Elder Shadowhound

Elder Shadowhound is a shadow beast and middle A-Grade elder of the Fiend King faction who leads its disciples through the Dark Canal before Jack kills him over an Overlord treasure.

Biography

The Dark Canal Expedition

Shadowhound joins Elder Owlhead in leading the factions’ disciples through the Dark Canal. He mocks the group’s rules and openly says that the strong should prey on the weak. When the elders find an Overlord treasure, he puts greed ahead of the expedition’s order and fights the elemental guarding it. He then welcomes Jack’s surprise attack on Owlhead, seeing the death of his rival as a chance to claim the treasure and recruit Jack. (Chapters 521, 524–526)

Shadowhound mistakes his command of Will attacks for an assured victory. He traps Jack inside a Shadow Realm and sends illusory beasts and weapons against him, but the effort exhausts him. When Jack escapes the mental battle, Shadowhound tries to retreat into darkness; Jack pursues and kills him before he can use the darkness to hide. (Chapters 526–527)

Appearance and personality

Shadowhound appears as a shadow beast with a gravelly voice and a laugh like a hyena. When Jack’s final strike scatters his body, the shadows briefly reveal a dark, hyena-like form. His conduct is openly cruel and opportunistic: he dismisses disciples as unimportant and treats Owlhead’s death as a useful opening. (Chapters 521, 524, 526–527)

Abilities and cultivation

Shadowhound is a middle A-Grade elder. He specializes in Will attacks and the Dao of Darkness; Jack assesses him as a skilled group suppressor whose darkness also gives him affinities for space, chaos, and absorption. His actual techniques show how he uses that specialization. (Chapters 525–527)

Shadow Realm and darkness

Shadowhound spreads darkness into a separate, featureless space in which he and Jack face one another in a battle of wills. He fills it with beasts and weapons made from his will, forcing Jack to defend while the attacks drain Shadowhound’s energy. The fight leaves him sweating and bleeding from his eyes and other orifices. (Chapters 526–527)

He can also use the surrounding darkness to conceal himself. After Jack shatters the Shadow Realm and wounds him, Shadowhound tries to disappear into the mist, but Jack’s immediate pursuit prevents his escape. The same battle shows a limit to his direct physical fighting: once his Will attack fails and he is exhausted, Jack overwhelms him. (Chapter 527)

Relationships

• Elder Owlhead: A fellow expedition leader and middle A-Grade elder. Shadowhound welcomes Owlhead’s death as an opportunity to claim the treasure. (Chapter 526)
• Jack Rust: The cultivator who kills him after escaping the Shadow Realm and defeating his attempt to flee. (Chapters 526–527)
• Fiend Prince: A faction disciple traveling with the expedition. Shadowhound’s death leaves the Fiend Prince among the disciples facing Jack and Brock. (Chapters 521, 526–527)

Items

No notable items are associated with Shadowhound.