Chapter 328: Something’s Not Right
Then, a panting Ma Wan crawled out from under the wolf’s belly.
"As expected of a martial arts senior. Amazing!"
Beside them, Luo An scratched his head and gave a foolish grin.
But Ma Wan shot him an annoyed look. "Don’t mess around. This isn’t just any place. None of the Fierce Beasts here are weak."
Luo An, however, remained defiant. "I was just careless this time. If I had been prepared, I wouldn’t be afraid of a Fierce Beast at the Sixth Layer of Spirit Transformation."
Seeing the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Wolf dealt with, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Ma Wan’s expression, however, remained tense. He silently walked over to Chu Guifeng and whispered, "Leader of the Escort Team, something’s not right. We’ve only just entered the Jiuli Mountain Range, and we’ve already run into such a strong Fierce Beast. Normally, the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Wolf wouldn’t appear here."
Chu Guifeng’s brow furrowed deeply, and he nodded. "You’re right. The Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Wolf doesn’t usually show up in this area. Something seems unusual about the Jiuli Mountain Range this time. Tell everyone to be careful. We need to pick up the pace. We can’t stay in the Jiuli Mountain Range for long."
Ma Wan nodded and returned to his position.
Just then, Shen Daoxing suddenly looked to the southwest, frowning. He had caught the thick scent of blood. It seemed a fierce battle was taking place somewhere far to the southwest. However, Shen Daoxing quickly dismissed it. ’My goal is to get out of the Jiuli Mountain Range. I don’t want to run into any trouble.’
After the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Wolf fell, the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat in Shen Daoxing’s arms twitched its nose, having smelled something. It abruptly poked its small head out. When it saw the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Wolf’s corpse, its eyes lit up, and it looked ready to drool.
But just as it was about to make a move,
Chu Guifeng’s calm voice rang out, "Take the meat from the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Wolf. We can’t waste any edible resources in the Jiuli Mountain Range."
Immediately, a few Darts Masters gathered around and began expertly butchering the giant wolf.
The Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat could only watch with envy as they cut the wolf meat into pieces and carried it away.
"Alright, that’s enough rest! We need to set out immediately. We can’t afford to linger in the Jiuli Mountain Range."
Chu Guifeng clapped his hands and gave the order.
The group got to their feet, fell back into their previous formation, and continued onward. This time, Chu Guifeng and Ma Wan were even more cautious.
However, they didn’t get very far this time.
BOOM!
A loud crash echoed.
A huge boulder came tumbling down the mountain, but then a massive figure swooped down from the sky, pouncing on them.
It was a ferocious, silver-furred giant bear. Its sharp claws extended like blades, and its towering back was covered in a thick layer of iron armor. It was an Iron-Backed Bear, a Fierce Beast at the Seventh Layer of Spirit Transformation.
Startled, the group hastily retreated.
Chu Guifeng strode forward and raised a chilling, dark spear.
"ROAR!"
The Iron-Backed Bear’s deafening roar echoed through the mountains.
A cold glint flashed in Chu Guifeng’s eyes. His spear struck out repeatedly like a phantom, each thrust like a striking dragon.
As a master at the Eighth Layer of Spirit Transformation, dealing with a Fierce Beast at the Seventh Layer was no difficult task for Chu Guifeng.
With a great shout, he soared into the air. The Spiritual Power in his hand exploded as he, spear in hand, descended from the sky, transforming into a startling dragon that plunged downward.
"SHREEEE!"
A dragon’s cry rang out.
A dazzling white light crashed down from the sky like a bolt of lightning.
A large hole was instantly punched through the Iron-Backed Bear’s massive head, and it collapsed to the ground with a thud.
Then, Chu Guifeng landed. With a wave of his hand and without pausing for a moment, he ordered, "Let’s go, now! Something’s wrong here!"
After that, the group moved quickly, but their journey was no longer as smooth as before. They successively encountered a Gale Falcon at the Sixth Layer of Spirit Transformation, a Demon Eye Spirit Fox at the Seventh Layer, and even a White-striped Demon Leopard at the Eighth Layer—each Fierce Beast stronger than the last.
"Kill!"
Chu Guifeng’s shout was like a thunderclap on a clear day. He flipped upside down, spear point aimed down, and merged with his weapon. Like a startling dragon, he descended from the sky in a flash of white light, thrusting straight at the White-striped Demon Leopard below.
Meanwhile, the Spiritual Power in Ma Wan’s body surged. A colossal Sword Gang, powerful enough to cleave mountains, shot out, slicing through ancient, towering trees as it passed.
The siblings Luo An and Luo Xi also crossed their swords. A brilliant light erupted as countless sword shadows flew out like a magnificent aurora.
"BANG!"
A loud explosion.
Under their combined attack, the White-striped Demon Leopard was blown to pieces and collapsed to the ground.
Luo An and Luo Xi leaped into the air and high-fived, celebrating their victory. They seemed thrilled; it was the first time they had defeated a Fierce Beast of a higher level than themselves, even if they hadn’t done it alone.
Panting, Chu Guifeng and Ma Wan leaned against each other. They stared at the White-striped Demon Leopard’s corpse, their brows knitted tightly in what looked like deep anxiety.
It was just too strange. In the past, they might not even encounter a single Spirit Transformation-level Fierce Beast in the Jiuli Mountain Range over two or three days.
But this time, they had run into five Spirit Transformation-level Fierce Beasts in a single day. It was too strange! It was as if these beasts were collectively fleeing their original territories.
At this thought, Chu Guifeng and Ma Wan simultaneously looked up in alarm.
"AWOOOO!"
Without any warning, the deafening roar of a colossal monster suddenly erupted.
The group felt the surrounding forest tremble violently, their eardrums nearly bursting. To the southwest, a massive flock of birds took to the sky in a panic, and an incredibly terrifying aura washed over them.
Ma Wan froze, realizing something, and cried out in alarm, "That’s the roar of Chi Yi! It’s Chi Yi, one of the Four Great Fierce Beasts of the East Continent!"
"What? Isn’t it supposed to be in the depths of the Jiuli Mountain Range? Why would it suddenly appear here?"
Chu Guifeng was stunned for a moment, then immediately snapped to his senses. "Quick! Quick! We have to go now!"
With that, Chu Guifeng hastily urged the team to move out.
Shen Daoxing listened carefully to the roar coming from the southwest. He sensed that the smell of blood from that direction was fading. ’It seems that Chi Yi creature isn’t heading toward us.’
With that realization, Shen Daoxing was no longer worried. He picked up Xin and calmly followed the group. In his arms, the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat seemed to sense something, glanced toward the southwest, and then gave a bored yawn.
Seeing Shen Daoxing moving so slowly, Ma Wan grew frantic. He rushed to Shen Daoxing’s side and yelled, "You brat... I swear, you act like a pampered young master! What time do you think this is, strolling along so leisurely? Qian Gui must have really wanted that money to insist on bringing a burden like you along. Now hurry up!"
When Shen Daoxing first joined the team, he had hidden his true identity, fabricating a story about being a rich young master traveling to Cangzhou for his studies. He had spent a large sum of Gold Coins to have Qian Gui bring him along. With his gentle and frail appearance, everyone simply assumed he was some pampered heir from a wealthy family.