Jiang Yuan left Shadow Moon Manor, summoned a Dragon Beard Tiger, and climbed onto its broad back, heading straight north.
The Dragon Beard Tiger beneath him ran for about ten minutes. Through the mini-map prompt, Jiang Yuan realized he had entered the "Shadow Moon Mountain" area.
"Shadow Moon Mountain" could hardly be called a mountain. Jiang Yuan looked ahead and saw a series of rolling hills of varying heights. Perhaps because these hills were connected, they gave a sense of winding continuity, earning them the name "Shadow Moon Mountain."
"Wolves seem to come out at night. I wonder what time it is now."
The Shadow Moon Valley map was perpetually dim, making it hard to tell day from night. Jiang Yuan checked the game time—it was just past the hour of Xu, roughly around seven in the evening.
Seeing it was still early, Jiang Yuan jumped off the Dragon Beard Tiger's back, clasped his hands behind him, and began strolling around the Shadow Moon Mountain map.
"Ding! Congratulations on defeating the monster Phantom Spider, gaining 1,000,000 experience points!"
Just as Jiang Yuan was wandering through Shadow Moon Mountain, a level 90 monster, "Phantom Spider," lurking in the shadows, tried to ambush him. The Dragon Beard Tiger at his side detected it and smashed it to pieces with a single claw swipe!
"Even the minor mobs here give a million experience points. This is a great spot—perfect for leveling up!"
Hearing the notification sound, Jiang Yuan's mind stirred. Two thousand imposing Dragon Beard Tigers appeared neatly before him. Under his command, they launched indiscriminate attacks on the surrounding wild monsters!
"Ding! Congratulations on defeating the monster Phantom Spider, gaining 1,000,000 experience points!"
"Ding! Congratulations on defeating the monster Mutant Demon Rabbit, gaining 1,000,000 experience points!"
"Ding! Congratulations on defeating the monster Man-Eating Flower, gaining 1,000,000 experience points!"
Notification sounds rang out one after another. Two hours later, Jiang Yuan had cleared out most of the nearby wild monsters, and his level had risen from 90 to 91.
A bright moon had appeared in the sky above Shadow Moon Mountain at some point, hanging at a slant, casting down countless silver threads. A gentle evening breeze blew through the hills, involuntarily stirring a sense of chill.
"Ah-choo!"
Jiang Yuan sneezed unexpectedly, feeling a bit puzzled. This was supposed to be a game, so why did the cold on his skin feel so real?
"Howl!"
Just then, a wolf's howl suddenly rang out from a distant hill. Jiang Yuan vaguely saw a cluster of eerie green lights emerge from the bushes about fifty meters ahead of him.
"Here they come!"
Jiang Yuan's heart tightened as he stared at the green dots, like lanterns, ahead. He knew these lights came from the eyes of Shadow Moon Demon Wolves.
"Howl!"
Another howl echoed, and the Shadow Moon Demon Wolves hidden in the low bushes seemed to receive a command, revealing themselves one by one. Jiang Yuan roughly estimated there were over a hundred of them!
Soon, a sturdy figure slowly emerged from behind the wolf pack, locking eyes with Jiang Yuan.
"Is this... the Wolf King?"
Looking at the leader wolf, which was clearly twice the size of the other Shadow Moon Demon Wolves and had a tuft of white fur on its forehead, Jiang Yuan immediately guessed it was the pack's leader.
The Shadow Moon Demon Wolf King's eerie green eyes gleamed with cold, bloodthirsty light. Drool dripped from the corners of its mouth, as if Jiang Yuan had already become their meal for the night.
"Howl... Huh?!"
Just as the Shadow Moon Demon Wolf King stretched its neck to order the pack to attack, a look of intense shock, almost human, appeared in its eyes. It suddenly noticed that between itself and Jiang Yuan, over a thousand massive brown tigers, covered in scale-like armor, had appeared out of nowhere.
"Hehehe! Finally got you!"
From the Shadow Moon Demon Wolf King's perspective, the seemingly frail human across from it suddenly wore a grin even more sinister than its own, then hurled a white light at it.
"Arcane Mark"
After summoning the Dragon Beard Tigers, Jiang Yuan immediately applied a buff to the Shadow Moon Demon Wolf King. With a low shout, the Dragon Beard Tigers around him let out fierce roars and charged at the marked target.
"Howl! Howl!"
The Shadow Moon Demon Wolf King's cries grew tense and fearful. It seemed unable to understand how it had gone from hunter to prey in the blink of an eye.
"Ding! Congratulations on defeating the monster Shadow Moon Demon Wolf, gaining 1,000,000 experience points, Shadow Moon Wolf Hair x1!"
The Dragon Beard Tigers plunged into the wolf pack, beginning an unequal slaughter. Soon, Jiang Yuan heard the notification for obtaining the quest item.
"Hehe! Little wolves, don't run! Let me collect your fur nicely!"
Jiang Yuan wore a smug expression, commanding the Dragon Beard Tigers to chase the Shadow Moon Demon Wolf pack, letting out odd laughs.
"Howl~"
The Shadow Moon Demon Wolf King let out urgent calls. Hearing this, the other wolves scattered, breaking into smaller groups and diving into the low bushes.
This "divide-and-conquer" tactic by the Shadow Moon Demon Wolf King might have left an ordinary player stunned and helpless. But for Jiang Yuan, it was utterly useless.
"Go!"
With a flicker of thought, tens of thousands of Dragon Beard Tigers materialized out of thin air. Under Jiang Yuan's orders, they plunged into the bushes, conducting a carpet search for the scattered wolf pack.
"Ding! Congratulations on defeating the monster Shadow Moon Demon Wolf, gaining 1,000,000 experience points, Shadow Moon Wolf Hair x1!"
Shadow Moon Wolf Hair x1
Shadow Moon Wolf Hair x1
Shadow Moon Wolf Hair x1
...
Notification sounds kept ringing in Jiang Yuan's ears. One by one, the Shadow Moon Demon Wolves were caught and killed by the Dragon Beard Tigers. The count of wolf hairs in his quest log steadily increased.
89, 91, 93, 97, 100!
Before long, the required 100 wolf hairs were collected. Jiang Yuan glanced at his quest log, where the task "Kill Shadow Moon Demon Wolves" had turned from white to green, indicating completion.
The hundred Shadow Moon Demon Wolves had also provided Jiang Yuan with 100 million experience points, filling his experience pool by another tenth.
"I wonder how much experience killing that Wolf King would give? But the quest comes first, so I'll let it off for now."
Jiang Yuan felt a slight regret at not taking down the leading Shadow Moon Demon Wolf King. However, the priority was completing the main quest related to "Shadow Moon Manor." With a soft sigh, he used the skill "Summon Follow" to recall all the pursuing Dragon Beard Tigers, turned around, and headed back to report to the Shadow Moon Manor lord.
Twenty minutes later, Jiang Yuan returned to Shadow Moon Manor. By the valley's water pool, he found the white-haired manor lord and Miao Miao, who had just finished a hearty meal of grilled fish and was washing her face with her paws.
"Old man, I'm back!"
Jiang Yuan jumped off his mount just as it was about to disappear, shouting loudly to the Shadow Moon Manor lord.
"Young friend, back so soon? Looks like things went smoothly!"
The Shadow Moon Manor lord nodded at Jiang Yuan, a glint of approval in his cloudy eyes, and said with a smile.
"Just some Shadow Moon Demon Wolves—easy pickings! Here, 100 wolf hairs!"
Jiang Yuan smiled, looking relaxed, then pulled a handful of silver-gray wolf hairs from his backpack and handed them over.
"Ding! Congratulations on completing the 'Kill Shadow Moon Demon Wolves' quest, gaining 100,000,000 experience points!"
The moment Jiang Yuan handed over the quest item, the system notified him of the completion of the task assigned by the Shadow Moon Manor lord.
"Excellent! Now I need you to head southwest of Shadow Moon Valley, kill a monster called 'Phantom Wraith,' and retrieve its Soul Crystal."
The Shadow Moon Manor lord waved his hand, and the wolf hairs in Jiang Yuan's hand vanished instantly. The next second, Jiang Yuan received a new quest prompt—"Kill Phantom Wraith."
Jiang Yuan was taken aback. Another monster hunt? He reluctantly agreed, "Alright!"
Having barely been back at Shadow Moon Manor for a minute, Jiang Yuan left again, heading straight southwest.
The southwest of Shadow Moon Valley was a chaotic graveyard, with countless mounds rising high, each topped with a stone tablet. Some tablets bore inscriptions, while others were blank.
As Jiang Yuan stepped onto this desolate, uninhabited burial ground, he spotted a white figure wandering in the distance from afar.
[Elite Monster: Phantom Wraith] Level: 100 Health: 10,000,000 Defense: 5000 Attack: 3500 Skill: Shadow Stalk—When Phantom Wraith's health drops to 10%, it automatically triggers, randomly possessing a nearby living creature to drain its blood and nourish itself.
As Jiang Yuan drew closer, he immediately read the elite monster's stats. Its innate skill gave him a headache.
"I wonder if summons count as living creatures. If it can possess them, wouldn't that mean I'm providing it with an endless supply of resources?"
Jiang Yuan muttered to himself, deciding to test it out. He summoned only ten Dragon Beard Tigers.
Throwing an "Arcane Mark" at the Phantom Wraith, Jiang Yuan commanded the ten Dragon Beard Tigers to attack.
With two rounds of enhancement, the Dragon Beard Tigers had an attack power of 1,000,000. The ten tigers swarmed in, and within seconds, the Phantom Wraith's health dropped below 10%, triggering its innate skill.
"Squeak!"
The Phantom Wraith let out a sharp screech and transformed into a white light. Jiang Yuan was shocked to see that instead of possessing the surrounding Dragon Beard Tigers, the light shot straight toward him.
"Damn! Stay away!"
Jiang Yuan panicked, dodging left and right, but it was useless. The white light, like an arrow released from a bow, zipped into his body with a "whoosh."
"Ahhh!"
A tearing sensation, as if from his very soul, made Jiang Yuan let out a blood-curdling scream. Having forgotten to use "Soul Sacrifice," the health bar above his head began to plummet.
"This is bad, what do I do?"
Enduring the intense pain, Jiang Yuan frantically searched his mind for a solution. If he used "Soul Sacrifice" now, it would only provide more health to the Phantom Wraith inside him. But if he didn't, he risked death at any moment.
Caught between a rock and a hard place, Jiang Yuan gritted his teeth, a crazy idea flashing through his mind.