Tang Yin felt shivers run down her spine as she heard the howling and panting of Beasts getting closer and closer; calming herself, she gripped her two blades tighter.
A deep breath later, she advanced as a faint rustle from the right alarmed her. Turning, she swung her blade without sight, reacting instinctually, something warm hit her skin. A steel gray wolf with red eyes retreated and growled at her his side bloody. It was almost two meters tall.
A blur of color hit, and Lize pounded into the wolf like it was nothing, her Soul Weapon coating her and an eagle's wings spreading from her back. The auditable Bang roared through the forest as the wolf hit a tree trunk from Lizes punch.
Tang Yin needed more time to pay much attention to the others. She felt Ning Feng, Yu Hua, and Tang San's presence close as she deflected the next attack and rolled through the mud from its force; a current of air came from her right, where a round shield covered her blind side.
Looking to the back, she saw Ning Feng panting heavily with a hand outstretched to her position.
She looked around and saw Yule fully occupied with protecting Yu Hua, Ari, and Ning Feng.
She saw one of the wolves jumping at Ari and Ning Feng, reacting late in front of its claws.
Damn, she wasn't close enough. "FENG!" She cried out and watched the worst happening, Ning Feng getting shredded into pieces when suddenly heavy silver chains pinned the wolf down to the ground and confined it.
He was a bit away from the others. He had his back turned towards Lize, who dealt with three of the wolves, and Tang San, who threw frightening weapons while avoiding any fatal attacks even if his clothing tore at some places at impossible speed.
She rushed forward as she saw the Grandmaster from the corner of her eye getting attacked from behind. Cursing, she threw the hairpin blade right toward the beast and changed direction; why were her damn legs this short.
The qi cursing through her legs amplified her speed, and she pierced right into the wolf, losing her balance on the mossy ground.
"Awooooooooo," another howl.
She turned around and cursed again. Above them was a spirit beast, a silver Wolf four meters in size and with glowing reddish green eyes.
"Are you kidding me!" She cried out and readied herself. This one was an upper thousand-year-old spirit beast, and while they could handle the younger thousand-year-old ones that attacked them in Pack, which was manageable with Lize, Yule, Ari, and the Grandmaster, the beast staring down at her was not.
Stall for time. Try it, a voice inside told her; if she didn't, everyone might kick the bucket.
She took a deep breath; she could not win this battle, but she could buy time for the others. She readied her blade and steeled herself, letting the qi inside her run through her muscles to strengthen them. The purple qi around her thickened, and she gathered it all in her legs to be faster; once she was caught by that, she was mincemeat.
The wolf stared at her, his gaze fixating on her; he knew his opponent.
The howl thundered once again through the forest, and the beast continued staring at Tang Yin. The other wolves stepped back and ran away, but he stayed. She raised the qi inside her again and faintly noticed how her right hand slowly numbed.
With a last gaze from his red, green eyes, he stepped forward.
"Come here.", Tang Yin whispered, covered from head to toe in mud and spirit beast blood, and found herself thrown to the back. She did not move her gaze as a red-faced Lize covered her view, and the massive beast lowered his head and growled.