Chapter 168

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Chapter 168: Subjugation

The severed wolf head gathered into a wisp of ghostly light and transformed back into a complete Shadow Wolf, staring at the cultivator with terror in its eyes. It knew that if the cultivator had wished, that last sword strike would have sent it to join their recently departed clan leader.

At this moment, all four Core Formation Stage Shadow Wolves froze in place.

“What do you humans think you can do with your magical tools?” one of the Core Formation Stage Shadow Wolves sneered. In the beast race, an artifact crafter capable of creating such tools was even more valuable than a beast king.

“Haha.” The Core Formation stage cultivator from the Elder Council laughed.

“And what do you call your presence here?”

A phantom of a Giant Sword materialized behind the cultivator, growing more solid as his aura intensified.

“I was going to offer you four the chance to serve as our loyal hounds, but it seems one of you will have to bow out.”

As the sword phantom vanished, a Sword Sound echoed through the heavens and earth.

The Core Formation Stage Shadow Wolf who had spoken earlier froze; its eyes glazed over, and it collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

The remaining three Core Formation Stage Shadow Wolves trembled.

“What will you three choose? If you hesitate, you’ll soon be just two.”

“Your Wolf Clan’s only beast king is dead. Even if you return, you won’t escape annihilation. It’s better to stay and serve the human race as vassals.”

“At least this way, your Wolf Clan can preserve its bloodline,” the cultivator added.

By now, the battlefield had tilted overwhelmingly in favor of the humans. Reinforcements of Nascent Soul Stage puppets had arrived in waves.

Twenty thousand Nascent Soul Stage puppets of various models formed squads, slaughtering the Wolf Clan at an accelerated pace, while Golden Core Stage and Foundation Establishment Stage puppets gathered the spoils in the rear.

“Your clan is already halved. If you keep hesitating, you’ll lose even the value of being our hounds,” the cultivator said, watching the Shadow Wolves being ruthlessly cut down by the Nascent Soul Stage puppets. With their precise coordination, even Transformation Stage Shadow Wolves couldn’t hold out for long.

He saw one Transformation Stage Shadow Wolf struck down by a dozen Nascent Soul Stage puppets wielding strange treasures, while another was obliterated by a giant cannon from the puppet army, leaving nothing but scraps behind.

“The Wolf Clan submits,” the three Core Formation Stage Shadow Wolves declared.

“Awoo~~~”

A mournful howl echoed across the battlefield, and all the Shadow Wolves dropped to the ground in submission.

In the beast race, it was common for one clan to become subservient to another. To them, surrendering to the human race was no different than surrendering to another beast clan.

The glory of the Wolf Clan belonged to its days of prosperity; now, they were a small clan without a beast king.

Glory meant little compared to survival; preserving their clan’s legacy was what truly mattered.

As all the Shadow Wolves lay in submission, the fighting puppets ceased their attacks.

A Nascent Soul Stage puppet flew to the Core Formation stage cultivator.

“Since the esteemed elder wishes to take in these wolf demons, we shall withdraw,” Grape said, mimicking Xu Fan’s voice.

“Elder Xu, once this matter is settled, I will visit Hidden Spirit Island.”

A phantom of a Giant Sword appeared in the sky, and with a flash of sword light, it returned to the cultivator’s body.

“We welcome the esteemed elder,” the puppet said, cupping its hands respectfully.

“Haha, no need for such formalities. A master craftsman like Elder Xu stands equal to respected elders.”

“It is I who should show respect,” the Core Formation stage cultivator replied politely. If he weren’t a member of the Elder Council, he might have groveled before Elder Xu. After all, in the cultivation world, not even ten Core Formation stage cultivators could hope to craft a single magical tool.

Even with treasures, who would complain about having too many?

“Elder, you jest. I will be waiting for you on Hidden Spirit Island.”

At that moment, the efficient puppets had collected all the bodies of Shadow Wolves from the battlefield onto the flying ships.

“Good.” The Core Formation stage cultivator looked at the hundreds of large flying ships floating in the sky, a glimmer of excitement in his eyes. No sect in the cultivation world had yet gained fame for crafting puppets.

The flying ships scattered in the sky, carrying the Shadow Wolf bodies toward Hidden Spirit Island.

After watching all the ships depart, the cultivator waved his hand, and a teleportation formation appeared on the ground. With a flash of spiritual light, a massive teleportation portal manifested before them.

“Go in. Inside is a small world for prisoners of war, where someone will guide you on what to do next.”

“Once inside, behave yourself well. If the human race triumphs over the beast race and the two realms merge completely in the future, who knows, you might even be allocated a territory,” the Core Formation stage cultivator said with a smile.

As a Core Formation stage cultivator tasked with overseeing Lin Sen Fairy City, he had two roles: to protect the Lin Sen area from large-scale slaughter by the beast race and to recruit those third-rate beasts for future plans to integrate the entire beast race.

Hearing the cultivator’s words, the three Core Formation Stage Shadow Wolves’ eyes lit up. It seemed that pledging allegiance to the human race was not out of the question; in the event of human victory, the glory of the Wolf Clan might just return.

………………

At Hidden Spirit Sect, Xu Gang and his second, third, and fourth senior brothers gathered over tea, ready to rush to the battlefield once Grape’s news arrived.

“Why weren’t we sent when the battle started?” Xu Gang asked in confusion.

“Grape is likely assessing the enemy’s strength. From the looks of it, a Void Refinement stage beast has probably appeared.”

“In such a situation, Grape wouldn’t let us take risks on the battlefield,” Xu Yuexian analyzed.

“Senior sister is right,” Wang Xiangchi and Li Xingci echoed in unison.

At that moment, Xu Yuexian squinted at the sunny-faced Li Xingci.

“Xingci, Master has found a way to eliminate the aftereffects of your divine ability.” Xu Yuexian spoke with some anticipation.

Back then, as the youngest junior brother, Li Xingci had a particular attachment to the older sister figure of Xu Yuexian. Whenever she was on the little hill, he became her little shadow, and she enjoyed taking him out to play.

However, after Li Xingci cultivated the Hundred Lives Divine Ability, he gradually closed off his heart and became less close to Xu Yuexian than before.

“Yeah, a while back, Master sent me the optimized version of the divine ability, and now those aftereffects are gone,” Li Xingci smiled, his gentle demeanor warming everyone around him.

“That’s great! I had told Master about this; now it’s finally resolved,” Xu Yuexian said happily, feeling as though the clean, sunny, and world-changing smile of her little junior brother had returned.

Seeing the return of their once youthful junior brother, everyone felt immense joy.

“Ah, speaking of Master, I wonder how he is doing and when he will break through to Golden Core Stage,” Xu Gang sighed.

“Master has been in seclusion for thirteen years. According to what he said back then, he should break through in about ten days,” came the reply.

“Elder brother, don’t worry too much,”