Huang Wuguang had no idea that someone was preparing to stab him in the back.
He remained in place, calm and steady, awaiting the oncoming charge of the Iron Fang Wolf Pack.
Drawn by Liu Kong deliberate provocation, the pack soon spotted Huang Wuguang standing alone ahead. They let out vicious snarls and surged forward, hell-bent on tearing apart these two humans who dared trespass into their territory.
As the wolves entered the range of the star formation, Huang Wuguang suddenly crouched down, palms pressed to the ground.
"Star Formation—Earth Spike Legion"
The moment the formation activated, countless stone spears erupted from the ground before him, growing rapidly toward the wolf pack like a wave of death.
The leading Iron Fang Wolves couldn't react in time. Several of them were instantly impaled by the rising spears, their bodies skewered and lifeless before they hit the ground.
The rest of the wolves screeched to a halt, unsure of how to proceed.
But the Earthspike Legion assault wasn't just from the front—it encircled from all directions. The entire wolf pack was already within its killing range.
At that moment, a larger and more menacing IronFang Wolf leapt out from among the group.
Its size and aura far surpassed the others—it was the Iron Fang Wolf King.
"Hmph. Even a Iron Fang Wolf King must die!" Huang Wuguang snorted coldly, his eyes sharp and merciless.
Under his control, the stone spears continued to grow wildly, skewering wolves from multiple angles without pause.
The Iron Fang Wolf King let out a mournful howl.
A gray light began to gather in its mouth.
Then—whoosh—a silver-gray, crescent-shaped energy slash erupted from its maw, a meter long, tearing through the air straight toward Huang Wuguang.
The spears in its path shattered instantly. Nothing could stop the Tooth Blade, the awakened superpower of the Wolf King.
Huang Wuguang face remained disdainful.
A layer of earthy-yellow star power coated his body, and within seconds, a thick set of rocky armor materialized around him.
"Superpower—Earth Armor"
He had fought this beast before—he knew how to handle it.
The Tooth Blade struck the armor, carving a deep gash into the stone. But it didn't break through. Just a few breaths later, the armor reformed, good as new.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Iron Fang Wolves were being massacred. Huang Wuguang Earth spike Legion carved through their numbers, and from the flank, Zhang Yirong unleashed blazing Flame Burst, incinerating wolves one after another.
In mere moments, over sixty wolves had been reduced to a ragged two dozen.
The Iron Fang Wolf King howled again, preparing for one final desperate charge.
Just as victory seemed certain—the Earth spike Legion formation suddenly collapsed. The remaining wolves hesitated only briefly before surging forward again.
"What the hell!?" Huang Wuguang was stunned.
He turned quickly to Liu Kong, who looked equally confused.
"I swear I buried the formation properly! No way anyone found it…"
But there was no time to figure out why.
Twenty-plus wolves were already closing in.
Huang Wuguang pulled two Star Power Recovery Potions from his pack, popped them open, and downed them in one gulp, replenishing his depleted power.
And in the distance—Gu Zhen, hidden within the tall grass, silently observed.
Everything that had just unfolded...was his doing.
He didn't want one side to completely crush the other. What he sought was mutual destruction. Only then could he swoop in and reap the benefits like a patient fisherman.
Seeing the three overwhelmed by the wolves, Gu Zhen didn't rush to reveal himself. Instead, he crept silently toward another pair of hidden cultivators nearby.
He was the fisherman—and only he would be left to profit from this chaos.
No one else would walk away.
With the three under siege by a group of over twenty first-rank star beasts and one second-rank beast, Huang Wuguang couldn't hold back anymore. He began calling out:
"Hey! There are only a couple dozen Iron Fang Wolves left. If we join forces, we can take them all down!"
"I swear—you'll all get double the original reward!"
"The Iron 3Fang Wolves hold grudges. If the Wolf King remembers your scent, it'll hunt you down every time you set foot in this forest."
"You really think you'll never come back here again?!"
Between the threats and promises, three cultivators began hesitating, eventually stepping forward.
Eventually, three hesitated and prepared to move.
"Three times the pay! Then we'll help!"
Before Huang Wuguang could respond, Gu Zhen voice rang out—he wasn't about to let other help arrive that easily.
Taking advantage of the moment, he joined the negotiation.
Huang Wuguang was furious, but he had no choice.
"Fine! Three times! Help us and I'll personally guarantee your reward!"
"Hold on—three times was his offer. I want four! We're risking our lives here. Don't lowball us."
Someone else, eyes full of greed, added their voice to the mix.
Even Gu Zhen couldn't help but give that guy a silent thumbs-up. Based on the voice, he also locked onto the location of another two hidden enemies.
Hearing the rising demands, the three hunters who had been ready to step in hesitated again.
Huang Wuguang gritted his teeth. "Fine. Four times the reward. I swear on my life."
But no one responded.
As the three defenders faltered under the wolves assault, three more cultivators could no longer sit still. They jumped out and began attacking the wolves.
Gu Zhen waited a beat longer—then followed.
Behind him, two still-warm corpses lay crumpled in the grass.
He'd used his split superpower to sever one arm, wielded a short alloy dagger, and assassinated one from behind—then quickly finished off the second.
Though Gu Zhen appeared from another direction, the three in the middle of battle didn't think too much—there was no time.
Now, only about a dozen Iron Dang Wolves and the Wolf King remained. Though wounded, Huang Wuguang and the others were still strong—killing them wouldn't be easy.
And now with three more star warriors aiding them? Even harder.
That's when Gu Zhen eyes landed on the Wolf King, currently charging up another Tooth Blade.
An idea flashed through his mind.
Without hesitation, he sprinted directly into the wolf pack, joining Huang Wuguang and the others.
"You've helped us a lot! Once this is over, I promise I'll make good on my word!" Huang Wuguang called out gratefully.
When Huang Wuguang saw that Gu Zhen ignored the danger and rushed directly into the encirclement of the wolves, he immediately spoke sincerely and earnestly.
Gu Zhen had a blank expression on his face as he watched the Iron-Fang Wolf King every move.
At the moment when the Iron-fang Wolf King spit out the tooth blade, He immediately stood in front of the three people.
The silver-gray crescent-shaped attack directly cut through Gu Zhen body, cutting him into two halves.
Blood immediately flowed out from the wound, staining the ground red.