Chapter 148: The Golden Armor (Part I)
Chapter 148: The Golden Armor (Part I)
The seemingly dead Quilmuo Wolf opened its eyes.
Its blood essence thickened once more, and its demonic energy began to circulate.
The burly hunter, with his back turned to the wolf, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine and quickly sidestepped.
He moved, but not quite fast enough.
Quilmuo Wolf's sharp claws slashed down from his left, tearing a bloody gash on his arm. Pale green demonic energy seeped into his meridians through the wound, causing his arm to go numb as blood gushed forth.
Cold sweat broke out on the burly man's forehead.
With a fierce glint in its eyes, the wolf brought its claws up for a second strike, aiming straight for the man's head.
"You can't dodge this!"
Injured and with his movements slowed by the invading demonic energy, despair crept into the man's eyes.
Just then, Moxuan acted. With a swift kick, he sent the burly hunter flying, saving him from the deadly blow.
Once again, Quilmuo Wolf's claws found only empty air.
The hunter landed on the ground, feeling a searing pain where Moxuan's kick had connected. His blood essence churned violently.
He knew that Moxuan had not held back, delivering a powerful kick to save him.
While the kick had indeed saved his life, the pain was very real.
"You...!" the burly hunter started to say to Moxuan.
But as he lifted his head, his face paled in horror. Quilmuo Wolf's sharp claws were raised high, poised to strike Moxuan.
Having just kicked the hunter, Moxuan was still in the midst of his movement and had no way to avoid the incoming attack.
"Moxuan!" the burly hunter exclaimed in worry.
Moxuan's brow furrowed, but his expression remained calm. He had anticipated this turn of events.
He knew that by saving the hunter, he would create an opening for Quilmuo Wolf to strike at him.
However, he had calculated the wolf-demon's attack pattern and determined that the claws, coming from above, would only be able to injure his back and would not be fatal.
Taking a minor injury to save his brother's life was a trade he was willing to make.
The other members of the demon-hunting team witnessed the scene, but their movements were not as quick as Moxuan's. Even as they rushed over, they were still a step too late.
They could only watch helplessly as Quilmuo Wolf's demonic claws, carrying a chilling wind, slashed into Moxuan's back.
But what happened next left them all stunned.
Quilmuo Wolf's claws failed to tear into flesh, or even break the skin. They didn't even pierce through the vine armor.
A faint golden light flashed across the vine armor, repelling the wolf's claws.
Moxuan was sent flying by the force of the blow and spat out a mouthful of blood when he landed, but there were no wounds. He had only been struck by the beast's force, which wasn't a serious issue.
But this was a late First Rank demon beast. How was it possible that there were no wounds?
Everyone froze for a moment, then snapped back to their senses. Now was not the time to ponder such things.
They recalled the dangerous situations the burly hunter and Moxuan had just faced, their lives hanging by a thread, and their hatred for the treacherous demon beast deepened.
The group of demon hunters raised their blades and hacked Quilmuo Wolf to death.
Moxuan wanted to stop them, but it was too late. He could only sigh quietly:
"Forget it. The pelt is useless now anyway."
As the hunters stripped the pelt from Quilmuo Wolf's body, they found it to be in tatters, resembling ragged strips of cloth with not a single intact piece left.
Moxuan let out another sigh.
They couldn't linger in the inner mountains any longer. After tidying up the wolf-demon's corpse, they withdrew from the inner mountains and headed for a campsite in the outer mountains to rest temporarily.
As they traveled, the burly hunter's wound throbbed painfully, prompting him to curse:
"Damn these demon beasts! They all have different ways of feigning death, and I fell for it. I was too careless."
One of the hunters consoled him, "It's alright. Consider yourself lucky this time. If not for Moxuan, you probably wouldn't be here right now."
The burly hunter expressed his gratitude to Moxuan. "Thank you, brother."
Moxuan waved his hand dismissively. "We're all comrades-in-arms. No need for formalities."
Having joined the same demon-hunting team, they were brothers-in-arms who faced life and death together. Saving each other's lives was only natural.
The burly hunter dropped the pretense and didn't bother with further polite words.
However, as they walked, he stole a glance at Moxuan's vine armor and couldn't help but ask, "Hey, what's this vine armor of yours made of? It's incredibly tough."
Even the claws of a late First Rank demon beast couldn't penetrate it.
The other demon hunters, upon hearing this, also turned their curious gazes towards Moxuan.
"Impossible," the burly man shook his head. "If that were the case, I'd eat my own vine armor."
One of the demon hunters stepped closer to Mo Xuan, examining his vine armor and running his hand over it to feel the material. "You can eat yours now. It's fine iron mixed into the vine armor."
"Nonsense!" The burly man exclaimed. "My vine armor also has fine iron in it. One scratch from a demon beast, and it turned into vines!"
The other demon hunters laughed. "Yours was probably a fake."
"Yours was mixed with sand, not fine iron."
"You're talking rubbish!" The burly man's face turned red with anger.
Mo Xuan couldn't help but smile as well.
However, he too was curious about the extraordinary toughness of the vine armor.
"Could it be that Little Hua painted some kind of array inside?" Mo Xuan wondered to himself.
After walking for half an hour, they finally reached the campsite.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and the burly man collapsed on the ground, taking out a pill to consume and a few more to crush and apply to his wound before bandaging it.
"We'll have to trouble Old Mister Feng again when we get back," the burly man sighed.
"Be grateful," one of the hunters said. "If not for Mo Xuan's kick, you wouldn't be here to bother Old Mister Feng at all."
The burly man shuddered as he recalled the chilling green light emanating from the Quilmuo Wolf's claws.
"That claw would've taken my life if it had hit my head," he muttered.
With this thought, his heart filled with gratitude once more. He took out his storage bag and tossed it to Mo Xuan. "Mo, let me treat you to a drink."
"Forget it," Mo Xuan waved him off. "Are you treating me to a drink, or are you expecting me to treat you to meat?"
The burly man kicked the other hunter who had spoken. "Shut your mouth! If you don't want to eat, no one's forcing you!"
"Whether I eat or not is none of your business!" the hunter retorted.
The two bickered playfully.
Mo Xuan shook his head. Every time they ventured into the mountains, Liu Ruhua would prepare dried rations and beef for him. He would eat well and also share some with the other demon hunters.
Mo Xuan took out the beef and distributed it among the group, along with several bottles of wine from the burly man's storage bag.
The other demon hunters also brought out their own supplies—wild fruits, dried food, snacks, and various types of wine—creating a lively atmosphere in the campsite.
After eating a few slices of meat and taking a sip of wine, Mo Xuan removed his vine armor. Suddenly, he remembered something and couldn't resist taking the armor apart to examine it.
The other hunters crowded around, curious.
"It's an array!"
"What kind of array?"
"How should I know?"
One of the hunters looked up at Mo Xuan and asked, "What kind of array is it?"
Mo Xuan shook his head.
"You don't know what your son painted?"
"Just because he's my son doesn't mean I know everything he does," Mo Xuan replied with a smile.
The burly man, a mixture of envy and jealousy, said, "Mo, did you pay respects to some immortal before your son was born? I should do the same; maybe my son will turn out as smart."
"Forget it. If you're not smart, how can you expect your son to be?" one of the hunters chimed in.
"How will I know if I don't try?"
"This array... it's not an Ironclad Array, is it?" one of the hunters asked.
"Definitely not. It's much more complex," another replied.
Under the light of the campsite, they examined the intricate array painted within the vine armor. The brushstrokes were complex, the array patterns profound, and a faint golden hue emanated from it, indicating its extraordinary nature.
The vine armor itself was also a masterpiece of craftsmanship, and the thought that it was a gift from Mo Xuan's son tugged at their heartstrings.
Just then, Mo Xuan's expression changed. "Not good!"
The other demon hunters tensed up. "What's wrong?"
Mo Xuan touched the vine armor, a pained look on his face. "There's a scratch."
The hunters fell silent, their gazes fixed on Mo Xuan.
(End of Chapter)
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