The audience was dumbfounded. Jiaoqiu is really going to die?!
-------------------------------------
The murderous intent of Hoolay was almost overflowing beyond the screen.
The audience's hearts were all in their throats.
At this moment, Mok Tok's ears suddenly twitched.
A message, transmitted through a secret art of Borisin, crossed an enormous distance and instantly reached Mok Tok.
But the news was not good-!
Their companions who had stayed behind in Cloudford Port were completely wiped out by Feixiao's men!
"L-Lord!"
"Our comrades in charge of support sent word, the arrangements at Cloudford Port have been discovered, we… we've been cut off!" Mok Tok said in a panic.
The plan was ruined. If they didn't retreat now, they'd lose their last chance.
Hoolay's expression didn't change. His tone was calm as he said: "This is not beyond my expectations."
They had already waited in this small courtyard for an hour, yet the response from Cloudford Port never came.
Clearly, something had gone wrong long ago.
At this moment, a sudden explosion resounded at the edge of the sky.
Hoolay narrowed his eyes and looked over. Fireworks were bursting in the sky.
"What is that sound?" Hoolay asked.
"It's the Skysplitter!"
"Damn it!"
"The Luminary Wardance is about to begin. By then, the Sky-Faring Commission will surely clear all the air routes. If we try to escape with our star skiff, we'll definitely be discovered!"
Mok Tok's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly spoke.
One unexpected event after another, and the oppressive pressure was shifting toward Hoolay's group.
The surrounding Borisin also showed horrified expressions. They had struggled so hard to sneak into Luofu, and barely managed to bring back their War Chief.
And now, it seemed they were being forced to a dead end again.
In this atmosphere of fear and unease, Hoolay's voice cut through firmly.
"Calm down."
"Mok Tok!"
"Look at you all now, hiding and trembling. Where is the dignity of the Borisin?"
The war chief's scolding jolted Mok Tok back into focus.
Gritting his teeth, he said: "To bring you back to our people, I need no dignity! As long as you can return, there will still be hope!"
Hoolay grew even angrier, revealing his thoughts for the first time: "Hope? You've long forgotten the ancient creed of the Borisin. Only weak beasts place their hope in the shelter of the strong! A strong beast carves its own bloody path!"
"Now you only wish to welcome back 'Hoolay,' instead of forging a rebirth!"
"This already proves the decline of the entire tribe! That so-called prophet who manipulated you to rescue me, she is nothing more than a fraud using trickery!"
"Mok Tok!"
"Let me show you how the Borisin will rise again!"
"I will never cower like a rat, scurrying for survival! I will carve my own bloody path!"
The bloodthirsty spirit of the past had finally erupted. These descendants, they had long forgotten how, in the most ancient times, the Borisin hunted among the stars.
But now, Hoolay would lead these wolf cubs, to reclaim the glory of the Borisin!
They should not fear death, nor the future!
As long as they hunted with all their might, the future would naturally return to the Borisin.
The aura radiating from Hoolay stunned Mok Tok and the others into a daze.
They felt something within themselves slowly awakening.
Only Mok Tok managed to keep a shred of "reason," struggling to say: "War Chief, our pack isn't here. W-we cannot recklessly start a battle!"
He still clung to the prophet's teachings: that finding the war chief would revive the Borisin.
But Hoolay only grinned wickedly: "The pack isn't here?"
"No. Wherever I tread, that is the pack!"
At that moment, the audience's scalps tingled with numbness.
Cunning, brutal, bold, and confident.
The great enemy of the Xianzhou seven hundred years ago.
The strongest war chief in Borisin history.
These traits and titles were once again manifest in Hoolay's very being.
One had to admit, as a villain, Hoolay's character and charisma were undeniable.
...
: Hiss… damn it, why is Hoolay getting me fired up?
: Holy crap, that line was actually badass.
: Damn, wherever I tread, that is my pack, the sense of grandeur is perfectly built.
: Such a war chief truly lives up to his reputation!
: This must be why Hoolay stayed silent before, he could never tolerate his descendents becoming such cowards!
: As a villain, he's absolutely formidable!
...
Under everyone's gaze, Hoolay walked toward the Foxian prisoner who had escaped the dark prison with them.
This man had been cast aside until now.
Seeing Hoolay approach, the Foxian was stricken with fear, stumbling back until his back hit the wall, leaving no way to retreat: "N-no, stay back!"
Hoolay ignored him.
Under the sunlight, his shadow suddenly merged into the Foxian's shadow.
"Ahhhhhh!!!!"
With a shrill scream, blood and shadows writhed chaotically.
The cries grew weaker.
The Foxian's shadow suddenly swelled, transforming into the shape of a howling Borisin warrior.
Hoolay had used some unknown method, he had assimilated the Foxian into a Borisin!
The audience's minds went blank. No one had expected Hoolay to have such a hidden card!
But thinking carefully, since Foxian and Borisin shared the same ancestral origins, Hoolay's transformation-like method made a twisted kind of sense.
Only, if that was the case, then the Xianzhou was in danger!
So many Foxian here would all become Hoolay's targets of infection!
"Where I tread, there is the wolf pack", so that was the true meaning?!
The blood-soaked assimilation drove the atmosphere in the courtyard into utter madness.
Hoolay tore at his own flesh, splattering more blood onto the surrounding Borisin.
Then, the war chief issued his first order: "Share my blood with every brother. Use it to infect the Foxian! Use it to spread fear!"
The eyes of Mok Tok and the Borisin changed completely.
They looked at Hoolay in awe and terror. Hoolay's intent was now crystal clear.
The war chief had no intention of leaving. He would stay here, and with his power, create the pack anew.
He would turn this Xianzhou into the hunting ground of the Borisin!
Under such overwhelming presence, the prophet's words in Mok Tok's mind were slowly being erased.
The way they looked at Hoolay had transformed into reverence, fear, and deep worship!
Hoolay was very pleased with this change.
A cruel smile appeared on his face as he looked toward the shadow at the courtyard gate: "Sneaky brat, come out!"
A familiar violet-black shadow emerged.
"…Jiaoqiu."
After Moze crawled out, he fixed his eyes on the gravely wounded Jiaoqiu.
"Go!" Jiaoqiu gritted his teeth and said.
Moze didn't respond, but shifted his gaze to Hoolay. It seemed he was considering the possibility of an assassination.
Hoolay paid no attention to Moze's stare. Arms folded across his chest, he burst into hearty laughter: "He can't leave! Neither can you, Yaoqing's welp. You've come at just the right time!"
"Tell your general!"
"Tell her! I will start from here and carve my way through the entire Xianzhou Luofu!"
"From now on, the offspring who share my blood will prowl and hunt in every marketplace, feeding on the followers of the Hunt!"
At this point, he turned to Mok Tok and the other Borisin behind him, baring his teeth with a wolf-like growl:
"Wolf pups, follow me, and let us look down upon these puny beings!"
If his earlier words had merely made Mok Tok and the others completely change sides, then this vow to slaughter his way through Luofu utterly awakened the bloodlust of these Borisin.
Their whole bodies trembled as they chanted together the ancestral creed of the Borisin:
"Grant the wolf a dead end, and it finds a path ahead."
"Feed the wolf with death, so its hunger is sated."
"Those who live in cowardly peace find no survival."
"Fight to the death, and live on through all ages!"
Their voices grew louder and louder, until finally, they were accompanied by earth-shaking wolf howls!
"Fight to the death, live on through all ages!"
"Fight to the death, live on through all ages!"
Amid the howls of the wolves, the shield wall swelled: "Charge together as one!"
...
: Too domineering, Hoolay!
: These villains… how can they make it this hype??
: Those last lines really fired me up, I almost got goosebumps!
: Truly astonishing. With this move, Hoolay has completely taken back the initiative.
: Not only did he choose the path that hurts Luofu the most, he also reignited the blood of the Borisin, instantly gaining a large force of death-bound warriors!
: I'm convinced, this is what it means to be a warlord.
: Turns out, the PV trailer wasn't false hype, Luofu really is in serious danger.
: With Hoolay's charisma, this might turn into a crisis soon.
: If there's anything the Arbiter-Generals didn't expect, it's probably only the plague curse lingering on Hoolay.
: With that as his backing, if he throws Luofu into chaos, he really might succeed!
: Ahhh, now it all depends on how the Arbiter-Generals respond!
...
For the viewers, the shaping of Hoolay's story had already pressed heavily onto them.
Fear climbed into their hearts.
Compared to Jiaoqiu's life or death earlier, now, the lives of many more hung on the scales.
Hoolay's special ability allowed his soldiers to revive with each assault.
If Luofu failed to respond properly, it could plunge into utter chaos!
After all, there were just too many Foxians here!
As the audience grew restless, the screen suddenly went black.
A bold line of text appeared:
[The Luminary Wardance is about to commence]
Time skip! An hour had jumped!
What of Hoolay's moves? Did he attack Luofu? The audience grew more uneasy.
But when a valiant, heroic face appeared on screen, their unease was instantly swept away.
It was as if they'd found their pillar of support; the live comments flooded:
"General Feixiao, save us!"
After being absent for so long, General Feixiao finally appeared.
Not only her, but Yanqing, and Stelle who had rushed to join them.
She led a mighty contingent of Cloud Knights, heading toward the courtyard.
As they marched, her commands rang out crisply:
"Seal off all ports."
"Control all flight routes."
"Every district must have a squad of Cloud Knights on constant guard."
Order after order issued forth.
An overwhelming sense of safety filled the audience's hearts.
The Cloud Knights spread out.
Feixiao arrived at the courtyard gates.
There, disguised as Foxians, the Borisin stood brazenly, forming a circle to surround Moze.
Seeing Feixiao's arrival, these Borisin showed no fear, but instead bared bloodthirsty grins.
Moze, panting and half-kneeling on the ground, his clothes tattered and soaked in blood, looked as if he'd just endured a brutal battle.
"General… I failed."
"They left me alive… to deliver a message to you…"
Before he could finish, one of the Borisin cut in mockingly: "To declare war on you! We've been holding back from tearing his throat out. After all, Lord Hoolay left us here just to see…"
"…whether you, the famed Vanquishing General, sworn enemy of the Borisin, have the guts to face him in battle!"
The words had barely fallen, when more than a dozen Foxians instantly transformed.
Twisting within black smoke, they turned into terrifying werewolves.
"Hunting?"
"That's no game."
Feixiao gazed coldly at the Borisin and said: "It's a war of life and death. Are you ready to die, abominations?"
At those final two words, her eyes suddenly flared with brilliance.
"Vermin!"
The Borisin soldiers roared curses as they tried to rush her.
But Feixiao had already become a beam of light. No one could see her movements.
Only the faces of the Borisin, once filled with hatred and cruelty, being shattered into fragments.
Their bodies were sliced in half in an instant, swept aside like leaves in a storm, crashing to the ground.
The confidence and arrogance Hoolay had just built in them was annihilated in a heartbeat.
In the blink of an eye, only one werewolf remained.
He howled at the sky, trying to awaken a deeper lunacy from his fear.
But before he could regain courage, his eyes reflected a dreadful figure.
Feixiao had already appeared before him. Her right fist raised high, her body taut like a drawn bowstring.
"No!!"
The werewolf screamed in terror, but the last thing he saw was Feixiao's fist crashing down.
A blow fiercer than any Borisin had ever faced!
Boom!
His head was blasted clean off, his body hurled like a cannonball into the wall behind him.
From provocation, to annihilation.
On screen, it had taken no more than two seconds.
The viewers were left with mouths agape.
The Vanquishing General was truly terrifying beyond belief.