Chapter 331: Desperate Situation
"Damn these beasts!"
"It's a trap! A trap!"
"We underestimated their intelligence!"
Amidst a torrent of curses, the group had no choice but to retreat into the valley.
Chu Guifeng, Ma Wan, Luo An, and the others brought up the rear, swinging their weapons to repel the pouncing giant wolves one after another.
But the wolf pack was too numerous, and they could only fight a retreating battle.
Moreover, they could clearly sense the number of Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Wolves steadily increasing. It was obvious the pack already considered Shen Daoxing's party to be their next meal.
The group retreated, forced back again and again by the relentless pressure of the wolf pack.
Suddenly, a towering, steep cliff face appeared before them.
They had reached the very back of the valley. The high cliff walls blocked their path, leaving them with no way to escape. They had walked into a dead end.
Some immediately panicked. The group, which had been barely maintaining some semblance of order, began to descend into chaos.
Someone tried to climb the steep cliff face.
"AWOOOO~"
Another bloodcurdling howl rang out, loud and clear.
Everyone looked up, only to find giant wolves appearing on the clifftop above, their sharp eyes glaring down at them like tigers watching their prey.
Even the path upward was blocked.
The crowd was horrified. Those who had started climbing the cliff face scrambled back down.
The wolf pack was determined to force them to their deaths. The entire party descended into complete panic.
Even Shen Daoxing frowned. He turned his head and looked toward the valley entrance. There, he saw an enormous, brilliant white Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Wolf King. Surrounded by its pack, it stood on high ground, gazing down at the people in the valley with a cold indifference, as if looking at a group of dead men.
Shen Daoxing suddenly took a step forward, walking toward the mouth of the valley.
Just then, a white shadow flashed before his eyes. A Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Wolf had appeared out of nowhere and was lunging at him.
Shen Daoxing frowned and was just about to raise his hand.
Suddenly, a powerful Half Moon Blade Gang appeared, instantly slicing the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Wolf in two at the waist.
Immediately, Ma Wan's gruff voice rang out. "You idiot, what are you doing getting so close to the wolves? Are you looking to get yourself killed? Quick, get behind me! We'll handle this!"
"If I hadn't taken Qian Gui's money, I wouldn't give a damn about a rich young master like you. Now move! Get back!"
With that, Ma Wan impatiently shoved Shen Daoxing back into the group.
Then, with a swift slash of his blade, Ma Wan drove back a giant wolf that had been sneaking in for a surprise attack.
However, a large number of Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Wolves continued to close in, and the group had no more room to retreat within the valley.
"Everyone, look! There's a cave over there!"
Suddenly, someone in the group pointed and shouted.
Following his finger, everyone saw an inconspicuous spot at the base of the cliff, where a cave was hidden by thick brush.
Everyone was instantly overjoyed. Without hesitation, they swarmed toward it. Shen Daoxing, caught in the middle of the crowd, was pushed into the cave along with them.
The cave was vast, large enough to hold over a hundred people, and the entire party squeezed inside.
Meanwhile, Chu Guifeng, Ma Wan, Luo An, and the others held the cave entrance, driving back the charging wolves and preventing the pack from surging inside.
Several Darts Masters immediately lit torches and ventured deeper into the cave, hoping to find an exit. However, they had only taken a few steps before their furious voices rang out.
A moment later, the Darts Masters walked back out dejectedly and shook their heads at the crowd. They were completely trapped.
"Damn it, why would a wolf pack be in this area? They're supposed to be much deeper in the mountains."
Qian Gui was furious. He had suffered the greatest loss, having abandoned an entire caravan's worth of goods.
Hoping to earn more, Qian Gui had been transporting double his usual cargo. He never expected to lose it all in one go. The financial loss would probably take him five or six more trips to recoup.
Ma Wan walked in from the mouth of the cave and asked, "How is it? Did you find a way out?"
Qian Gui, looking completely crestfallen, just shook his head.
Ma Wan's face instantly darkened. "Looks like those beasts planned this all along. They know this area better than we do!"
As he spoke, Ma Wan slammed his fist against the cave wall.
The cave trembled, and with a CLATTER, a pile of white bones tumbled out from the wall.
Everyone looked down and saw that beneath the covering of vines and grass on the cave floor lay countless white skeletons. There were skeletons of various demonic beasts like Nether Sheep and Earth Oxen, but most of them were human bones.
Clearly, this was not the first time the pack of Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Wolves had done something like this.
However, now that they were inside the cave, the pack could only attack from the entrance.
Chu Guifeng stood alone just outside the cave, his long spear striking out like a furious dragon. With a series of thrusts, he pierced through the bodies of several giant wolves, and the rest of the pack immediately hesitated to approach.
The Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Wolf King was also extremely cautious. It did not enter the fray itself, but instead commanded its pack to charge a few times. Seeing that they could not break through the defense of Chu Guifeng and the others, the giant wolves finally lay down in the valley, surrounding the cave on three sides. Their dark eyes blinked as they stared at the group, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
The Spirit Moon Shadow Wolf King was clever. It knew that the people before it were now nothing more than trapped animals, and it was waiting for its prey to grow weak.
And that was indeed the case. In their frantic escape, Qian Gui and the others had left most of their food on the carts. With the meager supplies they had on hand, they wouldn't last more than a few days trapped in the cave.
The pack ceased its attack and retreated. Chu Guifeng finally had a chance to catch his breath. He walked into the cave and looked at the others. "What's the situation?"
Ma Wan and Qian Gui both shook their heads.
Chu Guifeng wasn't surprised, as if he had expected this all along. "How many days of food do we have left?" he asked faintly.
Qian Gui sighed. "Most of the rations and water were left on the carts. With this many people, we won't last long."
Chu Guifeng frowned, found a clear spot, and sat down. "We have to find a way to break out!"
"There are nearly a hundred Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Wolves out there, all of them Spirit Transformation-level demonic beasts. How are we supposed to break out?"
Qian Gui shook his head and sighed.
"If this keeps up, all we can do is wait to die."
Ma Wan's expression was grave.
An air of despair immediately filled the cave. No one spoke.
Even Luo An said nothing this time, merely sitting beside his younger sister and murmuring words of comfort.
Before they knew it, the sky began to darken. They had been pursued for an entire day. A brilliant white moon hung high in the sky, and the night was dotted with countless stars.
Outside, the wolf pack waited patiently, lying in wait not far from the cave entrance.
"AWOOOO~"
A howl, even more terrifying and bloodcurdling than before, ripped through the night.
Suddenly, a brilliant light flared up outside the cave, its radiance blinding. Sensing that something was terribly wrong, everyone immediately craned their necks to look outside.