Chapter 142: Hell-Level Difficulty
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
The Shenzhang Plains were lush and fertile, where even a casual scoop of soil might reveal faint, red fire springs bubbling up—nourishing all life.
Despite being enveloped in dense night fog that rendered everything pitch-black, the plains were teeming with thriving vegetation and countless species.
“You’re finally back, young man!” A wave of villagers from the Luo family village surged toward Qin Ming when they spotted him.
Earlier, anxiety weighed heavily on their hearts, but now their faces were filled with hope.
“Rest assured, the wolf problem has been dealt with,” Qin Ming said calmly, easing their fears.
“Young man, you’re truly our savior!” someone choked, their eyes reddening. Families who had lost children wept openly, both young and old shedding tears.
The newly awakened in the village were powerless against the wolf beasts of this caliber, living in fear and dread for days that felt like years.
Grateful for their hospitality, Qin Ming stayed for a lunch, during which he inquired about the Silver Wolf King. He had a lingering suspicion that unless this old wolf was dealt with, the village would face future dangers.
“It resides in the Wolf Hall, commanding over a hundred wolf beasts.”
Qin Ming mulled over the information, deciding to strike when the time was right. He suspected the Silver Wolf King might be one of those failed evolutions into a silver-tier creature Zhou Tao had mentioned, with its silver blood possessing immense value.
By noon, under a lighter veil of the night fog, Qin Ming reached the neighboring Liu family stronghold. They, too, had suffered a massacre and had already reported it.
This village was significantly brighter, being a second-tier fire spring area, suitable even for building towns.
“You came alone, young man?” The villagers of Liu family stronghold, seeing someone so young, couldn’t help their disappointment. Could he have offended someone and been sent here to handle cases as punishment?
Qin Ming pulled out a string of wolf fangs. Immediately, the elder village chief’s spirits lifted. Overcome with excitement, he exclaimed, “Young man, your skills are remarkable! You’ve even dealt with the wolf beasts troubling the neighboring village.”
Not one to waste time, the chief quickly explained the details—a bird demon had been appearing sporadically, killing four people so far. “It’s too vicious. Liu Dazhuang had undergone a second awakening, but when the bird demon swooped down, one claw tore his skull open right at his doorstep. It leisurely sucked out his brain matter before devouring most of his flesh.”
The village chief speculated that the bird demon had caused havoc in other areas as well, not targeting their village exclusively; otherwise, the toll would have been far greater.
“Do you know where its nest is?” Qin Ming didn’t want to wait. Delaying further might cost more lives.
“Likely in the dense forest about ten miles away…” The village chief trembled as he pointed to the distant woods. Without hesitation, Qin Ming set off.
Half an hour later, deep within the forest, he discovered the bird demon described in the records. It was five meters long, with gray-black feathers, a human-like face, and a curved beak sharp as a scimitar.
What’s more, it wasn’t alone. It was a pair of bird demons nesting in an ancient tree, having laid five eggs with speckled shells. If these eggs hatched, the threat would multiply.
Moments later, Qin Ming drew his bow, killing one bird demon outright and severely injuring the other. He spared the survivor temporarily to extract information.
He learned that the pair of bird demons had been driven out of the Shenzhang Plains to its outskirts to raise their offspring, as they were among the weaker creatures.
With one slap, Qin Ming ended the wounded demon’s life. Then, with a radiant punch, he obliterated their nest, splattering egg fluid everywhere.
This marked his first time annihilating an entire group—showing no mercy, regardless of age or circumstance.
Qin Ming continued relentlessly, resolving crises in four villages by the end of the day.
The last remaining settlement under his watch was Stone Fortress Village, where the bloodshed was most severe.
This case involved an ancient demon, a creature of profound cultivation, rumored to have lived for at least a century. Hearing the details, Qin Ming’s expression grew grave.
The villagers of Stone Fortress wore faces of despair and sighed incessantly. The demon had a unique connection to their village.
“Is there more to the story?” Qin Ming asked, his tone serious.
“It was once an old donkey from our village,” one villager explained. “They say dogs return to their mountain when old, but this donkey grew more monstrous with age and fled into the depths of the Shenzhang Plains.”
The century-old donkey, once enslaved by Stone Fortress villagers and worked to exhaustion, mutated and gained notoriety on the plains before returning for revenge.
Two years ago, it had already killed more than a dozen people—all descendants of its former owner. Although it rarely entered the village now, it frequently abducted people to serve it on Thunder Ridge.
Qin Ming was captivated. A donkey bent on revenge? Even after a hundred years, it hadn’t let go of its grudge.
Most troubling, the donkey had three sworn brothers: the Silver Wolf King, a massive beast, and a fearsome Black Roc.
The revelation left Qin Ming deeply apprehensive. A century-old demon was terrifying enough. Adding the Silver Wolf King and two other monsters made the situation dire. Killing any one of them could trigger retaliation from the other three. Always cautious, Qin Ming considered this mission to be hell-level difficulty.
Even a nine-time awakened elite aberrant might not emerge unscathed. The only option seemed to be killing the donkey and fleeing immediately, abandoning the villagers to their fate.
But such an action wouldn’t solve the problem and would likely provoke even greater bloodshed, as the remaining demons would retaliate with village and town massacres.
“Are the blood cases facing Cui Chong Xuan, Zhuo Ya, and Cao Wu Ji just as difficult?” Qin Ming wondered if joining the Six Rulers’ Sect was worth this level of trial.
For now, he refrained from acting rashly, knowing he had time. Elder Zhou Tao of the Six Rulers had given them half a month to return.
In the following days, Qin Ming discreetly ventured into the Shenzhang Plains, investigating the four demons and cautiously approaching their territories in search of opportunities.
On Thunder Ridge, twenty-some young men and women, dressed in tattered clothing, toiled under the watch of donkey, dog, and rat demons, performing chores like cooking and washing.
The ancient donkey had a retinue of dozens. When it traveled, it was carried in a sedan chair, sitting upright with its long donkey face exuding a haughty air of authority.
As for the Wolf Hall, its size was imposing, built from the red crystalline stone of the Shenzhang Plains. Under the fire spring’s glow, it appeared as though soaked in blood.
Even from a distance, Qin Ming could sense that the Silver Wolf King was more formidable than Master Huang, an undeniably powerful foe.
The most critical aspect of the Silver Wolf King was its formidable pack—over a hundred wolf beasts of towering size.
Qin Ming was most eager to eliminate this target because, among the four elder demons, it was the weakest. The strongest were undoubtedly the massive beast and the Black Roc.
Additionally, if the Silver Wolf King truly was a failed silver-tier evolution, the residual silver blood in its body could propel Qin Ming into his seventh awakening.
Such a breakthrough would elevate his strength significantly, potentially enabling him to deal with all four elder demons.
Staring in the direction of the Wolf Hall, Qin Ming felt a surge of anticipation. Yet, he understood that unless he could ensure a decisive strike, he would be placing himself in grave danger. After all, the four elder demons’ territories were not far apart.
As Qin Ming roamed the Shenzhang Plains, he encountered numerous creatures and occasionally came across human adventurers. He had tried inviting others to join him in demon hunting, but upon hearing his intended targets, they immediately declined.
“That creature likely possesses extraordinary blood!”
Qin Ming had observed the massive beast on several occasions. Covered in fiery red scales, it wasn’t the colossal, mountain-like aberration of legend but was still more imposing than an elephant. For humans, particularly those on the outskirts of the Shenzhang Plains, it was undeniably a gigantic beast.
The next day, Qin Ming saw the Black Roc, its entire body radiating a dark, ominous glow, soar from its mountain lair toward the deeper plains.
This was his chance. At this time, the massive beast would likely be feeding.
Navigating through forests, Qin Ming approached the beast’s territory.
The beast resembled a fire lion draped in crimson scales. Its maw and nostrils exuded flames. Its diet consisted of various aberrant creatures, including mutated elephants.
The scene of its feeding was gruesome. It sat there, clutching an elephant leg with a massive claw, tearing at the flesh. Blood soaked the ground in a crimson pool.
“It’s eaten half the elephant. Based on its habits, it’ll sleep for half a day. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!”
Vanishing from the scene, Qin Ming swiftly made his way to the Wolf Hall.
This time, he was prepared to give it his all, aiming for a swift and lethal strike.
Under the cover of night, Qin Ming unsheathed his white jade alloy blade, waiting patiently for the perfect moment. The Wolf Hall, constructed primarily from red crystalline stone, was grand and towering. Its blood-red appearance under the fire spring’s glow was both oppressive and menacing.
A quarter of an hour later, the Silver Wolf King, having feasted on fresh flesh, stepped out for air. It walked upright, standing at a towering four meters, its muscular frame gleaming in the moonlight. Its silver fur shimmered with brilliance, making it an imposing sight.
Qin Ming loosed four jade-alloy arrows, not waiting to see their effect before charging in, his blade gleaming, carried by a gale of speed.
The Silver Wolf King grunted, struck by two arrows, though neither hit vital points. Blood stained its silver fur, and it howled in fury, preparing to let out an ear-splitting roar.
Qin Ming deftly flung another arrow, aiming directly for its gaping maw. The Silver Wolf King snapped its mouth shut and dodged with a sharp twist of its head.
With a thunderous burst of blade light, Qin Ming closed in, initiating a life-and-death battle.
In the brief clash, the Silver Wolf King’s claws, though razor-sharp, were blunted and bloodied, but it managed to pull out a massive wolf-tooth club. Its claws glowing with power, it swung the hefty weapon in relentless attacks.
Qin Ming’s expression was serious—this was indeed a formidable foe. Summoning all his strength, he clashed with the Silver Wolf King, his Celestial Light Force burning intensely.
Despite delivering a powerful slash that nearly severed the wolf’s neck, it remained standing, resilient to the last.
Qin Ming, holding nothing back, unleashed his strongest moves, inflicting another grievous wound that almost cleaved its throat.
This time, the Silver Wolf King, shaken, roared madly. Its silver glow surged, entering a desperate frenzy. Nearby wolf beasts rushed forward to aid it, only to be swept aside by Qin Ming’s fearsome blade light.
“Stand down!” A cold, detached voice echoed from above. The wolf beasts retreated like a receding tide.
“Big brother, you’ve finally arrived! I never thought someone would actually dare come after us!” the Silver Wolf King shouted excitedly at its savior.
Qin Ming’s heart sank. Glancing upward, he saw a massive bird resembling a black sun. It radiated dark energy, its wings emitting terrifying waves of power.
The ground quaked as the crimson-scaled beast appeared, lion-like in form, its maw dripping with elephant blood, its fangs menacingly sharp.
On the other side, the glowing-haired old donkey emerged, carried on a sedan chair. Pulling aside the curtains, it cast a chilling gaze at Qin Ming.
With a sigh, Qin Ming realized the worst-case scenario had come true.
All four elder demons, each more terrifying than the last, had arrived, encircling him at the Wolf Hall.
This was the most perilous situation Qin Ming had faced on his path of awakening—a true hell-level challenge!