CHAPTER 577: CHAPTER 357: SECURING A PLACE FOR ONESELF_2

The claw shockwaves were the most common attack for Yan Xiaobao in his wolf form, but after merging with memories from his past life, Yan Xiaobao had gained profound new abilities. Seeing his shockwave miss its target, he finally seized the opportunity to try another ability he had learned but never had the chance to use.

Until now, Yan Xiaobao had never utilized the red wolf’s elemental affinity. He still did not completely understand how it worked, but the moment the red fog emerged on his body and slowly condensed into flames, his entire body appeared to ignite. As the attack he was about to use was considered Yan Xiaobao’s ultimate strike, he retreated backward, as it required time to charge.

Although the attack required a charging period, his entire body was protected by the flames enveloping him, and he could continue to attack with his limbs.

The flames behind him began gathering into a massive flaming wolf head. When this wolf head appeared above him, the weather suddenly changed from sunny to stormy. The wind howled as if a full wolf pack was crying behind him. Finally, Yan Xiaobao let out his own loud howl. The attack he was about to unleash was anything but simple.

The howling grew louder, and the wind intensified. The entire crowd was stunned as they saw a 20-meter-tall wolf head swirling around Yan Xiaobao.

Initially, Yan Xiaobao only wanted to test the power of this attack. However, now that he realized just how powerful it truly was, he also understood he couldn’t use it now. If he were to unleash the attack, it would not only kill the tall man before him but also most of the King-level experts within a 20-meter radius.

This attack truly deserved its title as the ultimate strike. It was an attack invented by Wolf Hui Yue during his time as a God Expert, clearly showcasing the immense strength of wolves. The attack required an enormous amount of Qi energy, making it executable regardless of a beast’s rank. As the wolf was born from fire, it also relied on the wolf’s innate fire elemental affinity.

The true reason this attack was so overwhelmingly powerful lay in the elemental affinity Yan Xiaobao had inherited from the previous Wolf Yan Xiaobao. This affinity, combined with the compatibility of Lan Feng’s elemental affinity and his innately close relationship with it, made his overall fire elemental affinity utterly astounding.

The power of this attack altered the weather, drawing more and more experts to the training grounds to see what was happening. Even the Forest King arrived, shocked as they felt the ground tremble and heard the roaring winds. The moment they stepped out of their rooms, they were shaken to their cores upon seeing the massive flaming wolf head. Even the furious man before Yan Xiaobao sobered up; his face turned pale as fear overtook him. His mouth opened and closed, words failing him as terror gripped his heart.

Flames burned brightly in Yan Xiaobao’s eyes. His body seemed to be ablaze, yet not even a single strand of his fur was harmed. Glaring at his opponent, Yan Xiaobao let out a deep sigh. Finally, the massive wolf head began dissipating into thin air, the flames fading away little by little. In the end, even the fire surrounding his body vanished, and Yan Xiaobao leaped out of the arena. Having tested this ability, he was satisfied with what he had achieved. He decided to stop because he had no more beast energy left in his body. Indeed, he could still rely on his spiritual energy to continue fighting, but the young man decided he had trained enough for the day.

"You’re just a loser!" a voice suddenly shouted from behind him. A young man with white hair stood up, turning his body to face the tall man who had spoken.

"What did you just say?" he asked, his voice cold, his gaze colder than the deepest winter night.

"I said you’re a loser!" the man repeated. "Before the battle, you spoke so arrogantly. And here you are now, retreating with your tail between your legs just because you’re afraid of me! Pathetic!"

Yan Xiaobao stared at him in astonishment. He was stunned that this man couldn’t comprehend that Yan Xiaobao had withdrawn the attack to avoid killing multiple King-level experts—and yet here he was, spewing nonsense.

Just as Yan Xiaobao was about to respond, a loud snort echoed from behind the guards. "Are you proud of yourself? Do you intend to drag my name through the mud?!"

The voice was thunderous. The very ground trembled, and the sky seemed to shake. The sound was like rolling thunder, striking a deep chord of fear in everyone present. It was obvious the speaker wielded immense power, and equally apparent that he disapproved of what had transpired.

The crowd slowly parted to make way for the man with the booming voice. After what felt like several minutes, the man finally approached the stage. As he neared, he glared fiercely at the tall cultivator who had been yelling. Casting a glance at Yan Xiaobao, his expression darkened even further upon noticing the young man’s icy and indifferent demeanor.

Yan Xiaobao, on the other hand, didn’t seem to mind the interruption, especially when he realized the newcomer’s anger was directed at the man still standing in the arena.

"How dare you speak this way to the young lord?!" the man bellowed. His face turned red as he continued shouting at the expert atop the arena. "Come here right now and apologize. Be grateful he didn’t use that attack just now, as it would’ve killed not only you but countless others as well!" The man was clearly furious on Yan Xiaobao’s behalf, yet Yan Xiaobao himself remained silent. He simply stood there, arms crossed over his chest, watching everything unfold before him.

The man on stage had been silent for a while, glaring at Yan Xiaobao with eyes full of rage and hatred. "Commander, this brat was extremely arrogant before the fight, but he left the arena without defeating me and still acts as though he’s the victor. How can I, as a Martial Artist, tolerate such arrogance?" the man finally managed to voice his anger, his tone filled with fury.

"Are you deaf or blind?!" the man addressed as the Commander demanded. His face grew redder with mounting anger.

"Commander, I don’t understand why you’re siding with such an arrogant brat. What has he done for you? How can you turn against your own subordinate?!"

"This young master is far stronger than I ever imagined," the Commander said, casting a glance at the still-calm Yan Xiaobao. The young man stood there silently, his eyes observing everything while a faint smile played on his lips.

"If you had said nothing, you wouldn’t have been chastised. But to call this merciful young master a loser and even insult him—that’s sheer stupidity!" the Commander continued, turning then to Yan Xiaobao and bowing deeply before the young man in a gesture of utmost respect.

"I, Commander Hu of Sunfury Ridge, apologize on behalf of my subordinate. I hope you, young lord, will be merciful toward this man, who has eyes but fails to see what stands before him."

The Commander gave Yan Xiaobao an enormous gesture of goodwill, and Yan Xiaobao wasn’t so arrogant as to not return it. Nodding, he smiled at the Commander. "If I seemed to insult the guards of Sunfury Ridge in any way, I apologize, as that was never my intention. However, if he insults me again, do not blame me for being rude." The white-haired young man smiled before turning and leaving the training ground. Yan Xiaobao returned to his room, feeling much better than before.

Not far from the training ground, a group of ten to twenty people gathered. All of them had observed the battle from beginning to end. Many of them were too shocked by what they had seen to say a word.

These experts were all Forest Kings. Some had heard stories about Yan Xiaobao from guards, Wan Qiao, or other lords. Somehow, they had used spies or money to acquire information about this mysterious young man.

When they saw him in battle, they weren’t initially surprised by his ability to utilize spiritual energy. However, the final attack he unleashed had terrified them. Despite being at the King Ranking level, even they had to be careful not to be harmed by such a technique. Witnessing this, Wan Qiao became even more determined to keep this prodigy close.

"It seems this young man has both the brains and the strength to become the new Beast Monarch," one person finally sighed, his voice filled with admiration.

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