Gathering All Seven

The Ascension Phase One-Eyed Demon Wolf was far faster and more reactive than its lesser kin. Mo Fan knew full well that a cunning creature like this would simply dodge any Fire Element magic he threw at it.

So he'd go with something brutal and simple instead. No matter how fast the Ascension Phase One-Eyed Demon Wolf was, nothing outpaced a Thunderbolt.

Purple-black lightning crashed down from the sky. Blinding arcs of electricity ignited the air itself, and with the Qianjun effect layered on top, the force was nothing short of overwhelming.

A single finger-strike of thunder — no follow-up needed. The Ascension Phase One-Eyed Demon Wolf never had a chance to react. Its body simply ceased to exist beneath that savage Thunderbolt, dissolving into a shower of blood droplets. Completely obliterated.

A rain of blood misted down onto the surrounding One-Eyed Demon Wolves. The smaller, timider ones stood there slack-jawed. No matter how they looked at it, the big one had been the mightiest among them — and a human had wiped it out in a single move. Just what kind of monster was this?

"Lightning Seal!"

The merciless spellcasting made Mo Fan's indifference toward these creatures perfectly clear. Before the panicked One-Eyed Demon Wolves could act, he struck first — the crackling electric arcs of the Lightning Seal surged and leaped between them, locking every last one in place.

As they convulsed with uncontrolled muscle spasms, Mo Fan rattled off three Fire Bursts at blinding speed.

The Fire Bursts came one after another. No technique to speak of — just raw fire and lightning hammering them into nothing.

*A faint blue glow??*

*A Spirit Essence — ha! My luck's finally turning. Haven't seen one of these in ages.*

A wide, delighted grin spread across Mo Fan's face. He'd killed no small number of Servant-class Demon-Beasts during this Field Expedition, yet not a single Spirit Essence had appeared until now. It finally made him understand why Stardust Artifacts were so rare and expensive.

Only someone with four elements like Mo Fan could afford to rampage through monsters without a care. Any other Intermediate-Level Mage who ran into more than ten Servant-class Demon-Beasts at once — without precise command of their magic — would be running for their life...

Another Spirit Essence secured. The sixth Star Mote could now be enhanced.

And with the Remnant Souls still accumulating from the One-Eyed Demon Wolves he was carving through, he figured he could condense at least the better part of another Spirit Essence before long...

"Awoooo—!"

The Swift Star Wolf howled and, at the cost of taking a hit, drove its jaws into the Three-Eyed Demon Wolf's throat.

Blood erupted from the bite like a burst pipe — vivid and startlingly crimson...

The Three-Eyed Demon Wolf pressed a paw over its throat. Knowing it was no match for the blindingly quick Swift Star Wolf, it cut its losses and bolted. It seized a rusted wreck of a car from the rubble nearby, hurled it hard at the Swift Star Wolf, then broke into a sprint on its two massive legs.

"Trying to run??" Mo Fan had already read the creature's intentions. A shadow formation shimmered to life beneath his feet.

A Shadow Nail materialized at his chest. With a single pulse of his Mental Intent, it vanished into the air without a trace.

Through the puddles ahead, a black shape no thicker than a sword blade flickered past — silent, there and gone in the blink of an eye.

Just as the Three-Eyed Demon Wolf neared the cover of a wild, overgrown thicket, the massive creature lurched to a dead stop — as though something far more powerful had seized it in an iron grip.

Its legs churned frantically, powerful enough to crater the earth beneath them, yet its entire body remained locked in place. Eerie and inexplicable.

"Finish it fast. This thing's strength is terrifying," Mo Fan called out urgently to the Swift Star Wolf.

The Three-Eyed Demon Wolf's raw power was immense. The Giant Shadow Nail pinning its massive frame was already showing signs of giving way, and Mo Fan wasn't sure how much longer it would hold.

The Swift Star Wolf exploded into motion, all four limbs blazing. Unlike the Three-Eyed Demon Wolf's thunderous heavy-footed style — which left craters with every step — the Swift Star Wolf's feet barely seemed to touch the ground, as light as a swallow riding a gale.

Its long fur streaming behind it, the Swift Star Wolf launched forward like an arrow with all the force it had been building. Twenty meters out from its target, it leapt skyward — and in that instant, it transformed completely into a single gleaming, lethal claw.

**Slash!!**

Its body, blade-like, carved a long arc of cold light through the air and swept clean through the Three-Eyed Demon Wolf's already-wounded neck.

The Three-Eyed Demon Wolf threw its massive arms up in a desperate block — and watched both arms get sheared clean off by what the Swift Star Wolf had become.

The two thick wolf arms tumbled through the air as blood spiraled from the cuts in spinning arcs.

The living blade didn't slow. It swept through the existing wound at the Three-Eyed Demon Wolf's throat — the gash already gushing blood — and widened it into one clean, level cut. Deeper blood vessels in the throat were suddenly exposed.

The head slid slowly along the cut and dropped, striking the ground with a heavy thud. With the Giant Shadow Nail still holding the body in place, the enormous headless wolf stood frozen upright, all its earlier ferocity extinguished into perfect stillness.

A few seconds passed. Then blood began jetting like a geyser from the stump of the severed neck. As the Giant Shadow Nail's effect gradually faded, the Three-Eyed Demon Wolf crashed down like a falling building.

The fastidious Swift Star Wolf had kept its distance throughout. Only once the blood had mostly spent itself did it pad calmly over to the carcass. A swipe of its claw split the Three-Eyed Demon Wolf's chest open, and it reached in and tore out the heart.

Down in one swallow. The organs of its own kind offered tremendous nourishment for the Swift Star Wolf's growth. In a world ruled by the law that the strong devour the weak, it had long since forgotten what pity felt like.

With the Three-Eyed Demon Wolf dead, the remaining One-Eyed Demon Wolves dissolved into complete disarray. They had no courage left to stand against Mo Fan and the Swift Star Wolf, and scattered in every direction.

"You clean up the rest. I'll check whether the Three-Eyed Demon Wolf had anything worth taking," Mo Fan said.

The Swift Star Wolf gave a very human-like roll of its eyes. It had handled the big one. The fight was over. And now it still had to mop up? What a raw deal.

"The most valuable thing on it — the heart — you already ate. Now go on, get moving." Mo Fan shooed it away.

A Battle Commander-class creature's carcass, carefully picked apart, could typically yield material worth tens of thousands. With luck, anomalous bones, claws, or hide might turn up — and those weren't a tens-of-thousands matter anymore. These were prime materials for crafting Enchanted Gear and Magic Weapons, and they fetched extraordinary prices.

Unfortunately, the Three-Eyed Demon Wolf yielded no anomalous remains whatsoever. Among the One-Eyed Demon Wolves he'd slaughtered, though, one had produced an anomalous rib — excellent raw material for Shield Enchanted Gear. That would easily go for a hundred to two hundred thousand.

*Still not enough Remnant Souls??*

*The sixth Star Mote is already being enhanced — the Lightning Seal should be ready to evolve any time now.*

*Forget it. I'll push to the next survey point and collect a bit more. That should cover it!*

Mo Fan stowed the survey device. The display was flashing green — it had finished mapping the Demon-Beast distribution within a three-kilometer radius. He'd bring it back for the specialists to analyze when the time came.

The next survey point wasn't too far off. Mo Fan checked the map and pressed forward — he was this close to gathering all seven and summoning the dragon... er, *strengthening his Lightning Seal*. Leaving it undone just didn't sit right with him.

Tasks meant for an entire party — and here he was, soloing them.

*When you've got the power, you can do whatever you please.*