Li Taixing glanced at the three pets, all lying on the ground, breathing heavily. He called back their twin brothers, the summoned creatures he'd used to deliver the beating. At last, Xiong Er, Sha Niao, and Vest felt relief.
"In the future, when I'm resting, one of you has to guard the door at all times," Li Taixing said sternly. "If I find out you've been slacking off again, you'll be punished even worse than today. Got it?"
The three pets nodded in unison. They had no intention of going through that humiliation again, especially not with other beasts witnessing their shame. While they were powerful in their own right, all in the Foundation Establishment Realm, the pressure Li Taixing applied today made them feel more helpless than ever.
Li Taixing, however, had no time to dwell on their inner thoughts. He waved Xiong Er over and asked, "Come here."
Xiong Er lumbered over obediently.
Taking out a storage ring, Li Taixing asked, "Do you know how to use this?"
Xiong Er shook his head, raising his massive paws as if to show that the ring would never fit on his giant fingers. The ring was clearly designed for humans, not creatures like him.
With a flick of his wrist, Li Taixing looped a string through the ring and hung it around Xiong Er's neck like a necklace. "Now, think about how much food you want—roast suckling pigs, for example."
Xiong Er concentrated, imagining a mountain of roast suckling pigs, and suddenly, it appeared right in front of him.
"Just don't waste it," Li Taixing warned, narrowing his eyes. "Eat only what you need. If I catch you overeating, I'll break your legs, got it?"
Xiong Er, now somewhat intimidated, quickly nodded, learning to store the pigs back into the ring.
"In the future, if I'm not around, that's your food. If you ever get tired of roast pigs, hunt your own prey. Understand?"
Again, all three pets nodded.
"Good," Li Taixing said, satisfied. "I'm heading out for some activities. You all stay here."
With that, he vanished, moving swiftly through the jungle. His thoughts were already on finding new creatures to subdue. The beasts of the land, sky, and water had all been taken by him. But he was always in pursuit of stronger, more unique monsters to serve his needs.
Shuttling through the trees, Li Taixing caused a stir among the local wildlife, though none of them could pinpoint where he was. He was simply too fast, his teleportation skills leaving most beasts confused and unable to detect him.
Before long, he stumbled upon a lair full of wolves.
"Is this... a Wind Wolf Lair?" Li Taixing's eyes lit up. Wind wolves were swift and majestic. Capturing one as a mount would be an excellent addition to his collection. Their ability to run across vast distances would certainly come in handy.
"Alright," he muttered to himself, "this time, my target is you."
Standing boldly before the entrance, Li Taixing called out, "Wind Wolf King, come out and face me!"
The wolves immediately pricked up their ears at the sound of his voice, turning their eyes toward the audacious human standing just outside their lair. They growled, unsure of what to make of him.
"Come on, show me what you've got," Li Taixing clapped his hands, taunting them further.
Suddenly, one of the wind wolves could no longer contain its anger. It transformed into a blur, dashing at him with incredible speed.
"Smack!"
The wolf hit him hard, sending Li Taixing flying.
[Ding! Host has been attacked. Tens of billions of multiplier effects activated. Host's defense is now maxed out. Host can now ignore attacks of the same level.]
Li Taixing grinned. "Perfect. This is going to be fun."
Standing up, completely unharmed, he marched back toward the lair. The wind wolves stared, confused and startled. They had clearly seen him thrown backward, yet here he was, walking back as if nothing had happened.
Infuriated, more wolves rushed at him. Their afterimages blurred across the air as they swiped their claws at Li Taixing, each strike aiming to tear him apart.
But Li Taixing barely flinched.
"Whack! Smack!"
Each time a wind wolf landed a blow, it howled in pain, retreating immediately. They hadn't anticipated the recoil—hitting Li Taixing felt like slamming into solid stone, their own attacks causing them more pain than him.
"Is that the best you've got?" Li Taixing laughed.
The wind wolves, realizing they couldn't win in close combat, switched tactics. Green energy gathered above their heads, forming sharp wind blades that spun rapidly, preparing to strike.
In an instant, dozens of wind blades shot toward Li Taixing, slicing through the air with deadly accuracy.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The barrage of wind blades engulfed him, and the wolves let out satisfied howls, certain that this would finish him off.
Yet, moments later, Li Taixing emerged from the storm of blades, completely unharmed. The wind wolves froze in shock.
"Not bad," he said, brushing some dust off his shoulder. "But still not enough."
Panicking, the wolves howled for reinforcements. More wind wolves emerged from deeper in the lair, each more fearsome than the last.
Among them, the Wind Wolf King finally made its appearance. Having heard the commotion, the alpha wolf stepped forward, clearly displeased that its pack had failed to deal with the intruder.
As the Wind Wolf King approached, Li Taixing's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Just who I've been waiting for."
The Wind Wolf King raised its head, its eyes full of disdain. It stood atop the highest point in the lair, regarding Li Taixing as a mere pest.
But before it could assert its dominance, Li Taixing vanished, reappearing directly in front of it.
"Wind Wolf King, are you ready to surrender?" Li Taixing grinned wickedly, summoning thousands of Qingyue Swords, all aimed at the wolf.
The Wind Wolf King, seeing the swords floating ominously around him, let out a terrified whimper.
"Woof!" It yelped, nearly falling off its perch in fright.