The village square was a flurry of activity as the news of the approaching spiritual beasts spread. Men scrambled to arm themselves with crude weapons, while the elders gave hurried instructions to the villagers to prepare barricades. The children were whisked away into their homes, wide-eyed with fear as their mothers ushered them inside. The peaceful village of Willowbrook had become a place of frantic movement, all driven by the grim knowledge of what was descending upon them from the mountains.
Li Feng stood near the edge of the square, gripping the handle of his axe tightly. His pulse pounded in his ears, and though fear lurked in the back of his mind, a strange sense of clarity washed over him. This wasn’t just an attack. This was the moment he had waited for—the moment when his strength would be tested.
Xiao Mei ran up beside him, her breath coming in sharp bursts. “Li Feng! You’re not seriously thinking of fighting those things, are you? You don’t even know how to wield Qi!”
“I don’t have a choice,” he replied, his eyes fixed on the distant line of trees where the beasts would appear. “If we don’t stop them here, they’ll tear through the village. People will die.”
She looked at him as if he were mad. “That’s the elders’ job! And if the beasts get through, we can run. There’s no shame in survival!”
Li Feng shook his head, his jaw set. “I’ve lived my whole life waiting for a moment like this, Mei. I’m not going to run.”
Before she could argue further, the deep, earth-shaking roar of a spiritual beast echoed through the valley. The villagers froze, their eyes wide with terror. Even Li Feng’s heart skipped a beat as the sound seemed to resonate through the ground beneath him.
And then they saw it.
Bursting from the treeline, the first beast appeared—an enormous wolf-like creature, twice the size of any normal animal. Its fur shimmered with dark energy, its red eyes glowing with a hunger that chilled the very air around it. Behind it, two more beasts followed: one with sleek, scaled skin and a long tail that cracked like a whip, and the other, a hulking mass of muscle and fur, its jaws wide and dripping with saliva.
The spiritual beasts charged forward, their movements swift and deadly, as though they were powered by the very earth beneath them.
The villagers screamed and scattered, most heading toward their homes in a desperate bid for safety. But a handful of men, armed with spears and bows, gathered near the village entrance, their faces pale but resolute. Among them was Old Man Guo, leaning on his cane, but with a fire in his eyes that Li Feng had never seen before.
“Hold the line!” Guo shouted, his voice cutting through the panic. “Do not let them past! The village depends on us!”
Li Feng moved to join the line of men, his axe ready. His body tensed with anticipation, his heart pounding in his chest, but a strange calm settled over him. He had no formal training in combat, no cultivation techniques to bolster his strength, but he had spent his entire life working in these forests, training his body through sheer will and perseverance.
Now, it was time to see if it was enough.
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The first beast struck with terrifying speed. The giant wolf lunged forward, its claws ripping through the ground as it charged. One of the men in the front line, a farmer wielding a spear, thrust his weapon forward, but the beast’s massive paw batted it aside like a twig. The farmer screamed as he was thrown to the ground, his spear shattered.
Li Feng reacted on instinct, stepping forward and swinging his axe with all his might. The blade connected with the wolf’s side, sinking into its thick fur, but it wasn’t enough to stop the creature’s momentum. The beast snarled, turning its blood-red eyes on Li Feng, fury burning in their depths.
For a split second, the world seemed to slow down. Li Feng could feel the weight of the beast’s presence, the raw, unbridled power of a creature infused with the spiritual energy of the mountains. Its breath was hot and foul, its fangs gleaming like ivory knives.
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But in that moment, Li Feng didn’t flinch. He twisted the axe, driving the blade deeper, and with a grunt of effort, ripped it free from the beast’s flesh.
The wolf howled in pain, its massive form stumbling back. Blood—dark and thick—poured from the wound, and the villagers behind Li Feng took advantage of the opening. A volley of arrows shot through the air, several of them striking the wolf’s flanks.
The beast roared again, its fury rising, but its movements were slower now, more labored.
Li Feng stepped forward again, readying another strike, but before he could move, one of the other beasts—the scaled, serpentine one—lashed out with its tail. The whip-like appendage struck him across the chest, sending him sprawling to the ground. Pain exploded in his ribs as he skidded across the dirt, gasping for breath.
“Li Feng!” Xiao Mei screamed from somewhere behind him, but her voice was drowned out by the cacophony of the battle.
Gritting his teeth, Li Feng forced himself to stand. His chest ached with every breath, but he couldn’t stop now. He couldn’t afford to.
The serpentine beast slithered toward him, its yellow eyes glowing with cold malice. Its tail lashed out again, but this time Li Feng was ready. He ducked low, rolling to the side just as the tail cracked through the air where he had been standing.
He scrambled back to his feet, the axe still in his hand, his grip tight despite the pain shooting through his body. The beast circled him, its movements smooth and deadly, like a predator toying with its prey.
Li Feng knew he couldn’t fight this creature with brute force alone. He needed to outthink it.
His eyes darted around the battlefield, searching for something—anything—that he could use to his advantage. And then he saw it: a low-hanging branch from one of the nearby trees, just within reach.
The beast lunged, and Li Feng reacted in an instant. He darted toward the tree, leaping up and grabbing hold of the branch with his free hand. Using his momentum, he swung himself up just as the beast’s tail lashed beneath him, missing by inches.
From his perch on the branch, Li Feng had a moment to breathe. The serpent-like beast coiled below him, hissing in frustration, its eyes locked on its prey.
Li Feng tightened his grip on the axe. His mind raced. He had one shot at this.
With a deep breath, he launched himself off the branch, falling toward the beast with the full weight of his body behind him. As he descended, he swung the axe downward, aiming for the creature’s head.
The blade connected with a sickening crunch, burying itself deep into the beast’s skull. The creature let out a strangled hiss, its body convulsing as it writhed in its death throes.
Li Feng hit the ground hard, rolling to absorb the impact. He gasped for breath, every muscle in his body screaming in protest. But when he looked up, the serpent was still, its massive form lifeless on the ground.
For a moment, there was only silence.
Then, the sound of the remaining beasts’ roars snapped Li Feng back to reality. The battle was far from over. The wolf still fought, though it was wounded and bleeding heavily, and the third beast—a hulking brute with fur as dark as night—was tearing through the villagers’ defenses, scattering men like leaves in a storm.
Li Feng staggered to his feet, his vision swimming. His body felt like it could collapse at any moment, but he couldn’t stop. Not now.
He grabbed his axe and turned toward the wolf, but before he could take another step, a sudden, blinding light erupted from the treeline. The air itself seemed to hum with energy as a figure stepped into view, draped in the flowing robes of a cultivator.
The newcomer moved with impossible grace, their hand raised as a brilliant sword of pure light formed in their grasp. With a single motion, they slashed the sword through the air, sending a wave of energy crashing into the beasts.
The wolf howled in agony as the energy struck, its body convulsing before it collapsed in a heap, its life snuffed out in an instant. The remaining beast, seeing its companions fall, turned and fled into the forest, disappearing into the shadows from whence it came.
The village fell into stunned silence.
Li Feng stood frozen, his chest heaving with exhaustion, his mind struggling to process what had just happened. The cultivator stepped forward, their presence commanding, radiating an aura of immense power.
As they approached, the light of their sword dimmed, revealing a tall figure with sharp features and piercing eyes. A golden emblem gleamed on their chest—the mark of the Weeping Willow Sect.
The cultivator’s gaze fell on Li Feng, and for a moment, their eyes narrowed in contemplation. Then, they spoke, their voice calm but authoritative.
“You fought well, for a commoner.”
Li Feng stared at them, still catching his breath, unsure of how to respond.
The cultivator glanced around at the villagers, who were now emerging from their homes, their faces filled with awe and gratitude.
“Tell me your name,” the cultivator said, turning back to Li Feng.
He swallowed, his throat dry. “Li Feng.”
The cultivator nodded slowly