The night was deep, and the forest whispered in the gentle breeze. The mottled shadows of the trees were like ghosts wandering around. Kale walked on the fallen leaves, and the wolf pack behind him followed silently. Only Azure Claw occasionally raised its head, warily sniffing the restless aura in the air.
The mysterious old man in the gray robe walked at the front. His steps were slow but firm, and every step seemed to be carefully considered, as if he was crossing some invisible boundary.
Kale gripped the handle of the knife at his waist tightly. His gaze never left the old man's thin back, and the caution in his heart remained undiminished.
"Who exactly are you?" Kale spoke again, his voice low and alert. "You say you're the guardian of the Wolf Soul Mountains, but I've never heard that there are humans living there."
The old man slightly turned his head, a mysterious smile hanging on the corner of his mouth. "The secrets of the Wolf Soul Mountains are far more than you can imagine, and the existence of the guardian... is only known to those who are truly connected by the blood of the wolves."
"Connected by the blood of the wolves?"
"Yes, Kale." The old man turned around, and his profound gaze was like a firelight piercing through the night, shining in Kale's heart. "You may have already noticed that your power is different from that of ordinary people."
Kale was silent. Indeed, from the moment he awakened the bloodline of the wolf clan, the changes in his body had never stopped. The growth of his power, the sharpness of his perception, and the connection with the wolf pack in heart and mind—these characteristics gradually separated him from ordinary people.
However, this power did not come without a price—every full moon night, that impulse to tear apart his reason would attack him like a tide.
"Why do you know all this?" Kale stared intently at the old man.
The old man stopped, looked up towards the depths of the forest shrouded in mist in the distance, and said in a low voice, "Because I was once 'you'."
Kale was slightly shocked, and his pupils suddenly shrank. "You also once had the bloodline of the wolf clan?"
The old man was silent for a moment and then slowly took off his hood. What came into Kale's sight was a face covered with mottled scars. A deep claw mark ran from the left corner of his eye all the way to his jaw, just like the mark torn by a wolf's claw.
"The blood of the wolves made me powerful, but it also almost cost me everything." There was exhaustion in the old man's voice. "I once strayed into the Wolf Soul Mountains, trying to seek stronger power. In the end, I found that what was hidden there was not salvation, but a deeper darkness."
Kale frowned, and a trace of doubt appeared in his eyes. "Are you trying to tell me that there is only destruction at the end of the Wolf Soul Mountains?"
"Not destruction, but a choice." The old man said slowly. "That mountain range is the true origin place of the wolf clan. There lies the soul of the most ancient wolf king, and it also nurtures the source of the wolf clan's inheritance."
He paused and added in a low voice, "Those who step into the Wolf Soul Mountains will either become the wolf king or be swallowed up by the darkness."
As soon as the words fell, a low wolf howl suddenly came from the depths of the forest. The howls echoed in the night sky, with a strange reverberation.
Azure Claw's ears perked up, and its gaze locked onto the darkness like lightning. The wolf pack whimpered in a low voice, faintly restless.
Kale gripped the handle of the knife tightly, and his eyes became sharp. "It seems that we've been targeted."
The old man narrowed his eyes, stared at the mist slowly rising ahead, and his voice was as low as the night wind. "Don't stop. The mist is their domain."
The group continued to move forward. The mist gradually thickened, and the visibility became lower and lower. Kale could feel that the aura around them was quietly changing. It was cold, damp, as if something was peeking at them in the darkness.
"What's going on?" Kale frowned and asked.
The old man glanced at him and said in a calm voice, "The mist will erode people's will, make them lose their way, and eventually sink in the darkness."
"Have you experienced it?"
"I have experienced it and have also witnessed too many people fall." The old man stroked his chest, his gaze profound. "But you're different, Kale. The blood of the wolves in your body is the key to resisting the mist."
As soon as the words fell, a vague black shadow suddenly flashed in the mist. It was extremely fast, like a shooting star streaking across the night sky.
Kale's pupils shrank. He suddenly drew out his long knife and slashed at the black shadow! The blade cut through the air, making a clear whistling sound. However, the black shadow disappeared without a trace the moment the blade was about to touch it.
"An illusion?" Kale frowned and sideways.
"No, that's a real hunter." The old man's expression was solemn. "In the mist of the Wolf Soul Mountains, the remnant souls of the ancient wolves are hidden. They are not physical entities, but they can tear apart people's souls."
Azure Claw let out a low growl, and the wolf pack gathered around Kale, forming a defensive formation.
Kale gripped the long knife tightly, and a cold light flashed in his eyes. "Since they dare to come, let them see that I am also a wolf!"
——
The black shadows emerged again. This time, there were more of them, approaching from all directions as if they were going to swallow up Kale and the others.
Kale took a deep breath. The blood of the wolves in his body quickly boiled, and a trace of dark red light gradually appeared in his eyes. He let out a low growl, leaped into the air, and the long knife fell like a silver lightning bolt, bringing a howling wind.
As the light of the knife fell, a black shadow let out a shrill scream and instantly turned into smoke and dissipated.
The other black shadows suddenly stopped in their tracks, seemingly afraid of Kale's power.
"Keep moving forward!" The old man urged in a solemn voice. "Don't get caught up in the battle. We can't be trapped by the mist!"
Kale sheathed his knife, led the wolf pack, and quickly caught up with the old man, rushing towards the depths of the mist.
Gradually, the mist began to thin out. A vast valley loomed ahead. In the valley, a towering huge stone altar stood quietly, vast and mysterious.
The old man stopped and looked back at Kale, his gaze heavy. "This is the entrance to the Wolf Soul Mountains. From now on, you can only walk the rest of the way alone."
Kale looked up at that altar, and his heart rate accelerated, as if the call of fate was whispering in his ear.
He took a deep breath, stepped forward, and Azure Claw followed closely behind.
On that huge stone altar, a pair of dark blue wolf eyes quietly opened.