The Thorne of Destiny-Chapter 164: Flame Wolves
Adrian realized that these disciples had an agenda. Sure enough, as soon as they caught their breath, the one who had placed his arm around him previously did the same thing and began speaking in a hushed voice.
"Listen, friend, we actually found something interesting in this region. There is actually Vermillion Spirit Grass in this region."
Adrian’s pupils shrank imperceptibly. A Rank 4 herb. Information from his inheritance flashed into his mind. This grass was one that could temper fire Qi, stabilize Golden Cores, and even be used to assist in Nascent Soul breakthroughs if refined properly.
The allure of it for magic beasts couldn’t be understated. With it, a Rank 3 beast could raise its rank if it consumed it.
His gaze flickered past them.
Sure enough, nestled between the roots of a massive tree was a single stalk of deep crimson grass, its edges glowing faintly like embers. The surrounding area was scorched, and faint claw marks were etched into the ground.
"Problem is," the disciple continued casually, "it’s guarded by a pack of flame wolves. Annoying little things. Fast. Persistent."
Adrian’s eyes narrowed. He had a vague premonition of what they now wanted with him.
Seeing the change in Adrian’s expression, the disciples of the Cloudcrest Sect all revealed cruel smiles. They didn’t bother hiding their intention at this point.
"Don’t be so gloomy. All we need you to do is draw their attention away from the Vermillion Spirit Grass. After we secure the grass, we’ll definitely come to help you."
"So, friend, will you help us?" he asked, with his arm tightening around Adrian’s neck. It was a small movement, but the threat within it hung in the air. While he framed it as a question, it was obvious that Adrian couldn’t refuse.
Seeing Adrian not saying anything, they patted his back with hushed but delighted voices."Great, great. Then thank you in advance, friend," they said, deliberately dragging out the last word.
Without waiting for him to respond, he pushed Adrian out into the open, near the spot where the Vermillion Spirit Grass was.
As soon as he was out in the open, Adrian knew there was no way to escape this predicament. If he tried to run away, he would be immediately attacked by the disciples hiding behind the boulder.
Fortunately or unfortunately, Adrian hadn’t seen any beasts up until this point. The region around the Vermillion Spirit Grass was eerily silent. It wasn’t until he stepped past a particular tree and saw the claw marks on the trees that he realized he had entered the territory of magic beasts.
Sure enough, the low howl of a wolf was heard, and the flame wolves emerged from the trees. There were seven of them. Three at Rank 2, three at Rank 3, and the last one...
The aura of the last one seemed to be above the third rank. It seemed to have reached Rank 4. Adrian had initially wondered why such a valuable herb as the Vermillion Spirit Grass had not been snatched up by the resident magic beasts.
Such a valuable herb should have been snatched up immediately after it had emerged, especially since it seemed to be in the territory of the flame wolf magic beasts.
However, upon seeing the condition of the Rank 4 flame wolf, he immediately had his answer. Its aura, though powerful, was very unstable. It was injured. Consuming the Vermillion Spirit Grass in this condition would be counterproductive.
If it did so right now, rather than help it, it might actually harm it. To consume a Rank 4 herb, it needed to be in tip-top condition to maximize the benefits. If not, it might actually aggravate its injury even further.
The Rank 4 wolf was most likely waiting to heal its injuries before consuming the herb. However, figuring out this information did nothing for him in his current situation.
Facing the gazes of the seven magic beasts, Adrian found himself locked on by their collective aura. He could ignore the gazes of the Rank 2 beasts. However, the murderous aura from the Rank 3 and Rank 4 flame wolves was suffocating.
Without hesitation, he bolted, running away as fast as his body could carry him. He was not currently using the Astral Steps, as he didn’t want to expose it to the disciples of the Cloudcrest Sect.
Even without that, his speed surpassed what a normal Foundation Establishment cultivator could manifest.
WHOOSH!
His body flashed through the woods, disappearing between the scorched black bark and crimson grass. Sure enough, the flame wolves took the bait. Six red figures blurred after him, chasing him into the woods.
The three Rank 3 wolves were naturally the fastest and were immediately on his tail. Even the Rank 2 wolves, though lagging behind, were following closely.
"Damn it! The most troublesome one is still there!" one of the disciples of the Cloudcrest Sect cursed. The plan was simple: to use Adrian to draw the flame wolves away from their base.
They were not really worried about the other flame wolves. Even the Rank 3 flame wolves were all at the initial stage of the rank. Normally, it would have been easy for them to tackle them.
Each one of them could face a wolf on their own, and with their superior numbers, they would be able to gang up on them easily. Of course, that was disregarding the Rank 2 flame wolves.
However, the Rank 4 flame wolf was a different issue. Even if they ganged up on it, they would not be able to beat it. They were thinking about how they were going to deal with the issue when they stumbled upon Adrian.
That was when they had the brilliant idea to use him to lure the wolves away. They didn’t really care about the others, since the main target of the plan was the Rank 4 wolf, but who could have predicted that it would not take the bait?
Out of all the wolves, the Rank 4 wolf was the one they needed to lure the most. However, perhaps because it was injured, or because it thought its pack was enough to hunt the "weak" Adrian, it didn’t bother chasing him.
It just lay down beside the tree where the Vermillion Spirit Grass was growing, while gazing longingly at the herb. Seeing the wolf settle down, the disciples of the Cloudcrest Sect could only curse in frustration.
Meanwhile, Adrian was still being chased by the six flame wolves. He didn’t have much of a head start, and with the speed of the Rank 3 wolves, the distance between them was rapidly reducing.
Just as the flame wolves were getting a little too close for comfort—
WHOOSH!
His figure vanished, only to reappear in the distance. The flame wolves, who thought they were about to gain a free meal, could only open their jaws in shock as they watched their prey vanish from their sight.
Adrian, who had just executed Astral Steps, didn’t slow down. Rather, he sped up his escape attempts, making the wolves continue to chase him even more fervently.
If they were not able to capture even a weak Foundation Establishment cultivator, they would not have the face to return to face the Alpha Flame Wolf.
The chase did not last long when a loud roar resounded in the distance.
ROAR!!!
The loud roar shook the trees and scared the birds perched on them. Hearing the roar, Adrian’s face changed. He was still stumped on how he would lose these wolves when an even more dangerous foe appeared.
From the roar alone, he could tell that the magic beast was at least Rank 4. He and the flame wolves chasing him were definitely not its match. Perhaps only the Alpha Wolf would be able to match it.
Just as Adrian was planning on changing his course to avoid this new foe, he spotted it in the distance. This new challenger was a huge bear that stood at around four meters tall.
Its fur was a mixture of matte brown and dark red, providing a pleasing visual contrast. However, its beauty was the farthest thing from Adrian’s mind.
"Ember Earth Bear!"
He blurted out in surprise. The Rank 4 beast was actually an Ember Earth Bear! The Ember Earth Bear was a relatively rare type of magic beast. What made it rare was its affinity to more than one element.
The Ember Earth Bear had an affinity for the earth and fire elements. Finding it in a place like the Crimson Forest was actually not too surprising. However, for the current Adrian, who was currently in a dilemma, he didn’t have the time to ponder this.
What made the Ember Earth Bear a fearsome beast was its affinity for two elements. Because of the earth and fire elements, its defense and explosive damage were far more than those of a normal magic beast.
At Rank 4, a magic beast equivalent to a Nascent Soul cultivator would be able to defeat one with little difficulty. The Ember Earth Bear, whose power eclipsed that of a normal Rank 4 beast—one could only imagine how powerful it was.
