Immortal Obsession

35 - Scouts

On foot, traversing the pass can take an average of nine days. Since they had decided to board their horses in town due to the concentrated numbers of predators in the pass, this was how long Lu Yong estimated it would take them. After that, it would be another 2 weeks of hard travel to reach the temple, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Their first night had been uneventful, as the town ran regular patrols to keep the spirit beasts at bay. However, just beyond that safety-zone lay the known territory of the Crescent Wolves, a species well documented by cultivators.

Crescent Wolves were spirit beasts of average cultivation. Hunting packs ranged between Mid-Qi Gathering to Early Foundation Building and were at least two times larger, stronger, and smarter than normal wolves. In keeping with their name, this particular species had their strength, stamina, and pack abilities enhanced under the crescent moon. Their normal coloration ranged from grey to midnight black, with black being the most common. Each pack member was marked by a crescent shape of white fur nestled between their ears.

In addition, Crescent Wolves cultivated Ice qi, which made attacks like Lu Yong's less effective against them. Thankfully, his cultivation level gave him the advantage despite this. They had two main pack techniques. One being the 'Moonlit Call', which causes terror in cultivators below Foundation Building, rendering them mad and unable to attack or defend. The other technique is 'Shared Moonlight', which transfers qi from the individual members to the pack leader for instant use.

The information they had gotten in town was that the current Crescent Wolf Pack had recently undergone a leadership change. Their new pack leader, having reached Core Formation Level, could strategize with human intelligence and even take human form for short periods of time. He was said to have a pure white coat with a silver crescent and brilliant golden eyes. This fierce leader was known to actively hunt cultivators to increase his own cultivation, as the consumption of cultivators for spirit beasts was like humans consuming a spirit beast core.

He was called Yue Guang, and he had become a legend amongst the townsfolk.

As evening began its slow transition into night, Wu Chen and Lu Yong were just finishing setting up their campsite on the banks of the sluggish Jingshen River. Lu Yong had already cast Concealment and Protection arrays, but was allowing Wu Chen to set up the Sound Barrier to get more experience in its creation.

They did not light a fire at this campsite. There were very few trees within the pass, as it was more in keeping with an elongated meadow than a forest path. This meant that there was no easy source of fuel for a fire this time. Thankfully, despite the frequent high winds that were funneled through the pass from the mountains, it stayed relatively warm at night during mid-summer. Most importantly, the wolves had an enhanced sense of smell. A fire would make concealing their auras and scents a pointless waste of qi.

Wu Chen concentrated his whole being on the array lines he'd sketched on the ground with qi. His forehead was beaded with sweat as he finally connected the last two lines to complete the whole. A momentary glow indicated that he had successfully finished it, and then it faded into the darkness of the moonless night. Lu Yong clapped him on the shoulder as he pulled back his qi flow and closed the circuit.

'Well done!' his Guardian nodded his approval. 'A few more nights of practice should be all you need. Once you've mastered this array, we can start working on the Protection array.'

Wu Chen sat back, his heart beating rapidly and his qi depleted far more than it should be. He shook his head at his optimistic Guardian. 'I'm still using too much qi to create it. It's really frustrating.'

Lu Yong chuckled. 'You are using too much qi, that's true, but that's a matter of control which you will gradually improve with practice. You really are learning these arrays faster than I expected. Don't get discouraged.' He kissed the top of his head for encouragement and walked near the edge of their arrays, where he crouched to monitor the pass and the lazy river.