Chapter 278

Chapter 278: Fire Puppet Wolf

Faced with Lou Yun’s urgent question, Chang Xiang did not answer immediately. Instead, he took a deep breath, the sound loud enough for even Lou Yun to hear. Knowing Chang Xiang’s habits, Lou Yun understood this meant Chang Xiang was extremely agitated. But why would the sight of this Fire Puppet Wolf stir him so profoundly?

After his deep breath, Chang Xiang finally spoke, "Fire Puppet Wolf, also known as the Puppet Wolf of Fire. Though it appears to be a wolf, it is actually a lifeless wolf!"

This explanation only made Lou Yun more confused. If the Fire Puppet Wolf had no life, how could it fly, howl, and possess eyes so full of spirit, so distinctly human-like? How could that be lifeless?

"Kid, what I mean is, if you treat it as a wolf, it lacks life. But in truth, it isn’t a wolf!"

To Lou Yun, Chang Xiang’s explanation sounded like a bewildering riddle, only adding to his headache. He couldn’t help but exclaim, "Then tell me straight—if it’s not a wolf, what is it really?"

"Illusory Wolf Heavenly Fire. Ranked thirteenth among the Eighteen Known Heavenly Fires!"

This answer plunged Lou Yun into an extreme state of shock within moments. He simply could not accept, nor believe, that this creature before him—which looked and sounded exactly like a wolf—was not a demon beast at all, but a Heavenly Fire!

Chang Xiang’s voice continued to resonate in Lou Yun’s mind: "The Illusory Wolf Heavenly Fire is arguably the strangest of all Heavenly Fires. No one knows how it came to be. It never appears as a flame but always in the form of a wolf. Some later speculated that when the Heavenly Fire puppet descended to the mortal world, it accidentally entered a wolf’s body and became enamored with that form. Hence, it perpetually adopts the shape of a wolf and genuinely possesses some of a wolf’s traits!"

Hearing this explanation, Lou Yun now understood why Xiao Huo had shown such a greedy expression upon seeing this "wolf." With its extreme sensitivity to Heavenly Fires, Xiao Huo knew it was looking at a veritable feast of Heavenly Fire!

"Who could have imagined the Illusory Wolf Heavenly Fire has come to Spirit Weapon Star? And that the people here mistake it for some Disaster Dou Beast! Still, I deeply admire whoever managed to seal it back then. To trap a Heavenly Fire—formations truly are profoundly mysterious!"

Lou Yun had shaken off his shock. Hearing this, it occurred to him: since it wasn’t the Disaster Dou Beast but a Heavenly Fire, of course, it couldn’t be destroyed—only sealed!

No wonder the legend claimed that as long as the fire within the Disaster Dou Beast remained unextinguished, it would not die! But it wasn’t just inside; from head to tail, inside and out, its entire body was the fire. Naturally, it could never die!

Lou Yun’s mind rapidly strategized how to deal with the Illusory Wolf Heavenly Fire. Since it wasn’t a demon beast, but a Heavenly Fire, could he subdue it using his experience from absorbing two other Heavenly Fires?

The last time he subdued the heavenly fire storm, it coincided precisely with his magical weapon realm requiring a major level advancement. But now, his magical weapon level hadn’t reached the breakthrough stage. That meant even if he had the capability to handle the Illusory Wolf Heavenly Fire, he could only subdue it, not devour it.

Nevertheless, Lou Yun now felt a surge of confidence wash over him.

Suddenly, Tang Qianqiu roared, "Follow me!"

He charged at the Illusory Wolf Heavenly Fire, taking the lead. Of his nine evil weapons masters, two had been killed by Xia Guanqiu and three incinerated by Xiao Huo. Including himself, only five remained. The other four evil weapons masters, upon Tang Qianqiu’s call, immediately urged their evil weapons forward, following him as they charged.

Seeing Tang Qianqiu heading straight for the Heavenly Fire wolf, Xia Guanqiu grew frantic beside them. Flickering forward, he prepared to charge as well, activating the magical weapon beneath his feet. But then, a blur obscured his vision—Lou Yun had blocked his path, halting him.

"Lou Yun," Xia Guanqiu urged anxiously, "Quick, escort the other teachers away! I’ll handle Tang Qianqiu. We absolutely cannot let him obtain the Disaster Dou Beast!"

Now aware of the Disaster Dou Beast’s true nature, Lou Yun remained calm. He smiled faintly. "Dean Xia, don’t rush. I want to see exactly how Tang Qianqiu plans to deal with this ‘Disaster Dou Beast.’"

Though Xia Guanqiu felt anxious, something about Lou Yun’s relaxed demeanor inexplicably calmed him. He asked suspiciously, "What? Do you have a method to deal with the Disaster Dou Beast?"

Lou Yun naturally couldn’t reveal the truth. He merely smiled and replied, "I might have an idea, but success isn’t guaranteed. Regardless, let’s not rush. Let Tang Qianqiu and his men clash with the Disaster Dou Beast first. If they end up mutually wounded, why, we can just reap the rewards!"

Having witnessed Lou Yun purify the evil energy within him using flames, Xia Guanqiu knew Lou Yun was no longer the freshman who first entered the Ancient Weapon Academy. Years of experience had not only skyrocketed his strength but broadened his knowledge and insight far beyond others, perhaps even beyond Xia Guanqiu himself. So, seeing Lou Yun insistently bar his way, despite lingering worry, the dean chose to trust his judgment.

Tang Qianqiu and his four followers surged towards the Illusory Wolf Heavenly Fire. Perhaps due to its recent awakening and escape from confinement, its mind remained unclear. Though its gaze radiated an unsettling intensity, its body floated motionless in the air. Spotting the five humans closing in, it showed no trace of defensive posture, only fixing its blood-red eyes firmly upon them.

Reaching the creature, the five didn’t immediately attack. Instead, they formed a ring around it, occupying five distinct positions.

Tang Qianqiu and his men felt the intense heat radiating outwards from the "Disaster Dou Beast." But in their understanding, since its most feared attribute was fire, this heat was only natural. They thought little of it.

At Tang Qianqiu’s command, the five simultaneously opened their mouths and stretched forth their right arms. From mouths and palms alike, jets of dense, black evil energy surged out.

The twin streams ejected by each man converged mid-air, merging into one potent beam. Five jets combined into five lines, distinct yet interconnected, forming a perfect pentagram!

A black pentagram constructed purely of condensed evil energy!

And poised at its very center was the Illusory Wolf Heavenly Fire!

Lou Yun, Xia Guanqiu, and the others didn’t grasp the purpose of this pentagram, but clearly, Tang Qianqiu intended to use it against the fiery entity.

The Illusory Wolf Heavenly Fire remained unnervingly calm, utterly motionless.

Another order rang out from Tang Qianqiu. The five men began advancing. As they moved forward, the pentagram of evil energy shrank rapidly, closing in on the Heavenly Fire wolf.

Lou Yun had advocated observing Tang Qianqiu’s plan, but nervousness gnawed at him nonetheless. What if they did somehow subdue the Heavenly Fire? That outcome spelled disaster for their side. He mentally prepared himself to intervene at any critical moment.

Finally, the pentagram formed by Tang Qianqiu’s squad seemed poised to make contact with the Heavenly Fire wolf’s form!

At that precise instant, the wolf acted. It threw its head back and let loose a resonant howl to the heavens. Instantly, a jet of flame erupted from its jaws, striking the line of evil energy directly before it!

Then, with a mere blink of its eyes, two more fireballs shot from its crimson pupils, scorching the beams to its left and right!

Finally, with a contemptuous snort, twin gouts of fire blasted from its nostrils, impacting the last remaining lines!

These actions flowed with incredible speed and seamless continuity. Though the five fireballs were launched fractionally apart, to the observer, they appeared simultaneous.

This bizarre sequence astounded everyone present except Lou Yun.

Particularly the four flames ejected from the creature’s eyes and nostrils—no one imagined a demon beast could launch attacks from those points; it seemed absurdly impossible.

Lou Yun experienced brief surprise too but quickly dismissed it. This was no Disaster Dou Beast; it was the Fire Puppet Wolf. Its true identity was the Illusory Wolf Heavenly Fire! What was truly astonishing? A fireball could spit flames from any conceivable direction, wasn’t that natural?

The proximity of the evil energy lines to its body meant the moment the fires launched, they connected.

A series of soft "hiss-ing" sounds followed, accompanied by an intensely potent stench. The five lines, woven from concentrated evil energy, vanished instantly into nothingness!

Tang Qianqiu and his men sensed the peril, instantly ceasing their energy output and attempting desperately to retract what remained. But their efforts were laughably slow against the flames’ speed. The destruction of their energy projections dealt a vicious backlash.

All five suddenly felt their internal temperatures soar by dozens of degrees, as if ignited from within. Shrieks of agony escaped them as they lost control over their bodies. One by one, they tumbled from their hovering evil weapons, crashing heavily onto the earth below.

Tang Qianqiu slammed down amidst stars and deafening ringing, senses shattered and reeling. Yet his core mind screamed one question — why hadn’t the method of binding demon beasts with evil energy worked at all on this supposed Disaster Dou Beast?!

Was it because his numbers were too few—the gathered evil energy insufficient? Or was the Disaster Dou Beast truly this overwhelmingly powerful?

Of course, had Tang Qianqiu known this entity was not an ancient demon beast but actually a Heavenly Fire manifest… his questions would have instantly resolved themselves.

Lou Yun watched the fate of Tang Qianqiu’s group unfold and couldn’t help but burst into loud laughter. But before the laughter faded fully, a streak of red light flashed across his vision — a crimson blur, swift as lightning, shot towards the Heavenly Fire wolf suspended in the air!

It was Xiao Huo, who had always perched motionless upon Lou Yun’s shoulder!