The once powerful Winged Wolf, already severely wounded before this battle, finally lost all its strength and was slain by Zhan Kong.
In fact, if they hadn't intruded into the wolf's territory, killing it might have been much harder. But now, they had come into the wolf's own domain. Without a chance to escape, burdened by old injuries, and with Zhan Kong battling from above, the Winged Wolf stood no chance.
When the Winged Wolf died, Mo Fan moved in to absorb its soul remnants but was surprised to discover an even greater prize—a spirit essence!
"This is a huge win!" Mo Fan thought, excitement surging through him.
"Are you two okay?" Zhan Kong asked.
"We're fine." Zhang Xiaohou responded. Even if some wolves got close, Mo Fan had handled them, leaving Xiaohou untouched.
Looking at Mo Fan's slender figure, Zhang Xiaohou felt a sense of security.
"Mo Fan, are you alright?" Zhan Kong asked when he saw that Mo Fan hadn't responded.
"Oh, I'm fine." Mo Fan said, snapping out of his thoughts. Though he had a few wounds, nothing was serious. The joy of obtaining a commander-level essence spirit made everything worth it.
"Can you still make it out of here?"
"I can."
"Good!"
Zhan Kong nodded. After unleashing one more powerful spell to push back the remaining wolves, he personally chopped off the Winged Wolf's head, took Zhang Xiaohou, and flew away.
Though Mo Fan had consumed a lot of energy, he still had enough strength to use his shadow abilities to escape. Zhan Kong flew in the sky, while Mo Fan used the shadows to travel on the ground.
With the head of their leader now gone, the wolves were filled with fear. Even the bravest wolves didn't dare approach him. After all, if a creature as powerful as their leader was dead, what chance did they have?
As Zhan Kong flew back toward Bo City with the Winged Wolf's head, he dropped Zhang Xiaohou off at Snow Peak Station.
"I acted on my own, so I'll be punished. But there's something I have to do first. I've taught you everything I could, and now, you should head to the Ancient Capital and find a man named Fei Jiao to continue your training." Zhan Kong instructed.
"Chief instructor…" Zhang Xiaohou hesitated, clearly worried.
"Killing the Winged Wolf was something I owed this city. Now, I need to take care of something important." Zhan Kong said before flying off with the wolf's head.
When Zhan Kong returned to Bo City, the citizens were moved to tears, overwhelmed by admiration for their protector.
"Zhan Kong, how dare you disobey orders! Didn't I tell you we had a plan to deal with the wolves? If you had died, Bo City would be in even more danger!" the newly appointed commander Jiang Yu scolded as he saw Zhan Kong return with the head.
Zhan Kong tossed the wolf's head to the ground and coldly replied, "If we waited for your cowardly plans, the souls of the fallen would never rest."
"What did you say?!" Jiang Yu roared in anger.
"If you want to punish me with military law, go ahead. I'll turn myself in later." Zhan Kong replied, already preparing to fly off again. His wind wings remained poised for flight.
"Where are you going now?!" Jiang Yu yelled, still furious.
"To find Salan." Zhan Kong answered.
Hearing this, Jiang Yu was stunned. But Zhan Kong didn't stick around to explain; he quickly left.
Mo Fan and Zhang Xiaohou later regrouped in Bo City.
As for Zhan Kong's mission to find Salan, Mo Fan thought it was suicide. Salan was a super mage. Even if Zhan Kong, a high-level mage, managed to find her, what could he do?
Some people's resolve couldn't be shaken though, and Zhan Kong was one of those men—a man unafraid of death and willing to sacrifice everything for a better world.
"This time, I made a great haul. I got the Winged Wolf's spirit essence. Zhan Kong left right after the battle, so I'll—" Mo Fan began, but Zhang Xiaohou interrupted him with a shake of his head.
"Brother Mo, that essence is yours. If we're dividing up the spoils, that's between you and General Zhan Kong. As for me, this was more like training. You protected me the whole time, and I barely had to do anything. Plus, you have multiple magic systems, so you need more resources. Don't worry about me. I have my own organization to back me, and I just need to focus on my cultivation." Zhang Xiaohou said.
Mo Fan had no intention of hiding the spirit essence from Zhang Xiaohou, but his response was exactly what he expected.
"Alright then, I won't be shy about it. Next time, I'll prepare a special gift for you." Mo Fan said, patting Zhang Xiaohou's shoulder.
After this battle, Mo Fan felt that his fire element star cloud had slightly advanced.
Now, it was time for him to return to the Magic City and claim his training opportunity in the Three Step Tower. Although it was currently vacation, Mo Fan knew that with his potential to advance to the high level, Principal Xiao and the higher-ups would definitely grant him access.
"Brother Fan…"
"Stop talking and go train."
Mo Fan waved him off and left Bo City.
Back in the Magic City, Mo Fan went directly to Principal Xiao. When the principal learned that Mo Fan was on the verge of advancing to high-level magic, he immediately approved Mo Fan's request to train in the Three Step Tower.
Principal Xiao wasn't playing favorites. Mo Fan was simply about to reach the high level, and he met all the requirements. Allowing him to train early was a small favor, and they all believed Mo Fan would bring great honor to their country.
Inside the Three Step Tower, Mo Fan settled down to focus on his training. He spent the first day replenishing the magic energy his star cloud had lost. After that, he took out the Star River Vein.
Then, Mo Fan began his breakthrough!
Combat had given him a significant boost. Originally, it would have taken Mo Fan much longer to reach this point, but after the intense fight, he could feel the opportunity to advance was right before him.
Now that the chance was here, Mo Fan wasn't going to miss it.
The barrier surrounding his star cloud was thick and sturdy. He needed to stimulate all 49 of his stars with a powerful surge of energy to break through the barrier and enter the vast new realm of high-level magic. For that, he needed even more energy, and the Star River Vein had exactly what he required.
With his four magic systems, Mo Fan's mental and spiritual capacity far exceeded that of other mages, allowing him to handle twice the amount of energy others could. As he used the Star River Vein, his stars became stronger and began breaking through the barrier.
Each breakthrough came with intense mental pain, the kind that felt like his head would explode. Yet, even in this agonizing state, Mo Fan couldn't afford to relax. He had to maintain control and push more energy into his stars, enduring the pain to break through the barrier completely.
But Mo Fan was prepared for this. Though painful, he knew that once he pushed through, the reward would be immense.
(End of Chapter)