The wolf pack hadn't even reached the den when they already smelled the thick scent of blood — not just the blood of prey, but also the blood of jungle wolves. They had all licked their own wounds before; they knew exactly what their own blood tasted like.
"Big Cub, take the smaller ones and wait here. If we don't come out, you leave on your own."
The alpha wolf turned to look at Lang Qing as he gave what amounted to his last words.
If a tiger dared invade their den and slaughter his pack, then it was a fight to the death. There was no other choice.
"Understood!"
Lang Qing did not cry, showed no sorrow — only steadfast resolve.
"Into the den!"
At the alpha's command, the jungle wolves surged into the cave.
The scene inside was horrifying. The bodies of the old wolves lay on the ground, their corpses not yet completely cold. Their blood was still warm.
No sadness, no weeping — only the smell of blood, and the primal fury that had been awakened deep within the jungle wolves. They would save their grief for the invaders. They would make the invaders understand the consequences of enraging them.
The tiger stood up, pressing its back against the wall. Reducing the number of angles from which it could be attacked was a very advantageous position for the tiger.
"This is my territory now. Get lost."
Originally, the young tiger had thought he could subdue the wolf pack and make them serve him. But when he saw the murderous glint in the wolves' eyes, he realized this was not a group he could ever control.
Wolves and tigers do not speak the same language, but the wolf pack could roughly understand the meaning behind the tiger's roar.
No reply. No baring of teeth. Only direct confrontation.
The jungle wolves moved. They charged at the tiger, one after another, without a single wolf backing down.
Zhang Yang did not stop the pack. He had no right to prevent their revenge. This was their duty, and their right.
The young tiger was not afraid.
Since he had dared to come, he was naturally prepared for battle. Even if both sides were gravely wounded, he believed the final victor would still be him. Because he was strong enough.
His strength was comparable to a brown bear's, yet his agility far surpassed what any brown bear could achieve.
Any jungle wolf that pounced at him would be swatted away and torn open by his extended claws, leaving bloody gashes across their bodies. Zhang Yang knew that pain all too well — the young tiger had once injured him the exact same way.
Zhang Yang charged forward too, just like the other wolves, nothing particularly special about him. He didn't attract the tiger's attention. With disdain, the young tiger swung a paw at him, intending to send him flying.
But before the tiger's paw could land on Zhang Yang, Zhang Yang raised his own paw as well.
Two paws of vastly different sizes collided.
Zhang Yang's paw bent and snapped.
"My physique is still too weak."
Even though his paw was broken, Zhang Yang did not retreat.
The tiger's paw did not break — its bones were harder.
"What kind of wolf is this?"
Although the tiger's paw remained intact, it was utterly shocked. It had felt the tremendous force transmitted through Zhang Yang's paw. A strength not inferior to its own.
That was terrifying.
If not for Zhang Yang's inferior physique, the outcome might have been very different.
Zhang Yang's momentary block gave the other wolves their chance. They leaped onto the tiger one after another, sinking their teeth in wherever they could. They didn't care where they bit — as long as they could make the tiger bleed, it was good enough.
Wolf fangs pierced into the tiger's flesh.
A furious tiger roar erupted. The young tiger snapped the neck of one wolf in a single bite, then flung the body off its back with a swing of its head.
Being attacked from all sides, the sudden chaos caused the tiger to momentarily forget about the unusually strong wolf right in front of it. It tried to shake all the wolves off its body.
By the time it remembered the odd one among them, Zhang Yang was already right before its face.
Limping on one broken leg, he had to tilt his head up to see the tiger's face — but that very angle allowed him to reach the tiger's throat.
"Reverse Heaven Strike."
Zhang Yang activated Reverse Heaven Strike.
For the first time since becoming a wolf, he attacked with his mouth.
500 pounds of force, doubled by Reverse Heaven Strike, plus enhanced sharpness.
All of it concentrated into this one bite.
Zhang Yang's fangs sank deep into the tiger's neck.
The tiger's fur and flesh offered no resistance at all.
With all his strength, Zhang Yang tore through the tiger's windpipe.
The tiger felt the pain. Instinctively, it lashed out at Zhang Yang. Tiger claws raked across him, leaving bloody wounds, and shoved his body away.
But the tiger still refused to let him go. It lunged for Zhang Yang's throat in return — an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
It wanted to use its last strength to take revenge.
With its windpipe severed, it already knew it would not survive.
As the tiger's jaws closed in, Zhang Yang no longer had time to dodge. The broken leg had drastically reduced his mobility.
Just as he hesitated over whether to evolve into another species, Lang Qing's father charged in.
He used his own body to block the tiger's jaws.
"The pack is yours now. Lead them. Give them a better life."
The alpha wolf didn't even glance at the tiger. He looked only at Zhang Yang and let out a mournful howl.
The tiger's fangs pierced through the alpha's abdomen. Blood gushed out, staining Zhang Yang's vision red.
Zhang Yang's eyes grew wet.
The alpha was using his life to save him.
Before Zhang Yang could reply, the tiger flung the alpha's body aside. The old wolf's corpse slammed hard against the cave wall. Zhang Yang's rage ignited.
"You damned thing."
Zhang Yang pushed off with his hind legs. His wolf body shot forward like an arrow. His head smashed into the tiger's lower jaw, and once again his fangs sank deep into the tiger's flesh — this time into its skull.
The creature's vitality was too strong. Even with its windpipe crushed, it still had fight left in it. If he let it rampage any longer, more wolves would die.
Zhang Yang's strength was immense. He clamped down with unyielding force on the tiger's jaws.
The tiger tried to open its mouth to counterattack, but it couldn't muster the power.
Such bite force was not something a wolf should possess. The tiger felt its upper and lower jaws grinding uselessly against each other, unable to separate.
The tiger refused to die like this.
It raised both front paws and clawed at Zhang Yang, trying to tear him off.
But Zhang Yang refused to let go. Even as his fur was shredded and blood poured from his wounds, he held fast.
"Ding, killed a tiger. Over-level kill. Gained 2000 evolution points."
"Ding, task completed: Archenemy. Task rewards: Lifespan +5 days, Evolution Points +2000."
The young tiger was dead.
The wolves had won.
Zhang Yang did not look at the fruits of his victory.
Dragging his blood-soaked body, he came before the alpha wolf.
Four gaping holes marred the alpha's body. The bleeding had already stopped — there was simply no blood left to flow.
"Promise me… take care of them."
The alpha wolf was still alive. He stared at Zhang Yang with open eyes.
"I promise you," Zhang Yang said. "From now on, I am their king."