Li Xuanfeng watched in amazement as the hyena occasionally howled loudly, commanding the other hyenas to drive the deer to another lush grazing area. Once the deer had nearly finished grazing, they were herded back into the forest.
Li Xuanfeng, who had hunted many demons in the mountains for years, had never seen such a phenomenon and patiently waited the entire afternoon. As the sun set and everything was eventually basked in its orange glow, the hyena finally selected a few deer and awkwardly led them deeper into the forest, using its forelimbs like arms, staggering oddly on two legs.
Despite its ineptitude, the gray-haired hyena stumbled a few times after just a few steps, getting so frustrated that it threw down the rope and howled angrily before switching to running on all fours, guiding the rope with its mouth.
Li Xuanfeng, using a stealth spell, followed the hyena closely as it navigated through the woods to a large rock face covered in green vines. It had a large cave entrance where light and two other hyenas could be seen sleeping at the entrance. The gray hyena howled once before awkwardly entering.
The other two hyenas, merely at the second and third stage of the Embryonic Breathing Realm, did not challenge Li Xuanfeng as he confidently passed by them. Soon, he could hear the crackling of fire and the noisy chattering from within.
"Yip yip, ha ha..."
Inside, it sounded like a group of playful children—noisy and lively with intermingling sharp cackles, robust laughs, and occasional murmurs and giggles. The voices echoed erratically throughout the cave.
The dim, reddish light of the fire cast bizarre, twisting shadows on the cave walls, resembling a chaotic dance of demons. Amidst the laughter were intermittent cries of deer, creating an eerie atmosphere.
Having heard the fox describe the hyena's laughter as childlike and unsettling, Li Xuanfeng was now fully witnessing it. Knowing that there were Qi Cultivation Realm demons inside, he dared not probe with his spiritual sense, fearing that he might alert them of his presence.
He lingered at the cave entrance, pondering, The narrow confines of the cave are ill-suited for bow combat... I need to find a way to lure them out.
Thus, he retreated a few miles and pondered for a moment before settling around the forest perimeter. With a flick of his fingers, he conjured a flame with his mana and moved it closer to a large locust tree, which instantly crackled as the fire climbed its branches. In mere moments, the entire tree was aflame.
The night wind was favorable, sparing Li Xuanfeng the effort of conjuring a windstorm with his mana. He then flew a few miles away and waited patiently. As expected, a pack of hyenas soon arrived, frantically circling the growing wildfire and howling.
These hyenas, merely minor demons at the Embryonic Breathing Realm, were naturally powerless against the flames. After about the time it took a stick of incense to burn, two gusts of demonic wind finally arrived, summoning rain from above using their mana.
These two Qi Cultivation Realm hyenas appeared to lack any sophisticated lineage and were unfamiliar with techniques like cloud manipulation; they merely used their mana to mobilize the moisture in the air. Given the recent damp weather and abundant nighttime humidity, the fire gradually diminished.
Li Xuanfeng did not attack immediately but waited quietly from a distance, firstly to let the two demons deplete some of their mana, and secondly, there were many other great demons in Mount Dali. If the fire escalated, it could attract countless other demons, creating unnecessary trouble for him.
Once the flames had mostly subsided, Li Xuanfeng drew his bow and nocked an arrow. The bowstring shimmered in bright gold before he released the arrow, sending it speeding directly toward the back of one of the demons.
The demon, who was patrolling the forest atop the wind, was caught off guard by the arrow flying toward it. Its fur bristled in alarm, and it barely managed to conjure a grayish-black demonic shield in a desperate attempt to block the incoming attack, all while letting out a loud screech.
However, the demonic shield shattered like thin paper in the face of the golden arrow. The Qi Cultivation Realm hyena was pinned to the ground like a regular hyena, wailing pitifully.
"This one's a bit weak... I shouldn't kill it with a single arrow," Li Xuanfeng remarked from a distance. Unable to accurately judge the opponent's cultivation with his spiritual sense due to the distance, Li Xuanfeng pinned it down with one arrow. The Astral Qi had already begun to spread within the demon's body, potentially killing it instantly.
Li Xuanfeng quickly aimed to attack the other hyena, but unexpectedly, the hyena was quick to react and bold enough to rush toward him, exhaling a black breath toward his face.
Li Xuanfeng raised his bow to shield himself, and the hyena, with its fourth heavenly layer of Qi Cultivation Realm and apparently experienced in killing, knew of the frailty of cultivators' bodies. It swiped its claw towards his bow while continuously exhaling black breath.
Clang!
The hyena had dreadfully underestimated his opponent. Li Xuanfeng's bow was both heavy and hard, deflecting the claw with a metallic clang. Taking no chances, Li Xuanfeng concentrated his mana to block the deadly breath of the hyena, creating a dazzling display of mana light. The demon, unwilling to show weakness, attacked with its black claws, each strike heavy and powerful. Fortunately, Li Xuanfeng, having received the talisman, was as strong as a demon. The battle raged on fiercely and with great intensity.
With most of his cultivation invested in his bow, Li Xuanfeng's strength was significantly reduced when the demon got close. The cunning creature clung tightly to him, refusing to allow any distance between them, forcing the two into a stalemate.
After a dozen moves in a tense standoff in the air, Li Xuanfeng spotted an opening. With a swift motion, he slapped his storage pouch, causing two yellow talismans to fly out. They transformed into streams of fire, effectively blocking the demon's spells and providing him with momentary respite.
Seizing the opportunity, Li Xuanfeng retreated a few steps, drew his bowstring, and unleashed a radiant golden light toward the hyena's face.
The hyena demon shifted several times in the air, attempting to evade the relentless onslaught of the golden light, but to no avail. With no other option, it mustered a robust mana shield, summoning its courage to endure the powerful blast of golden light.
The Astral Qi exploded against the hyena demon's mana, disrupting its flow and creating an opening. Seizing the opportunity, Li Xuanfeng stepped back, each retreat accompanied by the release of an arrow. With each shot, he widened the gap between them, relentlessly bombarding the hyena demon with waves of golden light.
Within just a dozen breaths, Li Xuanfeng had released five arrows. Feeling overwhelmed, the hyena demon spewed a jet of black air aimed toward Li Xuanfeng before darting into the forest like a shooting star, hoping to utilize the cover of night and the dense woods to evade Li Xuanfeng's relentless barrage of arrows.
"What a fool!" Li Xuanfeng sneered coldly. With determination, he pulled an ebony arrow from his quiver, swiftly nocking it to his bow. Through the dense canopy of treetops, he fixed his gaze on the fleeing figure.
Though the distance was too great for his spiritual sense to accurately lock onto his target, the demon was affected by his Astral Qi, thereby granting Li Xuanfeng a faint sense of its position.
As the golden arrow accumulated power, it subtly adjusted its trajectory to match the movement of its target. With great precision, Li Xuanfeng gently released his hold, allowing the arrow to streak across the night sky before striking the ground with unerring accuracy.
The demon bristled in panic and frantically scratched at the ground, attempting to dig a hole where it could hide. Its efforts were futile, however, as it was too slow to evade the incoming attack.
The first arrow pierced through its flank, causing the demon to cry out in agony. Before it could gather its wits, a second arrow found its mark, leaving the creature gasping for breath as it collapsed to the ground in defeat.
Despite the creature's futile resistance, spitting intermittent bursts of black air, he used his mana to lift it effortlessly. With precision, Li Xuanfeng injected a stream of true essence into the creature's body, effectively sealing its cultivation. He picked up the subdued demon hurriedly and rode the wind once more to land beside the weaker demon he had already subdued earlier.
The weaker hyena demon was already struggling to breathe and gasping for air. It seemed to have only recently broken through to the Qi Cultivation Realm. A group of Embryonic Breathing Realm hyena demons surrounded it, wailing softly. Upon seeing Li Xuanfeng land nearby, they scattered like leaves in the wind.
Li Xuanfeng quickly worked his mana to sustain its life. He removed the ebony arrows from both demons and carefully treated their wound before taking to the air with his trusty bow slung over his back. He then headed home with both demons in each of his hands.