"Damn beast!" Mo Fan cursed as he wiped off the flames that had caught onto his body.
He had thought that he was strong enough, but after only a short venture into the wolves' territory, he had already run into trouble.
However, this Inferno Howling Wolf, with its combat power, speed, and even long-range attacks, had earned Mo Fan's admiration. But first, he needed to take it down before thinking about anything else.
The Star Chart of the shadow element began to ripple as Mo Fan stood still, watching the demon wolf while drawing the star chart.
Sensing that Mo Fan wasn't launching an attack, the Inferno Howling Wolf seemed to catch on to something and lunged at him.
But it was too late—it had missed its best chance!
"Shadow Nails: Imprison!"
Thud!
As soon as the dark star chart was completed, a massive black spike shot out and pinned the Inferno Howling Wolf to the ground.
"Fiery Fist: Ground Break!"
Blue flames erupted from Mo Fan's feet, enveloping him entirely. His fiery fist formed a ring, and as the sound of magic filled the air, the power gathered at his wrist. He slammed his fist into the ground with tremendous force.
Scorching energy flowed into the earth, and a glowing trail of heat surged toward the Inferno Howling Wolf's position.
Boom boom boom!!!
The earth shattered, and massive blue flames erupted from beneath, blooming like a deadly lotus of fire that exploded with destructive force!
The fire lotus was vast, with pillars of flames shooting out. With the Inferno Howling Wolf immobilized, it was caught directly in the blast!
Howl!
The Inferno Howling Wolf let out a series of pained howls from within the azure inferno, but soon, its cries faded into silence. A wisp of a remnant soul floated out from the flames.
With the Inferno Howling Wolf gone, the remaining fire wolves were terrified. Howling in fear, they scattered and fled.
"Phew..."
Finally, after defeating the Inferno Howling Wolf, Mo Fan let out a sigh of relief.
"I really need to master Shadow Nails: Imprison quickly." he muttered to himself.
This kind of unavoidable shadow-based control spell was the best way to bind his opponents. Otherwise, no matter how powerful his attacks were, it wouldn't matter if he couldn't land a hit. The main reason for his earlier struggle was that the Inferno Howling Wolf was particularly cunning, evading his mid-level spells without hesitation.
After gathering the remains of the demon wolves, Mo Fan promptly left.
Upon returning to the outpost, he traded the demon materials for healing potions and settled in for some rest.
For the next few days, Mo Fan continued to roam the fire wolves territory. The battle with the Inferno Howling Wolf had indeed given him a wealth of combat experience.
At first, he would be exhausted after each fight, but as he became more proficient in using his various elemental spells, those struggles and fatigue gradually disappeared.
Unknowingly, nearly two months had passed.
In those two months, Mo Fan had slain hundreds of fire wolves and even killed over a dozen Inferno Howling Wolves.
Just before the start of the new school year, he finally managed to condense a complete essence crystal.
This essence crystal was formed entirely from the Inferno Howling Wolves' essence. With the essence in hand, Mo Fan also retrieved the blood he had collected over the past two months, which had been refined by the Magic Association.
In the wilderness behind Bo City, Mo Fan stood in a deserted field.
This area had once been part of the Mu family estate, but it was now managed by the city. Due to plans to establish a defensive base here, there were no restrictions on entry.
After arriving, Mo Fan summoned his Wolf Beast.
Howl!
The Wolf Beast let out a solemn growl. It knew today was an important day—one that didn't involve fighting but rather something far more significant. Today, it would advance with the help of its master.
"The things I've brought are to help you level up. Don't disappoint me! If you fail, don't even think about returning to your summoned plane; I'll make stew out of you!" Mo Fan said jokingly.
Whimper...
The Wolf Beast lowered its head and whimpered like a guilty puppy.
"Stupid mutt."
Seeing its pitiful look, Mo Fan chuckled and cursed at it affectionately before getting down to business.
Although summoned creatures were basically like temporary workers, with their own lives in another dimension, sometimes even becoming kings or rulers of their realms, Mo Fan still had faith in this wolf cub.
The process began with blood purification, followed by soul molding and body strengthening. Mo Fan had memorized the order of the steps carefully. Most of the time, summoning magic was used to feed the summoned creatures, but a large amount of magic energy was also required for strengthening.
Blood purification was a gradual process, similar to a hospital blood transfusion. First, 50% of the Shadow Wolf Beast's blood had to be drained, then new, fresh blood was injected to initiate blood regeneration.
This process required extreme caution, as creatures like the Wolf Beast would be on the verge of death if they lost more than 50% of their blood. Fortunately, Mo Fan had practiced during his collection of Inferno Howling Wolf and fire wolf blood, so he was now a seasoned expert.
Blood from the wolf species was particularly beneficial to other wolves, as it was less likely to cause rejection. Though there was some initial blood rejection, the fresh general-level blood ultimately fused with the Wolf Beast's system.
The higher the quality of the bloodline, the more powerful the strength it provided to the creature. Bloodlines were crucial in determining a creature's potential.
After merging with the high-grade general-level blood, Mo Fan gave the Wolf Beast some time to recover.
The battle-hardened wolf didn't disappoint—it got back on its feet, let out a howl, and signaled to Mo Fan that it was ready for more.
Soul molding was the next, and most dangerous, step. The soul was the most fragile part of any life form, and some spells that targeted the soul could cause pain more intense than any physical injury.
If the original soul was shattered during the process and the new soul wasn't successfully molded, the Wolf Beast would be ruined.
Soul molding tested the creature's willpower, and there was nothing Mo Fan could do—it was entirely up to the Wolf Beast to endure.
Whimper!
As soon as the soul molding began, the Wolf Beast let out a cry of agony.
In the world of demons, higher-tier creatures naturally held a dominant power over lower-tier ones. When a general-level soul invaded the Wolf Beast's soul, it triggered the most terrifying event—soul devouring!
The general-level soul was far stronger than the servant-level soul, and it followed the law of the jungle: the weak are consumed by the strong. The Wolf Beast had to withstand the pressure of the general-level soul, or its own soul would be devoured, leaving it as nothing more than a mindless shell.
"If you want to become stronger, if you want female wolves lining up for you, then hold on! Remember, you have only one master, and that's me. No other wolf species deserves your respect!" Mo Fan shouted, encouraging and reminding the wolf.
Howl!
Although the Wolf Beast was clearly in pain, Mo Fan's words seemed to boost its determination.
Thankfully, after about ten minutes of intense struggle, it managed to endure!
"Damn, you really are a lustful wolf! Was it because I mentioned female wolves that you powered through?" Mo Fan teased the Wolf Beast with a grin.
Whimper!
The Wolf Beast whined in protest, claiming that it hadn't been thinking about that—well, maybe just a tiny bit!
After all, who wouldn't want to be the ruler of their own pack, with a kingdom of wolves under their command?
(End of chapter)