"Hoolay sneered, 'Hmph, the thoughts turning in your pathetic head are exactly as I expected.'"

"'You knew all along?'"

"'Indeed, for no one understands the value of 【Death】 better than the Borisin. And for a Physician like you, who is accustomed to Death, simple fear will not deter you.' Hoolay shook his head calmly, 'It is a pity. For a moment after hearing that story, a flicker of respect for you actually rose in my heart.'"

"Jiaoqiu looked at him with disdain: 'In that heart of yours, where poisonous blood flows... can the emotion of respect even exist?'"

"'Of course, for I momentarily caught the scent of a kindred spirit. Unfortunately, you are ultimately just a weak and powerless fox. As the Ancient Wolf Creed says: Give the wolf a dead end, and let it find its path. Feed the wolf Death, and let it fill its belly. To live in shallow peace is to find no life; to fight to the Death is to endure for eternity.'"

"'This is also why I am keeping you for now. I will show you the greatest respect a Borisin can give an enemy: devouring your flesh to nourish our bones, crushing your visions to carve our hunting path; I want your dead souls to witness that the future belongs to me!'"

"Mudu ran over in a panic at this moment and whispered, 'Lord! Our compatriots responsible for the rendezvous sent word; the arrangements at Stargazer Navalia have been discovered. We must depart immediately!'"

"'None of this has exceeded my expectations.'"

"Just as Hoolay finished speaking, the sound of a 'booming' ceremonial cannon came from the distant sky. He immediately became alert: 'Mudu... what is that sound?'"

"'It is the Skysplitter. The Star-skiff holding the Wardance is about to set sail. Damn it, the Sky-Faring Commission will clear the flight paths by then! If our Star-skiff tries to escape, it will definitely be spotted.'"

"'Calm down! Mudu! Look at yourself—hiding and trembling in fear... where is the dignity of a Borisin!'"

"Facing Hoolay's reprimand, Mudu showed a rare bit of backbone and shouted, 'I said, for your smooth return, I don't need dignity! As long as you can return to the Borisin pack, there is still hope for everything!'"

"'Hope? The Borisin have long forgotten the 【Ancient Wolf Creed】!' Hoolay looked at Mudu, feeling only frustration at his lack of ambition. 'Weak beasts place their hope in the protection of the strong; strong beasts carve out a blood-soaked path for themselves!'"

"'The fact that you only want to welcome back 【Hoolay】 instead of deciding on a new leader already proves the decline of the entire race. And that prophet who manipulated you into coming to rescue me is nothing more than a liar trying to exploit the Dulan Bloodline!'"

——

Ling Cage.

"I've finally realized it; the true orthodox Dulan Bloodline should be Scott."

"Hey, you're not wrong..." Xu Tong rubbed his chin and thought carefully. It really did seem that way; aside from not looking like a Borisin, Scott's character traits in all aspects were quite a match for Hoolay's requirements.

After all, he could even betray his own father and friends. With that style of unscrupulous, insidious, and ruthless behavior, there probably aren't many Borisin who could pull it off.

"Hoolay saw long ago that his race was beyond saving. No, he only knew they were beyond saving when he saw his clansmen choosing to rescue him so he could continue being the Warchief." Xia Dou sighed softly, though it was unclear if she was feeling pity for Hoolay.

"Seriously, putting aside factors like Hoolay's bloodthirstiness and being the arch-enemy of the Foxians, he really is a formidable leader. But if that group of Borisin lackeys didn't come to save him, he'd continue to be imprisoned and tortured; coming to save him proves the Borisin have declined to the point of collapse. It's a real catch-22."

"But the decline of the Borisin is mainly thanks to Feixiao," Suixing said. "If the Borisin were willing to wait a few decades for Feixiao's Moon Frenzy to take its toll, maybe their hell would have ended."

"Maybe the Borisin had the same thought when facing the previous General." Shanda raised a finger and reminded: "But after finally waiting for the Battle of Fanghu where General Yueyu died, General Feixiao, who understands them even better, took over. If you ask me, the Borisin can't hide even if they want to. The moment they felt 'fear' and wanted to avoid the General's edge, they were destined to be finished."

——

"'Mudu, let me show you how the Borisin rise! We will never hide like rats in the streets of the Xianzhou; you should be wolves baring your fangs, walking among a flock full of lambs.'"

"Mudu still hadn't wrapped his head around it and continued to try and persuade Hoolay: 'Warchief, our pack isn't here! We cannot start a war recklessly!'"

"'The pack isn't here?'"

"Hoolay gave a cold laugh and turned his gaze toward a Foxian prisoner detained in the small courtyard, stepping closer to him.

"'No, wherever I go, there is the pack!'"

"The moment the words fell, Hoolay had already pounced on a Foxian prisoner, his sharp fangs instantly piercing the man's neck!"

"The Foxian's body began to change drastically. Bones throughout his body made 'cracking' sounds, like the interior of an old house collapsing and rebuilding. His body began to twist, his shoulder blades bulged backward, and his skin began to turn blue-black... Under Jiaoqiu's pained gaze, that Foxian actually turned into a Borisin in just a few moments!"

"'Mudu, we are the predators at the top of the food chain. As wolves, we are the makers of fear, not the slaves of fear. If you cannot see the path, I will become the high-hanging Crimson Moon, illuminating the location of the path for you—'"

"'Share my red blood with all the brothers, use it to infect the Foxians, and use it to create fear!'"

——

Demon Slayer.

"Transforming others into their own kind... he actually has the same ability as that lord."

Akaza muttered to himself, but in the next second, he shook his head as if contradicting himself. Lord Muzan's transformation of demons is a bestowal of power, a 'gift' of eternal life—though this gift carries a curse, a fear of the sun, and the instinct to eat humans. But in essence, it is a 'promotion': from then on, one discards the fragile human body and possesses near-infinite time to pursue the limits of martial arts.

However, he did greatly admire Hoolay's style of rule; that was the mindset a hunter should have. Especially after seeing Hoolay, Akaza realized for the first time that Borisin could be this strong.

"If only this guy could become the leader of the demons..."

As soon as the words left his mouth, a chill ran through Akaza's body. He almost forgot that the lord could perceive their consciousness. He quickly covered his mouth tightly, hurriedly dispelling that disrespectful thought from his mind.

"Oh? What is Lord Akaza saying? I seem to have heard the words 'leader of the demons'~"