Chapter 18: Ambush
On the Mountain Peak
Atop a towering peak within the Destruction Mountain Range, Dongbo Xueying and Zong Ling crouched, scanning the distant landscape.
"Uncle Zong," Dongbo Xueying asked, "we've been searching the Destruction Mountain Range for twelve days now, but there's still no sign of the Scimitar Alliance."
"The Scimitar Alliance always flees into this region whenever they're being pursued," Zong Ling replied. "Based on years of gathered intelligence, the area we've been searching should be correct."
The primary goal of their journey into the Destruction Mountain Range was to hunt down the Scimitar Alliance.
The bandit group had terrorized the Yishui Territory for far too long, raiding and pillaging before retreating back into the mountains. Over time, sightings and reports had helped pinpoint their general location.
The camp outside the mountains had also been strategically chosen.
From their base camp, they had mapped out a search area of 500 li within the mountain range. Dongbo Xueying and Zong Ling were almost certain that the Scimitar Alliance was hiding somewhere in this area.
"Their men have been moving through this region for years, meaning they must have a safe, well-hidden path they always use," Zong Ling explained. "But this is still the Destruction Mountain Range—magical beasts roam everywhere, so they wouldn't venture too deep. Otherwise, they'd take seven or eight hours just to travel in and out of their hideout. They don't move as fast as we do, and many of them aren't even knights."
"We'll find them," Zong Ling assured. "It's just a matter of time."
Dongbo Xueying nodded.
Even though 500 li might not seem vast, searching it thoroughly with just the two of them was an incredibly difficult task.
The Scimitar Alliance would have chosen a hideout that was extremely well-hidden.
The Search Continues
The two of them continued cautiously scouting the area. They occasionally encountered magical beasts, but Dongbo Xueying's explosive strength allowed him to temporarily reach the level of a Silver Moon Knight. Combined with his exceptional spear techniques, they were able to fend off any threats.
After all, Tier-4 magical beasts rarely appeared in the outer regions of the mountain range.
A Fateful Encounter
The forest was dark and cold, with eternal snow covering the ground. A chilling mist drifted through the air.
Dongbo Xueying and Zong Ling moved carefully, scanning their surroundings for any trace of the Scimitar Alliance.
"Hmm?"
Dongbo Xueying's ears twitched.
"Uncle Zong, let's check over there." He pointed toward a distant highland.
"You heard something?" Zong Ling asked as they stealthily moved forward.
"You'll see soon enough," Dongbo Xueying replied.
They cautiously climbed the high ground, keeping their movements silent.
Peering over the edge, they finally saw—
A massive lake.
The water was a deep emerald green, as clear and beautiful as jade. But what caught their attention was what lay beside it—
A vast pack of wolves.
The snow-white wolves were gathered in massive numbers, spread across the lakeshore. Some were drinking from the water, while others rested lazily on the snow-dusted grass.
At a glance, there had to be at least two or three hundred of them.
Each of these wolves was far larger than the Black-Scaled Jackals, their muscular bodies resembling those of Frost Warhorses. Their snow-white fur gleamed under the dim light, giving them a majestic, almost ethereal appearance.
"Silver Moon Wolves!" Zong Ling swallowed hard, his face slightly pale.
"And there's the Wolf King," Dongbo Xueying muttered, his gaze locking onto the largest wolf at the far end of the pack.
The Silver Moon Wolf King lay half-reclined near the lake, surrounded by over a dozen larger-than-normal Silver Moon Wolves.
"I can't believe we actually ran into the Wolf King," Dongbo Xueying murmured, letting out a bitter smile.
"Forget it. We can't fight them," Zong Ling shook his head. "Not even a chance."
Dongbo Xueying stared at the scene before him.
He was right.
There wasn't even a sliver of hope.
Just from their size alone, the Silver Moon Wolves were far stronger than the Black-Scaled Jackals.
Each Silver Moon Wolf weighed nearly 8,000 jin, and when they charged, their impact force would exceed tens of thousands of jin.
Dongbo Xueying could easily sweep away four or five Black-Scaled Jackals with a single spear swing.
But against Silver Moon Wolves?
At most, he'd be able to knock one aside.
And with over two or three hundred of them…
Even three or five Meteor Knights would be torn apart instantly.
Not to mention the Silver Moon Wolf King itself.
"Maybe if I use my footwork and agility, I could limit how many wolves attack me at once," Dongbo Xueying calculated.
"But… with the Wolf King commanding them, things won't go as smoothly as I hope. The moment something goes wrong, I'll be trapped and killed."
"Let's go," he finally decided.
Dongbo Xueying had spent enough time in the Destruction Mountain Range to understand how dangerous these beasts were.
Fighting the entire Silver Moon Wolf pack?
The chance of victory was less than 10%.
The chance of dying?
70 to 80%.
Not worth the risk.
Three Days Later
Dongbo Xueying and Zong Ling continued their tireless search for the Scimitar Alliance's hideout.
"Damn it… these bandits really know how to hide," Dongbo Xueying muttered, frustrated. It had been half a month, and they had searched nearly the entire 500-li area twice.
"They're afraid," Zong Ling chuckled. "Afraid of being discovered."
"Xueying, you're still too impatient. Back in the day, your Uncle Tong, your father, your mother, and I spent over three months searching for a hidden treasure."
"Did you find it?" Dongbo Xueying asked.
"Nope," Zong Ling replied.
"...You didn't find it?" Dongbo Xueying blinked in surprise. He had expected Zong Ling to tell a story about some great discovery.
Zong Ling laughed. "Why? Is that strange? Do you think searching for treasure always means finding it? In reality, most things in life don't go the way we want them to."
Dongbo Xueying fell silent, pondering those words.
Indeed.
Most things in life don't go as planned.
Though he prided himself on his intelligence—managing finances, perfecting training techniques, and mastering strategy—he still lacked wisdom when it came to life's greater truths.
They continued their search.
And at that moment—
A shadowy figure stood silently on the thick branch of a towering tree, staring down at Dongbo Xueying and Zong Ling.
Yet neither of them noticed it.
Whoosh.
The four-legged beast leaped silently onto another tree, its gaze never leaving its prey.
Even with Dongbo Xueying's heightened senses, he failed to detect its presence.
It had a sleek, streamlined body, about the size of a Black-Scaled Jackal.
But its fur shimmered like satin, and its form seemed to blend with the shadows, as if its body were nothing more than an illusion.
This was one of the deadliest hunters in the Destruction Mountain Range—
A Tier-5 magical beast: The Shadow Panther.
A terrifying predator.
It moved silently through the shadows, unseen and undetected.
And when it revealed its fangs—
Its prey was already dead.
The Shadow Panther – A Nightmare in the Dark
The Shadow Panther—a terrifying predator.
It moved silently through the shadows, unseen and undetected.
By the time its fangs were revealed—its prey was already dead.
It was one of the top killers in the Destruction Mountain Range.
The legendary Tier-6 Shadow Panther King was even more terrifying—it could completely merge with the shadows, becoming invisible to the naked eye, no matter how hard one tried to spot it.
Huff, huff, huff…
The Shadow Panther crept closer, its sharp gaze locked onto the black-clad youth.
As a born predator, it could sense danger—and it knew that the black-clad youth was far more threatening than the silver-haired serpent man beside him.
Kill the youth first—then everything else would be easy.
"Swoosh!"
A murderous glint flashed in the Shadow Panther's dull gray eyes as it pounced forward!
A gray blur streaked through the air—
Too fast!
Even at his absolute top speed, Dongbo Xueying was nowhere near as fast as the Shadow Panther.
This was the frightening speed that even Silver Moon Knights dreaded.
"Huh?!"
Walking alongside his uncle, Dongbo Xueying's face changed drastically.
Every hair on his body stood on end, his heart clenched violently—
A deadly instinct screamed in his mind.
"DIE!"
There was no time to turn around—
No time for a proper defense—
He could only lunge forward while thrusting his spear backward in a desperate counterattack!
Even without proper positioning, the butt of his spear struck out with immense force—
Against an ordinary Tier-4 magical beast, this attack would have been enough to repel it.
But his enemy wasn't ordinary—
This was a Tier-5 Shadow Panther.
The beast's razor-sharp claws slammed down onto the spear shaft, pressing it down.
At the same time—
Using the rebound force, the Shadow Panther twisted its body mid-air and raked its claws viciously across Dongbo Xueying's back!
A terrifying impact struck his body—
Sending him flying forward.
"BANG!"
However—
At the exact moment the Shadow Panther's claws clashed with his spear, Dongbo Xueying—a near-master of the spear arts—instinctively borrowed the momentum!
His spear twisted mid-air, shifting 180 degrees—
CRACK!
The whipping strike slammed directly into the Shadow Panther's side!
The beast crashed onto the ground—
But its soft, boneless body instantly absorbed the impact, allowing it to roll back and retreat with eerie agility.
Meanwhile—
Dongbo Xueying twisted his body mid-flight, flipping in the air before landing in a crouch.
His grip tightened around his spear, his fierce gaze locked onto the Shadow Panther.
A sharp pain spread through his back—his organs trembled from the force of the blow.
A metallic taste filled his mouth.
"Pfft."
He spat out blood, his teeth now stained crimson.
But his eyes never left the Shadow Panther.