In fact, once Austin exercised his Grand Pagoda Summoning Skill, he could handle the four one-
horned diabolic wolves relatively easily.
But since that skill consumed a considerable amount of his vital energy, Austin seldom resorted to it.
He also hoped to improve his body agility and gain more experience with actual combat.
Therefore, he decided to wrestle the four one-horned diabolic wolves relying on his seventh cultivation
level and his impeccable Cloud Swordsmanship.
The fight turned out to be fierce. Many times, when Austin was just about torn up by the wolves, he
made a miraculous escape at the very last moment.
It was similar to walking on a tightrope. Austin could have been ripped to shreds if he hadn't been
paying attention.
Making one narrow escape after another, he frustrated the aggressive wolves. Gradually, he began his
counter-attack, coming to blows and wounding them one by one. Two hours later, Austin had pierced
his sword into the hearts of each of them.
After the tough battle, he examined himself from head to toe and gave a wry smile.
He was covered in blood, some of which belonged to the wolves, while a little was his own. He found at
least eight large gashes on his body. They were wolf bites. At one place, his flesh was ripped off. One
of the wolves had chewed up his flesh, making him yelp in excruciating pain. It was not an
exaggeration to say that he looked utterly chaotic—blood drying off on his skin and hair sticking out in
tufts, while the rest of his body was entirely marked in cuts and bruises.
The four one-horned diabolic wolves had indeed been powerful. Their bones had been tough as iron,
and they themselves were as crafty as foxes. Moreover, they fought in packs and cleverly so. During
the entire combat, their coordination had been perfect.
Given that it had been a four-on-one combat, Austin allowed himself to feel proud of having emerged
as the victor, despite all his wounds.
Meanwhile, Billy, along with a band of his trusted subordinates, had taken to following Austin's traces.
As soon as he had heard the news of Austin leaving Sun Sect for the Grand Desolation Mountain, he
had wasted no time in following him.
He and his men had tracked Austin to this place. Hidden behind nearby bushes, they witnessed the
fight between him and the four one-horned diabolic wolves.
"Brother Tang, when shall we strike?"
an outer disciple whispered in Billy's ears.
After two days of tracking, he was beginning to lose his patience.
It was obvious that Austin had extraordinary strength, but the outer disciple was positive that they could
easily defeat Austin, since the latter was so evidently outnumbered. The disciples had already agreed
to attack Austin together once they caught sight of him.
'Austin might be strong, but at the end of the day, he only has two fists he fights with. How can he
possibly resist our attacks?' he thought smugly.
"Hush down! We can't strike Austin until he's worn out and his vital energy is almost depleted. That's
the safest strategy for us. I was told that casting the Grand Pagoda Summoning Skill costs seventy
percent of one's vital energy. If Austin uses up most of his vital energy in dealing with those wolves, he
wouldn't be able to use that skill against us. And without the Grand Pagoda Summoning Skill to aid
him, Austin's life will be in our hands," Billy hissed back, the corners of his mouth curving up
conspiratorially.
The other outer disciples murmured quietly, reassured at these words. They all thought Billy had a fair
point.
After witnessing the battle between Austin and Billy, each of them had come to fear Austin's Grand
Pagoda Summoning Skill.
But if Austin could not execute that skill ultimately, he would be like a lion without its tusks, that is,
completely harmless.
Confident in this plan of attack, everyone waited patiently but eagerly.
However, little did they know that behind a huge tree about five hundred meters away along their left
back end, hid another group of young men.
Their leader was a tall man. The white jade fan in his hand swayed casually as he coldly eyed the
cluster of men crunching behind the bushes.
It was Marvin.
"Senior Su, seems Billy and his league of men have come to attack Austin," a young man muttered.
"I'd like to see them battle it out. When their scuffle draws to an end, we will swoop in and clean the
mess. Haha, I love this game!"
The woman standing next to Marvin—Lara—cackled, as did the four other young men.
The men in Marvin's league were among the best of the outer disciples, though their strength was a far
cry from Marvin's. They got along with Marvin, so he invited them to come along and take out Austin. In
return, he promised to gift them treasures.
However, they too didn't know that on a hill close to them, stood five other people.
Each of them was holding a different weapon—hammers, swords, combating axes were in the mix.
Their eyes were sharp and vicious as they gazed at the scene in front of them.
A fierce aura of cruelty and savagery emanated from them. After years of fights, kills, and battles, their
murderous will had only grown.
The expression on the faces of the five men was rather playful. They stared at those ahead of them, as
if enjoying a good show.
"Interesting. This is getting really interesting. Aside from us, two more groups are tracking that Austin!
Huh. Well, it looks like that this guy is a real troublemaker. He seems to have offended many a man,"
someone said before bursting into hearty laughter. The man who spoke up had a horrible scar that ran
down his face, as if splitting it into two. The effect was jarring.
"You could say that again. I figure we don't need to get all pumped up. As long as Austin is dead, our
task is done, regardless of who actually kills him. If either of the two groups gets rid of him, it would
save us a lot of trouble," another man added. He had a large chopper fastened to his waist.
Beside him was a skinny man, whose lips were widened in a nasty, dirty smile. This entire time, his
eyes had not left Lara, the woman standing next to Marvin.
"Right. Let them fight. Perhaps we can finish this without doing any work ourselves.
Ah, look, over there! That girl seems luscious. Later, we can take turns to find some release with her."
As he said this, his eyes were still fixed on Lara. He smacked his lips lewdly with desire.
"Since we all agree that we should just save our breath, let's stay put and watch them fight," Matthew
said, agreeing with them as he nodded. . . .
After the two-hour-long fight with the four one-horned diabolic wolves, Billy was quite pleased to see
Austin stained in blood all over, evidently seriously injured.
He knew it was time to make his move.
He immediately beckoned to his company. He and the men rushed forward, surrounding Austin in a
tight circle.
"Billy, what are you doing here?"
Austin asked, his voice hoarse. His tongue licked his lips unknowingly. They had chapped and dried in
the lengthy fight.
"That's an interesting question!"
Billy glowered at Austin, his eyes exuding resentment and loathing.
"You can't tell why we're here?" he demanded in a loud voice.
With a frown, Austin said, "I already accepted your challenge and defeated you in that combat. I think
we've settled our differences, haven't we?"
Billy's mouth curved in a disparaging smile before he replied, "Settled? You wish! After humiliating me
in front of the outer disciples like that, how could you think I'm done with you? Austin, I'm here to take
your life today. It's what you deserve for pissing me off!"
Now that Billy was openly hostile, Austin felt it unnecessary to put on a friendly face. "Billy," he
bellowed. "You're shameless. Your strength failed to match mine in battle, so now you're here to beat
me up with the help of your gang mates? You coward!"
"Humph, death is knocking at your door, regardless. And you better watch your mouth when talking to
me!"
Billy shouted, his fury flaring up.
"Everybody, attack! No hanging back. Don't give him time to recover his vital energy! Chop him up!"
Instantly, the young men behind Billy lunged at Austin, howling wildly.
Austin's face hardened by the second. At once, he swung a leg and launched his Wind-commanding
Skill before retreating several steps to steady himself.
Just as he regained his balance, one of the men, skilled at moving speedily, approached him.
Without hesitation, Austin shot a Spiritual Sense Flying Needle at him.
The power in Austin's spiritual sense had doubled. When the Spiritual Sense Flying Needle hit the
young man, his brain shuddered at the strike, the sharp sting of pain shooting through him.
Despite himself, his movements slowed down.
Suddenly, a clatter sounded—Austin had wasted no time in hacking off one of the man's arms!
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