Chapter 61 Silver Moon Wolf

After the four finished resting, it was already noon.

Although they won the battle at Shilin, it took a toll on all of them.

"We must replenish our food supply as soon as possible," Chen Yun said, her brows furrowed as she looked at her backpack, which was now mostly empty.

Chu Wen took out a small compass from his robes, the needle trembling slightly in the mist: "Soul-Severing Cliff is in the northeast, about forty li away. At our speed, we should be able to reach it before dark."

"Let's go." Shen Lian shouldered his pack and took the lead out of the stone forest.

Not long after leaving the Stone Forest, the fog in the forest thickened considerably. Visibility dropped to less than thirty feet, and even sunlight could hardly penetrate the dense canopy. A deathly silence enveloped them, broken only by the echoing footsteps of the four figures.

After traveling about five miles, Shen Lian suddenly raised his hand to signal.

A slight rustling sound came from the bushes twenty feet ahead.

[Combat Strength]: 22~28

Shen Lian activated [Combat Power Detection] and quickly locked onto his target.

A moment later, the bushes shook violently, and a giant wolf with a pure silver-gray coat leaped out. The wolf was seven feet long and four feet tall at the shoulder, its silver-gray fur shimmering in the mist, and its pair of emerald green eyes staring intently at Shen Lian.

"A second-tier demonic beast, the 'Silver Moon Wolf'!" Chu Wen whispered. "Be careful, this kind of wolf is extremely fast and excels at ambushes."

The Silver Moon Wolf let out a low growl, its four legs propelling it forward, transforming into a streak of silver light as it pounced on Shen Lian. Its speed far surpassed that of the Black Water Crocodile.

Shen Lian's eyes narrowed, and he pushed his "Tiger-Taming Stance" footwork to its limit. A wolf's claw grazed his right shoulder, tearing a hole in his flying fish robe.

"So fast!" Shen Lian was secretly surprised, and swept his long sword horizontally in the process.

The Silver Moon Wolf twisted its body in mid-air, its tail lashing out at the blade like a steel whip.

clang!

A loud bang echoed through the space. The Silver Moon Wolf was forcefully repelled by Shen Lian. It stared intently at Shen Lian, its green eyes filled with vigilance.

Lin Feng attacked from the side, his long sword flashing like a venomous snake, heading straight for the Silver Moon Wolf.

With a flash of dazzling light, Lin Feng slashed the Silver Moon Wolf's left hind leg, causing blood to spurt out and forcing the wolf back forcefully.

The Silver Moon Wolf retreated repeatedly, raising its head and howling angrily, its howl echoing through the forest.

"Not good!" Chu Wen's expression changed drastically. "It's summoning its companions!"

The next moment, five silver figures darted out from all directions; they were none other than the Silver Moon Wolves. The six Silver Moon Wolves surrounded the four of them, their emerald eyes radiating intense killing intent.

Chen Yun gripped the long knife tightly, her eyes filled with caution.

Shen Lian looked ahead and saw six second-tier demonic beasts.

The leader of the Silver Moon Wolves has a combat power of 28-35, which is close to the peak of the third level of heaven. The combat power of the other five Silver Moon Wolves is between 22 and 30, and their strength should not be underestimated.

Shen Lian shouted in a low voice, "Don't break the formation, join forces to deal with them."

Chu Wen, Lin Feng, and Chen Yun quickly formed a defensive formation with Shen Lian.

Six silver moon wolves launched an attack simultaneously, rushing towards Shen Lian and his companions at an extremely fast speed, aiming to break up their defensive formation.

"Well done!" Lin Feng's eyes blazed with fighting spirit, and his longsword transformed into a sky full of sword shadows, enveloping the two silver moon wolves.

Shen Lian faced off against the largest silver moon wolf.

clang!clang!clang!

In the blink of an eye, Shen Lian had exchanged more than ten blows with the Silver Moon Wolf.

Shen Lian narrowed his eyes, staring at the Silver Moon Wolf not far away. This wolf was not only fast, but each of its claws contained the power to split rocks and shatter stone.

"Mountain-Slaying Style!"

Shen Lian charged forward with his sword, the long blade slashing down like lightning, striking the Silver Moon Wolf and instantly shattering its bones.

The silver moon wolf was forced to retreat repeatedly by Shen Lian's sword strike.

Shen Lian pressed his advantage, unleashing three consecutive slashes at the Silver Moon Wolf. With the third strike, the wolf's neck was severed, and blood gushed forth like a fountain.

After dealing with the alpha wolf, Shen Lian turned to support the others.

Chu Wen fought a Silver Moon Wolf. His swordsmanship was exquisite, but the Silver Moon Wolf was too fast. Often, before he could even unleash his sword moves, the Silver Moon Wolf would have already dodged them.

At this moment, his left arm was cut, and blood soaked through his sleeve.

Shen Lian cut in from the side and forced the Silver Moon Wolf back with a single strike.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Chu Wen unleashed his ultimate move, his longsword darting out like a serpent from its hole, piercing the head of the Silver Moon Wolf and killing it.

On the other side, Lin Feng had already killed two Silver Moon Wolves and was now engaged in a fierce battle with the last one, almost a one-sided crushing victory.

Chen Yun used her agile movements to maneuver and hold off the last Silver Moon Wolf.

The battle ended a quarter of an hour later.

All six silver moon wolves were killed, and the air was filled with a strong smell of blood.

Chu Wen was the most seriously injured, with a deep wound on his left arm that exposed the bone. Chen Yun was scratched on her right shoulder by wolf claws, but fortunately, the injury was not serious.

Shen Lian and Lin Feng were not injured.

"Treat the wounds quickly." Shen Lian took out healing pills and distributed them to everyone. "The claws and fangs of the Silver Moon Wolf are poisonous, so we must treat them as soon as possible."

Chu Wen gritted his teeth and tore open his sleeve; the wound had already turned black, clearly a sign of poisoning. He quickly took out a bottle of antidote pills and swallowed them, then applied wound medicine externally.

"We can't stay in this area for long," Lin Feng said, cautiously observing his surroundings.

Shen Lian nodded: "Clean up the spoils quickly and leave immediately."

The four quickly cut off the Silver Moon Wolves' pelts and claws, all valuable materials. Inside the largest Silver Moon Wolf, they also found a thumb-sized inner core, gleaming with a pale silver luster.

"A second-tier demon beast's inner core!" Chu Wen's eyes lit up. "This thing is worth at least five hundred taels of silver, and it's priceless."

Shen Lian put away his inner core: "Let's get going."

After a quick bandage, the four sped up and headed towards the Broken Soul Cliff.

They encountered several more attacks from monsters along the way, but these were all first-tier monsters and were easily dealt with. As they ventured deeper into the forest, the fog thickened, and visibility decreased to less than twenty feet.

At 3:45 PM, the terrain ahead suddenly rose.

A steep cliff came into view, hundreds of feet high, its walls as if carved by a knife and axe, barren of any vegetation. The top of the cliff was shrouded in gray mist, obscuring its entirety; only the outlines of jagged, strange rocks could be vaguely discerned.

"We've arrived at Broken Soul Cliff." Chu Wen checked the map. "It is said that this cliff was once the place where a martial arts master passed away. There are natural caves at the bottom of the cliff, which are suitable as a stronghold."

Shen Lian activated [Combat Power Detection] and scanned the area ahead. There were indeed several caves at the bottom of the cliff, but what caught his attention even more were the two powerful auras emanating from the top of the cliff.

[Combat Strength]: 38~48

[Combat Strength]: 36~44

"There's someone on the cliff top," Shen Lian said in a low voice. "They're very strong, at least at the peak of the fourth level of the Heavenly Realm."

Lin Feng's eyes turned cold: "Should we go around it or...?"

"Observe first," Shen Lian gestured for everyone to hide, "and see who it is."

The four hid behind a boulder, and Shen Lian climbed up an ancient tree next to it, using the branches and leaves as cover to look up at the top of the cliff.

As the fog dissipated, the view from the top of the cliff became clear.

Two figures stood facing each other, a man and a woman.

The man, dressed in a light blue outfit, wielded a long sword, possessed striking features and an ethereal air. He was none other than Qin Lie, a local genius from Qingzhou Prefecture and one of the favorites to win this competition.

The woman, dressed in white, held a jade flute and had a serene and aloof expression, resembling a fairy from the moon palace. Another favorite to win was Lin Qing'er from Baiyun County.

The two seemed to be in a standoff, and the atmosphere was very tense.