Hooooowl!
Wolf howls echoed endlessly from Cloudford. Borisin wolf soldiers from the Moon-Eater and Black-Claw clans roared with excitement.
Undoubtedly, these were the forces dispatched by the Borisin to rescue Hoolay, simultaneously sow chaos on the Xianzhou, disrupt the Luminary Wardance, and disgrace the Alliance's prestige across the universe. They had used special elixirs to disguise their forms and infiltrate the Xianzhou.
Now, they gathered here at Cloudford, the Xianzhou's portal, gazing with equally fervent eyes at the giant wolfman confined within custom-made restraints.
He slowly opened his scarlet, ferocious wolf eyes, filled with hunger and life's most primal ferocity. Though shackled and scarred, looking incredibly weak, nothing could conceal the domineering aura that inspired dread, making onlookers tremble just at the sight.
"Lord Hoolay!" The leading Borisin commander, called Modu, gazed with incredible fervor at this legendary leader of the Borisin, whom he had only just met but was already awed by. His words overflowed with indescribable reverence.
"My first meal upon regaining freedom... is the flesh of my own kin..." Hoolay slowly broke free from the now-powerless shackles, his wounds healing at a visible rate. He remarked with deep feeling, a mournful tone unburdened by other emotions. He looked at Modu: "Child of Dulan, was it you who freed me?"
"Yes, Lord Hoolay!" Modu exclaimed fervently, his voice thick with anger, contempt, and a hint of relief. "We originally planned meticulously to rescue you from the Shackling Prison, but unexpectedly, these foolish, cowardly Xianzhou people actually tried to transfer you! It was only because of this that we were able to rescue you."
According to their intelligence, Lord Hoolay was being transferred to the Shackling Prison on the neighboring Yaoqing—the Xianzhou ruled by those slave beasts. This naturally filled Modu with immense fear.
Of course, it wasn't that he feared the Yaoqing itself.
Although the Yaoqing indeed held considerable sway over the Borisin, if they dared infiltrate the Luofu to rescue Hoolay, what was there to fear about infiltrating the Yaoqing, a Xianzhou ruled by Foxians—their former slaves? It was just that, compared to the Luofu—more open during the Wardance, riddled with internal agents and troubles—infiltrating the battle-hardened Yaoqing presented a whole different level of difficulty.
Fortunately, their intelligence network on the Luofu proved effective, successfully thwarting the Xianzhou's scheme. Otherwise, Modu couldn't bear to imagine the devastation of leading his Borisin subordinates on a major operation into the Shackling Prison, eager to free Warleader Hoolay, only to discover—surprise!—Hoolay had already been moved! Borisin do not fear death, but they reject meaningless sacrifice, and they certainly refuse to die like circus clowns being played for fools.
"Under Dulan's protection, we have finally welcomed your return, Warleader Hoolay!" Modu proclaimed with fervent hope. "The Borisin will surely rise to glory again under your leadership, driving out and slaughtering these Xianzhou slave beasts!"
But Hoolay did not share his enthusiasm. Instead, after questioning Modu about certain details, he fell silent.
Modu, though puzzled, didn't dwell on it, nor did he dare disturb Hoolay's contemplation. He could only carefully urge Hoolay to act. However, after examining the surrounding mechanical guards and the remains of Cloud Knights—mostly mechanical—Hoolay uttered a sharp rebuke that confused Modu even more:
"Foolish!"
"You've fallen into a trap!" Hoolay snapped, voice thick with annoyance and dissatisfaction.
Though he looked rough and imposing, suggesting brawn over brain, as the one who united the entire Borisin and became their legendary Warleader, he was naturally far from brainless.
On the contrary, his wisdom rivaled his martial strength. It should be known that wisdom is also one of the standards by which Borisin measure strength. After learning the details of the operation from Modu and considering his own transfer by the Xianzhou, the combined intelligence was enough to make this legendary Borisin Warleader see red.
Dammit, this is purely a setup!
"Those Xianzhou people transferred me specifically to lure you out!"
"And you idiots didn't even realize it!"
Clap~ Clap~ Clap~
Clear clapping echoed through the air. Hoolay and the Borisin turned towards the sound. A short, brown-haired girl in green clothes was perched high above, having appeared there at some point. She clapped her hands, a bright smile on her face.
"Correct~"
"But, no prize for you."
"Xianzhou slave beast?!"
"When did she get there!?"
"Get her!" The Borisin soldiers were furious, ready to attack. However, Hoolay merely grunted, and they instantly fell silent, though their fierce eyes still burned with murderous intent, wishing to tear 'her' to pieces.
"Xianzhou slave beast, state your name."
"'Slave beast, slave beast'... so rude... Oh well, you're Borisin, I suppose I can't expect much civility." [Qingque] feigned slight annoyance but quickly recovered her smile, looking down casually and speaking methodically: "Me... for now, just call me Qingque."
"As for you, no need for introductions."
"After all, the name of the Borisin Warleader Hoolay is practically legendary, even featured in the Luofu academy textbooks."
"Was this trap set by you?"
"Sort of. There was quite a bit of debate among the Generals about it, you see." [Qingque] scratched her cheek, admitting it with slight helplessness.
Jiang Qiao had known the Borisin would infiltrate by using elixirs to change their forms, but preventing it during the open Luminary Wardance was difficult. Combined with the Luofu's numerous internal agents and vast size, preventative measures seemed impossible short of canceling the event entirely.
But that was clearly not an option. Doing so would mean the Borisin achieved part of their goal—damaging the Alliance's prestige—even if Hoolay wasn't rescued. The purpose of the Wardance was precisely to showcase the Luofu's might to the universe; canceling or delaying out of fear was politically unacceptable.
Since prevention wasn't feasible, the strategy shifted. Thus, [Qingque] proposed a plan to 'lure the snake out of its hole' during discussions with the Generals. Jing Yuan actually had similar thoughts, but their approaches differed.
In the original scenario where Hoolay had already escaped, Jing Yuan could only reactively apply pressure. [Qingque]'s plan, however, was to proactively use the 'transfer of Hoolay' as bait to draw out the hidden Borisin on the Luofu, gather them, and eliminate them all at once.
This was naturally a much bolder, riskier proposal, difficult for Jing Yuan to accept despite his open-mindedness. If Hoolay was successfully rescued, the consequences would be severe—capturing the infiltrated Borisin wouldn't compensate, and the Foxians within the Alliance would be furious.
Yet, the plan was ultimately greenlit.
The reason was simple and hard to refuse: Phantylia's attack on the Shackling Prison proved it was no longer secure. The optimal solution became transferring Hoolay to a safer location.
Conveniently, the Foxian-led Xianzhou Yaoqing was right next door. It became perfectly logical for the Foxians to demand Hoolay be moved from the compromised Luofu to the more secure Yaoqing for safety reasons—precisely to mitigate risk. Since the transfer itself was inherently risky, why not exploit that risk?
Though Jing Yuan still harbored reservations, Feixiao enthusiastically supported the plan.
She backed [Qingque] and even teased Jing Yuan, "Your Luofu's 'closed-eyed' General is too inflexible. Why don't you come back to the Yaoqing with me? We need talent like you!" This blatant attempt to poach the Luofu's promising talent while dealing with Hoolay naturally put Jing Yuan on high alert, solidifying his resolve to secure [Qingque]'s position at the Seat of the Divine Foresight once the dust settled.
"Impressive wisdom, but wisdom without strength is mere cunning." Hoolay rumbled. "Qingque, to dare come alone to face the descendant of Dulan, the leader of the Borisin... your courage matches your cunning."
"Strange thing to say. Does that mean... without your underlings, you wouldn't dare fight me?" [Qingque] countered. "I recall you Borisin follow the creed of 'strength above all'."
"Provocation is useless against the descendants of Dulan... However, Qingque, your courage does earn my notice." A deep, steady rumble underscored Hoolay's thunderous roar: "Stand down! This Xianzhou whelp is mine! Since you seek death, I don't mind sending you personally. The bloodline of Dulan never fears a challenge!"
He drew the war blade Modu had brought for him. The heavy metal struck the ground, showering sparks, accompanied by a palpable killing intent.
"Ah?" [Qingque] blinked, looking slightly helpless. "Um... I think you might have misunderstood something." Her smiling face gradually turned neutral, composed. 'She' spoke in an utterly dismissive tone:
"Don't misunderstand, Hoolay."
"You're the one challenging me."
The moment these words left her lips, the Borisin soldiers, led by Modu, erupted in fury, their faces contorted with rage.
"Insolence! How dare you speak so disrespectfully to Lord Hoolay!"
"Lord Hoolay, let me tear this Xianzhou slave beast apart!"
"Awooo!"
"Stand down!" Hoolay commanded, a clear edge of anger in his voice now. "Qingque, I hope your strength matches your courage! Draw your weapon. At least try to last more than a moment against me."
"Ah? Oh, that won't be necessary."
"?"
"Although having a weapon might indeed be better generally," [Qingque] mused, "against you, I'd rather not use one."
"?"
"After all..."
"You're quite weak."
The girl smiled brightly.
The undisguised contempt in her words seemed to snap a thread in Hoolay's mind. He, who had maintained a semblance of dignity, intending to grant a 'fair' duel and slowly crush the Xianzhou girl's spirit, felt something break.
Since becoming the Borisin Warleader, he had endured countless insults—Hoolay never cared; true powerhouses disregard the opinions of the weak. But today, facing this seemingly unremarkable, frail Xianzhou girl, he finally experienced true fury, absolute, unadulterated rage.
"INSOLENCE!!!" Hoolay roared, his voice cracking with fury. "I will grind your bones to dust, one by one! Again, and again!"
Eyes blazing crimson, amidst the enraged howls of the Borisin wolf soldiers, Hoolay, who had previously maintained his reason, instantly snapped into his berserk state, triggering the Borisin's unique racial talent: Moon-Rage.
For ordinary Borisin, activating this state has numerous restrictions. But for Hoolay, who harbored the Crimson Moon within his heart, it was effortless. This ability, typically a double-edged sword for Borisin, was remarkably controllable in his hands.
Valuing intellect, Hoolay rarely used this power, reserving the trade of reason for strength for moments of desperation, or when the bloodlust took him, demanding slaughter.
But now, facing [Qingque], the overwhelming rage forcibly triggered Moon-Rage. And it was his desire—he would use this gift of Dulan to utterly crush this arrogant Xianzhou whelp!
He discarded the war blade instantly. Claws were the Borisin's true weapons, and Hoolay's claws were sharp enough to slice metal and shatter jade—truly, claws like blades.
Yet... the arrogant girl merely maintained that infuriating, contemptuous smile.
His claws, tearing through the air with a sonic boom, lashed out, aiming to rip her in two.
Yet, in the instant before his claws reached their target, something imperceptible happened. Hoolay, consumed by the desire to shred her, suddenly found his blood-red vision tilting, spinning, turning upside down.
When his sight focused again, all he saw was the elegant mask hanging at the girl's waist.
...?
As his vision slowly cleared, staring fixedly at the mask, Hoolay—moments ago consumed by rage, desiring only to tear the arrogant Xianzhou whelp to pieces—now felt only utter confusion.
...What just happened?