"A Spirit Beast attack?"
Hearing the howls, Bai Mu immediately pulled aside the carriage curtain to look.
He saw nearly a hundred bandits rushing down from both sides of the mountain road, charging toward a carriage ahead.
Each of them stood close to two meters tall, with powerful builds covered in thick fur. Their lips jutted forward, faces smeared with markings, sharp canine teeth exposed, and coarse gray hair standing out strikingly.
"It's the Wolf—Wolf—Wolftaken! Quick, run!"
The coachman's face changed drastically. His hands gripping the reins began to tremble uncontrollably.
"Wolftaken?!"
Bai Mu's expression sank.
Wolftaken were ferocious creatures born from a Storm Devil Wolf and a human woman.
They were strong and tough, capable of releasing Wind Blades. It was said that each one possessed strength comparable to a Rank 20–30 Spirit Master. Their intelligence surpassed that of ordinary Spirit Beasts, making them extremely difficult to deal with.
The coachman wanted to turn the carriage around and flee, but it was already too late—four Wolftaken were already charging straight at them.
"It's over…"
The coachman's face instantly turned deathly pale.
"Don't panic. Leave it to me."
Bai Mu pressed a hand on the coachman's shoulder to steady him.
"W-what?"
The coachman thought he'd misheard. If he remembered correctly, this boy had only just become a Spirit Master!
"Come out, Zygarde!"
Bai Mu didn't waste words. He raised his hand and released a sphere of light.
"Awooo—!"
White light flashed as Zygarde appeared, letting out a long howl toward the sky. Dragon pressure spread with the roar, and its cold gaze locked onto the charging Wolftaken.
The Wolftaken hesitated for a split second, sensing danger through instinct. But bloodlust quickly overwhelmed that feeling, and they howled together as they lunged at the Dragon Hound, whose aura seemed weaker.
"Little Soft, Heavy Stomp!"
Zygarde lifted its front paw and slammed it down.
Boom—!
The ground shook violently as cracks spread like spiderwebs, and a powerful shockwave surged outward in all directions.
"Ah—!"
Hit by the shockwave, the charging Wolftaken let out painful snarls as their momentum was forcibly halted.
Their speed dropped sharply, and one of them even lost its balance and crashed to the ground.
"Extreme Speed."
In the next instant, Zygarde turned into a streak of green light, moving so fast its form was nearly impossible to track with the naked eye.
Bang!
A dull impact rang out as the leading Wolftaken was struck squarely in the chest and sent flying, its body smashing uncontrollably into another one.
Whoosh!
A sharp Wind Blade suddenly flew down, slicing through the air with terrifying force.
Bai Mu immediately transmitted a command through telepathy:
"Dodge! Dragon Breath!"
With the difference in rank between them, Zygarde had no intention of taking the attack head-on. It pushed off with its hind legs and leapt aside.
While airborne, Dragon-type energy gathered in its mouth before erupting outward in a violent breath attack.
Whoosh!
The attack was so fast that the Wolftaken charging forward didn't even have time to react before being hit head-on.
"Urgh—ah!"
Driven by bloodlust, it tried to keep attacking, but golden electric arcs suddenly flashed across its body, causing its movements to slow drastically.
When it attempted to force itself forward again, a numbing sensation spread through its entire body, making it impossible to exert strength.
Dragon Breath had triggered paralysis—and paralysis led to immobility!
"Finish it!"
Whoosh!
A powerful gust swept past its face.
The Wolftaken bared its fangs and looked up, only to see the Dragon Hound already upon it, jaws wide open as it bit down viciously on its neck.
Crack—
Bones snapped, and its head drooped lifelessly.
One Wolftaken was instantly killed.
"Ah—!"
At that moment, the remaining three Wolftaken finally regained their footing. They either snarled as they charged forward again or raised their hands to unleash Wind Blades.
Unfortunately, slowed by Heavy Stomp, their reduced speed meant they couldn't keep up with Zygarde at all.
"Extreme Speed. Finish them."
Zygarde's figure flickered repeatedly, weaving past sharp claws and evading Wind Blades like a bolt of green lightning racing across the battlefield.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three muffled impacts rang out as the Wolftaken's chests caved in. Blood sprayed from their mouths as they struggled desperately to stand.
"Awoo—"
Like a victorious general, Zygarde stepped forward and crushed their remaining resistance with three clean bites.
"This…"
The coachman, who had just finished turning the carriage around, glanced back—and froze in shock.
"I thought they'd be stronger. Turns out they're nothing special."
Bai Mu looked down at the Wolftaken corpses with mild disdain, then shifted his gaze toward the carriage still under siege ahead.
He saw a blue-haired woman with striking beauty step out of the carriage. She was luxuriously dressed and carried herself with an extraordinary presence.
Her Spirit possessed her, ice wings forming on her back as she rose into the air. Behind her, the phantom of a phoenix appeared, radiating terrifying pressure.
Seven spirit rings—two yellow, two purple, and three black—floated rhythmically around her feet.
She was unmistakably a powerful Spirit Saint.
Her first spirit ring lit up, and an intense chill spread outward instantly. Dozens of charging Wolftaken were frozen solid in thick ice, completely immobilized.
Seeing this, the remaining Wolftaken didn't retreat. Instead, they became even more frenzied, unleashing countless Wind Blades toward the woman and the carriage.
The woman's second spirit ring lit up, and a peculiar Ice Armor formed around the carriage, perfectly blocking every incoming Wind Blade.
As for the attacks aimed at her, her beautiful eyes turned cold.
She raised her hand and swept it forward.
Her fifth spirit ring flashed.
Ice Blades filled the sky and shot out in all directions.
"Ahhh—!!!"
Ice, wind, blood, and shadows exploded together as ghostly screams echoed through the valley.
Even when a Wolftaken managed to break through and approach the carriage, her second spirit ring activated again, and a strange Ice Ring instantly blasted it far away.
Nearly a hundred Wolftaken couldn't even get close to her.
"So strong…"
Bai Mu was momentarily stunned.
A top-tier Spirit, perfect spirit ring configuration, and terrifying Spirit Abilities.
A Spirit Saint truly lived up to the name.
"Awoo~"
Zygarde casually finished off another Wolftaken, a trace of longing flashing in its eyes.
The battle was still ongoing, but it was clear that this one-sided slaughter would soon come to an end.
"Wait—what's that?"
Suddenly, Bai Mu noticed a blurry, translucent figure that had somehow slipped past the battlefield and reached the vicinity of the carriage.
A massive Wolftaken with cyan fur leapt out abruptly. Its thick, powerful claw slammed down, shattering the Ice Armor in an instant!
It raised its claw and tore forward, ripping open the luxurious carriage and exposing two young girls with similar delicate features, differing only slightly in hair color.
The sudden turn of events made both girls turn deathly pale.
"Ah!"
The Cyan Wolf Bandit wore a cruel, lecherous grin as it reached out toward them.
"Bing'er! Yue'er!"
The blue-haired woman's expression changed instantly.
"Ice Seal!"
The blue-haired girl inside the carriage gritted her teeth and activated her Spirit Ability with all her strength.
The Wolftaken hadn't expected her to react so quickly.
Before it could respond, a layer of solid ice formed around its body, briefly restraining its movements.
Crack!
Almost immediately, the Wolftaken shattered the ice and lunged forward like a starving wolf pouncing on its prey.
"Ah!"
The stench of blood filled the air as razor-sharp claws closed in on their faces. The two girls were so terrified they nearly shut their eyes.
At that critical moment, two voices suddenly rang out—