Chapter 86: Encounter with the Greedy Wolf Organization

According to Lin Fan’s calculations, with just one or two more Pulse-Opening stage experts, he might be able to elevate Thousand Snowdrifts to the level of a spiritual weapon. If there were no Pulse-Opening experts, then the souls of twenty or thirty Qi-Vein stage cultivators would suffice. However, the intelligence thus nurtured would be the weakest among spiritual weapons. To foster further growth, mere slaughter and absorption of spiritual essence would not be enough; the blade would need to be consecrated through blood, baptized by the blood of countless powerful beings. Every drop of life’s blood would strengthen the blade’s intelligence, and after hundreds of thousands, even millions of killings, the intelligence would naturally reach perfection.

At that point, due to the overwhelming slaughter, the blade’s spirit would be saturated with murderous intent, enough to threaten its master. It would depend on whether the wielder could subdue the blade’s spirit. If subdued, it would become an exceptional weapon, capable of cleaving demons and slaying gods, its spirit responding wholly to its master’s will. If not, the blade’s spirit would take control, turning the wielder into a mindless puppet driven only by bloodlust.

Lin Fan had absolute confidence in his ability to tame the blade’s spirit. Now, as its intelligence was about to be born, his registration time for the Heavenly Book Academy was fast approaching. Thus, he was in no rush to promote Thousand Snowdrifts; his priority was to return to the academy. If he missed the enrollment, he’d have nowhere to vent his regret. After all, what he wanted most right now was to consolidate his cultivation methods.

With a light tap of his toes, Lin Fan’s figure shot out like a phantom, heading toward the Southern Sky Prefecture. Ten days would be more than enough for him to reach the prefecture and then the Heavenly Book Academy.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Lin Fan did not engage in slaying fierce beasts; with his Pulse-Opening stage soul power, it was easy to avoid detection by first, second, or even third-tier beasts. In this time, he had reached the outskirts of the Python Forest in Southern Sky Prefecture, where third-tier beasts were rarely seen—most of the activity was by first and second-tier beasts, with the latter being more numerous.

Over these three days, Little Gold had grown larger, its strength also increased, now two feet long in its true form. Yet the creature was shameless; it compressed its body back to its pre-evolution size, finger-length and thumb-thick, round and adorable, appearing utterly harmless. But if someone let their guard down and got bitten, the ice silkworm’s venom would be devastating...

Perhaps this was a form of self-preservation for the ice silkworm. For these three days, Little Gold seldom went out to feed, and when it did, it returned quickly. Given its power, Lin Fan was unconcerned. In truth, even with his current strength, had he not bonded with Little Gold during its evolution, facing it as an enemy would demand utmost vigilance—one misstep could mean death.

When Little Gold returned, it shrank to the size of Sugar Treasure, curled up and hung from Lin Fan’s hair, just like the previous white cocoon—looking like a pigeon-egg-sized white gem, almost ornamental.

Suddenly, Lin Fan’s brow furrowed; his figure vanished instantly.

Moments later, two figures emerged slowly from the undergrowth, voices accompanying them.

“Our boss is way too cautious—even the Southern Sky Prefecture’s entrance is guarded. That kid’s only at the Qi-Gathering stage; how could he possibly cross the territory of fourth-tier fierce beasts? I’d say even third-tier beasts could easily tear him apart.”

“We’ve been here over ten days already, in this godforsaken place. Aside from beast meat, everything tastes bland. If I’d known we’d be out so long, I’d have brought some wine.”

One of the figures grumbled, clearly fed up with the beast-infested forest.

“Keep your voice down! If the boss hears you, you’ll regret it.” The other quickly interrupted, saying, “Even if you brought wine, what good would it do? Unless we take down Lin Fan today, we’ll be stuck here another day.”

“Besides, don’t underestimate that little brat. The Qi-Vein experts we sent before all perished, or the boss wouldn’t have come personally—and brought us along!”

At that moment, Lin Fan was perched on a tree trunk several meters ahead, back against the main branch, arms crossed, his aura merged with the tree. He was employing his Concealment technique.

Hearing them mention his name, Lin Fan raised an eyebrow, a smile curling at his lips.

Truly, enemies always cross paths. If his guess was right, the long-missing Greedy Wolf had already come to Southern Sky Prefecture, waiting for him.

How did Greedy Wolf know he had the strength to make it here? Wasn’t he afraid that Pojun, Seven Kill, or Shadow might kill him first and claim the bounty?

“Not just our boss—even Pojun, Seven Kill, and Shadow’s organizations have suffered heavy losses. All the bosses are here personally. That kid won’t escape.”

The second person seemed distracted, unable to fathom how a Qi-Gathering stage youth could force the four major mercenary groups of Battle Sky Prefecture to mobilize their leaders.

Suddenly, he slowed his pace. The first man, puzzled, followed his gaze and saw a deer quietly grazing ahead.

The two exchanged a glance, crouched low, and crept forward. With their late Qi-Vein cultivation, capturing a first-tier beast should be a cinch. However, their superior insisted on live capture, claiming it made for tastier, more tender stew. Killing a first or second-tier beast was easy, but capturing one alive was tricky—too much force and it died, too little and it escaped.

They couldn’t draw blades or unleash energy attacks, either; one careless move and the beast would be torn to shreds.

Bang! As they crept closer, a fist-sized stone fell from above, landing beside the deer, startling it into a panicked escape.

“Who—!”

The two were shocked and angry, so close to success, only to have someone interfere. If their superior’s lunch was delayed, they’d face severe punishment. Worse, if the boss was in a foul mood, he might even take their lives.

Greedy Wolf would never plead for them; the superior’s status was enough to instill fear. He was from the Liu family, ranked fourth among the ten great clans of Azure Snow Prefecture—the sixth lord, younger brother of the current patriarch!

Among the top twenty clans, none lacked Stream-Flow stage experts, let alone the top ten. Those stationed experts were not average Stream-Flow cultivators, likely mid or late stage. Such powerhouses were the elite of the Ice and Snow Kingdom.

For a Pulse-Opening expert like Greedy Wolf, the Liu family was a colossus, impossible to resist.

Greedy Wolf had accepted the bounty, but when his subordinates fell, he realized the target was under the Jiang family’s protection and panicked. At that point, only killing this youth could redeem himself.

Greedy Wolf was smarter than Pojun and the others; he immediately pledged allegiance to the Liu family. Having boarded the pirate ship, he went all in, and the Liu family welcomed him—a Pulse-Opening stage cultivator with a cadre of skilled followers. Though insignificant to the Liu family, more manpower was always beneficial.

Thus, Greedy Wolf’s submission went incredibly smoothly—so smoothly it surprised even him. Unbeknownst to him, the Liu family felt pressure from Jiang Bei City’s recovery, prompting them to strengthen their forces. Pulse-Opening cultivators were top-tier in Azure Snow Prefecture, making Greedy Wolf invaluable.

Moreover, the Liu family knew his background and was confident he’d stay loyal, given the lingering threat from the Jiang family. Most importantly, Greedy Wolf had influence in Battle Sky Prefecture, effectively extending the Liu family’s reach—an opportunity not to be missed.

Consequently, to ensure the boy’s elimination, the Liu family deployed men not only in Azure Snow, Battle Sky, and Maple Forest Prefectures, but also stationed the sixth lord, Liu Hong, in Southern Sky Prefecture.

Meanwhile, Greedy Wolf, now aligned with the Liu family, was sent here with Liu Hong.

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