stopped their circling, their bodies going completely still. The Leader's spiritual pressure spiked, and in that instant, Zhao Lingfeng realized his error. The wolves' movements hadn't been less coordinated… they'd been deliberate. He'd been so focused on watching them that he'd lost track of the Leader's position.
[Boss Skill: Pack Link - Dual Sacrifice]
The two Level 10 wolves' bodies began to glow with silver energy. Their forms wavered, then burst into particles of pure spiritual energy that streamed toward the Leader like moonlight drawn to a lens.
"Lin Tian!" Zhao Lingfeng shouted in warning.
But it was too late.
The Leader absorbed its packmates' essence, its intricate silver markings bloomed across its fur like frost patterns on a winter morning. Its eyes, already frighteningly intelligent, now burned with an inner radiance that spoke of power far beyond mere bestial strength. The sacrifice of two wolves, not one, had amplified the transformation beyond anything Zhao Lingfeng had anticipated.
[Boss Evolution: Lunar Sovereign] [All stats increased by 75%] [Multiple new skills unlocked] [Dual sacrifice has triggered advanced evolution]
[BOSS] [LV13 Tiger-Eyed Spirit Wolf Leader] >> [BOSS] [LV15 Tiger-Eyed Lunar Wolf Leader]
"This..."
Zhao Lingfeng swallowed hard, watching as crystalline patterns of frost began to spread across the stone floor from where the Leader stood, more intricate and deadly than before. The very air seemed to crystallize, each breath visible as shimmering mist.
"This is significantly worse than a problem."
Lin Tian's expression remained focused, but Zhao Lingfeng could see genuine concern in his stance. "Behind me," he ordered, shifting to place himself between Zhao Lingfeng and the evolved Leader. "Its aura... it's beyond the realm of a mid-tier spirit beasts. This is approaching the power of a high-tier."
"What?! High-tier?!"
In the cultivation world, spirit beasts were categorized into three distinct tiers: low-tier, mid-tier, and high-tier.
Low-tier beasts, while often fierce, lacked the intelligence or cultivated techniques to match human cultivators of equivalent levels, relying solely on raw strength and instinct.
Mid-tier beasts were another story entirely, often possessing innate abilities or basic elemental affinities, making them formidable opponents capable of standing toe-to-toe with human cultivators at the same realm. Depending on the species, it wasn't unusual for them to fight above their level.
But High-tier beasts were a class unto themselves. With powerful bloodlines and innate talents far surpassing their lesser counterparts, they often rivalled or exceeded human cultivators several levels above their own.
The Leader's new form was magnificent and terrifying in equal measure.
Its fur rippled with moonlight, each strand seeming to contain a fragment of starlight. Twin tails of pure spiritual energy now flowed behind it, and spectral images of its sacrificed pack flickered around its form like haunting echoes. The chamber's temperature plummeted so rapidly that spirit herbs froze and shattered into spiritual dust that swirled through the air like glittering snow.
AWOOOOOO!!!!
[Boss Skill: Alpha Ice Domain]
With a great roar, the Leader's spiritual pressure expanded exponentially, pressing down on them like the weight of a frozen mountain. Zhao Lingfeng felt his knees buckle, his cultivation base trembling under the assault. Even with the Party Formation's buffs, the difference in pure power was overwhelming. This was no longer a battle between cultivators and spirit beasts. It was like ants challenging the moon itself.
[Continuous Damage from Spiritual Pressure: 25 per second]
[Movement Speed reduced by 30%]
[Attack Speed reduced by 20%]
[Spiritual Energy Regeneration reduced by 30%]
[Frost accumulation: Moderate]
"We need to move!" Lin Tian shouted, grabbing Zhao Lingfeng's arm as he was reading new emerged effects caused by the unleashed boss skill. "Its spiritual pressure is—"
The [BOSS] [LV15 Tiger-Eyed Lunar Wolf Leader] moved.
One moment it stood twenty paces away, the next it was directly before them, its massive form leaving trails of starlight in its wake. Lin Tian's sword came up, enhanced reflexes letting him barely deflect its claws. But the Leader's attack had been a feint. No, worse than that. It had been the setup for a devastating combination.
Its twin tails, now wrapped in crystalline spiritual energy, swept around in opposing arcs while its claws continued their assault. Spectral wolves manifested from its aura, lunging from impossible angles.
[Boss Skill: Frost Moon's Embrace]
Lin Tian managed to dodge the physical attacks, his movements still graceful despite the spiritual pressure weighing him down. But the spectral wolves passed through his defences like ghosts, their touch spreading frost across his limbs.
Zhao Lingfeng, less experienced and slower to react, faced the full brunt of the Leader's tail sweep. Even through the Newbie Armor Amulet's protection, the impact was devastating. He felt ribs crack as he was sent flying backward, ice spreading across his robes where the attack had connected.
[Damage: -475]
[Severe Frost Effect Applied: Movement Speed further reduced by 15%]
[Armor Amulet Durability: 65%]
His back slammed into a pillar, vision blurring from the impact. Through the haze of pain, he saw his Health Bar that had been relatively healthy instantly drop to orange and almost to the red. In the corner of his eye, he could see Lin Tian's expression shift from focused concentration to genuine alarm.
That moment of distraction cost him.
The Leader's claws raked across Lin Tian's shoulder. The wound immediately began to frost over, ice spreading down his arm with frightening speed.
[Damage to Lin Tian: -385]
[Severe Frost Effect Applied.]
[Spiritual Energy Leech: Active]
"Stay back!" Lin Tian called out as Zhao Lingfeng struggled to his feet, fumbling for one of Zhao Lingfeng's healing elixirs he had given during the journey.
"Its strength... this isn't something we can handle with direct confrontation anymore. Each attack isn't just dealing damage. It's draining our spiritual energy and spreading this cursed frost."
The Leader prowled between them, its movements utterly silent despite its massive size. The chamber had become its domain, a crystalline arena of ice and shadow where every surface reflected its otherworldly power. Its eyes focused on Zhao Lingfeng. Perhaps it recognized him as the weaker target, or maybe understanding that his death would break their mysterious bond.
Zhao Lingfeng's fingers finally closed around an elixir vial, but his hands shook so badly from the cold that he nearly dropped it. The Leader's spiritual pressure was making it difficult even to circulate his Qi properly, and the frost spreading across his body felt like it was reaching into his very core.
"Any other brilliant strategies?" Lin Tian asked, his voice tight with pain as he fought against the spreading frost. "Because I don't think we can survive another combination like that."
"I'm thinking..." Zhao Lingfeng managed through chattering teeth. He raised the elixir to his lips.
The Leader's eyes narrowed, moonlight gathering around its form once more. The spectral wolves circling it began to howl, their ethereal voices carrying notes of both beauty and despair. The very air seemed to thicken as spiritual energy condensed into visible streams of silver light, all flowing toward the Leader's form.
[Boss Ultimate Skill Charging: Lunar Eclipse - Twin Moons Convergence]