With a huge crash, the forest wolfman's pouncing attack smashed a huge hole in the ground, but Zhang Lie's body vanished the instant his claws swiped through it. 

The next moment, in a flurry of shadows, before the forest wolfman could respond, Zhang Lie appeared behind his head. A violet shortsword struck him, seemingly from an extradimensional space.

Just before the attack landed, the wolfman's fur rose up and shot out in the direction of the attack, preventing what would have been a lethal blow and sapping Zhang Lie of his momentum. While Zhang Lie was dealing with the fur, a claw came from his right, forcing him to defend against the sudden attack.

Zhang Lie activated...