Chapter 86: A Piece of Skin Torn Away

Once, during a recruitment journey, Master Xuanwu encountered Huang Xianlin in a small village of the Barbarian Kingdom. Huang Xianlin had become an orphan after his parents were slain by soldiers when they tried to protect their home from pillaging. Moved by the boy’s plight and recognizing both his unusual stature and sharp intellect—qualities that marked him as a rare talent for both martial arts and cultivation—Master Xuanwu brought him back. With the approval of his own master, Shangheng Zhenren, he took Huang Xianlin as his disciple.

From the moment Huang Xianlin arrived, the divine qilin beast inexplicably showed remarkable affection for him, constantly seeking his company. Huang Xianlin, too, felt an instant kinship with the qilin; from their first meeting, he sensed a bond so deep that even sleeping, they shared the same space. Their intimacy surpassed even that of blood brothers.

Witnessing this, Master Xuanwu realized that although he had once believed himself to be the qilin’s closest companion, it was Huang Xianlin who truly shared the deepest affinity with the beast. With bittersweet resolve, he entrusted the qilin to his beloved disciple.

At that time, Huang Xianlin was still young and had only recently lost his parents. Despite becoming Master Xuanwu’s disciple, his heart remained burdened with grief. Yet, the qilin’s gentle presence brought him solace: whenever Huang Xianlin was sad, the beast would nudge him gently with its horn, rub its body against him, or tenderly lick his hand, evoking memories of his parents’ comforting touch and playful affection.

When Master Xuanwu announced that the qilin would be entrusted to him, Huang Xianlin was overjoyed, kneeling with gratitude as if he had found a priceless treasure.

From that day onward, Huang Xianlin and the qilin were inseparable—eating, training, even sleeping side by side.

Upon witnessing the profound bond between his disciple and the qilin, Shangheng Zhenren gifted the divine beast to Huang Xianlin as a companion.

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The qilin continued to unleash fire upon the wolf-lion beast, while the latter countered by expelling a fierce, icy wind from its throat, defending itself against the qilin’s flames.

The divine fire and the chilling wind collided incessantly in the air between them, producing mystical halos that formed a wall of arcane light, separating the two beasts.

Intent on swiftly defeating the wolf-lion and aiding his master Huang Xianlin in vanquishing Yang Tianbao, the qilin launched its full strength, hoping to overpower its foe in one decisive attack.

But the wolf-lion, a creature renowned for its ferocity, was equally determined to conquer the qilin quickly and then help its own master Yang Tianbao triumph. Standing firm, it closed its broad jaws, arched its back, and suddenly opened its mouth wide, sending a torrent of icy wind toward the qilin.

Unexpectedly, the wolf-lion’s chilling gust was so potent that it matched the qilin’s divine fire, blocking it precisely at equidistant points between them.

To demonstrate their endurance, both beasts remained poised in midair, continuously spewing fire and cold wind at each other.

Their powers were evenly matched—neither gaining an advantage nor retreating. The mingling divine fire and icy wind formed a swirling circle, ten meters in diameter, radiating iridescent, mystical light.

Thus, they persisted for nearly a quarter of an hour without either prevailing.

The qilin mused: “I never imagined the wolf-lion’s icy wind would be so formidable! If I continue to hold it off with fire, I’ll only delay my master’s cause. I must find a way to defeat the wolf-lion quickly, lest I waste precious time.”

With this thought, the qilin leapt upward, ceasing its flames as it escaped the wolf-lion’s chill, and then, with all its might, sprang toward the wolf-lion’s head, jaws wide to bite.

The wolf-lion, suddenly deprived of the opposing fire’s resistance, stumbled forward ten steps, nearly falling.

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As the wolf-lion staggered forward, it collided with the qilin, which was lunging to bite. Attempting to dodge by dropping to the ground, it failed to react in time and was bitten by the qilin, losing a sizable patch of fur and skin from its neck.

Howling in agony, the wolf-lion crashed to the earth, twisting its head in vain attempts to lick its wound, but the injury lay on the back of its neck, beyond its reach. Resigned, it turned to seek its adversary.

The qilin, having followed the wolf-lion’s descent, now approached from the air.

Seeing the qilin hurtling toward it, the wolf-lion braced itself, watching as the beast descended. With a furious roar, a thick iron chain, as massive as an arm, unfurled from its neck. The wolf-lion swung its head, sending the chain hurtling toward the qilin.

This chain was no ordinary tether—it was forged from ancient divine iron, a bridle obtained by Yang Tianbao through unknown means. When crafted, the smith had infused it with sorcery, allowing it to respond to its master’s will, stretching or contracting as needed to strike any target. Its ancient iron made it incredibly hard; any beast or person struck would succumb instantly.

As the qilin closed in, it suddenly saw the chain whip toward it and recognized its enchanted nature and deadly power. Trying to evade before it struck, the qilin was only grazed, its skin slightly abraded.

Seeing the chain miss, the wolf-lion immediately jerked its head back, retracting the bridle.

The qilin, having dodged the chain, landed on the ground. Without pausing, it charged at the wolf-lion. Before the wolf-lion could turn, the qilin was already upon it, unleashing a blast of divine fire and swiping fiercely at the back of its head with its forepaw.

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